"So, let me get this straight - the shampoo that we bought - at a regular pet store, mind you - is magic or something and made you and Mary Lou look like this?" asked Adam with some disbelief.
After Adam's revelation, he quickly reconciled with Evelyn. Seeing her crying, he stood up and offered her a hug. She eagerly accepted, and bounded across the room into his arms, nearly knocking him off his feet. She picked him up and hugged him, lifting him off the floor and squeezing the breath out of him. Evelyn apologized, stating she didn't know her own strength, and invited him to sit down at a small table the employees used to eat lunch, so she could explain what had happened. Adam sat in a chair, but Evelyn was too large to sit in the small employee chairs, so she sat on the floor next to Adam. Even sitting on the floor, she was still almost at eye level with him in the chair. Mary Lou had returned to the door Adam had entered. She stood in front of it, facing the couple, guarding the door to prevent any more unwanted guests from entering the room. Evelyn then explained everything they knew, but Adam was still having a hard time believing it.
"So it is some kind of magical alligator potion, and turns people into alligators if they get it on them?" asked Adam nervously, as he carefully set the empty shampoo bottle down, and wiped his hands on his jeans repeatedly. He had been examining the same shampoo bottle that Evelyn had been looking at earlier, hoping to find some kind of clue she might have missed. But the bottle looked perfectly ordinary, and the label provided no help. After Evelyn's explanation, he no longer wanted to even touch the damned thing.
"I don't think so, " said Evelyn. "Mary Lou wasn't a person, and it changed her. And it didn't change me completely - it just made me part alligator."
"So, it made you part alligator, and it made Mary Lou part human. Kind of like it swapped some of your genes or something, " asked Adam.
Evelyn's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's exactly what did! It swapped the characteristics of our two different species between us. That must be why it didn't work when we tried it a second time. We were just swapping the same things a second time!"
"I don't know, Evelyn. That seems a little far-fetched. There must be some other explanation. " said Adam.
"What difference does it make!" shouted Mary Lou, as she stamped her foot on the ground. "Let's get out of here before it's too late to escape. You can play with your magic 'shampoo' later, when I'm safely out of this prison."
"Hey, do you mind? I'm trying to figure out how keep my girlfriend from spending her life as a hideous beast, " said Adam. "Beside, I haven't alerted anyone to the fact that you're missing yet. We're the only ones here until the next shift, and that's hours from now."
Mary Lou walked over to Adam, stood up to her full nine foot height, and glared down at him. "And what exactly makes her hideous? Her beautiful scales, her proud long snout, or her elegant long tail? Please tell me, I'm curious. But if I were you - and I wanted to live through this night - I'd choose my words very carefully."
"Sorry, " Adam mumbled weakly. "I meant no offense."
"None taken, " said Mary Lou with a smile, and she returned to her position guarding the employee door.
Evelyn patted Adam's hand with her massive claw. "It's okay, she just a little sensitive, " said Mary Lou.
"Well, if your theory is correct - and the shampoo exchanges things between species. How do we reverse it? Couldn't use just use the shampoo on both of you again and you could swap everything back?" asked Adam.
Evelyn shook her head. "I told you. We already tried it, and it didn't work. I've been thinking about this a lot. At first I thought maybe it needed a catalyst, like the heating lamp or maybe something we were both exposed to in Mary Lou's enclosure. But then it just suddenly occurred to me. It seems like the shampoo creates a perfect balance between the two species, and since we were both half-alligator and half-human, there was nothing it could exchange between us."
"So, what else can we do? Have you thought of another solution?" asked Adam.
"There is none, " barked Mary Lou. "Just accept your fate and join me, as my sister. Your mate will find another female to satisfy his needs. And if you really want a mate for yourself, I'm sure we can find a nice bull alligator for you in the wild. Hell, you can even use your 'shampoo' to make him look more human if you don't want to mate with him as he is."
Evelyn eyes suddenly brightened. "Or we could just use it right here......" she said with a smile.
Adam was confused, but Mary Lou immediately knew what she meant. "Yeah, yeah, " she said, staring directly at Adam. "I get it."
This will be perfect, thought Mary Lou. If they made him part of the pod, Evelyn would be happier because she would have her mate, and Adam would feel more compelled to help them escape, considering he would now be in the same situation. "I think that might be the best option."
"What option? " asked Adam angrily. "What are you two talking about?" He looked between Mary Lou and Evelyn, and realized that they were both staring at him. Finally, he understood what they wanted to do.
"Uh-uh, no way. No way are you guys using that shit on me," he said, as he stood up, and began backing away from the table.
"Now, Adam, calm down. Just hear me out, and I think you might change your mind. It really is the only choice. "said Evelyn, as she stood and began to follow him. Adam bumped into what he assumes was a wall, but he turned and saw that it was actually Mary Lou. She gripped his shoulders tightly. He looked back towards Evelyn, who was smiling innocently, with her hands behind her back.
"You wouldn't be full alligator, just partly alligator. If we all mix together, we should all end up being one-third alligator, and two-thirds human. It's' not a perfect solution, but at least we'd be mostly human."
Adam turned and looked up to Mary Lou. "And you'd be happy with that? Being mostly human?" he said pleadingly.
Mary Lou just shrugged her shoulders, never loosening her grip. "I'd rather be mostly alligator, but I'll take what I can get. The most important thing to me is my freedom. I really don't care what I look like, as long as it helps me escape."
Adam looked back at Evelyn, and saw that she was now directly in front of him.
Still with her hands behind her back, she asked. "Do you love me, Adam?"
"Of course, " said Adam nervously. "With all my hear, regardless of how you look. You know that."
"And do you trust me, " she asked sweetly. "Trust me to do what's best.... best for the both us?"
"I think so, " he said, deeply concerned. He didn't like the direction this line of questioning was heading.
"And you'll do anything for me .... anything to prove your love? " she said, as she leaned in close to his face. Adam's view was now obscured - all he could see was Evelyn's large reptile face. It was not a pleasant sight, and he was beginning to get a little scared.
"Well, yes. That's what you do for someone you love" said Adam quickly, trying to slink out of Mary Lou's iron grip and away from Evelyn's face.
Evelyn abruptly kissed him on the lips with her snout. He was taken aback by her unexpected action. "Then you'll forgive me if I do this, " she said, and she lifted the large washing bucket from behind her back, and poured its content directly on his head.