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I stayed in the woods for most of the night with Elias and Cole.

 The new wolf was testing not only his own limits, but those of

Elias and me as well.  Anytime Elias showed signs of getting tired

from the game of chase and would come over to me to lay down and rest, the

smaller wolf would come over and start prodding at him, then growling and

nipping at him until finally he'd coax Elias to get up and chase him

around again.  I'd take over once in a while to give Elias a

break, but I wasn't much of a challenge for Cole.We

switched to

playing hide and seek for a while.  I'd tell Cole to lie down and

put his paws over his eyes, then I'd rush off into the woods to hide.

 I'd do my best to circle around and zig zag to try to leave a confusing

trail, then I'd pick a tree to climb up and wait.  After a long

count, Elias would bark at Cole to let him know it was time to seek.

 Cole would begin to sniff around and then come into the woods,

hunting for me.  Elias would follow him as he searched.  The

instincts of the wolf were perfect of course, and Cole had no trouble

using his heightened sense of smell to find me over and over

again.  He absolutely loved the game and kept wanting to try again.At long last the sky began to lighten up again.  Dawn was not much more than an hour away."OK, Cole, the sun's gonna come up soon.  We need to head home so you can change back into a boy," I said.He whined as he came over to me."Don't

be sad, you'll be a wolf again a little while after the sun goes down

again tonight.  You'll change every night for a while."His

tail wagged and he yipped.  I chuckled and shook my head.  I

went over to Elias and knelt and wrapped my arms around his neck, "I

love you.  I'll see you home in a bit.  I want you to come

with me to Cole's house.  I think it will help if you can explain

to his mom that you've been like this for three years and you're still

a perfectly happy guy."The massive wolf nodded and I stood and led Cole-wolf back

through the woods to where I'd locked my bike.  I walked it back

out to the trail and got on and he followed as I rode back to my truck that was

parked up on the road.  I asked him to hang back in the trees as I

unlocked the tonneau cover and put my bike in the truck bed.  My

truck is a heavy duty crew cab and has full sized doors for the back seat.

 I popped the door open and beckoned at the trees.  The wolf

that was Cole popped out and ran towards the truck and hopped into the

back.  He just barely fit as he lay down along the bench seat.

 I made sure his tail was inside and I shut the door.We

drove the short way home without incident and I parked in the garage and opened the

door for Cole and he got out.  We went into the house and I kicked

off my shoes and followed him as he raced into the kitchen.  He

immediately started sniffing around excitedly and moving around the main floor and I continued to follow him, switching

on the lights in the dark house as he worked his way into the front

room.  He sniffed at the carpet and the couch and he must have

smelled Elias and me there.  He suddenly lifted his leg as though

he were going to squirt on the couch to add his own smell and I yelled,

"Hey!  Stop that!"He looked at me sheepishly as he brought his leg down."You

need to control the instincts of the wolf better, Cole.  Do not

pee on the furniture please, no matter how strong the urge to mark might

be."He nodded and whined his apology."Come on, I'll show you the room where you're going to change back into a boy."I led him upstairs to the small room that had been converted to a panic room."We rigged this door so that it swings both ways.  You can push it open to go in when you're a wolf," I said.He

pushed on the door and walked in and I followed.  I switched on

the lights.  They were the only electrical thing that was working

in here so far.  When the whole system was installed and

activated, the lights would come on automatically when anyone entered

the room.Cole

sniffed around, but didn't seem to find it too interesting.  Elias

and I hadn't spent any time in here yet, and the construction workers

normally wore covers over their feet so they could take them off as

they left the room and not track their construction dust through the

house.  It probably smelled pretty boring in here.Cole

turned to face me and sat in the middle of the floor, panting a little

with his wide, pink tongue hanging out, and wagging his tail.  Now

that I saw him in such good light, I noticed for the first time that he

didn't quite look the same as Elias.  He looked more like a cub

who was almost, but not quite, fully grown.  It made sense I

suppose, since he's only eleven in human form.  His paws looked

too big for his body.  They were large and heavy.  His legs

looked just a bit thicker than the correct proportion would be.

 The ruff around his neck was not nearly as big as Elias's.

 His fur overall looked sort of finer, fuzzier and softer, and not

nearly as full and shaggy or wolf-like as Elias's.  His ears were

a bit too big for his head, too, as were his big blue eyes, and his

muzzle was just a bit shorter and wider than a full grown wolf would

have.  Elias looked like a pretty much full grown wolf, but Cole

looked like he was still in the process of leaving his cubhood behind

him and working towards growing up completely.  He looked

absolutely adorable.I smiled at him and said, "You look

fantastic, Cole.  We don't really have time right now but I'm

gonna take some pictures of you next time you change so you can see

yourself.  You're the cutest damn wolf I've ever seen in my life."He

yipped and wagged his tail more and got up and hopped his front paws up

onto my shoulders and began to lick my face as I laughed and scratched

at his neck and behind his ears."I wasn't giving you compliments just to get kisses out of you, but thanks, I appreciate it," I chuckled.He got back down on all fours and than sat again, still wagging his tail.  I

looked at my watch and saw there was still over half an hour before

sunrise.  I realized I'd forgotten to bring Cole's clothes in from

the truck, so I asked him to wait in the room while I went to get them.

 I went back downstairs and out to the garage and got his clothes from the truck, and I grabbed a

couple of wooden wedges I had in the garage that I could use to wedge

the panic room door shut.I

went back upstairs and dropped the

wedges just outside the door, then went into the room, but it was empty.

 Cole wasn't there.  My heart jumped and I went back out into

the hallway and shouted his name.  He hadn't passed me earlier so he still

had to be upstairs here somewhere.  The only door that was open

was the master bedroom, so I ran in there and turned on the light.

 He wasn't there either.  Then I heard splashing coming from

the master bath and I went over to the bathroom and looked in.

 There was Cole, drinking out of the toilet.I flicked on the light and shouted, "Hey!  That's dirty!  Stop it!"Cole

got startled and jumped and spun to look at me, spraying toilet

water from his muzzle around the room, and then he put his tail between

his legs and looked at me guiltily.  I realized right away the

poor kid was probably dying of thirst.  He'd been running and

panting almost non-stop all night long.  I was so frazzled by all

of this it never occurred to me that he wouldn't be able to deal with

his thirst himself.  I should have thought to give him some water

first thing.I said, "I'm really sorry, buddy.  I

should have known you would be thirsty.  I feel like an ass.

 Go back to the panic room and I'll go get you a bowl of clean

water.  You can drink as much as you need."He wagged his

tail again and got up and followed me back out into the hall, then he

went into the panic room as I went back to the kitchen and filled a

large metal mixing bowl with water.  I brought it back upstairs

and set in on the floor for Cole.  He immediately ran to it and

began to greedily lap at it, splashing water all over the floor in his

rush to get it in his belly."Take it easy.  You don't want to drink so much that you vomit it back up."He slowed down, but kept going until his thirst felt slaked."I'm

sorry, Cole.  I should have thought to give you water first thing.

 We're gonna need to work out some sort of system so you can ask

for things when you need them and you're in wolf form."He wagged his tail and he came up and licked my hand by way of saying everything was OK and I was forgiven.I chuckled and said, "Don't use that tongue on me, it's been in the toilet!"He

growled and jumped up again to put his paws on my shoulder and started

licking all over my face while his tail wagged and I laughed.I pushed him off and I went and

sat on the small sofa that doubled as a pull-out day bed.  It was

the only piece of furniture in the room other than a small table in the

corner.  The rest was simply open floor covered with a thick, deep

pile rug that would be comfortable for a giant wolf to curl up on.

