Disclaimer: Oh, you know the drill…nothing is mine.

Thank you all for your awesome reviews and know that i´m deeply sorry for not updating sooner but I've had a good, or rather horrible reason: some bastard mauled my cat. I spare you the gruesome details, lets just say it was a close call which required no less than three surgeries…she'll live but lost her tail and will limp for the rest of her life. Seriously, if I ever find out who did this, he/she will need emergency care, too!

Oh well, on with the chapter!

Chapter 14

Sunday started much the same like Saturday, after a quick breakfast everyone who wasn't pregnant was in the garden bringing in their harvest whilst Tommy and Shao sorted through their pickings, deciding what to sell and what to keep, and how to conserve the latter.

While Jamie and Steven tackled the pumpkins and Lori and Callisto handled the tomatoes and beans Rock was picking basketfuls of peas and apples with Nepomuk as his constant shadow, much to the black's chagrin.

He was too polite to chase the annoying elder away and simply tried his best to ignore Nepomuk's ramblings which seemed to get weirder and weirder as the morning progressed.

"…whereas you already have an heir on the way and a mate who can give you many more strong cubs."

Rock sighed inwardly, why oh why was this creep so obsessed with the fact that him and Shao where expecting a son? He turned around and started to carry their ladder to the next tree.

"You're so big and strong, why should you bow to the whims of another? Why not use this golden opportunity….think of your cubs; you don't want them to become underlings too, do you?"

Rock froze, distantly aware of the lucky coincidence that Nepomuk couldn't see his face right now. His mind was racing as the scales fell from his eyes and the missing pieces of the jigsaw were falling into place.

How could he have been so blind?

Although Rocks first urge was to beat the bastard to a bloody pulp for so much as suggesting that he should attack Tommy - while he was pregnant to boot! - he knew he had to carry it off well and inform his alpha right away.

So he wiped the angry snarl off his face and put on his best dumb grin before he turned towards Nepomuk "That sounds like a good idea….but for now I have to bring this load of apples to my mate. And who knows, if I ask her nicely maybe she'll give me a sample of the lunch she's cooking."

Nepomuk was mentally shaking his head in disbelief at how simple minded this guy was, every other werewolf would jump onto the opportunity to become alpha but all he could think of was to stuff his face!

Oh well, at least with an alpha like this the pack would deteriorate in no time, and then it would be a piece of cake to finish them off.

- T + M -

Shao was stirring spaghetti-sauce and Tommy was dicing the apples that were too damaged to be sold or stored which would be frozen to end up as pie-filling or applesauce later on when Rock came in. Whatever greeting they were going to say died on their lips at the sight of his churned up expression.

"What happened?" asked Tommy quietly, to calm his troubled beta as well as to avoid unwanted listeners, keenly aware of how sharp werewolf ears were.

"Nepomuk finally showed his true face….he was already trying to cosy up to me yesterday; pestering me with all kinds of questions…I truly thought he only wanted to get to know us better."

He snorted "I can't believe how I could have been so stupid and actually believe that he did not have an ulterior motive. That bastard…two minutes ago he practically suggested that I use the 'golden opportunity' of your weakened state and kill you to become alpha myself!"

"Don't beat up yourself up Rock. You're not stupid, merely trusting, and Nepomuk is a mean old coot trying to exploit this. I knew that he was up to something, that's why I asked Sparky to watch his every step in puppy-form." said Tommy soothingly, knowing that his friend was beating himself up for not realising sooner what Nepomuk had in mind seeking his company.

"Now that we know Nepomuk's scheme we can act accordingly, but I need you to play-act a little bit longer. Lure him into a false sense of security so he won't get suspicious, we don't want to force his hand to do something drastic….and tonight, we'll teach him a lesson he won't forget."

For the remainder of the day Rock stayed near Nepomuk and dissembled for all he was worth.

He even found a creative way to keep the bastard from annoying him further and retaliate at the same time: by going on and on about all his relatives´ sicknesses, including a really detailed description of his great-aunt Trudy's ingrown toenails which made Nepomuk go green and skip dinner in favour of puking behind some bushes.

- T + M -

By the time Nepomuk returned into their midst they were already sitting around the fireplace again.

Steven was explaining to his cousin and her mate how to administer the penicillin and cough syrup he'd got for them, though he hoped the vitamin drops he'd procured for them as well together with his pack's help to enhance Lycantria's winter stocks would keep the worst sicknesses at bay.

