Lucy had always gotten good sleep, though the period of time after her departure from Roseville presented new challenges to her getting rest. It was difficult to eat, to get around, and finding enough peace to sleep was not easy to come by. She often laid awake for hours on end, flipping from side to side as the previous months flashed in her mind. She could feel the stitches scratching at her side, exacerbating the issue. Even worse, she had been warned about not being so active, as it could cause them to open up, and on one particularly nasty night they did. Slowly, as she healed physically, she did so mentally as well, and was able to consistently fall asleep.
But while her typical pre-jump nights would remain dreamless, save for the occasional dream about her and Mike getting close, she often would wake up after having vivid night terrors about hitting the ground, or falling into an endless void. Sometimes even Alejandro would make an appearance, taunting her with his strength and ruthlessness. The ones where Mike screamed at her were the worst. The consequences of these dreams were that she was unable to really get any restful sleep, making her more irritable and irrational. Much of this frustration was blamed on Mike, with the help of her pets. Pointing out one bad guy to blame would ease her temporarily, but there was always a part of her that said he wasn't all to blame. And the truth of that matter is that he was still in the center of her heart. One last warm ember to keep it from freezing completely.
While being back on good terms with Mike again soothed her dreams, she still found herself occasionally at the mercy of her nightmares. But now, wrapped up in his loving, safe embrace, her mind was much more at ease. It was as though it could sense he was there, even when she was unconscious. Coming back to her aunt's house hadn't been easy. While she was grateful for her family's support, it didn't change the severe negative emotions that she associated with the house. That's what had spurred on such a violent dream the night prior. Mike's presence next to her, though, was keeping these demons at bay. Her subconscious was still jumpy, trying to alert her to a danger that didn't exist, and would jerk her awake occasionally. However, after a few minutes of listening to Mike's heartbeat, feeling his warm breath on her, and his soft arms around her, she would drift off to sleep.
Mike was more than happy to give his love to her during these trying times. It was nice, holding her close. She was so soft, so warm. Despite these feelings, he feared she may become dependent on him being near her at all times, and when they were apart she wouldn't be okay. He did worry for her, the khao manee had always clung to him for comfort, though he was just happy now she didn't abuse him. But, the point of helping her get over her fear of water was not to show her that he should be a security blanket, but that she had the strength in her all along. It was a good sign, seeing her sit by the water all on her own without him, but he did notice her checking to see if he was still there a few times. Maybe he could chalk it up to it being the other way around, her checking on him to see if he was okay, since he had just lost Blur. Mike felt fortunate to have Lucy during it all, her guiding him through the grieving process, reminding him that it wasn't his fault. It was this sweetness in her that made him fall in love with her all over again. It was just a shame it took them so long to get together. What might things have been like if they had?
Nevertheless, the two cats slept next to each other, cuddled up through the tranquil night and into the small hours of the morning. The alarm to get ready was their new enemy, and both grumbled and reluctantly let go of each other to get themselves prepared for the long flight home. Lucy showered, followed by Mike, and she had half a mind to make an argument for him to join her as they didn't have much time. Lucy's aunt was downstairs and prepared them some cereal with fruit. Yashy was still sleeping, and all parties agreed that it would be best to let her sleep while they got ready. While Lucy was packing up, Lily awoke.
"Headed out, dear?" She yawned, still very tired at such an early hour.
"Yeah." Lucy whispered, as not to wake the sleeping lizard. "Are you coming back with us? We have room for you."
Lily pondered the offer. Things seemed smoothed out now with Mike and Lucy, even if she still wasn't entirely on board. She looked at the slumbering Yashy beside her, and back to Lucy. She took a deep breath and spoke. "I think, dear… it's time for us to part ways. You kids seem to have gotten yourselves together. Honestly, I stuck around so long to see if it would happen. And I do care about you, even him to a certain extent, but you don't need me anymore."
Lucy kneeled down on the side of the bed to get on the hedgehog's level. "Who says we don't need you?" She smiled. "You've been a great friend. You were there for me when a lot of people weren't."
The wizened hedgehog smiled at the kind words. She was proud of Lucy, she had really come a long way. Still, Lily felt that it was time to move on. "Thank you, dear, but I must be going on my way. I have a life to live too, y'know." Lily stretched. "I may stay with your aunt for a while, she's a kind lady, but I will find my own way someday. It really has been wonderful, watching you two grow up. You still have some growing to do." She gave the khao manee a knowing look. "But you're well on your way."
"I understand." Lucy whispered. She extended a finger for Lily to shake, which she did. "Thank you, for everything."
