The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe - Willow & Tara Forever

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 Post subject: awwwwwwwww.....
PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:07 am 
awwwwww.....



I find this story so...AWWWWWW...



SO CUTE....so adorable!!!



I love the latest update!!



Please update soon!!



photographer02



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 Post subject: Re: awwwwwwwww.....
PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:23 pm 


Aww.. poor Willow :cry . Don't get a cat/kitten if you can't take care of it, silly people :smash . At least they gave her a nice name, but thats about it. This Amy sounds MUCH more sympathetic than the Amy I have in mind, I guess her name works against her :) .



Waiting outside for your persons to return for two days while not eating... that sucks.



Willow is a smart cat though, going in when she knows the people at the fish-store won't mind much. I wonder how old she is, how long she's been walking the streets and such. I like Willow's overall attitude towards people.



Tara wants to hold somebody while going to sleep ? Well that can be arranged obviously :lol . I can image the ground being rather hard when you're used to blankets....



The crying was long overdue for Willow, assuming cat psychology is about the same as humans :) . Tara comforting Willow the only way she knew how was cute too, very endearing.



How's miss Kitty doing, is she getting any sleep and food ??



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 8/25/04 12:28 pm


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 Post subject: ...
PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:28 pm 
Humans are so mean.l. yeah I said that lol



We rescued all our animals as well. My cat Gabriel was thrown from a truck full of guys that were going down a country road throwing kitten's at mail boxes (SICK!).



He is okay and all today years later and all but the guys were never caught and some of the other kittens died at neighbors houses.



Hopefully Willow gets adopted:D

__________________



WANTED: Looking for small poltergeist for personal use and a very talented muse. Please send resume to my inbox.



Update: Poltergeist found but its hard to find a good muse.



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 Post subject: Re: ...
PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 3:10 pm 
Hello Kittens-



Well that backstory just grabbed onto the heartstrings and went bungie jumping! Willow doesn't know what happened to her people (i.e. car wreck with multiple fatals-sorry work intruding- or perhaps the one person who wanted her being overruled) but pet abandonment happens all too often. Amy's compassion explains a lot about their relationship. Tara helps Willow face things and heal. Some things never change thank goodness.



BTW my first all-mine cat was a stray too.





Jixer



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 Post subject: Re: ...
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:05 am 
Hello Kittens :) First, sorry about the delay - like I said last time, I'm working on the next Hellebore short story, and 'Willow's Head' popped up and demanded attention as well. Hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly :)



Cameron: Thanks :) Yup, I shed a few tears writing Willow's story. I did want to show Willow vulnerable though, particularly as she's all 'tough street cat' - I wanted to show that Tara meant more to her than just someone to talk to and rescue a kitten for. Of course we all know that's the case, but you've gotta show it anyway :)



Yvonne: Thank you. Yeah, they're very humans cats - but of course that's the point, cats are human too. Or from their point of view, humans are large furless cats who do incomprehensible things now and then.



Photographer02: Thanks :)



Grimlock: Thanks. As I've always maintained, Amy's a good rat, just a crappy human - that's my pet theory anyway (forgive the pun). Willow would be about three years old, roughly the same as Tara. Cats pack a lot of living into their days - no doubt the reason they have to keep taking naps :) Miss Kitty is probably not feeling too happy, but she's okay for now. And help is on the way :)



RaVeN: It's true, human can be pretty crappy. Willow's story was partly inspired by a cat I read about in a newspaper named Amber (which of course caught my attention), who was abandoned - an absolutely gorgeous ginger cat with perfect patterning on her fur and lovely golden eyes, and really sweet and affectionate, the kind of cat who just loves everyone. You'll be pleased to know she was taken in by a good family :)



Jixer: Thanks :) That's basically what the Willow/Tara part of this story is about, choosing to be family, rather than just being born into it. Speaking of abandoned cats, my first (and only) cat, the Alexander the Great mentioned in chapter one, was from the RSPCA, a year old when we got him, so presumably he was abandoned somewhere and brought there. He was a real sweetie - Tara's cheer-up method was from him.

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.



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 Post subject: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 9)
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:06 am 
Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: G

Summary: Miss Kitty's a missing kitty, and it's Tara to the rescue.

Spoilers: None.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon, and inspired in a round-about way by 'Finding Nemo' by Pixar Studios. All original material is copyright 2004 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



--

Chapter Nine: The Best-Laid Plans of Cats and Dogs

--



"Hey," Willow prodded Tara gently with her nose. After several stretches and various twitches of her tail, during which she began purring as Willow repeatedly prodded her, Tara opened her eyes.



"Hmm?" she asked.



"Wake up purr-ball," Willow grinned.



"'S still dark," Tara frowned, getting to her feet and arching her back until her front and back paws touched.



"Nice stretch," Willow complimented, "yeah, but we have to get to the park so we can plan our daring rescue." Tara nodded, then noticed Willow's fur was a little ruffled between her ears.



"What?" Willow asked, seeing Tara glance at the top of her head. "Oh... see, that's what I get for cuddling up all night, I have morning fur." She raised a paw to lick and smooth herself down, but Tara leaned in before she could begin.



"Here," she offered, gently licking down Willow's fur. Willow returned her paw to the ground with a thud, steadying herself as she began to purr thunderously.



"Thanks," she managed when Tara finished and stepped back, grinning shyly and sliding her tail demurely around her forepaws as she sat.



"Don't mention it," Tara replied quietly. "Um, Willow? Th-thanks for... for sleeping with me... you know, curled up there. I felt a lot better with you, um, not so - not so lonely."



"My pleasure," Willow said with a gentle smile, while tilting her head to one side as if trying to work something out. She then got up and swished her tail extravagantly. "Let's go get Miss Kitty, huh? We'll get your family back together."



"Let's," Tara agreed, swallowing what she had been about to say. 'Right,' she thought to herself, following Willow through the bushes, 'it'll be just like it was before. My home, my people, Miss Kitty... it's a good life.' She shook her head, glancing now and then towards Willow to make sure she hadn't noticed her upset. 'It's a good life,' she told herself again, 'even if it doesn't have Willow in it...'



For her part, Willow concentrated on the task at hand, trying to push thoughts of the future out of her mind. 'I won't let you be lonely,' she promised Tara silently, 'I'll get Miss Kitty back for you... and you and she can go home together. And I'll- I'll manage. I always have. Right? Right.'



-----



The sky was just brightening with the dawn when the two cats reached the stone wall marking the edge of the park. Willow showed Tara where to hop over it, and led her through the dense undergrowth.



"I've been thinking," she said as they neared the open grassy expanse on the other side.



"Yes?" Tara said quickly.



"We're going to need help with this," Willow explained. "With the rats, I mean."



"Oh," Tara nodded, "yes... do you-"



"Know someone?" Willow asked. "Uh-huh, if he's around... it's the beginning of one of their not-working days, he's usually around here somewhere early on, his people bring him out here while their young play games with balls..."



"A friend of yours?" Tara asked.



"Xander," Willow said, "yeah, a friend - met him a year ago, he's pretty good. Not exactly subtle, but... ah, you'll see. Oh, hi Natalie," Willow said, spotting an insect on a branch. "Seen Xander this morning?" The preying mantis looked at her quizzically.