Though as comfortable as everyone appeared to be, there was a fine undertone of tension in the air, thankfully Nepomuk was too busy glorying inwardly in his impending triumph to see the veiled looks thrown his way.

What he couldn't know, Tommy had used his absence at supper to inform the others about his antics.

Both Callisto and Jamie had been aghast and disgusted at his behaviour and readily agreed to let Tommy punish him in every way he saw fit; only making sure the enraged alpha didn't plan to kill him.

So when Tommy asked the miscreant to come over for a moment everyone else knew what was coming, only Nepomuk was caught completely of guard. One moment he was walking towards that bitten menace and the next he was lying at his feet, with a strong paw around his throat.

He tried to break free which only caused Tommy to tighten his grip to the point he was truly choking Nepomuk, still that didn't stop the elder from trashing around.

Only when he felt the sharp claws digging into his neck, awfully close to his carotids, did he cease his useless struggling and went limp, forced to accept the fact that he was at the others mercy.

Tommy loosened his grip so he could breathe again but kept his paw and claws in place, just in case.

Still panting heavily Nepomuk cast a glance at Callisto and Jamie, visibly shocked to see that his pack mates were making no move to help him, on the contrary, the princess was downright glaring at him.

"Don't you dare and look at us for help you bastard! You knew damn well what you were doing, now live with the consequences!"

Nepomuk was speechless at the sharp reproof from his sovereign, he felt lost and abandoned, and his fear increased as Tommy made him meet his eyes.

A shiver ran through him and he swallowed nervously, fury he could have dealt with but this eerie calm, steady gaze was going right through him.

"Did you really think that just because I´m a bit incapacitated right now I wouldn't notice everything that's going on in my territory? Or that a bit buttering up would be enough to make Rock betray years of friendship?"

Nepomuk had to bit his lip to suppress a frightened whimper as he felt those deadly claws worrying his wounds, not dangerously so but enough to remind him of the possibility and to leave behind a conspicuous reminder for him and all who would see him, making sure he would never be able to live this fiasco down.

"All this time we've been nothing but friendly to you and your people and yet you come here, sowing the seeds of discord to bring about our pack's downfall, even trying to get me and my unborn cub killed. Really, I should kill you for this."

Nepomuk froze, throwing a panicked, desperate look at Callisto who still made no move to interfere before a low, threatening growl made his gaze snap back to the werewolf looming over him.

"Yes, I should kill you…but I won't. I want you to stand fuming on the sidelines while my pack grows and prospers, eaten up by enviousness but unable to do something, that will be your punishment. However, should you ever try something again, I will kill you, make no mistake about that."

Tommy let go of his neck and sat up again, keeping him pinned down with his gaze alone and continued in a commanding tone

"From this day on you are banned from each and any form of contact with my pack. If you so much as try to get in touch with one of my betas, be it via phone, mail or in person, or leave the island and come near my territory ever again, I will hunt you down.

As for the reminder of your stay, you are confined to your room; do not leave it unless you have to go to the bathroom. Callisto or Jamie will bring you your meals. And now get out of my sight!"

The last part came out as an angry snarl and Nepomuk hurried to comply, he climbed to his feet as fast as he could but before he could rush out of the room he was stopped by Callisto's voice.

"One more thing, Nepomuk"

He flinched at her biting tone but turned around obediently, though he didn't dare to meet her gaze.

"I don't want to see you hiding those scars."

His head shoot up, disbelief written all over his face.

"Everyone shall see what a disgrace you are!"

Nepomuk swallowed hard but in the end lowered his eyes submissively, mumbling "Yes, my princess" before he dashed from the room, unwilling to let the others see the burning tears of shame running down his face.

- T +M -

The last days of their visit were quiet and peaceful. Steven, Callisto and Jamie spent hours each evening to figure out which products of Lycantria would sell best in the human world and how to invest what money they would make to improve their food situation.

They decided to sell fur blankets and trapper-style leather clothing since they always had an abundance of skins from their prey, along with bone carvings and sea salt which were easy to produce.

In exchange they wanted to get modern, more fruitful seeds, some laying hens and maybe, if they could afford it, a new breeding ram for their little flock of sheep which was in desperate need of new blood after generations of inbreeding.

Merton chimed in and suggested that since the area was really remote, they could risk and plant a few things on the mainland too – not whole fields, mind you, but a few scattered corn stalks, potatoes or pumpkins wouldn't attract attention, in the unlikely case someone stumbled across them they would pass off as farm crops seeding themselves.

And since they were hunting quite regularly on the mainland anyway in order not to exhaust their island's animal population, looking after them wouldn't be a great deal of work.

