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Chapter 24: A Whole Clowder of Cats

The news reported the Duchess' arrest Wednesday evening. Jason was relieved that the

King had followed through on his promise so quickly. They could finally go home! There was

much speculation about the scale of the vixen's alleged crimes and what the investigation would

uncover. Jason and Ellie of course knew it would all come to naught: the Duchess would be

cleared, and the only thing to stop her from killing again would be whatever sanctions the King

might have threatened her with for returning to her murderous ways. Jason hoped the King had

followed through on the other part of his promise by making it clear to the Duchess that she

would not be permitted to take revenge on those who'd reported her crimes. He hoped his and

Ellie's involvement with the vixen was at an end, but he had a sinking feeling that they hadn't

seen the last of her. For now though, they could breathe a little easier.

When the news report had ended, Jason touched his nose between Ellie's ears and

gently hugged her to his chest. Ellie, who was sitting in his lap on the dark brown microfiber

armchair, clasped her hand over his right hand and gave it a squeeze.

"We can go home now, Ellie," Jason breathed.

He glanced up at Ellie's parents, who were sitting on the matching sofa, and felt another

wave of relief wash through him. Jason liked Ellie's parents, particularly her father, but they had

been staying with them for far too long. Jason felt they'd more than worn through the rabbits'

hospitality, but he was also anxious to be home where he wouldn't need to check and second

guess himself every time he wanted to show his love for Ellie. Beyond the need to refrain from

anything that might have been viewed as too explicit, Jason had to be careful around Ellie's

mother, and to a lesser degree her father, as the rabbits easily mistook boisterous playfulness

for something more serious. Jason still remembered the embarrassing incident when Ellie's

mother had been upset by him merely tickling her daughter.

"Let's leave first thing tomorrow morning," Ellie murmured back. "I'm ready to lose my

mind here! I can't wait to start a new case, but before that," she added slyly. "I'm going to need

to have my way with a certain silly kitty, maybe for a day or two. I've only shown you my

handcuffs so far. I have other toys to show you."

Jason felt a little flutter of nervous anticipation in his chest. Ellie had been holding back

too; once they were home, he'd truly be hers again.

Ellie set the alarm, and they got up early the next morning so that they could say

goodbye to her parents before they left for work. After a quick breakfast followed by hugs and

well wishes, Ellie and Jason took their bags to Jason's dark blue sedan, and Ellie climbed into

the driver's seat.

"I want to get home before dark," she quipped.

The drive back to Maplesburg was uneventful. Ellie still drove faster than he would have,

but Jason thought she kept a better eye on her speed than she had before the incident that had

led to her capture.

Six hours later, they pulled into the cement driveway outside of their two-story white vinyl

house with royal blue shutters and doors and a bluish gray composite roof. They entered

through the side door and plodded across the chilly wood floor. It was almost surreal to finally

be back. Jason switched the thermostat from vacation mode, which he'd left it on when they'd

briefly visited to collect some clothes, and punched the temperature up to a cozy 75°F. The

ventilation fans whirred as the gas furnace roared into action.

Jason set his dark green duffel bag on the floor by the stairs and went back out to collect

the second one. As he came back in, he threw the deadbolt, and then looked around the room

for Ellie: her blue satchel was on the dark blue futon, but she was nowhere to be seen. Jason

assumed she'd gone upstairs to use the bathroom, and he proceeded to the kitchen to find out

how grim the refrigerator's contents were.

Jason was digging slimy, rotten vegetables out of the refrigerator drawers when he

heard Ellie's claws clicking across the wood floor behind him. He dropped a bag of moldy

carrots in the trash can and stood, pushing the drawer shut with his foot and closing the white

refrigerator door.

"We need to go to the grocery," he noted.

"Let's do that tomorrow. We'll order delivery tonight," Ellie replied.

Jason heard a jangle, and he turned around to see Ellie dangling her handcuffs and

what appeared to be a muzzle in front of him.

"Look what else I bought while we were in Willowdale! Surprise, kitty! I have a new

accessory for you! Crouch down so I can put them on."

"I'm, uh, cleaning out the refrigerator," he replied awkwardly.

"It can wait," Ellie declared decisively. "Crouch down."

Jason hesitated another second, but then he complied. He'd almost forgotten how

dominant Ellie could be, and it gave him an arousing little thrill to realize this was just the

beginning. Now that they were free and safe and had their privacy again, Ellie was free to take

control and show Jason exactly how she would make him hers. Jason's breaths came fast and

excited as Ellie slipped the violet nylon muzzle over his own muzzle. She clicked the snap-lock

buckles shut behind his head and tightened the straps. Next, she locked his hands behind his

back with the steel cuffs. Finally, she wrapped what felt like a collar, though Jason hadn't

noticed one, around Jason's neck and buckled it behind him as well. With that, Ellie hopped

around in front of him and took his face between her hands. She smiled down at him

affectionately then nosed him between the ears.

"That's a good kitty," she murmured satisfiedly. She flicked something on his collar with

a metallic tink. "Did you see your nametag? I had them put 'Silly Kitty'."

"I didn't even notice the collar," Jason mumbled through the muzzle. It wasn't easy to

articulate clearly with his jaws clamped shut! "I was looking at the muzzle."

"They're the same color," Ellie informed him. "The collar is faux leather instead of nylon

though. Is everything comfortable? I didn't get anything too tight, did I?"

"It's fine."

"I'll let you look in the mirror later. You look pretty silly," Ellie teased. "Let's go sit down,

and we'll talk about what's on and off the table, what I'd like to do and what you might like too."

Jason stood, and Ellie hooked a pair of fingers under his collar to lead him.

"I bought a leash too," Ellie divulged. "But it was buried in my bag somewhere. I'll find it

later."

Ellie sat Jason on the futon and climbed into his lap, facing him with her legs straddling

his waist. She ran a clawed finger under the muzzle where it met his right cheek. Ellie was lifting

herself up to touch her nose to his when Jason's phone rang. Ellie slipped the smartphone out

of his hip holster and, after a glance, answered it.

"Hello, this is Ellie Bennett."

...

"Hello, Dr. Brown," Ellie gave Jason a mischievous look. "I'm afraid Jason is indisposed

at the moment, but I'll be happy to take a message."

...

"We just got back. You're right, it's a big relief that witch is finally gone."

...

"Saturday? I think that's fine. We don't have anything planned."

...

"Alright, we'll see you then, Whitney. I'll give Jason your best. Goodbye." Ellie hung up

the call and shoved the phone back into Jason's holster. "We're visiting your parents Saturday,"

Ellie informed him. "Your mom wanted to throw a party to celebrate our return. She said your

siblings would be coming." She flicked his nametag and grinned teasingly, "You can wear your

collar if you want."

"I'd better not," Jason replied hesitantly.

"I didn't think you would. I was teasing," Ellie returned.

"I would if you really wanted me to," Jason told her sincerely.

Ellie lifted herself up and pressed her nose to his, "Good kitty."

Ellie put her feet under her and pushed herself up, still crouching with one long foot on

either side of Jason's thighs. She turned his head sideways and nuzzled his left cheek then his

ear. Jason felt her incisors gently pinch the thin, tender flesh. Ellie's little licks and nibbles and

her stiff whiskers brushing over the sensitive ear sent tingles down his left side. Reflexively, he

wanted to pull away from the ticklish sensation, and he couldn't stop the tingle in his spine that

told him he was going to be bitten. However, Jason kept completely still, allowing Ellie to do as

she pleased. The tantalizing thought that, if he tried to pull away, she would use his restraints to

hold him in place fluttered in his chest. Jason wondered if this was how Ellie felt allowing a

carnivore to bathe her, feeling his deadly jaws so close to sensitive and vital areas, and he

thought perhaps he understood Ellie's desire for dominance a little better.

Ellie sat back down and pressed her nose against his neck above the collar. She

pressed in firmly over his carotid artery and nipped at the skin above. Jason's heart pounded as

he enjoyed the tingling feeling of vulnerability. He let out a moan of pleasure as Ellie's jaws

reached around his throat. He wouldn't be turning the tables with a quick movement this time.

He felt Ellie's incisors pinching on either side of his larynx. He didn't know how strong the

rabbit's jaws were, but he knew she could do vital damage. And he knew that, at the moment,

he had no way to stop her. Ellie's jaws squeezed harder, and he moaned again. If he felt himself

passing out, he might not be able to hold back; he hoped Ellie wouldn't be upset with the mess.

However, it didn't quite come to that. Ellie let him go and sat back with a satisfied grin.

