Quick note: The song used in this chapter is not mine; it belongs to its original artist.
Elena watched Snow White sleeping for a few minutes, then put her own kitty toy next to her to keep her company. "Now I let sleeping kitties lie," she murmured, intentionally misquoting something Nell said when she wanted her and Gabby to let someone have some space.
She had just walked up to the door when she saw Gabby. "How's Snow White?" she asked.
"Taking a nap," Elena pointed at the kitten, who was curled up on the bed. "Kitty's with her."
Gabby smiled as she looked at the kitten. "Night-night, Snow White," she smiled, blowing a kiss to her, just like Nell did when she put them to bed.
"You think I do Mommy good?" Elena asked Gabby as they left her room.
"Well you fed her, let her drink, let her take a nap and gave her a kiss night-night, so yes you're like Mommy," Gabby muttered, not sure what a kitten really did.
"I assure you that we'll find who's responsible for all this, Queen Miranda, and your husband's allergies," a familiar voice muttered, causing Elena and Gabby to stop in their tracks.
"Thank you, Robert, but it seems like a little thief is the troublemaker around here," Miranda explained as Elena looked ready to confess and cry.
"What's going on?" Gabby asked, trying to keep Elena calm.
"Girls!" Bobby Lee looked up, just in time to see Elena relax.
"Someone was in the kitchen earlier," Miranda said to them. "They got into the chicken we're going to have for dinner tonight, and while Roland was looking around for the culprit, he started sneezing. Do you know what's going on?"
"Is he sick?" Elena asked.
Miranda smiled. "No, sweetheart, he only sneezes like this when a cat is around."
Elena looked worried. She didn't want to lose Snow White, but she said, "I've got a toy kitty. Will he have to go?"
"Of course not, sweetheart," Bobby Lee assured her. "King Roland's not allergic to toy kitties."
"There's no kitties around here!" Elena tried to cover for herself as she and Gabby went out.
"Elena calm down!" Gabby yelled, seeing Elena grab her own hair, which was a way of her autism acting up lately.
"No kitties here! No kitties here! I'm not hiding a kitty in my room!" Elena sung, being her own way of panicking.
"Elena, do you need your feelings puzzle?" Gabby asked, hoping it would get her to express her feelings like it often did since she was one. (It was just a faceless little girl with red Shirley Temple-like curls, but came with different facial expressions for Elena to use. Most of the time it was just the happy face, but sometimes the scared one like Elena had put on the morning before.)
As Elena took the doll and started working on it, Gabby started singing a song she'd made up to calm her down whenever she was scared. "You and me together will be. Forever you'll see. We two can be good company. You and me. Yes together we'll be."
Elena relaxed quite a bit when she heard the song. She and Gabby had often heard James say that music made everything better, and Gabby was happy that he was right about this.
"We'll have to sing that song to Snow White," Gabby suggested when Elena was feeling somewhat calmer.
"Do kitties like music?" Elena asked.
"Mama said kitties sing at night," Gabby suggested.
Elena hugged the doll and relaxed as Gabby continued singing her song. "You and me together will be. Forever we'll be. We'll always be good company. You and me. Just wait and see."
Suddenly, they heard Nell's voice in the door. "Is everything all right?" She came in, seeing Gabby hugging Elena, who was hugging her doll. "Well, Elena seems to be pretty calm. And Gabby, I think I heard you singing her special song. Nice job, sweetheart!"
"Thank you, Mama!" Gabby smiled.
"You're welcome, honey. But why do I see a little thing curled up on your bed, Elena?" Nell wondered as Elena looked up.
"Oh. It's just, um, my friend, Mommy," Elena muttered, hoping that Snow White wouldn't wake up.
Fortunately, Snow White didn't wake up. "Your friend, hm?" Nell asked, having gently touched her fur, and feeling the vibrations of contented purring under her fingers. "This seems like a pretty realistic little toy."
Elena looked worried. She didn't want to lose Snow White, and she had only just calmed down.
"Well it's, um…a magic kitty!" Gabby yelled, lying for Elena.
"Girls, I don't like lies," Nell reminded the girls with her hands on her hips. "That's the kitten from yesterday. It may be napping but a mother can tell when her little children are lying."
"DON'T CARE! MY KITTY!" Elena shouted, trying to block Nell from Snow White, who woke up.
Nell tried to look stern at the outburst, but she couldn't help but smile when Snow White rubbed against her. "Well, hello to you too, little one," she said as she stroked the kitten with a finger. "I'm sorry, Elena, but King Roland's allergic to cats."
"NO! He's faking!" Elena argued. "He loves kitties!"
"Elena, calm down," Gabby said, trying to cover her ears from the meltdown she knew was going to happen.
"No! He loves kitties! Mommy dumb! He loves kitties!" Elena screamed, throwing herself on the floor with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Bobby Lee entered at that moment. "Did I just hear someone call Mommy dumb? And is that the kitten I saw in the stables yesterday?"
"MY KITTY! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!" Elena screamed.
"First, Bobby Lee, say hello to your daughter's little friend," Nell motioned toward Snow White, who was quietly observing the situation. "Second, yes, she called me dumb."
"Elena, you know it's not nice to call people dumb," Bobby Lee said as he lifted her chin up. "Why would you say that?"