In the end, when Callisto, Jamie and a still shell-shocked Nepomuk left Pleasantville again, the princess was feeling hopeful and light-hearted, for the first time in many years things for Lycantria were actually looking up.

Her good mood only increased as they found Luke, Chris and Sam waiting for them near the entrance to the connecting tunnel with several boxes full of milk powder, meat extract, rice and tomato paste – basic but nourishing stuff, and thankfully cheap enough that Tommy's pack could afford a sufficient amount of them despite having near exhausted their reserves with renovating and furnishing their house.

Callisto was pleased, with all this, in addition to their own stores; they shouldn't have a problem making it through the winter.

- T + M -

At the last day of November, after only about five hours of labour, Shao gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Her smile when the others came in visiting afterwards was exhausted but nonetheless radiant and Rock was all but bursting with happiness as he called his mom, Sam, Mary, Luke and Chris and just about everyone he knew to let them know that him and Shao were a family now and that both her and little William were doing well.

They all took turns holding the baby and marvelled at his cute little ears and toes, even the usually tough as nails Lori cooed to the giggling infant.

Looking at the child, Tommy's hand unconsciously strayed to his belly where a slight swell had been forming over the last few weeks.

He knew he had six more months to go and wasn't really looking forward to giving birth but seeing his friend and his mate with their child he was getting impatient to hold his own child in his arms.

These feelings only increased when Luke, Chris, Sam and Mary and their baby arrived in mid-December, the sight of not one but two happy mothers sitting side by side with their bundles of joy in their arms was almost more than he could take.

Christmas this year was truly grand affair, Tommy's parents had decided that it was high time to get to know the other members of their son's pack which resulted in Mary, Shao and Sally occupying the kitchen for days preparing a Christmas dinner with three gigantic geese and no less than a dozen trimmings, not to mention enough cookies, gingerbread and fruit cake to feed a small army.

Faced with the sight and smell of so many delicacies Tommy was really glad that the last traces of morning sickness had left him so he could enjoy all this to its fullest.

On Christmas Eve their dining area was packed as not only his parents but also Tommy's brother and Vera joined them.

Shortly after they had gotten engaged Dean had started to prepare her for the truth, putting out a few feelers to see if she was superstitious or some such thing, until he finally introduce her to the furry side of her future brother-in-law.

Needless to say she'd been stunned at first, but after asking some questions – and making sure that Tommy did NOT have an appetite for human flesh – she overcame her shock rather quickly and was now taking it in stride.

Everyone was in a merry mood, laughs and jokes were heard across the table and even Sally enjoyed herself after having come to the conclusion that the rest of the pack weren't primitive savages but ordinary men and women.

Afterwards they were sitting around the huge Christmas tree in Tommy's and Merton's living room, the other couples hadn't bothered with own trees since neither Shao nor Steven were used to celebrating Christmas before joining their pack, plus they knew that they would all wind up gathering in their alpha's living room in the evening anyway.

Quite a few parcels and packets were already lying under the tree, waiting to get opened the next day after breakfast, but apparently Bob Dawkins had other ideas for he handed his son a small package.

"I know it's a bit early, but I wanted to see your face when you open it."

Curious, Tommy ripped of the wrapping paper and revealed a wooden box; it was square, not bigger then his palm, made from oak wood which was worn shiny with age, and vaguely familiar looking.

It took a moment but then it his him where he'd seen it before, in a small glass case on his father's desk in his office. Tommy opened it almost reverently and looked at the golden pocket watch of his great grandfather Thomas Arthur Dawkins.

"Dad, no, I can't take this - Dean is the oldest."

"But you are the first to start a family, and you were the one we named after him."

Seeing that Tommy was still looking unconvinced Dean spoke up "Relax bro, if the bun in your oven turns out to be a girl you can still pass it on to one of my sons….speaking of which, I was wondering, once your little puppy is born, what will be the more suitable gift – a pacifier or a chew toy?" He winked at his brother who groaned good-naturedly at the corny joke.

Later that night, after their guests were gone and everyone was getting ready for bed, Tommy recalled the evening.

He was still deeply moved by his father's gift, the gesture showing without doubt that Bob fully accepted their little budding family. Merton, who had just finished brushing his teeth, came into their bedroom to find his beloved looking at the watch and tracing the outline of its gravure.

"I guess that means our discussion about male names is officially settled, hm?"

"If that's ok with you…I know you wanted something more imaginative then just 'Tommy Jr.'"