"You seemed to be enjoying that, silly kitty," she remarked, pleased.

"It felt incredible, Ellie," he moaned. "I, I was almost there."

Ellie peered down between his legs and looked up with an amused smirk, "I guess so.

It's probably good you didn't finish on the couch. Let's talk about what's okay and not okay now.

First, being tied up: you like to be restrained. Would you be okay if you couldn't move at all?"

Jason nodded.

"Good, and how about biting? Is it okay as long as it doesn't break skin?"

Jason nodded, "If you break skin by accident, that's okay."

"I don't like the taste of blood," Ellie returned. "And just so we're clear, these are all what

I'm allowed to do to you. It's not a reciprocal list."

"I understand. Are we going to make a list for you?"

"Sure, you can give me hugs and snuggles all you want."

"Can I hold you down and tickle you?" Jason asked.

"Sometimes, but I'll punish you afterward. How about breathing?" Ellie went on. "Do you

mind if I make you pass out?"

"Not unless I don't wake back up."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Obviously. Aside from snuff, which would be insane to include on

the 'okay' list, other things I won't do include anything that has anything to do with something

that shouldn't leave a bathroom, cutting or anything that breaks the skin, and beating beyond a

few good swats. I would like to peg you, but if there's blood, I'm stopping."

"Okay," Jason agreed.

"Is there anything else you're definitely against?"

Jason thought about it a moment then shook his head, "I think that covers it. I'm less

worried about my blood than you are, and you could probably give me a good thrashing once in

a while."

"I'll keep that in mind if you ever really piss me off," Ellie replied dryly. "For me, it's about

being the one in control. I don't really want to hurt you; I'm not a sadist."

"I like you to be in control too," Jason responded. "But if it hurts sometimes, I might like

that too."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ellie returned. "Now, let's head upstairs so that I can get my teeth

around your throat again without making a mess of the couch."

* * *

Ellie and Jason slept-in Friday morning, exhausted after an intense afternoon and

evening of Jason getting exactly what he deserved and enjoying every second of it. Ellie was

pleased to have such a compliant and eager-to-please kitty as her beloved. During a lull to let

Jason recover, they'd ordered dinner. Ellie had left him tied to the bed by his leash when the

food had arrived and had returned to sit on his chest while she fed him his chicken lo mein with

chopsticks. They'd only gotten a little on the bed.

Ellie had received the joyous news that Flora had given birth to four healthy kits on

Tuesday, so that afternoon, after Jason finished cleaning out the fridge and they bought fresh

groceries, they went to Pete and Flora's house to see them.

Pete was the one who answered the door, "Hi Ellie, Jason, Flora's upstairs with the kits.

Follow me."

Pete led them up to the bedroom. Inside, Flora was lying in a special, heated nursing

bed on the floor. The bed had a plush and memory foam bottom surrounded by a rim that the

kits wouldn't be able to climb over until they were older. Flora was on her side with the kits

latched onto four of the teats on her swollen mammary chain. She propped her head up under

her left arm as they entered.

"You got here just in time for feeding time," Flora chirped happily. "Thanks for coming to

visit, you two."

Ellie thought the gray vixen looked a bit haggard, but she seemed happy all the same.

Ellie crouched down beside the bed and eyed the kits curiously.

"They have a lot of fur for three days old," she remarked.

"Fox kits are born with fur," Pete informed her proudly. It wasn't really an

accomplishment if they all were, but Pete's obvious glowing pride in his vulpine wife and kits

warmed Ellie's heart.

"Their eyes and ears will still be closed for several days however," Flora added. "They're

like rabbit kits in that way."

"Do you mind if I touch them?" Ellie asked.

"Wash and dry your hands well first, and then you may pet them so long as you don't

pick them up," Flora answered.

Ellie stood and crossed the hall to the bathroom where she gave her hands a good scrub

and dried them thoroughly with a fresh hand towel. Jason followed her.

"I want to pet them too," he said when she gave him a questioning look.

Ellie returned to the side of the nursing bed and gently ran a finger over the kit on the

right. The kits' baby fur was mostly black unlike Flora's multicolored coat, and it was silky soft.

The warm little body wriggled under Ellie's finger as the kit vigorously worked Flora's nipple for

nourishing milk. Jason crouched beside Ellie and ran a finger over the kit on the other end.

"Have you named them?" he asked.

Flora nodded. Starting with the kit on Jason's end farthest from her head she recited

their names, "Irene, Hector, Keith, and Lily."

Ellie petted Lily again, "Did you name her after Lily Schulz?"

"We did," Flora replied, a little defensively. "None of us would be here without her."

"It's a pretty name," Ellie returned warmly. "And Lily's not so bad, I guess."

"You were going to tell Zeta when we got back, weren't you?" Jason asked.

"Oh right, thanks for reminding me. She wanted us to all go for dinner. I guess it will be a

while before Flora can go though."

"What's this?" Flora asked curiously.

"Zeta wanted all of the predator-prey couples to go to dinner together," Ellie explained.

"Did we tell you Zeta and Lily got together? Well, Zeta, Lily, and Petunia, assuming everything

went well, but I expect it did."

"You didn't tell me that!" Flora exclaimed in surprise. "I thought they seemed skeptical

about the whole thing."

"That would be putting it mildly in Lily's case," Ellie replied dryly. "But I guess they

changed their minds. I suppose Jason and I didn't really consider it until we did either."

"Tell her maybe in a few weeks," Flora decided. "The kits' eyes and ears will be open

then, and we can bring them along or leave them with Pete's parents if they're available."

"Only if they've accepted them and you as family!" Pete responded hotly. "They haven't

even been to see them yet, and they live across town!"

"They're coming this weekend," Flora soothed. "You'll see. When they see how much

you love them, they'll have to love them too. They're innocent kits, not the vixen who beguiled

their son."

"I hope everything works out," Jason offered sympathetically. "But I'm sure we could look

after them sometime if you and Pete wanted to go out for the evening."

Flora smiled at the tabby warmly, "Thanks, Jason."

Ellie wasn't so sure about the offer; she didn't want to become Flora's primary babysitter.

However, she was pleased to see that Flora and Jason had formed a friendly rapport.

"They're done eating, Pete," Flora remarked. "You'd better poop them before they fall

asleep."

Pete bounded out of the room.

"Maybe it's time we got out of your fur," Ellie suggested awkwardly. The kits were cute,

but their poop wasn't something she cared to observe.

"Stay if you don't have anywhere to go!" Flora pleaded. "I could use the company."

They, in fact, had nowhere to go, and Ellie felt too guilty when she considered lying.

Jason, on the other hand, didn't seem anxious to leave and was still watching the kits curiously.

Pete returned with a damp washcloth. Scooping up the first kit in one arm, he bathed

their rear with the damp cloth. The kit squirmed, making little squeaking sounds. Ellie looked

away, but she still heard the wet pooting sound as the kit emptied its bowels on the washcloth.

"That's how you poop them then!" Jason remarked interestedly.

Ellie gave him a sidelong glance. Is he interested because he wants some of his own?

Ellie didn't think it was a good time to ask, but she made a mental note to discuss it more later.

They'd been kicking that ball down the road for too long.

Once the kits had been taken care of and were sleeping, Flora gingerly stood and

stepped out of the bed. "Leave the monitor on, Pete. Let's all go downstairs," she whispered.

Pete switched on a baby monitor by the bed, and they all quietly crept out of the

bedroom and down to the kitchen.

"Can you stay for the afternoon?" Flora asked. "We could see if we could manage a

game of Risk."

Ellie and Jason decided that they could.

Neither Ellie nor Jason had played Risk before, so they were immediately at a

disadvantage with the couple. Ellie got too ambitious, and Pete and Flora picked off her armies,

eliminating her from the game in only an hour. Left on his own against the vulpine-lagomorph

alliance, Jason managed to defend a few territories for a while longer until he was eliminated

too. The vixen and buck were distracted by checking on the kits more than once each, but it

ultimately didn't matter against the inexperienced players.

"You can stay and watch how it plays out," Flora offered. When Jason had lost.

"No thanks," Ellie replied dryly. "We'll come visit again Sunday if you want though.

Jason's parents are holding a family get-together tomorrow, so I'm finally going to get to meet

his littermates."

"Sounds exciting!" Flora chirped genially. "You'll have to tell me how it went. You can

bring a game you like if you want, or there's always cards."

Ellie scowled at her last remark, "I could beat you if I played again."

Flora smiled amusedly, "Maybe eventually," she allowed.

