Chapter 5

Kit's apartment slowly began to resemble a home, rather than an empty dwelling.

Jessie helped him pick out a nice couch, a light tan one with deep cushions and flared armrests on the ends, covered with thick upholstery. It was kind of pricy, but she liked it, and since she liked it, he bought it. He also bought a cheap desk for his laptop, a rolling chair, and one of those flimsy metal tables to put in the large living room right by the kitchen, a dining area, that gave him something to eat on. He completed his bachelor's dining room suit with two very cheap and unmatching chairs. A tablecloth covered up the cheap flimsiness, but at least now he had somewhere for him and Jessie to eat.

Jessie had told her friends about his apartment, and Tuesday, when he got home from work to await the delivery of his couch, he found almost half of her sorority waiting for him. While Sandy was flirting with Lupe, they pulled a TV stand, endtable, and an old TV out of their cars. They were letting him borrow them until he could get his own, some of the cast-off furniture that was in the basement of the house and a TV donated by Danielle, who'd just bought a new TV, one of the LCD ones she could hang on the wall of her rather cluttered room. The TV she lent him was an old tube TV, but it was a 33 inch model that must have taken up a huge piece of real estate in her room.

He didn't really watch TV all that much, but it was kind of her to let him borrow it, so he'd take it with gratitude.

Jessie stayed over after her sisters went home, and she cooked him dinner, and they spent nearly three hours sitting on his new couch, talking, which led to making out. He got her home about ten, after he realized it was either take her home or take her back to the bedroom. She told him when he could think about that and not see the specter of his family, when he could think about making love to her without a single worry about his family crossing his mind, then it was time. It wasn't time yet, but he managed to go quite a while before he had a single thought about his family. And he had too much respect for her to do anything other than what she wished, when it came to that. When that time did come, and it would come, he would be able to look into her eyes and tell her so with utter honesty.

He had to agree with her, regardless. She was right. He had to be free of his family before they got intimate, or it would be a weight dragging them down into the bottomless pit. God knows, he didn't want to share his bed with his entire family, and that's what it more or less would be if he slept with her with his family hanging over him.

The loaned TV also gave the cable guy something to do when he arrived to install Kit's cable modem. The cable modem went in the spare bedroom, but the leopard also hooked up the cable to the TV. It was indeed a package deal, basic cable for just fifteen bucks a month with the cable modem subscription, anything he could get without using a converter box. It gave him about fifty channels, which was about forty-seven channels too many. He rarely turned it on, and when he did, it was either on a news channel, the Weather Channel, or A&E, Discovery, or National Geographic.

He wasn't quite sure how to handle the modem, so he asked Mike for some help. The raccoon came over after work on Wednesday, then they hit the tech stores. Mike had him buy a good wireless router, then hooked it up for him, isolated it so only Kit's computer could use it, and showed him how to add new computers to his wireless network when he bought a desktop. Kit rather liked the wireless part, though. He could use his laptop anywhere in the apartment, even sitting out by the door outside on his tiny porch, and Mike had fixed it so he could get to the magazine's network from home to move files back and forth. That would let him take work home with him, since he could do some of his research from home.

By Thursday, his apartment almost looked normal. He had a couch, TV, coffee table, dining table, desk, and a bed. Hell, he was almost there, even if some of it wasn't his. Not only furniture, but he had cable, internet, and a radio, too. All he needed now was a DVD player, a good stereo, and some music and movies to play in them, and he'd be set.

Well, and a car. He was still using Rick's wife's car, so he had to start looking for his own.

He was initiated into the Lone Star custom of going to The Pit after work on Thursday, but he didn't go alone. Jessie joined them, and they spent a few very fun hours palling around with the crew, basically just moving their fun from the office to the bar.

Vil called while he was at the bar and gave him her arrival time. She'd get in before he went to work, and when he offered to pick her up at the airport, she scoffed.

"Oh, please. I already have a limo arranged that'll take me to the Austin Regency. I'm also going to do a little work there. There's a steel company there in Austin, and I want to give it a once-over to see if it's worth buying. I'm also going to talk to one of the smaller oil companies about a contract with the Galveston repair facility. I told them I'd talk to them about it there in Austin. Their CEO is going to fly out and meet me tomorrow afternoon at a satellite office in Pflugerville."

"You just had to turn this into work," he accused lightly.

"Hey, that's how I write off the trip on my taxes at the end of the year," she teased. "This is a business trip. The fact that you're there is just a convenient coincidence. They don't have to know that the only reason I'm going to talk to the company and look over the steel mill is to give me that front of officiality for when I come see you."

He laughed. "You're terrible!"

"That's how a Vulpan does business," she teased with a smug little trill to her voice. "I'll pick you up after work, and we'll go meet Jessie at her house. I want to give it a look."

"You can tell her that yourself," he told her. "She's here with me."

"Oh, really? Put her on!"

"Jess!" he called. She laughed and looked away from Rick and Marty, and he held the phone out to her. "My sister wants to talk to you."

"Really?" she asked, taking the phone. "Uh, hello? Vilenne?"

Kit winced.

"Vil, Vil," she said placatingly.

"You're learning," Kit grinned at her.

"Oh, hush, Kitstrom," she told him with a charmingly insulting expression, then paid attention to the phone. "Sorry, I was chastising your brother. Oh, yes, he deserved it." Then she laughed.

"Dude, she goes for the throat, doesn't she?" Jeffrey laughed from across the table. "Straight to the full name!"

"I enjoy the punishment," he mused, just enjoying watching her talk to his sister without listening to what she was saying.

Vil kept Jessie tied up on the phone for nearly a half an hour. Jessie's body language relaxed visibly as they talked, as she got over being nervous over talking to someone as imposing as Vilenne Vulpan to giggling and carrying on like she was talking to an old friend. "Here, she wants to say goodbye," she said, handing him the phone.

"Hey sis," he said into the phone.

"I like her," she said immediately.

"Well, so do I. Why do you think I ask her out?" he challenged.

Vil laughed. "So, tomorrow when you're about to get off work, call me. I'll come to your work to pick you up, meet your co-workers, and we'll go get Jessie and get some dinner."

"Sounds like a plan to me," he agreed.

"Cool beans, bro. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, sis. Have a good flight."

"Thanks. Bye-bye."

"Bye." He closed the phone and looked at Jessie, who was talking to Rick. She glanced at him, then turned and looked at him curiously.

"What is it, Kit?"

"Vil said she's going to come pick us up tomorrow after I get off work," he told her. "She wants to see the office too, so I think I'd better call her a little early," he mused.

"What was that? You're gonna bring your sister up to the office?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, she wants to see it. Is that okay?"

"Hell, son, that's fine."

"Do you think she'd mind giving me a very brief interview? It'd be a major scoop if we got an article about Vilenne Vulpan into the magazine!" Barry said.

"Yeah, but then people will find out she's my sister," he protested. Then he closed his mouth and thought a brief moment. "No, nevermind. Go ahead, Barry. I shouldn't be ashamed that my sister is rich and successful," he grinned. "And though I don't bring it up, I shouldn't really hide the facts about my family either."

Jessie put a paw on his arm. He looked to her, and saw that glorious smile on her face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, then she leaned in close to him. "Let's go back to your apartment," she whispered huskily in his ear.

"Uhh, sure, if you want," he told her. "Sorry guys, but Jess needs to head out, so I'm going to take her home. See you guys tomorrow."

"No, our secret weapon for the open mic contest is bailing!" Marty said with mock outrage. "We bet money on it!"

Kit laughed. "Well, do your best," he grinned as he stood up, then helped Jessie out of her chair.

