William's morning had begun rather well. He woke up early, as he had to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday courses, as he had early classes on those days. Technically he'd need to be at the college by eight AM every day, but since there weren't as many students enrolled in many English classes on the whole this semester, his Tuesdays and Thursdays were fairly open in the morning. He could go in at eight, but he wouldn't have a class until ten on those days. Things could of course change next semester, or potentially even this semester if the Dean's Office decided that some of the other classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays were too large and they were broken up to allow for additional classes on those days to be assigned, though those sorts of changes were rare and were usually only implemented over the summer. And if they were implemented during the school year, William was sure to get a call from the Dean's office concerning the schedule changes well in advance.
But Wednesday was a day in which he had to get up early anyway, and so William did. He woke to feel his furry arms around Martha and her furry arms wrapped around him as they were cuddled together in bed. It felt good just to feel her soft fur rub against his, but they would both have to get up and get ready. They got up, resumed their human forms and got ready. William showered first while Martha put on a bathrobe and went to get breakfast ready. From there they went about getting ready for the day and making sure that Nate and Eric were up and getting ready. Before breakfast, Nate's cellphone rang with a call from Alex, claiming the need for a ride that day. Nate promised to talk to Ben about including Alex in the carpool that morning. William and Martha both smiled as their sons ran out the door to meet up with Ben to go to school.
"Things are settling down to normal," William chuckled to Martha as he collected his briefcase and a travel mug of coffee.
"Yes," Martha agreed, "and it feels wonderful..." She then chuckled, "Interesting when you, Nate and I are decidedly NOT normal... and sooner or later Eric will join us in were society..."
"I'm beginning to think that the whole normal versus were difference really isn't what it may be made out to be," William chuckled back, "we have some extra abilities now... all of which wonderful... but in the end... how much have our lives REALLY changed? Kids in high school... that's rather normal. Teaching... regardless of the level... that's rather normal too. It's a normal life. The only thing that's a surprise to people is that weres can have a normal life."
Martha nodded in agreement, "Of course."
"Any plans for the day?" William asked.
"May need to get a few groceries... and pick up a few things at a thrift shop that I saw downtown when I went to Awareness... and you and I will be going back to that shop to pick up some things for you on Saturday... to get some last things to make sure Eric can make a convincing Jacques Cousteau for Halloween."
"Heh..." William chuckled, "He'll look good, I'm sure... Hopefully the people here know WHO Jacques Cousteau is."
"If not, I'm sure Eric could explain," Martha replied.
William nodded, "Will you need the car? I have time to walk if you need it."
"You're sure?" Martha asked.
"Of course," William answered, "besides we aren't THAT from the college."
With that William dug into his pocket and pulled out the car keys.
"Well... it couldn't hurt..." Martha commented slowly and soon felt the car keys being placed in her hands as her husband came close and gave her a loving good-bye kiss. She waved as he walked out of the Anderson home and was soon on his way to the college.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
William did arrive at the college on time though he found a small group of students gathered around the door to his classroom.
"Ah... here we are," William said to them as he approached and began wrestling with his keys to open his classroom door, "all bright and early and ready to discuss more on the greatest author in English history."
"Dickens?" said a young woman, who's scent told William that she was a werecow. William knew that she was an English major and understood that she had some greater familiarity with literature beyond what basic information was taught to students in High School literature classes.
"Dickens!" William gasped and opened the door and then collapsed backward, pretending as though he was having a heart attack, "Dickens! The answer is Shakespeare! Shakespeare!"
"Never really liked iambic pentameter," the young werecow answered, "I mean... that's not how we talk today."
William gave a chuckle, "actually in the US today... the way we use the English language is FAR closer to how the English language was used in Shakespeare's time than it is to how the English used the English language in the Victorian age."
The young were cow only shrugged, which gave William the sense that he wasn't going to be persuading anyone to give up what period of English literature in favor of Shakespeare. It wasn't fully his goal, as he did understand that the English had a vast and great history with regard to literature and there was plenty to be enjoyed about it. In fact a fair number of the courses he had taught over his career as a professor weren't always about Shakespeare. Some were about other authors from the Elizabethan period and he had even taught a few general English literature courses that revolved around plenty of other authors besides Shakespeare.
