Family Tails

A Story of a Mixed Family in the Genetic Age

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Names of actual businesses, their products, etc, are the property of their respective owners.

Story and characters © 2013 Ronald J. Lebeck

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Chapter 24

"Good morning, soon-to-be-Missus Daugherty," Ron said as he kissed Lupina awake.

"Mmmpf...good morning, baby," Lupina said quietly with a big grin.

"Are you ready for your big day?" Ron asked, kissing her again.

"Don't you mean our big day?" Lupina asked with a mischievous grin, just before she kissed her mate deeply, longingly, sliding her long tongue along his.

"Heh, our biggest day will be when our first little one joins us in this life, luv," Ron replied as soon as Lupina gave him the chance.

Lupina slid both of her arms around Ron's neck and held him close.

"Mmm, yeah. That human expression, 'practice makes perfect', I think we should practice a bit more so they come our perfect...," Lupina suggested coyly.

"You know, according to tradition, we're not supposed to even be together today until we meet for the wedding," Ron said with a mischievous grin of his own, raising one eyebrow.

"That's a human tradition, right?" Lupina asked, sticking the tip of her tongue out.

"Aye, luv," Ron replied.

"Let's throw it out and start making some of our own traditions," Lupina suggested.

"And I suppose you have an idea?" Ron asked, the grin on his face getting larger.

"Yeah," she replied, looking over Ron to the other side of the bed. "Where's Rosie?"

"Oh, she got up over an hour ago," Ron replied.

Lupina's grin broadened into a smile.

Pulling her mate on top of her, Lupina said, "I want you...now."

Rosie got up early so that she could get things ready for the day. The rest of the guests would start arriving around 10:00 a.m., so she began to get breakfast ready by raking the coals in the wood cook stove to knock the ashes into the ash pan, which she then took outside and dumped the contents into the ash barrel out on the deck for the smoker and BBQ grill. Since there was a fire burning in the big fireplace in the great room, she couldn't scoop the ashes into the chute in the back of it that went down to the collection barrel in the basement.

"B-r-r-r!!!" Rosie said as she quickly finished the chore and ran back inside. "Yeesh, it's minus twenty-three degrees outside!" she said to herself, looking at the display for the weather sensors. "At least the wind isn't blowing."

Rosie put the ash pan back into the cook stove and then loaded more wood into the firebox. She had become quite adept at using the old-fashioned wood cook stove, though not before burning a few things in the process of learning its ways.

Miki also woke up early, and after getting dressed, she joined Rosie in the kitchen.

"Uvlaalluataq," Miki said, greeting Rosie with a sleepy grin.

"Uv-la who?" Rosie asked, not understanding the Inupiat word.

"Oh, sorry, that's how my people say 'good morning'," Miki replied. "Ah, okay. Hmm, are there classes people can take to learn that?" Rosie asked.

"Sure! The UAF offers classes on learning our language and culture," Miki replied.

"That would be cool. I know Ron and Rob both know some other languages, maybe I could try to learn a bit of yours since I'm livin' up here now," Rosie said with a grin.

"I think you'd be the first skunk to speak Inupiatun," Miki chuckled.

When the little alarm clock by the bed began beeping, Dr. Nemeth groaned quietly and tapped the snooze button. Her mouth felt really dry so she reached for the water bottle on the night stand, and propped herself up to take a long drink. "I guess I had a little much last night," she thought to herself, trying to figure out how much alcohol she had during the New Year's party the night before. Her mind eventually drifted to other thoughts, particularly to Willie's performance and the crowd's reaction, and the relationship her other G.E.L.F.s were in. She did feel a certain amount of pride in her work developing the G.E.L.F.s, though she always kept a certain level of detachment towards them. Seeing them out in society, having lives of their own, being treated as equals to humans in every aspect--despite whatever the corporate and government sponsors intended--gave Dr. Nemeth something else to think about. Given how the general human population felt (according to surveys) about human / G.E.L.F. interspecies relationships, she wondered how the three unrelated men--Ron Daugherty, Rob Cloud, and Dave Idelzhye--could all have such similar DNA variances. Laying there on the bed in the other spare bedroom of Ron Daugherty's house, Dr. Nemeth began putting two-and-two together. All three men had been modified genetically. All three men had--with certain differences due to species used as material for enhancements--the same genetic variances. All three men served in the same unit in the military. All three men had something against Dr. Harvey Sumter. Dr. Sumter was involved with both the military's "super soldier" experiments and the G.E.L.F. program. All three men are compatible with all G.E.L.F. females. All three men were quickly and inexplicably attracted to and fell in love with G.E.L.F. females who share the same characteristics as the animal DNA the men had been modified with--canine, feline, and vulpine. The one wildcard so far was Rosie, though Dr. Nemeth could attribute Ron's attraction towards Rosie simply because he likes skunks, and because Rosie does have a rather envious figure and charming personality. "I never imagined that one day I'd be envious of a skunk," Dr. Nemeth thought to herself with a certain amount of wry humor. When the alarm went off th second time, Dr. Nemeth decided that she'd better get up. "After all, one of my G.E.L.F.s is getting married today--to a man."

