As she slipped into the door to Samantha Twist's office, Julie had partially forgotten the layout of many of the offices at City Hall, which included a small entry area for a secretary before the main office for the person in question. She was reminded of that when Sherri, Samantha's secretary, addressed Julie.
"Oh... hello," Sherri spoke, "Your father's office is across the hall, Julie."
Julie whirled around to see the werecat secretary look over her desk to her. She knew that Sherri and Samantha were in different prides and that Sherri had only graduated college a few years ago, but that didn't change her embarrassment at having been caught. She managed an weak smile and felt blood rush to her cheeks.
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Samantha, meanwhile made her way back up the stairs with a heavy sigh. While the hospital's report did show certain abnormalities and risks with certain rare blood and chromosome types,their suggestion of testing every normal in Moon Lake was a bit much, particularly when most, if not all of Moon Lake's normals already looked rather healthy and the fact that these chromosome abnormalities were extremely rare. Adding an addition step for those joining single gender were-species wasn't too much, but the panic in the hospital's request was obvious and the panic really wasn't what Samantha wanted. Particularly after the mess that Moon Lake had had to deal with regarding Yvette Smith's antics. Thankfully, things seemed well in hand and that the situation at the hospital looked to be okay for the moment, and she sincerely hoped they could help the new victim recover, though she didn't really know enough on medical science to know for sure if their theoretical treatment would work.
For the moment though, her day was getting close to the end, with a few new notes to take regarding the change in procedure before returning home. As such, she returned to her office only to find Julie Stovall standing and looking rather sheepishly toward Sherri. It wasn't something she expected.
"Hello," Samantha spoke to announce her presence in her own office, "Is something wrong, Miss Stovall? Are you here to see your dad... or..."
"Uh... I... uhh..." was all Julie managed in response.
"I think she's nervous about something, but I haven't been able to figure out what, Mrs. Twist," Sherri reported.
Samantha nodded and turned back to Julie, "Why don't you come with me and we'll talk."
"Okay," Julie said weakly and let Samantha walk around her and around Sherri's desk.
"Hold my calls...unless of course we have a serious emergency," Samantha said to Sherri, who nodded, and then lead Julie into her own office.
The fourteen year old weremermaid climbed into one of the chairs opposite Samantha's desk while Samantha moved to sit in her own chair. As she sat down, she looked across her desk to the blond haired blue eyed girl.
"You're not here to see me or your father, are you?" Samantha then asked, "at least not directly..."
"Yes," Julie said weakly, unable to hide that she was caught.
"Is something wrong with Eric?" Samantha asked, "Is something else wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," Julie said weakly, "at least... I hope not."
Samantha watched quietly as Julie sighed heavily and then spoke.
"He said he loved me and wished to be with me for the rest of his life," Julie answered and her voice trailed off toward the end. Samantha nodded as she knew what that would mean. If Eric had made a commitment to that, he would have to become a were himself in order to be with Julie, and while that might give her reason to talk directly with Eric in her role as Town Chancellor, she was fairly certain that things weren't quite that far for Eric.
"That would be good news, then, right?" Samantha asked, "that he loves you?"
"Of course... but he said he couldn't walk me home... and after everything... I..." Julie said weakly.
"You were afraid he'd become something other than a weremerman?" Samantha asked. She privately figured that Eric must have come to talk with Martin Stovall concerning his relationship with Julie and Julie had followed.
And Julie's fears were fairly logical. While there were plenty of inter-were-species marriages, William and Martha's being only one of many, out there, it was fairly common for werebeasts to wish to be with other members of their own specific were-beast species. She could certainly remember having some of the same fears herself when Frances' family moved to Moon Lake and became weredogs. However, memories of normal humans hunting were-beasts was a common memory, particularly from those with European ancestry at the time of Moon Lake's founding, Moon Lake had striven hard to prevent or stop racist biases and the presence of Moon Lake's werecats had helped put a stop to any homophobic tendencies. In that sense, while Moon Lake wasn't perfect, it was certainly far more progressive than any other city in the US.
"Well... a little," Julie admitted. "But... wouldn't you be afraid too if your wife was a normal and might become something other than a werecat?"
Julie blinked when Samantha actually smiled in response.
"I know EXACTLY how you feel, Julie," Samantha smiled, "Frances' family moved here to Moon Lake when we were just starting high school. So, obviously, I wasn't Town Chancellor then and her parents and brother all decided to become weredogs, but at the time, Frances was too young to go through with the ceremony to join any were species."
Julie blinked as Samantha thought back, almost wistfully, on when Frances moved to town.
"We hit it off almost as soon as we met... and well... I hadn't had my first transformation and I didn't think I could turn Frances when I hadn't transformed for the first time, myself," Samantha continued, "and in a moment of true love... we made love together... at a young age..."
