Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Note: I know it's been way too long, blame the bastard who dropped a beverage crate on my right hand – two metacarpals and most of my fingers are fractured. Trust me, typing one-handed AND left-handed sucks big time! Two more weeks until the cast comes off - I´m already counting the days, stupid thing is itching like mad – nevertheless I'll try to get the new chapter done as soon as possible…maybe I can get a friend to type for me.

Thanks to my great reviewers: dark flame dragon, dragonmagik, lycanbride, necrophile, 66Witch, ryu433, ShadowWolfDagger, Solana, moonellen, twistedsister emogirl, Damej, Bubbles and last but not least utashema231, who left the best review I've ever got – I´m still blushing just thinking about it.

Also, I´m glad that you're not too put off because I made Tommy the pregnant one, it's simply more logical for me that way, plus Merton has already enough 'mood swings' as it is, add pregnancy hormones and the pack wouldn't survive it ;-) Moreover, I wanted Tommy to be the emotional and vulnerable for a change and have Merton care for him, partly to make their relationship more balanced and partly…not telling yet. However, once the kid is born Tommy will be the big strong male again and Merton will take the mother's role.

Warning: Hints of bestiality in this chapter – nothing too graphic, but if you don't want to read it, skip the paragraphs after Tommy transforms into a female wolf and go right to the pillow talk afterwards.

11. Chapter

The trip to their friends was great as always, with lots of laughter and tasty food.

As expected Mary was pregnant, already five months along actually, her and Sam really hadn't wasted any time.

For Tommy, looking at her swollen belly felt truly weird, knowing that by next years Christmastime it would be him who had a bun in the oven. But seeing how she was all but glowing from the inside with happiness, the soft smiles her and Sam shared whenever he caressed her bump lovingly awakened a previously unknown longing inside of Tommy.

He found himself yearning to share moments like this with Merton, and from the wishful way the Goth was looking at the couple before turning to smile at him, his mate felt the same.

And suddenly becoming pregnant didn't seem that scary anymore, he was even starting to look forward to it a little.

Christine and Luke were mated now too, and going by how they were chasing each other playfully through the underbrush when the pack was running on all fours under the full moon one could tell how happy they were.

Tommy was glad to see how well Chris had settled in, not only as a part of his pack with Luke, Sam and Mary as her new family but also in the human world.

She was clearly enjoying life away from Lycantria and its restrictions; the beaming, energetic woman greeting them with the others at the station was not a patch on the timid redhead Luke had introduced them to a few months ago.

Though as nice as it was to see everyone again and chat in front of the fireplace deep into the night, both Tommy and Merton were secretly impatient to get home again.

They couldn't wait to follow through with Tommy's idea of swapping places for a change.

They didn't even take the time to unpack, once they were back in their lair Tommy and Merton basically ripped each others clothes off as the thrill of anticipation that's been running through them for days was reaching its peak.

Kissing deeply they stumbled to the bed and laid down, Merton came to be on top of Tommy and reluctantly broke their kiss in favour of trailing little nips and licks down his lovers chest.

He took his time to nibble and suck at Tommy's nipples the way he knew he liked it while his hands were busy kneading his lover's balls but purposely avoiding his cock until the werewolf was nearly sobbing with need. Only then did Merton stop and quickly coated his fingers with lube before going down on him.

Tommy was so lost in the wonderful sensation that he barely noticed how first one, the two fingers breached his entrance.

So far, this was nothing new; Merton had occasionally added a finger or two while sucking him off to stimulate his prostate which he'd always enjoyed. But when a third finger was added and all three continued to scissor and probe as deeply as possible there was an undeniable twinge of pain and Tommy had to fight to stay relaxed.

Soon though the pleasure washed the pain away and he was almost disappointed when Merton removed his fingers but turned around and got on his hands and knees nonetheless.

They'd talked about this beforehand and agreed that this would be the best position, granted Merton as a seasoned pro could easily take it against the wall or bend over his desk and enjoy himself but for a novice classic doggy-style would be the easiest.