Back at home, Jason and Ellie set about making dinner. Ellie sautéed brussel sprouts in

olive oil with salt and pepper, and Jason seared a beef filet. He also made a few home fries.

Ellie found she was able to mostly tolerate the smell of the cooking meat, even without a damp

rag over her nose, and she was pleased with her progress. When everything was done, Ellie

took a few home fries, and they sat across from each other at the small oak table. Ellie took a

bite of one of the lightly seasoned quarters of the slightly bitter sprout before broaching the

subject that their visit with Pete and Flora had roused.

"Do you want to have kits, Jason?"

Jason froze mid slice whilst cutting off a piece of his steak and set down his knife and

fork. He regarded Ellie uncertainly, "Do you?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked. You seemed interested in Flora's."

"I might want them," Jason replied hesitantly. "But if you don't, that's okay."

"I don't know if I don't; all I know is that I'm not ready now," Ellie explained.

"That's fine."

"I might never be ready. I don't know!" Ellie emphasized. She wanted Jason to

understand. She didn't want him to be upset in the future if she never wanted them.

"That's fine, Ellie, really."

"Are you sure?" Ellie pressed anxiously.

Jason reached his hands out across the table, padded palms up. Ellie put her hands on

his, and he gently squeezed them with his thumbs. He meowed earnestly, "I love you, Ellie.

Your happiness is what I care about. Having kits is just hypothetical. If you want them, then I

want them; if you don't, then I don't."

Ellie felt warm affection wash away her anxiety. Of course that's how Jason felt; he'd

never want her to be unhappy. "I love you too, Sweetheart," she murmured. "I'll let you know

when I'm more sure how I feel."

"Take your time," Jason replied warmly.

"I am pretty sure I don't want to have them like Flora did," Ellie remarked. "Pregnancy

may only last a month in rabbits, but that doesn't count the time off work afterward or the hours

spent nursing. The total of that would be much longer."

"We could apply for assistance," Jason noted. "Since we can't give ourselves paid leave,

it ought to be easy to get. I wouldn't leave you at home alone; I'd be right here with you."

"I appreciate that, but it still sounds boring," Ellie rejoined. "Besides, if we have them, I'd

like at least one of them to be a kitten. One bunny and one kitty is what we said; I kind of liked

that idea."

Jason smiled affectionately, "Whatever you want, Ellie. One bunny and one kitty sound

nice to me."

"Or I might decide to keep my one kitty all to myself," Ellie declared roguishly.

Jason gently squeezed her hands, still smiling lovingly, "That sounds nice too."

They finished eating then spent a couple hours reading beside each other on the dark

blue futon with Ellie leaned against Jason's shoulder. Tomorrow she would meet his siblings,

and she hoped she'd get along with them. But even if she didn't, she knew that nothing would

ever take away Jason's love for her.

* * *

The Brown family get-together wasn't until 2PM Saturday, so after a quick breakfast,

Ellie and Jason decided to take care of some errands to get their lives back on track.

Fortunately, since their video, they were no longer considered dead, but the leases on their

office and Ellie's apartment had likely been terminated upon the initial pronouncement of their

deaths. Thus, they began by phoning the administrator of their office building. Fortunately, their

office was still vacant, which wasn't unexpected as the somewhat rundown building was only at

roughly two-thirds capacity. Jason paid to renew their lease, but when he was checking his

account balance by scanning his chip with his phone, they got a surprise.

"Ellie, look at this," Jason meowed, holding his phone toward her.

Ellie blinked in surprise as she saw the deposit near the top of Jason's transaction

history: just yesterday a deposit of two hundred and fifty thousand credits had been processed

from 'Belmont Estate'. Ellie checked her account with her own phone and found that the

Belmont Estate had deposited two hundred and seventy-five thousand credits into her account.

"I got twenty-five thousand more!" Ellie exclaimed in surprise. "Do you think the King

made her pay us as restitution?"

"Maybe it's an apology," Jason suggested hesitantly. "Why do you think you got more?"

Ellie puzzled over this for a moment. She had been held longer than Jason but only by

half a day, and if anything, he'd suffered more. "My car!" she realized. "Could it be for the

damage to my car or because Edgar stole it?"

Jason nodded, "The King wouldn't have known about that, so maybe it was her

decision."

"If she expects it to keep us quiet, she has another thing coming!" Ellie averred.

"I doubt she'd expect it to," Jason returned. "I'm still guessing apology or something like

one."

"Whatever it is, let's hope it means she's done with us," Ellie decided. "What do you think

happened to my car? Edgar brought it back here and went to find her. Do you think it could be

at the hotel where she was staying?"

"It's worth a try," Jason replied. "My guess is that it's in a tow lot somewhere."

Ellie looked up the number for the Regina Hotel and made the call.

"Hello, you've reached the Regina. This is Kate. How can I help you?"

"Uh, okay, this is going to sound weird, but I'm looking for my car. Would you be able to

tell me if it's in your lot?"

"You're free to come search our parking garage, but if your car's been stolen, I'd suggest

contacting the police."

Ellie wasn't comfortable with that avenue for obvious reasons. As far as she knew, the

cat who had delivered her to the Duchess was still the chief of police, and he might even try to

deliver her again. After everything that had happened, she'd probably never trust the

Maplesburg police, or any police, ever again. "It might have arrived with a pine marten who was

staying with the Duchess," Ellie offered.

There was a pause on the other end. "Let me get the manager," Kate requested.

Ellie heard the phone being set down.

A little over a minute later, another voice answered, "Hello, Kate told me you were

looking for the car Her Grace's servant brought. Is that right?"

"That's right."

"I'm sorry. I assumed it belonged to Her Grace. I had it delivered to Her Grace's estate

on Thursday. I can call and ask if they can have it returned. Could I get your address?"

"I'll contact the Duchess myself," Ellie replied briskly. "Thanks for your help. Goodbye."

She hung up.

Jason was looking at her quizzically.

"I didn't want to give our address!" Ellie explained anxiously.

"I'm sure she already knows it," Jason replied.

"Her weird sycophants don't," Ellie rejoined.

"Are you going to contact her to get it back?" Jason asked.

Ellie huffed indecisively, "I don't know. Maybe she decided to keep it, and the extra

money was to buy a new one. If I call, I'll have to talk to her and tell her where we live, even if

she already knows. It's several years old anyway, and it probably would have cost nearly as

much to replace the back windshield as it was worth."

"If it's not worth it to you, then I wouldn't call her," Jason advised. "It seems like you can

afford a new car now anyway, or if you want, you can drive mine."

"I suppose we don't necessarily need two when we work together," Ellie remarked. "Still,

I could get a new sports car so that I could really give you a scare when we drove it!"

Jason didn't look happy about this suggestion, but he didn't comment further.

Next, Ellie called the property manager of her apartment complex. It turned out her flat

had been snatched up by a new tenant, and when Ellie asked about her belongings, the

property manager told her that one of her neighbors had taken responsibility for them. Ellie had

a good idea which one.

They drove to Ellie's former apartment complex to have a word with Joe and find out

which of Ellie's things he still had. Ellie knew they were both mentally preparing for an

unpleasant confrontation with the prejudiced rat. Joe had told Jason he'd know what had

happened when Ellie disappeared, and Ellie could only imagine what effect having his paranoid

fantasies brought to fruition had had on the rat. She had disappeared, and then the carnivore

cult had attacked. It occurred to Ellie that Joe might have never returned or might even be dead,

and she felt a little guilty when she realized she might find this preferable to speaking with him.

Ellie parked the dark blue sedan in a visitor spot, and they proceeded to the side door.

Ellie didn't have her keys, which had been in her purse when they'd been captured by the

Duchess, but she knew many of the residents and thought one would let her in. However, as

they approached the glass door, they were startled by a shrill squeak from the right.

"Ellie?!"

Ellie jerked her head toward the sound to see Joe, as usual attired in his faux leather

jacket, making a beeline for her from beside the complex's dark green dumpster. He stopped

short, his eyes falling on Jason and his excited expression transforming into a grimace.

"Hi, Joe," Ellie greeted awkwardly. "I'm glad to see you survived the attack."

Joe turned his attention away from Jason and looked at her hopefully, "Are you back?

They took your apartment, El. I saved your stuff."

"Thanks, Joe. I heard about my apartment. We're just here to get my stuff from you. Do

you still have it all?"

"Yes! But, um, I didn't really think you were coming back, so I kind of sold my old

furniture. All I have is yours."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "You know what, Joe? You can keep it. We don't really have room

for most of it anyway. I want the rest of my stuff though: my dishes, my books, and everything

else."

