Wasted Years
Disclaimer: All things belong to their respective owners
Chapter 1
It was a crisp cool day but inside the small shop called Bookmarks the air was warm. The smell of old books was thick in the air, familiar and comforting causing the young woman to smile as her stuff was stored under the counter. The shop was cozy and inviting, a maze of shelves with piles of books along the walls where shelving had grown scarce and scattered through out was an assortment of well worn yet still comfy armchairs. She navigated it expertly and set about organizing the extra stock, pricing and putting things where the needed to be.
The shop was closed and she, technically speaking, had the day off but she still like many times before found herself retuning to the second hand store. She had loved books as far back as she could remember, a love she had acquired from her mother, who'd spent hours reading to her. Her mother; a woman who had loved tales of romance and legend, of epic quests and great battles between good and evil, who in a fit of romanticism after giving birth to a baby girl saw fit to name her Arwen.
Arwen herself, while shelving a copy of Return of the King, was reaffirming her belief that some people should just not be aloud to name their children when the knock came. Standing herself up and dusting her hands on her jeans she looked to the shop door to find a face peering back at her from the frosty window. Clearing her throat she pointed rather apologetically at the sign in the window.
"I'm sorry, we're closed."
"Please Arwen, it's an emergency!" Came the slightly muffled yet desperate reply.
At the sound of her name she peered closer at the face, which was mostly obscured buy a heavy wool scarf, but came to recognise the thick glasses and wispy blond hair. Chewing her lip and going against her better judgement she made for the door and stuck her head out into the chilly air. "What kind of emergency?"
XxXxX
"You really are a life saver my dear, you have no idea." Arwen smiled at Tom Johnson, who's family were regular patrons, as she rang in his purchases.
"Well desperate times, though cutting it a bit close don't you think?"
"I know, I know, it just sort of snuck up on me this year I guess." He wrapped the scarf back around his face and fixed his coat as she pulled a bag from beneath the counter.
"Sorry I didn't have anything for wrapping…"
"Oh you've done more then enough," The man gushed as he took the bag. "Thank you so much again." She smiled following him to the door.
"Don't mention it," she rubbed at her bare arms against the cold and called towards his retreating back, "and Marry Christmas!" A wave was her reply and she turned to notice a rather smartly dressed man jogging towards her.
"Hey" He waved for her attention as he continued down the block, he stopped in front of her slightly out of breath and with that same air of desperation. "Are you open?" Arwen bit her lip again, her brow creasing before she gestured him into the building. Following him inside as once again many thanks were given she wondered to herself just how she had become such a sucker for a person in need.
XxXxX
A few hours and more than a few customers later Arwen finally locked the door and decided it was time to go. Putting the money from the day in the safe and collecting her things she made her way to the back door, switching off lights and pulling on her coat as she went. She had just located her keys when a thud made her pause, very slowly her eyes shifted towards the ceiling where the sound had come from. She strained her ears to listen, the shop now seeming eerily quiet, but just as she'd convinced herself she'd imagined it, it came again.
Setting her messenger bag down she as stealthily as possible she made her way to the foot of the stairs where a length of chain bared a sign reading 'Employees Only', the stairwell was unlit and nothing could be seen at the top. 'A person could be standing there watching me and I'd never see them' She thought to herself and immediately kicked herself for thinking it. Banishing thoughts of just about every horror movie she had ever watched Arwen steeled herself and flicking on the light and undoing the chain made her way up the stairs.
The upstairs was smaller then the down, comprised of a break area, a small washroom and a storage area. It was also rather empty but as she turned to leave there came the sound of movement from the storage area. "Hello?" Arwen kicked herself again as more horror movie scenarios danced through her subconscious. Picking her way quietly through the shelves and piles of books she found the room just as empty. Chuckling to herself Arwen was startled by something dark moving in her peripheral vision.
Jumping at the sight she caught her footing on a stack of old National Geographics and landed flat on her back with an ungraceful thud. Vision a little fuzzy she blinked at the shelf above her, where a pair of very blue eyes were watching her in an amused fashion. The cat whom those blue eyes belonged to meowed innocently as Arwen picked herself up off the floor.
"Hey," she cooed scratching it behind the ears, "how did you get in here?" The cat simply purred in response as she plucked it from the shelf and made her way back down stairs. "Well I'm sorry but you can't stay here." She paused with her hand on the door knob. It was cold outside, and she could see through the tiny window that it was now dark and had started to snow.