At least in theory, practically though Tommy couldn't help but tense up the moment Merton got in position. They tried everything, from calming Tibetan breathing techniques to more stretching and lube, but as eager as his ass swallowed Merton's fingers, as vehemently denied it the access of his cock.

Merton was slowly but surely getting desperate as was Tommy himself, he just couldn't understand it, no matter how much he wanted this, his entrance always snapped shut before Merton's cock came even near it.

Eventually the Goth was ready to call it quits and dropped down on his back beside Tommy, torn between frustration and self-reproach, sure that this had to be his fault for being unable to prepare his lover appropriately.

Tommy sighed; he hated to see Merton beating himself up. "Stop this, if anyone's to blame it's me…I just can't help it, the moment we try something in me growls 'wrong'."

He straddled his depressed lover and kissed him deeply, in doing so Merton's stiff cock brushed his backside and oh wonder, this time he didn't tensed up!

Without wasting time to question this miracle Tommy sat up, grabbed Merton's cock and, holding it in position, lowered himself all the way. He panted and waited for his body to adjust while he fought not to chuckle at Merton's utterly stunned expression.

After a while he dared to shift a bit, and that was when he realised it. "I think I know now what went wrong before and why, my wolf simply can't stand to get mounted. Though it doesn't matter so much who enters whom, but who's in control."

Merton groaned "But of course! I can't believe I didn't see it before, I mean you're an alpha male, naturally he wouldn't…"A kiss interrupted him.

"You know what they say about hindsight and all, however the problem is solved now and that's all that matters. Now, how about we skip the talking and get back to the loving, hm?"

The question was accompanied by a sensual roll of hips that made both moan and Merton gasped "Be my guest" before pulling him down into a deep kiss.

Tommy continued to roll his hips and simultaneously began to rise and lower himself. He couldn't believe how good it felt to have Merton inside of him, to feel his every move so deep inside, his cock nudging his spot so infinitely better than just his fingers.

He moaned "Damn, we should have tried this ages ago!"

An affirming whimper was all the answer he got and Tommy grinned at how close to loosing it Merton already was.

Since he didn't wished to be left behind he started stroking his own cock rapidly, not holding it against Merton that he was forgetting about him for once but relishing how his beloved's breath hitched whenever he clenched around him.

He increased the tempo of his hips pumping up and down and suddenly Merton came with an inarticulate cry, bucking uncontrollably under him, right into Tommy's prostate which set him off as well.

He collapsed onto Merton's chest, momentarily too dazed to roll over. But eventually he did, slightly wincing as Merton's cock slipped free.

"Tommy? Are you ok, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nope, just a bit sore…so…how did you like it?"

"It was ok I guess…"

Tommy raised an eyebrow incredulously and Merton blushed "Ok, it was great, but…I wouldn't forego our usual way for it."

"Me neither, but every once in a while…"

The Goth smiled shyly and nodded, cuddling against his beloved and obviously settling down for a little nap, but Tommy had one last question. "Say Merton, we talked about you being on top and me being a female but…what about me being a wolf?"

A sleepy Merton looked up in surprise, but he could see that this was truly worrying Tommy. "It doesn't bother me, honestly…I mean, it's still you."

Tommy was amazed, Merton said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he could see he was really meaning it. So he kissed his yawning mate and soon joined him in dreamland.

Spring break was a busy time for all, Lori who was in the middle of planning her and Steven's upcoming wedding was trying – and failing – to convince her mother that she didn't want a big traditional affair with her in a white dress and her second degree cousins as flower girls and the like.

The blonde won the discussion in the end; after her mom had dragged her into a bridal boutique to pick her wedding dress prompting Lori to threaten she'd rather elope than marry in one of those 'frilly lace monstrosities'.

Rock of course got his hands full to plant this year's vegetable garden, and secretly busy preparing a surprise for his wife for their first anniversary.

Shao was meanwhile helping out his mother at the flower shop dealing with the increased business around Valentine's Day and spring in general.

Merton was busy too, though far away from Pleasantville, it was time to extend the loan deal for the collection and he had to fly to San Francisco for the proceedings.

