The end of the school day couldn't come soon enough for Julie Stovall. It meant that her first real date was soon to begin, and she'd been waiting for it all day. A good part of her was even more excited with the knowledge that she and Eric had actually had the same dream. True, the date would pretty much be a walking tour of Moon Lake, but it was still a date. To her it was like they were meant to be together. Her only private concern was over some of his private concerns and whether or not he would be willing to become a weremerman... HER weremerman. She wasn't going to force him, but that didn't change her opinions or desires. She loved him that much.
She didn't see Eric as she came out the front doors of the high school, but she did find her mother waiting for her at the bottom of the cement steps that were on the exterior of the building's entryway. She stood calmly by and waived politely to her as Julie came out.
"Hello, dear," Melissa said to her daughter as she approached, "Did you have a good day?"
"Yeah, things went well... no real homework today," Julie answered.
"Well that's good," Melissa gave a calm smile as Julie handed her backpack to her mother, "Looking forward to your walk?"
Julie grinned from ear to ear. She was looking forward to that very much.
"Very much so," she told her mother, "it'll be nice to just spend time with him."
"And you'll remember your promise to me?" Melissa asked carefully.
Julie blushed and nodded. She loved Eric and wanted him to become her weremerman, but she had promised her mother to wait until after high school before becoming sexually active with anyone. And while she had said to Eric that might change if "the right man" came along, that didn't mean that she would rush into that decision or that she would just decide to have sex with Eric. In that sense, she was more likely to keep her promise to her mother.
"I remember, mother," Julie answered in a bit more formal tone as she tried to hide her embarrassment at her mother reminding her of the promise as other students left the school building to go to either their cars or to the buses that were parked in the front parking lot to the high school.
"That's good, dear," Melissa said politely, and privately relieved, "now, has anything else happened today? Anything with Eric? At all?"
Julie blinked and figured this related to the phone call she'd made after lunch. The report that Eric had had the same dream as her. The voiced fear that Eric might not want to become a weremer. He had promised he'd think carefully, but Julie hadn't seen him since lunch and couldn't really know what was going through his mind.
"Nothing new since lunch," Julie answered.
Melissa nodded and carefully reached with her free hand and placed it on her daughter's shoulder. Julie was young, and Melissa didn't want her to set her expectations so high that when Eric couldn't meet them or didn't meet them that Julie would have heart broken. For the moment, though, all Melissa could do was give her daughter the advice Martin had told her to say.
"Well... just enjoy things as they are now," Melissa told her, "His brother and parents are all weres so there is no need for him to become a were and you're both still young."
"I love him, mom," Julie stated.
"I'm sure, sweetie," Melissa answered, "but remember that normal humans don't really fall in love at first sight. It's something that takes time for them. They know the concept, but it only happens in fairy tales or in cheap romance novels... and you're both young and he's still adapting to a changing style of life that is going along with being here in Moon Lake. You both have plenty of time to enjoy being together and to make your respective decisions. Getting too caught up in what you hope the "end" will be... you'll only stress yourself."
"But... what if he doesn't become a weremer?" Julie asked weakly.
"If he loves you, will that really matter?" Melissa asked, "I know weremers have tended to stay together... your father's told me that much, and it would be nice for you if Eric makes that decision... but if he loves you and truly does, will it matter if he's a different were?"
Julie thought for a moment. She had seen plenty of news reports on how people with a great deal in common on the news and gossip columns online breaking up in the end because while they were so similar, they never truly loved each other. If Eric decided to be a different kind of were, but did love her and wished to be with her it wouldn't really matter. Though while she knew this, that didn't mean that her desire for Eric to be her weremerman really lessened.
"And if he does love you... he may very well make the choice to be a weremer because he loves you," Melissa continued, "but you need to give him time to come to that decision... Thus, it'd be best to simply enjoy being with him and let love take its course."
"Okay," Julie answered slowly and did feel a little relief at that. After all, Eric's dreams could lead to that decision. Neither of the noticed Nate and Alex walking out behind them.
