Ray sighed heavily and in slight frustration as he read through yet another article online about an entitled Karen complaining about the rating systems for children's media. She had rented an old animated movie about a group of cute, little bunnies traveling across the British countryside to find a new home for her four-year-old daughter. But according to the mother, not even fifteen minutes in the movie showed these poor bunnies being butchered and killed, blood and all.

The rating on this movie was rated as a PG movie.

A PG-rated film meant that parental guidance was suggested for children watching the content. Parents should decide if the children should see the movie or recommend parental guidance. Films with this rating could have some violence, mild language, and brief nudity. When he read this, he saw that this movie was not appropriate for a child as young as four. Ray believed that the mother should have checked the movie first before she put it on for her daughter.

When Kai and Nya were little Maya always made sure to watch any movies and TV shows.

She always said that she was making sure they were appropriate for their children before she let them watch them, but Ray suspected that she enjoyed those fun animated children's movies and the many songs that came with them. He could understand the reasoning for his wife's actions. He wouldn't want a small child to accidentally stumble across a porno or a gore horror scene. Yet he didn't believe that stricter ratings were the correct answer.

When Ray was a kid all he wanted to do was sneak into R-rated movies behind his parents' backs.

In his naive mind, R stood for 'Ridiculously Good'. He never did manage to get in and the one day his parents found out was one of the worst days of his life. Nowadays there were warnings and ratings on everything from video games, music, booze, and cigarettes. Most parents thought that these warnings would keep their kids away from all these bad things. But actually, it was like sending up a flare, telling them where all the good stuff was.

In his opinion, it wasn't the ratings or the content creators that were the problems, it was all up to the parents.

They needed to keep a closer eye on their young children and what they were being exposed to. A light humming suddenly caught his attention and he looked up to see Maya mopping in the kitchen with her earbuds in. He was thankful things were fine between them now. It had been almost a week since the disastrous dinner with Luana and her boyfriend and things had started to calm down. The day after the dinner, Maya called her mother and started to smooth things over.

By the end of the call, Luana was happily talking to her daughter again.

Yet she made it clear that her son-in-law had a lot of work to do to get back into her good graces. Luckily for him, Kai and Nya were more forgiving than their grandmother. Although Ray had to apologize to them along with Cole and Jay, he was just thankful they were still speaking to him. Speaking of his children, Ray saw his son walking past and getting his jacket on to leave.

"Hey, where you off to?" He asked the teen.

"I'm meeting Cole, we're going to the movies, and his dad said he could stay over tonight." He replied as he got his shoes on.

"Okay, just be home on time." Maya smiled as she finished mopping.

"I will, he needs to call his dad here by eleven, it's the only way he's letting him stay over."

"He doesn't trust him, huh?" Maya chuckled lightly.

"No, actually he doesn't trust you two," Kai replied without thinking and froze the second he realized what he said.

"What? Why not?" Ray asked with a light glare and Kai knew there was no backing out of it now.

"I... guess Lou thinks that you and Mom aren't exactly the best parents." The brunette admitted nervously.

"He said that?" Maya frowned, her gripping tightening on the mop.

"No... he said that you guys suck," Kai replied and then he all but ran out of the apartment, but his parents didn't chase after him. They were shocked that Lou would say something like that about them. Yes, they weren't the best of friends and they only knew him through his marriage to Lily, but they thought he respected them as fellow parents and the fact that his son was dating their son.

"What's that about? I don't want people thinking we suck at raising our kids! It's bad enough we think we suck!" Ray exclaimed as he got up to make himself an angry cup of coffee, but Maya didn't look too worried.

"You know how over-protective and controlling Lou is." She replied as she put the mop in the broom closet and sat next to her husband. "Forget about him, we may not be the best parents but we're fine."

"Fine? No! I'd say we're bordering on pretty good." Ray smiled and Maya returned it as she gave the man she loved a quick peck on the cheek before flipping through the channels to see what was on...

Maya tried and failed to stifle a loud yawn as she and Ray lay in their bed, watching a show about a hidden camera in a taxi to find people up to no good. Both their children and Cole were already home. Nya had headed for bed early and Kai and Cole were hanging out in the living room. While Ray was a little against having his son's boyfriend spend the night, Maya was able to talk him around. Cole would be staying in the guest room and she doubted the boys would get up to anything with Kai's parents and sister in the rooms next door.