The cat peered at her with those rather mesmerizing blue eyes, he, and she was sure it was a he, was long haired and black as a shadow and if she were being entirely honest with herself utterly adorable. Her scratching fingers came in contact with a collar around his neck and she held him up for a better look. It was a rather odd one she thought, it was simple leather but not like she'd seen before, it appeared to be hand made and was rather worn. Attached was a tag which also seemed to be hand made, it was beaten silver, there was no address or phone number just the name etched in a very simple hand. Both seemed to be very old and she smoothed the pad of her thumb carefully over the engraved letters.
"Merlin…" The cat named Merlin mewed in response and batted at her nose with a paw, she sighed in defeat, "You're going to make me take you home with me aren't you?" Merlin only continued to stare at her. "Of course you are." Picking up her bag she left the shop, locking up behind her and settling the cat into the messenger bag at her hip headed for the bus stop.
XxXxX
Arriving back at the apartment she leaned heavily against the door and inhaled deeply the smell of Christmas Eve dinner. After a rather awkward bus ride where she kept getting odd looks thanks to her twitching bag and a walk in the snow which was getting heaver by the minute, it was good to be home.
"Hey." came the voice of Tess, her roommate from the kitchen area. Arwen kicked off her shoes and joined her perching herself on a chair setting the still twitching messenger bag in front of her.
"Hey."
"I thought you were going to come back and help me with this." Tess demanded as she negotiated a roaster from the oven, though she did not sound upset in the least.
"Meh, I'd only be in the way," Arwen smirked as she received a glare before Tess continued her work, "Besides I got a little busy." She continued flipping the bag open to reveal Merlin who had managed to wrap himself in her scarf and was happily chewing on a tassel. "It is amazing the amount of people who put off their shopping till the last minuet." She continued as she attempted to untangle the struggling feline.
"I thought the shop was closed for the holidays?" Tess scoffed in a tone that held no surprise. Arwen pulled a guilty look which was missed completely as her roommate was wrestling a rather large chicken onto a serving platter.
"Umm… It was…" Tess just rolled her eyes.
"You are such a soft touch… well come on then, set the table while I carve." It was at this point Tess turned to look at her roommate and finally notice the fluffy black feline sitting contentedly in her friends lap as she stroked it, making her look very much like a Bond villain. "What is that?"
"A cat."
"Yeah, I know it's a cat, what are you doing with a cat? Please tell me you didn't get a cat."
"Why? Is there a problem with me getting a cat?"
"No. I would just hope you'd discus it with your roommate before going pet shopping." Arwen sighed setting Merlin on the floor and pulling off her jacket.
"Well don't worry, he's not mine. I found him in the shop. I'm still not sure how he got in but I just didn't have the heart to leave him in the alley." Tess' expression softened a bit and she smirked.
"Soft touch…" She set about carving the chicken as Arwen pulled plates from the cupboard. "He a stray?"
"I don't think so, he has a collar but there was no contact information on it. I figure tomorrow I'll make up some flyers, post them on boxing day and see what happens." Tess in the process of mixing gravy turned to her friend with a cynical eye.
"You want keep it, don't you?"
" He has a collar which means he belongs to someone, I'm not going to just keep someone else's cat, that's just mean." Arwen continued arranging silverware. "But if no one claims him…" Tess just scoffed.
"So does he have a name?"
"Merlin." At the sound of his name the cat mewed and rubbed himself against Tess' legs as she gave them both an incredulous look.
XxXxX
Christmas Eve dinner was enjoyed by all, including Merlin who was without proper cat food until the shops opened back up. After storing the leftovers and washing up the girls and their guest finished the evening off in their usual Christmas Eve tradition, snacking on popcorn and watching the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol. As Tiny Tim declared 'God bless us every one' the girls said good night.
XxXxX
Arwen snuggled into her bed, a copy of Hogfather open in front of her. She didn't even notice Merlin snuggling himself into the puffy comforter beside her as she read. But as the day began to catch up with her and her eyes began to droop, the book fell from her hand and Arwen fell into a deep sleep.
It hadn't seemed like a very long night, she could remember just closing her eyes and now she felt herself waking up. She felt something else as well; warmth, and a pressure on her abdomen. As her brain pulled through the fog of sleep understanding dawned. There was a hand on her stomach, which was attached to an arm that was slung over her hip, which was attached to a very warm and solid body that was snuggled into her back. Arwen's eyes snapped open, the thought of five more minutes sleep all but forgotten.
A/N: Well I finally worked up the nerve to post this after two years, hopefully you've enjoyed it. Constructive criticism is most welcome and appreciated. Yes, I am slightly evil for ending it there, and no you'll probably never guess what happens next : )