"You're very welcome." She said warmly. "Now go on. You've got a flight to catch."
Lucy nodded once in acknowledgement and gently scooped Yashy up in her arms, careful not to wake her. "Goodbye, Lily."
"Goodbye, dear. And good luck." With that, she laid down to go back to sleep.
Lucy crept downstairs to find Mike standing at the window, looking into the backyard. He'd been there watching over Blur's mound, preparing to say another goodbye mentally. He blinked back tears, he still wanted to remain strong for Lucy, and for the trip home. He jumped a little when he felt someone's hand gently touch his shoulder. Upon looking, he saw it was Lucy's aunt, smiling down at him warmly, understanding what he was feeling. There didn't need to be words, even if there could be. Her face told him everything. Mike nodded a little and sighed, breaking away from the window to stand by the door, waiting on Lucy. She came down soon after, Yashy and suitcase in hand, along with Yashy. Mike took her bag so she didn't have to carry so much stuff.
On the car ride to the airport, something dawned on Mike. "Wait, what about Yashy?" He whispered.
Lucy looked at him, turning her attention away from the window. "What do you mean?"
"She can't get a ticket, what are we going to do?"
Lucy pondered the question. "What did you do last time?" Mike asked.
"Last time… she had to go in the cargo hold with the rest of the pets. It was different then, though. Blur, Amber, and Lily were with her." Lucy sighed. "Crap."
Both cats sat in silence as the car rumbled along the empty early morning streets. They were trying to formulate a plan, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so as they shot down one plan after another. Mike readjusted his green jacket (it was chilly that morning) as he tried to stay warm. Lucy noticed and flopped her big, fluffy tail on him. Mike laughed a little. "Thanks, Luce."
"Anytime, dear." She said sweetly. "We should get you a warmer jacket when we get back."
"Yeah, heh." Mike smiled, but then a thought hit him. He sat up. His jacket… "That's it!" He said a little too loudly and snapped his fingers.
"Quiet, jerkface!" Lucy hissed, but it was too late. Yashy stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open.
"Hmm… wha… hey, where am I?!" She hopped to her feet defensively, unaware of where she was or how she got there. Lucy glared at Mike and he gave her a sheepish smile.
"Sorry. It's just, I came up with a plan." He said.
"A plan, huh Flea? What kind of plan, one to impregnate mom?" She laughed at her teasing. She had just woken up and was already up to her antics.
"Yes, actually." Mike said, matter of factly.
Yashy stopped laughing and Lucy looked like she was about to explode. "You what?!" They both exclaimed at the same time.
"Lucy, wear my jacket, it'll be big on you. Then, we can smuggle Yashy in under it, and if anyone asks, we'll just tell them you're pregnant!" Mike fist pumped. "It's brilliant!"
"Yes!" Cried Yashy.
"No!" Yelled Lucy.
"Either that or Yashy goes in the cargo hold." Mike directed this more at Yashy than Lucy, and it worked.
Yashy grabbed the ends of Lucy's bow. "Mooooom! You can't let me go in the cargo hold! It's scary!"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be a big, tough girl?"
Yashy whimpered and gave a big pouty face with puppy dog eyes to boot. Lucy groaned and rolled her eyes. "Ffffffiiiine! But if this goes wrong, I'm blaming you two!"
With the new plan set, Mike relinquished the warmth of his jacket to Lucy, who slipped it on. "Try not to move so much, Yashy."
"I'll be as still as a rock!" She saluted.
"And as loud as a rockslide." Mike snickered.
"Hey! Can it, Flea! I can be quiet." The lizard crossed her arms indignantly. "I just choose not to be."
"I'll believe it when I hear it." He hugged himself and shivered. "Guh… so cold…"
Lucy wrapped her arms around the freezing korat and pulled him into her warmth. "Mmmm… thanks Luce." He snuggled into her.
"Anytime." She said, smiling, cheeks red, down at the blissful boy. It reminded her of the time she'd pulled him into her when she was trying to trick him while they argued over videogames. She didn't have any intention of pushing him away this time, though. Or ever again, for that matter.
The little car arrived at the front unloading area of the airport and the couple got out of the car. Mike grabbed the luggage while Lucy went to sign 'goodbye' to her aunt, who smiled snd signed back. With that, the elder khao manee put the car in drive and disappeared off into the distance. "C'mon, we gotta hurry." Mike said, and Lucy agreed. She lifted the bottom of the jacket and tucked Yashy in it.
"Try to stay still." Lucy told her.
"And quiet." Mike added.