"Xan-der?" Willow asked slowly. The mantis turned her head and pointed across the grass with one tapering claw.



"Okay, thanks," Willow said. "Nice girl," she added to Tara as they walked along one of the park's gravel paths, "not too bright, but that's insects for you - good memory though. If Xander's over here he's probably romping around in the bushes somewhere, so he should be easy enough to find."



"Xander's a cat?" Tara asked.



"Hmm? Oh, no," Willow said, "no, he's-"



"ARF-ARF-ARF-ARF-ARF!" Tara ducked and scrambled back as a huge shape burst out of the bushes and bellowed at Willow from point blank range.



"Hi Xander," she said calmly.



"ARF-ARF- oh, hey Willow," the creature said, his fanged jaws suddenly turning into a broad smile, with the tip of a tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth.



"Xander, this is- Tara? Oh..." Willow turned to see Tara several feet away, claws planted in the ground, tail fuzzed up to epic proportions.



"Xander!" she scolded the creature.



"Sorry," Xander dipped his head, "you know how it is, see cat, bark..."



"Ya big goof," Willow muttered. "Tara, it's okay, he's harmless, he's a friend... Tara?" She fixed Xander in place with a glare, then sauntered over to Tara and gave her a gentle nuzzle.



"H-he's enormous," she said weakly.



"Never seen a dog before?" Willow asked.



"Th-that's a dog?" Tara asked.



"That is a dog," Willow echoed. "Are you okay? He does that to everyone, it's just a dog thing... come on, tail down, I promise... Tara?"



"S-sorry," she murmured, "I-I was just... he came out of nowhere, and all that noise..."



"Hey, shh," Willow whispered soothingly, "it's alright... Xander!" she glared back at the dog.



"Sorry," he said, drooping his head down to the ground. Despite her shock, Tara couldn't help finding the gesture likeable.



"I'm okay," she said, retracting her claws and venturing a couple of paces forward.



"That's my girl," Willow said. "Xander, this is Tara."



"Hi," Xander said, still ducking apologetically.



"Well, to make up for that tactless bit of buffoonery," Willow said, "you're helping us out today."



"Yep, sure!" Xander said enthusiastically. "Um, how?"



"I'll explain everything," Willow assured him, "we're meeting Amy and Angel by the big oak. Tara, you okay?"



"I'm okay," Tara said, her shock all but forgotten. 'My girl,' she replayed Willow's words in her mind, 'I'm her girl? I'm her girl...'



"Good," Willow nodded. "Well, at least you can see what I've got in mind. It doesn't matter how confident a pack of rats are, when a gigantic dog charges at them barking his head off, they'll scatter before they have time to think."



"Sure will!" Xander proclaimed proudly. "So... what's this about rats?"



-----



Amy and Angel were waiting as promised, the rat curled up next to one of the huge old oak tree's roots, the bat hanging from its lowest branch.



"Angel, get down here," Willow greeted him. He unfurled his wings and dropped, flipping over just in time to land on clawed feet. Amy scuttled over to Willow as Angel drew himself up to his full height, one wing held ominously across his face and chest.



"Willow," he said in a grim voice, "dangerous game you're playing."



"Yeah yeah," Willow replied, "good to see you too." Angel seemed to deflate a little, and let his wing drop.



"This is Tara?" he went on, nodding towards her as he waddled awkwardly forward, using his wings to balance.



"Tara, Angel," Willow introduced.



"From what Amy tells me, you've got courage," the bat said levelly, then dropped his voice an octave to add: "let's hope that's enough." Amy cringed behind Willow a little further.



"Angel," Willow sighed, "humans have this phrase, 'drama queen'... never mind, did you check out the mail building?"



"Yeah," he nodded. "Amy?" The rat scurried forward and used a tiny paw to scratch a plan in the dirt. The other animals clustered around to watch - Willow frowning in concentration, Tara thoughtful, Xander curious.



"Firstly," Angel said, "this is not your everyday rat gang. They're organised, sophisticated. They're led by a rat named-"



"Spike," Willow supplied.



"...yeah," Angel admitted, seemingly disappointed to be denied the chance to perform a dramatic revelation. "Yeah, Spike... he's the brawn, all the rats are afraid of him, but the brains of the operation is-"



"Dalton," Tara piped up, "the mouse."



"...yeah," Angel sighed forlornly. He squared his shoulders and pointed a wing-tip at Amy's drawing.



"This is their headquarters," he went on, "based in the room the humans keep all their mail machines in. Spike's place is here, at the centre on top of this crate. From there he has lines of sight to the whole floor - he watches everything his rats do. They're primarily here, not far from Spike. Dalton is here, this platform, on the other side of Spike. Your kitten," he said to Tara, "is here. This pile of boxes, above the main rat nest. It's to tall for a cat to climb up or down."



"How did they get her up there?" Tara wondered.



"Dalton," Angel said darkly. "He controls the machines. That's what this platform does - I saw him manipulate this panel, the way humans do. Pushing buttons, turning... things that turn... and so on. Through him, Spike can make any machine in the whole room do what he wants. One of them is a chain and pulley hanging from the ceiling, that moves back and forth. They put the kitten onto it, lift it up, drop her on top of the pile of boxes. The chain's swung out to one side of the pile - a rat can run along it. If the kitten tries, the pulley slips off the pile, and she gets dumped back on the floor. Where the rats are."



"Amy," Willow said, "could you climb down the chain to Miss Kitty?"



"Does Miss Kitty eat rats?" Amy asked nervously. Tara shook her head.



"Wouldn't work," Angel declared. "Even if she secured the pulley to the boxes somehow, the rats would see her. There's no cover up there. And they can get up to the ceiling on either side of the room - they'd corner her on the ceiling beams."



"I don't wanna be cornered up there," Amy interjected quickly.



"You can't carry a kitten, can you?" Tara asked Angel.



"Sorry," he shook his head.



"But you can carry Amy," Willow pointed out, causing Amy to do a double-take. "No, listen - you fly past, drop Amy on the boxes-"



"Drop me?" Amy squeaked.



"Carefully drop Amy," Willow amended, "the rats'll have only a few seconds to react, if she secures the pulley... somehow... could she and Miss Kitty reach the windows before the rats reach them?"



"What about Dalton?" Angel pointed out. "If we're seen he could move the pulley and chain - Amy can't carry anything strong enough to secure it against the pull of the machine."



"Okay, okay..." Willow paused, frowning in thought. "How about this: we take out Dalton. He's just one mouse, we can deal with that-"



"The rats'll protect him," Amy said grimly.



"Is this where I come in?" Xander asked. "Scaring rats, right?"



"Those rats," Amy said, "those rats specifically, not rats in general. This rat in general is quite scared enough already."



"That's a good idea," Willow said. "Xander - Angel, where's the door? The one to the front of the building? I've got a plan."



"Here," he said, reaching out with a claw to make a scratch in Amy's plan.



"Okay, Tara and I get in through the grille in the corridor," Willow said, "only this time, we open the door to the outside before we go any further. We let Xander in, he charges into the main room barking like a maniac, scares all the rats, they run away, or start chasing him, Spike being the muscle will probably join in - you can outrun a rat, can't you?"