Rob woke up a while before his alarm clock went off. The room was mostly dark, though there was some light from the small fireplace in his bedroom. Somewhere in his mind he thought how strange it was, yet to his body, it felt just as perfect as could be. Lying spooned against his front, with his arm holding comfortably, was Helga. Rob thought back to the night before at Ron's house during the New Year's Eve party they had.

Helga had been standing next to him as they counted down the final seconds of the year. At the stroke of midnight, he had seen Ron passionately kiss first Lupina and then Rosie. When he turned his attention back to Helga, he saw that she had seen, too. When their eyes met, Rob saw the expectant look on Helga's face. Remembering Ron's words back on Thanksgiving Day, "Put Helga off too long and she might think you don't like her enough." Rob decided then that this was the time to take that step off the C-130's rear loading ramp--once made while the aircraft was at altitude, there was no turning back--you either went splat, or floated down safely. This is a new year, time to stand up, hook up, shuffle up...and jump. Leave the past behind and leap into the void. "I'm falling for you...I hope you catch me before I hit," Rob thought to himself. He took Helga into his arms and kissed her. Unbeknownst by either Rob or Helga at the time, Ron saw his friend "go for it", and getting the attention of both Lupina and Rosie, Ron nodded his head towards Rob and Helga. First Lupina, then Rosie, and then Ron, the three each gave a little "thumbs up" amid knowing smiles. When the party was over, Rob and Helga went back to his place. As soon as the fireplaces were set for the night, and the lights were out, Rob and Helga embraced in the darkened house.

"I...don't want to be alone tonight," Rob said quietly, looking Helga in her eyes.

"Only for tonight?" she asked, cocking her head slightly to one side and blinking slowly.

"No, not just tonight...Helga, I...want to be with you, if you would have me...," Rob said carefully.

Helga smiled and began purring loudly. She took his hand into hers and said, "Of course," with a sly grin. Once in the bedroom, Helga wasted no time, and immediately began peeling off her clothing. As with all the other G.E.L.F. females, she wore nothing underneath the oversized sweatshirt she had on--something Rob had learned one evening over at Ron's, much to his embarrassment at the time. Helga unfastened the hook-and-loop fastener that secured the back of her sweatpants above her tail, and shimmied out of them. Underneath her sweatpants, Helga wore black cotton bikini-style underwear. Before she pulled those off, Helga saw Rob just standing there, staring at her. Cocking her head a little to one side and blinking slowly, Helga looked questioningly at Rob.

"Are you not getting ready for bed?" she asked, not understanding why he was just standing there.

"Um...Helga, I...we...," Rob said hesitantly.

Swiveling her ears back and getting a worried look on her face, Helga asked, "Oh, did I not do something right?"

"Think fast, Rob...she probably just doesn't know. Lupina mentioned one time how much she still had to learn about human ways," he quickly thought to himself.

"You're fine, it's just...people usually take things a little slow the first time they're with someone special," Rob replied gently.

"Oh," Helga said quietly, lowering her ears. She stepped up to Rob, and wrapping her arms around him asked softly, "Show me how to love you...please?"

She looked up at him expectantly, her green eyes reflecting the firelight.

It had been an interesting night, Rob thought as he lay next to Helga. He now fully understood what Ron had told him once what it was like--without going into too much detail--to be with Lupina and Rosie. According to the ways of the G.E.L.F.s, he and Helga are now mates, and since the law allowing humans and G.E.L.F.s to marry went into effect, that is something to consider for the future. The only other thing would be to go back to The Center for the same type of enhancements Ron had received. It wasn't necessary, since he had already found out that he was compatible--they could try first without the enhancements to have little ones of their own, though he certainly didn't relish the idea of going through that ordeal again. For now, Rob simply enjoyed being with a woman he could love and who could love him in return--even if she was furry.

