Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so don't try to sue or blame me for anything. If you've read this far you know how disturbed I am anyways. Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Final Chapter
And so it was that Catherine Rorake returned to the world of the living. Oh don't think she got off easy either. Oh no, there were definite condition to this little miracle wrought on her behalf. Though she returned in the body of a mortal woman with the mortality as any other person she was no ordinary human anymore. Instead she was a human with a gift or upon occasion her curse as she liked to call it. Now gifted with the ability to see the spirits of the dead Cat was given the job of helping these spirits in their crossing over to the other side as well as the responsibility of occasionally acting as a messenger of God. This of course was a major bone Cat had to pick with the whole deal but it was months before she really started to bitch about it. She was so happy to be back and so busy pretending like she wasn't that it took a while before the nature of the duties she'd taken on really sank in. Once Colin started to show up with "jobs" for her though it sunk in fast. Needless to say it wouldn't be an exaggeration to state that Cat lost a lot of her gratitude pretty fast. Of course Quatre could always be counted upon to remind her how thankfully she should be to be alive at all, a reminder Cat never appreciated but swallowed due to love of her naive blonde friend.
Colin's assignments weren't the only somewhat angelic, for the good of mankind assignments she found herself dealing with. After nearly losing Maia to the terrorists Lady Une had decided to form a team of Preventers soldiers who's sole job it was to find and retrieve hostages and innocent civilians who were at the mercy of the evils of the world. Finding herself traveling all over the world and colonies Cat was one of the heads of the organization with all of the boys part though only Trowa to the degree that Cat was. Due to Cat's seeming unnatural ability to not only find these victims but get them out without so much as another scratch on their bodies. Soon people were saying that God must favor her, that was until they got to know her. Then they all agreed she was Satan's apprentice and it was Lucifer that was keeping her from getting herself and others shot into Swiss Cheese. Some were even of the opinion that the bible had just been wrong about Lucifer's gender and that Cat was in fact the ruler of Hell, arrived to make their lives her own mini version of her fiery domain. Needless to say the boys all got quite a lot of sympathy from their fellow Preventers which the pilots brushed off with only Quatre trying to excuse her behavior. The rest of them secretly agreed with the soldiers under her command but unlike those soldiers weren't stupid enough to voice those opinions outloud. Cat had, unfortunately, retained her animal instincts as well as superiors senses. Rarely anything got by her and there was always hell to pay if she didn't like what she was hearing. When you really got down to it the truth was that she was about as likable as a half drowned alley cat if she didn't consider you family. Lucky for the people she was living with she considered them as much family as if they were blood. As a result she rarely did more then threaten them with horrific deaths rather then actually lay a finger on them. Well except for Duo, who she claimed deserved all the bruises she gave him because he just kept asking for more punishment. She was simply giving him what he was asking for. In other words, they definitely had their cat from hell back in no time at all. Acting angelic, even for ten minutes was just beyond her comprehension, much less within her ability to pull off successfully.
Aside from the fact that she was back in the world of the living after dying twice Cat was all around pretty normal. Surprisingly though her time as a cat had changed her in some pretty weird ways. Never really having had anything against dogs before Cat now found herself fighting the urge to hiss whenever she saw one and was always sending them dirty looks which the boys just found hilarious. Another thing they found funny was the fact that Cat, a former early to bed and early to rise had become some what of a sleepaholic. If she had the chance she could often be found curled up just about anywhere, fast asleep until she woke or someone woke her up. This little sleeping habit was to become a favorite of Duo's who'd found that while she was asleep she actually, literally, purred. At first it was rather discerning for the guys to be faced with their normally bitchy and hands off friend purring, especially since she got louder if she was being stroked. Having done just that as a joke Duo had been absolutely delighted with the discovery and took to trying to catch her asleep, just so that he could stroke her head so that she'd purr loudly. Usually his laughing or her own keen senses woke her up before he was out of harms way though and after a succession of black eyes Duo finally gave up this little game. He still did it on occasion though and so, at Quatre's desperate pleading Cat resigned herself to only elbowing him hard in the gut or if she thought she could get away with it aiming a little lower with a nice mule kick.
Duo wasn't the only one playing practical jokes though. Oh no, in fact it was his intended victim that was causing Dorothy any number of headaches on any given day. One thing that had carried over from her time as a Cat was her complete and totally hatred of Dorothy. From day one as both humans Cat had made it clear with her eyes that she wanted Dorothy's head on a platter. Not dim by any means Dorothy got the message and the two had been enemies ever since. Much to Quatre's dismay and the others' delight she made it one of her personal goals in life to make Dorothy suffer and as she was clever and just plain mean her plans usually went perfectly as planned, at Dorothy's expense of course. Poor Duo was blamed for a lot of them and Cat would never admit anything which didn't surprise any of the boys who knew perfectly well that she'd done them. Unfortunately she was just to good to be caught of leave behind any evidence. Besides, Duo was afraid of what she'd do to him if he ever pointed a finger in her direction. She was damn mean after all and her new angelic purpose hadn't changed that one tiny bit.
