Disclaimer: The usual…nothing you recognise from the show belongs to me.

Thanks to: 66Witch: I'm glad you like the scene with Dean, I had tons of fun writing his comments – the 'talk' with the parent though was a bitch to write.

Scottishwriter: Glad to have you back! I hope you'll like the rest, too…and thanks for pointing out the spell, I was already fearing that little side comment was overlooked by everyone – though I won't tell if it's going to be a good or a bad thing, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out!

Note: Again, sorry for the long wait! The repairs took forever, and my damn PC is still acting up…about a hundred bucks, and all those a#holes can tell me is to go and buy a new one – thereby it's only five years old!

10. Chapter

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Dean called his brother the next morning to update him on the situation at home; apparently their parents had had one major shouting match the night before.

Whereas Sally was still fixated on Tommy being with a male – and intent on breaking him and Merton up – Bob was more concerned about his son getting severely injured on a regular basis while fighting off bad guys. Apart from this he believed that it was Tommy's decision alone whom he loved, which was beyond his wife's comprehension.

Although Tommy was sad that he was the cause of a strong dissent of his parents he was glad to hear that his father too accepted their love and hoped that, given some time, his mom would learn to live with his choice as well.

Right now though he had other worries; him and Merton were standing at the station in Muhlenburg and waiting for Mary.

After the train had arrived they figured out the right girl easy enough since she was the spitting image of Luke, no wonder with them being twins, but then things started to get a bit complicated.

Convincing her that her brother had sent two complete strangers to pick her up was already tricky, especially after she saw Merton's car; seems as if driving a hearse wasn't exactly a good way to inspire confidence.

But when they left the normal street for some bumpy dirt road that lead directly into the dense wood she started to panic, obviously convinced to have fallen into the hands of two psychopaths.

Luckily they reached the clearing where Luke and the others were waiting within a few minutes. Mary calmed down as soon as she spotted her brother and started even apologising, embarrassed about the fuss she had made.

"Hey, don't sweat it, ok? Just go to your brother and Sam, I know they've got something important they need to talk with you about." Tommy smiled his patented Dawkins-smile, but it vanished after the girl had left the car and walked over to where the two young men were waiting for her.

"I really hope she doesn't go crazy; Sam seems to genuinely love her, I know he would be devastated if he looses her because of this."

"You worry too much; of course it will be quite a shock for Mary at first, I mean it's not everyday you get to know that werewolves exist and that your brother - and perhaps your lover too - is about to turn into one. But in the end she'll manage, you'll see." Merton said confidently, looking over to where the two friends were talking to her.

After Luke and Sam had explained everything to Mary she simply stared at them incredulously before saying "Did you honestly drag me all the way here just to pull my leg?"

Sam gaped at his almost-fiancé and Luke looked baffled too but then he had an idea and went over to fetch Tommy. After a short explanation he concluded "You see, Mary doesn't believe us and thinks we're making fun of her, so I've thought maybe you could, you know, go all furry on her?"

Tommy chuckled, but complied nonetheless and wolfed out. The poor girl paled instantly and would have collapsed down on the floor if not for Sam catching her.

"Sorry love, but now you see that we're not joking." She nodded numbly.

"As you can imagine we're both more than tempted to take this chance, I mean to have first-hand experience of animalistic instincts that's a dream come true for every biologist, better than gills for a fanatical diver. The reason we've called you is that Sammy here is afraid that you won't love him anymore if he…uh…starts shedding hair on the couch. Ow!" Luke rubbed his side where Sam's elbow had hit him.

"What this insensitive brick wants to say is that I don't want to make such a grave decision about my further life without you because you mean the world to me. And if you can't live with a werewolf then I won't become one, for I can't imagine living without you by my side."

Mary was choked up by Sam's sincere declaration, noticing the hidden fear in his eyes she hurried to pull him into her arms. Holding him tight she tried to collect her thoughts and focus on what was most important. "I'll always be with you, no matter what."

She took one deep breath and turned to the still wolfed out Tommy. "What repercussions would this werewolf-thing have for us as a couple? Would I have to become one too….and what about our future children?"