 The small table had one of the Tasers on it, charging and ready

for use.  A large can of bear spray was there too.  It

occurred to me that I should probably 'Cole proof' the house.  He

would be sorely tempted by the cool looking weapons.  He might be

spending a lot of time here while Elias taught him the ins and outs of

being a werewolf, assuming his mother would permit it.Cole came over and sat in front of me and wagged his tail again."You're gonna change back in a bit less than fifteen minutes, so I'm gonna leave soon, OK?"He

whined and shook his head.  He seemed to tense up at the memory of

the pain he'd gone through and he suddenly wasn't looking forward to

going through it again.  He got up and walked over to me, then sat

again and put his head in my lap and whined longer and louder.  I

noticed he was starting to shake, and

before long he was panting again from the heat his tremors were

generating under all that fur.  I felt horrible for him.  He

shouldn't have to

go through this, and he was scared to be left alone again.I scratched at the top of his head and behind his ears and said, "I'm

so sorry, Cole.  I know this is hard for you.  It's not fair

that you have to go through this alone, but you would kill me if I

stayed with you."He whined again and the shaking increased.

 I wished there was some way I could help him through this.I

suddenly remembered the shark suit I'd ordered the first day

Elias had come back.  It had taken them nearly a month to make it

for me.  It had arrived a couple of weeks ago.  I'd

tried it on for fit and found that it was OK, which wasn't surprising

considering I'd given them my dimensions, then I'd put it away and

forgot about it.  I never thought I'd have a use for the thing but

had bought it just in case.  It would be risky to use it now, but

in all fairness I couldn't leave Cole alone during this change.

 He would get used to it eventually, but right now he was a scared

little boy in a wolf's body who knew he was about to get hit by the

worst pain of his life again and he didn't want to be alone.  Elias and I were responsible for

this happening to him.  I had to do everything in my power to help

him through it."Wait here, Cole, I'll come right back."He whined and whimpered loudly and my heart broke at the sound.  He was really scared."Come

with me then.  I'm not gonna leave you alone, don't worry.  I

just want to get something that will let me stay in here with you, at

least for the first part of the change, so you won't have to be alone."He

followed me out the door and into the hallway and I went to the closet

where I'd put the suit.  I quickly pulled off my shorts and left

them on the floor, but kept my briefs and t-shirt on as the suit should fit over them no problem.  I slipped

into the suit and fastened it up.  It was made of strong chain mail

that covered every inch of me, except my face.  The double-weave

was designed to not let a sharp tooth puncture the suit, but rather to

disperse the pressure as much as possible.  It even had a hard

shell of laminated polycarbonate inside the front half of the neck to

prevent a bite from

crushing my windpipe.  I might get bruised badly if he tried to

bite my arms or legs, but he shouldn't be able to break the skin.

 It had a helmet that the suit fastened tightly to, and the helmet

had a tough visor that could be pulled down and latched to protect my

face.  The helmet and visor were made out of laminated,

bullet-proof, polycarbonate plastic as well.  I wasn't entirely

sure that the suit would

work as we'd never tested it, and I couldn't exactly ask the

manufacturers if they felt it could stop a raging werewolf, but since

it was designed to stop killer sharks it should do the job.I

would only stay with Cole until he started to lose himself and would

forget who I was and would start to become dangerous.  I had a

pretty good idea when that shift would happen from watching the video

of Elias's change earlier.  I should be able to get out safely

before he can lay into me.  It

would

be risky to use the suit, but seeing how scared the poor little guy was

I couldn't bring myself to leave him alone to deal with it if there was

another option.  The suit would definitely keep him from killing

me.  The worst that could happen is he might still manage to work

a tooth through the mail and break the skin.  It seemed unlikely,

but if he did manage, I would probably get his saliva in me and I would

change.I briefly thought how that wouldn't be such a bad thing

really.  At least that way I would be a wolf along with the boys

and we could all look out for each other.  It just seemed better

to have one of us stay normal, to handle unexpected

contingencies, like what we did to Cole tonight.  It would be

better if I didn't become a werewolf.  Besides, I couldn't subject

myself to something like that without thinking long and hard about it,

and talking to Elias about it too as it would affect him.  If it

happened right now it might be dangerous anyhow.  Since he'd be

biting me as the sun was rising I wasn't sure what would happen.

 Chances are I'd be cursed but wouldn't change until the night,

but I didn't know that for certain.  Maybe I'd start to change toward the wolf shape as

the infection burned into my body and then change right back to human.

 Cole would be

done his change and be a helpless little boy while my change was just

getting started and I would likely tear him to bits as I morphed into a

near-wolf, then right back into a man.I'd

have to

be really careful and watch him closely as he changes so I can jump out

of the room and wedge the door shut as soon as he seems the

least bit threatening, to ensure there was no chance of getting bit.I

thumped my way back into the panic room dressed in full chain mail, and

Cole followed.  I went over to the couch and fell into

it.  The suit wasn't super heavy, but it was a lot heavier than

clothes would be.  It was a bit awkward with all the extra weight

hanging

out at the ends of my arms and legs from the chain mail gloves and

booties

that covered my hands and feet, and it felt very strange.  Cole

sat on the floor in front of me and looked me up and down, then cocked

his cute, giant wolf cub head

sideways.  It looked comical, like he was essentially saying in

doggy language, "What the fuck?"I

laughed and said, "I look

awesome, don't I?  I bet you never saw a real life suit of armor

before.  I bought this for when I play World of Warcraft so it

would feel like I was really there.  I still need to get a cape

and a tabard but it's a start.  Luckily my class doesn't get

to wear plate or I'd barely be able to move at all."He rolled his eyes and shook his head at the

lame joke.  At least he'd temporarily forgotten to be nervous and

the shaking had stopped."Check it out, put your jaws on me and

try to bite, just not too hard or you might bruise me," I said as I

lifted an arm out in front of him.He opened his jaws and

clamped down on the arm.  He was holding me tight.  I tried

wiggling my arm around to see if the mail would give, but it was fine.

 It didn't even hurt."Try a bit harder, I'm curious."He

clamped down much harder and I immediately felt the pressure ramp up to where it felt like the bone in my arm might break.

 He had incredibly strong jaws.  I pulled and pushed hard but

again the suit held.  It was starting to hurt so I asked him to

let up and he did.  I examined the arm and couldn't even see any

dents where his teeth had made contact.  The suit had been very

expensive, but it seemed I really got what I'd paid for.  I was

impressed.Suddenly Cole yelped and jerked slightly.  Then

he looked at me and I saw him start to shake again.  He grunted

and his head went down once more, then he looked at me again and

whined.  It was starting.I slid off the couch onto the floor and said, "Lie down.  Put your head here, Cole."I

indicated my lap and he lay down and on his side with his head across

my legs.  I started to stroke his side and the top of his head."It

will only hurt for a minute or two, Cole.  I promise.  It'll

be over before you know it.  You're a tough guy and I know you can do this.  Hang in

there, buddy."The shaking seemed to ease off a bit and his tail

thumped a couple of times against the floor, then he suddenly tensed

and another spasm hit him.  He whined more and began to wiggle a

bit like he was trying to find a position that would hurt less, but it

was only going to get worse.  My heart began to break at the

thought of this innocent little kid going through this shit because of

me and Elias."I'm so sorry, Cole.  I wish I could make it not hurt for you.  I wish this hadn't happened to you."The sound of my voice seemed to calm him slightly and I continued to speak as I held him and stroked him."You're such a great little man.  I don't think I could handle this but I know you can.  When this is all over, I'll let you kick me in the junk for doing this to you.  I'll keep the suit on though."He made an odd coughing sound like he was laughing as his tail thumped a couple of more times, then he

suddenly jerked violently and curled up and I felt something moving

under my hands as I stroked him.  I saw his skin begin to bulge in

spots and I even heard some horrible crunching sounds as bones began to

shrink again and joints moved around and his rib cage widened while

becoming shallower front to back.  His fur began to take on a

strangely wiry feeling as it began to stiffen while it shortened.  He was beginning to change fast."Can you hear me, Cole?  You're doing great.  It won't be long now, buddy."He

whimpered and then the sound cut off as his neck and head began to

change shape dramatically.  His forehead began to bulge as his

muzzle began to shrink into his face.  This was it.  It was

around the point when Elias stopped making sounds that I could tell he'd

gone out of himself.  The brain inside the rapidly changing skull

must be going through hell and it was unable to think clearly or make

memories now.  I pulled the visor down on my helmet and locked it in place to protect my

face and I carefully extricated myself from under Cole and crawled over

towards the door.  I stopped and turned.He

was thrashing

more violently now and his back legs were suddenly moving to stretch

out behind him much further back than should be possible for a wolf.

