Hello Readers,

Sorry for the lack of updates in Officers Watch, but I got stuck on this little "Meet the Parents" storyline for way too long. The first part was close to 5000 words total and felt too clunky. I decided to cut it down and simply make it from a two parter, to either a four or five parter. Criticism always welcome and enjoy!

-CG


Sheri fidgeted in her seat. The raccoon just couldn't get comfortable in the satin cushioning. She quickly glanced at the Weasel across from her. Reggie was staring intently at the menu, but every now and then his tail would twitch behind him. This was a surefire tell that the mustela had something on his mind. No matter how he tried to hide his emotions behind that handsome, stoic face, his tail would always give him away. Maybe that's why the procyon was uncomfortable?

Her boyfriend had asked if she wanted to eat out tonight. After the mandatory joke about his choice of words, Sheri agreed. What she didn't expect was to be taken to Rawrsika, a Bengali restaurant with a Mousechlin Star! The barista felt completely underdressed for such an establishment, wearing the fixed white floral dress from her and Reggie's first date. The male appeared unperturbed in his blue button down with black slacks, but his tail told another story.

Sheri tried to focus on the embroidered menu in her paws, but fidgeted once again. Something was on the mustela's mind, but he wasn't saying what. The raccoon focused back on the menu. She may have been born in the city, but there was no Bengali restuarants in the Meadowlands. The barista bit her lip as she read over the dishes.

"Tofu makhani looks good...but the tikka masala sounds pretty good too...but then again there's a higher spice rating for the vindaloo, and when's the last time I had chicken-

Oh what am I thinking! I can't focus on food until he tells me whats going on! Things have been going good- no, Great! So why is he nervous? Reggie doesn't get nervous. He gets hungry, angry and horny and sometimes all at once!...That's a terrible joke Sher and you know it. Whatever the problem is, we can work through it...unless he's cheating on me. I may cut that twitching tail off with a spoon if he's seeing someone else, but this is Reggie. He's like the literal definition of integrity and trust. I bet he pays the full amount of his taxes, no write offs for ole super duper cop Reggie Weaselton..."

Sheri looked over her menu at the mustela, staring unblinking at her boyfriend and his still twitching tail.

"Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me- Oh horns above I'm goin' insane!"

The female tore her gaze away from the male and tried again to figure out what to order. She bit her lip and decided to get whatever the waiter recommended. The tension was killing the raccoon, and she desperately wanted to ask the mustela what's wrong. The procyon knew that was an incorrect move, no one could force the Weasel to talk. The barista learned early on that while she could lead Reggie to water, but dunking his head in it didn't make him drink. A thought occurred to Sheri that made her fur bristle.

"Maybe he wants to break up?"

The female continued to stare at the menu, eyes wide and unblinking. Her heart hammered in her chest as what little calm she had started to break. Sheri breathed deeply, closing her eyes and holding up the menu to block anyone's view.

"Reggie wouldn't do that. It's too public, and he prefers privacy for our talks...but what could it be? Could he...no...maybe...?"

Sheri glanced around the restaurant and tried to analyze every minute detail. It was a fancy establishment that they had never been too before. The faux electric candles hanging above as well as authentic Bengali decor led to a very strong romantic vibe. Even the dress of the waiters and waitresses, black pants and vest with a white button down and ties, were taken into consideration. The evidence suggested another outcome, one that the raccoon blushing heavily.

"Sweet molasses he's going to propose! Oh no, oh no, oh no! I'm-We're not ready for that! It's only been seven months since we started dating, four months since we labeled what it was and not long enough to get married!? I don't wanna break his heart but I can't say yes either!"

"Uh, Sheri?"

The procyon's train of thought hit a brick wall once the Weasel spoke. She breathed quietly and tried to slow her beating heart. Sheri placed the menu down briskly and smiled at Reggie, "Yes cutie?"

Reggie fidgeted with his napkin, balling it up and then smoothing it out. His tail twitched incessantly behind him. "I, uh, wanted to ask you something..."

The raccoon forgot how to breathe as her heart was about explode. "Ok..." She responded breathlessly. A paw slipped behind her back to bring her tail to her lap.

The mustela scratched the back of his neck and grimaced, "I...don't really know how to ask this..."

Sheri kept a shaking paw on her own cloth napkin as she ran the other through the fur of her tail, unsuccessfully trying to soothe herself. "Just say it Regg!" the barista blurted out. As soon as the words left her muzzle, she regretted it.

"Ok...here goes," sighed Reggie. He cleared his throat and looked her directly in the eye, "Will you have dinner with my family?"

"Reggie," started the raccoon, "I love you but..." Sheri stopped, her mind trying to decipher the new piece of information. "...wait what?" The female frowned and her brow furrowed, "You took me out to to ask me to have dinner...with your family?"

