Part 2 -- Someone's Sleeping in my Bed
"You okay, Mel?" Jess asked as they counted up the night's profits. "You seem really edgy."
"Oh, no," Mel told her in what she hoped counted as a casual voice. "No more edgy than usual." She gave Jess an innocent look.
"Yeah, right." Jess shook her head. "Come on, Mel. I know you better than that. What's up?"
She sighed and shook her head. "Don't ask. Trust me, Jess."
"That bad? You and Cole have a fight?" Her eyes went wide. "Oh, God, Mel. You didn't break up, did you?"
"We're--"
"Just friends. Whatever." Jess grinned and shook her head. "Mel, come on! You honestly think anyone really buys that?"
"It's true." Mel shook her head again. "You know what, Jess? Just forget it, okay. I did not have a fight with Cole, and since we're not involved it would be impossible for us to break up."
"Then how come I haven't seen him once all night, Mel? What's he hiding upstairs for? When he's home, he always comes down to help you."
"He's got a lot in his lap right now." Mel gave a little shrug.
Jess frowned, suddenly concerned for Cole. He may have been an odd-ball, but he was a sweet guy and Jess absolutely adored him. "He okay, Mel? Something happen in Brazil?"
"Nothing serious. Just… things went differently than he expected, you could say."
"If you say so…" Jess sounded dubious.
"Well, I do." Mel grinned reassuringly, shaking her head. "Everything is fine. Come on, Jess. It's getting late. Walk you to your car?"
"Nah, Mel. I'm good. Thanks. You have a good night. Tell Cole I missed him and welcome back."
"I'll tell him."
Mel smiled and walked Jess to her car in spite of the barmaid's protests that it really was not necessary. Not really wanting to go face a poison snake that could obviously smell fear, she poured herself a tall drink. Followed by another.
"She followed me home, Mel," she muttered in the darkness, shaking her head. "Can I keep her, Mel?" She sighed. "Sure, Cole. Why not? My life isn't scary enough right now. Sharing an apartment with a venomous not-quite-reptile should help with that…"
She sighed again, but it quickly deteriorated into a yawn. Shaking her head, she realized that she could either go upstairs or fall asleep at the bar. She climbed to her feet and trudged wearily up the stairs. As she entered the apartment, she immediately heard Cole's good-natured laughter.
"Not fair!" he protested, still laughing. "Kitten, get off!"
At the sound of female laughter, Mel raised an eyebrow and started towards the living room. A deep bark followed the laugh. Mel walked into the living room and stopped in her tracks. Cole was lying on the floor, tightly wrapped in a certain feathered serpent who was alternately barking and laughing at him as he struggled to free himself. He stopped struggling when he saw Mel.
"Oh, hello, Mel," he greeted her from the floor. "Kitten and I were just playing. She got a little too… enthusiastic." He smiled reassuringly in response to her uncertain expression and looked down at Kitten. "Okay, you need to let me go now," he told her gently.
Kitten hissed but uncoiled and climbed onto his shoulder again, purring. Mel shook her head to clear it. There were certain things that a woman just never expected to see in her life. Cole, on the floor, wrestling with a feathered snake and losing was definitely up there on the list.
"I thought you said they weren't constrictors," Mel said quietly, eyeing Kitten uneasily. Kitten smiled widely at her and laughed again. "And you forgot to mention that they laugh, too."
"Oh, K'kul cahn do not normally laugh, Mel," he assured her, smiling. "Kitten learned laughter from me."
"Right. But you said that she wasn't a constrictor. Cole, I am not sharing my apartment with a creature that can strangle me in my sleep."
His smile faded. "Why would Kitten do something like that?"
Kitten chuckled and nuzzled his cheek. He smiled down at her, gently scratching her head. Mel sighed and shook her head.
"They are constrictors, then?"
"No, Mel. Not technically." He shook his head.
Mel's eyes widened and she suddenly found herself wanting to throttle her favorite Cirronian. "Not… technically?"
"Well, they are very strong, but they don't suffocate their prey as constrictors do. They use poison."
"You… mentioned that. So what was up with her putting the squeeze on you?"
"She was playing, Mel."
"Lovely." Mel shook her head. "Cole, we need some ground-rules if that thing--"
Kitten hissed and Cole gently quieted her before turning his attention to Mel. "Mel, her name is Kitten. She is not a thing but a K'kul cahn."
Mel frowned faintly and decided that Kitten had been hissing at her tone of voice. "Right. Well, if you're going to be keeping a K'kul cahn up here, Cole, we need some ground rules."
"Okay, Mel." Cole nodded easily. "I already showed her how to use the toilet. What else do you require of us?"
Mel blinked. Like Cole, Kitten was a fast learner. "Mainly that she absolutely can not be seen. I mean… unlike you, it is kind of hard to hide the fact that she is… of alien origin."
Cole nodded. "I had considered that, Mel."
Good. At least he was not letting his affection for his new 'pet' keep him from seeing logic. "That means she can't be seen downstairs." The Health Department would have had a field day with that one even if Kitten had not been an extraterrestrial feathered serpent. "And during the day you need to either keep her in the War Room or keep the apartment door locked."
Cole nodded. "They are wise precautions, Mel. Is there anything else?"
She shook her head. "No, Cole. That's it. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to go straight to bed."
His smile wavered slightly, but he nodded. "Okay, Mel. If you think you need to. Sleep well."
"Yeah. Night, Cole." She smiled up at him. "Kitten."
Kitten smiled at her and let out a short bark.
"Mel requires rest now," Cole told the K'kul cahn gently. "She can play with you another time." He smiled after Mel as she walked down the hall. Good night, Mel. Sleep well."