He drove them back to his apartment and let her in, but Lupe intercepted him after he went to check the mail. His new checks had arrived. "Yo, Kit," he called. "The UPS guys dropped a package off at the office for you."

"UPS? I wasn't expecting anything."

Kit went to the office with Lupe, and inside against the wall there were three boxes stacked neatly. One of them was fairly large, but the other two were medium sized. He recognized those boxes almost immediately. They were the original boxes he'd used to store all the stuff when he left Suzy's apartment in Boston. Vil had shipped it all to him!

"Oh, cool!" he said in surprise. "I almost completely forgot about this stuff!"

"What is it?"

"It's my stuff from home," he answered. "From when I was in college. I told Suzy to do something with it all, but she musta sent it to my sis, and my sis mailed it to me."

"Cool deal. Lemme help you carry it home."

"Thanks, I appreciate it, but be careful. The two small boxes are mostly books."

"I get one, you get one, no prob."

Kit and Lupe carried the three boxes over to his apartment and stacked them by the door. Lupe looked around, and chuckled. "Damn, dude, this place looks like a real home now," he said. "All you need is some pictures or something for the walls and some curtains, and you're set."

"Yeah," Kit said as he put down the largest box. "Thanks for the help, Lupe."

"Hey, no prob. Don't forget, you gotta pay rent next month!" he teased with a laugh.

"Like you'll let me forget," he grinned.

"Jess, come look at what Vil sent me," he called as Lupe left.

She came out from the bathroom and looked at the boxes. "What are these?"

"It's my stuff from when I went to U-Mass," he said. "After the accident, Vil didn't want me living in the dorm because of my back, so she helped me get an apartment just off campus, a little one bedroom efficiency. After I graduated I put all my junk in these boxes and told Suzy to get rid of it. I'd totally forgotten about it."

"Suzy?"

"A friend of Vil's. She helped us out by acting like a middle-fur so Vil could pay my rent without anyone knowing."

"Ah. What do you want for dinner?"

"Jess, you don't have to cook for me," he protested.

"I don't have to, but I want to," she answered. "You need to eat."

"Well, if you really don't mind cooking, I can't very much demand anything specific," he chuckled. "Just surprise me. There should be an X-Box in here," he said eagerly. "And I have a bunch of DVDs too."

He unpacked his old life in the living room while Jessie cooked. Old knick-knacks, some of his old schoolbooks, some sketches his roommate did before the accident and he moved out, and yes, his old X-Box was in there, as well as a bunch of games and quite a few DVDs. He had the DVD player add-on for his X-Box, so he had something to play them on. He dug out the little Transformers toy that Paul had given him on his birthday as a joke, but he'd kept, some thing he'd bought on Ebay called Sky Warp, which turned into an F-15 fighter. It was an inside joke between them, because he was taking flying lessons and wanted to be a fighter pilot.

And books! Lots and lots of books. Fiction and nonfiction, but mostly non-fiction. History book after history book after history book, most of them about the Roman Empire, which was his favorite field of study in history. His cookbooks were in there too.

He put the little toy out on the TV ostentatiously, and taped the sketches up on the wall in the eating area, then went about hooking up the X-Box. By the time he had it hooked up, he realized the batteries in the DVD add-on remote were dead, so that was something he'd have to go buy.

"Heh, well, you guys need an extra alarm clock?" he asked as he opened the final box and found his old alarm clock on top, the most of the remainder being books.

"I can take it home with me," Jessie called, coming out of the kitchen. She didn't have much food to work with in his kitchen, but she'd managed to make a salad and some Hamburger Helper he'd bought the other day. "We need to talk about your shopping habits, mister," she teased. "There's not much I can do with what's in there."

"Hey, us young guys aren't known for cooking," he chuckled.

"Well, come get something to eat," she told him. "I'll make us some tea."

They enjoyed the simple meal, and Kit was getting a strange feeling. Jessie was… watching him. He enjoyed being with her, and over the last couple of weeks, he'd gotten to know her, and what she was doing wasn't entirely normal for her. She was eating too, but she kept her eyes on him, almost all the time.

The good thing about plastic dishes was not having to clean up much afterwards. He washed up the pan she'd dirtied while she wrapped the salad and leftovers in plastic and put them in the refrigerator. He noticed that she was humming to herself. Sheesh, did that one beer she drank have that much of an effect on her? He made a mental note not to take her into anymore bars… or, well, maybe taking her to bars if it made her this agreeable afterwards.

They sat on the couch, and almost immediately she cuddled up to him in a way he found incredibly pleasing, which went up by exponential degrees when she began to purr. He put his arm around her and just listened to her purr for a long, long time. She patted him on the shoulder. "Kit?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"May I use your phone?" she said, looking up at him. Her eyes were absolutely smoldering.

Those luminous blue eyes put him out of sorts. "Uh, sure," he said, digging it out of his pocket and handing it to her. She flipped it open and hit the speed dial for her own number, and put it to her ear. "Hey Linda, it's JD. I'm fine. Listen, can you tell Sam that I won't be home tonight? I'm staying over at Kit's."

Kit's tail almost broke when it tried to snap straight out behind him, driving into the back of his couch.

"Hush, you. No. No, no, hush up a second. Just tell Sam what I said. No. Linda–Linda. I'm going to hang up on you. I mean it! Okay. Just tell her, and so help me, if I come home tomorrow and find anything like that, I'm gonna have Ben come down and beat you up! I swear I will!" She snorted. "Fine. Fine. Linda, you are keeping me from Kit," she said in a voice so intense it surprised him. "If my mom calls, make something up, stall, do something, can you do that for me? Thanks. Okay. Bye." She leaned forward and put the phone on the coffee table, then leaned back against him and began to purr again.

He was quite out of sorts. "Uh, Jessie, we're gonna–"

"Mmm-hmm."

"But what about–"

"You're over it," she told him sedately. "When you told Barry you weren't ashamed of your sister, I knew you were over it." She was quiet a moment. "Remember when I told you we'd have to talk about you carrying me later?"

"Yeah."

"Well, why don't you carry me somewhere?" she asked, giving him a glowing smile.

She didn't have to ask twice. He swooped her up and carried her over to the door, and she laughed as he locked it. Then he turned and carried her back to the bedroom. "I think this is entirely too soon," he told her seriously, but he wasn't stopping. "We've only been going out for two weeks!"

"I've been waiting my whole life for this," she said huskily in his ear. "And I don't want to wait anymore."

"Your wish is my command, my Lady," he told her as he carried her through the bedroom door.


Some things are worth waiting your whole life for.

It was morning, 6:42am, but his alarm hadn't gone off yet. Not that he really had to set it, because Friday was his late day, but Jessie had morning classes and he didn't want her to be late. He lay on his stomach, paws under his pillow as he looked at the clock. She was awake too, propped up on her side, her paw sliding up and down his lower back, over the scars from the surgeries. It was that gentle touch that had awakened him. His back was aching from last night, but her gentle hands seemed to seek out the pain and soothe it with a light, delicate touch. She didn't know his back was hurting him… or at least he didn't tell her. But her fingers just seemed to know exactly where to go, and her touch was magical.

He'd slept with other girls, but it had never been like that. It was… absolutely indescribable. And though she was a virgin, she was in no way shy or timid. She was beyond ready to be deflowered. She was very… enthusiastic. And very curious. Even afterward, she spent a long time doing what she was doing right now, exploring his body with her eyes and her paws, getting to know every inch of him.

