Each tended to their own wounds in silence and from separate areas of the room. It was dark outside now. Saoirse was glad she had flipped the sign to 'Closed' earlier when she did. It simply wouldn't do for a customer to walk in and find the pair bloody and bruised. Honestly, it was difficult to tell who was worse, although Saoirse was certain she'd have a scar on her outer thigh from this fight.

At her earlier question of what now, Katz hadn't commented. He merely stood with some trouble, though he was too proud to show much of it, and went to get a first aid kit for them both. Saoirse glanced down at the floor and smirked despite herself. Despite the statuses and the differences, they still both bled red.

It wasn't until they both limped into the kitchen and made tea until Saoirse decided to speak again. After all, what more could he do to her after that brawl? "You never answered my question." What now?

His sharp eyes were on her instantly, studying her, drinking her in. After a moment, he nodded to the whistling kettle. "Bring me a cup, girl." To his dismay, the last word faltered and showed his exhaustion. That was enough for the human to do just that.

When they both sat down with cups of tea in their hands, she waited. He sipped. She waited more, sensing he was thinking. It was only when the tea leaves at the bottom were starting to become visible that he shifted.

His eyes locked onto hers, his ears back but not flat. Katz' teeth seemed to grit briefly before he spoke coldly, "I am loathe to admit it, but it would seem that this…dog…is what sparked a sense of life back into you. Seeing as how I do not enjoy holding zombies under my ownership, I suppose…we can come to an agreement. You may visit Courage once a week after work for dinner, but I expect you to be ready for when I pick you up just before dark."

Saoirse's eyes widened, taken aback by his generous offer. Of course it was better than nothing, it was something she wanted, but she never thought, especially after the fight, that he would have agreed! Yet it was the fight that seemed to save her, to give her a temporary out and visiting pass to her old friend, ironically. Cats were so weird.

Taking that into consideration, she decided she wouldn't make it that easy for him. "Three times a week."

Katz' eyes flickered with something akin to amusement. "Twice."

"Twice and you have dinner with us." Saoirse dared to be bold, her smile growing and with hints of playfulness.

A staring contest ensued. After a moment, Katz sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Twice a week and I will…dine with you."

It was a start.

Two weeks later proved that it was indeed a start, a grand start to a whole new adventure waiting. The dinners were anything but boring between Courage's growls and Katz' taunts. There was no other way to explain away their appearances other than telling the household that they had beaten each other up. The only thing that kept Courage from finishing the job, or so it seemed, was Saoirse's reassurance that she came out on top of the fight both in injuries and by deal. Still, it made for tense dinners.

But they were together, so what did it matter?

Life seemed to be calming down – seemed. There was still something that bothered Saoirse. Actually, there were many things that bothered her. One was her origins. How did the Terriers come across her? What of her parents? Where were they?

Another, more pressing, topic was the government. It seemed that the world was changing nearly every day. The laws were becoming stricter and more rebels were being hunted down. Taxes were being raised and there was unrest amongst the cities. If her black market books had ever taught her something, it was that war was brewing.

And the last, perhaps most foolish, issue was…Katz, her new confusing mixture of owner and 'master'. It wasn't anything in particular, at least not something she could pinpoint. It was just…him…that confused her, interested her. Him and his business. They would be expanding soon, reaching out to his old colleagues. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

For the moment and especially during the dinners, however, Saoirse was able to brush off all of her worries for good food and good company…and Katz. It was lovely to be close to her second family even when her first was long gone. There would be plenty of time to search and answer these questions, she knew it deep down, but for now, she focused on the purple-haired writer, the old couple, and Katz.

It was best to soak up the sun before the storm, after all.

A/N: So that's the end of this story! However, there will be a SEQUEL soon enough, so keep an eye open for that. :) Hope you've enjoyed.