Once cleaned up from their sexual adventure in the Ramsey basement, Nate and Alex made their way upstairs to where they found an adult man and woman. They looked to be in their twenties, just as Nate's own parents looked now, but far more muscular. Even Mrs. Ramsey looked like she could easily bench press two hundred pounds without breaking a sweat. The odd thing that would probably strike most people though, was that Mrs. Ramsey, while she clearly had more muscle than any normal woman, her musculature didn't take away from her femininity. It did little for Nate, and he had to be careful as Mr. Ramsey seemed to have many of the same features that he found extremely attractive in Alex.
"So... you would be Nate?" Mr. Ramsey asked in a friendly voice.
"Yes, Nate Anderson," Nate said nervously and noticed that Mr. Ramsey had a hand extended. He slowly took it and shook hands with the man. Mr. Ramsey's grip was strong but friendly as they shook hands.
"A pleasure to meet you," Mr. Ramsey said with a smile, "I'm Peyton Ramsey and this is my wife Shelly. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Uh..." Nate said weakly, glancing to Alex and then looking back to the adult man, "thanks... though I wish that our meeting didn't have me in a position where my pants were down..."
"It's alright," Peyton Ramsey actually laughed, "we're ALL weres here. We ALL enjoy those sorts of things... it's bound to happen."
"You're not mad?" Nate asked carefully.
"Mad?" Shelly gave a warm smile, "Hardly. Just glad to find that our Alex has found someone that he has a personal interest in."
"Yes," Peyton nodded, "there aren't too many gays that have become werewolves... most normals who are like that have become one of the male "werecats" and have often shied away from Alex..."
"Why?" Nate found himself asking dumbly.
"I've always thought it to be fear," Alex told him, "a werelynx... a male werecat won't be much larger than a true werecat in their were form and will be potentially just as delicate... for a man. They've generally feared that as a werewolf that I might be too rough with them... and for the most part with the others that have come to Moon Lake and chose to be werewolves... I never really seemed to bond with them the way I have with you."
"But you weren't rough with me..." Nate assured him. He also tried to hide a blush at being the only one that Alex had bonded with so far. Things were too early to really say where their relationship would go in the long term, but a good part of Nate was deeply flattered by what Alex had just said.
Alex smiled and kissed Nate on the cheek, "I know, stud, but that can be their fear. And in the end it doesn't matter as you're here."
"Yeah," Peyton said to Nate, "don't think of it as something bad for you or Alex. Think of it as THEIR loss, as they won't get someone as good as our son... and from what little he's been able to tell us about you, that they'd also miss out on someone like you."
Nate gave a rather sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head. He was still a bit embarrassed by how he met Peyton Ramsey for the first time, but so far they had seemed "cool" enough and they had also seemed more than okay with what they had seen. Of course, some of that old fear had also come from things that Nate remembered Minnesota and related to his fears of splitting his parents up. Now, his parents had proved the fears with them either unfounded or overblown by their reaction that morning. They were in fact very accepting of him. So far, Peyton and Shelly were being just as accepting and okay with what they had seen. Some of it probably came from the higher libido levels that all weres felt and were willing to exercise, which Nate could now feel within him as well. It then raised the question on whether or not Alex had ever accidentally walked in on his parents from time to time.
"Thanks," Nate eventually spoke.
"Now... why don't we have some dinner," Peyton spoke, "You can tell us a bit more about yourself and how you've been doing here in Moon Lake."
"It's Mexican take-out," Shelly admitted, "but it's the best we could really do on the drive home."
"It'll be fine," Nate told them.
Peyton and Shelly then lead the way into their dinning room. Peyton and Shelly had set out some paper plates to hold the servings that they had ordered from a Mexican fast food restaurant that was likely on the way between where Alex's grandparent lived and Moon Lake. The order though was fairly impressive with what smelled like bean burritos, tacos, cheese enchiladas, and little fried potato bites. There were no cups of soda, which meant that they hadn't ordered drinks with their food, but there were clear glasses filled with water. Peyton offered Nate a seat and he sat down beside Alex while Alex's parents sat down at their places.
"So... what do you think of Moon Lake?" Peyton asked to Nate.
"I love it, actually," Nate answered, "I've always had a fascination with werewolves... ever since I saw "American Werewolf in London" for the first time... and coming here and finding werewolves are real... it's like a dream come true."
Shelly swallowed the food she had been chewing and then commented, "and even better that we aren't mindless like the werewolf in that movie..."
Nate nodded in agreement. That part made becoming a werewolf even better.
