Thanks to Invader Johnny for allowing me to do this. I wasn't originally going to make this a series, but I had the idea to after talking to Johnny, and he gave me permission to do this since it's inspired by his series 'Parenthood'. Though I'm not using Tawny, Danielle, Tony, Foxy, or any storylines, the fact that it's a series of one-shots focused on Tori and Jade as parents, and their children. Or child, in this case, since it's only Cat. Another key difference is that, in 'Parenthood', Beck is not someone they want near their, or any, children. In here, he's a nice guy and they're okay with him around.
I wanted to get that out there so no one thought I was stealing his idea and changing it. It's not stealing, I assure you, since he gave me the full go ahead and even helped me plan out this one. You'll notice that the newest member of their family bears a resemblance, at least in that it's not a typical member of the family and doesn't join by an expected means, to how a certain white fox joins the family in 'Parenthood'. Again, not a stolen idea and changed. Invader Johnny okayed this and helped me plan this.
So, again, huge thanks to Invader Johnny. Not only for everything I already mentioned, but the new name of this series. Credit goes to him in a lot of ways with this series. And I seriously recommend checking out 'Parenthood'. It's a good series, and humorous at times, serious in others, and all around entertaining.
Now, onto the second part of my newest collection of one-shots.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'VicTORious' or any characters. Original idea is inspired by Invader Johnny's introduction of the family pet Foxy in 'Parenthood'.
No POV
"Who's bright idea was it to have kids?" Tori groans, falling into bed with her wife as their thirteen year old daughter Cat finally falls asleep, the young teen getting the same bug that has seemed to hit most of her classmates at the beginning of Spring.
"Technically, yours and Beck's. I just took over caring for her." Jade says, eyes still closed as her wife strips down to her bra and panties and climbs into bed, the couple cuddling. "How bad is she?" She asks, concerned for her daughter.
"Same as usual, but the medicine has finally kicked in. But you need to get more. We're almost out, and I know we'll need it tomorrow." Tori says, eyes closed, as she acts as small spoon with her wife.
"Why do I have to get it?" Jade asks, her hands wrapping around Tori's midsection, starting to doze off again.
"Because I'm staying home to take care of her, because I've built up a defense against the bug thanks to Trina and me getting sick all the time as kids, and you have no defense because you haven't gotten sick a day in your life." Tori answers, her voice low as she dozes off. "Which is seriously messed up, you know?" She adds, asleep a moment later.
"Not my fault I hated leaving the house when I was younger and my father never let us have a yard, just a walled in area connecting the house to garage." Jade mumbles, falling asleep herself, the door open in case Cat wakes up and needs help again.
A little under eight hours later, as Jade is driving home from the local drug store with a few extra bottles of the cold medicine that helps Cat, three bottles of the nighttime variation and two of the daytime, she's forced to skid on the brakes when a small animal, dark brown and not bigger than game controller, runs across the street far enough away for Jade to see, but close enough for her to double take. "Is that a wolf?" The pale woman asks, undoing her seatbelt and opening her door, leaving the car on and door open as she looks for the tiny wolf she saw moments ago, finding it in the brush on the other side of the street.
Unsurprisingly, it takes her a while, almost half an hour she figures, to coax the small animal to her, finding out indeed it is a wolf. "You are not native to this area, are you?" Jade asks, picking up the scared animal and petting it. Thinking 'screw it', she takes the wolf, a female she notes after some investigation, and heads to her car, intent on giving the wolf a bath as Tori checks on Cat. Or, vice versa, since Cat has a tendency to want Jade to care for her when she's awake and sick, but preferring her mother at night when she's sick.
"Uh, I asked you to get medicine. Not an animal." Tori says as Jade hands her the bag of medicine, a slumbering Cat on the couch in the living room.
"I found her on the side of the road. Or, really, she found me and ran out in front of me." Jade says, setting the daytime medicine in front of Cat before putting the bag on the counter in the kitchen. "What should we do with her?" She asks, turning the sink on, glad Tori does the dishes every time one is used, and setting the wolf in the empty sink as the water warms up.
