Don't Worry Now, a cat returns fanfic

A/N: Okay, this is a bit Sue-ish but this is a vent fic that has been in the back of my mind for, like, ever. If you don't like those type of fics then don't read it. It's that simple. Okay on with the show…

They were at it again. My parents were arguinh again and it was once again giving me a bad headache. Thank God my room was located near the back door so I could slip out without being detected. As usual, I took my music with me and escaped out the back door to take a walk and blow off steam. I loved my parents but right now, I hated them because they were being so insufferable. As I walked out, I slipped my ear phones in my ears and walked out of the wooden gate fence that led me to the street. I turned my music on loud and began walking fast as if it would tire out my anger.

Despite my anger, I began singing loudly to the music on my iPod. The song was about someone who got hurt in a relationship and she became a fighter, refusing to let anyone get to her.

"It makes me that much stronger,

Makes me work a little bit harder,

It makes me that much wiser,

So thanks for making me a fighter,

Made me learn a little bit faster,

Made my skin a little bit thicker,

Makes me that much smarter,

So thanks for making me a fighter…"

I saw something big and white move out of the corner of my eye and I turned to see what it was. It turned out to be a big fat white cat that resembled a fluff ball but it had squinty black eyes and a moody visage yet it looked interested in me. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I pulled my ear phones out and turned off my music to talk to him. I knew it wouldn't respond but it would feel nice to talk to someone that wouldn't respond back.

"Hi there, Snowball," I said quietly, sitting down on the curb next to him. "How are you today?"

He just stared at me curiously but made no movements to go.

"Life's really hard," I sighed sadly. "I love my parents—really, I do—but they make it so hard to wear my family name with pride. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

I wasn't expecting him to answer but he nodded his head like he understood what I was saying.

Tears burned in my eyes and I sniffled, sighing shakily. All the pain, anger, hurt, and sadness I kept bottle up finally began to seep out like water coming out of a running bathtub at a slow rate.

"It's just so difficult," I cried, voice breaking. "I mean, why is this happening, and why my family?"

Out of nowhere, I scooped him up in my arms, buried my face in his fur, and began weeping like my heart had broken. Crap, I hated crying when I was trying to express my feelings.

"Hey, don't cry," I heard a gravelly male voice say. "I hate see kids cry."

"I hate crying," I replied shakily as I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "Believe me, it makes me feel like shit."

"It's okay, Chicky," he said gently, and I just realized that the white cat was talking.

Suddenly, my tears stopped and I stared at him with wide eyes. "How are you talking?" I asked curiously.

"The same way as you," he remarked. "From the mouth."

"Don't be a smartass," I said irritably. "How can you talk?"

"All animals can talk if you listen closely enough," he replied, shrugging slightly. "Come on, I'm gonna take you to a place you'll like. Trust me."

He got up and began to walk away on his stubby legs so I got up and ran after him. This was crazy! I was following a talking cat to God-only-knows-where and he was leading me. I hated running but I managed to keep up with Snowball and he led me to a strange little town that reminded me of a little doll play village. There were buildings a little shorted than me that circled a stone pillar with a stone bird on it. Snowball got up on his hind legs and walked over to the small, cute house, pulling out a newspaper from the mailbox and reading it.

"Where are we?" I asked, staring at him.

I received no answer—he was ignoring me.

"Hello, Snowball?" I said rudely. "Are you listening to me, or have you suddenly gone deaf?"

He ignored me again but I noticed a cat statue standing in the window of the house and its eyes were glowing like twin fireflies as the sun set. It seemed like they were glowing for me so I stepped back, gasping, and stared at the statue wondrously.

"What is this?" I gasped quietly, eyes widening.

Suddenly, when the sun set, the light refracted off all the windows of the buildings and shined into the small house that I was standing near. I felt this strange feeling, like magic engulfed the air and swept into my body.

"Enough, Baron," I heard the cat groan in irritation. "Turn it off! No one's impressed with your cheesy light show, okay!"

When I blinked, I noticed the lights came on in the small house like a Christmas village as the sun disappeared and night came. The door of the house opened and a small dark silhouette got my attention.

