I was doing my best to avoid Chris ever since our late night rendezvous. Any time we crossed paths at the club I quickly explained that I had something I urgently needed to do. Excuses, excuses.

I know I'm overreacting. Nothing even happened!

But I wanted it to.

Nope, definitely not going to think about that.

It wasn't actually that hard to avoid him. Most of his time seemed to be spent at the Manor orchestrating vanquishes for the sisters. I only knew this because Paige complained about it almost constantly now. She was really looking forward to starting her temp job in a few weeks just so she would have an reason to be out of there. It was her text, raving about what outfit she was planning to wear for her first day, that had saved me the other night. She had unknowingly stopped me from making a terrible mistake that night.

It wouldn't have been a mistake.

I shove that, and all thoughts of Chris, to the back of my mind as I continue on my way home from another late shift. This time, I made sure to leave as soon as our customers had cleared out, mentally apologising to our cleaning crew. Ray was surprised, but happy to see me off before he left as well.

I quietly enter the apartment, knowing it's empty. Beth, my roommate, had told me this morning that she would be staying with her girlfriend tonight.

I make my way to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers from last night. I send Paige a text letting her know I'd made it home safe before turning my phone on silent in preparation for bed. My quiet meal is interrupted by a small, high-pitched noise originating from my bedroom.

"Mew!"

My eyes widen, what the hell was that? Probably just Felix. I must have left my window open again, and he's come in to search for me and food.

Two more demanding noises, this time overlapping. "Mew! Mew!"

Okay, that's weird. Resolving to check it out I stuff my face full of the remainder of my meal and quickly rinse it in the sink.

As soon as I open the door, I see something I never expected. Curled up on the bed is Felix, surrounded by a litter of newborn kittens. What the hell!

"Felix!" I exclaim, and the new mother looks at me with exhausted pride, "You're- You're a girl?"

He - She, I mentally correct myself - just stares at me as a chorus of tiny mews sound off from around her. The tiny balls of fluff haven't even opened their eyes yet, and she licks the one closest to her.

Oh my God.

My bed sheets have a horrid stain on them, they will definitely need to be thrown out - but honestly that's the least of my concerns right now.

"What am I meant to do with you all?" I ask with worry as I approach the litter. I reach out a hand for Felix to sniff and she does so before butting her head against it in affection. "You really can't stay here, Beth will kill me! Where can I take you?"

The Manor is out of the question, I doubt Piper would take kindly to me bringing a load of stray kittens to her house. This leaves me with one option, and I grimace at the thought. The lesser of two evils, I suppose.

I hurriedly search the house for a suitable container, and the best thing I can find is an old filing box I'd been using as an impromptu recycling bin. I tip its contents out on my bedroom floor, then grab one of my throw over blankets to make it as comfortable for them as possible.

"Okay," I warn Felix, and she looks at me in question from her spot on the bed, "You probably aren't going to like this, but it's the best I can do on short notice. Stay right there!"

I run to the kitchen and grab the bag of shredded chicken I bought yesterday from the fridge. I intended to use it myself, but this is more important.

When I come back into the room, Felix is on the floor sniffing at the box while her babies desperately cry out for her. I scramble over quickly and manage to catch one just before it falls off the bed. Mother of the year over there, jeez.

I place a bit of chicken in the box and Felix happily hops in to eat it while I gather all her babies into the box with her. They wriggle in my grip, but it's not too difficult for me to keep hold of them.

Once they are all safely in the box, I quickly pull all the sheets off my bed. I'm glad I had a mattress protector over it, otherwise the whole thing would have been ruined. I leave it bunched in the corner of my room and promise myself I'll sort it out later. I have bigger priorities right now.

I put the lid gently over the box, hearing the questioning "Meow?" Felix gives me.

"It's okay baby," I reassure her, "I'll have you all somewhere safe soon."

I grab my handbag and stuff the small bag of chicken in it before making our way out of my apartment. They shuffle awkwardly in the box as we ride the elevator down, but I manage to keep my grip on it.

There's a constant stream of "Mews!" Coming from the box. Luckily, it's still the early hours of the morning, I have no clue how I could explain this to any of my neighbours.

Once we're at my car, I place them carefully in the passenger's seat and make sure to strap a seat belt around the box to keep it secure. I drive as slowly as possible in an attempt to keep them as settled as I can.

The journey there is so tedious. The noises I found cute at first were now driving me nuts. I felt pretty sympathetic for Felix, who was still stuck in there with them.

I knew there would be no one here, except maybe one person. I just hoped he wouldn't mind sharing his room for the night.

"Chris!" I yell as I enter P3, wanting to get this over and done with.

There's a moment of pause before a flash of white lights, and that trademark jingle indicates his arrival.

