Kelli's dad looked at me with his piercing blue grey eyes and pointed at my heart like he had done many times in the past when he was giving me or Kelli advice. It was a sign that meant that what he was saying at that moment was serious, and deserved serious consideration, and Kelli and I had always treated his words as such.
"Myka, I know from the way you look right now that you are scared, and you have said it's because of what we would think. You tell us what you have to tell us, and no matter how strange, how scary, or how totally out of left field it is, we will all do our best to understand. Is that clear?"
From his tone, and the way he looked around at everyone there, it was plain that what he had just said was more for our other parent's benefit than it was mine. I was so grateful for his strength and his resolve at that moment, and I wiped my eyes one last time and nodded to him. I steeled my nerves and straightened my spine, and just for the giggles that it gave Kelli I used my tail to swat at my mom's hand as she was trying to play with its fur.
"You can play with it later," I said, grumpily, causing everyone else to chuckle too. "I have to tell you a story now."
And with that I began to tell the narrative of how I came to be a Neko, and what that meant, as far as we had been able to figure out. I left out pretty much all of the naughty bits, because who in their right mind would tell their parent's that sort of thing. I was grateful for Kelli as well, as she stepped in to offer her point of view and her belief in the magic that occurred on New Year's. Our parents had questions for us also, and we answered them to the best of our ability over the next hour. It went over better than I had expected it to, and was going so smoothly that by the time we were half way through my dad started cooking the Valentine's breakfast and we finished the amazing story and all of the remaining questions while eating around the table together.
"If you need any more evidence that this is real, take a look at this," Kelli said, and pulled the newspaper clipping that she had shown Cassandra and Ali. "This is last September's newspaper and we were both in this picture. A picture which now has Myka's ears and tail in it. And I promise you, she was not wearing a costume at the time and was not a Neko either. I know because I was there."
Everyone was around the table by now, looking at the photo, and wondering what was going on. I understood that they were all probably having a tough time accepting everything that we were telling them, but I hoped that our parents believed some of it at least. My dad then asked my mom to grab one of the scrap books that had my pictures in it so we could all take a look and see if any other pictures had changed. As my mom laid the book she had pulled from one of the book shelves out and opened it, we all eagerly looked over her shoulders to see what was there. My heart fell again, for the third time that day, as none of my pictures that my parent's had were changed.
"I'm not sure why these pictures haven't changed," Kelli said. "I really thought they should have."
"I don't know why they haven't either," my dad replied. "But to tell you the truth, I really don't care why. You both are my daughters, and it is clear that something happened that involved magic, as you believe it. If you believe it, then I will believe it for you both."
Everyone else nodded voiced their agreement with my dad, and our mom's squeezed our hands in support of everything that we had explained. I was so happy at that point that my heart nearly burst with joy, and my fears as to what my family would say evaporated into thin air.
"Oh my god, look," Kelli's mom gasped, pointing at the picture album that my mom was still holding.
We all looked down at it and what we saw made everyone exclaim in surprise. We all watched in amazement as every picture in the book that had me in it slowly changed. My hair faded to the light but brilliant purple that it is currently, and ears began to show up on the top of my head. We also watched my tail appear in all of the pictures that it would be visible in as well. It was kind of like watching a fade effect from the movies, and now there was proof for the rest of my family that what had happened was beyond natural.
"Well I'll be damned," both of my dad's said at the same time, then punched each other and played a round of Jinx while we all laughed at them.
"I wonder why they all changed now," my mom asked then, while everyone else was lost in thought.
"Perhaps when you all accepted that what Myka and I were telling you as the truth, that was the trigger that allowed the magic to do its work," Kelli guessed. "I can't be sure, but I will bring it up to some friends that are knowledgeable in this sort of thing."
"Who are these friends, hun, if you don't mind me asking," Kelli's mom asked, getting nods and agreement from all of our parents as well.