"No, you won't have to become a werewolf; actually Sam won't even be able to transform you, only I could do it. And since he's a bitten werewolf your children would be born as normal humans, unless you decide to become a werewolf too, then your kids would be born werewolves, and so would be all their children."

Mary looked clearly relieved, but Tommy wasn't finished yet. "Though there are a few things you've got to know about being with a werewolf."

He motioned for Stephen to continue, since he was more familiar with these things, him being a born werewolf. "Well, for starters, once you're mated there's no turning back, no possibility of divorce, and being unfaithful would have drastic consequences.

The instincts to protect our mates are very strong, but the same instincts would demand to punish a disloyal mate. So you've got to be really sure before you make this kind of commitment.

I don't know if you've already set a date for getting married, but all things considered I strongly suggest that you'll wait until after Sam had his Lycanamora-vision, just to be sure that you're truly meant for each other."

Mary blanched a little but nodded and asked about the vision and how exactly one became mated.

They explained to her, Luke, Sam and Rocky what a Lycanamora-vision was and how you became one. "If your mate is someone you're already dating you simply call out to them while you're in trance, however if not your animal side gives a description, sort of a riddle you have to solve.

Anyway, the vision shows you your soul mate, so if Sam's shows you then you can be sure that you two belong together forever and that his wolf accepts you too. And getting mated, well, that's simple: you mate with each other."

They didn't explained to them about mating marks on purpose, knowing that the marking would have to happen sheer instinctively and neither Stephen nor Tommy wanted to risk that those two had sex before November and that Sam, being as deeply in love as he was, would mark Mary even though his instincts didn't tell him so.

Getting mated to someone who's not your true mate always ended in a catastrophe, at the latest when the true mate came along the animalistic side would demand to leave the wrong girl and claim the right one – which ultimately meant to kill the first one for you could have only one mate at a time.

Instead Tommy told them about his vision as example of their puzzle-like character.

"I know, in hindsight it's got to be hilarious, but we truly were too blind to see that my vision described Merton." Tommy chuckled along with the others. "I'm really glad that my animal side was patient enough to spell it out for me, or I would probably still be searching."

He noticed the shadow that fell over Stephen and stopped laughing. "Hey buddy, what's biting you, have I said something wrong?"

The addressed gave a faint smile "It's not your fault, its just….well, I am still searching, and odds are that I'll never find my one. Since my vision matched no one in Lycantria it's got to be a human, but how should I find one person among six billions?"

He sighed deeply "If I were at least a normal werewolf I could hope to hitch up with someone who can't find their mate either or has lost theirs and is now willing to settle for seconds, but as a born beta I'm considered a wimp by the others, no one would steep so low as to take me."

Tommy's as well as Merton's heart went out to the despaired young man; they silently agreed to help him find his one on all accounts. "Hey, why don't you tell us your vision, maybe we can find a clue?"

Stephen reached under his shirt for a chased amulet capsule, unscrewed it and handed them the little piece of parchment that had been inside.

Convinced to be a hopeless case and unable to take the pity in their eyes any longer he kept his eyes downcast, so he totally missed their almost shocked reaction.

Your bite won't turn her

She's a natural born fighter

Kissed a werewolf before

And always wanted more

Together they gaped at the four line poem, until Tommy cleared his throat. "You know, I think it would be for the best if you go out a bit, have a drink, watch a movie; that will take your mind off things.

Sadly, Mert and I will be too busy to help Mary settle down at his place, but I know a good friend of us wanted to go to the movies this evening anyway and I'm sure she would be glad to have someone to accompany her. Do you like Jackie Chan?"

"Uh…yeah?" Stammered Stephen, a bit overwhelmed at the jocks sudden and radical change of topic, but figured he only meant well, and maybe a distraction would really do him well after all the excitement of the last weeks.

What was more; Jackie Chan was actually his favourite actor. So he accepted the bill that was thrust into his hand and, following Tommy's directions, set off to find a place called 'the factory'.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Tommy grabbed his cell and dialled Lori's number.