Another change to the lives of the pilots was that they just didn't have Cat with them now but two other girls as well. Since Anna had pretty much staked a claim on Quatre and the blonde pilot was beyond moony over her it was pretty obvious that she wasn't going anywhere. With Anna staying it of course meant that Suki wasn't going anywhere either, much to Heero's horror. The girl was determined to bag him and the fact that he was equally determined not to get caught didn't' seem to faze her in the least. In fact sometimes it seemed almost like she got a kick out of the whole thing. Suki wasn't the only person that had thrown Heero's world for a loop though. She couldn't take all the credit anyway since Cat had brought the stonic pilot one hell of a bombshell. When Cat had returned to them she'd also come bearing the name and location of the mother he'd never known he'd had. A mother who was apparently constantly nearly penniless given that she spent most of her money trying to find him. As a result of that story he'd spent their first Christmas Day with Cat and the others not at home but on a plane to North America where they'd all "helped" him go to the shabby apartment where he'd found his mother, poor in everything but friends and in heart. At everyone's insistence Heero's mother had become their shared mother, coming to live with them all. As you can image there wasn't exactly room for this and so a large mansion was bought out on the outskirts of town where everyone moved in to live. A chaotic household they were indeed but none of them had ever been happier.
A year and a half after she'd returned Cat could be found dragging the extra large bean bag chair Quatre had got her for her birthday. Even though she'd left her cat body behind over a year ago she still couldn't seem to throw off her need to sleep as often as she could get away with. Hence Quatre had got her what he termed her portable nap bed. Other then the fact that it was covered with a kitty paw print design Cat loved it and could be constantly found sitting or sleeping in it. Tonight however she was determined not to fall asleep because she was going to go check on Trowa. Taking her bed was an excuse since he was on the back porch playing his flute, as was his habit when he needed to think things over. She sometimes went out to listen to him play and bringing her bed would not only provide her with a comfortable seat but he wouldn't suspect she was worried about him. He hadn't ate much at dinner and the guys had said he'd been acting more withdrawn at work. Normally she wouldn't have interfered but when someone as quiet and contained as Trowa got worse it created some serious problems. He hadn't even opened his mouth to ask for her to pass the pepper at dinner for Christ sakes. So she'd just make him tell her what was up or else. Opening the screen door Cat dragged her bag over to his side then walking back closed the screen behind her. Returning to his side she flopped onto her chair, laying on her tummy as he continued to play, ignoring her for the most part. Then again he ignored pretty much everything when he was playing that thing, Cat thought as she cuddled into her chair, her eyes already drooping. Damn, he would have to be playing some slow, ballad like song that would send anyone into dreamland, much less her. It was really damn humiliating sometimes how she always seemed to be going to sleep, even when she hadn't been tired five minutes ago. It was just that if the opportunity presented itself she was seemingly powerless to stop it. Needless to say it was damn lucky she came out of those naps as easily as she fell into them.
Looking over from the corner of his eye Trowa wasn't really surprised to see her there. It had become a sort of tradition for her to join him outside when she had the free time and wasn't sleeping somewhere. She slept more then any other person he'd ever met though according to Anna and Suki she'd never been like this before she'd been a cat. Of course he supposed there were worse feline habits she could have kept from those months. At least she didn't hate water or chase mice though he had seen her once eyeing some mice in the pet store with a rather unnerving gleam in those golden brown eyes of hers. Holding back a small smile at the memory Trowa continued to play, the idea of stopping to talk to her not even entering into his mind. Neither of them were talkers and even if she had been he wasn't and wasn't about to act out of character just because she was there. He hadn't asked for her to join him after all.
"I don't suppose you could play something that isn't going to put me asleep?" Cat finally asked, biting back a small yawn. Damn it. Why had she had to draw the short straw? She wasn't the right person to talk to anyone about what was bugging them. That was Quatre's job! But Quatre was on a date with Anna and Heero, Wufei and Duo were definitely as bad a choice as she was. They'd briefly considered sending out Heero's mom but that would have just been too obvious and Trowa would have gotten pissed. Or as pissed as Trowa ever seemed to get.
"Everything puts you to sleep." Was Trowa's dry response.
"Not everything." Cat argued, giving him a dark look as she glared up at him. She hated when people mentioned her cat naps and the extreme frequency of them. She couldn't do anything about it either so really it was completely unfair for them to take advantage of her..ailment. "And I can't help how much I like to sleep you know. It's not some addiction or habit I can break. I've tried, believe me."
"You do seem to slide into it seamlessly." Trowa had to agree. In fact it was rather freaky the way she could just conk out without any effort or even sign that she was out for the count. One minute she could be wide awake and the next she was fast asleep though thankfully not hard to revive as long as you did it the right way. He sometimes worried that she was going to go to sleep at some inopportune time and get herself killed but so far she seemed to at least pick moments where it was okay to lose consciousness.