 His hips were rearranging themselves to give him the normal

upright gait of a human.  It suddenly occurred to me as I watched

that I was likely not going to be in any danger at all.  When

Elias had change into a wolf, he'd ended in the massive, dangerous wolf shape

while still not fully back to himself, and he was able to do a lot of

damage to Cole and would have killed him if the boy hadn't thought to go up the tree.  In this case, Cole was

going to end in the relatively harmless shape of a small boy.  He

might still rage against me, but he certainly wouldn't be hard to

control, and his little boy teeth would sure as hell be no match for

the chain mail.  I decided to stay in the room and be with him

through

the whole thing.I moved closer to him, but I didn't touch him.

 He was so far gone now I thought it might cause him even more

pain if anything came in contact with his rapidly morphing body.

 I watched as the stiff hair grew shorter and shorter and it seemed

to be retracting right into his dark skin, which began to slowly lighten.

 His ears began to change to a more rounded shape and turned on

the skull to move towards their proper positions on the sides of his

head.  His tail was naked of fur now and it began to get shorter

as it was absorbed back into his body.  His hands and feet seemed

to be getting the worst of the change.  I could hear a wet,

crunching sort of sound coming from the bones as the joints popped and

moved and the bones of the paws became longer and more spread out to

form fingers and a hand.  His feet were doing the same.  It

must be horribly painful, but even though the not-quite-human face had

the mouth open and looked to be screaming, no sound came out.My

heart ached and tears welled in my eyes as I watched the poor

boy's body get run through the grinder.  He was shrinking quite

steadily as all of the changes were happening and he was close to the

size of the eleven year old boy now.  It wouldn't be much longer.

 I heard him moan and then he cried out as he started to gain his

voice back.  He blinked and looked at me and started to look

confused, then angry.  He was almost done and he was becoming

conscious enough to be enraged at the pain."You're almost done, Cole.  Hold on, little man."He writhed a bit then rolled onto his stomach and tried to get up on his knees.I

heard him groan and then he turned his head to look at me and it was

like he wanted to kill me.  His face went dark and he frowned at

me and the corners of his mouth turned down as he sort of growled with

what was left of the wolf in him.  He was enraged and he didn't recognize me, but it was as if he knew it

was my

fault that this was happening to him.  He stared at me in a murdering rage.  The look was totally

unsettling coming from a little kid who looked like a bald and naked

proto-human.  I stayed still and didn't do

anything that might make him even more angry with me."I'm so sorry," was all I could say as a few tears slipped down my cheeks.His

look softened.  It was like he realized I was feeling bad for him,

then he jerked and cried out as another violent spasm hit him and I

heard the pop of several joints landing into their final positions.

 His head hung down and I saw his soft, black hair begin to grow out of

it incredibly rapidly.  He held the position as I watched his

muscles rapidly take shape on his frame.  Finally he rolled over into a

sitting position with his back against the couch, breathing heavily.I

pulled my

helmet off and threw it aside and pulled the gloves off and dropped

them on the floor.  I quickly went over to sit next to him

and support him.  He was still jerking and twitching, but he was

almost completely done.  The transition was amazing.  His

skin was smooth and supple and human again.  He was a fit,

healthy,

eleven year old boy.He leaned against me and put an arm out across my chest and held

on to me as the last of the pain began to fade.  I stroked his

soft, black hair, kissed the top of his head and said, "You made it.  You did great, Cole.

 I'm really proud of you."He held me for a bit, then suddenly sat upright and looked up at me and smiled.  The change was so abrupt it was shocking.A

single tear slipped down his cheek as he grinned at me and then he

said, "You stayed with me!  Thanks, Jake, it really helped.""It was the least I could do for you," I said, "I wish I could have taken the pain for you instead.""It

wasn't so bad," he said, still smiling, "It hurt a lot, but not for

long.  I was really scared, but you were there at the start and

the end and I heard you talking to me and I knew it would be over soon.

 I think next time it'll be even easier.  It's over really

fast, so I think I can get used to it."I couldn't believe he was smiling after all that."You're amazing, Cole.  I can't believe you would take it so well.  You're a hell of a tough kid."He shrugged and said, "I feel great now.  I don't think I ever felt so good."He

stood up and I noticed immediately that he didn't quite look the same.

 He was the same boy, of course.  His height hadn't changed

and his hair was exactly the same color and he still had the same face.  He just looked much

healthier.  The sort of thin, frail look he'd

had was gone.  He even looked a bit more fit than a regular boy of his

age would look.  His muscles where nicely developed and he had the

posture of an athlete.  He looked down at himself and then looked

at me with a start."Something's wrong with my wiener!" he said.I

looked, but didn't see anything wrong.  In fact, it was incredibly

plump and long for an eleven year old kid.  It looked great.

 He was uncut and had a healthy amount of foreskin covering the

head and the hole at the tip looked large enough for the skin to

retract back completely already.  His balls were much bigger than

I would expect too.

 He looked like a healthy boy fast approaching the end of

puberty.  He looked fantastic.  He was well endowed.I wondered if that was what he was talking about.  Maybe

being a werewolf somehow affected him there.  Elias was certainly

well endowed, so it made sense that Cole would be too if it had

something to do with the 'curse'.  I loved Elias's big balls, and

his penis was about

average size for a full grown man even though he had the body of a

fourteen year old.  Maybe it had affected Cole in the same way."What do you mean, Cole?  It looks awesome to me.  I don't see anything wrong with it at all.""The tip!  There's something wrong.  It doesn't look right!"It

suddenly occurred to me what exactly he was on about.  He must have been

circumcised before.  Elias said that the change from wolf back to boy

wasn't like rewinding a video back to the way he'd been, it was more

like growing from scratch inside himself following the original plan of

his body.  Cole would have regrown his foreskin even though it had

been taken from him before!"Do you mean your foreskin?  Did you not have that before?" I asked."No,

the tip looked way different.  Is that what that skin on the end

is called, foreskin?  This is so weird looking," he complained."It

really looks absolutely fantastic to me, like I said.  Foreskin makes it look

natural and better.  Believe it or not you had that when you were

born.  Someone cut it off when you were just a baby.""What?!  Why?""It

depends.  It could be religious reasons or just for reasons of

hygiene, or maybe they think it looks better, which just isn't so if you ask me.  Whatever the reason, it's

wrong to cut it off as far as I'm concerned.  Mine's gone too but

I wish I still had it.  I wish mine was like yours.  It looks so great.""Really?  Why do you like it so much?"I

thought briefly about why I liked it so much.  I just love all

things natural I guess.  That's why I prefer guys who don't wear

cologne or aftershave or antiperspirant or deodorant or use excessive

amounts of scented soap.  Stay clean enough, but smell like a man,

not a fucking flowerpot.  I hate artificial and I love natural.

