According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, when we are dying or have suffered a catastrophic loss we all move through five distinct stages of grief…

—Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy

Prologue: The Cycles of Grief

Baron Humbert von Jikkingen, Baron of the Cats, never imagined he'd be in this kind of situation. He briefly transformed himself into a human to speak to a doctor who explained what had happened: Charisse, Baron's dear friend, lost her mother and father in a tragic accident and had no one else to take care of her. Of course, once learning that she had no family in the area, he agreed to take her in. Sure she was a legal adult but she wasn't ready to be on her own yet while she was still in school and had no job. Baron, who was physically twenty-five, signed the papers to "adopt" her and was about to leave but the elderly doctor stopped him.

"Mr. von Jikkingen," said the elderly woman seriously, "I need you to prepare yourself for what's to come. Charisse will go through a cycle of grief because of the sudden and tragic death of her parents. May I be brief about it?"

Baron nodded, prompting the woman to continue speaking.

"You see," she said, "there five stages of grief but no one knows how long they will last. The first stage is denial, where the grieving denies feeling sad or that anything has ever happened; the second stage is anger, where the person feels angry at the world for what has happened; the third stage is bargaining, where the person wants to give, say, their own life for their loved ones; the fourth one is depression, which prompts the grieving to withdraw within themselves and feels roller-coaster of emotions; and the last stage is acceptance, where the grieving are finally accepting their situation and try to move on."

"I see," replied Baron, nodding slowly.

"There's more," said the doctor. "Sometimes, at unexpected times, something that reminds or prompts the person to remember their deceased loved one cause them to fall back into the cycle but they just need to let it come. Do you understand? Are you sure you can handle this task?"

"Certainly," was Baron's determined reply and he looked serious. "Can I see Charisse now? She probably needs her friend…"

"Of course," answered the doctor, standing up. "Come along, I have her in my office."

Baron stood up, placed his top hat on his head full of orange hair, and walked out of the room with the doctor.

…

When Baron walked into the doctor's office, he saw Charisse but she didn't look like herself. Her eyes were red and watery from crying; her cheeks and nose were bright red; her hair was stringy from the tears; her face was pale and emancipated; and there were dark rings around her eyes. Instead of wearing her usual colorful clothing that made him smile, she wore a dark sweater over a gray t-shirt and a pair of black skinny-stretch jeans. As soon as she saw him, she stood from her seat, ran to him, and began weeping into his chest.

Instead of speaking, Baron merely rocked her back and forth and smoothed her hair gently. He knew there were no words that he could say to comfort her because it was just the beginning. The doctor exchanged a look with him and Baron nodded slowly, confirming what they were both thinking.

"Charisse, dear," said the doctor in a kind tone, causing the girl to turn and look at the elderly lady, "Humbert has agreed to take you in. Now, I know it will be hard but moving to a new place will be better for you. A change of scenery will be a good thing for you."

The weeping girl nodded and rested her weary head against Humbert's chest, tears leaking from her eyes again. Humbert rubbed her back soothingly and gave the doctor a look of gratitude.

"Now, Charisse," whispered the doctor gently, "if you ever feel the need to talk to someone, you can always talk to one of our counselors or to your friend Humbert. Since you two will be living together, it would be a good idea to tell him your feelings if you ever feel the need to."

Charisse nodded and closed her eyes to try to prevent the tears from streaming. Humbert sighed softly as he rubbed her back again, knowing this would be a long week.

…

On the way to the Bureau, Baron tried to engage Charisse in conversations but the bereaved girl merely ignored him and only listened half-heartedly. He understood why. Charisse was grieving and she needed her time to grieve. It was only natural that she would be unresponsive to his talking. Baron gently took her hand in his large human one and led her to the Bureau, not talking anymore. There was nothing that Baron could say that would ease Charisse's sorrow because this stuff took time.

When they arrived, they were greeted by Muta and Toto but the duo were quiet for Charisse's sake. They went up to her and gave her a gentle hug, giving her their condolences for her parents. She began weeping again and thanked them for their genuine care. While watching this, Baron turned himself back into his cat form and went up to Charisse, giving the girl a hug from behind. She rested the back of her head against his chest and closed her eyes wearily. These two weren't lovers but they were used to this kind of contact because how close they were.

"I'm going inside," said Charisse in a dull, lifeless voice once everyone disengaged the hug. "Baron, would you do the honors?"

Baron nodded and used magic to turn the girl into a smaller form of herself so she could fit into the house. Without saying a word, Charisse grabbed her small bag of belongings and trudged into the house in a defeated way.

"Is she going to be okay, Baron?" Muta asked in an uncharacteristically concerned tone.

"No," answered Baron softly, watching the girl, "not yet but she will be one day."

…

It was a long night for both occupants of the house because Charisse spent the whole night pacing back and forth and Baron spent his night listening to her cry and pace helplessly. The feline gentleman wanted to go in there and comfort her but he felt that she needed her own space right now. He didn't want her to push him away if he tried to crowd her. However, at five AM, he walked up to her closed bedroom door and knocked on it gently.

"Charisse," he said gently, hoping the girl would hear him, "if you ever need to talk or cry, I'm just down the hall. I'll be right here for you if you ever need me."

Suddenly, the door opened and Charisse stood in front of him, face streaked with tears and eyes tired. She went into his arms and began weeping some more into his chest.

"Thank you, Baron," she croaked tearfully. "I just miss them so much! I can hardly breathe, it hurts so badly!"

"I know," he whispered, rocking her back and forth again, "I know."

Baron didn't know how long he spent with Charisse but the sun began coming up as she dozed off against him. Silently, he scooped the sleeping girl up in his arms and carried her into her room. He placed her onto the un-made bed, pulled the covers up to her chin, and bestowed a kiss on her sweaty forehead before walking out to leave the girl in peace.

God, he prayed silently, I don't know if you're there or not, but please help Charisse through this. She needs your help. Please help her…

After he did that, he walked out to his living room and sat at his desk to do more Bureau work but he found his thoughts occupied by the dozing bereaved girl in his guest room. He didn't know how but he promised that he would help her through this horrible ordeal, like a true friend would.

A/N: Depressing story, and it will only get more depressing. I hope you don't hate it but I felt this inspiration strike me when I thought about my dead cousin's birthday. It's on December 1st and his family is still reeling from his death. Please be considerate in your comments because I'm not the one telling you to read this but those who choose to, enjoy it (if you can).