Since the library was paying not only for his ticket but for a room too anyway Tommy accompanied him, both figuring this was a good chance to have a nice holiday together at little cost.

Besides, the jock had always wanted to see the 49ers live and who knew when they had the chance to go on a vacation again once they'd have a family and steady jobs and so on.

Even Sally had to admit to this, though the twitch of her left eye along with her frozen smile told volumes about what she thought of her son visiting what was basically the gay capital of the world.

Tommy and Merton thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and anonymity of the city, being able to hold hands and kiss in broad day light with no one around them batting an eye or the danger to get recognised by someone.

They fed seagulls on the beach and ate shrimps at Fisherman's Wharf, made tons of pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and other sights for their friends and families at home and even found a Japanese stone lantern for Rock and his surprise.

All in all it were wonderful days for the two and they were inseparable, except for the day Merton had to meet with the representatives of the foundation and wanted to visit their library afterwards, time which Tommy used to go to see a game, that way both got what they wanted and wouldn't bore the other to death.

Merton loved the huge old library the moment he entered; he couldn't wait to check out the vast occultism section and search for information on werewolves.

The negotiations were easy and over very quickly, basically they just extended the validity of the old contract. The only tiny problem had been when the old hag of a secretary wouldn't let him in because she refused to believe that this gothic stripling had an appointment with the library's foundation council, but her shocked slaw-jacked expression when her boss welcomed him enthusiastically more than made up for it.

Afterwards Merton went to do some research just as planned and was soon surrounded by lots of dusty old tomes. He was so engrossed in fact that he didn't notice that someone was watching him, until that someone addressed him.

"Werewolves? That's kind of an unusual subject to study."

Merton gaped at the stranger, his thoughts racing 'who is this guy? I can't let him become suspicious. Think, Merton, think!' "Uh, yeah, it's research for a book I want to write."

"Really? What it is about, aside from werewolves, I mean."

Merton blinked 'damn this dude is persistent' and quickly cooked up some half-baked plot to satisfy the nosy man.

"Sounds interesting….send me a copy when you're done writing it, ok?" The stranger handed him his card and left.

Only out of curiosity did Merton bother to look at the business card of this weirdo instead of instantly throwing it away and his eyes became huge. He'd just been talking to a publisher.

Merton gaped at the card in his hands for several minutes; then he snapped back to reality and, quickly grabbing a pen, began to jot down the plotline he'd been telling the guy.

He didn't raise his hopes up too high, but he wasn't so stupid to pass up what could be a great opportunity either. He'd always wanted to write a book anyway, why not one about a werewolf?

They did return to Pleasantville a couple of days later, and no matter how great the big city had been both were happy to be at home again.

Rock was nearly done with planting their vegetable garden; having prepared the ground already weeks ago once the frost was gone with loads of compost was saving him time now. He'd decided to add some more pumpkins this year since they'd been a bestseller last Halloween, plus some strawberries which he planted right between the fruit trees where some wood strawberries where already growing wild.

His surprise was already almost finished too, and the lamp Tommy and Merton had brought him was just the icing of the cake. He hoped Shao would like what he'd created for her.

On the day of their first anniversary Rock led a blindfolded Shao towards the pond where the others had already set up a picnic for just the two of them. He removed the blindfold and kept his gaze on her face, not wanting to miss a single change in her expression.

Her eyes widened in astonishment before a delighted smile dawned on her face. Shao was near tears of joy as she threw herself into his arms "Thank you…it's so…beautiful" she stammered, at a loss for words.

"I'm glad you like it."

They sat down on the stone bench underneath the weeping willow he'd made form the last left-over stones from stonewalling and looked out onto the pond, where water lilies and lotus flowers were floating serenely across the surface.

A bit to the side stood the traditional stone lantern in front of a cluster of bamboo, a candle already inside to be lit later on and spread a soft glow over the scene come nightfall.

Reeds and bulrush grew at the waterline along with blue flag and if one looked close enough one could catch sight of the fishes swimming in the depth.

