Fic: Stray
Dec. 8th, 2009 12:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
csi_sanders1129Title: Stray
Chapters: 1/2
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
csi_sanders1129
Genre: Drama. Angst. Fluff.
Ratings: T
Word Count: ~3,600
Pairings/Characters: Jason/Spinelli friendship.
Synopsis: Damian Spinelli has just found a box full of abandoned kittens. Jason Morgan has just had the day from hell. Not a good combination.
Comments: Okay, majorly huge thanks go out tosuerum on this one, she talked me into it and got me through it. This plot bunny would have never taken any form at all without her pointing out that yes, kittens can equal plot. Who knew? But, yes. Anyway. Had to split it because LJ is evil, so yeah. Characters aren’t mine. Sadly I do not own the kittens either, for which I am also glad because then I would never stop sneezing. Enjoy!
But, it seemed that that would be happening further into the future than he had anticipated.
He’d been just a building away from Harborview Towers when he’d heard it. Just a soft, pathetic sounding, mewling of a noise that drew his attention down the alley dividing that building and the next. There, between two garbage cans, under the sloppiest and most haphazardly constructed shelter ever made, was a cardboard box.
Slowly advancing, as the snow only served to hide the icy patches, not do away with them, he neared the box. Upon finally reaching it, with a few near misses on maintaining his ability to stand, he discovered quite the surprise.
Within the damp cardboard box, were a plethora of kittens, all bundled up together and crying out, their little eyes were open wide as he loomed over them.
Spinelli reached his hand in, finding that they, too, were quite thoroughly dampened from the snow, and rather chilly. He tugged off his jacket, and then the dry sweatshirt beneath it, using the latter to cover the box. He shrugged back into his totally useless coat and hefted the box into his arms, flimsy as it might have been.
“Don’t worry, itty bitty ones, the Jackal will ensure that you do not have to suffer another moment of these grotesque weather conditions.” He assured the kittens, whose cries had magnified tenfold with the movement of their box. “Casa de Stone Cold is just moments away.”
***
Jason Morgan had just deal with the day from hell.
First of all, it had been snowing when he’d left early that morning, a bad enough start to a terrible day. His bike had had a flat tire, and Max had already commandeered the car, so he’d had to call and wait for the bodyguard to return to give him a ride over to Sonny’s place. Upon arriving there, Sonny had gone on a lengthy tirade, first about the weather – as if he’d even had to step foot outside in it – and then about all of the things that had to be done over the next few weeks. It had taken a good portion of the day working out new schedules for incoming shipments courtesy of a possible threat that might mess up their usual routines.
Following that, he’d headed over to Kelly’s to get some food to take home for himself and Spinelli, wherein, of course, because this day was evil, a grease fire started up in the kitchen and he found himself aiding Mike in the process of putting it out. In doing so, both his jacket, as well as himself, found themselves slightly overcooked and smelling of smoke and fire. He called up Max for a ride home, only to find that the SUV had broken down somewhere on the edge of town in the process of running an errand for Sonny. So, on top of reeking of smoke, nursing a scorch burn to his arm, and not having food, he ended up walking back to the Harborview Towers, getting soaked and cold for his efforts.
Suffice to say, Jason was not in a particularly good mood upon stepping foot into the Penthouse. However, he had been looking forward to sitting down with a beer, maybe playing a game of pool to at least end the day on a good note.
However, what he finds upon arriving is not what he had anticipated and it does not fit into his plans.
***
Six. There were six kittens in the box, all cold and wet and loud. He’d settled four of them in a new box, with blankets and a heating pad set on low, warming them up. One of them was tucked in the pouch of his hoodie, purring contentedly, and the last was in his arms. He’d already consulted the internet on kitten care, and found that at some point in the near future, he’d have to go and fetch some form of milk that was okay for kittens, but priority number one was warming them up.
He hadn’t wanted to leave the kittens alone for long, so he’d only taken the time to change out of his soaking wet clothes, his hair still wet with snow, but that was an improvement.
Once Stone Cold got home, he figured he could persuade the older man into watching the feline’s for a moment so he could properly warm up.
He’d been extricating the one in his pocket, an orange tabby looking one, when the door opened and Jason entered.
“Oh, greetings, Stone Cold. The Jackal happened upon a most surprising find in the alley down the street.” He held up the two adorable kittens. “How could anyone leave these itty bitty felines to fend for themselves in such harsh conditions?”
***
A handful of kittens was not, by any means at all, what Jason had been expecting. He spotted the box on the desk, housing four more of the furry little things and was sorely tempted – had he not been cold and wet and annoyed – to just turn around and leave again. As it stood, though, since he was cold and wet and annoyed, and possessed no means by which to go somewhere else, he shook his head.
