Littermates

Littermates, 38/?
by Fannie Feazell (Scribe)

1966--Arrangements

Once Clyde was inside and she'd shut the door, Nana hesitated, glancing doubtfully at her living room. It looked dusty, and unused. She just hadn't had the heart to keep up the house like she'd used to before the girls were taken, and she'd started to worry vaguely. She knew that if she let the place fall into too much of a shambles the social workers might decided that she couldn't care for herself anymore. Now her old sense of pride of home was rearing up--rather creakily, but it was still there. Clyde correctly interpretted her look and said, "Would you mind very much if we spoke in the kitchen? I like kitchens. I believe they say more about people than the front part of a house."

Feeling a little relieved, Nana led him back to the kitchen. They entered just in time to see a plump, fuzzy kitten scrambling into an open cabinet. Clyde smiled. "Cats. Milda told me that you had kittens on the day they arrived."

"You talked to Milda?" she said eagerly. "I was so worried about her! She scarcely spoke a word after..." Her voice died away.

"After Colin," said Clyde quietly. He studied her. "I'm going to guess," he said slowly, "that it's all grown up with grass and weeds around the elm tree at the back of the yard. And I'll further guess that the flower bed near the back door is beautifully maintained."

Nana studied him in return. "It's planted with lavender and ivory gladioli now." Her expression softened. "Milda loves glads, and the lavender... She used to rub it on her wrists instead of perfume. They'd sit in the kitchen... She'd sit on Colin's lap, and let him smell her wrists, and her throat, and they'd just smile..." She blinked and straightened up. "Would you like coffee, or tea?"

"Tea, if you please." He sat at the table as she went to fill a kettle. "I've lived in America a long, long time, but I'm originally British, and I've never lost the tea habit."

Nana set the pot on the stove, turning the burner to high, and joined Clyde at the table. She folded her hands and said, "Mister Whyman..."

"Please call me Clyde."

"If it's Clyde to you, then it's Nana to me. Clyde... From the way you talk a person might be led to believe that you know certain things. If you know these things, I'm curious--why are you here and not the police?"

Clyde wrinkled his nose. "Pffft. The police. Oh, they're well and good in their place, but there are certain situations where they're just a nuisance. Shall be be blunt, Nana? I only have a few hours, and this is a subject we could dance around for days."

"Please."

"What we're dealing with here is four or more girls in one body..."

"Four?"

"Oh, that surprised you. Yes, you've never met Kitten, have you?"

Nana looked puzzled, but she was smiling at the very idea of another sister--especially one named Kitten. "She's a young one, isn't she?"

"Very young--only four. I think she's the original personality. Did the girls tell you what happened to their father?" Nana nodded sorrowfully. "That trauma trapped Kitten at that stage of her life. The next few years were so confused and stressful that Kitten went deep inside, and Kathleen emerged. Kathleen was what her mother wanted, what Kitten couldn't be--a quiet, subservient child."

Nana's expression was stiff. "From what I've heard about their mother she was a poor excuse for a woman, much less a mother. If it hadn't landed my girls in trouble, I wouldn't have shed any tears over what happened to her and that piece of shit she married."

Clyde smiled. "I'm running into such wonderful females the last year or so. Intelligent, funny, independent, and vengeful when they have the right motivation." The teakettle whistled shrilly. "Let's have that tea before we go any further. I think it'll be good for your nerves." Nana fixed the tea, bringing sugar and milk. They both fixed their tea, passing each other the add-ins without having to ask. Then they both took a deep sip, and sighed, almost in unison. "Put the tea down," Clyde directed. "I'd rather you had your hands empty when I tell you this."

Nana set her mug on the table and said, apprehensive, "What's wrong with my girls?"

"Aside from what put them there--and mind you I don't personally see that as a problem--nothing at all. In fact, things are very right. Nana, would you be willing to have the girls come here and live with you again?"