Ok, so he'd opted for goldfishes instead of real koi, they were easier to care for plus way cheaper. Rock had nearly keeled over when he got to know that a handful of those fish would have cost him a few months' salary.

Given Shao's overjoyed expression she couldn't care less which sort of fish were swimming in the pond, what mattered was that her wonderful mate and husband had gone to such length to create a piece of her old home for her here in her new.

For as much as she loved her second home she'd never forget her roots, which is why she'd spent several days last winter to paint a stunning image of the Fuji on a wall in their living room and a framed picture of her parents – the only one of her father she had – held a place of honour among their collection of family pictures on the dresser right beside one of Rock's late father.

Shifting her gaze from the pond to her beloved Shao suddenly wasn't scared anymore to tell him the news she'd gotten only yesterday. "I have a gift for you too, though I can't give it to you yet...although technically I'm carrying it with me right now. You'll have to be patient for another seven months or so."

She watched with bated breath how the confusion in Rock's face gave way to understanding and shock before a wide smile lit up his whole face. "That's…wow…are you really sure? I mean, sure you're sure, but I know you're on the pill and…"

Shao laughed; she couldn't help it, her big, strong and usually rather quiet mate babbled so excitedly that he started to sound like Merton. "Yes I'm sure, Steven examined me yesterday.

Apparently the pill isn't as reliable for female werewolves as it is for human women….come to think of it, I guess I better warn Luke and Chris about this before they too are in for a big surpri…" here she had to break of because Rock pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Howling his joy to the heavens he spun her around.

The others back inside the house heard his joyful howls and wondered what was going on, except Steven of course. He merely smiled but kept his mouth shut, figuring it wasn't his news to tell.

Spring turned into summer and with it came their finals. After lots of learning, swearing and quite a few sleepless nights they all graduated, Merton who had worried the most, with honours.

Steven was done with his internship as well and would soon start to take over the praxis of Doc Baker, though not completely. The elder physician would still continue to help out in the praxis for a couple of hours a day – as much as his strength allowed – so that Steven could focus on making the more taxing house calls and he wouldn't loose the contact with his 'family' completely.

It truly was a win-win situation, the old Doc who had delivered most of his patients and sometimes even already their parents could teach him more about the people and their sicknesses than their medical chart ever could and Steven would never have to worry about finding a vacation replacement, like during his upcoming honeymoon.

The wedding was a quiet, 'closest family and friends only'- affair in their garden, which meant the pack and Lori's family seeing as Steven had no family left beside Callisto who had broken her leg and was therefore unfit to travel.

The blonde surprised her friends a bit when she wanted to invite, aside from her mum and her uncle, her uncle's friend Manny too.

Larry flushed violently when she told him to bring his buddy as well and started stammering something about 'just being friends' but she merely smiled. "Of course you are just friends - the same kind of best friends as Tommy and Merton."

Larry's mouth dropped open and the pack realised what was going on. Lori went to hug him. "You two have always been there for me and mom after a certain asshole flew the coop and have more rights to call yourselves my dad than he ever had, which is why I want you both there… plus the house is that far-off you don't have to worry about being seen and can be just a normal couple for a few hours."

The elder man had actually tears in his eyes at her words but threw the rest of them a cautious look, though instead of disdain and refusal as he'd feared he only found friendly smiles and acceptance, Tommy even went so far to pull Merton demonstratively into his arms and gave him a quick kiss, followed by a wink towards Larry.

"We know how hard it is to hide from everyone around you, it's one of the main reasons we bought this remote house. You two are always welcome to visit us whenever you feel you need to have a break and just be yourself for a while."

Thus both Larry and Manny were present on the afternoon Lori in her peach-coloured satin dress – the only one she owned - walked towards Steven who was waiting for her under an arbour adorned with the same yellow roses that she wore in her hair instead of a bridal bouquet.

The wedding registrar who'd already wed Rock and Shao did the ceremony and quickly bid his goodbye afterwards, luckily more eager to call it a day than to scrounge a piece of the wedding cake so that they could celebrate among themselves.