"Yeah, sure," Xander said confidently.



"Be careful anyway. Angel, at the same time you and Amy get in through one of the top windows," Willow went on, "while all the rats are distracted, you land on Dalton's platform. Angel, you subdue him while Amy watches your back. Get him to lower Miss Kitty down using the pulley - that way we don't need to do all this sneaking around the roof. Tara and I will creep around while all the rats are busy - if Miss Kitty sees you," she added to Tara, "it'll calm her down, and we'll be able to get her out nice and quick."



"Then what?" Xander asked.



"We and Miss Kitty get out via the grille," Willow concluded, "Xander, you circle around and leave through the open door you came in through, Angel, grab Amy and take off. By the time they've figured out what's happening we'll be out of there. How's that sound?"



"I'm in," Xander said immediately, sticking out a paw.



"Me too," Tara spoke up, putting hers on top of Xander's.



"Doesn't seem like we have a lot of options," Angel muttered, reaching forward with a wingtip.



"Thanks for that resounding optimism," Amy glared at him. "Oh... dammit. Okay." She extended her small paw.



"Done," Willow said, putting her paw in. "Let's go get our kitten."

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 9)
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:55 am 
I was just thinking about this story (after reading Willow's Head), and wondering where the update was, and Lo! It appeared, and it was good. And there was much rejoicing.



This is so frickin' cute, and I love the crack team of superpets they've assembled. Is Xander a black lab? I see him that way--big, goofy, loyal, but dumb as a post. And Angel-bat, well...
Quote:
humans have this phrase, 'drama queen'
That had me:lmao



So the plan to save Miss Kitty will surely go off without a hitch, right?:paranoid

:peace -Cameron



What should I be but just what I am? - Edna St.Vincent Millay



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 9)
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:31 am 
What a great update! You have, indeed, created one helluva "crack team", but they seem to be managing so far. I like the idea of Xander as a dog, for some reason I can't quite picture him as a cat.



Also, loved the interaction between W/T in this update. The "my girl" comment and Willow's morning fur was so cute. Thanks for the update.



Yvonne:peace



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 9)
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:25 pm 
Oh goody, an update to this story... has indeed been a while, got me worried there Chris :)



Xander reminds me of the goofy dog sometimes chasing Bugs Bunny. Sluggish but good natured. Poor Tara had never seen a dog, eh ?? No wonder she got scared :lol .



The central point of the plan is to scare away all rats but somehow keep Dalton near his controls in order to get him to comply. I can easily see that part go wrong with Dalton running away or sticking too close to Spike. Then again, just one rat can be dealt with by too cats surely. All thats needed is for Xander to cause enough chaos so the rats will run for themselves as opposed to listening to a leader. (killing Spike would be a good idea too if either Willow or Tara get the chance)



The chapter-title had me thinking they would attempt the rescue already, with not so good results. After all the saying goes like 'even the best laid plans can fail' or something like that.



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 9/16/04 1:26 pm


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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 9)
PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 4:07 am 
"The best laid plans of mice and men afghan go aglay"



I WAS going to post a rather long reply to this wonderful story, commenting on things such as the poetry Mr. Rudyard Kipling, the origins of SNAFU ("Situation Normal: All 'Fouled' Up"), and my disapointment with the unexplored "Finding Nemo", especially in comparison to this new story.



And I would have too... if it hadn't been for the F@*&%$$@*(#%&@#($@ #$@(*$N#FDISA~! EZ board posting software. :crash



So I'll sumarize: I believe "best laid plans" was quoted by Rudyard Kipling, the quote is an elegant version of "SNAFU", I saw Grimmy's post and felt oddly compelled to quit lurking and share my inane knowledge, Chris is a writing god and we are not worthy, please keep writing more neko-W&T goodness.









:bow WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!! :bow



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 9)
PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:24 am 
Hello Kittens :) Firstly, again I'm apologising for the delay in updating. Things have been pretty busy, and will continue so for a little while. Thanks to a power spike through the phone line, I'm also reduced to using a 14.4 modem at the moment, which is slooooow! On the plus side, this has gotten me to finally get myself in gear and arrange for a broadband connection. I'm hoping to find time to update the other in-progress stories I've got going, Day by Day and Willow's Head, by the end of this coming weekend (I know roughly what to write, it's just a matter of finding the time to write it). For now though, here is the penultimate chapter of Finding Miss Kitty - and some replies first:



Cameron: Thanks :) Yes, of course, the plan's going to go off without a hitch. Don't they always? I enjoyed creating the Mission Impossible pet team too. I don't know what kind of dog Xander is - I'm a dedicated cat person, I prefer dogs at a distance - but you've basically summed him up: big, goofy and loyal.



Yvonne: Thank you. I'm glad the W/T scenes find favour, I feel like I'm trying to juggle writing them, handling all the elements - them being from different 'worlds', how they see each other, plus the fact that they're both cats, not humans :)



Grimmy: I guess I got you more worried with this month-long gap, sorry about that :) You're right, the main thrust of the plan is to send in Xander like a barking madman and scatter the rats. Luckily causing chaos is something he's quite good at :) As for how the rest pans out... your questions will be answered in this chapter :)



B4K4B01: Thanks :) I sympathise about the temperamentality of EZboard's posting system - I've taken to copying everything I post into the clipboard just before I hit the 'post' button, just in case it all vanished and I have to try again :)

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.



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 Post subject: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 12:27 am 
Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: G

Summary: Miss Kitty's a missing kitty, and it's Tara to the rescue.

Spoilers: None.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon, and inspired in a round-about way by 'Finding Nemo' by Pixar Studios. All original material is copyright 2004 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



--

Chapter Ten: The Fur Flies

--



From the hedgerow outside the mail sorting building, four furry heads emerged - two cats, one dog, and one rat sitting on top of the dog's head. In unison they looked one way, then the other, then fixed on the closed door at the building's side, and the grille next to it.



"He said he'd scout ahead" Amy complained, "so where is he?"



"Here," Angel said from his hiding place in a bush directly behind her, making everyone jump.



"Dammit Angel," Willow snapped, "don't do that!"



"It's my idiom," Angel protested quietly.



"Idiot," Amy muttered.



"Did you get a look inside?" Xander asked.



"Yeah," Angel nodded, making his way awkwardly forward on his hind legs and wingtips, "they're in there, asleep for the most part - a couple of sentries, nothing more. There's one rat alone in a kind of private nest, I'm guessing that's Spike. The others are around him. That mouse is up on his platform, with a rat asleep beside him. No-one saw me."



"And Miss Kitty?" Tara asked with a worried frown.



"Still on top of the stack of crates," Angel replied. "She looks okay. Frightened, but she's not hurt."



"Alright," Willow said, "we stick with the plan. Xander, you're with us. Angel, take Amy. Wait for Xander to make his entrance, then get Dalton."



"I do this under protest," Amy reminded everyone, as Angel lurched forward and gripped her shoulders in his feet. "This is not my idea of a good- eep!"



The two cats and one dog watched as Angel took off, beating his wings furiously to get enough height to glide properly, with the struggling rat held securely beneath him.