"Hey Lori, it's me….sorry, but we can't make it….I know, but Stephen is a big fan and would like to go…no, I'm not trying to hook you up with him, I simply don't want to have him running around in Pleasantville on his own given how little knowledge he's got of the human world, and since you've got the tickets anyway….just humour me, I'll explain it to you tomorrow, o.k? Bye!"

He exhaled heavily and turned towards Merton. "She was pretty miffed that we're cancelling on her tonight; let's hope she doesn't bite off Stephen's head on first sight. The poor sod has been through enough already and doesn't deserve to be on the receiving end of a notorious Lori-Baxter-tantrum."

Merton nodded "You think it will work?"

"I hope so, for both of them. Though, if we're right, they should at least take to each other."

"Yeah… you know, that could be another reason why she went so mad last November, maybe she knew subconsciously that she was destined to be mated to a werewolf - and simply went for the only one available."

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After a jog from about fifteen minutes Stephen entered the factory and, after one short look around, made a bee-line for the girl who matched Tommy's description: short blond hair, sitting in front of a cherry beverage.

OK, so he had absolutely no idea what a 'cherry beverage' was, but the girl he approached was blonde and her red drink radiated a strong smell of cherries.

Noticing her slightly sulky expression he swallowed nervously before asking "So you're a fan of Jackie Chan?" offered his most friendly smile, and hoped for the best.

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Mary sighed and turned around for the umpteenth time, trying to fall asleep, but in vain.

Her mind was reeling with all that she had come to know today. Starring at the 'Hannah Montana'- poster and the small red and white Pleasantville High pennant on the opposite wall she finally decided to surrender and get up again, she couldn't sleep anyway.

Mary left Becky's room, walked into the kitchen and grabbed herself a glass of milk. After a few minutes she started browsing through the cupboards of the foreign kitchen until she had found all the ingredients she needed.

It was a habit she had taken over from her mom, to cook or bake to calm down, plus right now she was in desperate need of some comfort food.

Silently, as not to rouse the other people in the house, she started mixing cookie dough, with cinnamon and lots of chocolate chips in it; like her mom used to make them whenever her or Luke had a scrapped knee, were lovesick or had trouble in school.

Tears welled up in Mary's eyes as she remembered the first time she had made them on her own.

One evening her parents had gone to a fancy restaurant to celebrate their silver wedding and stayed out late. Just as she and her brother had started to worry, a police car drove up.

A single look into the officers' troubled faces had told the siblings all they needed to know. That night too she had walked into the kitchen like on autopilot to bake cookies, with tears streaming down her face.

Mary sighed, put the cookies into the oven and sat down at the kitchen table. While waiting for the cookies to be done she tried to sort out her thoughts as well as her emotions.

She didn't doubt her feelings for Sam, even though they were yet to say the 'I do's' he clearly was the love of her life, and just some additional hair wasn't going to change this. The same applied for her brother; ever since their parent's dead it had been her and Luke against the rest of the world. Nothing and no one could ever separate them.

But now her brother and her love were about to change into something she couldn't comprehend, what if they would change on the inside too? What if they wouldn't be her Luke and her Sam anymore?

Mary didn't care about fur and fangs; she was scared to loose the two people who meant everything to her. Finally, her tears started to fall.

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Of course Tommy's wolfish hearing had noticed Mary the moment she left Becky's room and even more so when she started rummaging through every cupboard, no matter how much she tried to be quiet.

He hadn't been asleep yet anyway but was discussing the possibility of Lori being Stephens mate with Merton. When he smelled cinnamon he figured she was preparing herself a midnight snack, but when he scented her tears he got worried.

"What do you think; if they're really mates, will Lori go to Lycantria with him or will Stephen stay here with us?....Tommy?"

"She's crying, Mary, she's upstairs in the kitchen, I can smell her tears." explained the werewolf his sudden distraction. "I guess I better go up and look after her."

"No, let me do it. I think after all the werewolf-stuff she's heard today she might want a human to talk to, someone who knows how it is to share his life with a 'furry monster'." The Goth grinned at his beloved and gave him a kiss.