"First and foremost, since when do you like animals?" Tori asks her wife, watching as Jade grabs an unused bottle of dish soap and puts some in the sink, presumably on the wolf to give her a bath. "Secondly, why bring it here and care for it instead of going to a vet or something?" She asks, walking over to the sink and watching the pup's coat go from dark brown to a dark grey, showing how dirty she was as Jade washes her.
"Okay, I'm not an animal person, but I do have a heart. Besides, how often do you see wolves in LA? Especially this part of LA, away from a zoo?" Jade asks, figuring the dirt and mud on the wolf was recent with how easily it comes off. "And I brought her here because she seems to be a rare breed for this part of LA, and you know some of those vet people like hard to find animals. They might work at vets and stuff, but that doesn't mean they won't hesitate to sell a rare animal to a collector or something." She says, using more dish soap on the wolf's legs.
"What are you two doing by the sink?" The couple hear from behind them, the voice hoarse from coughing and showing how stuffed her nose is. "Is that a puppy?" Cat asks, a smile forming on her face.
"Not exactly, Cat." Tori answers, watching her wife shut the water off and grab an old towel. "Your momma found a wolf, apparently, and brought it here." She says, raising an eyebrow as Jade dries the wolf. "Which is odd because she wouldn't even get me a stuffed wolf at the fair, yet she doesn't seem to have a problem with a live one in our house." She mumbles the last part so only Jade can hear her.
"What's her name?" Cat asks, walking over to Jade and the wolf, gently raising a hand to pet the wolf who seems to lean into Cat's hand.
"Look, Cat. I know you've always wanted a pet, but that's a wolf. They're not legal to have as pets." Tori says, not wanting anyone to get into trouble, or her father to find out they have an illegal pet in their house.
"We'll be fine, Tori." Jade says, handing then now dry wolf to Cat, watching as the young teen gently sits in a chair and sets the wolf on her lap to play. "Besides, worst case scenario, we explain how we found her and they take her from us. It won't be that bad." She dismisses, setting the towel on the counter for now.
"Worst case scenario is we go to jail, Jade." Tori deadpans, glaring at her wife. "You're the one who watches 'Orange Is The New Black', so tell me if having a wolf is a pet isn't something they'll put you in jail for. And besides, I didn't find the wolf. You did." She points out, sighing when Jade doesn't react and Cat just keeps playing with the wolf.
"I'm gonna name you 'Nailah'." Cat says, picking up the wolf and heading into the living room.
"Oh, don't name it." Tori says, watching Cat leave.
"Face it, Tori. The wolf stays." Jade says, pecking Tori's lips. "If you were so against it, why didn't you call your dad already?" She asks rhetorically, already knowing the answer.
"Shut up." Tori answers, pushing past Jade and heading into the living room with Cat. "Oh, of course she's asleep already. And the wolf sleeps with her." She says, groaning softly at the sight of her daughter sleeping again, with the difference being the young wolf asleep on her chest.
"Well, that was quick." Jade says, pulling Tori into a one-armed side hug, both watching their daughter. "I'll get a collar and tag tomorrow. We'll also have to call Puckett. You know she's good with animals." She says, pulling Tori to the love seat.
And that's the end of this one. I felt like ending it this way because there will be a part two, and I don't want these chapters to get too much past 1500 words, not counting author's notes.
Another idea I borrowed from 'Parenthood', hope you don't mind Johnny, is having Sam come in, just in a different way. In here, she's an animal expert whose main focus in wild animals, so of course she's the go to for wolf info. I was going to use someone else, like Freddie, Sinjin, Burf even, but I wanted to go with Sam instead.
Side note, I wrote this at midnight and finished it a little after one in the morning. Did it turn out good or bad in your opinion?
Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you liked it and review.
Blessed Be.