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Summary: As far as Coreen was concerned, good vampire stories should start on dark and stormy nights. If you live in a place with the weather like Toronto's and get to meet a vampire almost every day, sooner or later you're bound to have a chance to star in one. Well, maybe not as dramatic as the ones you can usually find. But at least it involves a cat.
Credit for betareading goes to Marlana.
Cat out of Bag
It was a nasty night. That much Coreen had to admit to herself as soon as she stepped out of the club. Sure, the evening was not particularly nice but it seemed to be just an introduction to what the weather really had in store. Right now the Goth wondered, while tightening her woollen coat around herself, if any sort of movement in this weather could still be classified as walking or was already moving towards swimming.
Still, having spent most of the insignificant sum of money she had taken with her when going clubbing (mindful of the hour-long lecture a certain female ex-cop had given her some time ago about the foolish recklessness of taking larger sums or, heaven forbid, a whole wallet), she couldn't really afford to take a taxi home. Meaning she had to walk (or was it swim?) to the streetcar stop whether she liked that perspective or not.
She was almost at her destination (or at least she hoped she was judging from her previous experience – with the rain it was a bit hard to tell) when she heard something that sounded suspiciously like a meow. And not a grownup cat's get-out-of-my-alley meow but that of a small kitten. She stopped in her tracks and listened again. Sure enough, a moment later she heard another desperate cry of a small kitty.
She glanced wistfully in the direction where she was pretty sure the stop would be if it was possible to see further than two steps ahead in this weather before turning and following the sound. Sure, Vicki would have chewed her out if she knew her assistant went looking for things in dark alleys at night, but Coreen was never a person to deny help to any living creature (even if her younger cousin Joey was coming pretty close to being the only exception).
The alley was dirty, smelly and dark. Which possibly made it an epitome of dark-alleyness, not that the Goth spent much time contemplating the fact. Another meow. This time coming clearly from the garbage can by one of the walls.
With a sigh, Coreen dug through her purse for a small packet of tissues and took one out. It was completely soaked by the time she managed to close her purse. Still, she hoped it would serve its purpose. Grabbing the lid of the can through the tissue, she opened it and looked inside.
No cat.
It wasn't like she never heard about disappearing cats. She did read 'Alice in Wonderland' after all. And she knew better than to dismiss anything as impossible. But still, she hoped that after all this effort the cat would have the decency to actually be there.
That was when she heard another meow and saw a plastic bag moving in the trash. What would a cat be doing in a plastic bag? She looked more closely and had to rephrase. What could anyone be thinking leaving a cat in a tied plastic bag?
She quickly reached in and took out the bag, setting it on the ground and bending to untie it. As soon as she did, she saw a pair of scared shiny eyes looking at her. Who could be so heartless to leave the tiny critter to suffocate in a dirty trash can on a night like this? She suddenly couldn't help the tears that rushed to her eyes as she took the scared little bundle of fur and fear out of the bag and into her arms. Then, thinking better of it, she placed him under her coat and held onto him for dear life.
"It's going to be fine, kitty," she assured through tears. "I'll take you home and feed you, and you'll never have to see the nasty people who did this to you again, okay?"
The kitten failed to respond but she took the fact that it didn't openly protest as an agreement and marched to the streetcar stop.
III
It was unfair. It was cruel. It was downright heartless.
Coreen was running out of ways to describe the situation. How could anyone be as nasty as that driver? So what if the kitty started meowing a bit? He was scared and probably never travelled on anything like the streetcar before so he had every right to be a bit frightened.
And it wasn't like it was meowing all that loud, no matter what the people in the streetcar said. They were just trying to be nasty. And the driver didn't have to listen to their complaints.
Besides, she was pretty sure he made up the rule about not being allowed to travel with pets without a carrier. After all, the kitty jumped out of her arms only once and she caught him pretty quickly. There was no need to make a fuss about it.
And it definitely wasn't any grounds for asking her to leave the streetcar on the next stop. On a night like this of all times.