As it walked towards me, I saw that it was the statue from before but this time it was alive. That small cat came to a stop in front of me and that was where I noticed his full appearance. He wore a beige suit with a matching top and he carried and he carried a small wooden cane in his gloved hands. It made me wonder why he needed it because he could walk fine on his own feet. He removed his tope hate and I noticed he was an orange cat with gentle emerald eyes. He gave me a gentle smile and began speaking.

"Good evening," he said in a husky British accent. "Welcome to the Bureau."

I tripped over my own feet as I walked closer to him. "Whoa," I breathed, "you're so cool…"

"Thank you," he replied politely. "You're in a world quite different from your own. This is a refuge for creations."

"Creations?" I interrupted him. "What are those?"

"Whenever somebody makes something with all of their hearts," he answered, "the object made receives a soul, see? Like me, and Toto there." He gestured over my shoulder and I turned to see the stone bird coming alive. It was black large crow.

"That's—that's…" I stammered, feeling inarticulate.

"That is Toto," said the gentleman cat, "the stone statue with a soul."

The bird looked over to us and noticed me with slight surprise. "Another visitor, I see," he said in low yet polite voice. "How unusual, Baron…"

"Indeed," agreed Sir Cat, placing his hat back on his head. "She's quite a beautiful one too…"

I flushed at the compliment but I looked over at him curiously. "Did he just say 'Baron'?" I asked.

I am Baron Humbert von Gekkingen," he said to me politely. "The artisan who created me gave me that title."

"Should I call you 'Baron' or 'Humbert'?" I asked curiously.

"Whichever you feel comfortable with," he replied briskly. "So what appears to be the problem, Miss?"

I lied through my teeth. "I don't have a problem," I said smoothly.

I heard a snort come from the fat cat but he said nothing.

"Nothing at all?" Baron asked, not believing me.

"Nothing," I replied quickly—too quickly, if you asked me.

"I see," he said, placing a hand to his chin. "Well then, how did you end up here if you don't have a problem?"

"Well, Humbert, sir," I said, "I was following the big white cat and he led me here."

Baron nodded slightly. "Well, I'll have to take you home then," he said politely.

I felt my heart skip a beat because I knew my parents weren't done arguing yet. "No, don't make me go," I begged before I thought everything through.

Baron stared at me with perceptive eyes. "Whatever do you mean, Miss?" he asked curiously.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment and I inclined my head, biting my bottom lip.

"It's alright," he said gently, placing his small hand on my shin. "You can tell me."

Tears welled up again and I nodded. "It's my parents," I replied thickly. "It's too loud at home…" I trailed off, not trusting my voice.

"Is someone being noisy?" he asked gently. "A younger sibling? A pet, maybe?"

"My parents…"I said in a broken voice.

Baron seemed to sense my distress because he ushered me to the Bureau. "Come," he said, "let's talk inside."

I followed him to the Bureau and got on my knees to crawl into the house. It was beautiful. There was chandelier hanging from the ceiling, piles of books filled the beautiful antique bookshelves, and the furniture seemed antique-like. I felt comfortable because how tall I was in there.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked, pulling out some small teacups and a teapot.

"Uh, sure," I answered uncertainly. I didn't like tea because it was bitter but I couldn't be rude to the Baron.

"Milk with your tea, or lemon?" he asked once more.

"Milk please," I replied, sitting on the floor.

"Good choice," he remarked, handing me the small cup. "This is my own personal blend of tea. It's different every time so I can't guarantee the taste."

I took a sip of the warm liquid and was surprised by how it tasted so much like hot chocolate. "Mmmm, delicious," I said quietly, looking over to the Baron, who looked pleased of himself.

"Then you're lucky," he replied happily, sipping his own tea.

"Still tastes like boiled grass to me," I heard the white cat say as he walked in.

"Tea is too refined for your crude taste buds, Muta," remarked Toto coolly as he came in.

"At least I don't eat worms," he growled, looking hassled as he sat on the Baron's big red sofa.

"Muta," said Baron politely, sitting in a red armchair, "please tell me where you found this young lady."