He still felt this was a little too soon. He wanted to take his time, lead her to this point slowly, gently, carefully, but she seemed to want nothing to do with his schedule. But then again, he should have expected it. She'd made her intentions quite clear on Sunday, but he didn't expect her to feel that he'd reached that level quite so quickly.

She was right though. Not once, not once all night, did he have a single thought about the possible consequences they might suffer from his family. Even now, those consequences meant absolutely nothing to him. He didn't care if they went ballistic once they found out he was dating a cat. Hell, he wanted them to know. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, put it on the internet, that he was in love with Jessica Williams. He was in love with a cat. They could all go to hell. It was his life, and he'd live it any way he damn well pleased. They lost any right to have a say in his life when they turned their backs on him, more concerned about their money than one of their own family.

They were like sharks, turning on each other the instant there was more in it for them to do so.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, caressing his back. "I never really thought about if I might hurt you when we were doing it. I was a little… preoccupied," she added with a laugh.

He turned his head and looked at her. "No, it doesn't work quite that way," he told her. "It only hurts if I sleep on it wrong or I get jarred or hit the wrong way. I know how not to move and what not to do to keep from hurting it. I can satisfy your demands without hurting myself," he grinned.

"That's good, because I think I'm going to have some more of those demands," she giggled, leaning down and kissing him on the muzzle. "Thank you for an absolutely wonderful evening, sir," she grinned.

He laughed and rolled over on his back, and she snuggled up with him. "It's too bad it's almost time to get up and get moving. What time do you have your first class?"

"Nine," she told him.

"Hmm," he said, looking over her and to the clock. "You know, we have about a half an hour," he told her.

"Not long enough," she complained. "I want to experience it, Kit. It's too new, to wonderful to me to be something we try to do before the alarm goes off. Thirty minutes for my second time? Nuh-uh. We'd never make it in time. It would take me that long just to kiss you properly."

"Ah, it would technically be your third time," he pointed out.

She laughed. "Well, I stand corrected, and you're supposed to be a little more caring and considerate giving I'm entering an entirely new stage of my life here," she said, poking him in the chest with her finger.

"The old A.S., eh? After Sex?"

She laughed. "And here I thought you'd still respect me in the morning."

"Oh, we might have to talk about that, I suppose," he said off-handedly, which earned him a face full of pillow. He pushed it away from his muzzle, laughing. "I can't respect you, you're just too adorable," he added. She laughed and pulled the pillow away, looming over him, then she quite deliberately reached out and touched him in the only place she'd avoided all night.

She very gently pinched the ragged edge of his left ear.

"Did it hurt when you lost it?" she asked.

"I don't remember it at all," he reminded her.

"Oh yeah. Did it hurt much after?"

"They had me on too many painkillers for me to feel much of my ear, when it felt like my back was on fire," he told her honestly.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"I can't imagine what you'd look like with your ear whole," she told him, covering his entire ear with her paw and rising up and away to look down at him critically. "It's like this was how you were meant to be to me. Doesn't that sound silly?"

"Not silly at all," he said gently. "You know something?"

"What?"

"Your claws are very sharp."

Her cheeks ruffled and she gave him a contrite look. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"Nothing I wasn't willing to endure," he grinned. "I've never slept with a cat before. I didn't expect that Vulcan Death Grip."

She laughed helplessly, burying her head in his neck and shoulder. "I'll try to be more careful next time."

"If you're not, I'm going to make you wear oven mitts." She rose up and gaped at him, and he winked. She erupted into gales of laughter. "That's some pretty formidable weaponry there you have, ma'am," he told her. "Have you ever had to use them?"

"Once," she answered, still giggling a little. "When I was in high school. Boys don't harass cats or skunks. We can do very mean things to them if they get fresh."

"Remind me never to be fresh with you," he smiled.

"Well, I think I could let you be a little fresh, given you've done all those other things with me," she winked, then she flopped down on his chest and kissed him. "Mmmm," she hummed, then she began to purr. "Well, their mission is accomplished," she noted.

"Huh?"

"My sorority. They've told me it was their mission in life to find me a boyfriend that would take my virginity."

"Remind me to thank them. I hope they like kisses," he mused.

She growled in her throat, a very surprising sound. He laughed and put his arms around her. "Understood, ma'am," he grinned.

"And don't you forget it," she smiled, then she began purring again as she kissed him.

Oh, God. She was a good enough kisser as it was, but her purring just vibrated right through him in the most exotic, unbelievable manner. "Mmmrraaahhhh," he hummed as she snuggled in with him. "Are you sure you were a virgin? I've never met any femme who can kiss like you."

"You just bring out the vixen in me," she teased.

"I'd rather bring out the cat in you," he countered. "Do all femme cats kiss as good as you?"

"I don't know. I've never kissed a femme cat that way."

He chuckled. "Point."

"Come on, if we stay in this bed I'll just get bad ideas," she told him, rising up. "Can I take a shower?"

He laughed. "We make love, and you ask me to use the shower?" he noted. "Jess, love, my house is your house. After last night, I think you can do whatever the hell you want."

She dropped back down and gave him a toe-curling, passionate kiss. "My, what was that for," he said breathlessly.

"For calling me love," she grinned. "There's other rewards for good behavior, too," she said in a purring voice, playfully nipping at his right ear.

"I think I'm going to like this training," he mused as she got out of bed and sauntered towards the bathroom, as he watched that tail of hers sway back and forth.

Despite his brave front, his back was stiff. While she got the shower ready, he lay in bed for a minute, then sat on the edge of the bed with both paws on his waist, working out the kinks. He wasn't used to that kind of… exertion. Hopefully he'd build up either some endurance or some resistance to it. That, or taking Advil before bed was going to become a ritual.

He stood up and stretched, then gathered up the sheet to make the bed… and realized he'd have to wash the sheets. And he hoped that her first time hadn't hurt. He bent down to pull the sheet and felt his back sting, and rose up with both paws on his back, arching it as his tail slashed back and forth.

He jumped when her paws touched him. "I thought you said your back didn't hurt."

"Well, it's a little stiff, but nothing serious," he hedged.

"Kit," she said seriously, wrapping her arms around him and pressing up against his back. "I'm a little disappointed in you. You can be honest with me."

"I just didn't want to worry you, that's all. Last night was your night, Jess. I wasn't going to do anything to take away from it. Besides, I wasn't about to stop either, back or no back."

She hummed in her throat. "But you'll be honest with me from now on?"

"Even if it's what you don't want to hear?"

"Especially if it's what I don't want to hear. Now, does your back hurt?"

"A little. But don't you worry about it."

"I will worry about it. I don't want to hurt you."

"Love, this isn't something you can hurt me like that. If that makes sense."

"Not really."

"Alright, then just trust me when I say it's nothing you need to worry about. You didn't hurt my back. It's just sore, that's all. After either a hot shower or a little bit with a heating pad on it, and I'll be just fine."

"Mmm, a shower, eh? Then c'mon," she purred, turning them around. "Let's get this back all better."

She virtually babied him. She massaged his back in the shower, her magical paws soothing away the pain, then he washed her hair and her tail for her. He ruffled her tail dry, pausing to tweak that black tip. "God, I love this tail. Almost like a fox."

"My grandfather's a fox," she winked back at him. "I inherited his black tips," she added, holding up her black-mitten paws, and wiggling her black-backed ears.

"Well, I think it looks wonderful."

"You're a fox. You're biased," she giggled.

"Then call me biased. Do you like Honey Nut Cheerios?"

"Sure do. Now turn around, mister. Someone's tail looks like Sandy when she gets out of the shower."

