CHAPTER TWO

"Did you have any idea there were this many animals looking for homes?" Buffy said softly as they perused the cat shelter. There were three whole rooms filled with cages.

"Demons tend to think of them more as snacks than things they want around the house," Angel whispered back.

"That is so gross and yeah, I know. I saw Spike playing kitten poker." She shuddered.

"Really? That is low." Angel shook his head. He couldn't' abide the stupid game. Poked was meant to be more serious. "I'm surprised he hasn't sworn you to silence."

"Can we go in there?" Buffy asked a passing worker, pointing to a glass-walled room filled with cat trees, toys and cats.

The woman smiled, shoving her dishwater blond hair back. "By all means. Feel free to interact with the cats. If you find one you like, just come get him and I'll tell you all about him or her. I'm Margi by the way."

"Thanks, Margi. Come on, Angel." Buffy propelled the reluctant vampire into the room.

Angel stood next to one of the trees, trying not to make eye contact with any of the furry creatures. He waved Buffy on. "You pick. I'm sure you'll do a better job of it than me."

"I've never actually had a real pet either," Buffy said, looking at a big orange cat. She sounded far more excited by the prospect than Angel, who was envisioning the loss of antiques. She scooped the orange feline up and he was utterly unappreciative. She let him go. " Not friendly."

Buffy tried to engage a few other cats but none of them stood out to her. She was about to suggest going and looking in all the cages when Angel made a strange noise.

"Buffy, something's got me."

She turned around and saw ears poking over the vampire's broad shoulders. She smiled. "Stand still." She came over to him as the cat climbed Angel like a tree. The feline sat on his shoulder, gave his hair a sniff then yowled loudly in his ear. Angel flinched and Buffy plucked the cat off his shoulder. It purred at her. "I think it likes you. It's adorable."

Angel made a face looking at the thing. It was all willowy legs, thin body, a little egg of a head with high, hollow cheeks, enormous bat ears and huge blue-green eyes. "Are you sure that thing's even a cat? It attacked me. It might be a demon."

Buffy pressed her cheek to its back. "It's sweet."

"It doesn't look like a cat." Angel gestured at the cat's short smoky coat that curled in washboard waves.

"It looks like Connor," Buffy proclaimed as the cat settled into her arms.

Angel looked deeply hurt. "It does not."

"Sure it does, all skin and bones and big eyes." She scratched the cat under its chin and it purred louder. "I like it. Is it a girl or a boy?"

He gave her a look that suggested she had lost her mind. "What makes you think I'd know?"

"Hold her. I'll go get Margi."

Buffy put the cat in his arms and he set it free as soon as Buffy was out the door. The cat sauntered away from him, switching its snaky little tail. The cat cupped a ball and winged it Angel. He stared in amazement. The cat looked at him expectantly and when he didn't kick the ball back, it got another ball and tossed it, too. It repeated it a third time, hitting Angel square in the leg with a ball.

"Buffy, the cat's throwing things at me," he said as she returned with Margi.

"Cornish Rex's have hand-like paws," Margi said proudly. "She wants you to play with her."

"What's her name?" Buffy asked. "We really like her."

"Oh she's a sweetie." Margi scooped the Rex up. "This is Steren Star of Winter. She just came to us, tragic circumstances. Her mom was a breeder. Steren's just a year old, hasn't been bred yet. Anyhow, her mom and her twin were killed a few weeks ago. The police still aren't sure what happened. The Imperiale's, the sisters' family didn't want anything to do with the cat business and sold off the breeders but Steren was a pet. She ended up here."

"But we can adopt her right?" Buffy asked excitedly much to Angel's consternation. He wasn't sure he wanted anything to do with a cat that thought he was a tree to bounce toys off of.

Margi looked at them as if taking stock to ensure they'd be good parents. "Yes, but you have to take her companion, too."

"Two skinny little cats?" Angel asked.

Margi gave him the hairy eye, handing Buffy Steren. "Actually the other Imperiale sister bred Norwegian Forest Cats. Let me go get Steren's best friend. She's in the back being groomed."

"Are you sure you want this cat?" Angel asked once Margi was gone. "It's goofy looking."

Buffy pouted. She liked the unusual looking feline. "Still say it looks like your son."

Angel's lips thinned.

"Feel her, Angel." Buffy stroked Steren. "She's so soft and warm."

"It looks like someone gave her a perm." Angel petted Steren's fur. "She is soft though."

Margi returned with a cat as big as Steren was elfin. Angel's eyes bugged looking at the massive feline with its long fur, sticking out in tufts between its toes and a mane around its thick neck. Margi stroked the blue smoke and cream coat. "This is Sunniva Sun's Gift. She's the same age as Steren more or less and they've been together all their lives. Unfortunately, here in southern California, Sunniva won't get her full coat." She plopped Sunniva in Angel's arms.

"She's nothing but fur," he said, trying to find the cat through all the hair.

Margi nodded. "She has two coats, the long top coat and the under coat. This breed is so old the Vikings used to have them on their ships. Isn't she gorgeous? They both have papers but we had to spay them so their papers won't do much good. It's a shame that the Imperiale's family didn't have more patience. They could have sold both of them for a nice price and sadly we aren't permitted to sell them outright like that. It would have been a good Christmas present for the shelter."

"She seems so friendly, too," Buffy said running a hand over the cat. Steren took advantage of Sunniva's distraction and gave a mighty leap, landing on Angel's shoulder. She climbed up onto his head. The vampire's eyes went wide.

"Aww, Steren likes you. Both of them are sweet hearts and too smart by half," Margi said. "And if you're worried about the long hair, Forest cats aren't like other long haired breeds. They don't require daily grooming. They're meant to be out in the woods but in the spring when they shed they could use a little brushing."

"Shed," Angel said in a little voice as Steren started kneading his hair. He tried to get the cat off gently.

Buffy stepped on his foot. "We'd love them. We're looking for a Christmas gift for my niece. Mostly Angel and I will be taking care of them, of course. Sorcha's three if that makes a difference."

"Why don't we let the cats play while we do the paperwork," Margi said, rescuing Angel from Steren.

Angel let Buffy answer all the questions Margi had, looking at the clock. Surely it couldn't take much longer. They had waited until sundown for him and it had to be close to closing but Margi seemed in no hurry to get through with the paperwork. "I swear I filled out less paperwork when my son was born," Angel muttered and got elbowed. Finally they were on their way two cats in hand. "Remind me why I have cats."

"You wanted to make your granddaughter smile," Buffy said as they loaded the cats into the car. "Be thankful Spike and Cordy are willing to put them up until Christmas day."

"Spike's going to laugh at that skinny cat, you know that right?" Angel sighed.

"So long as he doesn't eat it, I'll be happy."

"He won't. Cordy would never kiss him again if he did," Angel said. "Trust me on that."

"Who could blame her?"

Angel decided to stay mute about all the cats, dogs and rats he and Spike had fed off of when the soul had originally kicked them in the butt, granted nearly a century apart but the results were mostly the same. He headed for Spike's, dreading whatever Spike might have to say on the matter.