Hello beautiful readers! Although I've written fiction before this is my first that I've been brave enough to publish. I confess that this is actually my 2nd fic of this ship, but the other one is still in progress and I couldn't wait. While I have several headcanons about Jack & Angie, this is purely a fluff-piece. ^.^

This is based off the prompt "Careful- when she gets sleep-deprived she gets emotional. About cats."

Please rate and review! Enjoy.

Jack waited outside to walk Angie home. She had just performed her third audition this week for Born Yesterday and was collecting her things. He was about to go back inside and help her when he heard a thunk and turned to find that she had walked into the window instead of the glass door on her right. Finally finding her way outside, Jack gently began leading her back to The Griffith. Her deadened expression and shuffling gait made Jack frown in concern.

"You alright, Ang?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, just dandy. At least this time they said they'd "let me know" if I got the part. But I can't remember if I heard them laugh afterwards or not." Her tone was that of more genuine lapse of memory than her usual sarcastic attitude.

Despite her less-than-glamorous acting career, Jack always praised her tireless efforts. "Hey, you did great in there. I'm sure they loved every minute of it. I could've sworn your fake crying was real!"

She sighed. "It was. I had just remembered that I needed to memorize the script for tomorrow's audition before my 6am shift at the diner. And I had a blister on my foot from tripping in those killer heels I had to wear for the part yesterday."

Jack turned to stop her and was about to ask if he should call a cab when he suddenly heard a clanging noise down the alleyway just in front of them. Instinctively, he pulled her towards the wall and attempted to shield her small, weary frame from potential threats. He told her in a low voice, "Stay behind me."

Slightly bewildered and too tired to object, she quickly obeyed and tried to peer over his shoulder as he walked towards the sound, clutching her purse and getting ready to hit whoever might try to jump them. Jack was fingering for his revolver when he heard an unearthly "YOOWLL" under his foot. They both jumped back to find an orange tabby cat hiss at Jack for crushing his tail.

Jack relaxed his shoulders after perceiving that there was no threat, and was about to shoo the furry offender away. However, a soft sob next to him caused him to internally panic, and he turned to find that Angie had burst into tears and was bawling uncontrollably. Not knowing what was happening, Jack nearly shouted, "Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

Ignoring his alarmed concern for her wellbeing, she continued weeping and reached out to lift the cat from the top of the trash can into her arms. Crying into the feline's fur, she wailed, "Why'd you hurt him, Jack? He's my friend! Don't hurt my friend, he wouldn't hurt anybody…" The rest of her words were inaudible as she mumbled into the now-wet animal.

Still lost at her reaction, he stumbled for a response. "I- Sorry Angie, I'm sure he'll be fine. You know I didn't mean to." He waited uncomfortably a few feet away until her crying died down. Still wary of her tumultuous emotions, he softly asked, "Do you want to go home now?"

Still holding the cat, she nodded and began turning to exit the alleyway. He placed his arms around her and guided her back onto the street. After a few silent minutes of walking, Jack spoke up again. "You know you have to put the cat down eventually, right?"

Almost pouting, she protested, "No. I don't. I'm keeping him and you can't stop me."

Jack scoffed slightly at her irrational, sleep-deprived ideas. "Ms. Fry will scratch your eyes out herself if you try to sneak him past her," he retorted.

Angie, who was feeling especially tenacious, quipped back at him. "And that's why you're going to help me get him safely to my room without her noticing. You're going to slip through the kitchen and I'm going to pull you both up in the dumbwaiter to my room."

Jack was about to argue sternly against her single-minded determination to get him in trouble, but he stopped in his tracks when she turned to face him with her sweet, albeit bleary blue eyes piercing his. Her expression made it clear that this wasn't up to negotiation. Fighting the urge to respond with equal stubbornness, his steely demeanor and dignity began to give way, internally groaning at her ability to make him feel softer than a cream cheese spread. Letting out a frustrated sigh at how crazy she made him, he muttered, "A dumbwaiter, you say?"

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Whatever your thoughts, thank you for reading!