Yashy didn't quite like being told what to do, but it was either that or the cargo hold. She situated herself on Lucy's belly, and in her shuffling, she bopped one of Lucy's boobs. The white cat let out a yelp of surprise and gasp as Yashy hit the sensitive area. "Yashy! Watch it! That's my boob!" She groaned.
"It's not my fault they are so big!" Yashy whispered, now settled down. "I can see why Flea likes you so much. They're ginormous!"
"No they aren't!" Lucy hissed, and Mike tried to speak up.
"They're… uh… good, but… um… I don't like you for that…" He stuttered in a poor attempt to reassure her, but the deadly look Lucy gave him was all he needed to see. "Right. Shutting up."
They pushed their way through the crowds, Lucy holding the small lizard from the bottom. Unless you really looked, it did seem like she was pregnant. Mike smiled at her, it was a little comical if he was being honest. Lucy wasn't content with the situation, feeling self conscious, a feeling that grew with every head turn she got. Even though it was just for show, she couldn't help but think about what was going through their heads as they looked at her in surprise. It didn't help to see Mike's smiling face looking down at her, and she went deeper red. "S-stop staring…" She whispered.
Mike chuckled and looked ahead. They dropped off their bags and went to get their tickets scanned in. The dog at the ticket counter looked over the two apprehensively as he scanned the tickets. He didn't say anything, but the directions to their terminal. Mike and Lucy hurried off. The less interactions with others the better. They got on the elevator to head up to the terminal floors when Yashy got bored and decided to poke Lucy's boob again to get a reaction from her. A reaction she did get. Lucy made the same yelp gasp she made earlier, accompanied by a "Quit poking my boobs!" comment that garnered Mike several dirty looks. All the korat could do was smile sheepishly and look forward.
At the top of the escalator they got stuck behind a rather large cat who waddled slowly through the hall. Impatient and wanting to see the hold up, Yashy peeked out from under the jacket, and Lucy promptly shoved her back inside. "Move it, tubby!" Yashy yelled, but when the large cat looked behind him all he saw was Lucy, who gave an apologetic look. Mike put a hand on her back and uttered, "Sorry, very sorry!" and navigated them both around him before he could speak. Thankfully, they arrived at their destination before Yashy could pull any stunts, and Lucy plopped down on a bench. "My arms are tired, when did you get so heavy?" She sighed.
"When your boobs got so big!" She teased and Lucy had half a mind to give her a swift jab for mentioning it again.
Mike rubbed her back. "We're almost on the plane, then we can relax a bit more."
Lucy laid her head on his shoulder. "I hope…"
But the respite was short lived. It wasn't long before Yashy spoke again. "Mooooom…" she whispered.
"What?" Lucy whispered back. "Aren't you supposed to be a fetus? Fetuses can't talk."
"But moooooom!" The precocious lizard groaned. "I have to pee…"
Lucy was about to explode. This plan was already bad even without all the distractions. "The plane is arriving soon, you can go on there."
"I have to go now!" Yashy cried, squirming.
"Yashy!" Mike chimed in. "Quiet, you'll get us caught!"
"Shut it, Flea! I gotta go!" She argued.
"Fine! I'll take you!" Lucy rolled her eyes. "But you need to stay quiet."
"I will, just hurry!"
Lucy frowned and stood up. "I'll try to be fast."
"If the plane comes, I'll see if they can hold off till you get back." Mike said.
"Be back soon." Lucy rushed off as fast as she could with Yashy being pressed up against her. If this was what pregnancy was like, maybe she didn't want it. Soon she found a restroom, opened a stall, and unzipped the jacket. Yashy popped out and sat on the toilet. "Now hurry!" Lucy backed out of the stall. "I'll stand guard."
Back with Mike, the PA system came to life. "Terminal three to Roseville is now boarding."
"Oh no…" Mike said to himself. He looked around frantically as he made his way to the gate. "Lucy, where are you?" He said to himself.
Lucy had heard the announcement in the bathroom. "Yashy! We need to go!"
The toilet flushed and Yashy came out of the stall. "Relax, mom." She hopped up onto the sink to wash her nubs.
"Done yet?" Lucy unzipped the jacket.
"Yup!" Yashy hopped in and Lucy quickly waddled out the restroom and down the hall to the terminal.
"Yeah, I think I see her." Mike told the gate attendant, who was impatiently waiting for the teen to arrive. Lucy hurried to the gate.
"Back! Let's go!" She growled to the Korat and he gave the attendant a small wave and rushed through the bridge to the plane. They made it just in time and took their seats. Both breathed a sigh of relief as they got comfortable for the ride home.