"Wha? No!" Reggie replied, shaking his head adamently, "Wilde told me about this place, and I figured you would enjoy it." He sighed heavily and patted his menu, "Problem is I have no idea what any of this is."

The barista experienced two conflicting emotions. On the one paw relief as she and Reggie were nowhere near ready for marriage. On the other, there was still a pang of disappointment that this wasn't a proposal. Even though logically she knew they weren't ready, the idea got better after every day. Sheri blinked, and then giggled, "If it counts, I was going to ask what our server recommended."

The Weasel chuckled "I thought you would know more about Bengali food than I did."

The raccoon scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Oh yes! I forgot the large Tiger population in the Meadowlands!"

"Alright, alright I give," surrendered the officer with his paws raised, "Looks like we're both getting the special tonight!" They both laughed, and the tension in the air disappeared.

"Reggie," started the procyon with a smile, "Why didn't you ask me earlier to have dinner with your family?"

"Honestly, because they're insane...but Dutch and Mare have been riding me more and more about you coming over and..."

"Two birds, one stone?" offered Sheri with a raised brow and a sly grin.

Reggie grimaced, "More like it was gonna happen no matter what, might as well be now."

The raccoon hummed, "...Ok...but that means you should meet my parents as well."

The Weasel's grimaced and a look of panic flashed behind his eyes. "I-I know it's fair...but, uh...are you sure you want me to meet your dad?"

"Reggie, if I'm meeting yours, you're meeting mine. Right?" The officer hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Good!" exclaimed Sheri with a clap of her paws, "Now, let's wave over someone to explain the difference between vindaloo and masala!" The raccoon waved over a meerkat server, feeling much better.

"Oh Reggie you're adorable! Getting all worked up over asking me to meet your family...and then me saying you'll meet mine...including my father...and I'm gonna meet your sister and aunt..." The barista fixed her customer service smile in place as the server did the same. "Oh horns, what have I gotten myself into?"


Sheri was nervous, and Reggie telling her twelve times not too be wasn't helping.

"It's alright Sher," the Weasel tried to reassure, "they're gonna love you, so there's no need to be nervous."

Thirteen times. The raccoon smiled, but felt its fragility. She wore a professional black skirt and a white blouse, in other words her interview outfit. Of course it was an interview, just not one she had to do before. The normal questions of "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" were off the table and replaced with the more personal comments such as "He used to not smile, and now he does, what did you do to him?" The answer "Rocked his world so hard my neighbors lodged a noise complaint," while true couldn't be uttered in polite company...or any company really. The procyon would feel better if there was anyway to prepare for how Reggie's aunt and uncle would react, but even the mustela seemed lost on what would happen once they met her. He at least provided a list of rules to follow.

No mention of family outside of the immediate four.

No mention of the legality of his aunt or uncle's work.

No mention of Reggie's work and what cases he may or may not be working on.

If his family starts yelling, just step away and give them space.

Sheri continuously kept playing her boyfriend's words in her mind, trying to not let them slip away. Reggie stopped at an eggshell blue door. While the hallway was a mixture of faded greys and yellows with peeling paint all around, the blue stood out like a beacon that brightened the entire floor. It looked so friendly in comparrison to its neighbors. Reggie knocked on the door, and shouting started immediately.

"Dat's gotta be Reggie an his gyurl!" shouted a shrill female voice, "Open it wills ya?"

"Why's it gotta be me's?" shouted a male voice back, "You's ain' doin nuffin!"

"Imma cookin dinna ya ingrate!"

"Whoa! Look at'cha wit da big words!"

"Why I's atta-"

The door swung open, the smell of flounder, garlic and lemon wafting through the air. A young female Weasel stood in front of the pair. Her light brown and off white fur were the same shades as Reggie. Only a few inches taller than the young male, the real difference between them was the soft earthy brown of the female compared to the male's coal black. The younger female's casual dress of jeans and a red blouse had the procyon feeling overdressed. She smiled, "Hello! You must be Sheri. Reggie has told me so much about you."

Sheri blinked, "Really?"

"Well in own his way," joked the female with a glance at the frowning male, "I'm Mary, please come on in!" Mary stepped to the side and swept a paw into the apartment.

Reggie stepped through easily enough, but the raccoon hesitated. This was her first meeting with the other Weaselton's and she needed to impress them. The procyon only got one shot at a first impression, and this was it. Sheri stepped through the doorway, smiling graciously at Mary. The apartment was...brown. Her boyfriend had tried to describe it to her once, but she couldn't wrap her head around how brown it actually was. The faux wood paneling was a mixture of wood and chestnut brown. The rug was chocolate brown, and the couch and love seat were a Raw Umber. All in all, the apartment was, well, brown.

"Oh my!" exclaimed the shrill female voice, "aren' you's so pretty!" A smaller, older female Weasel stepped towards the raccoon with arms wide. The bright pink flared dress the older mammal wore matched her friendly smile. The glitter of golden bangles and the large garnet earrings in her ears only added to the welcoming mammal. Without warning, the older Weasel wrapped the procyon in a tight hug, her head slightly below Sheri's neck.