His back was completely pain-free by the time his tail was dry and combed. He got dressed and went to the kitchen, and poured cereal into plastic bowls for breakfast while Jessie dressed. She came in while still combing her hair, and took the bowl from him with a smile and a nod. "Not quite what I had in mind, but I guess we'll have to make do," he noted.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Something a little better than plastic spoons and Styrofoam bowls," he sighed. "You're much too important to me."

She gave him a radiant smile, and laughed. "Oh, Kit, it could be gruel served on a toilet seat, and it wouldn't matter. The company is much more important than the accessories. You may be from this super-rich blueblood family, but I much better like the Kit that likes to eat hamburgers on pieces of bread and doesn't complain about Hamburger Helper." She leaned in and nuzzled his neck. "I do appreciate the thought, but I'm much more interested in this," she told him, putting her paw on his shoulder, "than some perfect fantasy. Reality was much sweeter than anything I dreamed about."

He felt his tail shiver at that. "Pretty kitty," he said in a quivering voice. "Don't make me regret having to go to work. Cause you'll regret going to school."

She laughed. "I'm already regretting it. But there's always tonight."

"Well, there is that," he said. He took up his spoon. "If we can keep Vil from talking all night, that is."

"That's alright. I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"Oh, she's gonna love you," he chuckled.

After breakfast, he drove her back to her house. He got her home around eight, which would give her more than enough time to go in, change, and get her books for her classes. He helped her out, and she gave him a long, lingering, sensual, intimate kiss. "Jessie."

"Mmm?"

"I know this is crazy. We've only known each other two weeks, for crying out loud. But, I love you."

Her claws dug into him painfully. "I think maybe it was," she breathed.

"Was what?"

"Love at first kiss," she said, looking up at him. He was lost in her eyes for a long moment, then she kissed him again, passionate, fiery, which almost made his knees unlock. He had to lean back against the car, and she chased him relentlessly, making him completely surrender to her. "Mmm, start saving for that ring, Kitstrom Vulpan," she whispered in his ear. "Keep going the way you're going, and you won't be disappointed when you ask that question."

She was evil. She hurried away after saying something like that, and all he could do was watch her and wonder just how much of it was a joke, and how much of it was serious. He blew out his breath, ran his paws through his hair, then lightly slapped himself on the cheeks. For a moment, he forgot where he was and what he was doing, then vaguely recalled that he had to go deposit his check in the bank, and start researching cars so he could find a good bargain.

He got in Rick's car and got to work. He had things to do today, and it was time to get back to reality after that blissful night of heaven on earth.


Jessie didn't even make it to the stairs. She was hoping that she could sneak into the house and get to her room before anyone noticed her, which wasn't hard given her room was the first door on the right upstairs, but clearly they'd been looking for her. The other Jessie, Sandy, and Danielle ambushed her not five steps from the front door, the big tiger grabbing her in a huge hug an picking her up off the floor. "We're so happy for you, baby!" she called.

"Yo, ladies! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" Sandy screamed at the top of her lungs. Jessie's face poofed almost straight out, even her tail frizzed, and she thought she was going to die of mortification when loud cheering and clapping came from upstairs and the kitchen. "Now, give us the low-down, JD!" Sandy said as the other Jessie put her back down. "The lower, the better!"

"I'm going to be late for class," Jessie said primly, heading for the stairs.

Sandy erupted into laughter. "Playing innocent doesn't work anymore, you naughty femme," Sandy teased. "You're not innocent anymore!"

"Well, maybe not, but still, it's just not the proper thing to do," she said.

"Oh, stop playing coy," Danielle grinned. "You know you wanna talk about it."

"Well, maybe a little," she admitted, her cheeks ruffling. "But can it wait a little while? A night like that isn't something you just talk about. It was wonderful."

"See, now you're talking," Danielle laughed as they started up the stairs. "How was it?"

"You know very well how it was," she answered, a touch priggishly.

"That depends on the male," Sandy said with a dirty grin.

"Did his back cause any problems?" the other Jessie asked. "My dad hurt his back a few years ago, and mom said he has trouble, performing."

"Your mom talks sex with you about your dad? Ewww!" Danielle shuddered, which earned her a swat from the tiger.

"Well, he was sore this morning, but he seemed to get better after he got up and moving," she answered. "I never even thought about that until this morning, when I woke up. he was laying on his stomach, and I could see the surgery scars on his back."

"Is he as cuddly as he looks?" Sandy asked. "His fur is so soft and gorgeous. He must be nice to hold."

"He snuggles well," she giggled in reply as they reached her room. Sam was already gone, for she had an eight o'clock class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

"I have to say, I'm a bit surprised," Sandy said with a laugh. "We try to get you laid for two years, and you go and jump in the sack with a guy you met two weeks ago! And after you put on all this aire about waiting for the right time!"

"It was the right time," she said calmly as she pulled her shirt off, changing for school. "I was waiting for him to lose his fear of his family. Well, he lost it."

"That was fast," the other Jessie chuckled.

"Well, on Sunday, I kinda hinted that the as soon as he did that, I'd be more than receptive to sleeping with him," she said with a little giggle. "He had… motivation."

The other three femmes laughed as she took off her jeans, and fished clean clothes out of the dresser.

"Sure he wasn't faking it?"

"I'd know if he was. I know him very well, Sandy. I could tell if he wasn't sincere. No, he lost his fear of his family. I guess I just offered him something worth facing up to it."

Sandy gave her a wicked smirk. "Oh, you offered something, all right. Something about any male would have wanted."

"Only one male will ever get it," she declared as she put on clean underwear, then stepped into a fresh pair of jeans. "I'm marrying that fox, femmes. Mark my words. I couldn't find a better male if I searched all my life. I found my husband."

"I hope he knows this," Danielle giggled.

"Oh, he knows," she stated, giving Danielle a glance. "He knows. All that comes now is the waiting. He's much too much the gentlefur to ask me now. He feels like we're moving too fast, and he'll want to slow down a little. He'll get secure in his job, feel out how I feel about it, and I guess I'll have to take him to meet my parents," she said with a shudder. "But as soon as he feels like he's ready, that he can give me a stable home and can take care of me, he'll ask me."

"And you'll say yes?"

"I'd say yes right now," she declared. "But he won't ask me right now."

"You're sure about that?"

She nodded. "I know him very well, Sandy. I've only known him two weeks, but… but I know him. I'm sure of it." She began to pack her bookbag for her two classes. Friday was something of her short day. Her 1:00pm class didn't meet on Fridays, so that gave her a class at 9:00am and another class at noon. On Mondays and Wednesdays she also had a class at 1:00, but that was a two hour class. But instead of going to class on Fridays, she worked as a tutor in the study center from 2:00pm to 3:00pm, tutoring in English. It was good practice for her, she felt, getting her used to teaching students. "Now, if you guys will excuse me, I gotta get to class."

"Oh, put aside some time on your calendar after you're done, femme," Sandy declared in a teasing voice.

"You may have to wait. Kit's sister is coming today, and she wants to meet me."

"Ooh, bring her here! We need to meet her!"

"It must be nice to be so rich she can fly down whenever she wants," the other Jessie noted with a chuckle.

Kit was right about one thing… A.S. It really did have an impact on her. She was kinda lost most of the day, ghosting through her first class, forgetting to eat lunch, nearly forgetting her homework assignment for her second class. She kept thinking about Kit, and last night, and Kit… and last night. And Kit. Oh, and last night… It was almost embarrassing, because she'd never had those kinds of thoughts with that kind of intensity while sitting in a public area. At one point, she was purring while lost in one of her reveries, and a weasel male made a rather direct comment about it from the next table. That about mortified her.