"This show is so full of it," Maya growled as she ate some popcorn. She had made it and made sure Ray didn't get a piece. She did offer to make him some, but he said no. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from trying to steal some of hers. "The one taxi cab that has hidden cameras just happens to be the one that everyone's having sex in?" She huffed in disbelief.

"You know what's even more unrealistic? The cab driver speaks English." Ray added and she nodded in agreement. Just then there was a light knock on their door and a moment later Kai and Cole poked their heads into the bedroom.

"Good night Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

"Hey, come back here and give you old man a hug good night," Ray ordered and got out of bed. Kai blushed in embarrassment as Cole stifled a laugh, but he said nothing and reluctantly hugged his father. As they embraced, Ray took a long, deep breath. That was Ray's patented sniff test. He could smell tobacco, alcohol, or pot. If Kai and Nya wanted to get away with something, they had better do it during allergy season. Once he was sure everything was clear, Ray let his son go and wished the couple a good night.

Maya rolled her eyes as Ray returned to their bed.

What Ray didn't know was that both his children had been on to that sniff test since they were thirteen. That was why they always carried perfume, gum, deodorant, Altoids, and air fresheners.

"Hi Lou, the boys just got home, they watching TV in Kai's room." He greeted him warmly and Maya almost laughed at his fake, cheery voice. "Yeah, of course, we have a V-chip." He replied as he tried and failed to take some of Maya's popcorn. "Okay, talk to you soon." He finished before he hung up and put the phone back on the receiver.

"Cole's dad?" She asked and he nodded.

"By the way, what the hell's a V-chip?" He asked and Maya almost laughed, but she held it in.

"It's something that stops kids from watching violence in movies and sex on TV." She explained and as far as she knew Lou was one of the only people who used it. V-chip had always suffered from an insufficient number of users. Despite the amount that had been spent on educating parents on the use of the V-chip, there was still a low proportion of users. Of parents who had access to the V-chip, just twenty percent used it. As reported in 2007, fifty-two percent of parents were like Ray and had access to the V-chip but were unaware of its existence.

Twenty-seven percent of parents like Maya who knew of the V-chip's existence opted not to try it.

"Without sex and violence who'd want to watch movies or TV?" Ray scoffed.

"I don't know honey, that guy worries too much." She shrugged and they continued watching their program. A few hours later they turned out the lights and fell asleep. What the couple didn't know was that Kai and Cole were sitting in Kai's room, both of them were snickering and taking gulps of vodka Kai had snuck from his parents' alcohol cupboard. It was a special type of vodka made specifically for werewolves. Ray and Maya had three bottles of this stuff, two now.

As they laughed and drank, the noise woke Nya up, and she all but kicked her brother's door down.

She was ready to wage war against them from interrupting her beauty sleep, but she was more than a little surprised at what she was seeing.

"What are you two doing?" She asked after she got over the shock.

"G-Go away." Kai stumbled with his words, almost dropping the now half-empty bottle of vodka. When Nya saw the bottle and smelt the alcohol on their breaths, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my God, you're drunk."

"We just had a little sip." Cole shrugged as he swayed lightly.

"Yeah Ny-Ny, we're shitfaced." Kai cackled as he fell back on the bed and Nya blushed at her childhood nickname. About two seconds, however, he suddenly stopped laughing, sat up straighter than a pole, and fixed his sister with a harsh glare as his eyes flashed yellow. "N-N-Nya, y-you better not t-t-tell Mom or D-Dad, or I'll k-kill you."

"I don't like you when you're drunk." She admitted.

"And I d-don't like you when I'm s-sober." He pouted childishly before his stomach suddenly started growling loudly. "I'm hungry." He whined and stumbled out of the bedroom, forced Nya to grab the bottle, and towards the kitchen. Nya rolled her eyes at her brother's antics as she left the bottle on his desk and made to return to her bedroom.

"Hey, where have I seen you before?" Cole suddenly drawled and he stared at Nya with a confused look as his eyes scanned her face, trying to find anything of recognition.

"I live here and we've known each other for years; you're dating my brother." She frowned, but Cole shook his head.