She held the kitty closer to her in hopes of keeping it warm as her coat already managed to get all kinds of wet. She looked around desperately, not having the faintest idea what to do. At this time of a night it would be ages before another streetcar and there wasn't any protection from the rain at the stop. And if anything, the rain was even heavier than she remembered it being before she got on the streetcar.
She sighed. Then shuddered as the wind decided to join the rain on their night in town. Suddenly she realised that she knew the spot she was standing in. She was on Bloor, quite close to...
She started walking with renewed energy. Maybe not all hope was lost just yet and she wouldn't drown in the rain before catching another streetcar. Besides, how bad a reaction could a little, tired and wet cat have to seeing a vampire?
III
It was a rather peaceful evening and Henry hoped to be done with the inking of his latest story before Vicki came. So far it seemed he would be able to do that with a fair margin of error. That was when he heard the knock on the door and, after he switched off the music, two heartbeats outside. One accompanied by a familiar heart murmur, the other sounding like that of an animal. A small and scared animal. Then again, given that said animal was at his door, the fact that it was scared meant only that it had a sense of smell.
Still, Coreen's unannounced presence was a touch worrisome. Did Vicki get involved in some new case that somehow required sending her assistant with some sort of animal to him?
He quickly went to the door and opened it to reveal a rather peculiar sight.
The Goth stood in a sizable puddle of water, her attire suggesting a recent attempt at swimming while fully clothed, and wearing what originally had to be gothic make-up but currently resembled camouflage face paint. In her arms she held something that was presumably a cat and at the moment seemed to consist purely of dripping wet fur and hissing.
"Coreen?" He was truly at loss what to make of the scene before him.
"Hi Henry. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but can we wait here until it stops raining? Please?"
"We?"
"Oh, right. Meet Eddie." She held the cat a bit up, eliciting an indignant look and an even louder hiss.
"I'm afraid Eddie doesn't particularly want to meet me."
"He might be a bit annoyed about the weather. He already got us kicked off the streetcar."
"Did he? In any case, I have a feeling that it might be a natural reaction to what I am, not a wish to express his opinion about the weather. But do come in. I don't believe it will make any difference to him if we are talking over the threshold or not."
She stepped in, leaving miniature, shoe-shaped puddles with every step.
"Thanks. And I think it was totally unfair that we got kicked off in the first place. It's not like we did anything wrong."
"And may I inquire what made you travel with him at this hour?"
"I only just found him. All I wanted was to take him home." A miserable wet Goth was truly an image of despair. "Some lowlife left him in a plastic bag. He would have suffocated if I hadn't found him! How could anyone do that to a cat?"
"Some people are capable of doing even worse not only to cats but to each other. I'm sure Vicki would be able to tell you quite a bit about that. But perhaps you should get out of this coat. It can't be very comfortable, wet as it is."
Coreen nodded and looked around before placing the dripping feline on his leather couch. The cat immediately moved to the spot in the corner, the furthest from the vampire he could without jumping off to the floor. It took some effort but Henry managed to refrain from commenting, moving instead to take the coat from her. It appeared that the black dress she had underneath was as wet as the coat itself.
"Thanks. And I think Eddie is starting to like you."
Henry looked doubtfully at the cat that, apparently tired of constant hissing, now chose to do that only when he saw the vampire move.
"Possibly. Can I make you some tea? I believe Vicki bought a new box recently so I should still have it. And you could probably use a warm drink."
"You would? That would be grea..." She broke off to sneeze. Then she shuddered.
"In the meantime, you should go take a hot shower. You will find fresh towels in the bathroom closet and there is a bathrobe on the door. I don't want you catching pneumonia on my watch."
"Ok. So..." She looked around and it occurred to him that she never really learned where the bathroom was located.
"Through the bedroom, to the right," he offered and she grinned in reply.
"Thanks. I won't be long."
"I'd rather you stayed there as long as it takes you to get warm. There is no hurry."
"Right. Will you be alright with Eddie?"
"I think we'll manage."
She grinned again and went to take the shower.
III
Henry looked from the door behind which the Goth disappeared to the corner of the couch from which a pair of eyes was giving him a look that probably would have been menacing if it was displayed by a full-grown lion rather than a helpless, wet kitten.