Nana's hands flew up to cover her mouth. Her eyes flashed open wide, then filled with tears. Clyde waited, giving her time. After a moment, still not lowering her hands, Nana said hoarsly, "That, sir, is a stupid question."

"I thought so."

"Yes, I want them! Yes! But how, after what happened?"

"Dear lady, Kathleen Bahste was never even charged with the murders. Even if she had been, she would have been found incompetent to stand trial. If by some political boondoggle she HAD been put on trial there is no doubt that she would have been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Now after intense counciling and therapy," he laid a hand on his own chest, "by yours truly, she is once again fit to join society. But she's going to need somewhere to stay, and someone to look after her. She'll be more-or-less on probation for the first year." He gave Nana a shrewd look. "And I think you'll agree with me how important it is that she have someone who understands how SPECIAL she is."

Nana was quiet for a moment, then said slowly. "You know it all, don't you? Not just about the different personalities, but... the other."

"It's generally called lycanthropy. Many people consider that to refer only to wolves, but among our people it can refer to any number of breeds of shapeshifters. The specific name for the girls' particular breed is Bahstets--cat people."

"Yes," Nana breathed. "Have you seen them when they change?"

"I've been extended that privilege." He sighed. "Magnificent, aren't they?"

"Yes, yes." She impulsively reached across the table and gripped his hand. "Oh, I'm so glad that they've been with someone who understands them." Then she dropped his hand in surprise. "You're very cold."

"That's one thing I love about the insane--they're usually much more direct. Most 'normal' people wouldn't have mentioned my chill, but they'd have been mulling it over. Nana, I want you to be appointed Kathleen's legal co-guardian. I'll ostensibly be the final authority, but you'll be the one taking responsibility day-to-day. I know this won't really mean anything to you, but it needs to be said. Since Kathleen was never held responsible for the deaths of her mother and stepfather, she inherits everything. Miss Collins, she's going to be an EXTREMELY rich young woman, and you will recieve a significant stipend for taking care of her."

"I don't need it," Nana said promptly. "I wouldn't ask such a thing from my own children, and I don't want it from her."

"But you'll take it, because if you don't, people will become suspicious." He shrugged. "No one says what you have to do with it. Bank it and give it to the girls when their probationary period is over, if you like."

"I could do that. But are you sure I'll be approved. I'm not considered the most tightly wrapped bundle," she said matter-of-factly.

"That can be glossed over, as long as you can hold it together during whatever rare, brief visits social services will make."

"Oh, I can do that. I've been doing that for ages." Clyde was quiet, drumming his fingers on the table as he studied her. "What else is it you need to tell me? Go on. There isn't much I wouldn't be willing to do."

"There's going to be one more condition of their release, and it's a big one. I've discussed it with the girls, and they've already agreed. It will mean a great change in their lives, and it may make your duties more difficult."

"I don't CARE! What is it?"

"They'll have to be Embraced. Nana, that means that they'll have to become vampires. The man in charge of the asylum is a vampire, and he thinks that if he does this he'll gain power over the girls."

Nana didn't look at all flustered by Clyde's revelation. Instead she looked disdainful. "He hasn't bothered to get to know Casey and Nareesha, has he?"

Clyde pursed his lips to hold back his grin. "No. But he can be very blind past the tip of his own nose. Nana, did you understand what I told you? Vampires."

"Yes. Acacia would like that. She's always loved to watch those movies on television. Oh. Your hand... and I had to give you permission to come in. You're a vampire, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. You don't seem very shocked or horrified."

Nana shrugged. "The girls can change into giant cats. Why should I have a hard time accepting a little thing like vampires?"

"I could very well love you, if I didn't already have a sweetheart."

"I'm curious. I can understand Nareesha and Milda agreeing to this, but how did you get Acacia to trust you?"

"I think the fact that my sweetheart is a pretty blond boy named Joel might have something to do with it."