"No, you're Jay's girlfriend right?" He asked but Nya rolled her eyes and tried to leave again, only for Cole to grab her arm. "You're kinda cute and pretty, and funny; you know, you could do way better." He giggled before he suddenly pulled her forward and kissed her on the lips. As soon as they made contact, Nya's brain short-circuited and she froze like a deer caught in headlights. After a few moments, Cole pulled away and gave her a big, loopy smile.

"Wait right here sweetums, I'mma go find Kai and when he falls asleep I'll be back~." He sang cheekily before leaving the bedroom and heading for the kitchen. Nya stood in Kai's room for a few more minutes before what happened finally hit her. She could taste the alcohol Cole and been drinking, and as far as she knew Cole and Kai could have been making out before she walked in. Within seconds, Nya was bolting towards the bathroom to vomit back up her dinner...

Maya was suddenly startled awake by the sound of clanging pots and pans coming from the kitchen. She looked at the alarm clock next to their bed and saw that it was two in the morning. Thinking that the children were asleep and that there might be a burglar in their home, Maya quickly shook her husband and asked him to check it out. Even though Ray wasn't as concerned as his wife, he knew that he wouldn't get any sleep until she was put at ease.

With a tired groan, Ray got out of bed and went to check out the noise.

As he left their room, he could hear Nya coughing and gagging in the bathroom and he made a mental note to check on her later. While Ray wasn't expecting a burglar, he wasn't expecting to find Cole and Kai trying to hold in their laughter as they filled bowls with chips, cookies, and other junk foods.

"Hey, what are you boys doing up so late?" He frowned as the pair stood still like statues.

"Nothing!" Kai exclaimed a little too loud and fast. "W-We're just hanging out, do you want something to eat?" He asked as he shakily held out the bowl of chips.

"Or drink?" Cole asked and they couldn't stop themselves from laughing. All Ray needed was a quick whiff of their breaths to realize what was going on."

"Oh my God, you're drunk." He growled and Kai started to panic again.

"N-No I'm n-not." He stammered fearfully.

"I know I am." Cole cackled loudly, but Ray choose to ignore him for the moment to focus on his son. This proved to be a mistake because not even two minutes later, Cole suddenly started gagging and that was their only warning before he threw up all over the kitchen floor. They both cried out in disgust and jumped back as Cole blew chunks all over the floor. It took a full minute or two until Cole finally empty his stomach and Ray turned his rage back on his son.

"You want to tell me what the hell you were thinking?!"

"O-Okay, m-maybe we're a little drunk," Kai admitted to him, looking pale as his eyes darted between Cole, Ray, and the mess on the kitchen floor.

"No, no, Mickey Rooney was a little drunk; you're plastered!" Ray snapped and that was the moment Maya made her presence known. She had heard them shouting, reassuring her that it wasn't a break-in, so she went to see what set this argument off.

"Hey, what's going on- oh, wow!" She cried as she narrowly avoided getting her slippers soaked in vomit. "Is someone sick?" She asked in concern.

"Yeah, it's called the absolute flu!" Ray growled and as soon as Maya caught a whiff of the booze, she understood what had happened.

"Great, the one day I decided to mop up." She groaned as she looked at the puddle in dismay before carefully stepping around it to confront her son. "Where do you get the nerve to drink right under our noses?!" She snarled, but Kai was too focused on playing with his fingers to listen and Ray had to snap his to get the teen's attention.

"Huh?" He muttered.

"Forget it, I'll deal with you in the morning when you're sober enough to remember what we're saying." Maya snarled. "Ray, get the boys outta here."

"No, I can't even look at them!" He cried as he made to leave in anger.

"Okay, fine, I'll do it, you clean up the puke." She sighed and within seconds Ray had grabbed both the teens and was dragging them to the bathroom to help Cole clean up and get the boys back in their rooms. Maya rolled her eyes and grabbed the mop...

Early the following day, Maya and Ray were the first up and were in the kitchen, cooking breakfast and waiting for Kai and Cole to show their faces. While Ray was still angry, Maya was more concerned and scared for the teens. She knew that alcohol was the most widely used substance among teens and young adults, posing substantial health and safety risks. Now, both the adults weren't stupid. Teens Kai and Cole's ages tried alcohol for a variety of reasons.