“I don’t want them here, Spinelli.”
The younger’s face fell in surprise. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting refusal on the matter. “But, I-“
More adamant this time, he says it again. “No, no cats, no pets in here.”
“Someone left them out on the street, Stone Cold. They were cold and hungry and what, exactly, would you suggest I do with them at such an hour of night?” He implores, having already grown attached to the defenseless kittens, under the apparently faulty assumption that Jason wouldn’t mind all that much – after all, he’d taken the Jackal in with not much by way of argument.
“I don’t know and I don’t care, alright? They’re not staying.”
Spinelli was not okay with this particular display of Stone Cold-ness. He deposited his two kittens into the box again and turned to face his mentor as bravely as he could. “It’s the Jackal and the kittens, or none of us. The choice is yours.”
Jason blinked at the ultimatum, surprised by his roommate, and definitely not willing to give in by way of blackmail. “Fine. Don’t come back, then.”
“I… Well, fine. As you wish.” Spinelli retreated upstairs to fetch a dry coat for himself, and a towel to cover the box, out of which he removed the heating pad, and was out the door before Jason actually knew what was happening.
It was not what he had expected.
***
Spinelli was utterly floored by Jason’s reaction to the kittens. Maybe it had been a bit much to assume that he wouldn’t mind having six kittens take up residence in his home, but he couldn’t grant them a one night reprieve? And that he’d want them gone so much that he’d kick Spinelli out, too?
Maybe it wasn’t even the kittens, maybe it was just him.
He stumbled on an icy patch of sidewalk, and almost went sprawling, but somehow maintained his footing. Jason could wait. The kittens were more important. Maybe if he found homes for them, something good could come from this.
His first stop was Maxie and Lulu’s apartment. If nothing else, he figured, he could crash there once he sorted everything out. Lulu was the only one present, as Maxie was out doing something or the other for Kate, and so he explained his plight to her.
“Jason kicked you out over a bunch of cute kittens?” Lulu interrogated, sounding quite surprised herself. “Jeez, no wonder you call him Stone Cold. I don’t think you can get much colder than that.” She offered, holding one of the kittens, a grey and white one who abruptly became fascinated with her long hair. “How could he even say no to them?”
“The Jackal is admittedly unsure as to what came over his Stone Cold mentor, but for the time being, he needs to find homes for this brood of felines.” Spinelli answered, looking at the clock.
“Maxie and I can take one. Pets are allowed here, I think.” She offered, while attempting to extricate the kitten from her hair. “My vote is for this one.”
Spinelli grinned. “Very well, then. One kitten down, five to go.”
“Where are you going next?”
“Perhaps to the Doctors’ Drake and Scorpio household.” He shrugged, as he was just making it all up as he went along. “I should probably get going soon.”
A few moments later, he was out the door, one kitten lighter. It was getting even colder out now, and it seemed that the snow was coming down even harder, but he trudged on, heading towards Robin and Patrick’s place. He had planned to call ahead to see if someone was even home, but found that his cell phone was no longer in his pocket. He realized that he left it in the clothes that he’d hurriedly changer out of earlier. Fantastic.
Luckily, though, Robin and Patrick were home. And Robin insisted that he come in and sit down and have something warm before he explained anything, which he did, without argument. He relateed the story to the couple, explaining the events that led him here and inquiring after whether they would take in one of the kittens.
“I can’t believe he kicked you out!” Was Robin’s initial reaction, for which Spinelli was grateful, but it wasn’t why he was there. “Do you need somewhere to stay for the night?”
“No, no. The Jackal has plans to crash with Fair Lulu and Maximista once all things feline are dealt with.” He assured her, while Patrick, holding Emma, peered into the box.
With one hand, the Doctor reached in and scooped up the orange cat that Spinelli had had tucked into his pockets earlier. “What do you say, Em? You want a kitten?” He asked of his daughter who reached out to pet the strange creature.
Robin laughed as Emma nodded vigorously. “I guess that’s a yes.” She turned back to Spinelli, who only managed to sneeze in response. “I guess we’ll take that one.”
With four kittens remaining, he took his leave, after finally convincing Robin that he would be fine on his mission.
His next stop was Diane’s. A bit out of his way, but a good possibility on the mental list he’d created. He found himself outside of her condo, knocking on the door, only to find that apparently she wasn’t at home. Sadly, he crossed that one off and continued on.