"I found her about two miles away from the Cat Bureau," he replied. "She was taking a walk and singing. It was very nice, if I might add. Anyway, she seemed upset and she told me her parents were fighting."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment and I looked to my feet, setting my empty cup down on the floor.

"I see," remarked Baron, placing his cup on the coffee table. "I didn't get your name, dear?" He now spoke to me.

"It's Charisse," I answered dully. "Charisse Carr."

"Well, Miss Charisse," he said, "tell me about your problem."

"My parents have been fighting," I explained quickly. "They're not physically hurting each other but they argue and bicker of the littlest thing. At first, it was just over a few things but now it's about everything. Money, me, my siblings, you name it. They used to love each other but now their arguing and shouting scares me. At night, they'd yell at each other and it keeps me and my siblings awake." My voice began rising as I continued. "My little sister crawls into bed with me at night cuz she's scared and she's only five; she shouldn't have to deal with this! But this pressure and shouting is turning me into something that I don't wanna be—a bitch!"

"No," said Baron, shaking his head. "You are not."

"Yes I am," I said harshly. "I'm a big one!"

"Well, I don't think you are," said Muta, staring at me. "I think you're pretty awesome."

"You do?" I asked, taken aback.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. "You're a strong girl."

"For once I agree with you, Fatso," said Toto, looking at Muta, who scowled sourly.

Baron groaned and placed a hand to his head. "Not this again," he groaned irritably. "If you two start arguing, I will kick you both out."

The two closed their mouths and fell silent, which made me laugh slightly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, staring at Baron curiously.

"These two argue a lot," he explained, pointing to them. "It's like they've been married for too long." I could tell he was joking.

I chuckled a bit and then the light dimmed. "I know how it is," I remarked dully.

Baron sighed and patted my knee. "It's alright, Charisse," he said gently.

His gentle tone made me cry because no one had ever spoken to me with such care and gentleness. My shoulders quaked, my arms and legs trembled, and my tears landed on my knees, soaking my jeans. I began trembling and I realized that I was breaking. The shell of my calm façade cracked and I was vulnerable but I didn't care. I couldn't pretend anymore.

"Oh, Charisse, don't cry," he said softly, patting my knee some more. "I hate seeing a young woman cry. There's nothing worse than that. Here," he handed me a small muffin, "take a bite of this."

I took a bite and I felt my form shrink. When I looked around, I noticed I was shorter than the Baron but that didn't stop me from running to him and throwing my arms around him. I buried my face into his red vest and began sobbing like my heart was broken. I felt him rub my back and the comfort gave me the freedom to cry as much as I needed to without being judged. I could never cry in public because no one would care or even notice…

"Please don't cry," he said in a gentle, almost singing way. "It hurts me to see you cry. Smile for me, Charisse. Don't be sad. Be happy."

"I-it's so hard…" I wept brokenly, clinging to him.

"I know," he said soothingly. "I know you're sad but I know it will get better."

After sobbing for a few minutes, I finally re-collected myself but I stayed wrapped in Baron's warm strong arms. Slowly but surely, I was getting better. My heart was healing itself…

"If it's not too much," said Muta sheepishly as if he didn't want to break the moment, "can you sing for us please?"

"Um, sure," I replied, sniffling. "What do you wanna hear?"

"A song from the heart," said Baron, kissing the side of my head gently.

I nodded, took a deep breath, and started:

"Seven years old, you heard me cry

I don't wanna say goodbye

To the only man that I love

My daddy and everything he was

I don't think I can live without you

Dad, I know you're breaking in two

With tears running down his face

He says we're gonna make it

We're gonna make it…"

I began crying again but my voice remained strong. I could see them staring at me in concern but I disregarded and continued on.

"When you feel like you are all alone

Just like your best friend up and gone

Don't worry now

I've been there yeah, I know how it feels

To wonder if love is even real

Don't worry now

It's gonna be ok.

I've been trying to find a way to understand

When I can't see the picture of God's plan

Why would He let us hurt so bad?

Could anything good come of these feelings that I have?