This could be to exert independence, feel more carefree, or escape from stress, peer pressure, and even boredom.

Many tended to do so without recognizing alcohol's negative effects or health risks. So now Maya and Ray had to figure out what they did now they found out their child and his boyfriend were drinking. They couldn't do much to punish Cole since he wasn't their responsibility. But since he was staying at their home for the night, they felt that they at least had to give him a lecture. Thankfully, Maya had had plenty of time to do some research online, but she wasn't sure which one would be the best approach for them to take.

Firstly, they could try and foster a regular and productive communication method.

Productive communication with a teen or young adult doesn't always have to feel like giving them the third degree. Ray and Maya needed to remain calm, relax and ensure that the pair heard what they had to say and vice versa. They could try to be objective and open. If they wanted to have a productive conversation, they had to do their best to keep an open mind and hear out Kai and Cole's points of view. Or they could ask open-ended questions.

These were questions that elicited more than just a yes or no response.

It could lead to a more engaging and productive conversation. But what scared Ray and Maya the most was the thought that their child might have an alcohol use disorder. It could be difficult to assess when a child was just experimenting or if they were struggling with their drinking to the point of an alcohol use disorder. Any alcohol use was an issue when a child was underage. Even if the child was twenty-one or older, it was important to keep an eye out for any signs of a problem as well.

Both the parents knew that they had to nip this drinking thing in the but before it spiraled out of control, and even though they were worried, they were still pissed at those two.

For Ray and Maya, today was payback time. They could hear Nya getting ready in the bathroom, but they had yet to hear Kai or Cole getting up.

"Honey, do you think we're handling this right?" Maya asked as she poured them some coffee, but Ray rolled his eyes.

"Look, all I know is when I was their age and my parents caught me drinking my Father beat my ass and made me stay at home every weekend with them."

"How'd that work out?"

"Maya, you've spent time with my parents, right? It made me want to drink even more." Ray grumbled and Maya hummed in understanding. When Nya left the bathroom, Maya smiled warmly and placed a plate of freshly cooked corn beef hash in front of her. Except, instead of sitting down and eating her breakfast, Nya walked passed her parents and grabbed her coat and shoes. Even though she was hungry, Nya didn't think she could stomach sitting through breakfast with Cole after what happened last night.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?! You love corn beef hash!" Maya cried at the thought of Nya missing the most important meal of the day.

"Sorry Mom, I'm just not feeling up to breakfast today, I'll grab a cereal bar or something later." She dismissed and speed-walked out of the apartment.

"You don't think she was drinking too do you?" Ray asked in worry, thinking back to when he heard her throwing up in the bathroom and he immediately felt guilty for forgetting to check in on her after he dealt with Kai and Cole.

"No, I looked in on her after I cleaned the kitchen; I couldn't smell any alcohol."

"Oh dear God, you don't think she's becoming one of those veggie people do you?" He gulped fearfully and Maya almost laughed. She had never heard of a vegetarian werewolf. Like real wolves, werewolves would eat fruits and vegetables occasionally or when food was scarce, but these didn't sustain them for as long, and they couldn't live off them alone, which was why real wolves and werewolves were considered carnivores and not omnivores.

She was surprised that Morro wasn't in the hospital for malnutrition.

"Relax Ray, she just ate something bad yesterday and she needs some fresh air to get it out of her system." Maya smiled, putting her husband at ease. It was then that Kai and Cole walked into the dining room. They were still in their pajamas, their hairs were a mess, and they looked very uncomfortable from the obvious hangover. Ray and Maya shared a look and put their plan into action.

"Oh hey! How are you two feeling?!" Maya cheered loudly.

"Awful..." Cole grumbled weakly.

"Yeah, you know what you boys need? A good, hearty breakfast!" Ray grinned devilishly as he slammed his hand on the table like it was a drum.

"Here you go! Eggs over-easy, nice and runny, just the way you like them!" Maya giggled mischievously as she dropped a pair of runny, slimly, and goopy fried eggs onto their plates, fresh from the frying pan. Unfortunately, all Kai and Cole could do was stare at the food, growing paler and greener by the second.

"Oh, check it out; it looks just like what Cole left all over the floor last night!" Ray snapped as his happy demeanor faded into an angry one. Both teens groaned as they made a conscious effort to avoid looking at the food or the adults.