"That doesn't look comfortable," Xander observed.



"Come on," Willow said, flattening her ears and starting forward, "every second counts now."



The trio scampered quickly across the open ground, arriving unseen at the shaft with the open grille in it. Xander poked his head inquisitively inside.



"Out," Willow ordered with a grin, "you won't fit doofus. Wait here, we'll open the door for you."



"Okay," the dog nodded, flopping down to the ground. Tara gave him a grateful smile, then followed Willow into the shaft.



"Rats," she heard Willow mutter.



"Wh-where?"



"Huh? Oh- no... the darn grille's stuck," Willow explained sheepishly, "must've been when all this idiot rats slammed into it, it's wedged shut. Here, give me a paw with this." Together the two cats braced their foreheads against the grille and pushed.



"That's better," Willow grinned, as the grille gave way and swung open. "Okay, now... hmm..." she trailed off purring, as Tara leaned up and licked down the fur on her forehead that had been slightly mussed up.



"Thanks," she murmured warmly as Tara finished. "Oh, hey, my turn!"



"You don't have to," Tara protested, nevertheless ducking her head to give Willow easy access to her fur.



"Neither did you," Willow mumbled between licks, "that's what friends are for. There, all beautiful again." Tara ducked her head further, bashfully, as Willow sat back to admire her work.



"Um, we should..." she said hesitantly, nodding towards the far end of the shaft.



"Hm? Oh, yeah," Willow nodded, leading the way. She paused at the end of it, cautiously peering out into the corridor beyond.



"Looks clear," she whispered. "Mind you, it looked clear last time, too..."



"Think positive," Tara suggested from beside her.



"Yeah," Willow said, twitching her whiskers with resolve, "thinking positive. Positive thoughts. Okay, let's do this." Quickly she slunk out of the shaft and along the side wall, reaching the alcove with the door, beyond which Xander was presumably waiting.



"How do you open these?" Tara asked.



"You don't open doors at home?" Willow asked, surprised.



"No," Tara admitted, "they have these knob things, I can never get a grip on them to turn them like my people do. They mostly leave them open for me anyway."



"Ah, that kind," Willow nodded, "they're tricky at the best of times. Luckily this," she smiled up at the door handle, "is one of the kind that's easy to work with. All you have to do it grab a hold of that bar thingy, and pull it down. Watch and learn." She jumped nimbly up, got both forepaws over the latch, and hung there for a moment in embarrassed silence.



"Of course," she admitted from her awkward position, "some of them need a bit more pulling than others... would you mind?"



"Sure," Tara said, trying to keep her whiskers straight. Balancing on her hind legs she got her forepaws around Willow, hugged her tightly, and began taking her weight off her back paws, adding it to Willow's on the stubborn door handle.



"I promise this isn't just an excuse to get another snuggle out of you," Willow said with a nervous purr, as the latch began to turn. All of a sudden it flipped down, leaving Willow and Tara to fall backwards in a feline heap as the door gently swung inward.



"I liked the other kind of snuggle better," Tara grumbled from beneath Willow.



"Yeah, me too," Willow groaned, getting to her paws and helping Tara up. They looked up to see Xander's head poking around the door.



"What're you guys doing?" he asked.



"Nothing," both cats said at once. They glanced at each other, and shared an embarrassed smile.



"Come on," Willow said to Xander, "time to be a big loud dog."



"Oh, great!"



-----



Some time later, while attempting to relate the confused events of the next several minutes, Amy summed it up thusly:



T minus zero: Heroic if reluctant rat and broody bat observe events from open window high on the east wall. Excitable dog enters mail room via main door, barking like a maniac. Various slumbering rats have minor heart attacks.



T plus five seconds: Broody bat takes a dive off the windowsill, taking heroic rat with him, leading to nightmares which will likely last the rest of her life. In a desperate attempt to fix her sight on something other than the floor approaching at great speed, rat notices pair of stubborn cats slinking in via main door, unseen by rats who are running around any old how, uncertain whether to chase excitable dog or be chased by it - many attempting to do both at once.



T plus five seconds and about a dozen very panicked rat heartbeats: Drama queen bat lifts out of dive with half a whisker to spare, carrying swearing rat with him over low-lying crates and so forth. Quick glance confirms that Spike and his rats remain ignorant of the aerial component of our insane plan.



T plus eight seconds, or thereabouts: Rotten bat drops heroic rat on Dalton's platform quite unceremoniously. It is small consolation to this rat's bruised backside that this allows said bat to perform a flying head-butt on Dalton's assistant, knocking him off the platform.



T plus nine seconds: Excitable dog herds rats away from target kitten's perch atop stack of crates, allowing stubborn cats to get close enough to reach kitten once she is lowered from said perch.



T plus ten seconds: Rat and bat fulfil their part of the plan by demanding, in no uncertain terms, that Dalton - currently cowering among various boxes of bits and pieces and random miscellany that constitute his home - put himself to work carefully lowering target kitten from her perch, as planned.



T plus eleven seconds: Things start going wrong.



-----



"Make that pulley thing move!" Amy demanded fiercely of the mouse cowering in front of her. "Get the kitten down safely, or we break your scrawny little neck!"



"A little over-enthusiastic, aren't you?" Angel wondered quietly. Dalton scrabbled among the overturned heap of small boxes he had been sleeping among. In the background Xander's barking echoed around the large room, preceded by and pursued by the squeaking of Spike's rat gang, engaged in a panicked mix of chase and escape.



"This mouse and I have history," Amy glared, advancing on Dalton, "I do not like this mouse."



"I don't like you either, rat!" Dalton squeaked angrily, pulling from the overturned heap a strange contraption of twisted paper clips and elastic bands. The end of it caught Amy on the side of her head, sending her sprawling back, while Dalton aimed the sharpened metal rod at the thing's end at Angel.



"Whoops," the bat said quickly, dropping backwards off the back of the platform, just in time as Dalton released the elastic bands, sending the skewer of metal flying.



"Come back here!" the mouse squeaked shrilly, struggling to wedge another skewer into the makeshift weapon and pull the thick elastic back at the same time. Angel swooped back into view, darting in and out of the surrounding crates. Flying low near the floor, out of Dalton's view, he found himself racing towards Xander, stampeding back towards him with several rats scrambling madly in front of him, and many more in pursuit behind.



"Oh, hey Angel," he said jovially between barks. Angel let out a desperate squawk and beat his wings, shooting upwards just before he would have collided with the charging dog.



"There you are!" Dalton grinned in triumph, taking aim at the startled bat as it shot upwards out of the crates.



"Dalton!"



"Huh?" The mouse turned in confusion to meet Amy's clenched paw coming the other way. His weapon flew out of his paws as he tipped backwards over the edge of the platform, plummeting down to land, with a pained squeak, in a box moving along one of the conveyor belts below.



"Think your way out of that," Amy smiled as she watched the sorting machine neatly close Dalton's box and stamp 'Airmail' on its top. Grinning she strutted back to the other side of the platform, to find Willow and Tara in position by Miss Kitty's stack of crates, glancing nervously back at her.



"Amy!" Willow hissed, seeing her appear, "get Dalton to move the chain now!"