He stopped at Jake’s after that, not for purposes of kitten adoption, but simply so he could go in and get warm for a few moments on his way to his next stop. Coleman was behind the bar and he offered orange soda before Spinelli had even sat down.
“You look like shit.” Coleman said, quite tactfully. “What’s with the box?”
“Kittens.” Spinelli replied, ignoring the first comment. “The Jackal has been attempting to find homes for them since Stone Cold is apparently not a cat person.”
The bartender peered inside the box. “Hmm. Jason’s making you do this tonight?”
He nodded. “I may have attempted to coerce him into keeping the itty bitty ones, but my plan, as it were, backfired, and he asked that I not return to the Penthouse.”
“Nice.” Coleman commented, scooping one of the kittens out, this one black all over except for its paws, which were a stark white. “I could use a good cat around here.” He leaned in closer. “We might have a bit of a mouse problem.”
Spinelli, while not exactly happy about one of his kittens being trained to catch and kill mice, was grateful for the offer. “You really want one of them?”
“Yeah.” Coleman assured. “I’ll take this one off your hands, pretty chill cat.”
And so, with one less kitten to find a home for, he prepared to head out into the storm of the century once again.
“Hey, kid.” Coleman called after him, kitten still in hand. “Find someplace to crash, okay? You really do look like shit.”
He could entirely believe that. He’d been shivering since he’d left the Penthouse, sneezing occasionally, coughing here and there now. If he weren’t frozen already, he suspected he would be suffering through fever related chills. “I will.” He promised, thought he still had quite a bit of work to do.
He heads over to Alexis’ next, because he suspected he could sway Molly in his favor, maybe Kristina, and from there they could convince Alexis of the whole thing. He, once again, found himself ushered inside upon arrival, which he found himself eternally grateful for.
“Spinelli!” Molly grinned, rushing out of her room to greet her hero. “What brings you here?”
Kristina and Alexis are standing by as well, clearly wondering just the same thing.
“Alas, Stone Cold does not seem to be particularly fond of strays, of which I found several out on the street. Kittens, that is. And I was wondering if anyone here,” He looked to Molly and then to Kristina. “Might be at all inclined to want one?”
Molly bounced happily where she stood and Kristina looked marginally interested. Alexis, not so much. “Girls, we’ve talked about this…”
“But, Mom,” Molly countered. “Please, you said that we could maybe get a cat for my birthday. And it was five weeks ago!”
“I said ‘maybe’!” Alexis argued. “Maybe does not mean ‘yes’.”
“And she did get those straight-A’s on her report card again.” Kristina added, approaching the box herself. “I think you should give in, Mom.”
Molly continued on, despite the warning look from her mother. “They’re right here, and they need homes. Surely we can save the animal shelter some money by not leaving another homeless kitten in their care.”
The process continued on for several more minutes, in which time Spinelli felt that he really had to sit down. His head was spinning and he went from being hot to cold about every five seconds. He even shrugged out of his soaked jacket and pulled off his gloves and hat.
“Spinelli?” Alexis said, and he had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t the first attempt at getting his attention. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head to bring himself back into focus. “Yeah, affirmative. Just tired is all.”
“You should stay and have some hot chocolate,” Molly insisted. “It might help.”
“A-alright.” He agreed, recalling that was one of the things he had so desperately wanted earlier that evening, before the appearance of the six kittens had wandered into his life. “That sounds like quite the appealing idea, if it’s okay with the Lady of Justice.”
“Oh,” Alexis nodded in agreement. “Yes, stay.” She said, but she seemed decidedly anxious, perhaps made so by his less-than-healthy appearance.
“Great!” Molly declared, already setting about the task of making his hot chocolate.
“You two can have a kitten only if you agree on which one.” Alexis decided, finally, knowing that the two were likely never to do such a thing.
There were only three remaining prospects, and the two kids rushed the box before Spinelli’s feverish brain could even follow what was happening. One was a deep grey color all over, another was an orange and black mixed all together, and the last was mostly grey with the occasional splotch of white.
“It’s for your birthday,” Kristina suggested, quite diplomatically. “You can pick.”
Alexis glared at the unforeseen act of negotiation, but she couldn’t exactly argue with it.
Molly’s interest landed on the grey and white kitten, which she picked up and held. “I like this one.”
“Me, too.” Kristina agreed, and that was settled, she returned her attention to the hot chocolate her sister had abandoned. “What are you going to name it?”
Spinelli watched the exchange as intently as he could manage, but found himself something between flattered and concerned upon hearing Molly’s answer of, “Sir Spinelli.”
Kristina snorted, “Whatever you say.” Alexis was similarly amused.