 I love a natural cock versus one that's been mutilated.

 Cole's cock looked terrific.I suddenly realized I'd become

completely erect inside my chain mail suit as I'd been studying his

fantastic package.  This was not an entirely appropriate state to

be in around an eleven year old boy.  I tried to think about other

things to get it to go down, but it was hard with this beautiful little

guy standing here in front of me."We

don't need to get into that.  You're too young for that

discussion.  Just don't worry about it.  Trust me when I say

it's absolutely perfect the way

it is.  A lot better than it was before, even.  You look

beautiful.  I don't have a foreskin myself, like I said, so I

can't advise you on the proper care and feeding of it.  You'll

need to make sure you clean yourself more carefully

there.  You're old enough that you'll probably be able to pull it

back so it looks more like it used to, but the head will be a lot more

sensitive.  It can get dirty under the skin so you need to keep it

clean.  Just be gentle

with it.  It's there to protect the head of your penis.  You can have a talk with Elias about it.  He has one too.""OK."He looked himself over more and suddenly lifted one leg, then the other, then he hopped up and down a couple of times.He looked up at me again and grinned, "I don't believe it!  My leg works!"I

smiled at him as he started jumping up and down on the spot, crouching

lower and jumping higher each time.  Whatever injury he'd had

would be gone too as his body regrew from scratch.  It occurred to

me that his bad leg might have been the reason for his overall frail

look.  He wouldn't be getting out and running around getting

exercise like most kids, so he probably was wasting away a bit from

inactivity.  His body regrew the way a healthy body would, though

he still looked a bit better built to me than an average kid his age.

 His penis was flapping up and down along with his jumping and it

was doing me no good.  He needed to get his clothes on and get the

temptation out of my sight."I think you should get dressed now, Cole.  I'll just get out of this armor and go make us something to eat."I

stood and undid the shark suit and stepped out of the bottom half and then removed the tunic and dropped it on

the floor and moved to go out into the hall to get my shorts.He

grinned at me, and before I could exit the room, he ran up and jumped

at me and I

caught him in my arms.  He held his little naked body tight to

mine and wrapped his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist

and hugged me hard.  I grabbed him just under his little

butt to lift him up high enough to make sure he didn't rub against my

hard cock.  This was getting more inappropriate by the minute and

I needed to extricate myself from this situation quickly."Thanks so much, Jake!  I've never felt so good in my life!  I'm so glad I changed!  This is so great!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.I

chuckled and patted his back.  He still wasn't thinking far enough

into the future to realize just how badly we'd fucked his life up.

 To him it was all great.  I suddenly realized he really

didn't know exactly what this meant yet.  He wasn't aware yet that

he was stuck at this age forever now.I set him back down on the floor and said, "Don't thank me yet.  Give it some time.

 You might not be so happy with all of this after a while.

 We need to have a long talk about what this means to you.  What time does your mom get home?""Not usually until around eight in the morning," he said.We

still had lots of time.  "OK, get your clothes on.  I'm gonna

make us some breakfast and we're gonna talk.  I want you to

understand what all of this means before we go and talk to your mother."He

nodded and went and got his little briefs and stepped into them.

 I took one last look at his nice package before it got covered up

again as he pulled his underwear up.  I went out in the hall and picked up my shorts and put

them on while he dressed.  I waited for him to come out into the

hallway and I led him back downstairs to the kitchen.  I showed

him where the bathroom was and he broke and ran for it immediately while

I turned to making our breakfast.  I made enough for three of

us.  Elias would be home soon and he wouldn't be going straight to

bed this time.  I wanted him here to talk to Cole with me.

 Nobody knew better than Elias just how Cole's life was going to

be now.I was just finishing up the cooking when I heard the

beeping of the lock on the back door.  Elias came in to the house,

took off his shoes, and walked into the kitchen.  He came straight

to me and slipped into my arms and kissed me, then put his arms around

my neck and just held me."I fucked up so bad," he said, and I could hear the pain of it in his voice."No,

don't beat yourself up.  We both should have been more careful.

 We shouldn't have been taking it so lightly, making videos and

screwing around so close to the bike paths.  There shouldn't have

been anyone out there at that time, but it was still a stupid risk, and

now Cole's the one to pay for it.""How is he?" Elias asked as he pulled away and went to get plates and drinking glasses."He's

amazingly great.  He really is.  He's in the bathroom right

now.  He came through it like a champ.  He's thrilled with it

all.  He doesn't get it yet,

though.  We need to explain what it really means for him.

 Right now he thinks it's the greatest thing that could have

happened to him.  He's over the moon.  Remember the limp he

had?"Elias nodded and said, "It's gone, isn't it?"I

nodded and smiled, "He's bouncing around like a basketball player now.

 He looks amazing.  He was so thin before and now he looks

like a well trained athlete.  Sort of like you.  That was

one good thing that came of this I guess.  He can run again.

 He was a bit surprised about his cock though.  He wasn't

expecting to get his foreskin back."Elias chuckled and asked,

"Does his junk look unusually big?  Mine was bigger after the

first time I changed.  It was almost like something I'd been

exposed to had affected it in my normal life, but that effect was gone

when I regrew inside myself and my privates grew to the size they were

supposed to be."I

nodded and said, "Maybe that's it.  I remember some theories going

around a while back about some chemicals in preservatives and stuff

having some female hormone-like effects that might keep male genitals

from developing as fully as they should, and even causing girls to

reach puberty earlier than they should while delaying the onset of

puberty in boys, as well as making it take longer for them to finish.  His junk looks absolutely great anyways.""Did he go though it all in the panic room?"I nodded, "Yeah, I was in there with him when he

changed.  I couldn't bring myself to leave him alone.""What?!

 Are you crazy?  He could have killed you, or changed you

into one of us!  Why the fuck would you do that?!"I was taken aback by his sudden anger, but I realized he was just concerned for my safety."It's

OK, Elias.  You weren't there.  I was, and I saw it would work.  I was wearing

the shark suit and helmet and had the visor down.  I realized half

way into the change that I probably didn't really need it at all.

 He was changing from a dangerous form under control, to a fairly

harmless form out of control.  He couldn't have really hurt me at

the point where he was enraged."Elias thought about it a bit

and then said, "That makes sense.  I never really thought it

through.  He's just a little kid and since the rage happens near

the end, when he's the shape of a boy, he couldn't do much to hurt you.  It would still be

dangerous if he bit you though if he wasn't fully a boy yet."I

nodded, "Yeah.  The surprising thing was that he looked like he

was going to go into a rage, then he suddenly calmed down when he saw

me crying for him.  I suppose it wouldn't be totally safe without

the suit, but there was no chance at all that he would get through the chain mail.  I even had him bite me hard while he was still the

wolf and

I shook my arm to see if his teeth could get through, but they didn't

even come close.""Cool.  So the suit was a good idea after all," he said."Yup, and it was your idea if you recall."The bathroom door opened and Cole sauntered out and grinned at me, then looked over at Elias and said, "I'm Cole, who are you?""This is Elias, Cole," I said.Elias smiled and put his hand up in greeting, "Hey, little guy.""No way!  You're Elias?!  You're the great big dog from the park?  Really?"Elias grinned and nodded, "Yup, really.""That's so cool!  Do I look just like you when I change?""Pretty

close," I said, "You're just a bit smaller than Elias and look just a little less grown up, just like you

are now.  You're grey and black instead of tan and brown like

Elias, but you both look awesome.""Neat!  I wish I could see myself when I'm like that.  I want to know what I look like," Cole said."Like