"Oh," Amy said, her face falling, "right... um..." She took a step back and jumped up onto the control panel, looking hopefully at the bewildering array of knobs, dials, switches and buttons.



"Can't be that difficult," she said after a thoughtful pause, "if humans can work it... lemme see here..."



-----



Spike vaulted to the top of a crate and glared down at his rats, who were milling around in confusion, mostly hiding from the rampaging canine.



"Stop running!" he squeaked at the top of his voice. "Haven't I taught you anything?! Get out of sight, the people will be here any minute! They'll get rid of the damned dog! Now let's- woah!" he squeaked as the crate beneath him suddenly lurched back on its conveyor belt, dumping him unceremoniously on the floor.



"Dalton, how many times have I told you-" he grumbled, before a groaning sound alerted him and he flipped over onto his back, staring up. The conveyor belt abruptly reversed direction, and Spike barely had time to scramble away before the crate he had been on top of seconds earlier crashed into the floor, splintering and sending foam packaging everywhere.



"Boss!" one of the rats shrieked in panic, as Xander careened by, scattering several others, while two nearby belts suddenly started running towards each other, sending boxes crashing together, tipping them onto the floor.



"Dalton!" Spike yelled, craning his neck to see over the confusion. For a moment he got a glimpse of a panicked-looking rat atop Dalton's platform.



"You!" he squeaked. "What are you doing?! Get down from there!" The rat looked up at him, startled, then ducked out of sight.



"Hey, you're not one of my rats!" Spike snarled. "You, and you," he grabbed two sprawled rats by the scruffs of their necks and hauled them to their paws, "come with me! Move!"



-----



Amy hurled herself against a button, managing to press it at the expense of a bruised head.



"Ow... oops," she added, looking up to see the result of her effort, a packing machine picking up boxes from a belt and dropping them into an increasing pile on the floor. Sirens were wailing, red lights flashing - it seemed everything in the sorting room except the chain and pulley leading to Miss Kitty was in chaotic motion.



Taking a moment to survey the scene, Amy cringed as a wayward cardboard box sailed across the room and landed squarely on Xander's head. The dog continued to charge around blindly, barking madly, scattering the rats too panicked or stupid to hide as he crashed through stacks of boxes and piles of neatly-arranged letters.



Nearer by Willow and Tara were slinking from cover to cover, trying to stay out of sight as the dog and rats rampaged back and forth. Tara had her eyes fixed on Miss Kitty, high stop her crates, meowing to her as loud as she dared over the noise of the sorting machines going haywire. Willow meanwhile was glaring up at the platform, alternately ducking at any particularly loud crashes, and demanding Amy stop fooling around and get Miss Kitty down.



Which meant neither of them were looking behind them, where Amy, from her high vantage point, could see-



"Spike! Willow, look out!"



"Wha?" Willow spun around just in time to see Spike emerge from between two crates, aiming Dalton's improvised crossbow at her. Two more rats appeared behind them, cutting off their avenue of escape.



"Stay down!" Willow hissed, instantly moving in front of Tara, shielding her from the jagged point of Spike's weapon.



"Well well," the rat gloated, "two little kitties... all this is your doing? It's Willow, isn't it? I've heard of you, street cat."



"Yeah? Well I've heard of you, gutter rat," Willow shot back in a show of bravado as she tried to work out what to do. Behind her, Tara glared at the two rats facing her, grateful for once that her tail had fuzzed up enormously. The rats seemed unmoved by her display, but held off their advance.



"Careful," Spike warned, raising the weapon to his shoulder, "you don't want to hurt my feelings."



"Willow be careful!" Amy squeaked from above. "That thing's dangerous! Xander!" There was a distant bark, and the sound of the dog crashing blindly through another stack of boxes.



"Quiet you!" Spike snarled, swinging the weapon to bear on her, "I may not be a sodding super-mouse but I can aim this thing well enough to pick you off, ratling! Hey!" He swung back to face Willow. "No smart ideas... not that I'd expect any from a cat in any case."



"We're not leaving without the kitten," Willow hissed.



"You're not leaving at all," Spike grinned savagely. "So, which one gets skewered and which one gets taken down by rats? I'll let you two decide."



"Stay behind me," Willow hissed to Tara.



"Willow," Tara meowed sadly, "I-I'm sorry I got you into this..."



"I'm sorry I got you into this," Willow whispered, her voice soft and kind, despite the icy glare she was maintaining in Spike's direction. "I really screwed it up."



"You were great," Tara whispered back, "so brave..."



"When he... when it happens, you run," Willow insisted.



"I won't leave you!" Tara protested.



"Tara-"



"No! I won't leave you," Tara meowed firmly.



"Aww, how touching," Spike sneered, "well, sorry to break up this sappy moment, but it's time for you two to sniff your butts goodbye."



"I'm sorry Tara," Willow meowed.



"Don't be," Tara replied, "I love you."



"You... you huh?" Willow's brows furrowed in surprise.



"I do," Tara said simply.



"I... I-I love you too, Tar-"



"MISS KITTY FANTASTICO BANZAI!!!"



Legs whirring, Miss Kitty leapt into the air, wrapping all four paws around the chain to the pulley and hook. This in turn jerked the heavy pulley off the top of the stack of crates, dropping it, and the kitten hanging on grimly above it, until it reached the full extent of the chain and swung.



Spike had just enough time to say "What the bleedin-" before the pulley slammed into him, propelling him up into the air, and with a painful crash through one of the sorting room's high windows. In the moment of stunned silence that followed, there was a distant splash from the river outside.



The two remaining rats slowly lowered their gazes from the broken window high above to the two cats in front of them. Tara turned back to them, stared wide-eyed for a moment, then fuzzed her tail, arched her back and bared her fangs.



"Next!" she hissed fiercely, sending the two rats scattering like mice, clambering and tripping over each other in their hurry to get away. Tara let out a sigh of relief and turned back to find Willow staring at her in surprise.



"What?" she asked.



"That was cool," Willow grinned, her meow filled with admiration.



Their attention was drawn back to the swinging pulley as it passed by again, still with Miss Kitty clinging to it.



"Jump," Tara called out to her as she swung back up, "when you pass by, jump! I'll catch you."



"'Kay," Miss Kitty's distant meow echoed back, as her chain reached the top of its backswing and started down again.



Tara braced herself, with Willow watching worriedly, and reared up onto her hind legs as the chain swung down and Miss Kitty let go, propelling herself away from it, towards Tara. Tara caught the kitten on her chest and wrapped her forepaws protectively around her as they both fell over backwards, Willow in turn catching Tara, softening her fall. All three ended up in a furry heap on the floor.



"Tara!" Miss Kitty meowed excitedly, "you rescued me!" She began emitting roaring purrs, nuzzling warmly into Tara's fur.



"I think you just rescued me," Tara purred in reply, getting to her feet and giving Miss Kitty affectionate licks on her forehead as she continued to nuzzle her.



"Can we go home now?" Miss Kitty asked, purring louder from Tara's attention.



"Yes," Tara smiled, "we can go home now."



Willow stood back a little, watching the cat and kitten with a melancholy smile.