A mug of steaming hot chocolate with marshmallows was placed before him and it was all Spinelli could do not to simply drown himself in it. But, his hands were shaking so much from the cold that he could barely hold the thing and the liquid – which might have been water for all he could taste and smell – only served to burn his throat.
“Perhaps Spinelli should get going. After all, he does have some more homes to locate, does he not?” Alexis suggested, with just a bit more hinting than was strictly necessary.
“I, I should, yes.” Spinelli agreed.
“Mom!” Molly argued. “No, Spinelli, you should stay for a bit longer.”
“It’s a school night, Mol’, and I do believe you still have homework to do. So, why don’t you say goodbye to Spinelli and let him get on with his night.”
“We’re not even going to have school tomorrow! The accumulation of snow alone is going to have the school boards shutting things down. And you can’t make Spinelli go out into that weather, or the kittens he still has!” Molly was a very convincing speaker.
But, Spinelli stepped in, forcing himself to ignore the building ache in his head – and the rest of him – and stand. “No, she’s right, Wise Munchkin, the Jackal does have more work to accomplish tonight.”
Molly pouted, but seemed to relent now that it was Spinelli arguing and not her mother. “Alright. You have to come back and check on Sir Spinelli soon, though, okay?” She prodded, and he nodded in agreement as he gathered up his coat again. He stuffed his gloves into his pocket, and once again ventured out into the snowy streets of Port Charles with his cardboard box in his arms, and one less kitten and one swooning fan-girl behind him.
The last location he could think of to go was to Carly’s place. Wherein he found Carly, Jax, Michael, Morgan, baby Josslyn, and Dominic all gathered.
“Greetings,” He said, with as much enthusiasm as he could gather given that his hands felt like they were just gone – he’d apparently lost his gloves, and also misplaced his hat, somewhere along the way.
“Spinelli?” Carly responded, looking quite concerned. “Are you drunk?”
“No, no. I am simply on a quest,” He had to stop to cough at this point, which nearly made him dizzy. “Stone Cold has asked that I take my leave from the penthouse and thus I am on a quest to find homes for the kittens that I happened upon in an alley. I have but two more to relocate and then my task will be,” Another cough. “Completed.” Because if he can find homes for them, maybe he can find his own home again.
“Are you okay?” Dominic approached, reaching out to take the box from Spinelli, but the hacker stepped away.
“I am fine, I assure you.” He looked to Carly and then to Michael and Morgan. “Would any of you be interested in taking in a kitten?”
“Mom?” Morgan prompted, looking hopeful. “Can we?”
“Sorry, Spinelli, Morgan. I’m allergic to cats.” She answered. “Have you tried asking Sonny? He’s all alone,” She ignored the snort and snarky comment of ‘Hm, wonder why?’ from her husband. “And the kitten would be there for when the kids visit him.”
Spinelli shook his head, having adamantly refused to do that in his own mind. “I have not asked Mr. Sir. It’s a bit further away than I was intending to go, and the Godfather and I are not known for getting along well.”
“I’ll take one of them, Spinelli.” Dominic offered. “For Morgan.”
“Really?” Morgan grinned, running over to hug the guy who he looked up to like a big brother. “Thanks!”
“You sure about that, Dominic?” Jax questioned. “You’ll never get rid of Morgan if you do that.”
“Yeah, no problem.” He agreed, and scooped the black and orange one out of the box, offering it to Morgan.
Carly had slipped away towards the end of the conversation and headed into the kitchen, Spinelli realized as he was ushered inside by a concerned looking Dominic, who tugged off his coat for him. He could hear her, talking on the phone. He didn’t have to wonder who she’d called.
It was undoubtedly Jason, and he’d tell her than he didn’t care what Spinelli looked like, or how bad he was shivering if he had any of those damned cats left.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll try.” He heard Carly say, and that was it. He had to get out of there before he heard something that would make this all worse. Like that Jason never wanted him to come home. Like getting rid of the kittens wasn’t what the problem was. He just needed to go, his feverish mind told him.
“I, ugh, the Jackal must go. I still have one more kitten to find a home for.” He said, and bolted out the door with the box, but without his coat, back into the snow. He was running away as fast as he could, back toward town.
He could hear Dominic chasing after him, so he detoured off of the sidewalks and into the tree line. He tossed the box aside after he’d removed the remaining kitten and tucked it into his sweatshirt, where it could be warm, and kept running until he couldn’t run anymore.
Part 2 -->
Chapters: 1/2
Author:
csi_sanders1129 Genre: Drama. Angst. Fluff.