"Looks like we're alone now, Eddie. You might as well get used to the idea that since you're in my home there isn't much of a chance of me going anywhere," he told the cat.
The little eyes narrowed and the feline shifted to what it presumably thought to be an intimidating position. Then, apparently noticing that the potential opponent wasn't properly terrified, it hissed for good measure.
Seeing how right now the cat didn't seem inclined to declare a ceasefire, Henry decided it was time to try a different approach. After all, whatever he did, the cat was unlikely to start reacting worse to his presence. He couldn't possibly lose.
He took a small step forward. Interestingly enough, that, aside from another hiss elicited a sharp offended look, which he could only presume was a reaction to his not appreciating the intimidating lion before him.
"Easy there, little one. I'm not going to hurt you." He didn't really think his persuasion had any chance of working but that didn't mean he couldn't try. As could be expected, it turned out that the cat was reacting to his persuasion as well as Vicki did. Down to the hissy fit following the attempt.
Speaking of whom....
He went to get his cell from the work area where it was left before the Goth and her kitten interrupted his night. He quickly selected the number.
"Hello?"
"Good evening, Vicki. Are you still coming tonight?"
"I was planning to. Why? I don't recall you ever calling for confirmation before."
"Perceptive as usual. And it appears that even the invitation was an expendable commodity, judging by the ease with which your assistant turned up without one."
"Wait, Coreen came to see you? What's going on, Henry?"
"I believe it's as simple as her being soaked to the bone from the rain and looking for a place to wait until it stopped. I was however hoping you could bring something for her to wear when you come over. By the looks of it, it will be literally days before her clothes manage to as much as give an impression of being dry."
"I'll see what I can do. I don't suppose she mentioned why she didn't simply go home to dry?"
"A miniature lion-wannabe that she turned up with might be to blame for that. Incidentally, I might need your help negotiating a pact of nonaggression with him."
"A miniature...? Wait, never mind. What is it doing?"
"Surprisingly behaving like a cat that was placed in a room with a vampire and left to its own devices."
"Okay, I get it. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Will you manage until then?"
"Me or the cat?"
"Never mind. I'll see you soon." With that, she ended the call not bothering to wait for the answer.
After their conversation ended, he looked at the cat again. The feline was still eyeing him suspiciously, waiting for another excuse to hiss, no doubt. Seeing no possibility of progress on that front he went to the kitchen to boil the water for Coreen's tea. When he was done, he paused looking at the fridge.
Vicki had long since claimed dictatorship over the device's contents so there was some chance he would find something the cat would consider edible. If buying favours and bargaining held politics together for centuries, it wasn't exactly against all reason that they would help negotiating with a housecat.
He quickly scanned the shelves, finally deciding that the slices of deli chicken had the best chance of being an acceptable peace offering. If not, he would be at least able to say he tried.
III
After placing two chicken slices, cut into small pieces, on a plate, all while carefully avoiding touching the food to prevent discouraging the cat, Henry returned to the room to discover the cat in the exact spot where he left him. His entering was greeted by a hiss. As was each step he took in the direction of the couch.
Finally he placed the plate before the cat and took a few steps back, taking a seat opposite the couch and observing the animal.
He never supposed a kitten could be described as looking cynical, but Coreen's cat was apparently doing everything in his power to achieve that effect. It sniffed the chicken on the plate, then the plate itself and then looked with accusation at the vampire. Who could only assume that he was supposed to feel guilty about spoiling the scent of an otherwise acceptable snack.
Then the feline sniffed the chicken again. It took him a while. After he was apparently satisfied by his close inspection, he sent Henry a look that was clearly meant to inform him that while he was disgusted by the bribery attempt and would never fall for it, he was not about to let the food go to waste, and carefully took one of the chunks off the plate, placed it before him and then slowly ate.
Henry sighed. If anything else, at least nobody will accuse him of starving the cat.
III
Not wanting to deter the cat from its meal, Henry remained motionless in the armchair, taking the opportunity to take a good look at the animal.
It was decidedly a strange creature. While it wasn't exactly flat-nosed, its muzzle was visibly shorter than one would expect from a regular cat, making the animal look snub-nosed. This could possibly lead to assuming the cat to be a Persian but while its hair was certainly not short, it wasn't particularly long either.