"I'm trying to tell her that her kitty can't stay here," Nell replied. "King Roland's allergic to cats."
"NO HE'S NOT!" Elena wailed.
"I could hear Elena screaming from my room. Is something wrong?" Sofia asked, putting Clover down as Elena looked at him.
The rabbit tried to run, remembering his time with her and Gabby as babies.
"Cuddle bunny?" Elena asked through her tears.
"Okay, sweetheart, while you're busy with cuddle bunny, Sofia, have a seat and we'll explain," Nell said, motioning for Sofia to sit on the bed with them. She explained all about how the girls had found Snow White yesterday, and how they had brought her into the castle.
"I wondered why Dad started sneezing a little while ago," Sofia commented, whispering, "Clover, let her pet you; it'll only be for a few minutes, and I'll get you a big treat later on."
Clover sighed and resigned himself to having Elena pet him. True, she seemed better behaved around him, but most of the time he avoided her. He also rarely ever took bribes, but if food was involved, he accepted without too much complaint.
Sofia also couldn't help but smile when Nell told her that Elena said that King Roland's allergies were all in his head. "That sounds like what a friend of mine says," she said, "It's true, her family has a cat, and her brother's allergic, but he's all right with dogs; the cat and dog live in the same castle, but they avoid each other. And it also helps that the dog is always with her brother, so he's not bothered by him as much."
"So why can't Snow White stay?" Elena asked. "She won't go near king, I promise!"
"Honey while Mommy and I are old enough to take care of her and you love animals, it's just we don't want you or Gabby hurt," Bobby Lee explained as he took Elena by the hand.
"Why? We don't play rough with kitties or puppies or even cuddle bunny!" Elena protested, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
"Maybe not, but you remember when Rex had to be sent away after he bit Gabby," Nell replied. "And while James got Jagger for his birthday, we had to tell him that Jagger has to be an outside dog...at least until you and Gabby are older. He accepted that without too much complaint, and we all saw him comforting him and Gabby following her ride on that winged horse at Amber's party."
"Yeah. Jaggy's a good dog!" Gabby smiled, recalling how Jagger had licked her and calmed her down (but she also knew that James had been just as scared, and had actually been crying harder than her following her rescue).
"Yes, he helped you two, and he was a good dog, but we're getting off the topic," Nell broke in.
"Sorry, Mommy, but why can't I keep Snow White?" Elena asked as the kitten walked up to her. "I feed her and gave her something to drink and all the stuffs you do with us!"
Bobby Lee smiled, patting her head. "Ellie, that's sweet that we can know that you can take care of your friend."
"But we also have to think of how everyone else might see Snow White," Nell added. "While others might agree with you that you're responsible enough to take care of a pet, others, like King Roland, might have problems with her."
Elena frowned as Snow White looked up at her. "Well if he gots a problem with my kitty then I'm leaving!"
"Leave? Why?" Gabby asked, trying to give her twin a hug. "What about Mommy and Mr. Bobby Lee…um, Daddy?"
Elena shook her head, pushing Gabby away. "No. Sorry, Gabby. I take too long to do stuffs. Like walking or listening or even what you know how to do, Gabby."
"No you don't!" Gabby insisted.
"She's right, Ellie," Bobby Lee agreed. "You just take your time on those things. It's not a race."
"I agree with Daddy and Gabby. Honey, you may have autism and are a little slower, but you're a great artist and amazing with your kitty!" Nell chuckled, taking Elena in her arms. "Elena, sweetheart, we'll find a way to let you keep Snow White."
"Really, Mommy?" Elena asked as Snow White meowed. "I don't know."
"Well, I do," Nell assured her. "I have an idea: why don't we talk to Roland and Miranda? We'll explain the situation to them, and maybe they can help us come up with a solution."
Elena looked doubtful, but Bobby Lee smiled and hugged her. "That's a good idea. Everything's going to be fine, Elena, you'll see."
"They're right, Elena," Sofia added. "But maybe Snow White should stay here for now while you're talking to Dad. And don't worry, Clover and I can keep her company. And if anyone comes in and asks what's going on, I'll tell them why Snow White's here."
"Well..." Elena paused, but she smiled when she saw Snow White rubbing against Sofia, and touching noses with Clover. "Okay." She stroked the kitten as she said, "You be good for Sofia and cuddle bunny, Snow White."
Snow White meowed in response but Sofia caught it as "I will Mommy" before watching her owner and the ones that took care of her leave the room.
"Mommy's going to keep me, right?" Snow White wondered, coming in contact with Elena's kitty toy. "I like her."
"And she likes you," Sofia smiled as she stroked her. "Don't worry, Snow White; I'm sure everything's going to work out in the end."
Notes
"Say hello to your daughter's little friend" is a misquote from the movie Scarface.
Gabby's song to calm Elena is Good Company, which is from Oliver and Company
Nell's memory of Jagger and Gabby together at Amber's party and calming her and James is from chapter 8 of Sibling Team.
Sofia's recollection of someone saying that King Roland's allergies were all in his head is from chapter 5 of my story Royal Blood. Spike and Ambre live in the same castle, but they avoid each other, since Ezekiel is also "allergic" to cats.