"Oooh. Yes, that would help. This man who runs the asylum, and wants to use them? He's going to make them vampires?"

Clyde grinned merrily. "He THINKS he is." He held a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. Nana didn't need to have it explained to her, and she laughed in delight. "Yes, it'll be a good joke. You'll need to be careful, though. He's going to be very angry, and he might try to get some sort of petty revenge. You'll be all right if you refuse him an invitation inside, and I think the girls can handle whatever minions he might send."

"These minions, are they like you?"

"Dear me, no. They're stronger than normal humans, they don't age, and they heal quickly, but anything that can kill a regular human can kill them."

"Then I'm not worried. I got a gun about a year ago." She mimicked Clyde's 'shh' gesture, and he giggled. "I was thinking that maybe I might be more successful in killing myself with a gun than I had been with a razor."

"I'm glad you changed your mind."

"I had to. There was a chance the girls might get out, and now that's happening."

"Yes, it's happening. Now, there's going to be a few things you need to get done before the girls arrive. You're going to need to make this place a little more secure for them. Fledglings are relatively vulnerable in their first year or so, and we'll want to keep them as well protected as possible. Do you have any paper and pencils?"

"Of course." Nana got up and pulled a notepad off the refrigerator, then got a pencil from the junk drawer. "Milda's the one who hung that pad up, so we could make notes things as we ran out, or as we thought of them, so that it was easy to make a grocery list. I haven't had the heart to use it."

Clyde licked the end of the pencil, then started making notes. "Now, normally I'd suggest having all the windows, at least the ground floor ones, boarded up. But that might cause some comment, so instead you can have 'decorative' shutters put up. The neighbors don't have to know that they aren't designed to open. You might want to have another refrigerator to store the supplies..."

"Supplies?"

"I'll want them to feed mainly from bagged blood at first. I'll take them out to hunt, but with my duties I won't be able to take them as often as I'd like."

"Where am I going to get bagged blood? Do I just go down to the blood bank and ask to make a withdrawal, or do I go out looking for it myself with some tubes and baggies?"

"You would, too, wouldn't you?"

"For my girls."

"You won't need to worry about it. We have a very well established supply system for the hospital, and for a fee they'll be willing to make deliveries, at least for a few months. To continue--coffins. I assume each one of the girls will want one of their own. You have a basement, don't you?" Nana nodded. "The coffins aren't strictly needed, but I'm a traditionalist, and they're going to be able to afford it," he said glibbly. "In fact you're not to worry about the expense on any of this. Just sign each bill and send it to me for payment. We're sort of co-executors during the probationary period."

"This is interesting, and of course I'll work like a dog to get the place ready for the girls," she looked around at the kitchen, noting a couple of dirty dishes in the sink, and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I'm afraid I've let the place go lately. But you haven't told me WHEN my girls will come home."

Clyde reached out and covered her hand with his own. "Will next week be too soon?" Nana clutched his hand so hard that, had Clyde been human, would have had him flinching. "Yes," he said gently, "I thought not."

~*~

Joel was sitting cross-legged on the bed in the sisters' room as Nareesha (who was in charge at the moment) finished folding the last of their clothes into a new suitcase. Joel was clutching his Barbie, rocking back and forth. His face was a little puffy, and his eyes were pink and moist. Nareesha put Kitten's Barbie in the case, and tears started running down Joel's cheeks. Nareesha drooped. "Oh, sweetie."

She sat beside the young man, putting her arm around him. Joel leaned into her, burying his face against her shoulder, and sobbed. "I don't want you to go!"

Nareesha hugged him soothingly. "I know, Joel. Kitten doesn't want to leave you, either." She squeezed him. "None of us do. We've become very fond of you. You're sort of like our little brother. But darling--we have to. Dr. Clyde explained it to you."