And speaking of the fur, it had pattern rather unusual for a domestic cat. Henry had certainly seen striped tabbies before but the spots marking the cat's sides made for a rather unique colouring.
While Henry couldn't claim having any particular interest in feline breeds, he dimly recalled some reference to Bengal cats that shared this characteristic. If he wasn't mistaken, the breed was one of the rarer ones though and did not display any similarities to Persians. Which led to the conclusion that the kitten's lineage might be as legitimate as his own. A conclusion supported by the unfortunate fate the cat narrowly escaped.
Eddie stopped eating and a moment later Henry found smoky blue eyes staring back at him expectantly. What exactly the cat expected, remained uncertain though.
"Enjoyed your meal?" Henry asked having nothing better to do.
The response came in the form of narrowed eyes and a change of position. While the kitten had no chance of coming anywhere near intimidating, the effort was worth appreciation. Apparently the cat was telling him that just because he provided the food, Henry was not supposed to assume they were on speaking terms.
Just then he heard a knock on the door, followed immediately by Vicki entering his apartment without bothering to wait for a response. The commotion earned a scandalised hiss. If the poor cat knew that the person he directed it at remained unfazed by absolutely anything, including vampires, maybe it would have spared itself the effort. As it was, the feline actually looked disappointed that the warning signal went completely unacknowledged as the woman opened an umbrella to let it dry next to the entrance, came closer to them, set a bag of clothes next to the table and threw a jacket over the back of the other chair.
Each of the actions being greeted by an alarmed hissy disbelief.
Finally Vicki turned to look at the creature seated on the couch.
"So that is what all the fuss was about? I expected at least a grown one-eared mouser."
"You can't blame me for the fact you made such assumptions. And what would Coreen be doing with that one-eared mouser in the middle of the night?"
"Hunting together? Hell if I know what Goths do in their free time. Did you notice the cat is all wet?"
"It would be rather hard not to notice." He stood up, took her jacket and went to hang it. Every third step was accompanied by a hiss. "Almost as much as your assistant was when she got here. But somehow I don't think he would let me do anything about it."
"Well, if you can't do it, I can." From the depths of the clothes bag, she dug out a blow-dryer and went to plug it in, her energetic moves meeting an offended look of the cat. A moment later she returned.
III
The kitten had been eyeing Vicki suspiciously ever since she arrived. When she turned on the blow-dryer, the cat made a split-second decision and launched itself from the spot, landing on the vampire's lap. It meowed.
It was a very 'I know we hadn't exactly started off on the right foot but I need someone to protect me and you seem like the best bet at the moment so please understand that I think you really are an okay guy' kind of meow.
"I think you should turn that off, Vicki," Henry said with no small amount of amusement in his voice.
She did, making the cat look at him, all but melting into a wet fluff of gratefulness.
"I thought you said it won't let you go anywhere near it."
"Apparently he changed his mind, choosing to stick with the person posing a lesser threat."
"You gotta be kidding me. What happened to the whole animal sensing a vampire thing?"
"I daresay he did sense what I am. And decided that maybe it would be enough to shield him from you."
"Very funny. Traitorous cat."
"He doesn't know you. I suppose it would make it rather hard for him to betray you."
"Well, something cat."
"How very accurate of you."
Vicki glared at both perpetrators. The kitten glanced at her before turning to the vampire and starting to purr emphatically, grinding the expensive fabric of his trousers with his tiny paws. It was hard to tell if either of them had a commentary to offer about the fact as that very moment Coreen emerged from the bathroom in a wave of steam that would have made special effects professionals proud, wearing a bathrobe that was definitely too big for her and trying to dry her hair with a towel.
The Goth turned to look at them, assessed the current situation and grinned.
"Cool, so you're friends now? What happened to all the hissing?"
"He met Vicki."
"Ah," the girl nodded, making Vicki narrow her eyes.
"What is 'ah' supposed to mean, Coreen? And before you answer you'd better think carefully if you still want to have a job come tomorrow morning."