I said earlier, we

have a camera.  I could try to get some photos and videos of you,

but only if you change here in the house.  I don't think we'll be

screwing around with taking

videos down in the woods anymore.  That's how we got you into this

mess in the first place.""What do you mean, mess?  This is the coolest thing ever!" Cole exclaimed."You

haven't really thought it through yet and you don't even have all the

facts.  Sit and we'll eat, and Elias will explain how things have

changed for you."He ran up to Elias and hugged him hard and

said, "I don't care what you guys say.  It's awesome!  Thanks

so much for changing me, Elias!  I love it!"Elias hugged him back and then turned him around and pushed him towards the table and said, "Go sit.  Let's talk."Elias

looked haggard and tired.  He was obviously really stressed out

about this.  He had a right to be.  He set the dishes out on

the table and went to the fridge for orange juice while I brought the

eggs, bacon and toast to the table.Cole tore into his breakfast

like he hadn't eaten in days.  I knew he'd be hungry so I'd made

plenty.  I only nibbled at mine and Elias ate half what he

normally would.  Neither of us had much of an appetite right now

as we worried about what we'd done to Cole and how it would affect him.

 While Cole ate, Elias carefully explained about everything that

would be different for him now.  The boy took it all in stride.

 Pretty much any time we suggested something to him that was a

terrible tragedy, like the fact that he would never grow into a man, or

that he'd never get married, he'd say "So what?" like he just didn't

get the problem and thought we were nuts for suggesting it was a bad

thing.It

made me think harder about what had mattered to me

back when I was eleven years old, and I suddenly realized none of this

might ever really seem like a big deal to him for quite a while yet.

 Girls still had

cooties at that age and there was no way he would ever want to even

touch one if he didn't have to, let alone marry one.  School was a

horrible thing to do to a kid when you were eleven.  It was way

more fun to be free and do whatever you wanted, so he was certainly

cool

with that aspect.  There was absolutely nothing about his new

situation that was bad as far as he was concerned.  In fact, when

Elias had mentioned the fact that Cole would never be able to go to

school again the boy's face had brightened and he said, "Awesome!

 I didn't even think of that!  This is so great!"

 Couple all of that with the fact that he had full mobility

again and was more fit than most boys his age, and even got to spend

most nights in the shape of one of the most awesome animals in the

world, and it was easy to

understand why he was absolutely thrilled.Elias shook his head

and smiled at the enthusiastic little kid, then he looked at me and

said, "You know, now that I think of it, he's absolutely right.  I

love my life now, Jake.  Being with you is better than anything

that could have ever happened to me even if I'd never been changed by

that guy in the woods in the first place.  My life is better than anything I could

have imagined back then.  It was just the terrible loneliness that

was killing me, but that's over thanks to you, and now life is better

than ever.  Cole will never have to know that loneliness.

 He's got his mom, and he has us.  Why are we so upset about

this?  We should just be happy for him."Cole grinned at him and nodded vigorously, and then he looked at me and smiled.I

smiled back at him and said, "I guess you're right.  There's

no sense trying to convince him there's a problem when he'll never see

it that way.  There's still your mom to worry about though, Cole.

 Are you ready to go home now?  Elias and I need to face the

music.  The suspense is killing me and I just want to get it over

with."Cole said, "You guys don't know my mom.  She might be mad, but she gets over things fast."I shook my head, "Maybe she forgives you easily, but you're her little boy.  She won't be so easy on us."Cole

shrugged as he got up.  I took the camera from the backpack and

stuffed it into my pocket and went and got the other memory card that

had the first video we'd taken of Elias as a wolf when I'd measured and

weighed him.  Needless to say I left behind the card that had the

video of us having sex.We all went to the back door and put on

our shoes and then piled into the truck and I drove over to Cole's

house.  As we pulled up in front of the house and I shut off the

truck I saw a bus pulling away down the street.  A tired and run down

woman who looked to be about thirty five was walking slowly back from the bus stop.  She must have just got

off the bus."Hey!  That's my mom!  She's early!" Cole shouted.He

jumped out of the truck and ran down the sidewalk towards her.  I

sighed and got out of the truck.  This was the moment of

doom for me.  I didn't know how she'd react, but it couldn't be

good.  Elias sat in the truck like he was afraid to get out and

face her.  I couldn't really blame him.  When I reached the

sidewalk I looked over and smiled at him encouragingly and he

reluctantly opened the door and got out to join me."Hi, mom!" Cole shouted as he ran towards her.She

saw him running down the sidewalk and she went completely pale like she'd

seen a ghost.  "Cole?" she asked in a shaky voice.She

was carrying a small bag with a few groceries

in one hand and a big handbag in the other, and after looking closely

to ensure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, she dropped both like

she'd forgotten she had them, then she fell to her knees.A

huge smile spread across her face as she became certain it was really

her boy and she shouted, "Cole!"Her arms opened up as he reached her and she scooped him in

and held on tight.  I suddenly remembered the fact that he was a

fair bit healthier now than he'd been before and it had to be a bit of

a shock to her.  I didn't know how long it had been since Cole was

last able to run and jump into her arms but it must have been a while, judging by her

reaction.Tears streamed down her face as she continued to hug

him hard and he wiggled, trying to get free.  She finally

eased off and let him go and he pushed away from her and excitedly

said, "Come and meet Jake and Elias!"He grabbed her hand and

she was forced to stand up and let him tow her down the sidewalk

towards us.  She didn't even look up at us as they approached.  She was looking

down at her boy the whole time with a puzzled but overjoyed look on her

face.They reached us and Cole said, "This is my mom.  Her

name is Grace.  Mom, that's Jake and that's Elias.  Remember

when I told you about my chain breaking on my bike and a man fixed it

and made sure I got home safe?  This is him!"She looked at

both of us in turn and smiled and nodded, but said nothing.  She

was likely speechless about the change in her son and needed to absorb

it for a minute or two."It's nice to meet you," I said, "Would you mind if we went inside?  We really need to talk to you about Cole."Her smile faltered for a moment and she asked, "Is it about the change in him?"I nodded and said, "We'll explain it all.""I'll go get your things," Elias offered, and he ran back down the sidewalk to get the bags she'd dropped.She

led us to the front door of the house slowly and just a little

unsteadily.  She was visibly shaking from the shock of this and I

hoped she'd be OK when she was hit with all of the news.We

entered the house and took off our shoes and she led us into the living

room.  Elias and I sat on the couch and she settled into a large

chair while Cole just stood beside her.  She looked at Cole for a

long while, then she turned to me and steeled herself and asked, "What

exactly happened to my boy?"I said, "I don't know quite how to

explain this so as not to shock you too much, but he's gone through a

change.  It will affect him for the rest of his life...""I'm a werewolf, mom!" Cole shouted excitedly before I could finish.She

looked at him and smiled indulgently, then she looked back at me, and

then Elias.  We both sat quietly and straight faced.  She saw

how nervous we looked.  Her smile faltered again and she looked back at

her son and said, "Of course you're not a werewolf, Cole.  That's

just in stories.  Maybe you could let Jake explain to me what

happened to you.""Aww,

I'm telling you what happened.  I got bit by Elias and now I'm a

werewolf!  It's so cool, mom!"She looked back at me and said, "Please, tell me what happened to Cole.""I

guess the best way to approach this is to just tell it like it is," I

said, "Cole is telling you the truth.  Elias is a werewolf.