"Okay, Cole. You and Kitten have fun." Mel closed the bedroom door, leaning against it and sighing. "What was I thinking letting him keep that thing?" she sighed. "This is definitely what I get for picking up half-naked guys on abandoned roads."
In the living room, Cole carried Kitten back over to the couch. "Are we going to finish this game or not?" he asked.
Kitten obediently climbed from his shoulder to the coffee table and regarded the chess-board thoughtfully. She looked up at Cole for a moment before leaning over the board, picking up a rook in her mouth, and moving it neatly to another square.
Cole blinked down at the board. "You sure you've never played before?" he asked, moving one of his pieces.
Kitten laughed and nodded.
"You're doing fairly well," he told her. With a grin, he added, "But I'm still going to beat you."
Kitten hissed and moved another piece, giving him a defiant look.
Cole laughed and shook his head, moving another piece. "Check-mate, Kitten."
She hissed in protest, then looked at the board again and conceded defeat with a little sigh.
"We'll be more evenly matched next time," he promised, scooping her up. "But for now I need to get some work done."
Kitten hissed and shook her head as he draped her over his shoulders. She let out a hopeful bark.
"Later. My work is important. Besides, you need sleep. I'll make you a nest in the War Room."
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In her room, Mel sighed. She honestly was not sure what had pulled her from her dreams and she had absolutely no intention of bothering to find out. With the day she had just been through, she needed sleep. And dreaming about Cole as she had been was an added bonus, and not one she intended to miss a moment of. She closed her eyes more tightly, yawning and already half asleep. A slight smile crossed her face as something tickled one bare leg, but she was asleep again before she could consider the implications of that sensation.
She woke again, not twenty minutes later, with a strange impression of weight on her chest. She frowned in groggy confusion and opened her eyes, wondering what it could be. Two glowing blue pinpricks regarded her in the darkness, mere inches from her face. Freezing, Mel did what anyone would have done under such circumstances. She screamed. Loudly. Kitten hissed at her and Mel increased the volume of her voice, shouting for Cole and struggling not to move.
The bedroom door was thrown open and Kitten jumped from the bed, snaking her way around Cole as he hurried towards the sleeping woman. Still hissing, she returned to her nest in the War Room. While not as warm as she might have liked, it was, at least, quiet.
"Are you okay, Mel?" Cole asked, gathering her into his arms. "What happened?"
"I woke up with a God-damned K'kul cahn on me!" she snapped.
He looked down at the bed, startled. "Where is she?"
"I don't know… She left, I guess."
"The noise probably scared her."
"She was scared? Cole, I woke up with a poisonous snake on my chest!"
He frowned, tightening his hold on her. "I'm sorry she startled you, Mel," he told her gently. "I'm sure she did not mean to."
She sighed and nodded. "I know, I know. She's just an animal and it's not her fault. It just… it scared me, Cole."
"Kitten is not dangerous, Mel," he assured her tenderly, brushing her hair out of her face. "I would never bring a dangerous animal into your home. I couldn't stand to see anything happen to you, Mel. Especially not because of me."
"Oh, Cole," she whispered, burying her face in his chest and not in the least caring that he was adamant about them not having a physical relationship. She needed a little comfort and security, damn it.
"I'm sorry, Mel," he told her gently, tenderly stroking her hair. "I was working and did not see her leave the nest I had made."
"It's okay, Cole. Why did she come in here like that?" Mel asked, her voice still shaking a little.
"They like warm, dark places to sleep. Perhaps it was not dark enough or quiet enough in the War Room."
"Guess I'll just have to close my door more securely in the future," Mel sighed, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Thanks, Cole."
"For what, Mel?"
She rolled her eyes, not able to suppress a smile at his words. That was her Cole. "The hug. I needed it."
He considered this for a few moments. "If you ever need a hug, Mel, you can tell me. I don't mind hugging you." He gently pushed her out of his embrace and dropped the hand that had been on her hair to her throat. "I like it, actually," he whispered, smiling warmly and brushing his lips across hers.
"So do I. Like it a lot," Mel admitted. She sighed and closed her eyes. "But we can't do this, Cole. We've talked about it."
The Cirronian closed his eyes, too, nodding weakly. "Yes, we did, Mel. If you are no longer afraid, I should go."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I." He gave her a sad small smile. "Sleep well, Mel. I'm sorry about Kitten."
She nodded. "Night, Cole. And thanks."
"Sleep well, Mel." He gave her throat a little caress, brushed her hair out of her face again, and left the room.
Mel stared after him as he closed the door, sighing and shaking her head. "Me and my big mouth… Note to self, Mel. Don't agitate the barking snake and don't push away the affectionate Cirronian. Idiot!" she berated herself, falling back onto her pillow and pulling her blanket over her head. "Idiot, idiot, idiot…"
With a low groan, Mel rolled onto her stomach and pulled a pillow over her head. It was going to be a long night.
When Cole returned to the War Room, Kitten was curled up on top of the model head Mel had given him, looking like a very colorful and ornate, if somewhat bizarre, crown. She gave him a questioning look.
"You scared her."
Kitten let out a little puff of air, shaking her head.
"Well, I'm sorry, but you did. Mel is like that, I told you. You must be gentle with her."
Kitten hissed in annoyance.
"I mean it, Kitten. I will not take no for an answer on this…"
Kitten hissed again, but nodded contritely.
"Good girl. Now come here." Cole extended his hand and she climbed up his arm, wrapping around his shoulders. "Get some sleep if you can, Kitten. I'll find you a better place as soon as I'm done with this."
She gave him a questioning look.
"I use these computers to help me Track my fugitives. Right now I'm looking at crime trends in Chicago. That's the name of the city we're in now. Anomalies can point to fugitive activity so I check these numbers on a weekly basis."
Kitten nodded and purred, nuzzling his cheek as he continued to explain his job and equipment to her.
End Part 2