For the entirety of two springs and summers, Catherine was the happiest she'd been since her mother passed away. Jack had kept true to his word, and she had a friend. He would come to town with his mother when she had errands to do, and he would come seek her out. They spent nearly every day together, doing whatever their hearts desired during the short amount of time Jack was able to stay. The two seasons spent with Jack had done wonders for Catherine's outlook on herself, and her own life. She didn't feel the need to be afraid of people anymore. Not everyone would be cruel and awful to her. Jack had taught her that. However, Catherine's joy wouldn't last all that long. When November of 1910 hit, she was given terrible news.
Georgia Marston had contracted smallpox.
The fatal disease had taken hold of the small girl's life source and refused to let go. Abigail now rarely, if ever, left her daughter's side. That meant that Jack was no longer able to come and see Catherine. That meant that she was once again, alone. She was many things, but selfish was not one of them. Catherine prayed and hoped that the child would recover. However, she knew that with Georgia's young age, and the weakness of her immune system, the chances of her body fighting off the disease were not the highest. Whilst her rational side told her the healing would be unlikely, she still refused to give up hope. She had to hope, for Jack. Catherine knew what it was like to lose a family member, and she didn't want Jack to ever go through that pain.
Catherine was brought out of her musings when her Uncle's voice called out her name. She looked up from the book she had been trying to read before her mind trailed off. Edgar stood in the doorway of the room, and his scrutinizing eyes were focused on his niece. "Yes, Uncle?" Catherine asked. "We will have a dinner guest tonight. I want you to dress nicely." He said. Catherine raised a brow. Who would be coming over for dinner? "Who is our guest?" She asked, voicing her thoughts.
"My new partner is coming to meet my family. So I would like for you to be presentable."
Curiosity burned into Catherine's mind. "You have new partner? What ever happened to Gale, Uncle?"
Edgar's features changed from civility to amusement. "He was dispatched." Was all he offered her.
"To where was he dispatched?" She asked, continuing her daring tirade of questions.
"To prison, my dear Catherine."
"Prison?!" A smirk followed Catherine's outburst. "Yes. It seems he was not everything that the higher ups made was something about the smirk her Uncle wore that told Catherine her uncle was more than pleased with this recent affair. "Why would anyone do such a thing, Uncle?" She asked, fearing that someone might do that to her mother. "He claimed that he was searching for something I'd hidden from him. It was a blatant lie that the entire court room saw through. Shame really, he was a decent officer." Edgar continued. Catherine found it very hard to believe that the sweet man she'd come to know who be capable of such a thing. But her Uncle wouldn't lie to her, would he? "We are finished with this discussion now. I'd like for you to go get cleaned up, and put on a nice dress." Edgar said. "And leave your hair down. There's no need to put it up."
This surprised Catherine more than anything. He usually threw a fit when Catherine let her hair down, claiming it wasn't proper for a lady to wear her hair down. "Okay." She said, not wanting to question it. She despised putting her hair up. There was just so much of it, and she found that she always missed a piece or two. "He will be here in a few hours. Run along now." Edgar said, ushering her to hurry. Catherine nodded and stood up to place the book back in the case. "What are you reading?" Edgar asked. "Pride and Prejudice." She answered.
He nodded his approval before turning to walk out of the room. Once left alone, Catherine was able to gather her thoughts. Gale had been sent to prison, and he claimed that it was all because her uncle took something from him. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she fully believed her Uncle Edgar about this. There had to be more to the story. He had to have had a real reason to do what he did. At least that's what she would have liked to believe. Sighing, Catherine decided to give the situation no more thought for right now. She put her book back in its place, and then went to clean up for dinner.
Supper was a very strange couple of hours for Catherine. Usually, supper consisted of nothing but the sounds of forks and plates hitting each other. This night, however, was entirely different. This new partner of Uncle Edgar's, this Archer Fordham, was very chatty. He also seemed to be a fan of Edgar, and asked for many stories. When Catherine requested stories, all she got a was a cold glare. Archer was given half hour-long anecdotes, and was even given jokes. The fact that her Uncle was smiling and laughing surprised Catherine even further. She couldn't recall a time when he smiled at her. What was so special about this Archer Fordham?
"So, Catherine." Said the man in question.
"Yes sir?" Catherine responded, reminding herself to keep things proper. Though Archer was much younger than her Uncle, he was still a man who deserved respect. Or so Uncle Edgar said. "Your Uncle told me that you are quite smart for your age." Archer said. Catherine's eyes widened in surprise, and she turned to her Uncle. He'd actually said that? "I…I suppose." She answered, shifting her gaze down to her supper. Archer chuckled and turned to Edgar. "You know Edgar, I would think about getting her a tutor, to teach her even more. She could do great things. She's already got her foot into the door, why not help her walk all the way through?"