Ratings: T
Word Count: ~3,600
Pairings/Characters: Jason/Spinelli friendship.
Synopsis: Damian Spinelli has just found a box full of abandoned kittens. Jason Morgan has just had the day from hell. Not a good combination.
Comments: Okay, majorly huge thanks go out to
suerum on this one, she talked me into it and got me through it. This plot bunny would have never taken any form at all without her pointing out that yes, kittens can equal plot. Who knew? But, yes. Anyway. Had to split it because LJ is evil, so yeah. Characters aren’t mine. Sadly I do not own the kittens either, for which I am also glad because then I would never stop sneezing. Enjoy! Spinelli had simply been trying to get home. There had been barely a dusting of snow on the ground when he’d left the Penthouse that morning, but now it was closing in on his knees and he really just wanted to get inside and have a warm shower, get into clothes that were not thoroughly and completely soaked, and curl up on the sofa with his laptop and some nice hot chocolate.
But, it seemed that that would be happening further into the future than he had anticipated.
He’d been just a building away from Harborview Towers when he’d heard it. Just a soft, pathetic sounding, mewling of a noise that drew his attention down the alley dividing that building and the next. There, between two garbage cans, under the sloppiest and most haphazardly constructed shelter ever made, was a cardboard box.
Slowly advancing, as the snow only served to hide the icy patches, not do away with them, he neared the box. Upon finally reaching it, with a few near misses on maintaining his ability to stand, he discovered quite the surprise.
Within the damp cardboard box, were a plethora of kittens, all bundled up together and crying out, their little eyes were open wide as he loomed over them.
Spinelli reached his hand in, finding that they, too, were quite thoroughly dampened from the snow, and rather chilly. He tugged off his jacket, and then the dry sweatshirt beneath it, using the latter to cover the box. He shrugged back into his totally useless coat and hefted the box into his arms, flimsy as it might have been.
“Don’t worry, itty bitty ones, the Jackal will ensure that you do not have to suffer another moment of these grotesque weather conditions.” He assured the kittens, whose cries had magnified tenfold with the movement of their box. “Casa de Stone Cold is just moments away.”
***
Jason Morgan had just deal with the day from hell.
First of all, it had been snowing when he’d left early that morning, a bad enough start to a terrible day. His bike had had a flat tire, and Max had already commandeered the car, so he’d had to call and wait for the bodyguard to return to give him a ride over to Sonny’s place. Upon arriving there, Sonny had gone on a lengthy tirade, first about the weather – as if he’d even had to step foot outside in it – and then about all of the things that had to be done over the next few weeks. It had taken a good portion of the day working out new schedules for incoming shipments courtesy of a possible threat that might mess up their usual routines.
Following that, he’d headed over to Kelly’s to get some food to take home for himself and Spinelli, wherein, of course, because this day was evil, a grease fire started up in the kitchen and he found himself aiding Mike in the process of putting it out. In doing so, both his jacket, as well as himself, found themselves slightly overcooked and smelling of smoke and fire. He called up Max for a ride home, only to find that the SUV had broken down somewhere on the edge of town in the process of running an errand for Sonny. So, on top of reeking of smoke, nursing a scorch burn to his arm, and not having food, he ended up walking back to the Harborview Towers, getting soaked and cold for his efforts.
Suffice to say, Jason was not in a particularly good mood upon stepping foot into the Penthouse. However, he had been looking forward to sitting down with a beer, maybe playing a game of pool to at least end the day on a good note.
However, what he finds upon arriving is not what he had anticipated and it does not fit into his plans.
***
Six. There were six kittens in the box, all cold and wet and loud. He’d settled four of them in a new box, with blankets and a heating pad set on low, warming them up. One of them was tucked in the pouch of his hoodie, purring contentedly, and the last was in his arms. He’d already consulted the internet on kitten care, and found that at some point in the near future, he’d have to go and fetch some form of milk that was okay for kittens, but priority number one was warming them up.
He hadn’t wanted to leave the kittens alone for long, so he’d only taken the time to change out of his soaking wet clothes, his hair still wet with snow, but that was an improvement.
Once Stone Cold got home, he figured he could persuade the older man into watching the feline’s for a moment so he could properly warm up.
He’d been extricating the one in his pocket, an orange tabby looking one, when the door opened and Jason entered.
“Oh, greetings, Stone Cold. The Jackal happened upon a most surprising find in the alley down the street.” He held up the two adorable kittens. “How could anyone leave these itty bitty felines to fend for themselves in such harsh conditions?”