That was an understatement; Merton's suggestions had been creative to say the least, from 'Poe' over various ancient gods up to legendary horror figures (Nosferatu, Hyde).

Tommy finally put a stop to it when he started on Hobbit-names by pointing out that even though their kid would have furry feet at times it would also have to go to school one day where it would face endless teasing for a name like 'Frodo' or 'Peregrin'.

"However we can still pick an original second name…I kinda like the tradition Cal told us about, you know, naming your kid after a moon god."

He looked at the gravure again, more precisely at the 'A.' between Thomas and Dawkins.

"Hey, didn't you mention a moon god starting with A?"

Merton nodded immediately "Artemis, the legendary hunter and guardian of the forest….it's technically a goddess, though the name is frequently used for males and females alike."

"Thomas Artemis Dawkins…sounds nice, and we can always call him Tad to avoid confusion."

Merton put his hand on top of Tommy's which was resting on his still small bulge "I can't wait for the first ultrasound when we finally get to see our child for the first time."

"Me neither, only three more weeks, then we know if it's going to be a little Taddie or a little Luna."

- T + M -

Their friends had gone home again though left quite a few clothes behind since the two rooms they'd stayed in were always reserved for them anyway and that way each of them could drop by unprepared, say if they had a business appointment in the area.

Tommy smiled as he thought about this, he really liked that they considered the mansion their second home. He was currently enjoying his second breakfast consisting of cream cheese-filled Jalapeños, a couple of cinnamon rolls…and raw rabbit liver.

He'd been more then a bit unnerved when he first started to crave raw meat but Steven had reassured him that it was completely normal, expectable even. Being constantly wolfed out for such a long time was taking a lot out of his inner wolf, and raw meat was the best way to replenish its strength – aside from moon bathing, of course.

"Those cravings are your body's way to show you what you need and you should follow them, no matter how weird they seem."

Tommy had taken Stevens words to heart and ate whatever he wanted, but he made sure that Merton didn't have to watch him chew on uncooked flesh and always brushed his teeth afterwards.

Though he had to hand it to his wolf, he solely craved the most nutritious pieces, muscles and intestines like liver, which contained lots of iron and other substances him and his cub needed.

Actually, now that he'd finally overcome that gruelling morning sickness Tommy found himself to be hungry near constantly. Merton joked that he was truly eating for two, and it was starting to show, he was getting rounder very quickly.

Again, Steven calmed him down; pointing out that it was only normal that a pregnant belly would appear more obvious on a usually slim male waist, plus with all his nightly exercise there was no chance that he would grow fat no matter what he ate.

The last part made both Tommy and Merton blush, even though he thankfully hadn't developed mood swings so far Tommy was feeling the influence of his changed hormones, only instead of moody they made him horny. So horny in fact that he jumped Merton several times a day, including after his regular night run through the woods.

Not that the Goth was complaining, far from it, and he also liked that his beloved had gotten very cuddly in general and barely strayed from his side anymore. All in all this pregnancy was starting to feel like a long belated honeymoon and both were enjoying the quality time to its fullest.

Today however both were extremely exited, Steven had promised them this morning to bring his ultrasound unit with him over the weekend in other words in mere hours they were going to see their baby for the first time.

Though Tommy was also nervous for a different reason, Rock and Sparky had left them the day before to check out the rumours about 'weird hairy monsters' in a one-horse town in the neighbouring state.

Granted, it was most likely a hoax, but the alpha wolf in him was very uneasy about staying behind while his beta faced a possible dangerous situation.

He tried to calm himself with the fact that Sparky, exorcised or not, was still a strong fighter plus he knew nearly as much about supernatural beings and their weaknesses as Merton but to no avail.

Tommy fervently wished he could at least call them, but alas the place was so remote he couldn't get a connection to Rock's cell.

What if it wasn't a hoax but a bunch of rabid werewolves, or maybe a sort of demon that could only be vanquished with a spell, or… thankfully Steven's arrival tore him from his musings before he went bonkers from worry.

He and Merton hurried to their sickbay where he laid down on the stretcher, already lifting his shirt and tugging his pants down a bit, while they waited impatiently for Steven to get the device ready.

Trying to distract himself while they were waiting Tommy took a good look around; it calmed him time and again to see that they were well prepared for just about everything, even minor operations.

The room truly looked like any other emergency room, except theirs was also equipped with holy water, solutions to neutralize silver and various magical herbs like wolfs bane.