The fluffy feline looked at the PI with alarm and offence in his round, bluish eyes. Then he tried to press himself closer to the vampire. The Goth met Henry's eyes for a second, a certain amount of humour shared between them. Then she looked back at her boss.
"Aw, Vicki, you're scaring the kitty."
"That's not a proper cat, Coreen."
"He is too. Why wouldn't he be?"
"It prefers vampires to humans."
"He prefers Henry to you. That's a fairly standard reaction of everyone."
"Watch it. Unless you are hoping for a career as an assistant of a graphic novelist."
There was no way Coreen was about to miss that opening.
"Henry, I don't suppose you need an assistant? I come highly recommended."
Vicki snorted. "You wish."
"Hey!"
Henry chuckled for a moment before answering. "I'm sorry, Coreen. I'm afraid I work best alone. You'll need to stick with that charming employer of yours."
She sighed. "Figures the prospect was too good to be true."
"Well, for the time being I suppose your employment prospects, important as they are, need to take a backseat to your health. Have you managed to warm up a bit?"
"Yeah, thanks for letting me use your shower."
"Think nothing of it. There is a pot of tea ready for you in the kitchen."
Vicki snorted again, eliciting a hissing commentary from Eddie. They briefly glared at each other before she turned to the vampire.
"Teapot, Henry? Really? I think somebody's English roots are showing."
"Yes, a teapot. To have a better chance of keeping the tea warm until Coreen got out. It was that or the Russian samovar and the latter hadn't been used for decades, being mostly decorative."
"So that's what the contraption in your kitchen is? I had been wondering."
"And Heaven forbid you actually saved yourself the trouble and asked."
"That works only if I'm sure I want to know the answer."
"Whatever you say Vicki. Coreen, if you're not using that towel anymore, maybe we can try to dry your cat a bit."
"Sure. The poor thing is all wet as well." She turned to the kitten. "We'll have you dry in no time, Eddie. And we won't let the scary blond lady hurt you."
"I heard that, Coreen!"
III
Henry ran his hand through the considerably dryer fur of the cat that still refused to leave his lap, marvelling at the sensations this simple action brought. He could feel the unimaginably soft fabric of the feline hair, the slight tingling sensation as the blood rushed under the thin skin of the kitten that stretched into the most curious positions, without a care in the world.
He had to admit that when he was human he never had any particular affinity for cats, dogs and horses being his animals of choice. Cats were just the creatures that were there in their unassuming presence and got their job done when it came to decimating the population of rats. In that, they weren't any more visible than the peasants that produced the food on the table – their lack would have perhaps become noticeable, their existence was not.
It wasn't until his turning that he for the first time realised how big a part animals played in his surroundings. Not until he realised that he could no longer approach a dog or a cat without it becoming aggressive. That birds stopped their song when he came too close.
Curiously enough, horses were something of an exception, perhaps not so much because they didn't sense his presence, but because they rarely turned their alarm into concrete actions. Still, the few times when he had to actually mount a horse always proved a hard trial to his significant riding skills to elicit resigned cooperation instead of sheer panic. In this matter the use of carriages became often invaluable as the equines, while more easily spooked in his presence, tended to behave better when not in direct contact with a vampire.
Still, any casual contact with animals was irrevocably lost to him the moment he woke to his new life. Or so he thought, until he met the little spotted kitten that currently changed his position again, demanding that his other side received some petting as well. It was hard to say if the cat was simply fearless, lost part of his natural instincts as a result of the oxygen deficiency earlier that evening or simply decided that between blow-dryer-handling humans and a vampire willing to feed him he preferred the latter. The fact remained that it apparently did not fear him, allowing him, for the first time in centuries, to casually touch an animal.
The sensation was simply indescribable.
He heard a demanding meow and, torn away from his thoughts, realised that his stroking of the fur must have slowed down.
Of course there was also the possibility that the cat reacted so badly to Vicki because two similar personalities repelled each other.
III
Coreen returned to the room dressed in clothes that were thankfully only a size or two too big to see Eddie sprawled happily on Henry's lap in a position that put the cats' belonging among vertebrates to serious doubt. She wasn't sure what exactly she was hoping for when she brought her new pet here but this friendship was certainly beyond her most optimistic estimations.