Ron and Lupina finally got up, and joined the others in the kitchen for breakfast.

"Well, it's about time you guys got up!" Rosie said with a big grin.

"Good morning, Rozer," Ron said, giving his other mate a hug and a nibble on the side of her neck.

"Ooo...s-s-stop! We got company, big guy!" Rosie whispered with a little giggle.

Whispering directly into Rosie's ear, Ron said, "I just want my 'serously hot' skunk babe to know that I love her, too."

Rosie turned around and held her arms out, motioning for Ron to lean down so that she could put them around his neck.

When he did, Rosie gave him a kiss and a hug, and then whispered into his ear, "I love you, too, big guy!"

As soon as Ron let go of Rosie so that he could get a cup of coffee, Lupina gave her a hug and a "wolf kiss" on the side of her face.

"'Morning, Rosie," Lupina said dreamily.

"You two just now waking up, or have you been up to something'?" Rosie asked in a whisper, giving Lupina a shrewd look.

"Or something," Lupina replied with a sly grin.

Rosie shook her head with a smirk as she pulled the food out of the warming box on the upper part of the wood cook stove. She made up a couple of plates for Ron and Lupina and joined them at the table.

"When are you two going to be getting ready?" Rosie asked, munching on an orange.

"I'm sure we'll be ready by eleven-thirty," Ron said, sipping his coffee.

He looked up at the wall clock--it was almost 9:00 a.m.--plenty of time yet. The rest of the guests wouldn't be showing up until 10:00 a.m.

"Yeah, well, I hope it's not going to take long. Just for the record, I think you two are downright insane for doing this outside at this time of the year! Geez, it's still...what, minus twenty out there?" Rosie said.

"That's warm, actually...for January first," Ron grinned.

"Warm? I'm going to be a fuzzy popsicle, ya goof!" Rosie exclaimed.

"It's not going to take long--from the time we leave the house, do the ceremony, and come back, it should be no more than fifteen minutes," Ron said, playfully sticking the end of his tongue out at Rosie.

"Yeah, and half of that will be walking there and back," Lupina added.

"I'm still gonna freeze," Rosie said, faking a pout.

Ron winked at Lupina and then said to Rosie, "I suppose we could ask on of the human ladies to be Lu's maid of honor, if you'd rather stay in here by the fire."

Rosie got a shocked look on her face and said, "Not on your life! Lu's my best friend, and I'd go all the way to the North Pole for her, you know that!"

"North Pole, eh? Let's see...if the road's open, you should be able to drive there in a couple of hours," Ron said with a mischievous grin, referring to the town of North Pole, AK.

Rosie looked at Ron with her mouth open, and then at Lupina, before looking back at Ron. He made a kissing gesture to Rosie...and if finally dawned on her that he was pulling her tail.

"Ron! Ooo...you!" Rosie exclaimed in mock indignation.

Ron got up and hugged Rosie, nuzzling and kissing her several times on the side of her neck. "Um...ooo...uh...mmm...Lu, can I borrow him for a bit?" Rosie asked.

"Borrow? Rosie, he's your mate too, you know," Lupina smirked.

"Oh, yeah...," Rosie said, and a grin began forming on her face. Turning in her chair so that she could pull Ron closer, she whispered into his ear, "We got time...?"

Looking up at the wall clock to check the time, Ron nodded his head.

Rosie's grin turned into a big, toothy smile. A short while later, Ron said with a smirk, "Rosie, try not to be so loud, okay, luv? We've got guests..."

Rob and Helga got ready, and then they walked arm in arm over to Ron's place.

"Looks like it's going to be a nice day today," Rob said as they strolled casually along.

It did indeed look to be a nice January day--the sky was clear, there was no breeze among the trees, the aurora could still be seen overhead even as the first faint light in the east heralded the approaching dawn.

"Yes, it does," Helga agreed. She noted how much the place suited her--the crisp, clean air, the scents of the surrounding forest, even the feel of the snowy ground beneath her feet. Looking up, Helga stopped for a moment to admire Nature's famous light show. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.