"A tutor?" Catherine asked. Just the thought of learning more things pleased her.
"Yes, a tutor. Perhaps you could learn more from one of those than your Aunt or Uncle could teach you." Archer said, looking directly at her. While she still wasn't too sure about him as Gale's replacement, she liked that he was treating her as if she were an equal. "Actually Edgar," Archer turned back to the man whose name he'd spoken. "I believe that there is a Professor from Yale staying in the hotel in town. Perhaps he could be a decent tutor." He said. Edgar placed his fork down and wiped his mouth with the napkin beside his plate. "You mean that MacDougal fellow?" He asked. Archer nodded in response.
"He's supposed to be writing a book of sorts while he's on a sabbatical from the University. He might need some spending money while he is here."
Catherine silently hoped that her Uncle would go for this. She had finished everything her Uncle had assigned her, and she was dying for something new to do whilst Jack was gone. "I think that would be a fine idea Edgar. It would get Catherine out of the house some more." Emily chimed in. Fighting the urge to grin at her Aunt's intervention, Catherine kept her eyes on her Uncle. Maybe it was the fact that three people were sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for his reply, or due to the fact that he seemed to be outnumbered in his decision already, Catherine didn't really know, but she didn't question it as he slowly began to nod. "I'll go see him tomorrow, and see if we can set something up." Edgar turned to Catherine and looked her in the eye.
"You'd better behave for the Professor Catherine. I don't need him running around saying how disobedient Edgar Ross's niece is. You know what the punishments would be." He warned.
Though it was just a normal parental threat to Archer, and even Emily now, it meant something other than that to Catherine. The threat was very serious, and was potentially dangerous. Instead of running to her room like she wanted, Catherine nodded. "Of course Uncle. I will be on my best behavior for the Professor." She said. He nodded in approval before returning to his meal. Looking down at her own meal, she found her appetite had been lost due to her now current excitement. She placed her fork back down and looked up at her Uncle and Aunt. "Uncle Edgar, Aunt Emily?" She asked, getting their attention. When they looked at her she asked her question. "Do you think I could be excused? I would like to see the current construction on the railroad before it gets dark."
Smiling, Emily shrugged. "It's alright with me honey, as long as your Uncle doesn't mind."
"Go on." Edgar said, almost instantly.
Catherine tried not to let her surprise show, but she suspected she was failing terribly at it. She didn't wait around for him to change his mind though. As quickly as she was allowed, she got up from the table and went to place her dishes in the sink. She washed her hands, and hastily put on her shoes. "Catherine!" Edgar called just as her hand went around the doorknob. Fearing he'd changed his mind, Catherine slowly turned to face him. "Yes?" She asked warily. "Be back before dark." Was his warning. Smiling, she nodded and pushed the door open. "It was nice meeting you Mr. Fordham!" She called as she left the house. When the air hit her nose, her smile widened into a grin. Fresh air.
The railroad was just about complete, Catherine noted. They just had to put the finishing touches upon it, and the train would be in order. One of the workers told her they would be done before December hit, and she was excited for that. A train would bring new and different people. Blackwater had grown dull for her, and the people within it even duller. She longed for a new scenery or population. Something new. Perhaps this tutor would bring that. Sighing in contentment, Catherine leaned against the tree that face the railroad, the tree that she and Jack dubbed her tree. It was her favorite out of all the trees in town. It had a perfect view of most everything. She could clearly see where people were going, and what they appeared to be doing. A grin lit up her face when she noticed a familiar face in the crowds of people.
Jack was here, and he was walking towards her.
She stood and ran towards the boy. "Jack!" She said happily. When she reached him, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. His visit was a surprise one, and she was glad that she had asked to go outside tonight. "Whoa, careful there! You're gonna make me drop your present!" Jack said, laughing as he wrapped a single arm around her. Catherine pulled away, her eyes lighting up. "Present?" She asked. That's when she noticed the brown box in Jack's hands. It was small, and had holes cut into the sides. "What's that?" She asked, pointing. Jack smiled.
"I know your birthday is on the twenty-first of this month, and I know you've been lonely since Georgia got sick. So I got you a friend to keep ya company while I'm gone." He said, and lifted the lid off of the box. Inside was a few crumpled rags, and inside the rags lay a small, orange kitten "His momma ain't exactly one with her motherly instincts, and he made me think of you. He likes to cuddle me, just like you do." Jack said, teasing. While he was poking fun at her excitement to see him, Catherine couldn't even muster up a sarcastic reply. She was fascinated with the kitten. "And he's gonna be mine?" She asked. Jack nodded. "Sure thing. He ain't gotta name though, you're gonna hafta do that part."
