The Case of the Missing....Cat? {Jamie}

[Chantelle Alaina Harper]

The sound of a loud crash woke her from a dead sleep.

For a long moment, Chantelle Harper laid in her bed and blinked blearily up at the ceiling. Sleep merged with reality and she wondered briefly what had startled her to awareness. Had her cat knocked over something? After listening for a moment, she'd almost decided it had been her imagination and her eyelids were drifting shut once more when another loud bump came from below her.

This time, she shot straight up in bed and her eyes were wide open in fear. SHE DIDN'T HAVE A CAT!

Which could only mean, someone was either in her shop or trying to get in!

Shifting off the mattress as quietly as she could, the young store owner slid her feet into the pair of bunny slippers she kept nearby and glanced around her bedroom. Another thud from downstairs had her reaching for her phone and tiptoeing out of the room cautiously. Who on earth would break into a bookstore?Seriously? It wasn't as if there was anything that valuable down there and she didn't keep anything more than a couple hundred in cashat the best of times. Surely they wouldn't go through all that trouble just for that.. Would they? Then again, hadn't she read something about a woman being mugged for a five dollar bill?

Jamie's warnings suddenly came ringing back and she moved to pick up the Louisville Slugger that sat beside the small hall table. Why oh why hadn't she LISTENED to him? Recent events in the Beacon Hills area flooded her mind and suddenly, the articles about torn up bodies flashed through her brain. Oh god. She REALLY didn't want to become one of those she decided even as she dialed 911 on her phone.

Another crash from below had her jumping in place and an air of magic tingling over her skin.

Oh NO!! Not Now!!

Clutching the baseball bat to her chest and whispering into the phone, Tellie gave the dispatcher her emergency even as she reached for the door that separated her small apartment from the small kitchen of her bookshop. Twisting the knob,she eased it open and peered out, unable to resist the need to see what was going on.

Only, she couldn't see a damned thing because her intruder wasn't in the small kitchen area and the sounds were still coming from out front. With the dispatcher calling to her from the cell, the pretty brunette eased down the steps to the bottom floor and then tiptoed through the unlit kitchen. She had just about reached the cloth doorway when another crash boomed through the night and a growl could be heard coming from the front room. The sound was so savage and so unnatural that the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up and Tellie felt her grip on the baseball bat and cell loosen. Fear so sharp that it almost stopped her heart flew through her system and then …....

A bright flash of sparkles and two loud thuds of objects hitting the ground resounded through the shop even as red and blue lights flashed through the front windows of the shop and sirens rang out. With the dispatchers voice still calling through the speaker of the cell, the dark shape of the burly robber burst through the curtain. Without even glancing at the baseball bat on the floor,the being's heavy foot crushed the cell as it hurried through the room and then hammered the back exit door.

As it crashed open and alarms started to blare through the whole store, a small calico cat darted out of the kitchen and into the bookstore only to come up short as officers raced into the front door and the beam of their lights hit it in the eyes full on. An instant complaint of “MERROOOW”filled the air even as its back arched up and hair stood up on end protesting the scare it had been given.

Well, scares, that was.

“Its just a cat, Tom.” said one police officer even as their gazes shifted away and they began to scan the store. “Doesn't look to be anyone else here... Who called this in?”

Shrugging, the second officer made his way further in and turned on the light to reveal some overturned bookcases and a smashed front counter. “911 service said it was a woman. Definitely looks like a break in.” he returned, both of them making their way cautiously to the back and finally upstairs before looking worried. Holding up the crushed cell, he looked at his partner with a concerned expression.“No woman.... You don't think....”

Frowning, the first officer was already on his cb before the other man finished. “All units. We have a burglary at THE NEVERENDING STORY. Be advise that we also have a missing woman and the back exit was open, copy...”

Busy seeing to their business, neither man noticed the calico cat as it slipped out of the bookstore and took off down the street only to end up cowering under a bush.

[Jamie Ryan McKinnley]

Jamie had never considered himself a stalker. He didn't usually hang around places just to get a glimpse of a certain person and he sure as hell didn't care about other people lurking around said person.
So why had he been freaking hanging around the bookstore in the dead of the night waiting for something...anything to happen?
Because he was fucked up in the head, that's why.