 He bit Cole in a moment when he wasn't himself and didn't know

what he was doing.  That made Cole change too.  He's a

werewolf now."She began to look a bit flustered and angry,

"You're joking.  There's no such thing as werewolves.  It's

impossible!  What the hell really happened?!""Is it any

more impossible than your son suddenly being able to run and jump

again?  Look at him.  He's healthier than any eleven year old

I've ever seen.  What could cause that much change overnight?"She looked her son over again and then looked

back at me, but said nothing.  She seemed to be running it through

her head to see if she could find some way to make it fit."I

know it's hard to believe, but I can show you that it's true.  I

have a video of Elias as a werewolf.  He looks just like a wolf,

but way bigger.  You'll see that he's impossibly huge.  I

also have a video of him changing, though I can only show you part of

it.  The video even shows Cole getting attacked and then changing,

but I don't think you should watch that part until you're well used to

the idea.""It hurts really bad to change, mom, but not for long

at all.  I feel better than ever after I change.  It's

awesome!  You don't need to worry about it," Cole said.Grace

looked at her boy again, then back at me.  She seemed to be

struggling with the idea, but wasn't ready to accept something so

bizarre and preposterous.  The sudden and equally impossible

change in Cole's physical condition was just as preposterous though, and undeniable, so

she wasn't quite ready to dismiss out of hand the possibility of him being affected by something supernatural."Show me," she said.I nodded and pulled out the camera and stuck in the memory card that had the first video we'd taken of Elias."I'm

going to show you the video we took of Elias when he was in his

wolf form.  He'd never seen himself properly so I wanted to show

him what he looked like.  It was the first time I saw him that way

too, so I may say some expletives that Cole shouldn't really hear.

 Would it be alright if I played it with no sound?" I asked.She nodded.I cued up the video and got up and went over to her chair and crouched

beside it and I pressed the play button to start it up, and then muted

the sound.Grace

watched the small screen on the back of the camera as I moved into view

in the video and turned to face the sound I'd heard coming from the

woods, and she gasped loudly as the massive wolf emerged.  She

reached over and grabbed the camera from me and held it closer as she

watched, mouth agape, as the impossibly huge wolf walked up to me and

I dropped to my knees, showing Elias's true size in relation to me.

 I was ready to snatch the camera out of her hand if she tried to

un-mute the video.  I didn't want her to hear the things I was

saying to Elias.She continued to watch, but said nothing for a bit, and then finally she half whispered, "He's so beautiful."She

watched as I balanced Elias on the scale and he was standing taller

than me and she looked over at Elias who was still sitting on the couch

and said, "You expect me to believe that the huge animal in the video

is this boy?"Elias said, "It's me.  We can prove it to you

easily, but if you really want to see for sure you can watch the video

we took last night.  It shows me going through the change.""It's

true, mom!  That big dog is Elias.  The night I broke my

bike chain and Jake fixed it for me, I saw him.  I didn't tell you that

time because Jake asked me to keep Elias a secret.  I just thought

he was a really cool dog.  He did arithmetic!  Now I know why he

could do it.  It's really him!" Cole said.She glanced at

her boy and then back at the video.  She could see Elias nodding

and shaking his head at me while I spoke to him.  It finally came

to the point where he'd rolled his eyes and turned to lick his privates

and I reached over and took the camera from her and said, "That's where

the video ends.  I can show you the other one if you want, but

I'll warn you it's hard to look at.""This is all impossible.  I just can't believe it.  I have to see it," she said."Do you mind if I show it to her, Elias?  She'll see you nude."He nodded his head and said, "It's fine.  She needs to see.""Cole, could you go sit next to Elias please?  I don't want you to see this just yet," I said."Aww, can't I watch it?" he begged."No, Cole.  Go sit with your friend, please," Grace requested."You

have a right to see it, Cole, but I really think you should wait a

while and get used to what's happened to you before you see this," I

said."Fine," he moped, and then he went over to the couch to join Elias.I

turned back to Grace and said, "There's a point during the change where

Elias loses control.  He's not himself anymore.  He's a

mindless beast halfway between being a boy and being a wolf.  He

doesn't know who he is and he doesn't know who anyone else is.

 He's full of pain and rage.  He's dangerous at that point.

 Because he's in the middle of the change, if he bites someone

they will begin to change too.  He would never hurt your boy, or

anyone, intentionally.  It was bad luck that Cole happened

to come to him right at that point...""I was looking for you!"

Cole interrupted from the couch, "I kept going back there every night

trying to find you guys again but I couldn't remember exactly where the

place in the woods was that I found you last time.  I finally

found it again last night and I was so happy to see Elias there, but

then I saw he was hurt so I went to see if I could help.  That's

when he attacked me."I nodded and said, "Like I said, it was

bad luck that you came right at that moment.  I should have warned you better not to ever try to find

us again.  It never occurred to me that you might do that."Cole shrugged and said, "I guess you don't know me yet.  It doesn't matter if you warned me.  I wouldn't listen."I chuckled and shook my head, "Well, you're a kid so I should have expected that and we should have been a lot more careful."I

turned to Cole's mother again and said, "When Elias is in the process of changing, that's the only time that he's

dangerous.  If he bit

someone when he was a wolf they wouldn't change.  Anyhow, I

wanted to explain that to you first, because this video keeps on going

and you'll see Cole come into the picture.  I think I should stop

it before that, but if you want, I can run it all the way through.

 I don't think you will be up to seeing Cole go through that.

 The change is exceedingly painful and it's really hard to watch.""I don't care.  I have to see it all," she insisted."OK,

just try to keep in mind when you see him going through all that pain,

he came out of it fine.  It's intense, but fairly brief.""It's really OK, mom.  It hurts bad, but as soon as it's over I feel better than I ever felt before," Cole added.She nodded impatiently and said, "Show it to me, please."I cued up the video and quickly fast-forwarded past the strip tease

that Elias had done and his subsequent masturbation, and I paused it

when he had settled onto his knees and was just about to change.

 I pressed the play button and handed her the camera.She watched

for a moment and glanced up a couple of times at Elias on the couch to

verify that it was the same boy in the video.  Elias in the video

suddenly stood up and hunched over in pain and the change began.

 Grace's eyes went wide in horror as she watched the boy's

body begin to bend and expand and twist into the new shape.  Her

mouth hung open and she began to grimace and grunt lightly as though

she were feeling some of Elias's pain right along with him."Oh

my God, it's really true," she whispered in awe as the change was

nearly complete and Elias the wolf had expanded to his full size.I

reached in and pressed pause and told her, "He's almost done changing.

 This is the point where Cole comes in.  Are you sure you

want to see it?"She looked over at her son sitting on the

couch.  Cole was grinning back at her.  She glanced at Elias

and he was watching her with interest, waiting to see what she would

say."I think I have to see it," she insisted."Go

ahead,

just keep in mind, Elias didn't know what he was doing.  He's

completely harmless and he's fully himself when he's completed the

change.  You'll see Cole get hurt bad, but when he changes, all of

that damage is wiped away.  When he changes back to being a boy,

he comes back absolutely perfect, as you can see."She

nodded and pressed the play button to get the video

rolling again.  I watched her carefully as Cole came into view in

the video and Elias-wolf lunged at him and bit his arm.  She

seemed unusually calm as her boy scrambled away as fast as he could to

save his own life.  She continued to watch and she jerked a couple

of times

when she saw Elias tear a strip out of Cole's calf muscle, and when

Cole fell from the tree to hit the ground as the change started to

ravage his body.  She looked up at her son several times to see

him grinning back at her from the couch, and I think that was what was

giving her the strength to handle what she was seeing in the video.