Lori and Steven cut the cake together, her mom finally stopped crying to take yet more pictures and after everyone including Sparky eventually had his fill on the cake it was time for the presents.

Larry and Manny, who knew of their honeymoon plans, surprised them with two return tickets to Florence.

Lori's mom got them a gift certificate from a local furniture store as a wedding present, knowing they were in dire need of a new couch.

Both presents were highly appreciated, for even though Steven would soon be making more than during his internship they were far from rolling in dough, and now they were able to prolong their honeymoon for a few days.

Rock and the others who were equally short of money gave them a bunch of coupons for things like 'doing your laundry', 'taking over kitchen/cleaning duty' and the like which made especially Lori grin, for she genuinely hated housework.

Steven however was looking forward the most to using Tommy's and Merton's coupons for 'a few hours in our tub undisturbed without having to clean up afterwards' because ever since he'd seen that huge monstrosity he'd wanted to try it out with his mate…he could already see them kissing while floating in lavender-scented foam, surrounded by a dozen candles.

While the couple was on their honeymoon Tommy had a talk with coach Henley from the high school football team whom he'd been helping out ever since his heart-attack nearly two years ago.

The elder man was pushing sixty and had been thinking about going into early retirement and moving to where his daughter lived for quite some time, but he didn't want to go before he hadn't found someone to take over for him who would take good care of his boys.

He thought he'd found the perfect candidate in Tommy Dawkins who loved the sport, had played actively himself for years and got along with everyone in the team really well plus he'd hinted in the past that he planned to stay in Pleasantville and not run off to the big cities like so many young people.

And now that the young man was done studying and was a certificated teacher for sports and English he found it was time to make a real job of it.

The talk didn't went as smoothly as he'd hoped, although Tommy agreed to take over for Henley he told him he couldn't do so right away because he planned a long backpacking holiday through Europe, apparently a gift from his parents to his graduation.

He could understand the kid, one last big trip before settling down for good, and he'd even been so thoughtful to find a good replacement until his return: that huge defence-player Rock Johnson. Oh well, seemed as if his daughter would have to wait one more year for her no-cost babysitter.

Tommy was glad that the coach bought his story and wasn't angry that he would be away for several months on his 'hiking trip'.

Thankfully his parents had agreed to confirm the part about the 'graduation gift' if anyone asked, though he hadn't told them yet why he needed an excuse to be away for that long which had them worried quite a bit, but he didn't want to raise false hopes in case something went wrong.

However Merton and he planned to inform his parents the first thing once their plan had worked and he was pregnant.

It was getting less and less weird for Tommy to think and talk about his upcoming pregnancy, sure he still had short moments of panic picturing himself waddling, big with child and with swollen ankles but all in all he was coping rather well.

Maybe because watching Shao was giving him a good idea of what to expect, and that didn't seem as scary as he'd feared.

No morning sickness, no mood swings, only some really weird food cravings, although according to Merton algae and seaweed weren't uncommon in the Japanese cuisine so maybe her cravings weren't that crazy at all….though he highly doubted that eating slices of dried algae like nachos, dipping them into a mix of steamed apples, onions and fish(!) was considered normal, even by Japanese standards.

Nevertheless, seemed as if either werewolves were having far less trouble being pregnant than humans or Dean's favourite TV series totally exaggerated and puking your guts out for months on end and going into hysterics thrice daily wasn't the usual thing.

As soon as the newlyweds were back from their honeymoon Steven began to prepare Tommy for things to come.

He truly hadn't been kidding when he'd told them it would take lots of incantations and herbs, Tommy was forced to drink awfully smelling – and even worse tasting – concoctions made from lord knew what several times daily for weeks.

On the full moon night before the one they would be using him and Merton went alone into the woods, armed with a good dose of Lycanamora herbs to send him into trance, far away enough so that the smell wouldn't influence the others.

He was supposed to inform his inner wolf about their plans so he would work with them and not panic once the magic began to affect him for the spells wouldn't work properly if his wolf was struggling against them.