He let the students walk in and take their seats while he his briefcase down on the desk and counter area that was at the front of the room. He pulled out a folder that held his lecture notes and the possible questions he wanted to ask his students regarding what they were supposed to cover on Monday, but had been delayed because of missing the morning classes due to Yvette's trial. He felt prepared, but he did want to make sure things for the day would go smoothly. He checked them and turned on the computer and projector system that would allow him to present his lecture without having to write things out, and even for his students to avoid writing things down if they didn't want to write anything in class. The lectures were posted online for his classes and could be printed out as needed. In pure theory, if the students had been paying attention, everyone would already know what the lecture would be.
While he prepared for the class, more students came in and sat down, among them were Jenny and Harry. They went half-way up the raised tiers that made up the student area of the classroom and sat down. William watched as Jenny traded looks to Harry as they sat down. At first he thought it was young love, as they were bonded mates and pledged to marry each other, but then he saw Jenny frown and take a deep breath which puzzled him and made him a bit nervous. Being a victim of Yvette's actions, Jenny shared something in common with William, and because of that, a good part of him wanted to help her. That urge for William felt much like his drive to care for and protect Nate and Eric. But for the moment, he didn't have the time to contemplate that as he had a class to teach, and as the clock struck eight AM, William moved to the classroom door and shut it.
"Okay, good morning everyone," William announced as he walked back to the desk, "With things returning to normal after... outside events... we must return the normal affairs of class and will pick up with what we were supposed to touch on on Monday. I trust everyone has read everything that was supposed to be done for Monday?"
William watched as the students all nodded. Harry nodded slowly, though Jenny look down for a moment, almost as if staring into space. Eventually she did nod when she noticed that William was looking to her. It served to make William even more concerned that something wasn't quite right. He hadn't been super familiar with Jenny before he learned that Yvette had scratched her, but he had known that she was a good student and worked hard. However, talking with her would have to wait as William went into his lecture and flipped through the individual slides for his lecture and providing discussion questions as they went through the lecture. Things went well and William could smile at good discussion being raised on the issue. The English majors lead a lot of the class discussion, but some of the other students made a few good comments as well, and allowed William to guide things forward as necessary.
The one thing that never struck William well was that Jenny, who did participate and try to come up with some ideas in discussion, remained quiet. She also looked rather distant and often seemed to be staring into space. It only made him more and more aware that something wasn't right with her. So, as he dismissed class and reminded students what they'd need to read for Friday, William moved to his door to be ready to intercept Jenny before she could leave.
"Miss Harper," William spoke as she approached the door with Harry beside her. "Would you stay after class for a few moments, please."
William tried to look firm as Jenny looked to Harry for a moment and then shrugged. Harry patted her hand and slipped by, as he had classes to get to. He'd see Jenny again when it came time to go her therapy appointment. As Harry left, William ushered Jenny to one of the front row seats and shut the door, turning the lock to make sure they weren't disturbed.
"Are you okay?" William asked her when he moved away from the door.
"Am I okay...?" Jenny asked, quoting her professor.
"Yes," William answered, "you seemed rather distant all class period... barely responsive... like your mind was elsewhere. And when you did respond... it was always with a heavy sigh and at times even a look of embarrassment."
Jenny didn't answer.
"Now... given everything that Yvette put you through... I can understand," William spoke, "but I want to know that you're okay and that you're ready to keep going through with classes..."
"It's not Yvette..." Jenny said with a sigh, "at least not entirely."
"So... something ISN'T right," William surmised, "What is it?"
Jenny only sighed and looked down.
"It's my family and how they may respond," Jenny answered, "they aren't "bad" parents in the sense that they didn't love me... the do love me... but they've also been very strict and have sincerely felt that my greatest responsibility is to help them advance..."
"Helping family is always important," William commented, "but... are you saying that your parents expect you to care for them?"
"My family is poor and has had a hard life," Jenny answered, "what my parents want is to get OUT of the gutter... to be seen as highly virtuous people that are to be admired..."
"I take it they didn't get that," William said slowly.
"No," Jenny sighed weakly, "and so... my folks put an emphasis on my siblings and I ultimately helping get the Harper family into a position of respectability... by ANY legal means necessary. They thought they'd found an answer when the son of a local power company got the hots for me... even before I became a vixen..."