Rob looked up at the aurora dancing in the sky above, and then he looked at Helga's face. She watched it intently, the expression on her face somewhere between a child's wondering gaze and a cat watching a new toy, her eyes following the shifting patterns in the curtains of green light. Rob realized at that moment two things--how the aurora's color seemed to match Helga's eyes, and that he had fallen in love with her. He put his arms around Helga and they stood there together under the stars, watching the aurora, so bright and beautiful in the heavens.

"I love you," Rob said quietly.

Helga slowly blinked and then turned around so that she was facing Rob. She blinked slowly again and saw the peaceful look on his face. It was a fragile peace, knowing what she now knew of his life, though with time, love, care, and patience, it would transform into a much deeper, stronger, more enduring peace.

"I love you, too," Helga said with a soft purr.

She pulled off the mitten on her right hand and gently touched Rob's face. As they kissed, the first rays of the sun's light touched the frozen peaks of the mountains.

The house was pretty well packed with people by the time Ron joined the guests at 11:15 a.m. At that time, he just had on the warm clothing that he would be wearing underneath his ceremonial garb. At 11:30 a.m., the members of the local Druid grove left the house and headed to the glade to prepare for the ceremony. At 11:40 a.m., Nunataq and his family, who sang traditional Inupiat songs along the way, led all the guests-- with the exception of Sean and Aoife O'Connelly-- to the glade. After they left the house, Ron put on his green woolen robes and double-yoked full-length cloak with light green Celtic designs, and hand woven wool cap.

Knocking on the bedroom door, he said, "Time to go."

"Okay," he heard Lupina say.

Shortly, the door opened and both Lupina and Rosie came out wearing their full attire for the ceremony. Rosie's consisted of a simple long-sleeved heather blue wool dress, over which she wore a heavy black wool double-yoked cloak trimmed in white fur. To keep her hands warm, Rosie had an old-fashioned muffler of white-trimmed black fur, suspended by a woven cord that looped around her neck.

"Woo!" Ron said as he saw Rosie. "Ye look beautiful, luv."

Rosie grinned and she twirled around once, showing off her outfit. "I love it! This oughta keep me warm out there!"

"Looks great on you," Rob agreed, as did Sean and Aoife.

"Thanks, guys! Hey, come on, Lu!" Rosie called out towards the bedroom.

Lupina came out wearing a light blue wool dress with a long slit up the right side, under which she had on a pair of woolen trousers that flared out just before they tucked into her tall winter boots, and they were of the same heather blue as Rosie's dress. Lupina's wool double-yoked cloak was a natural white color, with white fur trim, and a Celtic wolf design on the back. Like Rosie, Lupina also had an old-fashioned muffler suspended upon a woven cord, in white fur.

"How do I look, baby?" Lupina asked, turning around once as Rosie had done earlier.

"Beautiful, luv," Ron replied, putting his arms around her. He whispered into ear, "Woo!"

"Well, come on guys, we'd better get going before everyone freezes out there," Rosie said, giving Lupina's arm a tug.

Sean and Aoife led the way to the glade, with Sean playing an Irish penny whistle and Aoife singing a traditional Irish song. Lupina and Rosie walked side-by-side a few paces behind Sean and Aoife, and Ron and Rob brought up the rear.

Dr. Nemeth had never seen a wedding like this one before. Born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Darcy Nemeth moved to Berkley, California after receiving a scholarship to attend the University of California at Berkley. She had always been a city girl, and she had never quite gotten used to being in the country, despite having moved to Texas twenty-one years ago to work at The Center. All of the weddings she had attended--friends, relatives, and even her own now failed marriage--had all been held indoors. This was the first wedding she had been to that was being held outdoors, and in the winter no less! It was a curious sight to her as the Inuit elder led the guests into the small glade--the first thing her eyes saw was the large stone with six robed and cloaked figures standing near it; the second thing that caught her--and everyone else's--attention were the six wolves off to one side. Once everyone was in position, and to the astonishment of all, the Inuit elder, Nunataq, calmly walked right up to the wolves and greeted them as if they were old friends. As Darcy watched, she thought the two older wolves somehow looked familiar to her. The more she thought about it, Darcy's thoughts began going back to over twenty years ago, when she worked at a lab located in the basement of one of the older buildings on the campus of UC-Berkley, prior to accepting her position at The Center. She remembered that there were two pairs of wolves, and among their offspring were two little ones--one from each pair--who bore a strong resemblance to the two older wolves present. Darcy recalled the break-in at the lab, and among the animals taken were the two pairs of wolves and their young. That break-in, and the theft of many of the lab animals, had set the G.E.L.F. program back a few years.