"Okay, it's mostly still in boxes. I didn't give up on you, El!"

"Only enough to sell your furniture," Ellie returned dryly.

Joe led them inside and to his first-floor apartment. The boxes of Ellie's belongings were

strewn throughout the living room. More disturbingly, a few articles of her clothing were strewn

about his bedroom floor. As they entered the room, Joe began to hurriedly collect them. Ellie

had a sneaking suspicion it was the dirty laundry she'd left when she'd moved in with Jason.

Joe dropped most of these articles of clothing in an empty box but kept ahold of her yellow tank

top.

"Uh, can I return this to you tomorrow, El?" he asked awkwardly. "I'll put it through the

wash for you."

Ellie grimaced, "Why don't you just keep that too, Joe?"

The rat nodded awkwardly and tossed it onto his bed. Her bed. Ellie wondered if he'd

washed the sheets, but she didn't want to know the answer.

"I think we can pack everything in the car since we won't be taking furniture," Ellie

remarked.

"I'll help you take it out, El!" Joe replied anxiously.

They packed the boxes as well as Ellie's television and DVD-player in the trunk and

back seat of the sedan. Joe repeatedly shot Jason nervous glances, but the rat was surprisingly

civil. Before long, they had everything ready to go.

"Thanks, Joe," Ellie said awkwardly as Jason shut the back door. "I'm glad you made it

through, like I said."

"I'm glad you came back, El," Joe squeaked wistfully in his high-pitched, gravelly voice.

"You're still living with the cat?"

"Yes, Joe," Ellie replied curtly. "We've been together this entire time."

"I'm, uh, glad you're happy, El," Joe offered uncomfortably.

Ellie felt a tiny bit sympathetic for the rat, but given his previous behavior and continued

creepiness, it was a very tiny bit. "Goodbye, Joe," she returned brusquely.

Ellie climbed into the driver's seat, and Jason walked around the back of the car to get in

the other side, and they left. Joe watched them as they drove to the street, and he was still

watching as he disappeared behind them.

"Thank Zeus that's over!" Ellie exclaimed. "If we never see him again, it will be too soon!

What a creep!"

"At least he was civil this time," Jason murmured. "Except for, um, the one thing."

"You mean my tank top? I don't even want to know why he needed to wash that, and the

idea of him sleeping in my bed!" She shuddered. "A total creep."

They found space for Ellie's dishes in the kitchen cabinets and her books in the bedroom

bookshelf. They put her small tv at the end of the kitchen table by the wall and her DVD player

in the upstairs hall closet.

By the time they were done unpacking the last of Ellie's things, it was time to head to

Jason's parents' house. Ellie drove. Both Jason's and his parents' houses were in East

Maplesburg, but his parents' house was farther to the North and on the opposite side of the

Gooseberry River. A silver minivan and a black compact car were parked on the cement

driveway in front of the white-sided two-car garage to the right of the three-story white-sided

house. Ellie parked behind the black compact car.

They made their way across the lawn and under the two-story gable overhang of the

painted wood front porch. Ellie thought the house's siding was also painted wood though she

didn't inspect it closely. The front door, however, was varnished oak; it swung inward before

they had a chance to ring the doorbell.

"Come in, you two!" Jason's mother, Whitney, chirped happily. "The rest of the family's

already here."

Whitney hugged Ellie tightly as she stepped into the entry hall. Ellie politely hugged the

friendly silver tabby in return. Once Whitney had hugged Jason as well, she led them to the

living room, just across the stone-floored entry hall to the right.

The large living room, which covered most of the front half of the first floor, had deep

maroon carpet and creamy off-white walls. There were three tall windows on the front wall with

one burgundy microfiber couch in front of the first two windows and a matching couch on the

opposite wall facing the first. The far wall was lined with bookshelves, and there was a pair of

speakers, one each on the front and interior walls, a few steps in front of either end of the

bookshelves and a walnut cabinet holding the stereo system another few steps in front of the

speaker on the interior wall. However, the stereo was currently off, so when the chattering

meows abruptly ceased as Ellie and Jason stepped into the room in front of Whitney, Ellie's

keen ears could only hear the staring felines' breaths and her own, suddenly nervous,

heartbeat.

"Dexter, Wendy, this is Jason's partner I've been telling you about!" Whitney chirped

excitedly. "Come say hello!"

A brown tabby tom with a white belly, feet, and hands and another female silver tabby

stood from the sofas on Ellie's right and left, respectively. A female gray tabby stood from the

right sofa as well and followed a short distance behind. Blake remained seated on the left couch

but offered Ellie a pleasant smile when they made eye contact; it made Ellie feel a little more

comfortable. Three small kittens had stopped their play-fighting and were staring at her with

expressions ranging from curiosity to fear from the middle of the floor. Despite her nervousness,

Ellie noted that Jason was the only mackerel tabby in his family; except for Blake, who was solid

black, all of the others were true tabbies with swirling black, silver, or dark gray patterns rather

than Jason's stripy bars.

"This is Jason's brother Dexter," Whitney introduced the brown tabby with white first.

Dexter had bright blue eyes like his mother and wore circular, red-framed glasses. Ellie

noticed that he, like Whitney, was half a head taller than the others, and the tom was the largest

cat present by weight. His white belly had black and brown spots and a paunch of fat at the

bottom.

Dexter smiled affably and offered Ellie his hand to shake, "Nice to meet you, Ellie." He

shook her hand gently.

Ellie smiled back, feeling better for his friendly greeting, "It's nice to meet you too."

Dexter stepped to the side, and the silver tabby stepped forward. She had yellow-green

eyes, which regarded Ellie skeptically as her tail flipped behind her. Unlike her brothers, she

was a little on the thin side. While her silver fur was just as beautiful as her mother's, Whitney's

lower half was relatively voluptuous in comparison though both were gifted with the feline poise

and elegance. Ellie couldn't help feeling plain in comparison to the beautiful cats.

"This is Jason's sister Wendy," Whitney introduced her.

Wendy stopped and ran her eyes over Ellie. "She looks a bit small for a rabbit. Is she

some type of dwarf breed?"

"I'm not," Ellie replied annoyedly. "My name's Ellie. It's nice to meet you," she offered her

hand.

Wendy took her hand, but instead of shaking it, she held Ellie's wrist whilst she

inspected her claws. "No dirt or wear," she commented. "I guess you're not much of a digger."

Ellie yanked her hand away, "I'm not a child, and I don't live in a burrow!" she shot back.

She was already quite irritated with this rude cat.

"How old are you?" Wendy asked. "Over twenty, I hope."

Twenty was the age of full legal adulthood in Vulpineva. While most legal rights of

adulthood were granted between fifteen and twenty, sexual consent had a maximum age

difference until the age of twenty. If she had been under twenty, then Jason, at twenty-six,

would have been too old to legally have sex with her.

"I'm two years older than you," Ellie replied snippily.

"I thought I told you she was Jason's business partner, Wendy," Whitney explained

embarrassedly. "They've been together for more than five years."

"I've never seen her," Wendy returned grumpily. "How was I supposed to know it was the

same one?"

Ellie suspected the cat was embarrassed but didn't want to show it; egotism was the less

pleasant side of the coin with feline elegance. Ellie wasn't one to ingratiate herself by stroking

others' egos, but she wanted to at least try to get along with Jason's sister.

"I hope we can get to know each other and become friends," Ellie offered in a friendly

tone.

"Sure," Wendy replied tersely. She stepped to the side, and the gray tabby stepped

forward.

The gray tabby's fur was less striking than the silver tabbies', but she was nevertheless

very pretty. She had orangish-yellow eyes and a black nose, and she gave Ellie a gentle smile

as she offered her hand. Ellie shook it.

"This is Dexter's wife Marie," Whitney introduced. "Their kittens are over there on the

floor in front of Blake."

"It's nice to meet you, Ellie," Marie meowed kindly. "Whitney's been telling us about how

brave you are, and it's an honor to meet such a fearless little rabbit."

Ellie let out half of an embarrassed laugh, "Eheh, thanks, it's nice to meet you too." The

cat's excessively gentle tone and praising words made Ellie a little bit uncomfortable: they felt

patronizing. It might just be how she talks, Ellie told herself. She peered around the cat at her

kittens, "What are your kittens' names?"

"Juliet, Nikola, and Opal," Marie answered. "Would you like to meet them?"

Ellie smiled and nodded, "I would."