Ever since the young man had stolen that kiss from Chantelle like a bookstore outlaw Jamie had been drawn to this same corner like the proverbial moth to the flame that would no doubt burn him to a cinder. The reverie of that night was driving him  crazier than he already was. The taste of her lips was like a ghost pain. Every time he snaked his tongue across his lips he swore he could still taste her. He remembered the feel of her curves against his with such intensity, there had been times he'd closed his eyes and felt her there again.
It was insane.

Jamie wasn't an idiot. He knew that by now she'd probably called the cops on him. Had definitely cursed him out loud and undeniably hated him.
Hell, he hated himself. He loathed himself for the fact that though it was a bad idea to want to get close to that woman again here he was, slinking around her place like criminal.
Yes, boys and girls...the werewolf was a freaking pussy. He didn't even have the will to stay away from her even though it was best for the both of them.
He honestly couldn't help himself. A fissure had been opened within him that night and damn if his boots didn't keep leading him there even when his mind refused to allow it.

Wait...what was that?

Jamie stood up a little straighter as an unfamiliar scent wafted into his nose with the night breeze and seemed to claw at him with an unknown awareness. The wolf inside knew on instinct that there was another were nearby, the male just didn't realize it.
It was the purest, greenest color of jealousy that had Jamie watching with narrowed eyes as a male entered Tellie's home and place of business and the werewolf couldn't help but wonder what kind of a boyfriend let his woman walk around the park late at night like the one they had met.

He meant to turn away from the scene. Now that he knew she had a man coming over for  bootay call the angry male wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between them as he could.
But his feet just wouldn't move.
Fuck. Them.

Something about this just didn't seem right.

When he heard crashing come from within the bookstore Jamie bolted forward before he even realized he was moving.
By now the thief was fleeing the scene and the werewolf heard the distinct wail of sirens in the distance.
That didn't matter to him, however.

As soon as he caught sight of the other man fleeing the scene Jamie crept up behind him. Unadulterated fury had the werewolf seeing red. That combined with the instinctual reaction of a wolf possessive of his territory had the damaged youth leaping blindly into the air until he landed upon the intruders back.
With a snarl the other wolf landed on the ground but immediately shifted around to attack his aggressor.
Jamie didn't comprehend what was happening but a fight of claws and fang ensued.

The fight didn't let up until the other were was beaten to a pulp and ran off yelping into the night.
By then Jamie's thoughts had turned back to Tellie and so he let the male go, hurrying back to the store to check on the female.
(He would be able to find the man again. He just had this feeling.)

The werewolf snuck around the front of the store without the cops seeing him and thanks to his amplified hearing Jamie realized the girl was missing.
Panic set into his chest as a dull thud, but some how he knew she was here.
He could...smell her. It was insane but he could.

Tracking the all too familiar aroma of the female into some nearby bushes, the male found the cat and every nerve ending in his body exploded with awareness.
The hackles on the back of his neck rose and a low growl escaped his lips.
"Where is she?!" He absently demanded of the feline in a rough whisper.
As if the freaking cat would be able to answer.

[Chantelle Alaina Harper]

Having escaped the bookstore, Tellie paid no heed as to where she was going in her mad rush to get away from the danger. Gone was any human rationality and pure animal instinct had taken hold. Not paying attention to her surroundings, her path took her down the street as fast as her furry little paws would carry her, ignoring the honk of a horn and the sharp yell that was tossed at her as she darted across the street and into some bushes that lined the nearby park.

Safety! At least, for the time being it seemed.

Shivering beneath the leafy boughs, the small calico cat peeked out and looked down the street to where yet another cop car was pulling up outside her place. A mournful "meow" escaped her throat and her green eyes took in the going ons with a worried expression that was almost human in its nature. With the immediate threat past, the human within started to assert more control over its mind and she inwardly groaned at the mess she now found herself within.

This was bad. Really bad.

No doubt, even now, the police were freaking and wondering what had happened to her. How on earth was she going to explain this? Obviously, she COULD stroll back in as a cat but since she didn't know how or when she might turn back into a human. Considering the fact that she'd be naked when she did? Well, it was safe to say she had a little bit of a furry problem.