"Here sweetie, let me get you something else." Maya smiled as she made to scoop the food back into the pan, only to let go and allow the pan to hit the floor with a loud bang. The noise, paired with their enhanced hearing and the hangover caused both teens to wince in pain and cover their ears. "Oops! Sorry, I've got butterfingers!" Maya laughed as she 'accidentally' banged the spatular and frying pan together, tormenting the couple even more.

"Hey look, I found my old whistle! Let's see if it works!" Ray exclaimed before he suddenly started blowing a whistle into Kai and Cole's ears at point-blank range.

"OKAY! OKAY! PLEASE STOP!" Cole screamed desperately through the pain. "I couldn't feel any worse than I already feel."

"Please stop, I have a terrible headache!" Kai begged, looking close to tears, and the adults knew that it was time to move on to the next phase of their plan.

"This is why teenagers shouldn't drink! It's illegal, it's bad for your health, and it's dangerous and it impairs your judgment." Maya growled like a military sergeant.

"Yeah, you two aren't that smart in the first place," Ray added, and the couple made no move to argue with them, though it might be because they were still fighting through their monster headaches.

"We will NOT put up with you drinking; if you do it again you're in BIG trouble." Maya insisted firmly. "I hope throwing up half the night was a good enough lesson for you two."

"Try this again and I'm gonna send you down to my parents' house, and trust me, they aren't as nice and forgiving as your mother and I," Ray warned his son, suppressing a sudden the memories of when his parents caught him drinking.

"What about me? Are you gonna tell my Dad?" Cole asked meekly and Ray and Maya froze as they shared a look. If they did that, Lou was going to think they were even worse parents than he already thought. However, it was irresponsible for them not to tell him. After quickly thinking through the options, Ray felt that they had no other choice.

"No, we're not gonna tell him anything," Ray promised the younger noirette, ignoring Maya's small frown and the teens' sighs of relief to focus on finishing his breakfast and forgetting about this whole experience...

It had been a couple of days since the incident with the booze, but thankfully, it seemed that Ray and Maya had brushed it aside, which Kai was thankful for. He was more thankful that he wasn't grounded, since he, Jay, and Zane had plans to go to the new Starfarer movie. He did wish that their other friends could go, but they all had other plans. Cole was still on edge about his father finding out about them getting drunk, so he was doing everything he could to keep a low profile.

Kai didn't like this, but he didn't want to push Cole away.

Harumi and Morro had already made plans for a day to themselves, but they didn't give any details. Lloyd wanted to go, but after Misako found out that he had failed a recent Maths test, she grounded him and made him stay home studying. Nya said that she and Pixal were hanging out, but Kai suspected it was something else. For some reason, Nya had been avoiding Kai since he and Cole drunk. He couldn't remember much about that night.

The brunette was worried that he had said something horrible to her while he was drunk.

Until she stopped dodging him, however, there was nothing he could do to fix it. As Kai headed to grab his shoes and jacket, he saw his parent sitting on the couch. They were watching TV and Ray was drinking from a can of beer and Maya had a glass of red wine. Kai stopped in his tracks and couldn't help but frown. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Hey, can I ask you guys a question?" He asked and after sharing a confused look the pair nodded. "You know all that stuff you said the other day about drinking? If it's so dangerous then how come you guys do it?" He asked and for a brief second they froze, but Ray quickly shook it off.

"Because we're adults and we know how to drink responsibly; that's why there's a drinking age, a voting age, and a having sex age which for you and your sister is never." He told his son confidentially as he returned his attention to the TV. Maya rolled her eyes at his last statement, but she made no move to comment on it or argue against it. Kai wasn't going to let the subject go just like that. But he didn't have the heart to tell his parents that he and Cole might have already had sex.

Not yet anyway.

He had no idea whether Nya and Jay had gone that step, he doubted they had even kissed, but he didn't need or want to know about that.

"I'm done with drinking, but if it's so unhealthy and bad for you then what difference does it make how old you are?" He asked, genuinely curious. Ray wanted to dismiss this again, but Maya wouldn't let him.

"You know what, you make a good point." She smiled at her son, much to her husband's and son's surprise.

"He does?" Ray questioned in shock.