Tommy easily fell into trance after Merton had lit the herbs and, like in his first vision, found himself on the cliff above the little lake where his wolf was already waiting for him.

"There's something important I've got to tell you…" The animal looked at him curiously

"You see, Merton and I want to have kids, uh cubs, but since we're both guys…however there's this weird old spell-thingy that can help us - if you're in, that is."

Tommy wasn't sure if the animal understood him word for word but he'd seen how its eyes lit up at the mention of cubs and he was still wagging his tail enthusiastically.

The wolf came nearer, looked deep into his eyes, and suddenly Tommy saw a picture before his mind's eye: his pack, all in wolf form, and in their midst was a handful of cute furballs playing, chasing each others tails under the watchful eyes of their loving parents.

The image faded as quickly as it had appeared but Tommy understood nonetheless; opening his eyes he smiled at his mate "He's just as eager to have kids as we are."

Then he collapsed, utterly exhausted from the experience. Merton, who had expected this, cuddled up beside him, knowing his beloved needed to rest a bit before they could make their way back home.

During the last four weeks Tommy wasn't allowed to wolf out at all to save up his transforming energy for the big night. In addition there were rituals on every quarter moon which meant for him to spend the entire night out 'moon-bathing' while Steven chanted something and smeared dozens of runes with a smelly salve onto his naked skin.

A part of him wanted to scoff and make fun of it, but he could feel how the magic of the ritual made his skin tingle as if on the verge of wolfing out. The runes seemed to be pulsating on his skin and he could have sworn he felt them seeping into him; he was almost surprised to see that they washed off completely in the mornings.

After the last of these rituals on the waxing gibbous moon Tommy's skin was itching constantly and he had to fight hard against scratching himself bloody.

But what was truly driving him insane: for this last week he and Merton were supposed to stay completely abstinent, they weren't even allowed to kiss!

Just cuddling and sleeping in each others arms but nothing more; by the time the seven days were over both were ready to go up the wall from sexual frustration but at least it distracted them from worrying about what was to come.

On the destined evening Steven led them towards the pond where the others had prepared them a bed made form blankets and cushions for they needed to be fully exposed to the light of the full moon for this.

He handed Tommy one last pot of herbal juice which looked and tasted suspiciously blood-like and lit copious amounts of incense.

The sweet smell of the smouldering resins, dried flowers, leaves and roots wafted around them in billows and Tommy groaned as the itching increased tenfold. Only seconds later he felt a shift in the air; the moon was rising and his wolf all but exploded forth, never before had he wolfed out that quickly.

Tommy didn't hear how Steven wished them good luck before leaving them alone; in fact he wasn't aware of their surroundings at all anymore. All he could see and smell was his mate as he all but pounced on him to add taste to the mix. Merton returned the kiss with equal fervour as all the pent-up tension from the last days was exacting its toll.

Soon they were both naked and writhing on the blankets, all but forgetting about what they were supposed to do, they only remembered where they were – and why – when Tommy started blindly groping for lube and couldn't find any.

The shock cut through his lust-fogged mind and brought him down to earth with a rather hard bump but a soft hand caressing his cheek stopped him from panicking.

"Don't be afraid, I promise I'll be gentle."

Tommy swallowed and nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me…I do trust you." To prove his point, he took one last deep breath and transformed.

Merton watched in awe as the magic did its work and his beloved didn't change into his well-known wolf form but a completely new one, a bit smaller, definitely more slender and almost purely silver in colour. He stared at the she-wolf, completely mesmerized by its beauty, and began petting it with a dreamy expression until an impatient whine broke the spell.

"Uh…yeah, sorry, I got carried away…damn, I wish I'd got a camera, your so…" Merton forgot what he was about to say as the animal nuzzled him lovingly before turning around and lowering her head onto her forepaws while raising her tail high in the air, fully exposing her privates.

For a moment he could only gape at the blatant display but then he remembered what Steven had said after they'd told him of their 'rehearsal': that, along with the female body, Tommy would also get the mating instincts of a she-wolf, moreover a she-wolf in heat. In other words, he would not only be totally ok with getting mounted but downright craving it.