 She watched the whole thing play out right up to the point where Cole

was a wolf and he ran off into the woods in panic.  Then she saw

Elias come back into the picture and then run off into the woods after

Cole, then she saw

me come into the picture as I looked at the mess at the tree and

finally come back to the camera and the video stopped."You weren't there when it happened?" she calmly asked."No,

I wasn't in the clearing with them.

 It's too dangerous, so I was coming on my bike down the path while

Elias was changing.  I was trying to make sure the coast was clear and

that nobody else came down the path and went off into the woods.  I had

no idea Cole had got there ahead of me.  The plan was for me to arrive

just after the change to collect the camera and

bring it back home."She nodded and said, "You couldn't have

helped him then.  It's not really your fault.  It wasn't

Elias's fault either.  Neither one of you had any idea he would go

there.  Was it that hard for him again when he changed back?  Will it always hurt him so much?"I nodded and said, "Yes, I'm sorry.  He's a tough little guy and he handled it like a real champ.  I'm impressed with him.""Did he change back in the woods?  Was he alone then?" she asked."Jake

was with me when I changed back, mom.  He held me and he talked to me.

 He made it so much easier.  I could have hurt him bad, but he stayed

with me anyways.  He's awesome!" Cole exclaimed.She smiled at

her son, then at me, and she said, "Thank you for that.  I can see that

he came through it fine, but the thought of him going through that

alone is what really bothers me.  I'm glad you had the decency to help

him through it even though you were taking a risk to do it."She then turned to look at Elias and said, "I could see the

pain you were going through.  I understand that you were in a

rage.  You didn't know what you were doing.  I don't blame

you."I saw tears brimming in Elias's eyes as she forgave him, but he was too choked up to speak."It's good of you to be so understanding," I told her, "but the truth is we are

at fault.  Elias and I both.  We knew how dangerous he was

and yet we ignored that fact in our curiosity and our desire to record

the process and see it happen.  It was reckless and stupid and

Cole and you will both be paying the price for the rest of your

lives.  I'm so sorry about all this."She

didn't look angry, she just seemed a bit dazed by all of this.  I

couldn't figure out why she wasn't freaking out yet.  Was she in

too much shock?  She should be ready to kill us right now for what

we did to her boy."What does it all mean?" she asked, "How will it affect my son besides the obvious change in him?""When

he goes back through the change to being a boy, it's like he regrows

inside himself and he is perfect and pristine at the end of it.

 From now on, he will always grow back to the exact stage of

development he was at when he was first bitten.

 You can see that he's like a boy who grew up without ever getting

a scratch on him.  He's physically perfect.  That's why his

limp is gone and his muscles are better developed.  I should warn

you so you don't get shocked when you see it, his foreskin is back too,

and his equipment is a bit bigger than it was down there and he's much

further along through puberty.  It seems to be part of the change and

Elias was affected the same way.  Any fillings he might have had are

gone.  Any scars he

had or anything at all that was wrong with him physically would be

erased..."She got a shocked look and interrupted me and asked, "Anything?"I nodded, "As far as I know, yes, anything.""Even a genetic problem?" she asked.I

shrugged, "I don't know about that.  I doubt it, to be honest.

 His genes don't change.  Not as far as I know, anyways, and

certainly not significantly.  That's why he looks exactly the

same with the same eye color and hair color and height and voice and

everything.  I imagine if he had a genetic problem it would stay

with him.""But every time he changes back, he will look just like he does right now?""Yes.""How often does he change?  Is it only on the full moon, like last night?" she asked."No,

I'm afraid not.  He'll change any time the moon is up and the sun

is down.  He'll change back to a boy when the moon goes down or

the sun comes up.  His change will track the lunar cycle.

 Your lives will be much more complicated now.

 There's something else important, too, and really it's the

biggest problem with all of this and the hardest thing for you to have

to live with.  He will never grow beyond his current age

physically.  He'll never become a man.  His body will never

fully develop as his genes had planned for him.  He'll never be

able

to fall in love and get married and give you grandchildren.

 He'll never have a chance at a normal life now.  I'm so

sorry, Grace."She looked at me strangely for a moment as tears

began to well in her eyes.  Then she stood from her chair and

turned to face me.  I stood up and braced myself for the slap that

was likely about to come my way, determined to hold my ground and take

whatever punishment she chose to throw at me.  Tears started to

stream from her eyes as she came toward me and I flinched as her arms

came up, but to my shock she wrapped them around my neck and hugged me

hard as she began to cry in earnest.  I put my arms around her and

patted her back gently, waiting for her to get it out of her system.

 It had to be difficult to hear that your child would never have a

normal life, to know you'll never see him grow into the man he was

meant to be.  I expected a lot of anger though, not this.

 This was somehow harder to take.  She must be weeping in sadness for the loss of their future.  We had taken it from them."I'm so sorry we did this to you.  I know it's not fair," I said.Her sobs finally began to abate and she managed to mumble the words, "I don't know how to thank you."I thought I'd misheard her and I said, "Sorry?"She

pulled away from me and faced Elias as she sniffled and wiped at her

nose.  She was smiling broadly as she said, "Thank you, Elias.

 Thank you both.  You have no idea what you've done for us.""I told you she'd be OK!" Cole said as he jumped from the couch and ran to his mother.She

crouched and scooped him into her arms and held him tightly for a while

and then he pulled away and said, "Isn't it great, mom?"She

smiled and nodded at him as she put her hand on her boy's head and

stroked it and said, "It's wonderful, sweetheart.  It's still so hard

to believe.  It's like a dream come true."I was completely

flummoxed at this point.  There was something I was missing here.

 Why the hell was she happy about this?  She looked up at me

and saw the confusion in my face and she stood and said, "Please, sit."I went over to sit next to Elias as she sat back down on the chair."My son has ALS," she said, "Lou Gehrig's disease.  He was diagnosed eight months ago.  Do you know what that is?"I

was shocked at the news, but I nodded and said, "It's a genetic

problem.  It affects the motor neurons and causes muscle atrophy.

 I don't know a lot of details about it, but I thought it only

happened to adults."She

nodded and said, "That's normally the

case.  It can show up in children though.  It happened to

Cole.  We don't know why.  They did tests on me and couldn't

find any markers.  I didn't exactly live very well when I was

young.  I was brought up through foster care and had been abused.

 I was wild and out of control when I was a teenager and it

carried on through my life into my twenties.  Cole saved me.

 His birth changed everything and it brought me back down to

Earth.  It was so devastating to get the news of his condition

when he was diagnosed.  I honestly don't know who his father is so

they couldn't

test him, but it didn't really matter.  Only ten percent of ALS

cases are familial anyhow, the

rest they just can't explain.  It wouldn't really help to know why

he got it, there's no treatment in any case.  You saw how Cole was

before, his

limp and his frailty."I nodded again."He was losing

more and more of the muscle response in his left leg and it was

starting to show in his right leg too.  He was even starting to

lose some of the functionality of his arms though it wasn't showing

much yet.  The muscles stop responding as well to commands and eventually they just

start to atrophy down to nothing from not getting any use at all.

 The process was going to continue to the point where he'd be in a

wheelchair by the time he was twenty years old, and he'd be unable to move

around on his own.  Odds are he would have died of respiratory

failure before he reached twenty five.  It's unusual for anyone to

make it much past ten years after being diagnosed," She said.I was

in shock.  My head began to spin as I thought about what it meant,

and then it all fell into place for me.  The relief was immense as

I realized we hadn't ruined their lives at all, just the opposite.

 We'd sort of unintentionally fixed a problem that there had been

no possible solution for, and given them a future together that they

had no chance at before.  He still had ALS and that would never

change since it was in his genes, but it's a degenerative disease.