"Yes, he does, and from now on there is no more drinking in this family." She stated and with that, she walked over to the kitchen sink and made a point of pouring the last of her wine down the drain. Kai smiled at this and bid them goodbye and left. Once he was gone, Ray rounded back on his wife.

"W-What the hell was that about?"

"Maybe this whole drinking thing was partially our fault, it was our booze; I just think we shouldn't drink while the kids live here." She explained gently as she grabbed the bottles of alcohol to dispose of them.

"Come on Maya, we drink BECAUSE the kids live here," Ray replied and Maya might have laughed, but she felt the situation was too dire.

"Do we have to do it in their faces? He's right, we're setting a bad example." She insisted, but Ray refused to stand down.

"Oh come on honey! Just because those two got drunk doesn't mean I can't drink!" He exclaimed and made a point of taking a big gulp of beer right in front of her. "I go to work, I make a living, if I want to come home and have a beer my teenage son isn't going to tell me I can't!" He shouted, but the cold, harsh look on Maya's face quickly told him that he had just messed up badly.

"No, but your wife is."...

When Nya arrived back that the apartment, she was relieved that there was no one there. She didn't know where her parents were, but she knew that Kai was still out at the movies with Jay and Zane. Unfortunately, she knew that the movie was ending soon and she didn't know whether or not they had plans afterward so her peace might be ending soon. Nya almost slammed her bedroom door shut and threw herself on her bed letting out an angry groan against the pillow.

This was driving her crazy.

She couldn't even talk to her brother or her boyfriend anymore without the fear of confessing the kiss with a drunk Cole to them. It wasn't like she was trying to lie to them about what had happened and she knew that it wasn't technically cheating as she didn't want it and she doubted Cole knew what he was doing. But that didn't make her feel any less wrong. Nya bit the pillow, and a single shy tear rolled down her cheek. She could tell that Kai and Jay were trying not to worry, but that was easier said than done.

Even her parents could tell that she had been acting all weird lately.

Despite their worry, everyone knew how stubborn and proud Nya was. They figured that she simply needed time to settle her emotions before she could finally speak about whatever was bugging her. As Nya continued with her internal struggles, there was a sudden knock on their front door. Thinking that it was one of their neighbors, Nya wiped her eyes and went to answer the knocks. The female werewolves froze, however, when she opened the door and saw Cole standing there.

"Hey Nya, is Kai here?" He greeted warmly as he walked into the apartment while Nya stared at him in both surprise and horror until his question registered in her brain.

"N-No, he's out at the movies, but he should be back soon." She stuttered looking to the side, feeling her face flushing as red as Kai's favorite jacket.

"That's cool, I'll wait." He smiled and sat on the couch, only to realize Nya's tense and cautious demeanor. "Hey, you Ok?" He asked in concern. Cole knew that he had agreed with the others to give Nya space, but they weren't around. At first, Nya didn't want to reply. She was too embarrassed. She had been trying to be a decent person for the last few days for the sake of her relationships with Kai, their friend, and her boyfriend, and it was turning into an epic fail.

Now she was between a rock and a hard place.

Slowing getting up, Cole stepped closer, but still got no response from his friend. He put his hand on her shoulder, trying to get Nya to look at him in the eyes, yet she resisted. Despite wanting to keep her silence, however, Nya could feel it suffocating her. She knew it would drown her if she didn't say anything to someone, and who better than the person who helped cause these feelings?

"You don't remember?" The girl finally managed to say in the end, but this just confused Cole more and she sighed exasperatedly. "You kissed me, that night you were drinking with Kai." She clarified as she bit her lip. It was really painful to remember what happened and imagine the apocalyptic aftermath. Cole arched a brow, his eyes rolling in every direction and narrowing now and then as he ordered his brain to remember that specific moment Nya mentioned.

It didn't sound like something he would ever do, drunk or not.

Then his green eyes widened all of a sudden at the realization.

"Oh God, that did happen?!" He exclaimed as a lightbulb lit up in his head. "Wow, drinking does impair your judgment." He grinned and laughed. Nya turned her face away once again, pained that it had taken Cole so long to remember something that had hurt him so much and then joke about it. Cole's loud laughter next to her ear startled her. Kai eyed her giggling friend like the boy had grown a second head. She was ready to turn around and leave when Cole hugged him tight.

