How Feelings Change

Chapter 14: Movers and Spirits

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Artemis, who is actually based of my cat.

This chapter is kind of short, but I wanted to get a chapter out now, because I won't be able to update at all next week. It's my college spring break and I'll be cut off from the internet for the entire week. I should have something good for you guys when I get back though.

On with the story…

ZZZ

Warm sunlight streamed in the window, falling across the face of the sleeping girl; her eyes scrunched up slightly, as she tried to keep hold of the last vestiges of sleep. Sam started to roll over to bury her face in the pillow, but a weight on her stomach stopped her. Opening her eyes slowly, she was met by the electric blue eyes of a large white cat, which upon seeing her awake, began to purr loudly.

"What are you doing lying on my stomach?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. The cat meowed and stood, walking along her chest until he could rub his face against hers. "Quit trying to be cute," she groaned, pushing the insistent cat back with one hand, "I'm not buying into it."

The cat meowed indignantly and jumped onto the floor beside the mattress, sitting down to wait for her to get up. She looked at him, one eyebrow raised, "Are you waiting on me to get up?" The cat meowed, his head bobbing up and down. "You're a weird cat," she sighed, getting out of bed and getting dressed. It was only then that she realized that Danny wasn't in the room.

"Where did he get to?" she wondered aloud.

Meowing loudly, the cat ran to the closed door that lead to the hallway and patted his paw against it as if to answer her question.

"So you understand English?" she questioned the cat as she opened the door and began to head down stairs, Artemis right behind her, "And why don't you look ghostly now? You definitely did last night when we found you in the attic." Sam chuckled slightly to herself; here she was questioning a ghost cat, who showed no signs of being able to answer with anything more than a meow. 'I must be going crazy,' she decided firmly, 'Living in Amity for so long must have warped my brain.'

Heading down the stairs, the cat hot on her heels, she took a deep breath; the smell of assorted breakfast foods wafted into her nose and she smiled, Danny had been learning to cook from Jazz. Walking into the kitchen she smiled at Danny minding two pans on the stove; coming up behind him she peeked over his shoulder. In one pan was a few sunny-side up eggs and in the other was an already finished vegetable stir-fry.

"Wow, I'm impressed," she smiled, her chin coming to rest on his shoulder, "Did Jazz teach you some vegetarian dishes or something?" She pointed at the Stir-fry.

"I asked her to," he answered turning off the burners, and beginning to scoop their breakfasts out onto some plates that they had bought the day before.

Danny handed her plate to her and both went to sit at their new table. As soon as Sam was seated Artemis leapt onto her lap and curled up, purring loudly. "This cat really seems to like me," Sam said off handedly as she scratched one of the white cat's soft ears. With her other hand she picked up her fork and took a bite of her breakfast, "This is really good Danny!"

"Thanks," he smiled, taking a bite of his eggs, "I was worried that it wouldn't turn out right, it's the first time that I ever made it without Jazz looking over my shoulder."

"Well its great," she smiled taking another bite, "I'll have to remember to thank Jazz for teaching you to cook, next time I talk to her."

Danny was about to respond when Artemis suddenly leapt off of Sam's lap and began to hiss, his back arched and all his hair standing on end.

"Settle down my friend," a soft feminine voice called as the petite, pale blue skinned form of Meia appeared, "I was simply coming to check on you." The cat immediately calmed and leapt back onto Sam's lap, once again purring contently.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon Meia," Danny said, addressing the Spirit who smiled widely at him and Sam.

"I just wanted to make sure that Artemis was getting along with your partner," she smiled at the cat who was trying vainly to cuddle with the black haired girl who was not paying attention to him, "But it is obvious that the other spirits and I needn't have worried, he seems to absolutely adore her, which is quite rare in itself. That cat is very picky with whom he befriends, and it is rare that he is as kind to those who we send him to watch over. He always does his job, but normally not this enthusiastically." A faint giggle escaped the Spirits lips as the cat threw himself onto his back on Sam's lap, purring and rubbing his face against her stomach.

"I'm just as surprised as you that he likes me," Sam said, finally giving into the cat who was begging for attention, and scratching his head, "Cat's don't normally like me."

"Well he is not a normal cat as you may have noticed," Meia giggled, her face taking on a very girlish appearance as her smile broadened, "He possesses the ability to disguise his ghostly appearance in the daylight, and he is exceptionally strong, though he doesn't look it when he behaves like a kitten." The cat immediately stopped what he was doing and gave the Spirit a dirty look, which caused the woman's giggles to escalate into full out laughter. Narrowing his eyes, Artemis turned away from Meia and continued to cuddle with Sam.

"Well I better be going," Meia said, finally suppressing her giggles, "I can't leave Reggie with the Spirit of Brotherhood, my eldest son Ronald, for too long. They get into arguments quite often as all siblings do." Looking off to the side for a second, her eyes seeming to loose focus before she turned back to them, "Plus the movers will be here soon with your things and it would not be good for me to be around when they do." And with a puff of smoke, she was gone.

"Well that was odd," Danny commented, looking at the spot that had been occupied by the spirit only moments before.

"Being visited by spirits is better than always having to chase ghosts around all the time," Sam answered, going back to her breakfast.

"Sure is," Danny answered, finishing his eggs and taking his dishes to the kitchen.

"Hey," she called after him, "Since you cooked, I'll do dishes! Just pile them in the dishpan with some warm soapy water and I'll take care of them when I'm done eating."

"Alright," he called, as the sounds of dished and water going into the dishpan could be heard. Sam finished her breakfast, and after sitting Artemis on the floor she headed to the kitchen with her dishes, the cat hot on her trail. She had barely begun washing up when the doorbell rang.

"I can see the moving van," Danny said, peering out the kitchen window, "I'll go show them were to put everything." Turning to the cat he pointed at him, "Keep an eye on her Artemis, and make sure she stays out of trouble."

"Shut up Danny," she laughed throwing a dishrag at him which he easily dodged as he headed towards the front door.

As soon as Danny was out of the room, Artemis walked to the doorway and sat down in the middle of it, acting very much like he was guarding Sam. Sam shook her head at the cat and went back to washing dishes while Danny dealt with the movers. She was glad that he had volunteered to show the movers where the stuff went, she really didn't feel up to it, and she suddenly began to feel a little tired.

'I hope that I'm not coming down with something,' she thought as she continued to wash the dishes.

ZZZ

A/N: I kind of used this chapter to introduce some little things that I'll be dealing with more thoroughly in later chapters. I hope that you guys like it, because y'all are the absolute best and I'd hate to disappoint any of you. I won't be able to post at all next week because of spring break, but I should have some good stuff for you after that.

See you next time.

Please R&R,

Dirty Thoughts of Bliss