She struggled through her last class, trying to think of some way to keep her mind on school when it was somewhere else, and was blissfully thankful when it was over. Not because she could go see Kit, but because she wouldn't feel ashamed that she wasn't really prepared for class. Her grades had come way down since she met him, so much so that her European Lit professor had pulled her aside and asked her if anything was wrong, and that was something she had to correct. She just had to learn how to concentrate with this new distraction in her life.

When she came out of class, she was a bit surprised to find two huge panthers standing in the hallway. They were watching the students leave, but when Jessie came out, one of them approached her. "Miss Williams?" he called.

"Uh, yes, that's me," she replied uncertainly. Who were these two, and what did they want? Were they cops? They were certainly dressed up like they were official, with their black suits.

"We work for Miss Vilenne Vulpan," he told her. "She's downstairs, and would like to give you a ride."

"Really? She's here? How did she know?"

"When Miss Vulpan wants to know something, it's our job to find out," the panther told her right up front and evenly.

"Oh."

"Follow us, please."

She followed the two panthers downstairs, and to a teacher's parking lot that was right beside the building. Jessie stopped in surprise when she saw a limo sitting in the parking lot! "You shouldn't be surprised, Miss Williams," the other panther told her with an amused tone. "Miss Vulpan is wealthy."

She laughed. "Well, after spending time with Kit, I guess I didn't expect it."

One of the panthers went ahead and opened the door of the limo, and Vilenne Vulpan stepped out. She was actually rather short, a few inches shorter than Jessie, but she looked almost regal. She had a calm, cool expression, and was wearing sunglasses. Her gray skirt and blazer were made of silk, and she wore a conservative dress shirt beneath her blazer. She was short, but she was also slender and sleek, with curvy hips and a slightly smaller than average bust. Jessie came up to her, and the fox offered her paw. "It's nice to meet you, Jessie," she said with a slight smile. "I've been looking forward to it."

"It's nice to meet you too, Vil," she said, taking her paw. Jessie was a bit surprised when the short fox pulled her into an embrace.

"I think I'd rather have a hug than a handshake. You are dating my brother, after all," she laughed. "Now please, get in, get in! We have a lot to talk about outside of Kit's earshot."

Jessie had never been in a limo before. It was huge! There was room for eight furs back there, in its facing seats, and there was a TV set into the side of the limo. It was clearly a rental, but it was meticulously clean and very snazzy. Vil seated herself by the door, and put Jessie in the seat facing her, so they could see each other while talking. "Now, pardon me dropping in on you like this," she started. "I finished what I was doing faster than I expected, so I had Stav track you down so I could pick you up.

"No, that's alright," she assured her, feeling a little nervous.

"You're not quite sure what to expect, do you?" Vil asked, leaning back and putting a finger to her muzzle, then she winked.

"Well, no, not really."

"I'm the same femme you talked to on the phone last night," she grinned.

"Yeah, but it didn't really hit me that you're you until just now. The limo," she said.

She laughed. "Well, I'm not like my brother. I like the little perks that comes with money," she winked. "So… you're going out with Kit. First thing, honey, thank you. He's totally crazy about you, and you've given him the first happiness he's had probably since he was eight."

Jessie's cheeks ruffled, and she looked away shyly. "He's a wonderful male," she said. "I love him, Vil. I know I've only known him for two weeks, but I love him."

"Ooh, really?" she asked eagerly, sitting on the edge of her seat. "And what makes you think that?"

"I don't have to think it," she replied. "I just… know."

"Well, far be it from me to doubt something you believe in your heart," she said with a mysterious smile. "How do you think he feels about you?"

"I know he loves me."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Hmm. What do you think he's going to do?"

"Marry me," she said, looking directly into Vil's eyes.

"There's a lot of baggage that comes with a ring in this family, honey," Vil said seriously. "That's one of the things that I'm here to talk to you about."

"Kit told me all about it, Vil, and it doesn't worry me at all," she said calmly. "I know that his family will hate me, and that since they're rich, they might even try to break us up. But I've found the fox I'm going to marry, and I'll dig these in and I won't let go," she said, holding up her paws and extending her claws.

Vil laughed. "Kit might not appreciate that."

Her face poofed out a little. "He's already complained a little," she admitted. "Vil, I slept with him last night. I think you deserve to know."

"Really!?" Vil gasped, then she laughed. "Good for you! I'm happy for you!" She looked at Jessie's claws, the laughed even harder. "Oh my, did you stripe him?"

"Not where anyone can see," she said demurely.

"I think I might have to send him a monthly shipment of Neosporin," Vil mused, which made Jessie's tail frizz out. "So, was it good?"

"That's a strange question for a sister to ask."

"He may be my brother, but he's also my best friend," Vil told her evenly. "Call it curiosity. You'll find that we foxes are just as curious as cats, and we don't like to have that curiosity denied. That's why Kit's in a good job where his curiosity is a job asset," she grinned.

"Well, he was my first," she admitted with a bit of a ruffle. "So it's not like I can compare it with anyone. But it was wonderful."

Vil gave her a curious look.

"What?"

"You were a virgin? And you're that pretty? Good God, femme, did your mother keep you in a box in the basement until you graduated from high school?"

Jessie erupted into helpless laughter. "Something like that," she admitted. "My mom kept me away from males. She's an ultra-traditionalist who thinks I shouldn't even date until after I'm married."

"And that's why you went to school far, far away," Vil mused.

"I see you see to the heart of the matter," Jessie said with a small smile.

"Alright, so, where are we going?" Vil asked. "We can't sit here in the parking lot. No doubt we're attracting attention."

"Uh, could you drive me home so I can drop off my backpack?"

"Certainly. Marcus, take us to her sorority house."

"Yes, madam," the panther behind the wheel replied.

"It's–"

"He knows where it is, honey," Vil cut her off. "And that's something that you'd better get used to, pretty quick. I know a lot more about you than you'd expect. When Kit told me about you, I got curious, and I looked you up. Does that bother you?"

"Well, it's surprising. And a little disturbing."

"Yes. And that's something that the others will do when they find out that Kit's dating you. So, I had Marcus dig to find anything about you they might try to latch onto. And luckily, he couldn't find anything. Thank that mother of yours for keeping you as clean as a saint, honey. You're an angel, and that takes away one angle of attack that my uncles might try to use if they go after Kit."

Jessie frowned. The way she said it… it was as casual as if she were talking about mowing the lawn. Were the lives of normal people really nothing but something to be used to her family?

"But that's the other reason I'm here, honey," she said, reaching over and patting Jessie's knee. "I promised Kit that I would keep his family off his back if he pursued you. I'm here early to talk to you to make you that same promise. I swear to you, Jessie, that I will do everything in my power to keep Kit's family out of your life. Well, except for me, of course," she said with a grin.

"I, that's very nice of you, Vil."

"Kit's my little brother, but ever since mom died, I've felt more like his mother than his sister," she told her. "Kit took it really hard, and it didn't help that our father all but abandoned us after Mom died. Dad took it even harder than Kit did. I guess that most of what happened between them all goes back to that," she sighed. "I think it would have been much different if Mom had lived. Anyway, Kit's had a very rough time of it, honey. I've done what I can to make it as easy as possible, but I have to be careful, and Kit's very independent. He doesn't like it when I meddle. If he's found happiness with you, you'll find me to be the strongest ally you've ever had. I'd do almost anything to make Kit happy, Jessie. I owe it to him at the very least, I want to at the very most. If you ever need anything, and I mean anything, I want you to call me. If you ever just want to talk, hey, call me."

"I will, I promise," Jessie assured her.