What's more, the vampire seemed to be really enjoying the kitten's presence, petting it affectionately and smiling with each pose the kitty took. Who knew Henry was a cat person? This certainly was not the kind of information one gets to learn very often about vampires, that much she was sure of.
"He seems to really like you," she said approaching them.
Eddie opened his eyes to see who was interrupting a perfectly good petting session. She took him in her arms and he whimpered. Well, she wasn't sure about what Vicki said about him preferring vampires but he certainly didn't favour humans. Especially if it was the vampire who had been stroking his fur for a good twenty minutes.
"I'm still saying there is something wrong with this cat. Normally animals wouldn't be able to fall asleep in a close proximity of a bigger predator and this one didn't seem to have a problem doing that on Henry's lap." Sure enough, it seemed Eddie still didn't manage to capture the PI's heart.
"Vicki, don't pick on the kitty."
"I haven't even begun picking on him."
"Want me to ask Eddie?"
"Whatever." The former cop shrugged and took the blow-dryer from the table to put it back in the bag.
There was a brief hiss and the next thing Coreen knew, the cat disappeared from her arms. She looked around in confusion, pretty sure that 'Alice' or no 'Alice', cats usually did not vanish spontaneously. Then she glanced to Henry in hope for some explanation just in time to hear him sigh "Vicki." and speed off in a blur to his work area.
Suddenly having a really bad feeling about it all, she followed, at human speed, wondering how long one had to work to pay for pet-related damage to professional artistic equipment.
Once she got there, she sighed in relief upon noticing that everything was still standing. Aside from the dry pastels that seemed suspiciously scattered on the floor. Then she looked at Henry who was holding Eddie again. She thought she would have definitely remembered if her cat had a purple paw and a light green ear beforehand.
"Uh oh. Henry, I'm sorry. I thought I was holding him properly. I mean, he's just a kitty, I have no idea how he slipped out of my arms."
The vampire lifted his eyes from a piece of paper he was reading.
"Don't worry about it, Coreen. No damage done. And it doesn't seem those are toxic so he should be fine. I'm not sure if the colour will come off his fur easily though."
"You don't think that if I took a wet cloth..."
"You can try. I'm the last person to consult about cat grooming. But it might be harder than you think."
"Oh well. As long as he'll be fine. Are you sure I don't need to buy anything?"
"Don't worry about it, Coreen. I think I can still afford a box of pastels without a problem."
"Honest?"
"Perfectly. Now let's go back before he decides to experiment with adding some other colours to the mix, shall we?"
She laughed. "Sure."
III
Carrying Eddie to ensure that if something spooked the cat again he would at least have the reflexes to catch him in time, Henry accompanied Coreen to the main area of the apartment. As soon as Vicki saw the cat, she snorted.
"What is that supposed to be? Picatsso live?"
"He wouldn't look like this had you not provoked him, Vicki."
"Provoked him? Can't I even touch anything without the damned thing panicking?"
Coreen stepped between the kitty and her boss. "He is not a damned thing. Or a thing in the first place. He's just a little kitten. You just don't like cats."
"I like cats just fine, Coreen. But this one is odd."
"He is not."
Henry chuckled. "I'm afraid he might be to an extent, Coreen. In any case, he is the first cat I met that was this accepting of me. But I'll agree that it's no reason for Vicki to try to ridicule him."
"I'm not ridiculing anything." She saw the Goth's glare. "Or anyone. But you're both crazy and this is not a proper cat."
As she was speaking, she pointed in the direction of the cat that, apparently tired of hissing opened his tiny mouth and bit at the air in her general direction.
Vicki snorted. "You gotta be kidding me. Not even an hour, Henry. I know I said you should work in recruitment but this is ridiculous."
The Goth looked at her boss in confusion. "Er, what are you talking about, Vicki?"
"Isn't it obvious? A couple of minutes with Henry and Eddie wants to be a vampire when he grows up. Cats are supposed to use claws in case you didn't notice. And what kind of a cat name is 'Eddie' anyway?"