Marie led Ellie across the room to where the kittens were still seated on the floor,

watching her intently. It seemed that whatever nervousness they'd felt when she'd first

appeared had been overcome by curiosity. Ellie and the gray queen crouched down beside

them. Ellie was aware of Jason talking to his littermates, and her left eye briefly focused on

Whitney as she sat beside Blake on the sofa to watch them. However, she was more interested

in the kittens than what Jason and his siblings were saying. She was reminded that she had yet

to see Jason's kitten pictures, and she wondered if he'd been as adorable. I'm sure he was.

"What are you?" one of the kittens squeaked. "Are you a hare?"

Ellie smiled at the little gray tabby, who had a diamond of white on her neck, "I'm a

rabbit. That's almost the same thing."

"Does that mean you're prey?" the brown tabby tom mewed. He had a white belly and

socks.

"I'm a herbivore, yes," Ellie replied gently.

"A what?"

"That means she eats plants, Nikola," Marie explained softly.

"Who's Opal and who's Juliet?" Ellie asked.

"This is Opal, and that's Juliet," Marie answered, pointing to the gray tabby then the

other brown tabby.

Juliet, like her mother, was completely tabby without white but with her father's coloring.

"My name's Ellie," Ellie greeted. "I work with your uncle Jason."

The kittens blinked at her as if they didn't know what to do with that information.

"If you're prey, can we chase you?" Nikola piped.

"Hush," his mother scolded. "You know that's not allowed."

"I don't mind as long as they don't claw me," Ellie told Marie.

Marie frowned, "It's not something we can encourage. They have to start preschool

soon, and we can't have them pouncing on their prey classmates."

"Er, I guess that makes sense, sorry," Ellie replied awkwardly.

"Can you chase us?" Opal squeaked.

"Would it be alright if we played hide-and-seek?" Ellie asked, looking at Marie.

Marie nodded and smiled, "That's acceptable. Thank you for helping to keep them

entertained, Ellie."

"No problem. I'm trying to decide whether I want any. We saw my friend's newborn fox

kits yesterday, so it will be fun to see how they are when they're older."

"Still a handful, but I imagine rabbit kits are quite different."

Ellie smirked, "I guess I'll find out, but if Jason and I had them, I think I'd want some to

be kittens too," Ellie divulged.

Marie smiled a bit awkwardly, "Would you really? I guess it makes sense since you're

dating a cat. Do you think you'll get married then?"

Ellie nodded, "I do. I've never felt for anyone else what I feel for Jason, and I know he

feels the same. We belong together."

"Aren't we going to play?!" Opal mewled in protest.

Ellie turned back to the kittens with a smile, "Alright, run and hide, and I'll count to fifty."

With squeals of happiness, the kittens leapt up and scampered out of the living room.

"You're going to have your hands full finding them in this enormous house," Marie noted.

"Tell me if you need help."

"Okay."

Once Ellie had finished counting, she went back into the entry hall to start her search.

She searched the kitchen and dining area but didn't find any of them. Whilst in the kitchen, she

poked her head in the fridge: there was an enormous bowl of salad, seasoned and glazed

carrots on a covered baking dish, and what appeared to be a rhubarb tart ready to go into the

oven. There was also another dish of macaroni and cheese, a platter of meats and cheeses,

beef steaks, and chicken filets covered with mayonnaise and spices. Ellie wasn't totally certain

about the identities of the beef and chicken, but she was beginning to learn what the different

meats looked like. It looks like Whitney went a little overboard with the veggies. Ellie

appreciated the cat wanting to fix her something to eat, but there was clearly too much for one

rabbit.

She made her way back out to the entry hall and considered whether to search the

upstairs or basement next. Maybe the basement would be a little scary for such itty bitty kitties.

She climbed the curving, stone staircase. She didn't particularly want to search Blake and

Whitney's bedroom and bathroom, so she decided to leave it for last. Jason's room was the first

on the right, and that's the one Ellie went into first. She stopped inside and listened carefully,

swiveling her long ears. She heard a crinkle to the left, and she threw open the closet door.

Opal squealed in mock terror from underneath the rack of Jason's old shirts.

"Found you!" Ellie pounced and scooped up the gray kitten under the arms.

"Noooo! Don't eat me!" Opal squealed in delight.

Ellie grinned, "I caught you and gobbled you up, kitty. Run downstairs and wait in the

living room while I find the others."

She set Opal on the soft, dark blue carpet, and the kitten raced away. Ellie peered under

the bed for good measure but didn't find another kitten.

She continued down the hall to the room across from the upstairs bathroom. Like all of

the bedrooms except the master bedroom, it was on the right side of the hall. The bedroom had

the same blue carpet, but the light gray paint on the wall had a purplish tone. The bed was also

covered with a dark magenta comforter, so perhaps this was Wendy's room though, as in

Jason's, most of her belongings appeared to have been put away. Ellie listened carefully but

didn't hear anything. She opened the closet and peered under the bed just in case but didn't find

any kittens. She was pushing herself up from her belly when she heard the door close. She

leapt up, thinking one of the kittens had somehow managed to sneak out past her and turned to

see Wendy instead.

"Having fun?" the silver tabby asked dryly.

"Yes," Ellie answered nonchalantly.

The cat stalked across the room toward her and stopped only a step in front of her. She

ran her eyes over Ellie again. "So you're who Jason chose," she meowed skeptically. "You're

the person he almost died for."

Ellie shifted her feet uncomfortably. While Jason's parents had been very sympathetic,

she could understand Wendy's point of view. Just as Ellie's mother had seen Jason as the

predator who had almost eaten their daughter, she could understand Jason's family seeing her

as the prey who Jason had almost died for. On either side, if their family members failed to

understand the mutual love behind their actions, the other could be viewed as a dangerous

influence.

"I did everything I could to help him," Ellie murmured awkwardly. "It was the Duchess

who was responsible, not us."

"So you say," Wendy returned skeptically.

Ellie frowned, "What do you mean? If you don't believe it happened, then you don't have

anything to be upset about."

"What makes you worth Jason's life? How did you convince him it was better for him to

die?" Wendy demanded.

"I don't know, and I didn't. He didn't eat me because he loves me."

"Why?"

"You should ask him that, but I love him too. I'd give my life to save him too."

"Clearly not," the tabby replied scathingly.

"That wouldn't have saved him!" Ellie protested. "He never would have forgiven himself!

Besides, you don't know what that witch would have done."

Wendy frowned, "I still don't see what he sees in you; you're just a rabbit."

"You'd be better off asking him," Ellie repeated. "Can I get by? I have two more kittens to

find."

"I'm not stopping you," Wendy replied tartly.

Ellie stepped around the cat and made her way to the next bedroom down the hall.

Fortunately, the cat didn't follow her.

Ellie found the next kitten very quickly. As soon as she stepped into the bedroom at the

end of the hall, she heard a sneeze. She dropped down and spotted Nikola under the bed.

"Found you! Go down to the living room with Opal while I find Juliet."

Nikola squirmed out from under the bed; he was covered with dust bunnies. Ellie

wondered if she should help brush them off, but he was gone before she could offer. She

finished searching the room then climbed the stairs across the hall to the third floor.

The door to Blake's office at the end of the third floor hall was locked, and other rooms

came up empty. Ellie returned to the second floor and considered whether she should search

Blake and Whitney's room. She decided against it: she would ask Whitney to help her search

the room if she couldn't find Juliet. Ellie walked back down the stone staircase then through the

door to the cement basement steps underneath.

The lights of the basement were on: either someone was doing laundry, using the

basement bathroom, or getting wine, or this was where Juliet was hiding. The bathroom was

empty, so Ellie peered between the dark rows of wine bottles: no kitten. She was about to head

back upstairs when she noticed a particularly large pile of dirty laundry. Ellie crossed the cool

cement floor and nudged it with her foot. The pile emitted a surprised, musical trill. Ellie

crouched down and pushed away the shirts to reveal Juliet.

"Good spot, I almost missed you," Ellie told her. "I already found Opal and Nikola; they're

waiting upstairs."

Still sitting in the pile of laundry, Juliet blinked at her owlishly with her yellow-green eyes.

"What do you do with Uncle Jason?" she mewed curiously.

Ellie smiled amusedly, there were a lot of different answers to that innocent question.

"We solve mysteries," she divulged.

The kitten's eyes widened, "What kind?"

Ellie tried to think of one that wouldn't give Juliet nightmares. "Um, alright, one time, this

doggy lost his favorite chew toy, so Jason and I had to look all over for it. We retraced his steps,

but we couldn't find it. But then Jason had another idea where it might have gone. Can you

guess where?"

"Did he eat it?!" Juliet squeaked excitedly.

