A/N: Since I haven't updated any of my stories in a while, or posted anything at all, I'll share something from my Tumblr archives. Most of you from there have read it, those who haven't, well here you go; hope you enjoy it. I wrote this a year ago.
"Come here, Fluffy. It's okay. Look, I have food." The little brunette-haired girl lay flat on her stomach, stretching her short arm as far as it would go through the hole in the lattice leading beneath the porch. She held the empty can of tuna from the lunch her mother made her out toward the cat that had curled up under the porch and was now staring at this strange human with wide, wary eyes.
"Whatcha doin' kiddo?" Ty asked, stepping up at his daughter's feet when he saw her squirming between the shrubs on his way back into the farmhouse. He smiled down at his little girl when she seemed startled and pulled her arm back, leaving the incriminating tuna can hidden in the darkness beneath the porch as she turned to look up at her dad.
"Nothing," she said as innocently as possible, though Ty knew better than to believe that cute little face. She definitely had her mother's tell-tale way of lying.
"Yeah, right. What's under there?" He set his satchel down as he knelt on one knee to get down onto his daughter's level. She sat up quickly before he had a chance to really get down and look beneath the porch.
"Nothing," was again her response as she sat on her legs and looked up at her dad with those matching green eyes.
Ty chuckled softly, adjusting his weight and resting his arm over his leg "Now why would you give nothing a name like Fluffy?"
The little girl's face fell. Caught. There was no lying now that her dad overheard a lot more than he first let on. "Okay," she gave in, sighing and shifting to peer back beneath the porch. "He followed me home yesterday but when I went to catch him, he ran under here and now he won't come out."
Ty moved to squeeze beside his daughter and flatten himself out as he found her doing to get a look beneath the porch at this Fluffy, seeing the cat flee further into the darkness beneath the porch until it was back against the foundation of the house. "I see. And I'm guessing this is your attempt at bribery," he smiled, grabbing the empty tuna can. "Did you actually leave any tuna in it for him to eat?"
The girl looked at him. "Mommy used it for my lunch. I didn't think he'd like it on a sandwich, and I was really hungry."
Ty chuckled, backing out from under the porch with the can to sit back on his heels as his daughter followed. "Well, you know you can't just trick him like that or he'll never trust you."
The little girl frowned in thought. "So can we get another tuna can?"
"Hm. I could go for a tuna sandwich. Let's give it a try. You wait here and keep an eye on Fluffy. Maybe think of a more meaningful name while you're at it," Ty added as he got up and headed inside with his satchel.
Amy sat at the kitchen table peeling a cucumber to slice in with the dinner salad, glancing back over her shoulder when the door opened and Ty entered. "Hey. How was your day?"
Ty set his bag down before walking up next to his wife for a kiss. "It was good. No euthanasia's or serious emergencies today," he answered then, heading for the cabinet to find the tuna.
"Well that's good." Amy glanced up to see what he was doing. "Hey, don't eat that. I'm making dinner." She lowered the peeler and cucumber, watching her husband get down a can of tuna and rummage in the drawer for the opener.
"Don't worry, it's not for me," he assured her, locating the can opener and working on getting the top off the tuna. "Have you seen what our daughter is doing?" Ty asked, twisting the can open with a few good turns then moving over to the sink to drain the water.
Amy paused in her peeling again, looking up at Ty with a bit of concern. "She went outside with Remi after lunch to find sticks for the fire tonight." Amy looked at him cautiously, thinking their daughter was old enough to be outside by herself now just as long as she remained within sight of the house. "Does it have to do with that tuna? Should I be worried?"
Ty was grinning to himself, draining the water then taking the top to toss in the trash can. "It seems we have an uninvited guest living beneath our porch and she's been trying to coax it out with an empty tuna can," Ty said, lifting the new, full, can to further explain its purpose.
"Ah, uninvited, huh?" Amy grinned, shaking her head and knowing how their little girl took after her mother with bringing stray or injured animals home for Dad to fix up. If she had it her way, they'd have a zoo instead of a horse ranch. Although, it was turning out to be quite the farmyard between the horses, dog, chickens, guinea pigs, few milk cows and a 4-H sheep. "What is it that she carted home this time?"She set the peeler down and reached for a knife to start cutting chunks of cucumber to throw on top of the lettuce.
"It's just a cat. She says he followed her home, but I'm sure there was some coaxing involved on her part. But now he's hiding under the porch and won't come out. I figure I'd better be the one to get him." They didn't know where the animal had been or what it could be carrying and while it didn't look aggressive, Ty wasn't about to let his little girl get scratched or bitten without knowing the cat was healthy first.