"Are we on the plane? Can I come out now?" Yashy huffed.
"Shush." Lucy said. "Not until we land. Take a nap."
"Fffffiiiiiine." The lizard whispered, curling up inside the jacket. "But you're in for it when we land." This was the last thing they heard from Yashy as she drifted off to sleep. It was still early in the morning, and the cat couple wqs still tired as well.
Lucy yawned. "I might take a nap too."
"Mind if I join you?" Mike asked, her yawn making him do so in return.
"Of course, just be careful with the baby." She winked at him. The two cats cuddles up as much as they could in the cramped airline seats. "Oh, and by the way…" Lucy said.
"Mhm?" Mike mumbled, eyes already closed.
"If you ever get me pregnant before I'm ready, jerkface, I'm kicking your ass."
"Understood."
Augustus carefully hooked the ornament onto the raggedy old Christmas tree. It was found in the attic, among many other broken and unused items that were collecting dust. The siamese scavenged what little unbroken ornaments there were left. They were in a green, bent tub with the word 'Chrismats decor' written on it in faded pen. Much of it was smashed to bits, but after carefully sifting through the broken glass he was able to find a decent amount to hang up. The tree wasn't in a much better state with many branches snapped and a lot of the artificial needles shed, but it was able to stand upright and that was good enough. It was not about the presentation to him that mattered, it was the idea.
With some help from his dad, they were able to bring the aging decorations down to the living room. There, they spent the morning and afternoon reminiscing about old times. The old, old times, before the move. The ones which Augustus didn't quite remember. Some of the salvaged ornaments reflected these early years, family photos, some from far off beaches. Augustus looked over one of himself, back when he first started wearing a cloak. "Ah, I remember that." His mother said, and the teen looked up to see her smiling over his shoulder. "You considered yourself quite the fashionista. Wanted to design clothes when you got older." There was a twinkle in her eye.
"Heh. Yeah." Augustus went a little crimson and hung it up. That idea of making clothes and outfits dried up when they moved and things got bad. It was just a pipe dream now. Not that he ever gave it much thought anymore.
"Say, kid, meet any girls you like?" His father reached around the tree to wrap around some lights.
"No." He said quickly, but then mumbled afterwards. "Well, there was a few…"
"What happened?" His mom asked, putting up the worn star at the top.
"Drifted apart I suppose. One moved away, the other… I made some mistakes." He closed his eyes, still thinking of his brief time with Daisy. "We both moved on now."
"I'm sorry to hear that." His mom gave a pouty look.
"You're a handsome boy, you never know when a girl is gonna fall into your arms." His dad said, plugging the light strand in. "It'll be when you least expect it."
Augustus went back to hanging ornaments. He highly doubted it. He was loner, most people didn't trust him, and that was understandable. Everyone would either keep their eyes down or look at him with contempt and whisper gossip behind his back. He didn't care, that was his lot in life. It was enough for him to be Lucy's friend, and to observe Daisy from afar. She seemed happy with Paulo now, and it filled him with warmth to see her smile. "Maybe." Was all he could really think to say in response.
They took a break for lunch, and Augustus put together some sandwiches. After their bellies were full, they went back to putting up what little other festive decor that could be found in the attic. This consisted of a few droopy wreaths and garland. They even found an old portrait of Santa to hang up in the living room. When all was said and done, the little room felt warm and cozy, something that had never been. It was a far cry from the horrid mess it was a week ago. Augustus was proud of the work he'd done. It wasn't easy, but the clean house seemed to have lifted everyone's mood.
In a sunnier side of Roseville, Paulo and Daisy were set up at the park, working on designs for decorations for junior prom. There was also the list of food and drink items that needed to be made. Paulo took things a little more seriously this time. He even drew some designs, though not without a lot of convincing and encouragement from Daisy. The girl was currently tapping her pencil on her chin, thinking of new ways to insert hearts into larger designs. So far, they'd come up with a heart wreath, heart streamers to hang from the ceilings, and unrelated to their designs, but still important, were multicolored heart balloons. Daisy felt like it was important to keep things bright and colorful, as to not have everything look so uniform and fade into the background. At the same time, it shouldn't be mismatched.
Christmas was also quickly approaching, and that was weighing on her mind. With Paulo having been sick over the last few days (he was mostly recovered now) and junior prom preparations needing to be made, she had neglected to look for gifts. Some of them had been done already, her parents were taken care of, but Paulo on the other hand… she wanted his gift to be really special. It worried her that she might get the wrong thing, or something that wasn't cool. Paulo meant the world to her. The somali noticed her furrowed brow. "What's wrong, babe? Stuck?"