A cold sensation on his exposed belly caused him to refocus on what was going on. Steven had spread a bluish gel across his tummy which made the handpiece of the ultrasound glide over his skin easily.

Tommy and Merton were smiling, though they could make out only dark blobs and grey clouds on the monitor both clearly heard their child's strong heartbeat.

"Is it normal that its heart is beating that fast?"

"Yeah, the baby's heartbeat is always twice as fast as the mother's…" Steven trailed off and a slight frown appeared on his face before he started to rapidly move the handpiece, trying to get a better angle.

Tommy grew pale and Merton clutched their friend's arm frantically "What's wrong?"

Steven started to smile "Nothing; see this large round shape with the little pulsing one beneath? That is your child's head and heart….that is an arm, those are the legs and that's the umbilical cord."

The parents-to-be stared at the monitor, completely mesmerized as the doctor pointed out the various body parts, and what had looked like clouds and blobs before suddenly turned into the silhouette of a baby. But wait a minute….

"Is that…a third arm?"

Steven was positively grinning now "Yep; and there's the second heart and head." Seeing that his friends were too shocked to get his drift he continued "Congratulations, you're having twins."

Two jaws hit the floor and both were speechless for several minutes, until Merton mumbled "No wonder you're always hungry and already that big." Tommy could only nod.

"Do you want to know their gender?"

"Yes, of course!"

Steven moved the handpiece again and squinted at the monitor for what seemed like forever until "A boy…. and a girl."

The two beamed at each other, still slightly dazed in the light of the news they just got.

"So...I guess that means we'll get a Tommy Jr. to pass the watch on to after all."

"Yeah, and we'll also have a sweet little Lu…" Tommy halted, struck by sudden thought.

If he was passing on the name of a valued and cherished relative, why shouldn't Merton do the same?

Granted, the relationship to his parents was most strained if not non-existent by now, but there was one family member he'd always loved and held in highest esteem.

"Aurora Luna Dingle….has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

For the second time in about five minutes Merton was shocked speechless.

"B-but… you said no exotic first names, or our kid would get teased."

Tommy grinned and patted his bulge "Don't worry; she'll have a brother who will protect her."

Merton leaped into Tommy's arms, simultaneously laughing and crying out of sheer joy. "I love you…both of…no, all three of you!" he sniffed, not exactly coherent anymore now that the news where fully sinking in but who could blame him.

Tommy himself felt like bursting with joy and yet he couldn't stop the tears leaking from his eyes while he laughed and hugged his mate; his emotions were all over the place. 'Must be the damn hormones' he thought.

Steven retreated discretely, unwilling to disturb the overjoyed couple yet wishing to give them their privacy. He went to the kitchen, still smiling, and started making preparations for dinner.

'Twins!' he thought, almost disbelievingly.

For one like him who had grown up with Lycantria's lore (and limited-pregnancy-policy), multiples represented a blessing from above, a rare gift from the moon itself to its chosen people.

Throughout their history, those children always turned out to be special, endowed with seldom seen strength and talents, in other words: born leaders.

Though as happy as he was, for his friends as well as for their pack, Steven was also worried.

A normal male pregnancy was already straining and dangerous for both carrier and child, with twins the stress and the risk increased drastically. He would have to keep an even closer eye on his friend and alpha from now on and monitor the progress of the children continuously.

'There won't be a miscarriage' he vowed, while putting the roast in the oven 'not on my watch!'

- T + M -

As you've seen, I just couldn't decide on boy or girl so I took both…and don't worry, Lori and Steven will have a child too, it will merely take a while longer for the 'happy family vibes' to get past her kick-ass attitude and awaken her desire to have children – but if you look close enough you can see how she's already starting to crack LOL

And I´m sure you can guess that those rumours about 'weird hairy monster' have something to do with the mate I promised to the faithful Sparky – I´m already curious to see how you'll like what I cooked up for him.

Last but not least, I hope you don't mind that Nepomuk survived, but it just didn't feel right to have Tommy kill him – yeah, he's an asshole, but he's also already an old man, a victim of his conservative upbringing and completely harmless if you keep him away from the pack.

Thus I settled for a big scare and utter humiliation instead of bloodshed. Let him howl in frustration when he hears from afar how well Tommy and his pack is faring, he's no more threat – though maybe a warning to others who might think like him.

I promise I'll have the next chapter out far sooner, now that my Terra is on her paws again the weight is of my mind and I can write again. In fact, I´m even planning some lemon. After all, just because Tommy is pregnant doesn't mean they can't do it anymore…

But first, review please!