"Yes, please don't let her crawl under there. And you be careful." Amy paused in her slicing to lean in for a kiss as Ty headed back outside with the tuna, swatting at his hand when he reached into the salad bowl and picked out a cucumber with his fingers.
"Alright, let's give him some space," Ty said after crawling back under the house to place the can for the cat his daughter was still calling to come to her.
"But what if he runs away," she pouted, glancing back over her shoulder as her father led her around to the door of the house.
Ty chuckled. "I don't think he'll be going anywhere fast now that he knows where the food is. I'll keep an eye out for him. You go help Mom with dinner." He ushered her in the house, flashing Amy a smile and amused shake of his head before heading back across the yard to his clinic where he grabbed a catch pole and a flashlight.
"Alright, Fluffy. How about you come here so I can check you out." Ty didn't want his daughter to see him trap the cat as he intended. It didn't appear aggressive but there was no telling how he'd react to being cornered or grabbed and Ty didn't want her getting hurt, especially when he didn't know if the animal was diseased or injured and needed to be put down rather than saved.
Clicking on the flashlight Ty shined it into the darkness, catching the glowing yellow eyes of the feline that was still watching him cautiously. It hadn't moved from its spot against the foundation of the house but Ty could see it trying to back up away from him as he reached the pole in toward it. It started growling as the loop drew closer, twitching when it bumped its nose. "Hold still." Quickly Ty caught it around the cat's neck and tightened the noose, gently tugging the cat from beneath the porch into the light. It resisted, hissing, as he stooped down to give it a quick once over. It was a long-haired tabby with four white paws and a little white mustache. "Not a bad looking animal, are you?" It didn't have a collar so it was either a stray or runaway farm cat, which wasn't uncommon around these parts. If someone had lost their house pet, he most likely would have received a few calls to be on the lookout by now. All the same, Ty would put up a 'Found' poster on his clinic's website.
Grabbing onto the scruff of his neck, Ty removed the noose and lifted the cat into his arms, holding him securely so he couldn't bite and he wouldn't drop him if he fought to get away. The animal squirmed, but stilled when Ty began to walk with it back to the clinic. "Let's check you out, huh?" Switching on the light over the exam table, Ty held the cat steady with one hand while checking his teeth and gums, eyes, ears, claws, and massaging his sides and belly before looking beneath his tail. As a precaution he administered distemper and rabies vaccines as well as a de-wormer before settling him into a vacant cage for the night just to make sure no issues developed.
"Daddy!" A little voice called. Ty glanced toward the window to see the top of a brown head race by the window to the front door. She entered the back room a moment later, her eyes bright with glee. "You caught him! Can we keep him, Dad, please?" She begged, darting to peer into the cage, startling the cat to the back of it.
"He might belong to someone, hun, but if no one claims him then you need to ask Mom." Ty moved to clean up the used syringes and disinfect the table.
"She already said yes."
Ty laughed quietly to himself. Of course she did. Like mother, like daughter. "Okay then." He glanced over at her, his little girl so full of fascination and appreciation for any animal she encountered. It was impossible to count the times she would bring home bull snakes, beetles, tree frogs, or anything she could get her hands on. She knew what to stay away from, both Amy and Ty taking great care in teaching her the difference between harmful and harmless when it became apparent she had no fears.
"How about you give him a little time to settle down first, okay? He's not very comfortable with people and we don't want to overwhelm him. You can visit tomorrow before school." Placing a hand on her head, Ty waited for her to turn away with a sigh and a grumbled "Okay."
"Mom told me to come tell you dinner was ready." She flopped down into Ty's rolling chair, spinning around while waiting for him to finish up and shut off the light.
"Okay, let's head out."
"Goodnight, Fluffy!" The girl called, blowing a kiss toward the cat and making Ty smile as he walked out with her and locked up again.
"Come on, I'll race you to the house." Ty laughed, taking off at a run across the yard, unable to miss the look of shock that crossed his daughter's face as his challenge registered.
"Hey, no fair!" She called, sprinting after him a moment later. Ty purposely began to slow down for her to catch up, glancing over his shoulder at the determined little frown on her face that turned to one of pride as she pulled ahead of her dad and leaped the porch steps to tag the door. "I win!" She beamed in triumph.
"Yes, you do." Ty laughed through heavy breaths as he climbed the stairs, doubling over at the top to catch his breath. "Dad's getting too old for that."
She giggled. "You still beat Mommy."
Ty chuckled. "That's because Mommy is a slow poke. But don't tell her I said that," he added in a low voice.
She reached out her small hand, offering her pinky to him. "Pinky swear." Ty wrapped his larger finger around hers and they shook on it.
"That's my girl."