It was Merton's turn to swallow nervously as he carefully probed the proffered opening to see if his beloved was ready, he found it to be really wet and far more pliant then what he was used to, obviously they wouldn't need their usual stretching routine.

This, along with a needy whine and eager treading of the she-wolf, convinced him and after tucking its meanwhile trashing tail underneath one arm he carefully entered the foreign body.

And somehow, suddenly this all felt right; so what if the body looked different from what he was used to, the sounds his beloved made were definitely the same. Merton would have recognised those breathless yips and happy little yelps anywhere, it made him look past the fur and see his Tommy.

The realisation lifted a big weight of his shoulders and he increased his tempo, finally able to truly enjoy this encounter, and leaned forward to pet his beloved's chest, for if the she-wolf's body was wired like Tommy's he knew what to do to push it over the edge.

His suspicion was confirmed as he found what he'd been looking for, dragging his blunt human nails across the animal's teats provoked a surprised yelp that soon turned into a long drawn-out howl as the she-wolf started to tremble beneath him.

Merton added his own scream as his cock was gripped by her convulsing inner muscles which created a wonderful suction that made him come instantly. He collapsed beside the animal, panting and struggling to catch his breath while Tommy stayed in wolf form for a moment longer before changing back and collapsing as well.

"Are you ok? I mean, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Na, I'm good, never been better…damn, I'm never making jokes about randy dogs again, I swear the moment I was transformed I felt like I would go crazy if I didn't get fucked right away."

"Yeah, I kinda got the hint….what is wrong?" asked Merton worriedly as he saw an odd look cross Tommy's face.

"Nothing, it's just…your, uh stuff… I mean, it should be leaking out of me by now, but it's not, it's like it's gone somehow…" he broke of, utterly embarrassed.

Merton frowned "Well, I guess it does make sense that nothing is dripping out since the, uh place it went into isn't there anymore either…but it's still inside you, probably somewhere in your lower abdomen."

Tommy looked stunned "You mean…I could already be getting pregnant, right now, as we speak?"

"Yes." As if on cue, both stared at Tommy's stomach like it was an absolute miracle.

"However, maybe we should do it once more, just to be sure…" suggested a blushing Merton.

Tommy grinned "Just once? Why, the night is still young…" he all but purred and started to nibble on Merton's neck.

"Maybe we really should be a bit more thorough…" gasped the Goth.

"We should, absolutely."

What followed was their second - though definitely not last - round for the night.

Several hours later, the grey twilight of the dawn found them completely exhausted and dog-tired, yet both were fighting against falling asleep. They simply had to know if their plan had worked, if they already were parents-to-be.

Steven's approach jolted them awake after momentary nodding off; he too looked tired but also very happy. "Congratulations you two; the moon has set a couple of minutes ago."

It took their sleep-deprived brains a few moments to process what he'd said, but then they too started beaming. A still very much wolfed-out Tommy pulled his mate into a bone-crushing hug. "We did it Mert; we're going to have a family."

Merton could only nod happily, momentarily unable to speak but with tears of joy shimmering in his eyes.

A loud yawn interrupted the moment "Sorry, it's just…I couldn't sleep either last night, I was way too nervous."

Tommy smiled at his friend "How about we all go inside and catch some serious Z's, there's still time to celebrate later on when we're not dead on our feet anymore."

While the three slowly made their way back towards the house Tommy suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way Steven, what was in that juice? I swear it tasted just like blood."

"Well, there was some blood in it…the ritual required blood from either a related werewolf or a 'magical creature of canine origin'.

Since none of your blood-relatives are werewolves I took a few drops of every pack-member, including Sam, Mary, Luke and Chris who send theirs via courier to the praxis in disguise of blood samples for a blood test.

Just to be sure, I added a few drops from Sparky, who should still qualify as 'magical' even though he's lost most of his powers after being exorcised.