Ellie smirked and shook her head, "No, but good guess. It turned out he threw it away.

We found it in the landfill. He could have bought a lot of chew toys for what it cost him for us to

get it back."

Juliet nodded sagely though Ellie thought the story confused her. "Can we play hide-

and-seek again?" she asked.

Ellie smiled warmly, "I think so. Let's go find the others."

* * *

Dexter stepped up and placed his hands on Jason's shoulders, smiling at him

affectionately. Jason reached his arms under his brother's and pulled him into a hug, which

Dexter returned. After a moment, they broke apart.

"Glad to see you again, Jason. You had us worried for a while there," Dexter meowed

warmly.

Jason flicked his tail embarrassedly, "Sorry."

Dexter smiled and shook his head, "I'm just glad you're alright, but why haven't you

brought your partner here to meet us before now?" He stepped close and murmured

conspiratorially in Jason's ear with barely disguised amusement, "There wasn't some reason

you were embarrassed about her, was there?"

"I never brought her because we weren't dating until the middle of August," Jason

answered embarrassedly.

Wendy stepped up beside Dexter and impatiently shouldered him out of the way, "I was

worried, Jason!" she yowled. "How could you go and make us think you were dead?!"

Jason could tell she was angry and upset, and guilt stiffened his chest, "I-I'm sorry,

Wendy," he mewled contritely.

Wendy threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, "Don't ever do that again!" she

scolded.

Jason hugged her back. It was good to see his siblings. If they hadn't escaped the

Duchess, he probably never would have seen them again. He felt tears burning in the corners of

his eyes, and he blinked and sniffed wetly. He hugged Wendy tighter. After several seconds she

broke away and stepped back. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she stared into his eyes

concernedly. They were the same height, so neither had to look up or down for their sea green

and yellow-green eyes to meet.

"Mom said you almost did die. You almost gave your life, for that rabbit," she murmured

worriedly. "Is that true, Jason?"

Jason flipped his tail uncomfortably, "She's not just a rabbit; she's my partner, and I love

her, Wendy."

Wendy released him and turned away, "She's a rabbit. If you'd died for a rabbit, I would

have never forgiven you." She stalked out of the room without allowing him to reply.

"She'll get over it," Dexter offered awkwardly. "We were both a little shocked, but if you

love her then," he shrugged. "Then you love her. It doesn't matter if she's a rabbit."

Jason followed Dexter over to the empty couch, and Marie sat on Dexter's right once the

brothers sat down. Jason noticed Ellie was no longer in the room.

"Where's Ellie?" he asked.

"She's playing hide-and-seek with the kids," Marie answered.

Jason was a little bit surprised because he couldn't remember Ellie playing with her

nieces and nephews when he'd met her family, but Jason supposed she'd been trying to catch

up with her siblings then. Maybe she thought he needed some time to catch up with his siblings.

Or maybe she wants to see what kittens are like. He hoped she got some time to talk with his

siblings too though; even if they were accepting, they'd make assumptions about her if they

didn't get to know her.

"Ellie said the two of you would be getting married," Marie stated. "Do you have a date in

mind?"

Jason felt his ears getting warm, "Er, not really. Um, we're not actually engaged yet,

officially," he muttered.

"Oh? I thought she sounded pretty sure," Marie returned with surprise.

"They've only been together since August," Dexter informed her.

"I-it's not that we're not sure," Jason added hastily. "It's just that things have been so

chaotic that there didn't seem to be a good time to ask."

"So you are sure then," Dexter clarified. "It seems like an awfully fast decision,

particularly for, uh, such an unconventional pairing."

"I've known her a lot longer!" Jason replied defensively.

"When you live together, things you don't expect can turn up though," Dexter argued.

"That must be especially true with predator and prey."

"We've been through worse than most couples ever will be," Jason rejoined. "I know I

want to be with her the rest of my life."

"She did seem very nice," Marie put in. "And from what Whitney said, she sounds very

brave."

"She is," Jason agreed.

"Why don't you tell us some of the reasons you love her?" Dexter suggested. "I'd like to

know more about it. You're my brother, but also, it's an unusual pairing, like I said."

Why did he love Ellie? There were so many reasons Jason didn't even know where to

begin! "She's amazing," he breathed. "She's not just brave; she's fierce. She always stands up

for what's right, but it's not just that either. She's determined, and when she wants something,

she finds a way to get it. She's beautiful too; I didn't see it immediately because it's different

from a cat's, but when she smiles, she's the most beautiful person in the whole world. She's fun.

She's affectionate. When we're together, I'm happy. When we hold each other, it fills me with

joy. I've never felt this way about anyone else."

"What about Lily?" his sister's meow came from his left. "You dated her a lot longer, and

she was at least a cat." She squeezed in on Jason's left.

"W-we weren't right for each other," Jason murmured embarrassedly. He didn't want to

recount his recent, unpleasant conversations with the bobcat. "I cared for her, but I didn't love

her like I should have. I'd do anything for Ellie."

"Obviously," Wendy replied dryly. "That's what I'm worried about. I heard most of what

you said, but you were willing to die for her, Jason. What would that have gotten either of you?"

"It saved our lives," Jason pointed out. "If I'd done what the Duchess had wanted, she

might have let me go, or she might have used it to torture me further. Either way, I couldn't have

lived with myself. I'd do exactly the same thing if it happened again."

"Cats managed to live with themselves before we had lab-grown meat," Wendy argued.

"It would have been horrible, but as long as you were alive you could have moved past it."

Jason looked away and muttered, "Maybe they did, and maybe I could have. It doesn't

matter because it's not what happened. I'd do the same thing again because I'd rather die than

hurt Ellie."

Wendy put a hand on his knee, "I just don't want to lose you for a rabbit, Jason," she

murmured sadly. "You have a dangerous job, and you ought to have someone more capable of

helping you. Lily lost her job as the chief of police, so maybe she could help you. You might

remember why you loved her again."

Jason looked back at Wendy with an uncomfortable frown, "First of all, Ellie is capable,

and she does help when we're in trouble. I was the one who got us captured. If I'd been on my

toes like Ellie, we would have escaped. She had her gun on the Duchess, but she couldn't shoot

because one of her guards caught me. Secondly, Lily would never even consider working with

me, and thirdly, she's in a relationship now, with two rabbits."

Wendy looked uncomfortable listening to points one and two, but her jaw dropped at the

third. "She's dating rabbits too!?" she yowled. "I knew you were weird, but Lily?!"

Jason blushed, "It's not that weird," he muttered. "We're both mammals."

"Thank Zeus she's not a bird!" Wendy exclaimed.

Dexter snickered, and Jason shot him a dirty glance.

"It is weird, Jason," Dexter put in. "That's not a bad thing, but she's from an entirely

different order, and not a close one."

Jason was going to protest that no mammals were all that different unless they were

marsupials or monotremes, but he stopped when Ellie entered the room with the third kitten.

"Do you want to hide again?" Ellie asked the other kittens cheerfully.

"Ellie," Jason interrupted.

She turned toward him quizzically.

"When you're done do you want to come talk with Dexter and Wendy?" he suggested.

"I can look for the kittens this time if you want," his father offered.

"Um, okay, if you want me to come talk," Ellie answered. "Thanks, Blake."

Jason's father got up from the facing couch, and Ellie, after a glance at the crowded

couch with Jason, Wendy, Dexter, and Marie, sat by Whitney. The kittens raced out of the room,

and after a minute, Blake followed.

"Did you have something specific you wanted us to talk about?" Ellie asked awkwardly. "I

feel like I'm coming into the middle of something."

"Er, well, uh, we were, uh" Jason mumbled embarrassedly.

His mother wrapped an arm across Ellie's shoulders. "Dexter and Wendy are just a little

confused, but Jason did give a very passionate speech about how much he loves you a few

minutes ago. I wish I had recorded it for you."

Ellie smiled embarrassedly, "That's alright; I know. You were talking about me then; I

guess that's no surprise." She glanced at Wendy uncertainly.

"I think we understand how Jason feels," Dexter responded diplomatically. "I am curious

what it's like for you though. Especially now, around all of these cats."

Ellie smiled, still looking a bit embarrassed, "It's fine. I kind of like cats, and you-all have

been much more welcoming to me than my parents were when I first introduced them to Jason,

even when we sprung our relationship on Whitney and Blake."

Jason's mother petted Ellie's head, "I'm sure it was a bit shocking for them," she

meowed soothingly. "But how could we be anything but delighted to welcome such an adorable

little rabbit into our family? Especially when Jason loves you so much, like he does."