Just what she needed. She'd probably give the portly officers a heart attack and be arrested for unintentional manslaughter or something with the way her luck was holding.

Even if she somehow managed to slip passed the cops and up to her apartment, change back into a girl and get dressed before they figured out she was there... How was she to explain her disappearance? It was like she could come right out and say "Hey, well the burglar scared me and "poof" next thing I knew I was a cat!". They really would think she was nuts then!

Still stewing on all these thoughts, it took the small creature a long moment to hear the sound of footsteps approaching. When they did register though, Tellie couldn't help scooting further back into the bushes and then about climbed out of her own skin with a face appeared directly in her line of vision. Shadowed by the early morning darkness, her delicate nose took in a whiff of something that smell like.. was that.. dog? and went on high alert.

Instinctively, the calico's back arched up and a long, threatening hiss escaped her even as she frantically back pedaled under the leaves. To her cat brain, dog equaled danger and it wasn't until the second scent registered that the panicked creature blinked owlishly and quit its caterwauling.

JAMIE! IT WAS JAMIE!

The familiar male smell had the woman inside clamoring to get out and the cat was suddenly torn between the need to run to the creature growling at her and the need to scuttle as far away as possible.

So, instead, she simply sat down and began licking one paw in a regal manner while keeping one disdainful eye upon the male now glaring at her. Really? her expression seemed to read as she shot him a look. Do you really expect a me to answer you like this? And hasn't anyone ever taught you that its not polite to growl at people, she thought at him, tail twitching.

When it seemed that they were at an impasse, Tellie removed her gaze from the figure to glance down the street again. More cop cars seemed to be appearing and she face palmed herself (or in this case, paw palmed), again wondering how on earth she was going to manage to get out of this without ending up looking like a loon.

[Jamie Ryan McKinnley]

Jamie's blood was boiling. Literally.
The crimson that was currently rushing through his veins thanks to a thundering pulse felt like it was 250 degrees and rising, and that wasn't even mentioning the balmy temperature of his too-tight skin.
A vicious snarl slipped out of his lips as the feline seemed to quietly taunt him with its big green eyes and twitchy whiskers. Jamie knew he was loosing it when he half expected the cat to answer him.

Wait a minute...had it just...had it just rolled his eyes at him?!
Oh yeah, he was so going to have kitty for dinner.

Wait...what the fuck was with him?! Cat eye rolling? Stray kitty for din-din? It was definitely time to check into the loony bin.
Except so help him he could smell Tellie nearby. The werewolf's miss-matched eyes flickered all over the place; from the cat to the trees just behind it, back to the place from where she'd been stolen.
Annnnd...wouldn't you know there was a cop heading straight towards him, and that K-9 companion of his wasn't barking at the freaking feline.

"Ah, fuck." Jamie immediately pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and tried to walk away all causal like.
"Hey! Hey you!" Called the officer, and the dog barked louder. "I just have some questions for you!"

Questions. Yeah, right.

Jamie started moving with a little more deliberateness, but he knew what was coming. The moment he heard the quiet snap of the leash being removed and then the following canine huff, he spun around to face a big black German Sheppard sprinting towards him. It was barely a moment but to the werewolf it all happened in slow motion. The black furry blur pounced but the wolf was ready. Throwing up his hand, the werewolf caught the beast against his chest and then immediately flung him sideways. The dog hit a tree with a thud and a whimper, but shook his head and then ran off, mostly uninjured.
That was when the wide-eyed cop pulled out his gun.

"Just take it easy, son." The male looked shaken, glancing after the retreating canine and then back again.
Not stupid enough to get shot over something he didn't do, the young man held his palms up in surrender, putting them behind his russet head and going down on his knees. ( This wasn't his first time at the rodeo, you see.)

"I didn't do anything." He muttered, but it fell on deaf ears as the officer brought out a pair of hand cuffs and slapped them across his wrists.
Tugging Jamie up off the ground with aforementioned wrists, the cop pushed him toward the bookstore as he pulled a radio off his belt.
"Yeah, its Marshall. I think I got our perp."  
He nudged Jamie roughly again. "Uh huh, yeah. I think he's some sketched out druggie..."