***
A handful of kittens was not, by any means at all, what Jason had been expecting. He spotted the box on the desk, housing four more of the furry little things and was sorely tempted – had he not been cold and wet and annoyed – to just turn around and leave again. As it stood, though, since he was cold and wet and annoyed, and possessed no means by which to go somewhere else, he shook his head.
“I don’t want them here, Spinelli.”
The younger’s face fell in surprise. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting refusal on the matter. “But, I-“
More adamant this time, he says it again. “No, no cats, no pets in here.”
“Someone left them out on the street, Stone Cold. They were cold and hungry and what, exactly, would you suggest I do with them at such an hour of night?” He implores, having already grown attached to the defenseless kittens, under the apparently faulty assumption that Jason wouldn’t mind all that much – after all, he’d taken the Jackal in with not much by way of argument.
“I don’t know and I don’t care, alright? They’re not staying.”
Spinelli was not okay with this particular display of Stone Cold-ness. He deposited his two kittens into the box again and turned to face his mentor as bravely as he could. “It’s the Jackal and the kittens, or none of us. The choice is yours.”
Jason blinked at the ultimatum, surprised by his roommate, and definitely not willing to give in by way of blackmail. “Fine. Don’t come back, then.”
“I… Well, fine. As you wish.” Spinelli retreated upstairs to fetch a dry coat for himself, and a towel to cover the box, out of which he removed the heating pad, and was out the door before Jason actually knew what was happening.
It was not what he had expected.
***
Spinelli was utterly floored by Jason’s reaction to the kittens. Maybe it had been a bit much to assume that he wouldn’t mind having six kittens take up residence in his home, but he couldn’t grant them a one night reprieve? And that he’d want them gone so much that he’d kick Spinelli out, too?
Maybe it wasn’t even the kittens, maybe it was just him.
He stumbled on an icy patch of sidewalk, and almost went sprawling, but somehow maintained his footing. Jason could wait. The kittens were more important. Maybe if he found homes for them, something good could come from this.
His first stop was Maxie and Lulu’s apartment. If nothing else, he figured, he could crash there once he sorted everything out. Lulu was the only one present, as Maxie was out doing something or the other for Kate, and so he explained his plight to her.
“Jason kicked you out over a bunch of cute kittens?” Lulu interrogated, sounding quite surprised herself. “Jeez, no wonder you call him Stone Cold. I don’t think you can get much colder than that.” She offered, holding one of the kittens, a grey and white one who abruptly became fascinated with her long hair. “How could he even say no to them?”
“The Jackal is admittedly unsure as to what came over his Stone Cold mentor, but for the time being, he needs to find homes for this brood of felines.” Spinelli answered, looking at the clock.
“Maxie and I can take one. Pets are allowed here, I think.” She offered, while attempting to extricate the kitten from her hair. “My vote is for this one.”
Spinelli grinned. “Very well, then. One kitten down, five to go.”
“Where are you going next?”
“Perhaps to the Doctors’ Drake and Scorpio household.” He shrugged, as he was just making it all up as he went along. “I should probably get going soon.”
A few moments later, he was out the door, one kitten lighter. It was getting even colder out now, and it seemed that the snow was coming down even harder, but he trudged on, heading towards Robin and Patrick’s place. He had planned to call ahead to see if someone was even home, but found that his cell phone was no longer in his pocket. He realized that he left it in the clothes that he’d hurriedly changer out of earlier. Fantastic.
Luckily, though, Robin and Patrick were home. And Robin insisted that he come in and sit down and have something warm before he explained anything, which he did, without argument. He relateed the story to the couple, explaining the events that led him here and inquiring after whether they would take in one of the kittens.
“I can’t believe he kicked you out!” Was Robin’s initial reaction, for which Spinelli was grateful, but it wasn’t why he was there. “Do you need somewhere to stay for the night?”
“No, no. The Jackal has plans to crash with Fair Lulu and Maximista once all things feline are dealt with.” He assured her, while Patrick, holding Emma, peered into the box.
With one hand, the Doctor reached in and scooped up the orange cat that Spinelli had had tucked into his pockets earlier. “What do you say, Em? You want a kitten?” He asked of his daughter who reached out to pet the strange creature.
Robin laughed as Emma nodded vigorously. “I guess that’s a yes.” She turned back to Spinelli, who only managed to sneeze in response. “I guess we’ll take that one.”
With four kittens remaining, he took his leave, after finally convincing Robin that he would be fine on his mission.
His next stop was Diane’s. A bit out of his way, but a good possibility on the mental list he’d created. He found himself outside of her condo, knocking on the door, only to find that apparently she wasn’t at home. Sadly, he crossed that one off and continued on.