Mary startled violently as Merton entered the kitchen, but he pretended not to notice.

"Seems as if you can't sleep either, huh?" He smiled at her and sniffed. "Hey, what smells so good in here?"

"Uh…I'm baking some cookies; I hope you don't mind…"

"Not as long as you plan to share them." The Goth winked and sat down opposite of her. He took in her red rimmed eyes with dark circles underneath. "That was one really hard day for you today, hm? You look as if you could need someone to talk to."

Mary looked up at this, sure she had met this guy today for the first time, basically he was a stranger, but her gut feeling told her that she could trust him. Besides, who else could answer her questions?

"Your friend, Tommy, was he…different before he got bitten?"

"We weren't already friends back then; however I know that neither his parents nor his brother ever suspected a thing." He paused for a moment before answering her real question, because although she hadn't asked directly, Merton caught her drift.

"You don't have to worry about Luke and Sam becoming different persons Mary. Ok, they'll develop stronger instincts and a bigger appetite for meat, but they'll still be the same. I mean, just look at Sam, he was bitten three weeks ago, the infection is almost complete, yet his first concern is still you."

Mary sighed relieved, now that her biggest fear was out of the picture she could think of less serious matters.

"How long are you and Tommy together?"

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Meanwhile Lori and Stephen were having a great time; the blonde had thawed very quickly, especially after discovering that they had the same favourite movie – the snake in the shadow of the eagle – and generally preferred the classic Jackie Chan movies from the seventies.

Right now they were walking towards the park with a bin of fried chicken pieces and two huge milkshakes from the hungry bucket; since the popular snack bar was way too crowded at this hour for their liking Stephen had suggested that they ate there.

Lori was slurping her milkshake - cherry-flavoured of course, what else? – as a stray dog appeared out of nowhere. The mongrel sniffed inquisitively before he jumped at the blonde, apparently hoping that he could make her drop the tasty snack.

It was only thanks to her good reflexes that Lori managed to avoid falling down, but the mutt's claws ripped a leg of her trousers.

"Damn, those were my new jeans!" She cursed and tried to shoo the annoying animal away, but in vain, so she turned to her companion.

"Hey Stephen, can't you just growl or something to put him off? I mean, dogs usually are afraid of wolves, right?"

The addressed young man was shocked speechless for a moment, partly because she knew that he was a werewolf but mostly because of the naturalness with which she spoke of his otherness.

So far every human Stephen had met had at least been wary if not scared shitless, and yet this girl was obviously totally content to take a late night stroll through an all but deserted park with him although she was fully aware of what he was!

Absolutely amazed, he followed Lori's suggest and growled at the mutt, eyes flashing yellow for added effect. The pushy dog took to his heels instantly, with his tail between his legs.

Still a bit nervous he looked over at the blonde to gauge her reaction, but instead of frightened she seemed almost…excited?

What Stephen couldn't know was that his little stunt had awoken Lori's old weakness for werewolves and now her mind was racing.

Here was a friendly, good-looking werewolf with whom she had a lot in common and liked all but straight away, now if only she knew if he was mated!

For if there was one lesson Lori had learned for good it was never to try to hit on a werewolf that was already taken; no matter how cute this guy was she could really do without more claw marks on her throat, thank you.

Thus she settled for smiling while inconspicuously ogling his neck for a mating mark.

Given her unusual reaction Stephen couldn't resist to ask about how she had learned of werewolves which soon lead to Lori telling him about her short-lived period as a werewolf.

He was more than a bit astounded; especially because of the longing if not wistful way she spoke of an experience that most humans would deem a nightmare.

Lori however made no secret of the fact that she had liked being a werewolf, glad to finally have found someone who she could to talk to about this safely and who could understand her.

"On the one hand I'm sad that we didn't know about this submission-thingy back then for I would have loved to stay a werewolf, but on the other hand I've got to admit that I would have never submitted to anyone freely. I just can't help it, I'm very independent and libertarian – maybe that's why I'm so into martial arts movies."