"No way could that be those two little ones, not after this amount of time," Darcy thought to herself.

Just then, one of the two young adult wolves, a gray and white female, turned her attention towards Darcy. The wolf stared at Dr. Nemeth with a curious expression on her face for several seconds, before looking at the older white female. Soon, both of the older wolves were staring intently at Dr. Nemeth.

The sound of music and singing approaching the glade quickly got everyone's attention. A hush fell over the humans and the forest. As soon as the wedding party entered the glade, the wolves got up from where they had been either sitting or lying, and trotted over to meet them, falling alongside Ron, Lupina, Rosie, and Rob. After the wedding party took their place in front of the guests, the ceremony began.

The six members of the local Druid grove--three men and three women--stood at either side of the ancient stone. The color of the robes and cloaks of each pair signified the position they represented--light blue of the Bards, forest green of the Ovates, and the white of the Druids. To the left of the stone stood the male Bard, the female Ovate, and the male Druid. To the right of the stone stood the female Bard, the male Ovate, and the female Druid. The male Bard began playing the Irish uilleann pipes, performing a gentle piece, and the female Bard began singling softly in Gaelic. Lupina felt a sudden chill run down her spine as the music reminded her of a dream she had back when she stayed in the little hunting cabin, after Nunataq had given her the little charm. The two Druids each lit a white candle and placed them on the stone, and then lit incense that smelled of flowers.

The male Druid held his right hand aloft and said,

"May the place of this rite

Be consecrated before the gods.

For we gather here in a ritual of love

With two who would be wedded.

Ron and Lupina come forward

And stand here before us

And before the gods of Nature."

Ron and Lupina stepped forward, he to her right and she to his left.

The Druidess asked, "Is it your wish Lupina to become one with the man?"

"Yes," Lupina replied.

The Druidess turned towards Ron and asked, "Is it your wish Ron to become one with this woman?"

"Aye, i'tis," Ron replied.

The Druidess asked those assembled, "Do any say nay?"

There was silence among all present, even the forest had fallen silent.

"Then let the flame of your love for each other shine forth upon the world," the Druidess said.

Taking the white candle that each had brought with them, Ron and Lupina lit their candles from each of the two that were burning on the rock. When their candles were burning brightly, Ron and Lupina together lit the unity candle in the center between the two other candles that had been lit by the Druids, saying,

"We swear by Peace and Love to stand,

Heart to heart and hand to hand.

Hark, O Spirit, and hear us now,

Confirming this our Sacred Vow."

Once the unity candle was burning, Ron and Lupina blew out their individual candles, signifying that they were now as one. Rosie and Rob stepped forward and handed the rings to the two Druids who blessed them before giving them to Ron and Lupina.

The male Druid said, "Swear now before us and before Nature your vow to each other."

Ron and Lupina turned and faced each other, and holding their rings with their right hands, poised to slip them onto the ring finger of the other's left hand, they recited in unison the Celtic Wedding Vow[1].

"You cannot possess me for I belong to myself

But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.

You cannot command me, for I am a free person

But I shall serve you in those ways you require

And the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.

I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night

and the eyes into which I smile in the morning

I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup

I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care

I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine

I shall not slander you, nor you me

I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in

private and tell no strangers our grievances.

This is my wedding vow to you.

This is the marriage of equals."

When they had finished their vow, Ron and Lupina each slid the ring they held onto the other's finger, and then turned to face the two Druids officiating over their wedding ceremony.

The Druidess said to both, "As the Goddess, the God and the Old Ones are witness to this rite, I now proclaim you husband and wife!"

Just as Ron and Lupina kissed, the wolves began howling, and shortly both Ron and Lupina joined in, blending their own voices harmoniously with the wolves. Once the howl finished, it took a few moments for the stunned humans and G.E.L.F.s present to give a round of applause.

Sean and Aoife led the wedding procession back to the house after the two candles the Druids had lit were put out. Everything was collected and taken away, with Ron and Lupina both carrying the unity candle, carefully shielding the flame. When they got to the house, the candle was given to Rosie to hold, and Ron picked up Lupina in his arms, and carried her into the house.

"Welcome home, Missus Daugherty!" Ron said to Lupina, kissing her before setting his wife down on her feet.