He stopped at Jake’s after that, not for purposes of kitten adoption, but simply so he could go in and get warm for a few moments on his way to his next stop. Coleman was behind the bar and he offered orange soda before Spinelli had even sat down.
“You look like shit.” Coleman said, quite tactfully. “What’s with the box?”
“Kittens.” Spinelli replied, ignoring the first comment. “The Jackal has been attempting to find homes for them since Stone Cold is apparently not a cat person.”
The bartender peered inside the box. “Hmm. Jason’s making you do this tonight?”
He nodded. “I may have attempted to coerce him into keeping the itty bitty ones, but my plan, as it were, backfired, and he asked that I not return to the Penthouse.”
“Nice.” Coleman commented, scooping one of the kittens out, this one black all over except for its paws, which were a stark white. “I could use a good cat around here.” He leaned in closer. “We might have a bit of a mouse problem.”
Spinelli, while not exactly happy about one of his kittens being trained to catch and kill mice, was grateful for the offer. “You really want one of them?”
“Yeah.” Coleman assured. “I’ll take this one off your hands, pretty chill cat.”
And so, with one less kitten to find a home for, he prepared to head out into the storm of the century once again.
“Hey, kid.” Coleman called after him, kitten still in hand. “Find someplace to crash, okay? You really do look like shit.”
He could entirely believe that. He’d been shivering since he’d left the Penthouse, sneezing occasionally, coughing here and there now. If he weren’t frozen already, he suspected he would be suffering through fever related chills. “I will.” He promised, thought he still had quite a bit of work to do.
He heads over to Alexis’ next, because he suspected he could sway Molly in his favor, maybe Kristina, and from there they could convince Alexis of the whole thing. He, once again, found himself ushered inside upon arrival, which he found himself eternally grateful for.
“Spinelli!” Molly grinned, rushing out of her room to greet her hero. “What brings you here?”
Kristina and Alexis are standing by as well, clearly wondering just the same thing.
“Alas, Stone Cold does not seem to be particularly fond of strays, of which I found several out on the street. Kittens, that is. And I was wondering if anyone here,” He looked to Molly and then to Kristina. “Might be at all inclined to want one?”
Molly bounced happily where she stood and Kristina looked marginally interested. Alexis, not so much. “Girls, we’ve talked about this…”
“But, Mom,” Molly countered. “Please, you said that we could maybe get a cat for my birthday. And it was five weeks ago!”
“I said ‘maybe’!” Alexis argued. “Maybe does not mean ‘yes’.”
“And she did get those straight-A’s on her report card again.” Kristina added, approaching the box herself. “I think you should give in, Mom.”
Molly continued on, despite the warning look from her mother. “They’re right here, and they need homes. Surely we can save the animal shelter some money by not leaving another homeless kitten in their care.”
The process continued on for several more minutes, in which time Spinelli felt that he really had to sit down. His head was spinning and he went from being hot to cold about every five seconds. He even shrugged out of his soaked jacket and pulled off his gloves and hat.
“Spinelli?” Alexis said, and he had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t the first attempt at getting his attention. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head to bring himself back into focus. “Yeah, affirmative. Just tired is all.”
“You should stay and have some hot chocolate,” Molly insisted. “It might help.”
“A-alright.” He agreed, recalling that was one of the things he had so desperately wanted earlier that evening, before the appearance of the six kittens had wandered into his life. “That sounds like quite the appealing idea, if it’s okay with the Lady of Justice.”
“Oh,” Alexis nodded in agreement. “Yes, stay.” She said, but she seemed decidedly anxious, perhaps made so by his less-than-healthy appearance.
“Great!” Molly declared, already setting about the task of making his hot chocolate.
“You two can have a kitten only if you agree on which one.” Alexis decided, finally, knowing that the two were likely never to do such a thing.
There were only three remaining prospects, and the two kids rushed the box before Spinelli’s feverish brain could even follow what was happening. One was a deep grey color all over, another was an orange and black mixed all together, and the last was mostly grey with the occasional splotch of white.
“It’s for your birthday,” Kristina suggested, quite diplomatically. “You can pick.”
Alexis glared at the unforeseen act of negotiation, but she couldn’t exactly argue with it.
Molly’s interest landed on the grey and white kitten, which she picked up and held. “I like this one.”
“Me, too.” Kristina agreed, and that was settled, she returned her attention to the hot chocolate her sister had abandoned. “What are you going to name it?”
Spinelli watched the exchange as intently as he could manage, but found himself something between flattered and concerned upon hearing Molly’s answer of, “Sir Spinelli.”