"I think I'm going to like you, Jessie. You're not just good for my brother, you're also a sweet femme that's fun to talk to." Her smile faded. "Now, as to that other thing. Just because my family knows I'll come at them like a pissed off bitch if they interfere with Kit, that doesn't mean that they might not try behind my back. That's where you come in. Hon, Kit will never tell me if his uncles start trying to interfere. He'd try to deal with it himself, and keep me out of it to prevent me from having any issues with the rest of the family. But you will tell me. If you notice anything unusual, people taking pictures, cars that seem to hang around, I want you to call me. If anyone ever contacts you with strange messages or you get any threatening letters, call me, and save those letters. If any of your sorority sisters or friends see anything unusual, you need to tell them to tell you about it, and if it happens, call me. I can't step on the family if I don't know they're up to something."

Jessie nodded. "I will."

She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to her. "Here. There are two numbers there. The first one is the number to my personal cell phone. That's the number you call if you ever need to talk to me. See that second number?"

"Yeah."

"That's the number to Vanguard Security. That's a private security firm. I've hired them to keep an eye on things around here, to keep a passive watch over Kit and you and make sure my family doesn't try anything funny. Now, they are going to keep an eye on you, but do it from a distance. If they do it right, you'll never notice them, and they're not going to be planting cameras in your rooms or anything like that. Their job is to stay deep in the background and serve as a discouragement for my family, because I will tell them that I've put men down here to protect you. They'll just be keeping an eye out for any shenanigans my family might try, but they'll also be available to you in case you ever need them. If you ever feel like you might be in trouble, call 911 for sure, but also call them immediately. They'll come to help you. They're at your service, hon, even if you just don't feel comfortable walking alone across an empty parking lot. They will always come if you call, and they will help you. So if you're nervous about walking across campus after dark, call them. They'll send a guard to escort you."

Jessie laughed. "Kit did say you like to mother," she stated.

"He wasn't lying a bit," she grinned. "You're important to my brother, so you are important to me. And you'll find that I'm the ultra-protective member of this family. Here, I want you to have something."

"What is it?"

"It's a cell phone," she answered, reaching into the bag beside her and pulling out a Motorola phone box. "This phone will work just about anywhere, hon, and don't you worry about the bill. I'll take care of it. The phone's inside, but it's already charged, and I already have mine, Vanguard's, and Kit's cells on its speed dial. Now, if you'll give me your old phone, I'll have Marcus take care of moving everything to this one. You're going to lose your old number, but hey, you can make all the calls you want for free," she said with a wink.

"I don't have a cell phone, Vil."

"What? Hon, that's not good. Thank God I got here, then. A femme should not go around without a phone. It's not a good idea."

"I usually don't go out alone. One of my friends is almost always with me."

"Well, still, I don't want you going around without a phone. You matter to me, honey."

"You're very thoughtful. Thank you," she said with a nod, taking the box.

"I was going to give you this phone and have you get rid of your old one, but since you don't have one this works just as well. Just don't give that number to your mother," she winked.

"I appreciate it, but you really don't have to give me anything, Vil," she said demurely. "Kit likes to make it on his own, and I can understand why he does. He wants to completely split from his family, to where he doesn't feel like he needs you to mother him anymore, and he can't do it as long as he feels you're gonna be there to bail him out whenever he gets in trouble."

Vil gave him a serious look. "You really do know my brother," she said with a sober nod.

"I understand him, Vil. I think he'll get mad if you're giving me things, so you might not want to do it."

"This isn't a gift, hon. This is a necessity. If you need to call someone and don't have a phone, you're gonna be in serious trouble… and I'm not just talking about my family. A college femme should not be going around without a phone. It's just not a good idea."

"Well, thank you again."

"It's just the first of many gifts," she grinned. "I'll tell a secret."

"What?"

"I'm going to buy him a car."

Jessie laughed. "He's going to fight you over that," she told him.

"He can fight all he wants, because he's going to lose," she said with confidence. "I'll explain it to him in simple terms. He'll fight, he'll yell, he'll argue, he might even threaten to not see me again while I'm here, but I'll win. I have the one thing on my side he can't ignore."

"What is that?"

"Logic. My brother is very practical, Jessie."

"I've noticed."

"I'm sure you would have. He'll see that he needs his own car. It's not really a matter up for debate. I'll let him pay me back for it if it makes him happy, but I'm not going to let him go around without a car. If he loses his job, well, he'd have to give that car back his boss is letting him borrow. I'm not going to let him stay in that kind of a position."

"I doubt that'll happen. His boss likes him, he likes his job, and he does good work. All the furs at the magazine are great. I like them a lot. They're almost like a family."

"Does Kit fit in with them?"

"Like a glove," Jessie giggled.

"So, you have a license, hon?"

She laughed. "Oh, no, you're not gonna talk me into a car."

"Why should I talk you into it? This is another of those logic issues here, hon. Given who you are and the kind of family Kit has, I don't like the idea of you not having a way around if you have an emergency. I don't want you to be at the mercy of someone else."

"Well," she said, putting a finger to her short muzzle in thought. "When you say it like that, it does make a kind of sense. And I've never had a car of my own before," she mused.

"See? That wasn't hard at all." She reached into the bag, and produced a pair of two keys. "Here you go. One's for your new Corolla, the other goes to Kit's Pathfinder."

Jessie laughed helplessly. "You already bought it?"

"Like I said, this was an argument I knew I was going to win. Besides, if he wakes up and finds it in the parking lot, what's he gonna do? Give it away? My brother's practical, and besides, I think he wouldn't put up a fuss about it in private," she grinned.

"You're terrible!"

"Kit tells me that all the time," she hummed pleasantly. "It doesn't change anything, though."

Jessie just couldn't help but laugh. She'd known Kit's sister for all of a half hour, and she'd already proved she was everything Kit said she was. She was friendly, warm, funny, kind, and caring, but she was also very nosy, very protective, and very loose with the idea that she needed to keep her distance from her brother. That she'd go out and buy cars for her brother and his girlfriend because she felt they needed them, without any kind of consultation, said much about Vil's personality… both the good and the bad.

"I hope you don't mind stock," she said. "I took what was on the lot, but I did go for ones with some extras on em, like CD players and car alarms and such. I don't know if you can drive a stick, so I got you an automatic, but Kit's is a standard. He might have to teach you how to drive it. Your car is white, but Kit's Pathfinder is charcoal gray."

Jessie laughed. "Vil, why on earth would I complain about it when someone who gives me a car?" she said. "That's a huge gift!"

"Well, it's nothing to me," she said dismissively. "If you don't like it, let me know. I'll talk to the dealer about letting you trade it for something you do."

"No, no, I'll be just fine. I just hope that Kit won't be too mad, or that you're trying to subvert me or something."

"I'll explain it to him, honey. And don't expect any other gifts," she winked. "I only gave you the phone and the car because I honestly believe that you need them. I won't be giving you anything unless I feel it's a necessity."

They pulled up to the sorority house, and she pointed at a white Corolla sitting at the curb a little ways down. "My, they already delivered it so you could give it a look over. Nice," she noted.

One of the panthers got out and opened the door for them. Vil climbed out, and Jessie followed her, holding her backpack. She was torn between wanting to look at the car and trying to keep her sense of decorum. She was actually thrilled at the idea of getting a new car, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be too excited about it until she saw how Kit felt about it. She might have to give it up. She wouldn't keep it if it bothered him that much, she knew how he felt about how his sister meddled.

She'd hold her excitement. She had to talk to Kit first and see if she could keep it.

"Want to come in? My sorority sisters are curious about you. They know about Kit."

"Sure, I can do that," she said.