"Oh!" exclaimed the surprised barista, her arms out as wide as her eyes, "I...wasn't expecting that."

"Duchess is a hugger," commented Mary with a smirk, "but don't expect that from the males."

"I don't know, Reggie enjoys cuddling." The remark was off-paw, and there was a pause before it sunk in. Reggie cleared his throat and Sheri blushed. "I can't believe I just said that! What is wrong with me!?"

"Dats good," replied Duchess. She released her hold of the procyon with a wide grin. "I'm glad ya's here's!" The aunt looked past the guest and glared at her nephew. "Bout time!"

The barista turned to the male and saw a deep blush in his ears. She mouthed "Sorry" to her boyfriend who only smiled nervously and swallowed. "Well," started Sheri, turning back to Duchess, "It's very nice to meet you ma'am."

"Ain' no ma'am's heres," waved off Duchess as she walked back to the kitchen, "Ya wan somefin ta drink?"

"When we eatin?" spoke the male voice from earlier. Sheri turned to the voice and saw an older male Weasel stretched out on the couch. He wore a pair of with out khakis and white button with visible stains on both. The male stretched out with a yawn, back arching off the couch before plopping back down. "...So's?"

"Dukey we gotta guest!" exclaimed Duchess, obviously irritated by the other Weasel, "Shows some mannas!"

"Wha? She's already's family's!" shouted Duke, sitting up in the process, "It ain't likes Reggie's bringin' every jill dat catches his eyes!"

"Duke, what the rutt?" exclaimed Reggie. Sheri glanced over to see her boyfriend's tail twitching while his fur stood on end. "You saying something about me?" The younger male stepped forward aggressively with shoulders squared.

Duke winced, but he didn't back down. "I ain' sayin nuffin dat we ain' know dat's true!"

The officer snarled, "What you saying? That I'm not loyal to Sher?"

The uncle balked, "Wha?"

"That I'm just with her till I find someone else? Like I'm just shopping!?"

Duke's eyes went wide and paws came up defensively, "Regg I ain' sayin' nuffin like dat!"

The young male was at the couch, fur standing completely on end with his fists balled. The officer opened his muzzle, but was cut off by the appearance of his sister.

"Reggie, Duke misspoke," Mary soothed, she placed a paw on the young male's shoulder, "He didn't mean it like that...right Duke?"

"I jus means dat she's gotta be special, ya know?" defended the uncle who was still standing with his paws out. He smiled crookedly, "I ain' mean nuffin bad Regg...ya know me's."

There was a tense moment before Reggie sighed. His shoulders slumped, "Sorry..." he muttered, "...I'm just on edge...about this..."

Sheri moved to the side of her mustela and wrapped an arm around his, "Why don't you give me a tour...maybe show me your bedroom?" The raccoon meant it as a tease, pecking his cheek for good measure. She grinned victoriously when the blush returened to Reggie's ears, but her smile strained when Duke spoke.

"Walls is too thin for dat!" grumbled the uncle.

"Bitter Spirit Duke!" groaned Mary pinching her brow, "She was joking!" The sister peeked at the procyon, "...right?"

Sheri laughed, covering her muzzle with a paw. This was not what she expected from meeting the rest of the Weaselton's, but then again she should have. Some of the stories that the officer told her about what they did, and some things that couldn't be confirmed or denied, should have clued the raccoon. "I think I could be quiet enough," replied the barista smoothly, "but I don't think Reggie can." She winked at Mary who groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you just said that," whispered Reggie, his ears completely red.

"Well, show me around before I say anything else."

The young male gave the raccoon the side eye, "You're calmer."

She shrugged and hugged the mustela closer, "I dunno, maybe seeing you get all fired up reminded me how much you care."

"All it tooks was me bout ta get clobbered," groused Duke.

"Shush Duke," Mary chided, she turned to the two and motioned with her head, "Dinner will be ready soon, so relax and show her around."

The officer sighed, "Alright, but there isn't much to see."

"We'll take it slow." proposed Sheri.

"Dat ain' da fyrst time ya said dat!" quipped Duke with a sneer.

"Damnitt Duke!" exclaimed Mary, turning on her uncle, "I don't need to think of that!" She glanced back at Reggie with a hard glare, "I'll take care of him."

The young mustela pulled the procyon towards a hallway. "Let's move out of the way." He led her a few steps further into the apartment. "So...this is the hallway."

"Ooo!" gushed the raccoon sarcastically.

Reggie snorted, "This is the first time I've had to give a tour of this dump, so give me some leeway!"

"Ok cutie I'll hold back...but it's not a dump!"

"Eh?"

Sheri looked her boyfriend directly into his eyes, smiling brightly, "It's a home."

Reggie smiled softly, "I guess so..."