"I would think it would be a little difficult for you to get past the fact that he's a predator,"

Dexter pressed. "I assume that's why your parents were uncomfortable."

"Of course, but they didn't know Jason," Ellie replied. "Once they saw that he was such a

sweet kitty, they weren't worried anymore, not much anyway. Mom's more sensitive about

things, but she got used to the idea of us being together in general. I've known Jason for years,

so I already knew he was gentle."

Jason blushed; having Ellie call him gentle and "a sweet kitty" to his family was a little

embarrassing. He wasn't ashamed to be those things, but it felt a little too intimate in front of his

littermates specifically.

His mother petted Ellie's head again, "I'm glad Jason's a sweet boy and treats you right,"

she purred. "I think anyone can see why you're so happy together."

"I suppose so," Wendy conceded reluctantly.

"I think I understand now too," Dexter agreed more warmly.

"Blake will be back with the kittens before too long," Jason's mother told Ellie. "But if you

want, you can keep me company. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Yeah, do you have any photo albums from when Jason was little?"

His mother smiled warmly, "Let me go get them."

The silver tabby got up and returned a couple minutes later with two thick photo albums.

She sat down next to Ellie and set one on her other side. She opened the other across her and

Ellie's laps. "This is the one we started when they were first born, and the other should be

elementary school. Did you want to see older ones as well?"

"These will be good to start with," Ellie piped happily. "I want to see how cute he was as

an itty bitty kitty."

Jason's mother smiled indulgently and flipped the first page, "Here they are when they

were just one day old."

Jason's mother indulgently turned the pages and explained the photos while Ellie cooed

and smiled delightedly. Jason was conflicted between admiring how cute Ellie was while looking

at the pictures and the embarrassment of listening to her fussing over him as a kitten, saying,

for example, how she'd like to rub his fluffy cheeks or tickle his tiny toes. They were the kinds of

adoring comments people made about cute baby animals, but the difference was that he was an

adult and listening to her whilst seated between his siblings. His littermates might have taken

the opportunity for some lighthearted teasing except that they were not spared Ellie's imaginary

affections. The cats sat together in silent embarrassment, except for Marie, who decided to

move to Ellie's right so that she could join in.

Dexter murmured in Jason's ear under his breath, "Somehow, I feel like we've been put

at a disadvantage. I thought we were evaluating her."

"You get used to it," Jason divulged.

* * *

Ellie, Whitney, and Marie looked through the first two albums, and then Whitney got a

third album that included middle school and high school. By the time they were done with that

one, it was time to fix dinner.

"I can help if you like," Ellie offered.

"Your food only needs to go in the oven, but you're welcome to join me if you wish,"

Whitney replied cheerfully.

Ellie followed her to the kitchen. Jason's siblings weren't bad, but she was starting to

really like Whitney and Marie. Whitney had printed out some recipes and checked them before

getting started.

"Let's see: the carrots and tart go in forty-five minutes, and the chicken goes in thirty,"

Whitney murmured to herself. "And the steaks will only take ten." She turned to Ellie with a

smile, "Like I said, there's not too much left to do. It was fun trying out some plant-based

recipes. I fixed you salad, maple-glazed carrots, and a rhubarb tart."

"I peeked in the fridge," Ellie admitted. "Thank you, those sound delicious."

Whitney turned on the oven to preheat and turned back to Ellie. "How did you like

playing with the kittens?"

"It was fun," Ellie answered cheerfully. "And they're awfully cute too. So were your

kittens' pictures. Thanks for letting me see them."

Whitney beamed at her happily, "Thank you for asking; I hadn't looked through them in a

while. It makes me proud to think they've grown up into such fine young cats, and I can't tell you

how much I appreciate how happy you've made Jason."

Ellie smiled shyly, "He's made me just as happy, so I should be thanking you too."

"What are your plans now that you're finally back in Maplesburg?"

"We leased our old office. We'll be getting back to work as soon as we can. We'll

probably need to put out some ads so that people know we're back."

"If you need any help financially, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure it must have been a

burden not being able to work these past two months."

Ellie smiled embarrassedly. She was glad they weren't in a position to need to take

Whitney up on the offer. "Actually, we both received a large deposit from the Duchess the other

day. We don't know if the King made her pay us as restitution or if she did it herself, but we

won't have to worry about money for a while."

Whitney blinked her bright blue eyes behind her blue-framed glasses in surprise, "Did

she really? I can't imagine it was her decision; it must have been the King's."

Ellie didn't want to say anything even tangentially complimentary about the vixen, so she

left it at that; although, she suspected that Jason was right about it being the Duchess' choice

rather than the King's decree. The vixen had been genuinely happy to see her when she'd been

captured, and Ellie didn't necessarily think it was entirely from having her 'pet' back.

She and Whitney chatted while the food baked, and Ellie helped keep an eye on the

food in the oven whilst Whitney seared the beef steaks in a heavy cast-iron skillet. When

everything was done, Ellie donned a pair of oven mitts and helped carry the food to the dining

room table, which Blake had set after leaving the kittens in the living room with the others.

All ten of the available places were set. The kittens had been clustered at one end with

Whitney and Blake beside them. Jason and Ellie were across from each other at the next two

spots with Ellie on Whitney's left. Dexter and Marie were next with Dexter on Jason's right, and

Wendy had the end seat closest to the kitchen. Ellie's seat faced away from the windows and

door out onto the screened porch and backyard. There was a pair of lighted ceiling fans, one

over each end of the table, but the fan portions were off as it was mid-October. Whitney let the

others know dinner was ready, and the cats filed into the spacious room and took their

designated seats. After replacing the mitts, Ellie took her seat between Whitney and Marie.

The cats served themselves macaroni and cheese, cold meats and cheeses, and either

oven roasted chicken or pan seared steak while Ellie piled her plate with salad and took several

of the diagonally sliced glazed carrot pieces. She had dressed the bowl of salad with a splash of

apple cider vinegar and olive oil and salt and pepper while in the kitchen, and the hearty salad

contained spinach, kale, red bell pepper, radishes, and cucumbers.

Ellie slid the bowl across the table toward Jason. "Have some salad if you want it, Jason.

There's plenty," she offered.

"Thanks, I'll go grab a bowl."

Jason got up and returned with a small bowl. He selected one each of the peppers,

radishes, and cucumbers and took a couple each of the leaves. He tried a bite of each

component then took more of the kale and spinach, carefully avoiding the other contents.

"I'll try a little too if that's okay," Whitney stated.

Ellie nodded, and the silver tabby put a tiny pile of the salad on her plate. She skewered

some indiscriminately with her fork and pooped it in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully then

swallowed.

"Not bad," she concluded. "There was a spicy bit I quite enjoyed."

"That would be a radish," Ellie explained.

"Should I try a carrot, or do you think the flavor would be lost on me?" Whitney asked.

"It's mostly a sweet thing, especially with the syrup, so I don't think you'd enjoy it," Ellie

replied.

"I tried them before," Jason added. "They didn't taste like much."

"Do you always eat rabbit food?" Wendy asked grumpily.

"I like to try different things," Jason replied placidly. "Besides, a little is good for you."

"It has vitamins and fiber!" Ellie declared with a hint of amusement. "Even carnivores

should eat their vegetables." She finished by taking a large bite of salad and munching

enthusiastically.

Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Very true," Whitney chirped genially. "We ought to do a better job of including our

vegetable food group!"

"Maybe she should have some chicken or macaroni," Wendy grumbled. "Where's she

getting her protein and calcium?"

"Kale has loads of calcium," Ellie replied cheerfully.

"What about protein?" Wendy returned combatively.

Ellie didn't want to explain about protein, especially at the dinner table with mammals

who didn't perform hind-gut fermentation. "Everything has protein in it," she responded

nonchalantly.

Wendy looked like she was going to continue to argue, but Whitney cut her off.

"Rabbits have a special way of getting protein, Wendy. You don't need to worry about

Ellie's diet."

"She's worrying about mine," Wendy grumbled.

"The occasional vegetable wouldn't be amiss," Whitney responded. "Perhaps I should

have prepared green beans or corn instead of the meat and cheese assortment."

Wendy sighed grumpily and went back to eating without further comment.

When they had finished, Whitney went to the kitchen and returned with the rhubarb tart,

a small plate, and a knife, "I hope you saved room for dessert, Ellie!" she meowed excitedly. "I

had the most fun making this! I hope it's good; it smells nice." She cut Ellie a generous piece of

the tart.