"I think I like the sound of that, my husband," Lupina said with a little giggle.

"Um...hey guys, thing we can get that fireplace going? We've got a bunch of cold guests wanting to come in," Rosie asked with a shiver.

"Yeah, sure thing, Rozer," Ron replied, taking the unity candle from Rosie and handing it to Lupina so that he could hug Rosie. "Gotta keep my Rozer warm."

The fire in the fireplace had been allowed to burn itself out early in the morning, so the first thing done once inside was to light a new fire using a splint lit from the unity candle. The candle itself, a long-burning candle made from highly compressed microcrystalline wax, was placed on a stand set before the dining room windows whose curtains were drawn back. The candle burned for the rest of the day and all through the long night, finally burning itself out just as the sun rose the next day.

"Ron?" Rosie asked.

"Yeah, Rosie?"

"Too bad we couldn't get married, too," Rosie said pensively.

"I know, Rosie, unfortunately the law won't allow it, otherwise we would be now," Ron agreed, caressing Rosie's face.

"Couldn't we change it, like with the state?" she asked.

"I don't know...that's a federal law, and it takes a lot to change those," Ron replied.

"Maybe they could make a one-time exception or something," Rosie thought aloud.

Ron lifted Rosie's chin and when she met his eyes he said, "As far as I'm concerned, Rosie, we already are in spirit, if not in fact."

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Rozer."

They kissed until they heard people start to come in.

The reception and party lasted well into the late afternoon. One of the guests had recorded the wedding on a video camera so that Ron and Lupina would have a record of it. At length the party wound down and the guests began to take their leave. Miki left with her family, and Dr. Nemeth left with Sean and Aoife so that they could take her back to her hotel room. Willie would be leaving the next day to head back to Texas with Dr. Nemeth, taking a copy of the wedding video with him to share with the other G.E.L.F.s at The Center. Rob and Helga stayed, helping to clean up and put things away. When that chore was finished, Rosie began making a late supper out of the leftovers.

After they sat down to eat, Rosie let out a long sigh and said, "What a day."

"One for the history books, at least," Willie added with a bit of a grin.

"I think I'm done making history for today," Ron chuckled.

"When are you heading off for your honeymoon?" Rob asked.

"Not until this weekend," Lupina replied. "Ron wants to go to Chena Hot Springs one night this week."

"Here's a thought, Rob, why don't you and Helga join us--we can have a nice relaxing dip in the hot spring and then have dinner there," Ron suggested.

"What's so special about soakin' in a hot spring?" Rosie asked.

"Well, think of it as a big bathtub that the water always stays nice and warm. It's a good way to relax, letting the warmth of the water seep into your muscles, joints, and so forth. The mineral content of the water is said to have therapeutic qualities, and many people find that it helps their skin. Of course, there's always the romantic aspect of it," Ron explained, giving a wink at the end.

The mention of romance perked Rosie's ears.

"How's soakin' in warm water romantic?" she asked, trying to imagine it.

"Think of how cool it would be to be relaxing in a pool of water that is always warm, under the night sky, watching the aurora overhead with someone special...in the dead of winter, and afterwards, eat at a really good restaurant that grows it's own organic veggie's year 'round," Ron said, grinning suggestively.

"Sounds wonderful to me," Lupina said, licking he lips.

"It is, Lu," Rob said. "What do you think, Helga? It's really nice and not something to miss," he added.

"I've never just...soaked...in water before," she replied.

"I know many cats don't care much for getting wet, let alone swim, though some wildcats are known to soak in hot springs," Ron said.

"Geez guys, you're making me wish that I was staying a few more days," Willie said with a wry grin.

"Maybe the next time you're up here, we could invite Miki to come along, too," Lupina suggested, which caused Willie to first get excited, and then quickly embarrassed when he saw the looks on everyone's faces.

"That obvious, eh?" Willie asked sheepishly.

"Aw, I think Miki kinda has the hots for ya," Rosie replied sweetly, causing the insides of Willie's ears to become a little darker shade of pink.

"Um...yeah, well...she is rather...nice," Willie said with a sly grin.

"So, what do you think, Helga? Sounds like fun to me," Rosie prodded.

Seeing the hopeful look on Rob's face, Helga gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'm going to need a swimsuit, I think."

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[1] http://www.irishcelticjewels.com/wedding_celtic_vow.htm