 His body regrew to perfection, then the degeneration started

again, but there was no way it would ever show again.  There

wouldn't be time for it to weaken him before the next change would

happen and he'd be reset to perfection again.  He would be strong

and healthy forever!Grace smiled at me as more tears slipped

down her cheeks and she said, "Do you see?  The plan his genes had for him was horrible!  You didn't take away

his chance at a normal life, you gave him a chance at life he never could have hoped for!  You saved us both!  You have no idea

how hard it was for me to watch my healthy little boy begin to

deteriorate right before my eyes.  To know that he'd never be able

to run and jump and play like a normal kid again.  To know that he

was only going to suffer more and more as the years went on.  He

never would have been able to grow up and get married and have kids of

his own, so you've made nothing worse in that regard.  You've made

him healthy and strong.  Look at him!  He's my healthy little

boy again, and he'll be that way forever!"She

grinned at Cole and wiped tears from her face

again, and then she continued, "We were in a downward spiral.  The

medical bills were mounting out of control already and there was no way

I could keep paying them much longer, even though they would only get

worse as his need for physiotherapy increased.  I had no idea what

I was

going to do.  I was working two jobs already and looking for a way

to squeeze in a third.  I couldn't even afford a babysitter so I

left him on his own even though I knew I shouldn't.  I also knew

that eventually he wouldn't be able to take care of himself at all and

I would have to pay for someone to care for him, or stay home and do it

myself.  I couldn't afford either option.  I would do

anything to try to keep him more comfortable as he got worse and the

cost would simply continue to climb.  I was at my wits end.

 I was talking to a realtor to put the house up for sale.  I

already sold my car months ago.  We were in really bad shape.""You

won't have to worry about that anymore, Grace," I said, "We did this to

Cole so the least we can do is offer to help you in any way we

can.  I think you should go ahead and sell this place and come

live with Elias and me for a while until you get fully back on your

feet.  Our house is a lot bigger than we'll ever need and we've

already modified it to help with Elias's condition so it will be better

for Cole too.  You're going to have to learn the routines

necessary to keep yourself safe.  You don't need to work two jobs

anymore either.  One job will be plenty.  You need more time

with your son.  You don't even have to work at all if you don't

want to.  It might be best for you to be at home with him all the

time.  He can't go to school anymore for obvious reasons.

 You might want to continue his education yourself.  We'll

figure out what happens next at some time in the future."More

tears spilled down her face and she said, "I don't know what to say.

 It's such a generous offer.  It would help us immensely.

 Thank you very much.""Wow!  I get to come live with

you guys?  That's awesome!" Cole exclaimed, "Do you have a bike,

Elias?  We could go riding together!  Oh my God, my bike!

 It's down in the woods!"I chuckled and said, "Don't worry

about it, Cole.  We'll get you a new one.  Your mom should

have one too so she can ride with you sometimes.""I

can't let

you spend so much on us," Grace said, "You're doing enough just by

letting us stay with you until I can sell the house and climb out of my

debts.  I intend to hold on to one of my night jobs.  That

way I would be with Cole during the day and you and Elias could be with

him at night.  You don't need to start buying things for us.""Please,

it's nothing at all, Grace.  I've been

lucky with my career.  Money really isn't an issue for me at all.

 I have no family other than Elias and I'll have no use for

the money after I'm gone.  Better to spend and enjoy it.""So, Elias is your son?" she asked."No.  I suppose I should explain that before you make any decision about moving in to our home.  We're a couple."She got a shocked look on her face and looked over at Elias, then back at me, "How old is he?""He's seventeen, but he was bitten when he was fourteen."She

thought about it and then looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm

not going to beat around the bush.  I realize Elias is older than

he looks and given his situation he'll never look older than fourteen,

but I'm not completely comfortable with it.  I think you're both

free to do as you wish if you're happy, but I have to ask.  Is my

son safe around you?""What the heck are you talking about, mom?  Of course I'm safe with him," Cole said.I

blushed at the implication of what she was saying, but I realized she

had a right to ask it.  It was her duty as a mother, really.  I'd

already had thoughts in that direction, but I had no intention of

acting on them.  Cole is just a little kid and it wouldn't be right."Yes, he's completely safe.  You have nothing to worry about," I said."I'm

happier than I've ever been in my life," Elias said with a hint of

anger in his voice, "Jake is the best thing that ever happened to me.

 He treats me with nothing but love and respect.  He means

everything to me and nobody could ever mean more."She thought

about it for a bit and then her look softened and she said, "I'm sorry.

 I really shouldn't have even asked.  You've been nothing but

good to us.  It was just instinct really.  You seem like a

good man and I feel like I should just trust you until you give me

reason not to.  I accept your offer.""Awesome!  Can we move today, mom?" Cole asked.Grace looked over at me and I smiled and nodded.She looked back at Cole and said, "I don't see why not.  We could pack up some clothes and go over right away if you want.""Yay!" Cole shouted as he got up and ran off to his bedroom to start pulling clothes out of his dresser.Grace

slumped back into her chair and smiled at her son as he raced off.

 She looked at me again and said, "This is all such a shock, but a

good one.  I think I might faint when the relief of Cole's medical

condition being over really hits me.  I've been working all night

and I'm exhausted.  Have you got a spare bed set up already or

should I sleep here before we go over?""Don't worry about it,

Grace.  There are two spare bedrooms that are completely

furnished.  You and Cole will each have your own.  You can

crash as soon as we get over there."She smiled and said, "You really are a good man.  Do you live far?""No,

not at all.  Walking distance almost.  You can just grab one

change of clothes for now if you like.  We can come back and forth

easily to get the rest later on or as needed.""I

think I'll do

just that.  I'll take just a few clothes and our toothbrushes for now

and we'll head

over to your house and I can have a bath and then sleep.  I honestly

wouldn't mind putting this house behind me as soon as possible, paying

off my debts, and moving forward with our new life."I

nodded and she got up and followed Cole down the hall and went into her

bedroom to grab a suitcase and put some clothes in it, then she went to

help Cole select just enough clothes to last a couple of days."I

hope she can get over us being a couple," Elias said after she left the

room, "I won't want her living with us if she can't.  I know we

sort of messed things up for them, but we fixed them too.  I don't

want her messing up our lives now.""I

think she's over it already,

Elias," I said, "Don't stress over it until it becomes a real problem.

 It's your house just as much as mine now, so if it doesn't work

for you she'll have to go, but I really think it will be fine.

 She seems like a really nice woman.  I think she'll be OK

after she's seen us as a couple for a while.  Give her a chance.

 It's just until they get back on their feet and learn how to deal

with Cole's condition well enough to go out on their own."Elias

nodded and said, "I guess so.  It sure is a relief to know we

didn't really ruin their lives.  We sort of saved Cole in a way.  He's

a pretty cool little guy.  It's gonna be great to have company all the

time, even when I'm a wolf."I

nodded and said, "Yeah, we got lucky.  We need to really make sure

there's never a chance of this happening again though.  We wouldn't be so

lucky next time."Cole and Grace came back out, each carrying a small suitcase, and we all went out to the truck and loaded it up and got in.As

I got behind the wheel and then looked around to ensure everyone was

strapped in, I saw Cole grinning at his mom, then at Elias, then at me.

 We were all his family now in a way, and he seemed utterly

thrilled with the prospect of his new life.You could almost say

that Elias and Cole were related by blood now and they would be linked to

each other for the rest of their lives, which could be very long indeed.I

didn't know how well this was going to work or how long it would be

this way, but I felt obligated to give it every possible chance of

success.  Helping them settle into their new lives and learn to

deal with the complications was the least we could do for them.I started the truck and put it in gear and headed out.