"No one's image of beauty has ever been the same," William commented, "My youngest son found a book somewhere that made commentary that at one time women who were overweight were seen as more beautiful than those who were skinny because it was assumed the overweight woman could provide for herself and others better than the skinny woman."
Jenny only shrugged, "Well... they thought if I married this son... that he or his father would give my folks the opening they've always wanted..."
William blew air through his teeth as he sighed.
"While helping family is important... what you've said to me sounds more like they're using you," William spoke, "Life thew your folks a hard curve and your folks are making you bat for them."
"Things weren't all bad," Jenny spoke.
William couldn't argue with her on that. Jenny knew her own family better than he ever could, but something in the way Jenny had answered his questions concerning her family left a very sour taste in his mouth with regard to the Harper's parenting skills. While on some level, he would hope that Nate and or Eric would be able to look after him and Martha in the future, he had hoped that that wouldn't occur until after he and Martha were so old that they couldn't look after themselves. At the moment, with that being so far in the future, given were's lifespans, that was well in the future. Too much of what Jenny had described her parents actions weren't within that context, though he'd need to get an answer to confirm that.
"How old are your parents?" William asked carefully.
"Fifty six," Jenny answered, "What...?"
"Are they in good health?" William asked again.
"Worn by what they've endured... but yeah," Jenny answered, "what does this have to do with anything?"
"Mostly to confirm something to me..." William said slowly, "and it leads me to think that they are at worst deliberately using you for their own gain or are so desperate for their own economic advancement that they can't let you have a life of your own."
Jenny only looked down, "but... they're family..."
"And they should treat you better," William answered, "I have two sons... and I would NEVER treat them the way you've described the way your parents have treated you."
"They treated my brothers and sister the same," Jenny spoke slowly.
William didn't answer. Eventually, Jenny looked up to him. He noticed a few tears beginning to escape her eyes.
"Mr. Anderson... do... do you think they'll reject me?" Jenny asked weakly, "that I'm so... voluptuous now? That I'm a werevixen?"
"I can't say, Miss Harper," William admitted weakly, "if there is good in them... your parents could accept your changes and see that your happy... maybe even see that your personal happiness is more important and will accept either your physical changes as a result of your transformation and will welcome your mate to your family... but from what you've said to me here... there's the real possibility that could very well reject you regardless of what you do."
Jenny began to cry more and look down.
"What will I do?" Jenny asked weakly, "It may be strange... but I LIKE being a werefox... a werevixen... I love Harry... I NEVER want to leave Moon Lake."
As Jenny said this, something in the back of William's mind clicked. She was concerned over family and hoping for something good in that regard. If her family accepted her or recognized that they had been wrong, she might get a shot at that with her biological family. But if they rejected her, she'd be left with only her Mate and no family behind her. And the father in William couldn't let her be left so alone.
"We're alike in some respects," William said slowly, "Yvette Smith scratched and transformed both of us, and yet both of us love what we've become and will never go back.."
William sat beside Jenny and put a hand on her knee and looked to her.
"But all you have is Harry," William said slowly, "and while I'm sure your love and your bond with him will carry you far... it isn't quite the same as having a family to support you and look after you..."
"Harry's parents have been supportive of me," Jenny answered.
"But his parents aren't your parents... and, something in me thinks that THAT is what you want," William said slowly, "a family to care for you... and raise you..."
Jenny looked up to him. At first she thought that William was going to come on to her sexually, but he didn't. He stood up and walked over to the desk counter at the front of the room. Jenny watched as he began writing something down. After a few short moments he turned with two slips of paper. One was a note saying that Jenny had been discussing matters with Mr. Anderson and that was her reason for being late, a precaution on William's part in case she had a nine AM class. The other slip of paper, to Jenny's surprise, held an address.
"And if your parents do reject you... come by my home some time," William spoke, "My wife Martha and I would love to have a daughter as kind and as bright as you..."
"You'd adopt me?" Jenny blurted out.
"In a way," William answered, "You're a legal adult... so you don't legally need to be looked after... but it's struck me that you're looking for more than just a lifetime of love with Harry... but a family that loves you. Martha and I would gladly give that to you. It'd be complete with holidays, outings, sound parental advice, and any help that we can give you until you and Harry have a place to stay of your own."
"I... I'd need to think it over," Jenny said weakly.
"Take your time," William told her, "but know the offer is there. And it's the least I can do."