Well that wasn't far from the truth, but never mind that.

"I. Didn't. Touch. Her." Jamie growled and cast an angry glare at him, not so much worried about the slam as he was the law wasting time on him when Tellie was still missing.

[Chantelle Alaina Harper]

Ok, so Tellie would have been lying if she'd said the snarling expression Jamie wore wasn't a little bit intimidating. The way his lips curled back off sharp.. uh, were those abnormally sharp teeth?.. did scare her just a wee bit. In her cat form, her inner feline hissed and wanted to run as far away as possible but the human locked in its mind made her stay put. Instead of running away, she pushed up on to all four paws and rubbed against a tree branch as she snaked her way forward a bit and peered at him.

It WAS Jamie, after all. She had nothing to be scared of,right?

Unfortunately, just as she had about convinced herself of that, the sound of more paws running in their direction had her shifting her attention to the sight of a police officer and his hound coming towards them. Instantly, the hair along her back arched up and she let out a long hiss even as Jamie seemed to catch sight of the threat too.

Gee, and things had just being going so well. Har, har.

As the cop shouted at Jamie and the dog barreled at them, Tellie hunched back further in the bushes to get away. Yowling in warning to the creature, she blinked as it shot on by and then jumped at her friend. What on earth? Blinking her huge green eyes, she frowned (as close to a frown as cats could get, anyways) and bellied up to the edge of the branches.

Only to see the hound go flying and the cop pull a gun. What the devil? Ok, this was really to much! How dare the cop point a gun at Jamie! He hadn't been doing anything!!

When the man started pushing and shoving at the young man with his gun, Tellie had had enough. It was one thing to be scared silly by a stupid burglar. It was another to watch a man who was supposed to be protecting the city bully a defenseless young man. Especially for nothing!

Growling low in her throat, the little calico cat darted out from the bushes and up the cops leg. Fluffed up and hissing to beat the band, the feline's appearance took the poor officer completely off guard as he tried to fend off her attack. With all the racket the pair made as she tore up his clothing and then smacked his nose with her paw, claws still retracted because.. well, this was Tellie after all... Was it any wonder that other officers began looking in their direction? Trying to knock her off, the officer dropped his gun and started to holler as if he were being attacked by the hounds of hell. Deciding her point had been met, the cat hissed once more and then used his big belly as a spring board so she could land on Jamies shoulder and rub her cheek against his.

Yeah, who said cats were smart, right? Better the devil you know than the devil you didn't right?

[Jamie Ryan McKinnley]

One moment, Jamie was fairly fuming from the ears and being shoved towards a fate he so didn't deserve (tonight, anyway), and the next...well...he wasn't really sure exactly WHAT happened.

When the police officer that had him by the scruff of the neck made some illegible garble, the angry werewolf turned around, and the scene that met him was more out of a comic book page than the proverbial steam coming out of the side of his head.
Taken aback, the young man could only watch the commotion in confusion; fur and spit a flyin'.
Apparently it wasn't true about cat's being possessive towards, well, anything. The little calico leapt at Jamie's aggressor as if she was a guard dog, throwing the cop off his game. Though the male's dark uniform was ripped to shreds it seemed like that's all the violence that was happening. The skin that showed through the torn fabric, even when the feline started batting at his face, was unmarred and there was no blood to be seen (or smelled).


Jamie's wrists were still cuffed behind his back but the officer released him in order to swat at the cat. His wide multi-colored eyes blinked as he stumbled backwards a step or two, watching the scene play out in utter confusion when he should have been getting the hell out of there.

When the cat pounced  to land on his shoulder Jamie gasped in surprise. He was just about to jerk the animal right off it's perch when the tiny beast became to rumble like a little motorcycle and rub against his cheek.
The hell was happening around here?!
The young man didn't waste the chaos that was distracting the officers. Jamie glanced awkwardly at the cat a moment before he took off.
"Better hold on, kitty."
He said absently to his familiar and bolted away from the scene.

And boy did he bolt. Jamie was sure he'd never moved so fast as he sprinted from the police with his hands still bound behind his back.
Even though the moon was hidden behind gauzy grey clouds and the night was dark all around them the werewolf could see as clear as day.
In the back of his mind worry over the raven haired female he hadn't seen slowed his tread, but the gentle weight of the cat on his shoulders calmed his disquiet enough to get him a good mile from the bookstore. 

