Damon was now looking at his sleeping wife. Oh, how she could be innocent-looking. When Colin and Magnum had told him about the snakes, he had thought that was fine. Maybe Mirella would even help Mim digest the poisons. But judging by the arm, nope. It had been over ten hours since the bite and if Mirella could help, the result would have been visible by now. There had been over 50 snakes in total all more or less poisonous. He could smell the snake venoms and their parts on Mimi, but first, he had to operate. Fortunately, his teeth had not yet been activated.

Samuel came for Mimi. Fine starting weight 64 kilos. But she wouldn't last. Mimi's sugars were at rock bottom levels, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, everything. Miss would probably have to sleep for a couple of days and be in intensive care. Likewise, she was only 38.6 degrees at her core temperature again. Damon himself was 40.3, which is what Mim should be. But put yourself as the victim of 50 snakes. Do everything all the time. Breathe in rock dust, twig silage cut down trees. Damon sighed. He should be the naughty one again and try to talk some sense into Mimi about what is and isn't okay to do. Damon understood Mimi's need to try new things and learn, to do just about anything she could think of. But with Mimi being what she was, reality set in.

Damon wished he could let Mimi do whatever she was doing and be happy, but what good would it do if every couple of months she had to lie unconscious in a medbay? Damon sighed and went to operate. The three of them operated on Mimi for 18 hours. It took 10 hours to get all the organs aligned and the replication enzyme blocked. It took 8 hours to repair the damage from the snake venom. Mimi's legs and arms had the most of it, so they had to open up the limbs and clean all the shit out of it.

In addition, Mimi's bladder was huge and full of completely condensed piss. It was thick, crystallized and Damon suspected that that hurt to make out already. So Damon tried to get Mimi to drink and sometimes he'd bite into it with a diuretic to get the piss flowing. Sure, that kind of compression can sometimes be really useful, but only sometimes. Another thing he should teach Mimi. But when he has to preach and order, Mimi might go to Adam again. But Mimi's health was the number one priority here. Nothing else.

After the operation, Mimi weighed 42 kilos. Mimosa had another good meal. Damon put a PEG button in Mimi's stomach and infused it with visceral suspension, stretching the stomach so that it would eventually draw 10 liters. Mimi was a carnivore. Part feline, and although it wasn't outwardly visible yet, Mimi's guts told their own story. Adam's intestines were 15% longer and he used perhaps about 60% of what Mimi did for meat. Adam or Samuel, Bran, even himself. they could use more than just meat. Mimi couldn't.

Mimi's cat side was such that the prey animals realized there was a predator in there. And Mimi was the alpha. Clearly, Mimi was an alpha female. Werewolves didn't have alpha females. There was just a mate. And it was always under the male. But Mimi. She was more dominant than most wolves. and Mimi let it show. and took advantage of it. Now that Damon began to think about what he had always thought was Mimi's charisma, there was her alpha side, and a strong one at that. Damon thought to himself that it could be quite fun, showing the little bitch again. But first, let's get the little bitch fixed up.

I woke up in Medbay, completely medicated. Let's start thinking about what meds to take. Sedatives, check, more than one kind. Muscle relaxants. Yeah, it is because my muscles were like jelly and not really responding. Anesthetics. Probably some but not so well on anymore or I've become resistant to them because I'm awake. I had a feeding tube in my stomach and my stomach was inflated to full. I guess it will be 10 liters again soon. I started to concentrate and look for the meds, they each seemed a little different and so I started unloading the meds every time. One by one. It takes time and a lot of it but I can't lie in this bed for weeks.

Damon walked into the medbay and came over to my bedside. He looked at me for a moment and put the IVs down, all except for that damn intestinal puree. He squatted down next to my bed and said " Did you know Mimi that not all the hobbies in the world suit you then? Case in point, that jewelry job. Stones give off stone dust, which you are super sensitive to. Now the stone dust goes into your lungs and damages them. I don't know how bad the damage is to get the amplification enzyme to kick in again. Could it even come from something like that? But the fact is it's going to your lungs badly. That stone room of yours is full of stone dust. I've been there so I know what I'm talking about. And stones are minerals and that kind of fine dust can and will be absorbed into your blood. Result. I don't know. before you get symptoms, it could be anything from a headache to almost certainly, even silver madness.