"So, you're finally done ignoring me now?" He asks moodily, and I startle a little. I hadn't realised I was being so obvious.

I'm trying to think of something to say, and I awkwardly adjust the box in my arms. It releases a grumpy, "Meow!" at my jostling movement.

There's a moment of silence between us as I freeze. He looks at the box, then back at me, and asks, "What was that?"

I rush to explain, "I didn't know where else to go, I'm sorry! I got home, and, and Felix had kittens! My landlord doesn't even want me to have pets, so I really need a safe place for them," I take panicked breaths and look up at him with wide eyes. "Please, Chris."

He looks startled by my sudden ramble, but there's amusement shining in his eyes. "Okay, so what are we going to do with them?"

I smile at the word 'we' before making my biggest request yet. "Well, I was thinking," I start awkwardly, "Maybe, could they stay here with you? Just for now, until we find something more permanent I mean."

He lets out a long sigh that ends with a chuckle. "Okay," he consents.

"Thank you, Chris!" I grin widely, and he smiles back at me. "Could you get some water for them? I didn't want to risk it spilling in the car, and I kind of have my hands full here." I lift the box slightly as if to prove it.

He nods and grabs a small glass from behind the bar to fill. Once that's sorted, he starts to carry it to his room. Before he enters the hall, he turns to me with a smirk and asks, "Are you actually going to follow me this time?"

I blush, remembering the last time I nearly followed him in there. Shirtless. But the shifting in my arms reminds me why I can't hesitate now. My determined nod is the only answer I give, and he seems satisfied with that.

As we enter the space, I realise this is the first time I've actually seen his room, since it has become his room anyway. It's still pretty bare bones, apart from the posters that cover almost every inch of the walls.

I place the box on the floor near the bed and open it to see a very disgruntled Felix glaring at me. The kittens wriggle around her, climbing onto one another before tumbling down together. It's an adorable sight.

I grab the chicken from my bag, noticing my phone has a missed call from an unknown number. Weird. Not thinking more of it at the moment, I place it back in my bag and give a few pieces to Felix. She purrs happily, enjoying the snack.

"So, what's her name?" I hear Chris ask from far too close beside me.

I try not to jump at the sound and keep my voice steady as I respond, "Felix."

"Felix the Cat?" I can hear the smile in his tone.

A grin breaks out on my face as I look up at him and reply, "You know the reference? I'm surprised, wouldn't that cartoon be ancient to you?"

He smiles gently at the expression on my face and remarks, "You mentioned it to me once,"

I don't remember that...

Upon seeing my quizzical look, he clarifies, "In the future."

Oh, right. It must be strange for him. To have memories with people that haven't actually happened yet. It's a bit sad, really.

He must notice my quietened demeanour because he tries to continue the subject. "So, Felix. Strange name for a girl."

I chuckle, "I don't know why, but I just sort of assumed she was a boy. It was quite a shock to find her with a litter on my bed tonight." I can't help the yawn that escapes me on the last word.

God, I'm tired, I woke up at seven o'clock this morning... yesterday morning. My shift didn't end until three, so I've been awake for close to twenty hours at this point.

I start to question where exactly I'm going to sleep. My only thought had been getting the kittens somewhere safe, and now I realise the fault in my plan. I am definitely too tired to drive home, and Chris has taken over my emergency sleeping spot. I don't really want to leave the kittens, but I don't think there's much choice here.

"I better-"

"Do you want-"

Chris and I both look at each other, and I giggle while he smirks. We had spoken at the same time.

I motion for him to go first, and he asks, "Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight? I don't think it's safe for you to drive home right now."

I'm so touched at the thought, but protest, "I can't take your bed from you!"

He smiles and says, "it's fine, I can just sleep on one of the couches out in the club."

"No," I continue to protest, "Chris, you don't understand. They are seriously uncomfortable! You have the bed, I can just, like, sleep on the floor."

"Don't be silly, Cas. I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor."

I make a bit of a face at the nickname, but don't call him out on it considering he was doing me a massive favour. I think for a moment before suggesting, "Maybe we could share the bed?"

His face brightens at the idea, but he still hesitates. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Sleeping next to a handsome man I am incredibly attracted to - how could I not be okay with that?

I nod, feeling my face go hot. "I'll stay on top of the covers though." That makes it okay, right?

Chris doesn't look too happy with the arrangement and opens his mouth to protest, but must sense I am set on this and slowly nods his consent.

Once he's under the covers, I lay down next to him. I try to leave as much space between us as possible, I'm practically on the edge of the bed, honestly.

I'm lulled to sleep by the soft sounds the kittens make, completely unaware that my silent phone was ringing again in my bag.