When Jamie felt safe enough to stop,  he ducked into a dark alley and sagged against the side of a brick building to catch his breath.
Air sawing out through gaping lips, Jamie turned his face sideways toward the perched feline and it was clear that he knew the animal in some way.

"You know her, don't you." He panted huskily, unconcerned over how crazy it was to be asking a cat questions -and- expecting an answer.
"Do you belong to her? Is she okay?"

[Chantelle Alaina Harper]

What Tellie was expecting Jamie to do when she pounced on him, she wasn't exactly sure. As he stiffened underneath her paws, she gave a loud meow as if to sooth him but the sight of the cop flailing about like a wild man wasn't exactly comforting. The idiot danced about as if the hounds of hell were after him and she knew it wouldn't be long before he came to his senses and somehow blamed it all on them.  With her luck tonight, he'd think she had rabies or something and try to take her to the pound.

Then, Jamie seemed to come to life underneath her and have the same thoughts she did. His warning made her glance at him in confusion an then there was no more time.

Before the cat realized it, she'd dug her little claws into her saviors shoulder and then they were bolting down the street at unbelievable speeds. Holy Snicker-doodles, the man could move she thought to herself even as she tried to say aboard the fast moving train. Loud shouts behind her made her glance behind them but at least none of the officers decided to pull their guns. That was something, she supposed as they disappeared around a corner and her line of sight was blocked.

Directing her attention ahead of them once more, Tellie lost track of the distance they'd traveled or the speed at which they'd traveled it. In her current form, she supposed anything would have seemed fast.

By the time Jamie slowed and then halted in an alley, her stomach was pitching a fit and it was all she could do not to give in to the motion sickness that had always plagued her. Being sick all over her rescuer though was not an option so once they'd come to rest, the small calico gave him a pitiful meow in answer to his question and rubbed her cheek against him once more.  As much as she wanted to answer his questions, in cat form there would be no way for him to understand her.

Then, she realized the other problem as his bound hands registered.

Well, HELL! They really couldn't catch a break tonight, could they?

Letting out a loud, questioning meow, the little calico lept to the nearby dumpster and then began to pace back and forth on the lid. The stench was unbelievable and her delicate nose wrinkled up in distaste even as she tried to think. Forcing herself to calm and use her mind, Tellie became aware of a tingling sensation along her fur and let out a plaintive moan as realization of what was happening register.

NOT NOW! PLEASE NOT NOW! she prayed frantically even as her stomach pitched again and a feeling of lightheadedness over came her. NO, NO, NO!!

Unfortunately, like usual, the goddess above wasn't listening and all Tellie had time to do was dive behind the dumpster once more before a loud "POP" rang out and in the place of the cat, the slim form of a young woman stood. The slim, very NAKED form of a young woman.

Cheeks turning red, the chocolate haired beauty looked up to take in Jamie's reaction before croaking. "Uh.... Hey Jamie......"

Preparing herself for the worst, Tellie gave a helpless shrug of her shoulders before holding a piece of cardboard over her body, looking dismal and resigned all at the same time.

[Jamie Ryan McKinnley]

Jamie was loosing it, but under the circumstances, it was either jump on the crazy train and catch a ride or fall under the tracks. He really didn't have much of a choice, now did he? Especially with his hands bound behind his back and the sound of sirens echoing in the night.
Fuck! Why was the girl even his problem? He needed to get as far away from the 5-0 as possible and get the shackles off his wrists, not stand here wasting time worrying over a young woman that may or may not even be alive...

The thought of her hurt and helpless or growing cold and stiff somewhere knocked the air out of his lungs.
The sensation was so intense Jamie didn't know how to recover from it. His empty soul had been unfeeling for so long the powerful sensation stung like fire.
He gasped for air, stumbling backwards and failing to notice the cat dive behind the dumpster.
It was the loud pop and displacement of air that caught the werewolf's attention again and distracted Jamie from his inner turmoil. When the unclothed raven-haired beauty stood up from where the feline had disappeared, Jamie's pounding heart almost gave out on him altogether.