Stephen smiled "I wouldn't be surprised if you liked a good combat yourself."

"You bet your ass! I'm a natural born fighter!"

She laughed, and Stephen laughed with her – until he realised what she had just said. His eyes went wide and he froze. 'Could it be…' he looked at the blonde girl beside him and barely dared to breath.

Of course Lori noticed the odd stare he was giving her. "Hey Stephen, what's wrong, do I have something in my teeth or what?"

He blinked as if he was waking from a reverie. Taking a deep breath, Stephen mustered up all his courage and asked "Lori, do you know what a Lycanamora-vision is?"

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For the second time that day Stephen unscrewed the chased amulet capsule in which he, like every other werewolf who had had his vision but hadn't yet found his mate, carried his vision.

As she read the description Lori was knocked for six, to put it mildly; if they hadn't been sitting on a bench she probably would have collapsed.

Yet despite her spinning head she had no doubt that it was her Stephen's vision was about.

Dazed she looked at the nervous young man sitting next to her.

Stephen was indeed nervous; with every second that Lori remained silent and stared at him unblinkingly he was getting antsier.

Just as he was about to say something the blonde blinked several times; obviously regaining her composure she said "Well, that came unexpected…however, before I can say something binding in this matter I need one final test."

Stephen nodded numbly, not exactly sure what she meant, did she want him to receive another vision this November?

Lost in his thoughts he was only dimly aware that she was steering him into the deep shadows under the nearest tree.

Once away from prying eyes Lori grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forwards into a fervent kiss.

Stephen was thunderstruck, but his inner wolf wasn't and reacted instantly. He wolfed out and pinned the girl against the trunk of the tree, deepening the kiss and growling content as she didn't struggled but tried her best to pull him even further into her arms.

Lori was in heaven, finally there was fur under her hands again and sharp fangs in the mouth she kissed. His growl sent shivers down her spine, reminding her again why every date since Tommy had turned out a flop, after her short walk on the feral side normal boys just didn't cut the mustard for her anymore.

The werewolf was elated at how responsive the blonde was; licking down her neck he all but went delirious, her smell and taste unknown yet strangely familiar - and thoroughly addictive.

His inner wolf was virtually purring with bliss, and even in his confused state he was aware that this girl really had to be his mate to cause that kind of reaction.

When they finally had to separate to catch their breath Lori couldn't keep the grin from her face. Heavily panting she declared "I think you've passed."

Stephen looked perplexed for a second, then he burst out laughing "Well, I'm glad to hear that, though I wouldn't mind a retest sometime."

Lori's eyes lit up mischievously "Oh, don't you worry about it; I'm very thorough, I always check…and double-check…my results…." She purred, punctuating her statement with little kisses all over his face.

He groaned as she went for his ears, carefully nibbling at the sensitive tip, the sensation shooting right down to his crotch. Oh, how much he wanted her! Which reminded him… "There's something I've got to warn you about."

"Yeah?" She murmured, not bothering to stop her ministrations.

He swallowed nervously. "As a born werewolf, all my children will be werewolves too."

That got her attention, though again not in the way Stephen had anticipated.

Instead of fear or sadness Lori merely looked at him funnily. "And that's supposed to freak me out because…? In case you haven't noticed so far: I'm totally into werewolves; and the idea that my kids will be cute little puppies scares me none – more the opposite."

She smiled at how utterly relieved he looked before turning serious herself.

"However, I think there's also something I should warn you about: I won't put up with any alpha-macho crap, if we gonna do this and get together then only on equal footing. There's only one wolf in this town who can tell me what to do, but that sure as hell isn't you."

Stephen grinned, not bothering to explain that as a born beta he would have ended being totally henpecked in a relationship with another wolf.

"Don't worry, equal footing works just fine for me …and I'm glad to hear that you accept Tommy as your superior. I'll have to ask him for permission to stay in Pleasantville anyway, since this is his territory, and if we're gonna mate he'll have a say in that matter too."

"You mean he could tell us not to…?"