Then my lady, that chainsaw of yours, what on earth do you think you are growing those organs for? You don't need more than a good punch in the right spot on your stomach to damage your spleen or even your liver to the point where your cells release a replicating enzyme. That saw of yours is ridiculously powerful and I would imagine it has delivered some pretty good blows. But now my lady. That bag will drain into your stomach and then you're done. For now. But remember you are a unique being and you don't understand or know what you can or can't do with all these new hobbies of yours. Now I'm not saying no, no way, but I'm making you a promise. I promise you that if you keep going the same way, doing whatever comes to your mind and not caring about anything, you will be back in medbay asleep in less than six months. That's a promise. because I know what I'm talking about."

Damon looked at me for a moment and then added in a gentler voice. "I don't always want to be the one in the negative, I really don't. But it's my duty to tell you the facts, the facts, as far as your own health is concerned. You weighed a little over 40 kilos after the operations, now you are about 53. and your temperature is again what it should be. 40.4 degrees. Not below. Likewise, you're keeping your blood sugar at even 2 to start. Not at zero. Multiplying enzymes is always a tough job. Always. It takes you right down to the feeding. Promise. But it's your own decision what you do. You know what the consequences are. " Damon was still for a moment and took my hand in his and held it. I was getting tired and fell asleep.

Sark, bringing in the disciples. Someone put me back in the shuttle. I'm in the dark, I can't get out. All I can do is wait for the pain to start again. Damon promised to talk, but he didn't the whole time. Help, panic. I can't take it anymore.!

I finally fought my way out of the nightmare and sat up in bed panting. I was still in the medbay but there was no longer a feeding button. I was drenched in sweat, remembered bits and pieces of the nightmare, and didn't want to go back to sleep. I put my legs over the edge of the bed and sat down. I was wearing a night dress, but it was wet with sweat. I sat on the edge of the bed for about 45 minutes and then carefully walked to the bathroom. I reached for the light switch to turn on the light. After the whole shed session, I didn't really care for the totally dark places and went for a piss.

I then left the medbay and didn't pay any attention at all to the fact that we were no longer in Australia until I entered the kitchen of the Pennsylvania mansion. Then I discovered that we had changed places. I was looking for a drink or something to substitute. Bran came into the kitchen and said " Oh you're up already. Well, Damon had to leave, and Adam is off chasing Constantine with Dresden. Don't worry little girl, I'm not coming after you. I'm just looking for something to eat. " I sighed and said " Fucking nightmares. Fucking shed session. Now I won't suffer in the dark. Did you know Bran what I went through in those four weeks? "

Bran sat down opposite me and said " No, I don't know. something bad because you were losing your straps. Tell me if you want to." I sighed and looked at the surface of the table. I said " There were these shuttles, so big you could fit all the way in. Damon at first said he was talking the whole time but he was quiet. It was completely dark inside the shuttle, it smelled of metal, oil, my fear, my blood, my sweat. when you got in there. All I could do was wait and see what happened next. it could be that something started drilling into your spine, or something pushed through your nose and into your brain. The stomach. It was dark and I never knew when, that was one of the worst things. sometimes it could be quite a while before the machine did anything. But when I was strapped down and already injured, medicated. helpless." I was silent.

Talking brought the memories too much to the surface and I didn't want to go through them again now. I stood up and picked up a large bowl. I gathered some supplies and made a pancake batter. I know I'm a feline and I don't do anything with pancakes per se, but it was just time for some comfort food. Now I wanted the food to make me feel good. I picked up the frying pan and said to Bran " Did you know that I actually hit some guy with a frying pan? It was when I was originally caught. I tried to run away and I grabbed one of those heavy frying pans and swung it. Then I ran away but I didn't get very far. " I put the pan on to heat up and started frying pancakes. I didn't even know what time it was, as long as I had to fry them.

I fried them until I got the batter right, beautiful lacy perfect pancakes. And then I'd always sprinkle a little sugar and roll and eat. Bran ate them too. and Samuel had come out of nowhere and he ate pancakes too. I knew Bran must have told Samuel about my little problems and well I'll deal with them in my own time but for now, I just had to concentrate on eating the pancakes. Eventually, the pancakes were all gone. I started baking. I made cream puffs, buns, pancakes, doughnuts, meat pies, Karelian pies, potato patties, potato pies, curd pies, mummy's berry pie, and buttermilk pie cakes. Don't even know how long I baked.