"The hell?!" The werewolf's miss-matched eyes grew round as he took in the sight in disbelief and it was in that moment he knew he was so far gone he wouldn't be coming back from it.
The girl was missing, he was up shit creek with his hands cuffed and now he was seeing things. Seeing extremely amazing things...the way her dark hair fell over the smooth, creamy swell of her breasts; the long length of her lithe legs; the mystery of what was hiding behind that dirty cardboard...

Shaking his head, Jamie accepted the situation for what it was; an attractive hallucination.
"Okay...okay, I get it. Lay off the drugs, already."
Jamie spoke out loud to himself and turned away from the mirage, shoulder dragging against the brick building as he begun to make his way...somewhere else.
"Unless Chantelle's dead and you're the ghost that needs help moving on..."

Jamie threw a glance over his shoulder at the naked female and snorted sarcastically, "And if that's the case you're just as screwed as me. I can't even help myself."
With that Jamie lifted his arms as much as he could to prove the point and kept on walking ahead.

[Chantelle Alaina Harper]

Oh, for pete's sake. Of all the times for her little "curse" to kick in, it just had to do it right then. It couldn't just let her stay in cat form now could it? Oh no. That would simply be TO easy, right?

 Ok, so maybe it had never been designed to make her life easy but this was insanity at its finest. God damned the backfiring spell! She seriously HAD to find a way to break the damned thing before she ended up burned at the stake or something. Or as some kind of government experiment.

Grimacing at her inner thoughts, Tellie shifted a bit and tried to pull her make shift shield up better to cover herself. Part of her wanted to hide behind the dumpster again at Jamie's reaction but another part of her realized that dawn was around the corner and she didn't want to be caught naked on the street. She needed clothing and fast before some unfortunate soul got a good look at the naked cat lady freak show going on in the alley.

Then, the pretty brunette realized that wasn't even the worst of her problems at the moment.

Face palming herself, Tellie watched as Jamie edged further away from her and muttered something to himself. Damn it, it had only been a matter of time before this happened in front of someone else but why oh why had it had to happen in front of Jamie?

"JAMIE!! WAIT!!! I can explain!!!" she called out, torn between running after him and the fact that if she did so, her naked form would be exposed to all. "PLEASE!! If you come here, I can have you out of those handcuffs in no time but I need your help... Please don't go!!"

[Jamie Ryan McKinnley]

Could things get any worse? He had no place to stay so where the hell was he gonna' go? How the FUCK was he gonna' get out of these cuffs?! If a man ever felt bone tired and just thoroughly and severely beaten, it was Jamie right now.
If the young werewolf actually had faith he would have believed that God must hate him or something. What had he ever done, besides being born, that warranted the kind of fortune he had?!

Hanging his head low and mentally beating himself up for being a piece of shit, Jamie walked slowly ahead. The panic and honesty in the hallucination's voice gave him pause. He didn't turn back to her immediately though. Instead, he heaved a heavy sigh and leaned on the building for support.
Closing his eyes, he felt a pang of guilt that struck him like a bat in the ribs.
He hadn't been able to help the girl so now his consciousness was making him pay for it. Dear God, she was probably cold and dead and he was gon' be haunted by it for the rest of his life.
Why hadn't he gotten there sooner?

"It's weird. People usually say just please go...but the naked cat lady is begging me to stay."
Jamie snorted and turned to face the beautiful illusion, blinking at the depth of emotion in her gem-colored eyes.
As usual around the girl, it seemed even her ghostly likeness, his feet started moving before it registered in her brain.
Jamie went back to her, stopping just short of invading her personal space like he'd done before. No reason to try and intimidate his own imagination; he knew inside he was dead as the girl probably was. It would do no good.

"So what do you want with me? How the fuck can I  help you?"
Even though the voice was a rough grumble, there was grief in his miss-matched eyes as he faced the ghost and lifted his arms helplessly. He tried to keep his gaze from straying away from her lovely face but her body was a magnet his steely eyes could not fight. Too bad for the piece of cardboard covering the good bits. Why in hell was his imagination being so difficult. He could NOT catch a break, could he?!