Joel sniffed. "I know. If you don't go now, then the Cost-man will try to get you, and he's NASTY! But I'll MISS you. I won't have anyone to play with anymore." He started crying again. Nareesha rocked him, stroking his hair. After a minute Joel said, "Will you come back and visit me? Will... will KITTEN come back and see me?"

"Yes, love. I know Clyde can arrange visiting privileges for us." She kissed his forehead. "Now, stop crying. Kitten is prowling around inside, waiting to come say good-bye." Nareesha whispered in his ear. "She's been crying, too. Please, darling--make it easy for her to go, won't you?"

Joel nodded, swallowing hard. He felt Nareesha's embrace loosen a little, then it tightened fiercely and the young woman started sobbing bitterly. "Jooooo-el!" she wailed. "Don't wanna go! Wanna stay wif you!"

Feeling very grown up and responsible, Joel hugged Kitten. "I know, Kitten. Oh, I'm going to be so sad when you're gone. But you HAVE to go with your sisters. You belong with them and, well, you just couldn't stay here alone. Do you understand why?" Kitten shook her head, then looked doubtful. "It's because you're you, and they're themselves, but you're them, too, and they're you." Kitten's tears slowed as she pulled back and gave Joel a 'you must be kidding' look. Joel stuck out his tongue at her, and earned a watery giggle. "Doesn't make sense to me, either. But you have to go. It'll be better for you out there. You can get new Barbies, and lots of clothes, and maybe an Easy Bake Oven, and oo! You can go to the movies! Walt Disney makes lots of movies. And since your sisters will be buying for you, you can have popcorn AND soda AND candy!"

Kitten wiped her runny nose. "They gots cartoons, huh?" Joel nodded. "Reesha says we can come back and see you. You'll play wif me, then?"

"I'll cry if you don't play with me."

Kitten took a deep breath. She reached over into the suitcase and picked up her Barbie. "Joel? Will you take care of Barbie for me?" She held it out to him. "I know you'll take good care of her, and she'll have fun with you. Then I'll know she'll be here waiting when I comes to visit, an' an' she can help Dr. Clyde take care of you."

Clyde had come to the door to collect the girls, and he stood just outside, quietly watching the exchange. This was the one thing that he hated about the whole project. Joel had been so happy with the sisters, and he didn't like to deprive his lover of anything that gave him pleasure. Still, he couldn't see any way around it.

Deeply touched and honored, Joel accepted the Barbie. Then he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Kitten's forehead. "I love you, Kitten."

Kitten hugged him back. "Love you, too, Joel. Maybe youse can get well an' come live wif us?"

"I don't think so. I've been sick a long time."

"Try, huh?" Joel nodded. Kitten looked up and saw Clyde. "It's time now?"

"Yes, dear," said Clyde. "Time to go. Better let one of the other girls come out so they can carry the suitcase. It's too big for a little thing like you."

"Okay." Kitten kissed Joel on the cheek. Her posture softened.

Clyde was a little surprised when it was Milda who spoke to Joel next. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry we have to leave you behind," she said gently. "If I'd ever had a little boy, I would have wanted him to be exactly like you."

"You'd be a good mama," said Joel shyly.

Milda's head drooped, and when it lifted again it was Casey who gazed out at the world. Her voice gruff she said, "Darn you, kid. I'm not supposed to care about men--any of 'em."

Joel smiled at her. "I'm not a man. I'm a boy."

"Yeah, I guess that makes it all right." She looked over at Clyde and said, "And ol' Doc Clyde isn't EXACTLY a man, either, so I guess it's okay." She gave Joel a fast hug. Instead of kissing him, she gave his cheek a brief lick, making him giggle. Grinning she stood up and snapped her case shut, picking it up. "Always leave 'em laughing," she said striding out into the hall. Then she leaned close to Clyde and whispered, "Laughing, or screaming in pain, or silent in death. Any of those work for me."

"You're going to make SUCH a good Malkavian," said Clyde, leading her toward his office to sign the final release papers.