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 4:19 pm 
yay they saved Miss Kitty, although it makes me kind of sad to think that there leaving poor Willow all alone. :sob Hopefully it resolves itself though, this board has enough angst currently. :buried





Quote:
"If sarcasm were a sport, I'd have a gold medal." - me


Edited by: silentinformer at: 10/27/04 3:24 pm


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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 5:46 pm 
Yay Chris! Loved the daring rescue...so are they in the clear yet, or will there be more drama on the way home? And Willow better be going home with Tara and Miss Kitty--they're just the most adorable family ever!
Quote:
I promise this isn't just an excuse to get another snuggle out of you
That was too cute, and the image of Willow hanging from the door handle...:rofl
Quote:
"It's my idiom," Angel protested quietly.
That was also great for a laugh--totally reminded me of John Cleese in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Excellent job, Chris!



:peace -Cameron



What should I be but just what I am? - Edna St.Vincent Millay



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 2:53 pm 
Such a sweet update in so many ways, Chris. They're not going to leave Willow though, right? I'm sure she could adapt to domestic life if it meant staying with Tara. Glad to see that the well-planned rescue worked. Thanks for the update.



Yvonne:peace



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 4:15 pm 
Artemis, This little adventure is simply adorable. I wasn't expecting to read a tale of tails, so to speak, when you first mentioned a new story over in Hellebore. Willow and Tara as kittens is quite unique and I'm really enjoying this. Now that Miss Kitty has been saved.. it's not over is it? This is so sweet and fun and I'm sure there are a few more adventures to be told! Thanks!



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:59 am 
This made my day, haven't laughed so much for quite some time :lol . The opening of the door, the rat-diary.. and of course "MISS KITTY FANTASTICO BANZAI!!!" :bow :laugh :laugh



The paperclip thingie reminded me a bit of Gremlins-2 (you know, the part where Gizmo shoots the spider:-). I doubt it would have acutally *killed* a cat though. Besides, it's a one-time weapon... there was hardly any way for Spike to get out alive if he actually fired it. Rats can't swim, right ?



Whatever happens they do need to get out of there, humans *will* come very soon.



It was a bit sad to see Willow look at Tara and Miss Kitty leading the way. That doesn't mean they'll just leave her behind of course, it's more a question of Willow wanting to be a 'house-cat' :)



Had GREAT fun reading this update. Hopefully not much else was damaged due to 'power' spike, heh. Broadband is fun but it might consume even more of your time, be aware.. :lol



P.S. Everytime I hear or think 'banzai' now I think a small furry kitten... I'll blame you for that :)



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 10/31/04 5:16 am


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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:37 pm 
Hello Kittens-



Words just fail to say how much I've enjoyed these last two updates and the whole story. From the Angel the brooding bat to Xander the friendly but clueless dog it's characters are wonderful. The mantis and Willow's observations were proof of the care you're taking with all the pieces of this story. But I think my favorite has been the latest "MISS KITTY FANTASTICO BANZAI!" Ah, the chaos a kitten can bring:)



There will be a few more updates and a sequel, right?



Jixer







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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 10)
PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 3:07 am 
Yikes, two months since I updated :eek Is there a smiley for "I'm very very sorry and promise not to let myself get sidetracked like that again?"



Anyway, this isn't an update, but I promise there will be one soon. And in the meantime, here's the replies I really should have given a lot sooner than this...



Silentinformer: I can't promise that there won't be a little bit of angst along the way, but worry not, all will be well in the end :D



Cameron: Yay, you got the Sir Lancelot reference :) There won't be any more drama of the Spike-and-his-rat-squad kind, but there's still some stuff to work out. The next chapter will be the final one, though, so it's odds-on that said stuff will be worked out without too much delay.



Yvonne: Willow adapting to domestic life? Well she's not going to want to leave Tara, but it won't be easy for her to take that step. As you've probably figured, that's what the next chapter will be all about.



Kajun: No, it's not quite over :) I honestly wasn't expecting to write anything like this, but the idea just popped up and refused to go away until I did something with it, so...



Grimmy: I don't know if rats can swim or not, but against a fast-moving current in the river... well, Spike's not going to trouble anyone any more. You're right, Willow's not in an entirely happy place, with Tara and Miss Kitty ready to go home now, but that'll all be dealt with.



Jixer: Just one more update to this story. Sequel? None planned for this incarnation of Willow and Tara, but I've got plenty more, as always - it's more a case of finding the time to write, and choosing which one to work on next :)



Thank you all for your kind words, and your patience (especially the latter, what with the whole two-month-absence thing).

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.



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 Post subject: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 2:11 am 
Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico



Author: Chris Cook

Rating: G

Summary: Miss Kitty's a missing kitty, and it's Tara to the rescue.

Spoilers: None.

Copyright: Based on characters from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Whedon, and inspired in a round-about way by 'Finding Nemo' by Pixar Studios. All original material is copyright 2004 Chris Cook.

Feedback: Please. Here, or to alia@netspace.net.au



--

Chapter Eleven: Welcome to the Family

--



Willow walked along just a step behind Tara, who was leading the way, and Miss Kitty, who was excitedly recounting her 'adventure' as a prisoner of the rat gang. The excitement of her rescue seemed to have pushed the fear she had felt from her mind. She chattered about the rats, listened to Tara describing how she had found her and how Willow had gathered all the animals that had helped them, interrupting frequently with exclamations.



Willow grinned despite herself at the kitten's enthusiasm for, well, everything, and mustered a warm smile whenever Tara glanced back at her. But in truth she was lost in her own thoughts.



"So what now, Will?" Amy had said, once they had made their way back to the park. True to form the humans occupying the building had been too busy making a fuss about the malfunctioning machines, and the rats scurrying all over the place, to look too closely and notice the furtive cats sneaking out while their backs were turned. Someone had called out 'Hey, is that a dog?', just as Xander was heading for the door, but no-one had paid much attention, or bothered going after them.



On reaching the park, the group had gone its separate ways. Angel had wandered off, grumbling about having to find a branch to hang from so late in the day, when all the best ones were taken. Xander had headed back to where all the dogs played, in the hope of finding Cordelia before her people took her off to be groomed for the hundredth time. Amy had hung around for a moment, while Tara cleaned Miss Kitty while she was snacking on a piece of chicken from a picnic table no-one had been paying attention to.



"Well," Willow had said half-heartedly, "I guess I'll walk them home... you know, just make sure they get there all right."



"Uh-huh," Amy had nodded. "And then?"



"What do you mean, and then?" Willow asked quickly. "And then I'll... I'll just... same as usual. Wander around... grab a bite to eat... stuff..."



"Hey Will," the rat said, glancing around nonchalantly, "you ever think of settling down?"



"Settling down how?"



"With a family, I mean," Amy said patiently.



"Of course not!" Willow had said automatically, "I'm not a house cat, I'm me!"



Amy had departed shortly after, intent on making sure the rumours she was sure would spread about her part in the defeat of Spike were suitably embellished and flattering to her personally. 'Why did she say goodbye?' Willow wondered, walking along listening with half an ear to Tara's gentle voice. Amy had said goodbye when she left - not 'goodbye' the way she and Willow usually said it, meaning 'I'll be back before you know it' in Amy's case, or 'I'm sure you'll turn up soon' in Willow's.