"Look, Nya, I'm so sorry about that, it was the booze talking!" He exclaimed before he suddenly realized what he said and immediately tried to backtrack. "I-I mean, you're amazing and beautiful, but I love Kai and you're with Jay, and I don't feel that way about you." He explained frantically, but as he started to panic, Nya felt her unease slowly fade. Seeing Cole react so calmly and treat the situation like a joke made her feel that maybe she overreacted over all of this.

"Relax Cole, you don't have to apologies, and thanks for talking with me." She smiled and the two shared an embrace. Although her feelings of guilt didn't vanish completely, Nya could only hope that they would in time...

It had been a couple of days since Maya had made her declaration of no booze in the Smith household, and so far things seemed to be working alright. Maya and Ray were pleased that their children seemed to be back to normal. They were going on with their lives and Nya was acting more like herself again. Maybe Maya was right, and it was just a bug. Cole and Kai were at Jay's place, where the ginger-haired teen was showing a videogame he had started working on and asked for their input.

Nya and Pixal were having a girls' day out and at Morro's insistence, they invited Harumi to join them.

It was clear that Pixal still held a grudge against her former bully, but Nya was willing to give the rich girl a chance. Lloyd and Morro had wanted to go and see Jay's new game, but Zane had arranged a study session for them and they couldn't get out of it. Despite everything seeming alright, however, Ray couldn't help but feel like something wasn't right. That something wasn't right with his wife. On the second day, Ray had had enough of this feeling and decided to follow her.

Even though she was taking the car, Ray used his enhanced senses, speed, and stamina to track her down.

He managed to follow her to a large, warm, and cozy restaurant about a half an hour's drive from the apartment. He waited for a few minutes to see if she would come out and when she didn't, Ray walked. The restaurant was mostly filled to the brim and it took him a few minutes to find his wife. He found Maya sitting at the bar as the bartender handed her a Vesper.

"Aha! I knew it!" He cheered and Maya froze like a deer in headlights, glass still against her lips. "I am very disappointed in you, Maya Smith," Ray smirked as he sauntered over to her and next to her.

"What? Technically, I'm not in the apartment." She replied as she finished her drink, but Ray never stopped smirking. "Okay, it was a stupid idea." She admitted as she started pouting like a child.

"That's exactly what I thought when you came up with it." Ray laughed and he motioned to the bartender. "Can I get a Manhatten and another Vesper for her?" He asked and the couple grinned as they were served their drinks. However, what was planned to be just a few drinks to unwind turned into a three-hour drinking session. Eventually, the pair were so drunk that a couple of good Samaritans had to drive them home.

"Aren't the Oscars cool?" Ray giggled as they stumbled back into their apartment. "Not only did they drive but they paid too; I feel like I should have put out."

"Hey, how many Margaritas did you have?" Maya gurgled lightly as she tried to remove her boots.

"Let me see: Uno, dos, FOUR!" He laughed as he held up six fingers. Maya laughed along with her husband until her hearing picked up Kai and Nya talking in their rooms.

"Shh! Mellow out, the kids are home." She hissed before taking a deep breath and straightening up, trying to look at least a little bit sober in case Kai or Nya decided to step out and see them like this. It was one thing for parents to find their children drunk, but it was whole other for children to catch their parents drunk.

"Ah, man! They're always home!" Ray whined before his face broke out with a wide grin. "You wanna get some ice cream?"

"God, you're such a pig, okay." Maya snickered and the pair made their way to the kitchen, only to be caught off guard by a sudden knock on their front door. "Who is it?" She called out sweetly.

"It's Lou, your door downstairs was open." The older Brookstone male called from the other side of the door and the Smith couple started to panic. Acting quickly, they straightened their postures, brushed out the wrinkles in their clothes, and smoothed out their hair before Maya went to answer the door. With the biggest smiles on their faces, Maya opened the door to see Lou on their doorstep.

"Hiya! What are you doing here?" Maya beamed wildly, but Lou gave her a confused look.

"I'm here to pick up Cole, he's here and his car is in the auto shop."

"Cole's not here, he and Kai are at Jay's." She chuckled and this caused Lou's confusion to morph into worry.

"He called me ten minutes ago and asked me to pick him up." He replied and the couple shared a look.