Julie understand that. Even at her own age, she could feel the fire and passion, that was typical of any were, inside her, and at times just seeing Eric was enough to make her want to make sweet love to him and show him just how MUCH she loved him.
"It was then that she told me that when she was old enough her parents expected her to become a weredog with her family," Samantha continued.
"What did you do?" Julie asked.
"There really wasn't anything I could do... at least not any more than I had already done," Samantha answered, "I was afraid that Frances would become a weredog... but I knew I loved her and in the end I figured that it didn't matter."
"I didn't?" Julie asked.
"Of course it didn't," Samantha answered, "cats and dogs actually get along far better than you think. Frances told me once of a pet kitten she'd adopted before her family moved to Moon Lake. Her family had also owned an old foxhound who befriended the kitten while she had it."
"What happened?" Julie asked.
"In the end, the kitten got out and was killed by a car," Samantha said slowly, "but... the consequences were felt more by her family's dog... who, according to Frances, stopped eating after the kitten died and passed on as well."
Julie blinked, "and that was with mundane animals..."
Samantha nodded, "Yes. And it shows that cats and dogs can get along... and the same would have been true for Frances and I, even if she became a weredog."
"But she did become a werecat..." Julie finished.
"That was more a consequence of our making love as young as we did," Samantha actually blushed, "I had my first transformation... and then went to attend Frances' ceremony to be with her and let her know I loved her. And then she changed into her werecat form for the first time. Apparently, even before a were has their first transformation their system can still transform normals... though thankfully, Frances and I..."
"I don't need to hear everything on your sex life," Julie cut Samantha off.
"The point is that I was prepared to love her regardless of what she became," Samantha answered, "and at times... I ask her if she was okay with how things turned out, as sometimes I feel as if I'd forced her into becoming a werecat. But she has loved me and insisted that there was nothing wrong between us..."
"But how does that relate to me and Eric?" Julie asked.
"It'll relate that you'll need to remember that he has the right to be who he wants to be," Samantha reminded her, "if he decides to be something other than a weremerman, that is his choice..."
"I know."
"And at the same time... you said he loves you, right?" Samantha asked.
"Yes," Julie nodded.
"Then that will be more important that what kind of were he becomes," Samantha told her, "and remember that both of you are young. You can't legally get married until your eighteen and there is a lot that is ahead of you. Eric's love for you might lead him into choosing to be a weremer because he loves you... just as Frances chose me. Being in love at a young age is perfectly find... but don't rush yourself or let things blind you. Love doesn't care what you are."
Samantha thought that might have helped, but frowned when Julie only looked down for a moment again.
"Is something wrong?" Samantha asked.
"I don't know... maybe..." Julie answered, "I'll admit... I'm a bit nervous over what kind of were Eric will be. Even though I know and feel that he'll do it for me... and I'll admit I followed him here out of that fear, but then when I saw him go into my dad's office... something in me clicked..."
Samantha leaned forward to rest on her elbows.
"Am I rushing him?" Julie asked, "I love him dearly. Eric is the only man for me... and he admitted he wants to be with me... and maybe he will become a weremer for me... but... am I rushing him? I don't want it to be like I'm forcing him into anything or to rush anything..."
"That I can't really say," Samantha admitted, "It may be moving fast... but in my experience, love moves at its own pace and we can't control it. My time with Frances... and how we fell in love, even at a young age... it felt right to me then. So I can't really tell you how your relationship with Eric is going... that's more up to you and Eric."
Julie nodded.
"Does it feel right to you?" Samantha asked.
"Yes... I love being around him," Julie answered.
"And how do you think it feels to him?" Samantha asked.
"Okay... but I don't know... I don't want to rush him," Julie answered.
"And I'm sure he doesn't want to rush into anything either," Samantha answered, going by what Frances had told her about her private chat with Eric after the party on Sunday, "intelligent and curious and wishing to know more... but not in a desire to rush into anything. If he's here, I would guess is that he only came to get more information on weremers and didn't want to stress you or that he figured your father would be best to tell him about what it's like to be a merMAN."
"But it wouldn't be a burden for me... I wouldn't mind answering questions on weremers," Julie answered, "I don't want him to feel that I'm rushing him into a decision..."
Samantha stood up and walked around her desk and put a hand on Julie's shoulder, "then tell him that... and let things happen as they may. Things will happen in their own time and as they feel right. I'm sure you don't want to rush things and I'm sure neither does Eric. And given what I've seen of the two of you... just let it happen and grow as things feel right. With that... things will develop from there, and you'll both be happy. Moon Lake's seems to have that sort of effect."