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Eric, meanwhile had been a bit delayed. He had finished out the day fairly well and got through his classes and with no real homework, he was also looking forward to his date with Julie, but he was trying to find Nate to let him know that he was going on his date with Julie and that he might be home late. So far, he'd had no luck, and wondered if Nate was pulling the same vanishing act he did in the morning. As he searched, he continued to think over many of the issues that he would have to think over. He knew all the likely issues that would be between them, but Julie had been so kind to him and so friendly that in the end a good part of him really didn't care that she was a were. He knew he had plenty of decisions to make, and that is what fueled the bulk of his curiosity and research. There was much that he wanted to know regarding weres and what choices he had.
He wanted to be with Julie, and while he might not fully know what love was, a good part of him got the idea that he was coming to love her. That left him with two base choices, either wait until a vaccine could be developed or become a were at some point. A part of him was already beginning to lean toward the latter option, as a vaccine would take time to develop and would be a permanent answer. If he took the vaccine and then later decided he did want to be a were, he wouldn't be able to, and since Julie was a weremermaid, he'd need to be a were himself to be with her in the long run. That only raised more questions that Eric knew would need to be answered.
While his own safety was a concern after Yvette's attack, and he did feel relieved in the fact that his family and friends had fought for him when Yvette attacked the Anderson home, that wasn't his only concern. He was also concerned on what choices he really had. He wasn't averse to being a weremer, as Julie made a beautiful mermaid and he was thankful she didn't notice the erection she'd gotten out him when she showed him her full mer form. But, he wondered if he had other choices. Given Julie's description of weres as humans with special abilities, he was certain that weres could all interbreed with each other. Though that left the question how it would work, which the handbook didn't answer and left him still with the question on whether or not he'd NEED to be a weremer in order to be with Julie or whether or not he did have the freedom of choice to be something else. And a part of him was rapidly beginning to welcome the idea of being whatever Julie wanted.
His search for his brother continued on in vain until a teacher getting ready to leave school, himself, caught him.
"Can I help you with something?" the teacher asked.
"Have you seen Nate?" Eric asked.
"Nate?" the teacher replied.
"By brother, became a werewolf over the weekend," Eric answered.
This teacher, however, taught classes that only the seniors took, so he didn't know who Nate Anderson was, and neither really did he know who Eric Anderson was beyond being a student in front of him.
"Well... if he was here... I'd think he's left by now," the teacher spoke, "you might as well run along home... or are you in a club or on a team?"
"My family only just moved to Moon Lake," Eric answered, "I hadn't gotten a chance to join any of the school's teams... and I was a bit nervous with some of the things about Moon Lake that I didn't want to get into anything... until..."
"Until what?" the teacher asked.
"Until I met Julie," Eric answered, "We have our first date today. We're going to see the sights and talk..."
"I see... well, I'd suggest you forget about your brother for the moment and get to your date," the teacher urged in a playful voice, "girls don't like it when you keep them waiting."
Eric then noticed a wall clock and realized that he was late, and was soon racing down the hall. He called a thanks to the teacher who shook his head, turned and shut his classroom door and left. As he ran, Eric found himself amazed at how things progressed. There was plenty that he did with to learn about love and to know more about it, but he figured he was falling in love and was amazed at how fast it was happening.
He came out to find Julie talking with her mother. Julie looked well, and as she turned to look to him, he noticed the twinkle in her blue eyes. Eric very nearly fell down the stairs as he was captivated by her eyes.
"Woah! Easy there! This isn't a race!" Julie said to him and actually caught him as he stumbled forward.
"Sorry... I was late... I was trying to find Nate and let him know that we were going out so that he'd let my folks know..." Eric began, trying to catch his breath and recover his composure before being lost in Julie's blue eyes.
"I can let your parents know when I drop off your bag," Melissa said politely and actually smiling at the interaction between the two. She had her worries as a mother, but Eric seemed completely lovesick as well. And that only served to remind Melissa of the fun she'd shared with Martin during their own period of courtship. Melissa never regretted saying yes, and at times wished she'd said yes sooner. And despite all her worries, she did wish her daughter and Eric all the happiness that they deserved.
"Thanks," Eric said politely after a few moments and handed his backpack to Melissa.
"It's no problem," Melissa answered, "Now... you two go and have fun. Love is a journey and you never know where it leads... even when you think you know the end... you never know how you're going to get there. You have to let love conquer all."
Melissa watched as the two walked off with some pride and hope in both of them.