I breathed a small sigh of frustration and then answered, "We can't really tell you. We made a promise to keep their parts in my transformation secret, because if other people knew about it, the power that goes along with the magic involved, it might fall into the wrong hands and be corrupted. Just know that our friends have been working for generations to keep the power of the Neko in the right hands and with the right people."
"Well, I may not like it," my mom huffed. "But if you both trust them then I will accept that you will tell us what we can and tell us when we shouldn't know something. All I, and the rest of us ask is that you don't keep us completely in the dark."
"That's fair," Kelli replied as I nodded to everyone. "But remember, this situation is new to both of us as well, so we are learning about it almost as much as you are."
"You and Myka keep referring to what is going on as if it involves both of you somehow," Kelli's dad commented. "How does it involve you other than Myka being your friend? How did you become involved sweetheart?"
Kelli and I sighed at that point and took each other's hand. This was the other thing that we needed to bring up, and now it had sort of been put out there. Kelli looked at me then, and nodded her head slightly to me.
"Ok. One of the catalysts, for a lack of a better term that caused the magic to activate was that I had to find and have very strong emotions for the person who would become my bond mate, and when I say very strong emotions I mean love. Are you with me so far?"
Everyone nodded or indicated that they understood and wanted me to continue.
"So, at midnight on New Year's everyone at the big dance area at the party we were at trading kisses to celebrate the turn of the year. I kinda got pushed, turned and had closed my eyes when I stumbled into someone's arms and I kissed her. God did I kiss her, and it was probably the most sensual and romantic kiss I have ever had."
I paused for a moment and it was clear that our moms were hanging on my every word, along with Kelli's dad, but I saw that my dad had a thoughtful look on his face and I had a suspicion that he had figured this part out. I chuckled a bit at this because I knew that my dad getting it before she did would irritate mom to no end.
"Well who was it," my mom asked excitedly.
"And why did you not bring them to meet us? And when..." Kelli's mom asked and then stopped for a second. "What do you mean, her?"
I giggled a bit at that and replied, "I kissed her. Yes I kissed a girl who became the person that could be my bond mate, and I did bring her home to meet you all."
As I said this last I gently kissed the back of Kelli's hand and nuzzled into her chest, letting everything soak in for our parents. It was my dad's booming laughter that surprised us all, and he continued to laugh and slap his knee as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever. In fact, it made Kelli and I laugh as well.
"Dan Carlisle, what in god's name is so damned funny," my mom chided him, as my dad began to wipe the tears of mirth from his eyes.
He then smacked Kelli's dad on the arm and snapped his fingers before he held out his hand in a very insistent manner. We were all confused at this but he just snapped his fingers again, clearly expecting something from Kelli's dad.
"Well shit," her dad swore, and pulled out his wallet and passed over a couple of bills to mine.
"Would either of you like to explain what is going on," Kelli's mom asked the two of them, with fire in her eyes.
"Well, about 5 years ago, I bet Steve 20 bucks that before you two were out of college," my dad said pointing to us, "that you would be together. As in serious relationship together. I win."
"You mean you placed a bet on our daughters' sexual orientation?! That's kind of shitty of you if you ask me," her mom replied.
"Wait a minute! I didn't make a bet on orientation, or political views, or anything else. I just knew and know our daughters, and they were so close growing up that I saw them together as clear as I see them now. Gay, straight; doesn't matter. They loved each other this much then, and still do now, and I dare you to tell me or them otherwise," my dad finished with a defiant look in his eye.
I went over to him then, and leaned up on tip toes to kiss him on the cheek.
"You saw us together, like this, that long ago and you are ok with it," I whispered.
"Yes sweetheart, I did. And yes, by god, am I ok with it," my dad answered, and enfolded me in his strong arms in a comforting hug.
It took me a moment to realize that I was trembling in my dad's arms, tears running down my face, weeping in both joy and relief that all of the monumental changes that had happened over the last month or so were ok, and our family was ok with it. Kelli came up behind me at that point and put her arms around me and dad, and then everyone else followed and we spent several long minutes in a huge family embrace, with not a dry eye in the house.