"What does someone even call an adorable little creature like this one?" Catherine asked, softly scratching the kitten's ear.
"Whatever his new momma wants him to be named."
"Pumpkin." She said after a moment's hesitation. "Can I hold him?" She asked, looking sideways at Jack. He laughed. "Catherine, he's yours. You ain't gotta ask me." He reminded her. Slowly and gently, Catherine picked the small kitten up from the rags. He yawned and opened his eyes. "Hello, Pumpkin." She said, cuddling him to her chest. The kitten mewed in response and nuzzled his tiny face into her shoulder. "He likes you already. I expect all cats do, though. You act just like em." Jack stated. "I might as well just start calling you Cat instead of Catherine." He joked. Catherine smiled softly. "My mother used to call me Cat. She said I always acted like a kitten, what with my cuddling tendencies." She said, scratching Pumpkin's belly with her fingernail. Her payment was his purring.
"Your Ma has the right idea. I can't believe I didn't think of it before." Jack said. "I think I'll just call ya Cat from now on, if you don't mind."
Catherine smiled at her best friend. "I don't mind, Jack." She replied.
The boy grinned and looked back down at the already sleeping kitten. "He seems to feel safe with you." He pointed out. Catherine nodded in agreement. "How long are you in town for?" She asked, suddenly remembering his little sister's illness. "Just for a while longer. Pa and I had to make a supply run. Ma said Georgia needs as much soup and medicine as possible. We're hopin' she's gonna recover soon." He reported. "How is she?" Catherine asked. Frowning, Jack rubbed the back of his neck.
"Not good. She's got spots all over, she's always coughing and sneezing. Ma said she can barely hold down her food. Pa said that the angels might be needin' her soon…"
"I hope she gets better, Jack. I really hope she does."
"Thanks Cat. That means a lot."
Sighing Catherine looked back down at her new kitten. "You might wanna get back home now, she might need the medicine." She said, even though she wanted him to stay longer. Jack slowly nodded, apparently wanting to stay longer as well. "I just didn't want you to think I forgot about your birthday." He said. Catherine giggled and looked back at him. "Well, I really love my present. Thank you very much for the little one." She said. Jack pushed the box in her direction, opening the lid. "You might wanna put him back in here, at least for now." He said. She nodded and very carefully placed her kitten back in the box. Jack then handed her the box. "I guess I'll see you later?" He said, sounding uncertain. Catherine nodded.
"When do you think you'll be able to start coming into town again?"
"Ma is hoping that Georgia'll recover by Spring."
Trying to hide her disappointment, she nodded. "Alright. I'll see you in Spring then?" She tried. Jack smiled and nodded. "Sure thing Cat." He said, and hugged her. While she didn't want to, she let go of her best friend. "See ya!" He said, and began to trot off away from her. "Goodbye!" She said, waving. When he was gone, she sighed. The thought of not seeing him for an entire season upset her, but she knew that his sister did need him. Besides, she had this new kitten to care for. He would surely keep her from feeling lonely. She began to make her way back to the house, and it was then that something struck her.
What if her Uncle wouldn't let her keep the kitten?
Oh, he just had to! Catherine had already fallen in love with the creature. Maybe if she begged and pleaded him, he would. "Just act really cute, and quiet Pumpkin. If you're quiet, he might say yes." She told the sleeping animal as she reached the porch of the house. Sighing, she realized she couldn't stall going in the house. It was very nearly dark. She pushed the door open, knowing that she could only hope for the best.
Hello! So not as long as the previous one, but still long nonetheless! Woo! So there's been a title change. I changed it due to the fact that "The Wild Side" just didn't make any sense to me anymore. I can't remember what the hell I was thinking when I named this. Safe and Sound works a lot better, because it's based off of the song "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars. It's a grand song, I suggest it. It makes me think of Catherine and Jack. Anywho, I would've updated sooner, but you see, I got a job. Ew, right? Yeah. Also, little note here, the next chapter will be in FIRST PERSON. Got that? FIRST PERSON. Okay, you've been warned and I have nothing left to rant about. Hopefully you enjoyed, and will return for the next installment!
P.S I started a Red Dead Redemption and Assassin's Creed crossover story. It's set in RDR land and time, and I just have an Assassin in there. You really don't need to have played AC, because I'll be explaining everything, but it wouldn't hurt to play those awesome games. Check it out! It's called "Outlawed"