Actually, that part of the instructions was rather vague; there was no definition whatsoever of what passes off as 'magical creature' or what is meant with 'canine origins'. When I asked Nepomuk about it he was incredibly tight-lipped and feigned complete ignorance although he as ceremonial high priest must know...personally I think he hopes we would fail."

Tommy snorted "That figures…I'm already looking forward to dash his hopes." His slightly mischievous grin was answered by Merton's snickers and Steven's chuckles.

Later that day, Tommy gave his parents a call to ask them in for afternoon coffee at whatever time they liked. Given that Bob and Sally were anxious to finally get to know what was going on they agreed to come over the same day and cancelled their other appointments.

Merton answered the door and welcomed them in, leading them towards the terrace were a table was set with coffee cups and some deliciously smelling cherry muffins.

Despite the alluring prospect both stopped short at the sight of their wolfed out son who was waiting for them.

Tommy greeted them with a smile, as usual ignoring how his mom grew a few shades paler and visibly fought not to shrink from him when she saw him like this.

His dad, who was more irritated then frightened asked "Uh Tommy, is there a special reason that you're like this right now? I mean, it's broad daylight and there's no danger around, right?"

"No, everything is fine" assured the werewolf his father "However, this is part of the reason I wanted to talk to you, you see due to certain circumstances I won't be able to wolf down for several months, which is why I needed you to confirm the story about my long 'hiking trip' to have an alibi.

After all, people are bound to get curious or even suspicious if I disappear for so long, and you know how bad the gossip is in our small town, in the end they think I'm doing time."

"That would be disastrous for our family's reputation!" exclaimed Sally, finally snapping out of her shock, and continued worriedly "But why are you stuck like this for so long, you're not sick, are you?"

"No mom, I'm ok…actually I'm better than ok, I'm deliriously happy."

"We both are, and we have the best, most awesome news for you – though you might want to sit down first for it's bound to come as quite a stunner." suggested Merton, who was beaming as much as Tommy. Both were all but fidgeting in their chairs; clearly impatient to share their good news and looking as if they were about to be bursting with joy.

Bob and Sally sat down opposite to the younger couple and looked expectantly at their son.

Tommy cleared his throat, took a deep breath and said "I'm pregnant."

Sally blinked slowly, her expression frozen, while Bob was gaping slack-jawed at his son. The ensuing silence was deafening, for several minutes all one could hear were the faint sounds of hammering from the upper floor of the house where the others had started with renovating what would become their guestrooms.

Finally Tommy couldn't stand it anymore "I know it sounds crazy and it still feels weird to say it but its true, Merton and I are having a baby."

"B-but…how?" stammered Bob while Sally was still too shocked to react in any way.

"That's rather complicated, but to put it in a nutshell: thanks to some weird, age-old spells and other magical mumbo-jumbo it was possible to turn my inner wolf temporary into a female, which could get knocked up, and since it's the wolf-part of me that's carrying the little one I'm stuck like this for the whole nine months."

"Wow…that means you're really…that's amazing! Sally, we're going to be grandparents!"

A widely smiling Bob turned to his wife, who was still completely rigid. "Oh my…I think the shock was a bit too much for her, I better bring her home and give her a couple of her tranks…but i´m sure, once she has recovered she'll be just as happy as I am!"

Tommy helped his father to get Sally back inside the car and continued to gaze after them until they passed from his view.

He was glad to see how positively his dad had reacted but was worried about his mom, what if she didn't accept his child because of the unusual way it had been conceived?

Past experience had told him how ruthless and downright cruel Sally could be when moving in on someone or something she thought was 'wrong', he wouldn't allow her to put his child through the same antics she had tried with Merton.

He would keep a very close eye on her, and if push came to shove he wouldn't miss a beat breaking off the contact with his mom to protect his child.

For now though, he would keep on hoping for the best.

Will Sally overcome her shock? How will Nepomuk react when he hears that Tommy managed to get pregnant although he did his best to be as unhelpful as he could?

And how will Tommy cope with being pregnant?

All that and more in my next chapter – but first: please leave a review!