Ellie cut off a piece of the pastry with her fork and popped it in her mouth: the sweet,

rich, and tangy flavors flowed over her taste buds as she chewed. "It's delicious!" she

complimented delightedly. "Thank you, Whitney. I feel kind of bad that none of you can have

any though."

"We can have more meat or cheese if we want," Whitney consoled.

"Why can't we have it?" Opal squeaked.

"It wouldn't taste good to us, Sweetie," Whitney told her.

"Why?" Opal mewed.

"Some species just have a different sense of taste from others," Whitney explained

patiently. "Ellie probably wouldn't enjoy eating meat or cheese. We're evolved to enjoy foods

that we're supposed to eat; although, sometimes too much of the really good ones aren't good

for us either."

The cats watched Ellie curiously while she ate her dessert or, in Wendy's case, boredly.

Ellie was used to eating sweets in front of Jason, but she felt awkward with his entire family

watching and more than a little guilty that the kittens didn't have any dessert. In addition, she

was reconsidering how much sugar she'd consumed in this meal between the glazed carrots

and tart. She'd mostly eaten salad, which was good, but too much sugar could cause rabbits

digestive issues. She could have eaten a second piece of the delicious tart, but she decided

against it. The herbivore food would probably be going home with them anyway.

"I could use two volunteers to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher and then

handwash the cookware," Whitney requested. "Blake will put away the leftovers. Make sure you

put Ellie's in something they can take home, Honey."

Blake nodded. He took the dish with the remaining chicken and went to the kitchen.

"I'll help," Jason offered.

"I'll help too," Wendy quickly offered next.

Whitney smiled, "Thank you, Sweethearts."

Ellie and the cats who weren't cleaning up returned to the living room.

* * *

Jason collected the plates and his bowl and took them to the kitchen. A minute later,

Wendy brought in the silverware and distributed it in the utensil rack of the dishwasher. Their

father finished putting away the chicken then returned to the dining room to collect the next dish

of leftovers. Jason rinsed and loaded the plates while Wendy collected the empty platter from

the steaks and then helped their father bring in the rest of the leftovers. Jason filled a white

plastic dish pan with hot water and detergent, washed and dried the platter and put it away.

Jason scrubbed the chicken's baking dish, and Wendy dried it while their father wrapped up the

cheese and meat platter and scooped the salad, carrots, and tart into separate plastic carry-out

containers.

Their father stacked the containers in the refrigerator and turned to address Jason, "I put

Miss Bennett's food on the top shelf, so you'll know where it is when you leave." He sauntered

out to the living room.

Wendy handed Jason the salad bowl, which he washed and she dried and put away.

She handed him the tart pan.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Wendy murmured uncomfortably.

"I do," Jason replied perfunctorily. He scrubbed the pan and put it under the faucet to

rinse it off.

Wendy shut off the water and stared at him probingly, "You really would die for her if you

had to."

"I would."

Wendy sighed sadly, "I believe you. I can see it in your eyes when you look at her or talk

about her. I saw it as soon as you got here, but I didn't want to believe it. You love her so much,

you don't care if it hurts you. That's dangerous, Jason. Someone can hurt you terribly if you love

them to the exclusion of your own wellbeing."

"Ellie loves me too!" Jason protested. "She wouldn't want me to be hurt! She'd do

anything she could to make sure I wasn't!"

"Maybe," Wendy allowed. "I can't read her well enough. She's a rabbit."

She let Jason rinse the pan, dried it off, and gave him the carrots' baking dish.

"I mean, you'd have to really love her to eat leaves for her," she meowed dryly.

"That's not why I-ow!" Jason's protest was cut off when Wendy slapped his arm.

"I was joking, you idiot!" She shook her head wryly, "I don't even want to think about

what happens between the two of you when she has you wrapped around her paw like she

does! Do you have a leash and collar yet?"

"Erm, no," Jason lied embarrassedly.

Wendy stared at him disappointedly, "You could at least lie convincingly, Jason. Gah,

now I'll have that in my mind! I shouldn't have asked!"

They finished washing the cookware without further conversation. When they returned to

the living room, one of the kittens, Juliet, was sleeping while Ellie held her on her lap and gently

petted her head. Nikola was in his grandmother's lap, and Opal was between her parents on the

other couch. All were apparently having their after-dinner nap. Jason sat next to Ellie, and

Wendy sat next to Dexter. Jason wrapped his arm around Ellie, and she leaned her head

against his shoulder. Jason understood his sister's concerns better now, but he was certain they

were unfounded. Ellie loved him just as he loved her; they merely expressed their love in

different ways at times.

Before long, Dexter and Marie decided to take the kittens home. They all got up to see

them off. Dexter was finishing his doctorate at UNV, and they lived near the university, not too

far away but far enough to be prohibitive for quick visits. Wendy, on the other hand, worked in

Maplesburg as a meteorologist and sometimes filled in for the primary meteorologist on one of

the smaller local news stations, channel 8. She was off on Sunday and in no particular hurry to

leave. Jason thought she was still trying to read Ellie, which was a bit awkward, but Ellie ignored

her glances.

When they sat back down, his mom took the other couch with Wendy and wrapped an

arm around her to hold her close. She rubbed her cheek against Wendy's. "I love you,

Sweetheart, no matter what," she murmured. She held Wendy a while longer before asking, "Is

there anything anyone wanted to do before you go? I grabbed some movies at the library, or we

could play a board game. Or you can run home if you need to."

Jason glanced down at Ellie.

"I'm not in a rush," she murmured.

"I'd rather watch a movie," Wendy put in. "I want to relax. I feel like I could take a nap like

the kittens."

"You can always spend the night," their mom responded cheerfully.

"What movie did you pick out?" their dad asked.

"I got out Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and Dracula."

They decided on Little Women with Ellie being outvoted. Jason might have voted with

her for Dracula, but he felt like he'd seen it a good number of times. Since it was four to one, it

wouldn't have made a difference. They went up to the tv room on the third floor. His parents

took the sofa, and Jason sat on one of the two large bean bag chairs with Ellie snuggled close

on his right. They were both surprised when Wendy sat on his left. She tucked up her legs,

wrapped her long tail around her feet, and leaned her head against his neck.

"I missed you, Jason," she murmured. "I'm glad you're back."

Jason wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, his right arm already wrapped around

Ellie's. Wendy was his sister, and he knew she'd been worried about him. She would warm to

Ellie eventually. Ellie lifted her head to peer over him and smiled warmly before curling up and

tucking her head under his arm. Clearly, she didn't mind.

When the movie was over, they went back downstairs, and Jason grabbed Ellie's

leftovers out of the fridge. The five of them met in the entry hall for goodbyes. Jason and Ellie

each hugged his parents, and then Jason and Wendy hugged each other tightly. After the

siblings broke apart, Wendy considered Ellie for a couple seconds, and then she hugged her

too. Ellie hugged her back, looking pleased and relieved. Jason grabbed the carryout containers

off of the entryway table that also held a decorative vase that sometimes hosted fresh flowers,

and they crossed the dark yard to their car and drove home on the lamp-lit city streets.

Ellie was waiting in the living room after Jason put her leftovers in their refrigerator. "I've

decided on a kitty tongue bath tonight!" she informed him matter-of-factly.

Jason smiled amusedly and followed her up to their bedroom. He groomed her then

himself, and they brushed their teeth. Jason climbed into bed, and Ellie climbed in on top of him.

She propped herself up with her elbows on either side of his head and smiled down

affectionately.

"I think that all went pretty well, don't you?" she asked.

Jason smiled up at her lovingly, "Yes. Even Wendy seemed to accept us by the end."

"The kittens were awfully cute too, and so were your pictures," Ellie teased.

"I'm glad you had a good time," Jason returned softly. He paused for a moment. "Ellie,

um."

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked awkwardly.

Ellie grinned, "Of course, silly kitty, but can I ask you one first?"

"Okay."

"Will you be my sweet, silly kitty forever and ever?" Ellie murmured affectionately.

Jason smiled, "Yes. Ellie, will you marry me?"

Ellie grinned down at him happily, "Yes."

She lowered herself down, and they turned their heads reciprocally to allow their mouths

to meet. Their mouths fit together, and their tongues intertwined. Jason placed a hand on Ellie's

head, and she held his head between her arms as they kissed deeply, each drinking the other's

essence as their consciousnesses became absorbed into the sensations of the other's body and

the burning love that filled their beings. Together, they'd survived the Duchess' torment.

Together, they'd escaped the carnivore cultists' attack. Together, they'd faced the prejudices of

family and friends. There would be more challenges to overcome, but they'd make it through

these as well, together.

THE END