Chapter Twenty Five
The following morning, Emma awoke to a distinct scratching sound coming from the other side of the bed. She opened her eyes, looking around the room, slightly disoriented, until she remembered that she was at Regina's house, and she'd slept in Regina's bed last night.
"Gina, what are you doing?" Emma asked, with a frown as she rolled over to see what the scratching sound was. To her surprise, however, Regina wasn't beside her. She must have already gotten up for the day, because in her place was Kitty Softpaws, happily batting at a piece of thread she'd somehow loosened from the corner of Regina's duvet cover.
And to Emma's horror, she realized the cat was quickly unravelling a large in the fabric.
"Kitty!" Emma gasped, "what are you doing? Gina's gonna be so mad!"
The cat stopped and looked at Emma quizzically - the kind of look that always had Emma wondering if the cat could actually understand her, though she knew that was crazy - but Emma didn't have time to worry about her, as she noticed that the duvet cover seemed to be moving of it's own volition.
"Kitty Softpaws, what did you do?" Emma scolded, as she crawled over to the hole in the duvet cover, lifting up the fabric and peering inside. Sure enough, three young kittens were playing inside, bouncing around on the soft white duvet inside the cover.
"Oh, Gina's gonna kill you," Emma whispered at the kittens. "Out out out!"
The kittens seemed less eager to listen to Emma as they continued to roll around and bat at each other.
"Puss in Boots! Out! Kitty Softpaws Two! Out! Emma Two! Out out!" Emma cried, reaching her hand into the hole and pulling the kittens out one and at a time, and placing them on the floor.
"You really need better names," she decided frowning at the kittens, just as Emma Two jumped back on the bed. "Oh no you don't!"
Emma quickly scooped the kitten up and put her back with her siblings, eyeing the other two suspiciously, wondering who was going to make a break for it next.
"All of you, stop it," Emma said, as firmly as she could muster, pointing her finger at the kittens, who now appeared to stare up at her in awe. "You march yourselves back to your kitty bed and think about what you did!"
The kittens didn't exactly march, but to Emma's relief they made their way toward the door, pouncing on each other and rolling around along the way, but eventually making it out of the room and into the hallway.
"Gina's not gonna let us keep your babies if they're always so bad!" Emma explained to Kitty Softpaws, while examining the hole in the duvet cover. "Kitty Softpaws, you better go tell Gina you're sorry."
Emma paid little attention to the cat as it hopped off the bed and headed out of the room; she was too busy focusing on using her magic to thread the loose string back into it's place. Regina had taught her to undo crayon on the walls, she guessed this couldn't be much different than that.
After a few failed attempts, the thread finally began weaving itself back into the material, and Emma actually laughed out loud when she saw the hole disappear before her eyes, and the cover looked good as new in an instant.
She didn't even have a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, however, as she heard Regina's voice calling to her from downstairs.
"Emma!"
Regina sounded nearly panicked, and Emma wondered what on earth could be wrong as she jumped of the bed and ran down the hall, bounding down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, she found Regina standing, staring at Kitty Softpaws with a look of pure shock, while Henry sat at the table, laughing hysterically.
"What happened?" Emma asked, looking in confusion between Regina and the cat, who just stared back at Regina, looking innocent as ever.
"Your… cat… that cat… she just…" Regina stammered, not taking her eyes off the cat.
"The cat talked!" Henry blurted out.
"What?" Emma whispered, her eyes wide. She'd attempted to enchant the cat to talk before, but it had never worked. Or so she thought.
"The cat just… apologized to me. Emma?"
Emma couldn't help the grin that was spreading across her face. "Oh, Gina," Emma said, with mock concern. "Cats are talking to you now? You really are a crazy cat lady."
"Oh no, you put some sort of enchantment on her, didn't you?"
Emma shrugged, stifling a giggle even as Henry continued to laugh. "Not on purpose."
"I think it's time for all these cats to get some fresh air," Regina said, decisively, waving a hand to poof the kittens to the sliding glass door that lead outside. "I think I need some fresh air."
Emma grinned as she beckoned for Kitty Softpaws to follow her, and then opened the sliding door to let all the cats out.
"No one goes out of the yard," Emma instructed, pointing at the kittens specifically as she followed them out. She was in her pajamas and bare feet still, but Regina didn't even seem to notice as she came outside behind her. Emma guessed she was still a little too spooked.
"Mommy says she can talk to birds," Emma pointed out, causing Regina to let out an exasperated sigh and roll her eyes.
"They don't talk back in words," she insisted, taking a seat on the porch swing.
Emma giggled as she headed out onto the grass. It was finally starting to warm up outside and she could see the first signs of new life growing in Regina's garden. And that wasn't all she saw there.
"Gina! Look! Mr. Noodle came back!" Emma declared, holding up the little green snake for Regina to see.
Regina looked less than thrilled as she raised an eyebrow. "How can you be sure that's the same snake?"
"Look at his face!" Emma said, in disbelief that Regina hadn't recognized the snake right away. "It's him! I'd know this cute little face anywhere."
"Henry," Regina called, suddenly, through the open sliding door. "Come here! Emma has something to show you."
Emma grinned, slipping the hand holding the snake behind her back as she waited for Henry to come outside.
He was still laughing when he did, holding his stomach, but his mirth was short-lived once Emma pulled the snake out from behind her back. "Mr. Noodle wants to say hi!"
Henry's face went white as he stared at the snake. "That snake better not talk, Emma!"
Emma grinned. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Until now.
"Emma, no! I'm serious," Henry insisted, backing away, before turning and running back into the house.
Regina smirked, shaking her head. "That'll teach him to laugh at me. Now, put that disgusting thing back in the garden."
"He's not disgusting! He's beautiful," Emma insisted, smiling at the little green snake. "I want to get a tank and keep him."
"At your mother's house," said Regina.
Emma shrugged and put the snake back in the garden. Her mother said no cats because she didn't want cat hair everywhere and she didn't have Regina's magic to vanish it away all the time, but snakes didn't have hair… Emma wondered if maybe it was worth a try.
Or maybe she'd just ask her dad instead.
"So, Emma, why exactly was the cat apologizing?" Regina asked, patting the spot next to her on the porch swing so that Emma would come sit with her.
Emma smiled and took the spot. "Oh… she was just being bad. But don't worry. I cleaned up her mess and scolded the kittens too."
"Oh. What a good little cat mommy you've become."
"Well, I told Kitty Softpaws if her babies keep being bad then they can't live here anymore. But I didn't mean it. That's just what people say."
"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.
"Some people mean it when they say it."
"I know. But those people are long gone from your life, Little One."
"I know," Emma said, with a small smile. "I think the kittens need new names."
"Oh? But you named them," Regina reminded her.
"Yeah… but I was six. They need better names."
"Okay. We'll think of better names. But don't think that means they are all living here forever. I still want to find them new homes, eventually. Good homes with friends of ours who want a pet, alright?"
"Maybe," Emma said. "But I get to pick the homes. I get to interview the people."
"Interview?"
"Uh huh. And do a home inspection."
"Alright," Regina agreed.
Emma smiled to herself. She didn't really want the kittens to leave, but she was getting older now and she knew that asking Regina to keep four cats when she didn't even want one was a lot. She might be a good cat mommy, but Emma was sure she could be an even better cat social worker, and she'd find them the best homes.
But first, names…
To be continued…
Feel free to hit me up with cat name suggestions! I'm not always the best pet namer! Hahaha my own cats are called Cheyenne and Dixie, and my turtle is called Wolverine! lmao