Damon had come in somewhere in between and wrapped his arms around me asking questions. " What are you doing baby, what are we going to do next, do you feel it? do you.? Feel me. How hard it is. Do you feel my hard and thick problem baby?" Oh, this guy. I was trying to be patient and keep explaining what I was doing when at some point this guy decided to change his tune a bit and started nibbling on my neck and ear. His hands started to go under my shirt. I was in the middle of another batch of buns and I was making a sun bun. The hands were pretty determined and I let them go at it. This wasn't the usual seduction mode, this was just the hanger trying to get me to stop whatever I was doing. Mimosa came into the kitchen and suddenly the hands disappeared.

I heard Damon go after Mimosa. Good for him. Let them enjoy themselves. I finished my bun and sat down, having made some coffee to enjoy what I'd done. Samuel and Bran had been steadily coming back for something to eat all the time. I didn't know how long I had been baking until I looked at my phone. Oh, a week. Fine, it doesn't matter. Bran came up to me and said " We've got another PR gig lined up. How would you like to go to chocolate work? There's one place you'd probably enjoy it." I said "Sure. I'm sure I could go. It might be fun to learn that technique too." Bran gave me the details of my gig. He said "Damon is going to a nightclub to be a bartender, Adam is going to be a personal security guard for a family. And I'm going to a bank to be an assistant manager. Loan department. To see who's lying and who's not. Samuel's going to an infertility clinic that specializes in supernaturals, in case you can find some help. Either a contraceptive or something that will allow you to conceive, but Colin thinks it might be the cat part of this that's not ready yet. It's probably contraception." I nodded. That was for the best. Apparently, my evolution was still in progress and even I didn't know what I was becoming.

Damon was having a pretty rowdy time with Mimosa and I was okay with that. Somehow I just wasn't in the frame of mind to even consider having sex. or actually doing anything terribly intimate. Being cuddly or anything like that. My gig was starting tomorrow and I went to take a shower and read. I read all night. I'm not sleeping, not for a while. And I'm not advertising it anywhere or to anyone. It's my business. I put on my proper clothes and went for a good drive in the morning. Mimosa had come to my head in the early hours of the morning and was very pleased. Now she should be in my head again for a while and then she will always last longer.

We got there and it was quite a big house, not a factory, and there were five cars in the employees' parking lot in the yard. I would be the sixth. I'd watched a lot of baking shows and shows where they made chocolates. I'd been up all night studying the theory and all the recipes. I didn't want to be completely blind, but I was ready to absorb the information like a sponge. Of course, the doing helps and so they say that the work teaches the doer.

I went in and the man met me. Pretty much George Clooney. He introduced himself and told me he was the boss of the place. I'd be taught by another man. Oh Michael Shanks, a clone almost again. Then there was another Johnny Depp, this one a blond version, and Orlando Bloom, also a blond version. Lastly, there was a Robert Downey Jr lookalike. They had completely different names, though, and they laughed a lot when I said who they looked like. No wonder that in my silver madness, I am reminded of TV series when I see actors a little bit everywhere. But no. No need to go to Hollywood or wherever, when you can find them at the PR gigs.

Simon and I started working together. He taught me how to temper and how to pour chocolate. We made bonbons. They were fun to make, although my chocolate wasn't always anywhere near right and there was always some little flaw in my filling. I left in the morning before six because I wanted to be there by seven and the drive took its time I got home after five in the evening just after Damon had left. Adam was rarely home because he was now living with the family and what little I heard him complain to Samuel about how the two teenage girls in the family were trying to seduce him. Or bribe or blackmail.

My gig lasted a month, it would have officially only been two weeks but I went on for another two when Damon left his phone and wallet again on his second day of work. He had the three-day rule again. I wouldn't last more than three days on a gig at the most, very often less. I learned to temper, but it still didn't always work out completely. I did a lot of different chocolate jobs, some of which I managed somehow and most of which I packed in a box and brought home at the end of the day. This would take longer to do but whenever the opportunity arose I would be ready. Adam was on the job for a week and a half when he couldn't take any more teenage drama and Bran quit after a week when the job was pretty fucking boring. No one there was lying that hard.