There were only five femmes home when the panthers escorted Vil and Jessie inside. They stood by the door while Jessie introduced Vil around, then she ran up and dropped off her backpack while Vil chatted with the femmes in the living room.

"What's it like running a big company?" Sandy asked excitedly.

"Lots and lots of paperwork," Vil laughed. "And you don't get much free time. A lot of people depend on me to keep the company profitable for their jobs and their livelihood, and it's been getting harder and harder with so many jobs going overseas."

"You won't do the same?"

"We can't," she answered. "We have naval contracts, and those demand that the ships be constructed inside the United States. It's just a good thing that my grandfather was visionary when it came to business and branched us out so we have companies that produce everything we need to build ships. That keeps our costs low and keeps us very competitive, because we can build them cheaper than anyone else in America, but produce the best quality possible for ships that might enter combat. Trust me, femmes, the shipyard considers quality to be the most important product," she said proudly.

"Does being so young and a femme cause any problems?" Sam asked.

Vil laughed. "Oh, yes. I'm called 'the baby' by others in my circle, but most people in business call me the Ice Queen," she winked. "Because when it comes to business, I'm a cold bitch. And I'm proud of it."

That produced quite a bit of giggling. "My major is business. What do you think I should look into doing when I graduate?" Charlotte asked.

"Tech," she answered instantly. "If I were you, I'd either get on board a tech sector company or start your own. Or, you can send me your resume when you graduate, and I'll see if you're Vulpan material," she winked. "But I'm very picky about who I hire, and I have a high standard. If you work for me, you will work. But I'll take good care of you in return."

"I'll have to do that."

"Well, ladies, I'm afraid I don't have time to hang around. I have to go drop in on my brother," she grinned.

"Well, say hi for us," Sandy said. "We like Kit. He's a sweet male."

"He is at that," Vil agreed with a nod.

As they drove to the magazine, Vil seemed a little preoccupied, but she had this strange smile on her face. When the limo stopped outside and one of the panthers opened the door for them, she gave Jessie a smug look. "Now watch and learn how to handle my brother," she told her.

Jessie broke into a fit of giggling.

Jessie introduced Vil to Marty first, and all work in the office ground to a halt when Vil came back to the main office. Kit came out of his office and hugged his sister, and Jessie watched as she worked across the room, shaking paws, smiling gently, and being very gracious and feminine. She followed the siblings back to Kit's office after the introductions, and watched as Vil took something out of the bag and handed it him. "What is this?" he asked.

"The keys to your new car," she stated bluntly.

"Oh, hell no," he said immediately, pushing them back at her.

"No," she said strongly, pushing them back. "Listen to me, Kit. You need this car. I can't have you going around in your boss' car. If he needs it back, then you're going to be walking. And my brother is not going to walk."

"There's nothing wrong with my feet."

"That might be true, but–"

"There's no–"

"Listen," she snapped, putting her paws down on the arms of his old chair and getting nose to nose with him. "I know very well that you can walk, and I know very well that you'd rather walk than taking any charity, especially from me. But this isn't about you. This is about what's necessary. If you have an accident, what are you going to do, walk to the hospital?"

"I'll call–"

"Well, I'm sure that Jessie is going to love taking a bus when you go out on dates."

He looked a little less sure of himself now.

"And what happens if she needs to go somewhere? Do you ask one of her roommates to take her, or do you take her yourself?"

Jessie almost giggled. Vil was sneaky! She was going to browbeat him into taking the car before telling him she bought one for her too, and use his need to take care of her as the main point of her argument for him taking the car!

"Well–"

"And what do you do when you need to go grocery shopping? Carry them? Buy one of those little carts I see old females toting around that has groceries in them? And let's look at the most important thing. If something happens, if you or Jessie has an emergency, you need a way to get around quickly. No matter how normal you want to be, you do not live in what one might call normal circumstances. Not so long as you carry the name Vulpan. You need a car. There's no two ways about it. Now, you can either scrape and save and scrimp and buy some used piece of junk that might conk out on you after two months, or you accept that I'm right, you're just being stubborn, and take what I've given you because you need it."

He was silent a long moment. "I don't like it. How am I ever going to make it on my own if you're always doing stuff like this, Vil?"

"I'm only doing what I think needs to be done," she told him archly, poking her finger in his chest. "If you'll notice, I didn't stuff a check in your pocket. I bought you a car. I bought you something you need, and no amount of whining about it is going to change that fact. I bought you your laptop because you needed it. I gave you that phone because you needed it. And now I'm giving you a car, because you need it. But no matter how much you whine, argue, complain, bitch, or moan, at the end of the day you will take that car, Kit. I feel you need that car for your own safety, and I'm not going to back down. So take these keys. Because if you don't, I'll just wear you down until you give in, and you know I'll do it. You talk brave over the phone, little bro, but when you're face to face with me, you know you won't win."

He glared at her, then he sighed and gave a rueful little laugh. "I take it you're not going to give in?"

"I'll clear my calendar," she threatened in a frosty voice.

He was silent a long moment. "Alright," he declared in a growl, but he did reach out and take the keys. He looked at them. "Uh, Vil. These keys aren't the same."

"That's right. The other key is to Jessie's car," she winked.

Kit gaped at her. "You sneaky bitch!" he said hotly.

Vil laughed. "You just got boonswoggled, little bro," she grinned.

"Uh, Kit, about the car. I can give it back," Jessie offered.

"No," Kit said. "What goes on between me and my sister is between us. But if she gave you a car, and you want to keep it, love, then I'd never step on your happiness. Never feel you have to ask me for permission for anything. You know how I feel. You know me. I know you'd never go too far, because I trust you. But Vil's right. If you have an emergency, you may need a car. And I sure as hell would rather you have it and not need it, than have you need it and not have it."

"Damn right," Vil said adamantly. She snapped open her phone. "I'll find out where it is. They should have delivered it by now."

"What kind of car is it?"

"I got you a Pathfinder," she told him. "It's a stick, I know you hate automatics. I felt you might need something that can carry cargo. I bought Jessie a Corolla. It's the perfect car for a student. It's small and gets great gas mileage. Hello, this is Vilenne Vulpan. I want to speak to Steve Cruthers." She tapped her foot. "Yes, this is Vilenne Vulpan. Has my Pathfinder been delivered? Where? I didn't see it when we pulled up. Ah, very good. Thank you, Mister Cruthers. Good evening." She closed the phone. "It should be parked just around the corner from the front door," she told him. "Let's go make sure it's there."

They followed Vil and her panther escorts out and around the corner, and there it sat. It was a charcoal gray Pathfinder, brand new, still with the stickers on the window. "There it is," she said with a nod. "I gave you a month of insurance, baby bro, it came with the car. So's the first year of taxes."

"It's in my name?"

"Yeah. I know all your vitals, so I had it put in your name."

"Alright," he said as they reached it. He opened it and looked inside. "How much did it cost you?"

"Some number between one and one billion," she said dryly in reply.

"Sis," he said threateningly.

"I'm not budging, bro," she stated bluntly. "After the hell the family put you through, the least I can do for you is buy you something you need. Take it and be happy, you little ingrate," she said with a challenging grin.

"Vil," he sighed.

"Hey, don't piss on my parade, baby bro," she told him. "You've never let me do something for you like this. Don't make me upset."

"Alright, alright," he sighed. "Thank you for getting me a car, sis. I'm not too happy about it at this moment, but I'm sure it'll grow on me."

She laughed. "See, that wasn't so hard," she grinned. "But don't worry, bro. I know you want to make it on your own, so I'll back off. I only bought you this because you need it. No more, no less."

