New
Arrivals
Author-Suzie
Titles
Can I Keep It?
by Suzie
Summary: Figaro makes a discovery. #4 in the I Want a Pet series.
Disclaimer: Some of the characters in this story belong to the UPN Network and Pet Fly Productions as part of the television show The Sentinel. I do not claim these characters as my own. No money has changed hands.
Notes: Thank you, Jen, for being more than a beta. You’re my friend. <G> In my universe, Jim can understand and talk to animals. The first story I wrote that explores this is Getting Away, and it surfaces again in Tracy from the I Want A Pet series.
Jim didn’t see Blair’s Volvo in the parking lot when he drove up, and remembered that his friend was working late at the University that evening. He got out of the truck and started toward the door into the building. Out of habit, Jim extended his hearing to the third floor loft they shared. A heartbeat came back to him, but not the familiar one that belonged to his Guide. It was quicker and smaller than Blair’s, but made the Detective smile just the same.
When Jim entered the loft, he expected to get his usual feline greeting of purrs and meows from the back of the sofa. But the black and white cat was nowhere to be seen, and Jim again extended his hearing. The sounds that met his ears were coming from his upstairs bedroom.
*Thump … rustle rustle … thump … rustle … thumpthump*
“What the hell?” Jim said to himself as he headed for the stairs, and took them two at a time.
The door to the closet stood half way open and Jim frowned as he approached it. “Figaro, what are you into?” he called as he pulled the door open wide and looked inside.
No cat in sight.
*Rustlethump*
“Fig?”
“Merow?”
There was a big box stuffed in the back of the closet that Jim had forgotten about. He separated the clothes hanging in front of it and pulled the box forward. “How’d you get in here anyway?”
“Merow.”
Pulling up the loosened flaps, Jim reached inside the box and closed his big hands around the black and white cat inside. When he straightened up with the cat in his hands, Jim was surprised to see that Figaro had his paws securely wrapped around the neck of a teddy bear.
Figaro squinted his eyes and began to purr happily.
Jim couldn’t help but smile at the sight he held. “Hello to you too,” he chuckled. He walked over to the bed and gently deposited Figaro and the teddy bear on the bed, then sat down next to them.
Figaro immediately moved to rub against Jim’s arm, as he purred and pushed into the big hand that was stroking his back.
Jim picked up the teddy bear in his free hand and smiled. “Rufus,” he whispered.
“Murf,” Figaro huffed as he sat down and stared up at the big man.
Jim chuckled, “Yeah, he’s mine. Forgot I still had him.” He set the bear down and ran a finger over the button eyes. “Bought him after mom left.”
Figaro crouched down, but continued to look up at Jim expectantly.
“I was angry because she left, but I got incredibly lonely too,” Jim sighed. “I couldn’t talk to dad … he would just give the ‘don’t be a baby’ speech. Bought Rufus with money I made on my paper route.” He looked down at Figaro. “Had to keep him hidden from dad obviously. I didn’t dare let Steven know about him.”
Figaro squinted his eyes and huffed a sigh.
“Yeah, Steven would’ve told the entire neighborhood and I’d have never live it down. But … Rufus was a companion to me. Someone I could talk to when I couldn’t talk to anyone else.”
“Murf.”
“No, I took him to college with me,” Jim grinned, a slight blush rising in his face. “The girls thought he was cute. I finally packed him away when I joined the Army.” He sighed sadly, “Thought I’d hang on to him for my own kids some day.” Jim moved Rufus to the head of bed, leaning the bear against the big pillows. “That some day hasn’t happened … yet.”
Figaro jumped up and followed the stuffed animal to its new resting place. He sniffed at it and nudged it as Jim went to the closet and pushed the box back to its place.
“Meow?”
Jim turned back to look at the black and white cat sitting against the bear. “What was that?”
“Meow?”
A big smile spread across Jim’s face and he said, “Sure, Fig, you can keep Rufus for now.”
With that, Figaro settled down, curling himself into a furry ball, and rested his head over one of Rufus’ arms.
end