Daisy snapped out her deep thoughts. "Kind of… Paulo, what do you want for Christmas?"
"Christmas?" It was kind of out of nowhere. He'd just assumed she had done her shopping.
"Yeah… I just want to get you the right thing…" She mumbled, a little red.
Paulo mused on the question and statements. What DID he want? He'd not thought about it. He had been just as busy as her. Most stuff he wanted he bought himself with the money he earned at Burger-Tron. Still, there was so much he could say. Video games, movies, a new skateboard. He watched Daisy as she doodled mindlessly on her paper, looking a bit upset. What did he want… what did he want? And then it dawned on him. He smiled and set aside his pen and paper. In one swift motion, he gently scooped up the selkirk ragamuffin and set her on his lap, who gave a little squeak in surprise as he did so. "Everything I want for Christmas is right here." He said warmly, holding her in his lap.
Daisy fell to pieces, stuttering, spluttering, face redder than he'd ever thought possible. "I…! Oh! P-Paulo!" Was all she could get out, and the somali laughed a bit at her flustered state. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, which didn't help her at all, though she was loving the affection. She hugged him and buried her face in his neck. "That was s-so corny!" She managed to say.
Paulo kept laying it on. "What can I say, babe? You're a real gift!"
Daisy squealed, and felt like she might explode from all the flirting. Paulo always flirted, but every time she just fell to pieces. She loved the attention he gave her, it was unlike what she had with Abbey. Not that Abbey was bad, but there was a way that Paulo went about things that made her feel like she was the most special girl in the world. "What do you want, babe?" He asked.
Daisy still had her face hidden from him. "I…" and she mumbled the rest.
Paulo perked up an ear. 'What was that?"
"I… want you…" She said a little louder, lifting her face up.
Paulo grinned. "And you said I was corny. Of course you can have me, babe. Always."
"I love you, Paulo!"
"I love you too, Daisy."
Mike and Lucy were just waking up as the plane was approaching the airport. Yashy ended up waking up too, much to the dismay of Lucy. She groaned she didn't have enough room to stretch, even with the jacket being a little baggy on the small khao manee. Both Lucy and Mike reminded her to keep quiet, but this only served to aggravate the already cranky lizard's mood. When a confused passenger looked over, Lucy covertly whipped out her phone and mouthed the words 'on call' to them. They didn't seem entirely convinced, but went back to their business. While she was at it, she texted her mom to let her know they were landing soon.
They finally touched down safely on the blacktop, and the plane rolled gently down the runway to the gate. Lucy was looking forward to getting Yashy off of her. Mike would have to suffer a bit too, as the weather had gotten colder over the weekend, and he was shivering. Lucy did her best to keep the freezing korat warm, but Yashy found joy in kicking Mike through the jacket whenever he got close. "Looks like the baby's kicking!" She snickered. Once the plane came to a stop, the couple wasted no time in getting off the plane. Lucy, looking pregnant, was allowed to get off first, but she did feel a little bad as it was all a ruse. All the looks of pity on the other passengers didn't help.
Mike and Lucy rushed through the terminal. Lucy's mother messaged her to notify she was there waiting at the entrance. The cats kept their heads down as they squeezed past the crowds to get to the baggage claim. All the jostling made Yashy even more impatient, and having skipped breakfast she was quite hungry, and was letting it be known. "Mooooom, when are we going to eat? I'm starving!" She moaned.
"I'll eat you if you don't stay quiet!" Lucy hissed.
"Yashy, we're almost out of here." Mike chimed in as he grabbed their luggage. "Then we can eat."
"I'm hungry now! I'm tired of being stuck in this cramped jacket!" Yashy wriggled, trying to get free.
"Yashy, stop!" Lucy said, losing her grip. With one mighty push, the little green lizard dropped out of the jacket and onto the floor, in front of everyone. There was a moment where everything stopped as the couple became the center of attention.
"Run?" Mike suggested.
"Run." Lucy agreed. She scooped up Yashy who was just about to do a victory dance, and the two sprinted out the front doors to the loading zone. "There! My mom's car!" The khao manee pointed out. They didn't slow down until the reached it, Mike tossing the suitcases into the trunk and sliding into the back seat next to Lucy, both letting out a deep sigh. It was finally over.
"Trip went well?" Her mom asked. "I see you brought Yashy back with you. I guess it's good I got you guys tickets for an airline that allows for carry on pets." Mike didn't dare look at Lucy. He was afraid the death stare she was giving him might actually kill him.