He loved me more than the sand on beaches

He loved me more than the grass is green

And even though he had to go

I always knew his love was part of me, yeah

When you feel like you are all alone

Just like your best friend up and gone

Don't worry now

I've been there yeah, I know how it feels

To wonder if love is even real

Don't worry now

It's taken so long to let this go

It's taken so long to feel that

You're right here next to me

And I can finally breathe

It's taken so long but now I know

I had to find out on my own

When nothing could convince me

Your love it convinced me

That it's gonna be ok

When you feel like you are all alone

Just like your best friend up and gone

Don't worry now

I've been there yeah, I know how it feels

To wonder if love is even real

Don't worry now

Because it's gonna be

Yeah, It's gonna be ok."

As soon as I finished, I heard the room fill with applause and Toto whistled loudly like they just watched Carrie Underwood perform. I wasn't that good of a singer but I was decent. My family always said that I should try out for American Idol but I turned it down because I didn't like singing in front of people. I must have done well, though, because they were cheering for me.

"That was beautiful," said Baron excitedly, kissing the side of my head again. "You are very good. How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen but…" I stated but he broke me off. "No but's. It was good. You're a good singer, Charisse, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Are you considering that for a career?"

"Oh, no," I said quickly, flushing from all the compliments. "I actually want to be a writer. I write better than I sing."

"I'd like to read your stories sometime," he said gently, giving me a smile.

"Maybe I'll show them to you one day," I replied confidently.

We gazed into each other's eyes and I noticed how intense his green eyes were yet I couldn't tear myself away. I smiled and took one of his gloved hands in mine, feeling a warm feeling well up in my belly.

"I think we're witnessing a moment," crowed Muta, effectively ruining the moment.

"Shut up, Muta," I muttered, blushing slightly as I stepped away from the Baron, dropping his hand like it was hot.

We all laughed together and I felt like my heart was healing already with the help of my new friends. They made me feel better like everything would truly be okay.

"Well then," said Baron after he was done laughing, "let's take Charisse home now."

"Will I return to my normal size?" I asked, referring to my shrunken self.

"Of course," he answered, nodding as he pulled out a blue potion. "Once you sip this, you will return to your normal size."

I took the potion in my hands but gazed at him desperately. "Will I…see you again?" I asked almost tearfully.

"Charisse," he said gently, placing a hand to my cheek and stroking it gently, "if you should ever need us, you will always know where to find us and the Bureau's doors will be open to you, be it day or night."

Before he could step away, I leapt up, impulsively wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed his furry cheek gently. "Thank you," I gasped joyfully. "Thank you for everything, Humbert. You too, Muta, Toto."

"Too?" repeated Muta teasingly. "I'm just an afterthought?" But the two smiled and nodded, and I returned the grin.

When we walked out the Bureau, I noticed that it was eleven at night and it had gotten colder. I sipped the potion and grew back to my normal size. I looked down to my three friends and smiled softly.

"Will you accompany me home?" I asked gently.

"Of course," answered Baron, climbing up on my shoulder like those shoulder consciences.

As I walked out of the small village, I was being followed by Toto and Muta and I felt safe.

…

Upon returning home, I gave Baron, Muta, and Toto all a kiss, bade them goodnight, and walked through the back gate—the same way I exited only hours prior. When I went up to my room, I saw my little sister curled in my bed and I smiled lovingly. Quietly, I undressed, got in my nightgown, and climbed into bed with her. I felt her snuggled against my chest and she woke up slightly.

"Where were you, Charisse?" she whispered wearily.

"I was with a few friends of mine," I whispered back. "Sorry I worried you, Marissa."

"It's okay," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too," I replied, drifting off to sleep next to her.

As I slept, I dreamt of Baron, Muta, and Toto and I smiled in my sleep. It truly was going to be okay, and I knew it now.

…

A few days later, I saw Muta walking through my suburb and I smiled at him happily. He looked over to me, winked, and ran off. My little sister crept up behind me and stared at him too.

"What were you looking at?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," I answered, smiling still as I turned away. "Let's go eat." I grabbed her hand and we walked away to eat but I still smiled.

I will see you three again, I thought to myself, one day…

~Always believe in yourself. Do this, and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.-Baron Humbert von Gekkingen, The Cat Returns, 2006~

A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this! Please leave nice comments! R&R!