"Oh, well I guess he is here, come on in." She chuckled awkwardly as she stepped aside to let him inside. "We were just gonna have some ice cream or if you want I could fix us some mac and cheese?" She asked as she tried to walk to the kitchen, only to trip over her own two feet. The human knew that something was up. He had been worried since the couple had let slip that they didn't know Cole was in their apartment. It was chilling to the dancer, knowing full well that his son and Kai were left unsupervised.

He knew that Ray and Maya hadn't been home because he saw them walking into the apartment building as he was pulling up.

But his worry soon turned into full-blown panic when he got a big old sniff of the couple reeking of sweat and alcohol. He also saw that they were swaying, frowning, and doing minor hiccups as they tried to keep upright.

"Have you been drinking?" He scowled, but he didn't need an answer.

"We weren't drinking, we just had a few Margaritas and then we went out for something to eat." Ray snickered loudly, but this just angered Lou even more.

"And this is why I don't like Cole coming over here, so I'll just take my son and leave." He huffed, thinking that Ray and Maya were too drunk to understand him, but he was quickly proven wrong.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?" Ray snarled, his eyes flashing yellow for a moment. Normally, he had more control over his wolf, but the mixture of alcohol, growing anger, and just a dislike for Lou wasn't helping the situation. "Just because we're not neurotic, controlling, and over-protective like you doesn't mean we're not good parents!" He shouted, his veins darkening with every word.

"Oh please, you didn't even know Cole was here, who knows what could have happened while you were out?!" Lou scoffed. During the commotion, Kai, Nya, and Cole had heard what was happening and stepped out into the living room to see what was happening.

"Oh yeah?! Well, it couldn't be any worse than what happened while we were here! Kai and your precious little mini-me got plastered the other night and threw up all over the kitchen floor, the hallway floor, and he even got some on my wife!" Ray shouted, his wolf almost taking control with a thirst for the dancer's blood and flesh in his teeth. Everyone suddenly froze and the noirette paled when he realized what he had said.

"WHAT?!" Lou roared in rage. "And you didn't think to tell me about this?!"

"Okay, let's all just calm down." Maya tried to ease the tension, but it was hopeless.

"No, look, we took care of everything; she made a disgusting breakfast, I blew a whistle, it was all handled." Ray shrugged, trying to play it off as casual as possible, but by now Lou had had more than enough.

"Cole, let's go, now." Lou snarled and Cole and Kai shared a hug before the large teen grabbed his stuff and all but scurried out of the apartment. Lou made to follow but stopped by the door. "And from now on, if the kids are going to be hanging out they will be doing it at MY house." He spat before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

"Fine, but if I were you I'd get your mop and bucket ready!" Ray shouted at the door, but there was no point. As a tense silence filled the apartment, Nya quietly sneaked into the bathroom, since it was the only room in the house with a lock, and sealed herself inside. As soon as they were alone, Kai rounded on his parents with a fire in his eyes.

"I can't believe you guys! You said you weren't going to drink! That was two days ago!" He shouted, but by now his parents had had enough of this drama.

"Alright, we let you off the hook too easy; for the next two weeks you're not coming, you're not going, I shut you down!" Ray snapped and Kai's mouth fell open in shock.

"Why?! For drinking?! Because I said I was sorry!"

"Not for drinking, for talking back to us! Now get to your room!" The older male shouted and with a groan, Kai turned around and stomped off to his bedroom.

"And while you in there just remember; you and Nya are the kids, we're the parents," Maya shouted after the brunette, only to be answered by the slam of a bedroom door. As all the tension, rage, and drama faded away, Ray and Maya both groaned and they both collapsed onto the couch.

"What a buzzkill." Ray moaned and pouted as Maya tried to fight out the incoming headache. Yes, they were drunk, but alcohol or not, they wouldn't doubt that they would do anything for their children, no matter what Lou Brookstone and his ridiculously high standards said about it. It wasn't like they were even that drunk. As the older couple started to relax, Ray's eyes suddenly widened in remembrance.

"Oh, baby, don't forget in the morning we got to pick up our car from the restaurant." He reminded his wife and with that, the pair slumped into the couch cushions and passed out for the night...

NEXT CHAPTER: Krux challenges Skylor to fight for control of the pack...