'It's not like I'm not coming back,' Willow thought to herself, 'why did she say goodbye like 'goodbye'? I mean, what, I'm going to stay with Tara? Sure I'd love to, but me? House cat? How's that going to work?'



"Um, Willow," she imagined Tara saying, "would you like to stay with me and be a house cat?"



"Why sure," Willow imagined herself replying jauntily, "I just can't wait to give up the freedom and independence of being a street cat, in exchange for a bowl with my name on it, and some people thinking they own me, and being expected to sleep on a blanket in a corner somewhere... with you. All snuggled up, with your paw around me, and I can hear you purring gently in your sleep..."



'Didn't that sentence start out as sarcastic?' Willow thought to herself. She sighed, and admitted the truth to herself - she wanted to stay with Tara. 'But Tara's a house cat. The only way I could stay with her would be to be a house cat too, and I can't do that, that's not who I am. And she wouldn't want to be a street cat - always having to think ahead to where your next meal is coming from, staying on the look-out for rival cats, having to find somewhere out of the wind and rain to sleep... why do I like this again?' Willow frowned to herself, missing Tara's glance back at her, which lingered, and became concerned.



'But I'm not a house cat' Willow went on to herself, 'I'm not, and houses and non-house cats don't belong together. It's practically written on my collar, 'Street Cat'. That's me. I'm not going back to being some naïve kitten with people who treat her like a toy, or just toss her away when they're bored of her. I won't be like that again.'



"Willow?" Tara asked, making Willow jump - she'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Tara drop back to walk beside her.



"Tara?"



"What's the matter?"



"What?" Willow asked nervously. "What makes you think anything's the matter? I mean, I could be entirely free of matter. Are there signs of matter?"



"You've got this frown," Tara said, "right here." She leaned over and gave Willow a little lick on her forehead, starting just between her brows. "You looked... anxious."



"Oh," Willow said sheepishly, "yeah... well I was just thinking... um, your people... they're- they're going to take good care of you, right? I mean, proper care of you?"



"They love me and Miss Kitty," Tara assured her.



"Good," Willow said quickly, "good, I was just, you know, wondering..." '...if maybe I could tag along and be part of the family too? 'Cause I'm sure what your people want is a strange cat hanging around the place, they wouldn't have any objections at all.'



"They're good people," Tara went on, "I know you haven't really known people like that, but they are, I promise. You don't have to worry. Um, actually..." she hesitated, then plunged on, speaking quickly as if afraid she wouldn't get the words out if the stopped, "do you think maybe there's any chance you might like to-"



"We're home!" Miss Kitty meowed from up ahead. She raced ahead and turned the corner into the garden, disappearing from view. Tara had turned to her at the sound of her voice, and looked back at Willow, undecided.



"Go on," Willow said gently, "you're home." From nearby came the sound of Giles being surprised, then quickly calling for Dawn.



"Oh my god Miss Kitty!" the girl's voice rang out a moment later.



"I..." Tara began, looking back and forth between Willow and the entrance to her garden, "Willow, you've been so wonderful..."



"No need to thank me," Willow said, automatically, then she ducked, not quite able to meet Tara's gaze as she added, "you know I'd do anything for you."



"Tara?" Buffy's voice came from around the corner, then in an undertone: "well she might be somewhere nearby, I mean if Miss Kitty just found her way back, maybe Tara did too."



"Tara?" Joyce's voice joined her.



"Go on," Willow nudged Tara, who looked at her for a moment, almost pleadingly.



"Come with me?" she asked.



'Yes!' Willow thought.



"I mean," Tara added quickly, embarrassed, "just, walk with me, would you? I don't want to say goodbye, not like this, all rushed..."



"Of course," Willow nodded, smiling broadly to hide her disappointment. Willow walked alongside Tara as she rounded the corner of the driveway, and then sat back and watched as Tara, without meaning to, broke into a run, sprinting the last few metres to her family.



'So this is them,' Willow thought, watching the young blonde scoop up Tara and hug her, whispering to her. The adult female was beside her, reaching around her to rub Tara's stomach tenderly, and was periodically glancing back to share looks with the adult male, whose expression was mid-way between happy and relieved. He had a comforting hand on the shoulder of the other young one, who was cuddling Miss Kitty.



'I want that,' Willow thought sadly to herself, 'family... Tara.' She shook her head. 'Don't be silly, they don't even know me, they wouldn't love me like they do those two. They're family, I'm just some strange cat.' She looked up, seeing movement from the corner of her eye.



Tara had wriggled elegantly out of Buffy's arms, and was walking towards her, with the various humans following. Willow instinctively moved back a step, closer to the corner, then paused as she caught Tara's tear-filled eyes. 'I can't leave her.'



"Willow?" Tara asked, as the humans watched the two cats and exchanged confused glances.



"I'm sorry," Willow said, letting her own eyes fill with moisture, "I want to stay, really I do, but..."



"But what?" Tara asked gently.



"They're your family, not mine," Willow insisted, "they love you... not me."



"One of them does," Tara said, moving a step closer. "Actually," her smile turned to a grin, "two, if you include Miss Kitty. She's taken quite a liking to you too, you know."



"You..." Willow tried to meow.



"I love you," Tara said, "I want you to stay. They're good people, I know they'll love you... but right now, I love you, and I need you."



"You need me?" Willow repeated.



"I need you," Tara nodded. "Please? If you want... I'll be your family."



"If I want?" Willow echoed, surprised. "O-of course I want, I-"



"Stay with me, then," Tara said softly. Willow stared into her eyes, then, feeling like she was floating, walked forward and rubbed her nose against Tara's.



"Can we keep her?" Dawn was already asking.



"Well, I-" Giles said, surprised.



"Look, she's Tara's friend! Oh that's so adorable!" she exclaimed as Tara gave Willow an affectionate lick on the cheek.



"Dad?" Buffy asked.



"Well..." he said again, "I... we'll have to check whether she's already got owners, and take her to the vet-"



"Thank you!" Dawn exclaimed, and she and Buffy hugged Giles, Dawn with only one arm as the other was still full of kitten. Joyce meanwhile knelt down in front of the two cats, and gave Tara a pat.



"She's got a collar," she said to Giles, "but it looks old... hey there," she went on to Willow, "how are you? Are you okay?" She held out a hand, waiting patiently while, with Tara watching, Willow gingerly leaned forward and sniffed her fingertips.



"Good girl," Joyce said, as Willow let herself be patted lightly. Willow gave a tentative purr, which became louder as Tara sat beside her and nuzzled against her neck.



"That is so adorable, isn't it Miss Kitty?" Dawn said, crouching down near the two cats.



"You're gonna stay?" Miss Kitty meowed to Willow. Tara looked at her hopefully.



"Yes," Willow purred, "I'm going to stay."



-----



Tara lay on her favourite rock in the garden, enjoying the sunlight, and watched as two shapes moved stealthily through the piles of leaves, circling each other warily before one pounced, in a blur of black and white, and the two cats wrestled playfully, scattering the leaves everywhere. Her ears pricked up, then relaxed as a creature emerged stealthily from the shrubbery behind her.



"Hi Tara."