"Well, he's too young to be called Edgar, isn't he?"
Vicki snorted. "Edgar? C'mon, Coreen!"
"What? After Edgar Alan Poe. Because I hope that whoever left him the way they did ends up like that guy in his story."
The PI stared for a moment at her vengeful assistant. "If you say so. I guess it's as good a name as any. But you do realise that the cat will be called that for years to come, right? And it will always remind you why you chose that name in the first place?"
"Hey, it's not like that. I mean, sure, I chose his name because of that at first, but after I did, it made sense for him anyway. After all, he looks like an Eddie, don't you think?"
Vicki looked critically at the cat and received an offended feline glare in response. "If you say so, Coreen."
"Anyway, Eddie and I probably should be going. I'm sure you two had plans for tonight. Can you lend me a couple dollars for a taxi? I'll pay you back tomorrow."
"Sure. Want me to call the taxi for you? I have a discount."
"Would you?"
"No problem. But next time, do make sure you have some money on you just in case, alright?"
"Yeah. I thought about that too. After we were both all wet, kicked out of the streetcar and without a way to get home."
"Better late than never."
"Gee, thanks."
"Anytime. And if you promise me not to take that thing with you to work tomorrow, you can come in late. You know, some time to buy cat supplies and whatnot."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. And I mean it. Especially in front of Mike."
The Goth snorted but refrained from comment. Instead she looked to Henry and the kitten.
"With the way the two of you are getting along I might need to bring him to visit just so he doesn't miss you, you know," she told the vampire prince while scratching the cat between the ears. Eddie seemed to accept the homage on the understanding the girl was only a beginner.
Henry smiled looking at the cat. "You are welcome to. I've been meaning to have a snow leopard accompanying the character in my next book so he might as well do some modelling while at it." He failed to mention the idea only appeared a few minutes ago, after seeing the spotted cat among his sketches.
"Really?" The girl grinned. "Hear that Eddie? You're going to be famous!"
"As long as it doesn't go to his head."
"I'll make sure it doesn't. But he might demand that you take him with you to the signings all the same."
"If you promise to come along to make sure he behaves I very well might. Why deprive him of the contact with the admiring public?"
She laughed. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
"In the meantime you might want to figure out a way to hold both him and an umbrella. I can lend you one and I'm sure getting wet again is definitely something he would not appreciate."
"Thanks Henry. You're the best."
"One can only try." He smiled.
The girl was spared the need of response when Vicki approached them again.
"Coreen, in case you're still interested in getting home, they said the taxi is going to be downstairs in five to ten minutes."
"Right. Thanks." The girl nodded, then turned back to her host. "And thank you for everything, Henry."
"You are most welcome." He smiled again and handed the cat to the Goth. Then he disappeared briefly only to return with his own coat that he held for her. She looked momentarily surprised. "I will bring you yours tomorrow to the office. It should hopefully be a touch dryer by then. Wearing it now would defeat the purpose of coming here in the first place."
Only now she grinned and with a muttered "Thanks" donned the coat. It reached just above her ankles but the girl didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed rather glad of the effect. Whether it was because she liked the look, enjoyed the fact it belonged to him or in her inner gothic instincts was proud to wear something belonging to an actual vampire, he could only begin to guess.
Then she made sure Eddie was securely held inside the coat, which he apparently was, even if he looked offended at the whole commotion.
"I guess we will be going then," she stated finally, walking in to the door.
Henry nodded and quickly handed her an umbrella. "Don't forget that."
"Oh. Right." She grinned distractedly. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Have a good night, Coreen."
"Yeah, goodnight. And have fun, you two." She looked between them, suddenly seeming to become aware of the look Vicki gave her at that remark. "I mean... Well, I will be going now, okay?"
Not waiting for an answer she quickly strode outside, closing the door behind her. A moment later he could hear the sound of the elevator arriving and soon both Coreen's and Eddie's heartbeats began fading into the distance.
He turned to Vicki. "Now let's talk about what we're going to do with the rest of the night that began so fascinatingly, shall we?"
He grinned as he saw her roll her eyes.
THE END