"Hell, some times I don't even know I fell asleep until I wake up again." Cat muttered, shifting in her chair to get more comfortable.
"Well maybe if you didn't bring that bean bag chair with you all the time when you're at home you wouldn't spend so much time sleeping in it." Trowa pointed out with the faintest of smirks, his flute forgotten as it rested beside him, held loosely in his hand.
"Hey! I'll fall asleep no matter where I am, pal. Bringing my chair with me is just a way of insuring that I don't end up straining something while trying to get comfortable in one of the chairs or worse, the floor." Cat growled, looking more then a little peeved off now.
"You need to keep yourself busy. As long as your mind's occupied you rarely conk out." Trowa reminded her, speaking the complete truth. It was usually only when she had nothing to do that she conked out.
"Not everyone can be a workaholic like some people." Was Cat's sarcastic response, not liking the suggestion that she was idle. She was often busy and it wasn't her fault that she didn't always have enough to do to occupy her thoughts. Not surprisingly his answer was simply to pick up his flute and start playing again. A nice, slow, sad ballad that would make an insomniac fall asleep. Damn him. Fuming Cat made it her business to give him all her best death glares as she stared up at him, her gaze almost unblinking as he did an incredible job ignoring her. Oh if only looks could kill. Doing this for about five minutes was all she could pull off before her eyes closed more and more often and then bam, she was asleep.
Well aware that he wasn't being sent her famous death threat looks Trowa glanced over, not at all surprised to see that she was fast asleep. She looked sarcastic even in her sleep, he thought absently, noting the way she'd curled herself into a fetal position, just as a cat would. Allowing a slight smile to cross his features he watched her for a few moments before going back to his playing. It was twenty minutes or so later that he glanced over, this time because a sudden and completely unexpected weight had settled on his thigh. Staring at the face that was even now nuzzling against his thigh Trowa didn't quite know what to think. Her messy, boyish cap of hair was its usual mess, sticking out in short tuffs while her face seemed quite content to remain where it was instead of its earlier rest place on the bean bag. He'd heard her moving in her sleep of course but he hadn't expected to suddenly find himself being used as a piece of furniture. Setting his flute down at his side once more he wasn't quite sure what to do. Lifting a hand to set it on her head with the intention of seeing just how deeply she was sleeping he was rewarded with a very definite purr. Oh ya, she was sleeping deeply. Not even realizing he was doing it right away Trowa soon clued into the fact that his hand was moving of its own volition, stroking that messy cap as he stroked down the strands that were as stubborn as their owner. About to stop he lifted his hand just as she began to shift restlessly as she moved to lie on her back rather then on her side. Moments later her eyes opened sleepily, connecting with his.
Blinking in surprise Cat looked up at him, wondering why he seemed so much closer then he had before. "What?" She demanded, wondering why he was looking down at her with an almost amused look in those brilliantly green eyes of his.
"Look at your pillow."
Thinking that was a stupid thing to say since her pillow was her chair she got quite a jolt when she realized her pillow was a lot more solid then she recalled. It was with a sense of dread that she turned her head to the side, the view Trowa's stomach. Oh boy. "What the hell am I doing using your thigh for a pillow?" She demanded to know as she looked back up at him, too surprised to move for the moment.
"Don't ask me. I didn't put your head there." Was his simple response.
"Why the hell didn't you push me off?" Cat demanded to know. After all, that's what she would have done if he'd put his head on her thigh, even if he was sleeping. Well..at least that's probably what she would have done anyway.
"You woke up before I could." Trowa said simply, about to pick his flute back up when an idea occurred to him. Now was as good as any after all. "By the way, are you free next Friday? From around seven till whenever?"
"Far as I know, why?"
"There's a new restaurant Quatre's been raving about, thought about checking it out." Trowa said as he watched her absently as she sat up in her chair, rubbing what was left of sleep from her eyes.
"Yeah sure, okay." Cat said with a shrug, absently trying to remember what Quatre had said about the restaurant. Hadn't he said something about really good seafood? It would be better then anything one of the guys was bound to make anyway. "Who else is going?"
"Just us."
"Oh." Cat said dumbly, not sure what else there was to say. Trowa had asked her to go to a restaurant with him. Alone. He couldn't possibly be doing what she thought he was doing. Could he? "The guys are going to think this is a date or something."
"It is a date."
"Oh...do I have to wear a dress?"
"Not unless you want to."
"Then that's a big hell no to the wearing a dress thing."
"I figured as much."
"You know...the guys are gonna make a big deal about this. Not to mention the fact that they're going to think you're crazy to ask someone like me out."
"I think that most people would agree that anyone who asks their former house cat out on a date is more then a little crazy, Cat."
The End...Or Is It? Muhahahahahahahahahahahaha
Well it is, at least for this segment. I am planning a very short sequel, no more then ten chapters long with a further look at Cat's role as the newest messenger of God on earth. Stay tuned for its arrival by checking out my profile or leave a review asking to be notified when I get around to it. Thanks to all my loyal readers out there, it's been one hell of a good run.