"Hi Amy," Tara said, as the rat circled around her rock and stood beneath a low-lying palm frond in front of her. Amy visited once or twice a week, during the day when the people were out at their schools and jobs. On her first visit she had gleefully reported that the remnants of Spike's gang had been chased out of town, and that everything had settled down to normal again. Tara had heaved a sigh of relief at that news - not that she thought it likely Miss Kitty was going to get herself into trouble again. The kitten, though still as playful as ever, had firmly taken to heart Tara's advice of not getting into anything she wasn't sure she could get out of again.



"How's Will?" Amy asked.



"In perfect health," Tara said, "the vet said so."



"She went to the vet?" Amy asked. "Ooh, nasty... I've heard of them."



"They're not so bad," Tara shrugged, "there's a cat biscuit just by that flower, if you're hungry. I thought you might come by today."



"Thanks Tara," Amy said, scampering over to the biscuit and scooping it up.



"Amy!" Willow exclaimed, extricating herself from Miss Kitty's hold and rushing over, with the kitten at her heels.



"Hey Will," the rat smiled, nibbling her biscuit. "Heard you went to the vet. Who'd have thought it, Willow the mighty street cat being taken care of by humans."



"Yeah, yeah," Willow rolled her eyes, "good to see you too."



"Did they take your temperature?" Amy asked innocently. Willow's eyes narrowed.



"If you dare tell anyone," she hissed, "I swear I'll start following the food chain religiously, missy." Amy cringed, and Tara saw the hint of an amused smirk behind Willow's glare as she hopped up onto her rock and lay down next to her. Tara smiled and leaned across to lay her head across Willow's paws, then began to purr as she felt Willow snuggle up to her and gently lick the back of her head.



"That's nice," she murmured contentedly.



"Yay," Willow purred, watching as Amy and Miss Kitty played hide and seek among the bushes. "I'm glad I found you. All of you," she added, "but especially you."



"Of course you found me," Tara smiled, "you said it yourself, remember? You know this town like the back of your paw." She gave Willow's paw a gentle lick for emphasis. "You can find anything."



"I never thought I'd find a cat like you," Willow admitted.



"Me neither," Tara said. "Lucky us."



"Yeah," Willow agreed, "lucky us."



--

THE END

--

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:21 am 
*grins* aaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhh!

and yay! i get first reply!!! WHOOT! no matter how hard i try i NEVER get first reply! okay, okay, onto the actual feedback eh eh..:blush



What an absolutely perfect ending!!! lol, it's so odd that i (and loads of other kitties) love this fic, i mean, it's about cats! but woah! you gave them such adorable personalities and u intergrated cat habits and human traits so well! ah! it was just so good!!!!!



i love lil miss kitty and amy and awwwwhh! this is just too cute! bah! that's it, i'm going to read it all over again lol.



COMPLETE cuteness!



- Bellos :D

The shape of you

Is etched inside

My bruised and somewhat sculptured mind



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:14 pm 
Well.. the delay has been good for one thing at least... I finally watched _Finding Nemo_, liked the turtle-dude best :P



Aaanywayz... yeah Willow will have to do *some* adjusting. Whatever else she might NOT miss, her freedom will be somewhat limited. Maybe she has had enough freedom for now, who knows :lol . It's not like she wants to leave Tara now is it :)



I like over-energetic miss Kitty. She'll find some other trouble to get into, no doubt about it. Heck, I even like Amy.. thats rather unique for me. She's a nice charachter here, gleefully sharing details on what happened to Spike's gang... hehe.



I was indeed a bit worried what had happened to this story, so this updates saves me from sending an email your way :) A good way to end the year too, nice one.



Grimmy :wave

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:04 pm 
Chris!!! What a lovely end to a fantastic story! You took an idea that could have come off as overly cutesy, and turned it into a rollicking adventure filled with action, suspense, humor, affection and love. This bit especially grabbed me:
Quote:
"I just can't wait to give up the freedom and independence of being a street cat, in exchange for a bowl with my name on it, and some people thinking they own me, and being expected to sleep on a blanket in a corner somewhere... with you. All snuggled up, with your paw around me, and I can hear you purring gently in your sleep..."

'Didn't that sentence start out as sarcastic?'
Wonderful! If you ever decide to revisit the SuperPets, I'll be waiting in line to read it.



:applause -Cam



What should I be but just what I am? - Edna St.Vincent Millay

Edited by: tarawhipped at: 12/28/04 4:04 pm


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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:18 pm 
Artemis,

That was a great story.Do I smell sequel?Please.This was so good.



Rhiannon :seesaw



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:09 pm 
SO freaking cute dude. Too cute for words even. I found myself awwing out loud several times while reading it. Yay for Willow staying with Tara and her family. Great job and I hope you write some more W/T animal fluff like this again.



Hmm. Animal fluff. Isn't that the stuff inside stuffed animals? :confused



Tibbs

:pride



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:47 pm 
chris, i so love your writing! took me forever to register, but i have always loved your stories. i once payed a silly amount of money to check for hellebore updates on a cruise (and that was early in the story, cleansing the library, totally worth my 29cents a minute or however much it was).

and what an entertaining story this one was! i'm amazed at how you can be so true to the characters, yet make them convincing animals. big goofy xander dog, brooding angel bat, and more proof that amy is always better as a rat-all spot on. and of course willow and tara, so much sweetness without ever becoming cloying. and willow "i could be entirely free of matter. are there signs of mattter?" such a perfect willowism. you know, it's practically a law that all successful cartoons have a sequel-i think this qualifies~mary

you come and you glow and you hum and you hover
i cannot believe that you're my lover~rhett miller



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 5:30 pm 
I’m sad to see this end. It really is a very heartwarming fic. Willow’s attempt to convince herself of reasons not to become a house cat was so funny and endearing. So her people were mean and drove her to the live in dark alleys, alone, scavenging for scraps of food. Grr. Tara telling Willow she loved her and needed her just made my heart melt. So sweet. Thank you for sharing another great story. I’m looking forward to more “tales” from you in the future. Lucky kitties.. all around. :heart Thanks again Artemis!



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 11:23 pm 
Thanks for coming back to finish this fantastic story, Chris. You've created a wonderful story with great, realistic characteristics and action, and I've enjoyed every bit. I hope to read more from you in the coming year.



Yvonne:peace



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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:40 pm 
Hello Kittens-



This has been a wonderful tale, well crafted and polished. Thank you for this. It rates at least "Miss Kitty Fantastico Banzai" in the Guide Kitten.



Thanks Chris,





Jixer









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 Post subject: Re: FIC: Finding Miss Kitty Fantastico (chapter 11)
PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:01 pm 
Chris - you just rock. You never fail to amaze me with how well you can integrate Willow and Tara into your truly unique AU's. The potential to turn this into something cheesy was high, but you have a way of making the possibilities so believeable - it never comes close to it.



Very, very sweet - thanks for sharing your talent with us once again!

-shuyaku

Oh God, Willow—you’re giving me the gift of Karen Carpenter. Just when I think I grasp the full extent of your love." - Tara

"Why do birds suddenly appear? It’s because, you are queer…" - Willow (Gods Served and Abandoned by AntigoneUnbound)



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