He came up and kissed her on the cheek. "And for that much, Vil, thank you."

"Hey, I understand, baby bro, no matter what you think," she winked. "Now let's go back in. Lock up your new toy," she reminded.

Jessie found herself being pulled along with Vil as Kit locked his new car. "That's how you deal with him, hon," she whispered with a conspiratorial grin. "Kit can be stubborn, so you have to nail him before he can set his feet. He's more amenable to being swayed before you start arguing with him," she explained. "As he argues, he rationalizes his points and gets more and more stubborn. Never let him do that. If you do, you won't move him. Get in his face immediately and throw everything you have at him. Make your entire argument and don't allow him to argue back. He may love you, but he still has his manners and he won't interrupt you. He thinks that it's rude, and he'd never be rude to someone he loves. Use that against him."

Jessie giggled. "You're a bad femme, Vil," she said with a grin.

"I know my brother, hon," she said sagely. "As long as you make sense, he'll listen to you. He's practical, so if you prove you're right, he'll change his mind. It just takes being a little dirty to get him to do it."

Jessie laughed. "Mean vixen."

"I'm not called the Ice Queen for nothing, kitty," she grinned.

They went back inside and spent over an hour with Kit's co-workers. She met with them and sat around the big center table and talked, and laughed, and got to know them. Jessie saw that Vil had a powerful effect on people, and not because she was rich and powerful. She was warm and personable, and she was very… affable. Jessie wasn't quite sure why they called her the Ice Queen when what she'd seen of her was very charming and charismatic… but then again, the way she'd browbeat her brother into taking the car was rather ruthless. Barry took Vil back to Rick's office for a few minutes, probably to interview her like he mentioned yesterday, and Kit went back to his office to finish up some work. Jessie followed him in, and sat down on a stool that he'd put in the office for visitors. A chair wouldn't fit in the cramped space. "Kit?"

"Yeah love?" he asked as he picked up a folder.

"Do you really mind about the cars?"

"I can understand Vil's argument, love, but how can I ever prove to myself that I can make it if she keeps holding my hand?" he asked simply. "But to answer your question, no, love, I don't really mind. Vil was right. I need a car, and I'd be in a world of hurt if I wrecked Rick's car. Not only would I not have a car, I'd have to pay him for the damages, and that'd be a major problem for me. And I'll be honest here, Jess. I'm thrilled she gave you a car. It shows she's not just thinking about me."

"Well, now I can come over whenever I want," she said, leaning in and nuzzling him.

He reached over and put his paw on her cheek. "I'll have a key made for you. And I notice that Vil already thought of that."

"How?"

"She gave me a key to your car."

"She gave me a key to yours," Jessie giggled. "Can you teach me to drive a stick?"

"Oh, my poor clutch," he lamented. "I'll have to apologize to it in advance. Ow!" he sounded when she swatted him on the back of the head.

"I have to go, I have a meeting," Vil called from the hallway. "Come on, Jessie. I'll give you a ride."

"Do you mind, Kit? I'd like to go check out the car," she said with building excitement.

"Go have fun," he smiled. "We still having dinner, Vil?"

"You bet. I'll meet you at your house after you get off work. Can I have the key?"

"Uh, sure. Think you can swing by somewhere and make a key for Jessie?"

"And one more for me," Vil said with a sly smile.

"No," he said bluntly. "You're not taking a copy of my house key back to Boston. That's just begging one of our uncles to steal it."

"If they knew what it was," she said flippantly.

"I mean it," Kit said in a dangerous tone.

"Alright, alright," she sighed. "I won't make an extra key. Just one for Jessie."

"Thank you." He gave her the key to his apartment, and Jessie gave him a kiss goodbye, then filed out with her after saying goodbye to the crew.

"Now then, let's get you a key. Two, actually."

"But you said–"

"I never break my word, Jessie," she said calmly. "I promised him I wouldn't make an extra key for me. I'm going to have one extra made for him. He should have a spare."

"Ah, okay."

"I told you hon, I look out for my baby bro. He sometimes doesn't think of things like that. It's one of his faults. But I love him anyway."

Jessie laughed. "That's true," she agreed. "I had to help him buy his stuff for his apartment. He had no clue what to get."

"He'll learn," she said simply. "My bro is smart, hon. He'll learn, and he'll be wiser for it. Now, let's go finish up that meeting. I'll need you."

"Huh? Why?"

"I could have Kit's car put in his name because I know all his vitals, and I can forge his signature," she winked. "But your car will be in your name, and that means you have to sign some papers at the dealership so they can issue you the title."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll have to get insurance for it."

"Nope. Insurance is all taken care of. You've got a month of insurance through the dealership, but you'll only need it for all of this weekend. That car is a gift, hon, and that means you never pay a dime for anything but gas. Ever. I'll have the policy Fed-Exed to you by Tuesday. I'll take care of the insurance. That car is under warranty, and I've also set up an account with them for all maintenance for your car. If it ever breaks down, call the dealership. They'll fix it for free. I also want you to take it there for everything you do to a car, hon. Oil changes, tune-ups, everything. Take it back to the dealership, and it's free. They'll take good care of you, or I'll come back down here, buy their dealership, then close it."

Jessie laughed, but she saw the look on Vil's face. "You're serious!"

"You bet your tail I'm serious," she said bluntly. "I made it abundantly clear to them that you are very special to me, and I don't take kindly to people trying to cheat me in a business deal. If they ever try to charge you a dime, you call me, and I'll eat them for breakfast."

"Wow, now I know why they call you the Ice Queen."

Vil laughed. "As long as you do what you promise to do, I'm as sweet as honey, Jessie. But cross me, and you'll find out how much of a bitch I can be."

Jessie giggled. "I won't cross you, I promise."

"You're my bro's girlfriend, hon. You can cross me," she winked.

They went to an auto dealership called Tucker's that was just off I-35, and Jessie and Vil were shown into the office of the owner himself. There, as the owner, an antlered buck, gushed all over Vil, Jessie signed the papers for the car. "Now, Miss Williams, Miss Vulpan has set up a special agreement with us over your car. Just bring it to us for everything, and you will be taken care of, free of charge."

Jessie listened as the owner of the dealership explained everything that would happen in detail, about her license plates, her temporary insurance, and the special arrangement that Vil had set up. She received his personal card, and he told her to call him direct if she ever had any complaints or problems with anyone at the dealership. "Now remember to take your U.T. ID card with you when you go to pick up the license plates. With that, you don't have to change your license over to Texas."

"My license is already Texas."

"Ah, well, then you have nothing to worry about," he chuckled.

"Thank you, thank you very much," Jessie said, a little overwhelmed. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all, Miss Williams. Remember, put those papers in your glove compartment as soon as you get back to your car."

"I will."

Vil had her panther driver take them first to get a key made for Jessie for Kit's apartment, then he took them back to her house. She gave Jessie a hug inside the limo. "Now go play with your car," she grinned. "I'm not going to pick you up, hon. Just drive over to Kit's apartment and wait for us there."

"I can't thank you enough, Vil."

"Thank me? For something you need? It's not a bother, hon. It's a requirement. You have those keys, Stav?"

"Right here, madam," the panther said from the open door, holding up two keys.

"Take those, and give one to Kit, hon. Now go charge up that phone, and carry it with you at all times. And enjoy your car."

"Thank you, Vil!" she said happily. The panther opened the door for her, and she took the box holding the phone and all its equipment and rushed towards the door.

It was the last thing she ever expected… Vil had given her a car!

And what was almost as important to her… Kit had given her a key to his apartment.

Oh, the possibilities…

Chapter 6