Kristina snorted, “Whatever you say.” Alexis was similarly amused.
A mug of steaming hot chocolate with marshmallows was placed before him and it was all Spinelli could do not to simply drown himself in it. But, his hands were shaking so much from the cold that he could barely hold the thing and the liquid – which might have been water for all he could taste and smell – only served to burn his throat.
“Perhaps Spinelli should get going. After all, he does have some more homes to locate, does he not?” Alexis suggested, with just a bit more hinting than was strictly necessary.
“I, I should, yes.” Spinelli agreed.
“Mom!” Molly argued. “No, Spinelli, you should stay for a bit longer.”
“It’s a school night, Mol’, and I do believe you still have homework to do. So, why don’t you say goodbye to Spinelli and let him get on with his night.”
“We’re not even going to have school tomorrow! The accumulation of snow alone is going to have the school boards shutting things down. And you can’t make Spinelli go out into that weather, or the kittens he still has!” Molly was a very convincing speaker.
But, Spinelli stepped in, forcing himself to ignore the building ache in his head – and the rest of him – and stand. “No, she’s right, Wise Munchkin, the Jackal does have more work to accomplish tonight.”
Molly pouted, but seemed to relent now that it was Spinelli arguing and not her mother. “Alright. You have to come back and check on Sir Spinelli soon, though, okay?” She prodded, and he nodded in agreement as he gathered up his coat again. He stuffed his gloves into his pocket, and once again ventured out into the snowy streets of Port Charles with his cardboard box in his arms, and one less kitten and one swooning fan-girl behind him.
The last location he could think of to go was to Carly’s place. Wherein he found Carly, Jax, Michael, Morgan, baby Josslyn, and Dominic all gathered.
“Greetings,” He said, with as much enthusiasm as he could gather given that his hands felt like they were just gone – he’d apparently lost his gloves, and also misplaced his hat, somewhere along the way.
“Spinelli?” Carly responded, looking quite concerned. “Are you drunk?”
“No, no. I am simply on a quest,” He had to stop to cough at this point, which nearly made him dizzy. “Stone Cold has asked that I take my leave from the penthouse and thus I am on a quest to find homes for the kittens that I happened upon in an alley. I have but two more to relocate and then my task will be,” Another cough. “Completed.” Because if he can find homes for them, maybe he can find his own home again.
“Are you okay?” Dominic approached, reaching out to take the box from Spinelli, but the hacker stepped away.
“I am fine, I assure you.” He looked to Carly and then to Michael and Morgan. “Would any of you be interested in taking in a kitten?”
“Mom?” Morgan prompted, looking hopeful. “Can we?”
“Sorry, Spinelli, Morgan. I’m allergic to cats.” She answered. “Have you tried asking Sonny? He’s all alone,” She ignored the snort and snarky comment of ‘Hm, wonder why?’ from her husband. “And the kitten would be there for when the kids visit him.”
Spinelli shook his head, having adamantly refused to do that in his own mind. “I have not asked Mr. Sir. It’s a bit further away than I was intending to go, and the Godfather and I are not known for getting along well.”
“I’ll take one of them, Spinelli.” Dominic offered. “For Morgan.”
“Really?” Morgan grinned, running over to hug the guy who he looked up to like a big brother. “Thanks!”
“You sure about that, Dominic?” Jax questioned. “You’ll never get rid of Morgan if you do that.”
“Yeah, no problem.” He agreed, and scooped the black and orange one out of the box, offering it to Morgan.
Carly had slipped away towards the end of the conversation and headed into the kitchen, Spinelli realized as he was ushered inside by a concerned looking Dominic, who tugged off his coat for him. He could hear her, talking on the phone. He didn’t have to wonder who she’d called.
It was undoubtedly Jason, and he’d tell her than he didn’t care what Spinelli looked like, or how bad he was shivering if he had any of those damned cats left.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll try.” He heard Carly say, and that was it. He had to get out of there before he heard something that would make this all worse. Like that Jason never wanted him to come home. Like getting rid of the kittens wasn’t what the problem was. He just needed to go, his feverish mind told him.
“I, ugh, the Jackal must go. I still have one more kitten to find a home for.” He said, and bolted out the door with the box, but without his coat, back into the snow. He was running away as fast as he could, back toward town.
He could hear Dominic chasing after him, so he detoured off of the sidewalks and into the tree line. He tossed the box aside after he’d removed the remaining kitten and tucked it into his sweatshirt, where it could be warm, and kept running until he couldn’t run anymore.
Part 2 -->