"Theoretically, yes; as long as I stay in his territory I'm under Tommy's rule, and he could forbid me to take you as my mate. Though that is highly unlikely, given that he sent me to you as soon as he saw my vision, he must have realised right away it describes you."

"Hm…nevertheless, I'm in favour of going over to him and sort out that matter right now."

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"So…how is it, to…uh…" Mary blushed madly, unable to continue, but Merton understood her nonetheless.

He chuckled "Well, one shouldn't be allergic to animal hair and it's better to do your own laundry to avoid curious glances, but aside from that…simply wow."

She giggled along with him, until "Hold on – you mean he wolfs out during…?"

"Of course, everything that upsets the inner equilibrium causes a wolfing out – be it positive or negative. However you don't have to be afraid, I can assure you that I was never scratched or harmed in any way. Actually, I like to see how much I affect Tommy, plus his soft fur tickles so deliciously…" Merton's eyes glazed over dreamily for a moment, before he snapped back into reality.

Looking at the flustered girl he decided that now might be a good opportunity to broach the subject of the mating mark, because even if they had decided to leave Sam in the dark it was surely better to inform Mary, so she was warned and wouldn't panic when her wolfed out lover suddenly went for her neck.

As Merton explained the meaning of the mark and showed her his own, Mary's eyes became bigger and bigger. He concluded by saying "It didn't hurt, honestly."

Seeing her disbelieving look at his scar he added "I don't know why, maybe it's something in their saliva, or maybe an orgasm is the best anaesthetic in the world, but when it happened I was just happy for I know it meant that we would be together forever."

Merton blushed slightly at this intimate confession, but to him, the smile that replaced Mary's worried frown was more than worth his embarrassment.

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Despite the late hour Tommy was still wide awake, listening to the conversation upstairs in the kitchen. He was relieved when he heard the laughter; obviously Merton had managed to calm Mary down and alley her fears.

He yawned, hoping that his mate would come back to bed soon so that they finally could go to sleep, as he heard someone coming down the stairs to the basement entry.

Slightly worried as to who it could be, especially given the late hour, Tommy took an inquiring sniff. Two people, a werewolf and a human; cherry-flavoured milkshake, fried chicken and traces of the woods…'got to be Lori and Stephen' he inferred, wondering what the two wanted that couldn't wait until tomorrow.

With a sigh he went over to the door and opened just as Lori had raised her hand to knock.

"Hey folks, come in" greeted Tommy the blonde and a somewhat nervous Stephen.

"What brings you here in this hour?"

Much to the smaller werewolf's horror Lori stalked menacingly towards Tommy, scowling, and accused him "Didn't you tell me that you were NOT trying to hook us up?"

For a moment, Stephen already saw his possibly future mate on the receiving end of an insulted alpha's rage, but Tommy merely chuckled, totally used to her crazy antics, which was why he in contrast to Stephen saw the bantering spark in her eyes.

"I wasn't trying to hook you up, I was merely giving you the chance to meet and get to know each other uninfluenced, and it appears to me that things went quite well….by the way, is that a hickey?"

Lori, for once speechless, blushed crimson at Tommy's knowing grin. Stephen took the opportunity and approached him with the matter that had led them here.

"I want to officially ask you as the resident alpha for permission to stay in Pleasantville and court Lori Baxter."

Tommy blinked; slightly puzzled as to why the other would ask such a question but answered anyway. "Well, you're a good and loyal guy, as far as I'm concerned you can stay for as long as you please. And about Lori, that's completely between the two of you, but personally I'm wishing you both the best."

Stephen relaxed visibly and couldn't resist pulling Lori into a tight hug, spinning the squealing girl around.

The commotion drew Merton along with Mary down from the kitchen, the girl carrying a plate with fresh baked, deliciously smelling cookies.

Soon they all were munching comradely, Tommy telling Merton the happy news while Lori and Stephen were whispering to each other.

Mary watched fascinated how small touches or even just one heated glance from the blonde sufficed to make her lover's eyes glow yellow.

What was it that the Goth had said? I like to see how much I affect him. 'Maybe this werewolf thing isn't so bad after all' mused Mary and grabbed herself one more cookie.