"That's what's made it a dream come true," Nate answered, "and has made me thankful to Ben for introducing me to members of the pack and especially thankful to Alex for giving me the gift of making me what I am now."
Alex smiled as his parents nodded.
"A shame that so much seemed to go on along with your transformation," Peyton commented, "This rogue that was running around... and Alex made mention to us that they were planning to issue the WERE alert because of it."
"Yeah..." Nate nodded, remembering Yvette Smith's actions in transforming his father and then obsessing over him, "that could have gone better... but my dad's adapting quite well and she got caught before any real trouble came about. So in the end, everything will work out. Can't imagine her getting anything less than a long jail sentence."
"Which is good," Shelly smiled, "and how is your family adapting to Moon Lake?"
"Rather well... all things considered," Nate answered, and gave a chuckle, "I was actually the one to volunteer to be the family were, but my dad was attacked and became a werefox and my mom came to realize what she was repressing in herself and became a werecat before I could change. They're both doing well, and some issues that had created problems for them are rapidly healing between them..."
"She's bi, I take it?" Peyton asked.
"Hmm?"
"Your mother, she's bi?" Peyton clarified, "as werecats are generally lesbians. Those that aren't are at least bisexual... and if your mother is still with your father, she must be bi..."
"Yeah, she's bi," Nate nodded, "Didn't know it before we moved to Moon Lake, "and becoming a werecat has apparently helped her accept that part of herself."
"Good for her!" Peyton gave a soft cheer, "let her know that no one will be rude to her hear for her choices and desires."
Nate figured that his mother already knew that. He chewed on the taco he'd been eating and swallowed before continuing his answer to the question.
"I'm sure she knows that," Nate said with a nod, "as she and my dad have both adapted well to being weres. The last is my younger brother, Eric. He's two years younger than me. He was a little bit nervous about things related to Moon Lake when we arrived. He was okay with me becoming the family were and maybe seemed a bit curious, but that may have simply been curiosity on how it would work for me and that I could then answer questions after I changed. Though the rogue's actions sorta hurt that as it left him the only family normal and created the threat that she might go after him... though he's apparently found a girlfriend that likes him..."
"Any idea who she is?" Shelly asked curiously, "I don't think there are any females in our pack that are fourteen... maybe one of the other packs..."
"She's a weremermaid from what he's told me," Nate answered, "I think he said her name is Julie..."
"Moving up in the world," Peyton chuckled, "the mayor's daughter..."
"Peyton!" Shelly scolded, "Just because we voted for Mr. Rockman doesn't mean you can just badmouth the Stovalls!"
Nate figured that that was just small town politics, which made sense. If utopias were real, many of the supposed Utopian theories would have come about earlier. Moon Lake was a nice small town from what he could see, but that didn't mean that everyone had the same ideas on how to make it better.
"I'm not sure Eric likes her because of who her father is," Nate answered, "More that she's been there for him with regard to all this and that she can hold her own with him intellectually."
"That must be quite the intellect he has," Shelly commented, "Julie Stovall's been near the top of the honor roll for her grade for years..."
"Sorry... I'm not as smart..." Alex said slowly.
"It's no problem," Peyton commented, "just do your best. That's all we can ask for. And on a personal level, Nate, if she helps your brother get used to Moon Lake, then let him know that she'd be worth holding onto forever. None of us ever want people who come here to feel unwelcome or unloved."
"I'll let him know you said that," Nate answered.
They continued eating for a little while before Peyton had a new question.
"So... Nate, you interested in any sports? Any team?" Peyton asked.
"Well..." Nate said slowly, "I grew up in Minnesota... so I've always been partial to the Twins, the Vikings, the Timberwolves, and the Wild."
"Heh..." Alex gave a chuckle, "if we could arrange a deal with the Timberwolves, we could be real live mascots for them... just tell them or were forms are a special fur suit with springs and stuff..."
"Which will last only long enough to see our lips and muzzles move when we talk," Nate reminded him, "if it's to be a suit... they'd expect it to operate like a suit... and even if we say its complicated, they'd probably be curious enough to see how it works."
Alex only laughed, "I was joking, stud."
Nate gave a nervous chuckle.
"Never been a hockey fan and haven't been too keen on baseball," Peyton said with some humor, "but it looks as though we'll have to work to convert you to the Legion of Boom."
"The Vikings have had a better year than the Seahawks so far," Nate countered with a laugh as the group enjoyed the conversation and even got into things that weren't even related to Moon Lake. In that way, it was very much a friendly conversation that eased Nate's nervousness.