Friday Snippet #15

So I intended to post this last night, but there was a late night thunderstorm and the internet was acting up (although I'm not sure if the former caused the later). I could see my blog just couldn't sign in or even read the comments (sigh).

This week's snippet follows last week's, but not immediately after. This is the next morning, though. Hope you like it. I won't be around to everyone else's snippets until tonight I'm going to Williamsburg to go shopping (outlet malls *g*), so I'll read them when I get back.

Sitting at the counter with Smoky and Shadow perched beside me like a pair of sphinx, I diced onion and left-over boiled potatoes, and sliced some of Brychan’s bread while Owen brewed a pot of coffee and cooked the bacon before pouring the soon to be scrambled eggs into the bacon pan.

“Where’d you learn to cook?” I asked, walking into the kitchen. Taking some of the bacon grease Owen had saved, I heated the fat before adding the onions along with pieces of the bacon and sautéed the lot before adding the potatoes.

“Cormac taught me a few of his secrets, and got me interested in learning more.” He smiled at me as he said this. We both had been taught a great deal by Cormac, much more than just a love of cooking, which in itself was a gift. “It’s a skill that’s helped me out many times, especially at school.”

And taking the eggs off of the stove, he began making plates of food for the four of us. Generous helpings of eggs were joined by strips of bacon and a healthy serving of the potatoes. The kitties got some of everything but the toast and the coffee.

“Was it a military school? Like you were afraid it would be?” With the food served, I made us each a mug of coffee.

“No, unfortunately, where they sent me turned out to be some sort of paramilitary/cult school. That’s where I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Hell Hounds, and then some.”

Putting the mugs down next to our plates, I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry they sent you away and wouldn’t let you stay with us. We all wanted you to. You did know that, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I knew.” He sounded wry and was tense when I first hugged him. But after a few minutes he started to relax, draping his arms around my shoulders and hugging me back, before leading me to the counter where our breakfast awaited us.

It was very distracting, to say the least, to sit at the kitchen counter and watch two young cats making their way daintily through plates of eggs, bacon, and potatoes. But taking up my fork, I ate a bite of the eggs and was soon making my way through my share of the meal.

The food was delicious and I ate like I hadn’t eaten in days, but even with the good food and Owen’s comfortable, and comforting presence, I could no longer ignore my feelings. I knew that Owen would have disagreed if I told him, but sitting there between him and our two cats, I felt like a third wheel. All I could think was that if I weren’t there Owen and Caerwyn could be together and Caitlin and Caerwyn would be able to shift out of their feline forms and have a chance to eat enough to keep both forms healthy.

“I need to run some errands; do you want me to pick up anything for you while I’m out?” Once I decide on a plan, I usually want to just go with it, and this was no exception. Besides, being this close to Caitlin and not being able to see her or talk to her or hear her voice made me feel more apart from her than if we were far apart but could talk on the phone.

“Do you want some company?” Owen looked up as he asked, as if he expected me to say yes.

“Thank you, but don’t you already have company?” I looked pointedly at Smoky, who looked up from his plate long enough to wink at me before devoting his attention once more to breakfast.

“You stay here,” I assured him when Owen started to insist, “Spend time with Caerwyn, you two deserve it. Really.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am. I have to go upstairs and get dressed, and if you have your list ready when I get back down I’ll pick up whatever you need.” I figured his list would be mostly basics, and when I read it I was right, but adding his list to my list didn’t add that many stops to my shopping trip. I quickly jotted down where I was going and what to get at each place before heading out.

The air was bitter cold, and the sun’s light seemed very weak indeed as I headed out. First on the list were the necessities: the chemist for toiletries for Owen and school supplies for myself, then a discount place for boxers for him and warm-up pants for both of us, as well as a couple of pair of fleece lined jeans for each of us. Neither of us was prepared for the temperature to stay this low for any length of time.

I would like to tell you how I walked all over London that day, but the truth of the matter was I stuck pretty close to home. Everything I needed I could find in my own little slice of heaven, including a Starbucks, which went a long way to thawing me out.

I had finished my shopping in almost record time, and wanted to give Owen and Caerwyn as much time as I could, and so I decided to go visit the Bell and Candle to reintroduce myself to its proprietors. The sky was getting dark as I entered the mews, even thought it was only just approaching noon. I was disappointed to realize that they were closed on Sundays, but thought that they wouldn’t mind if I sat and enjoyed the quiet and the stillness of their garden.

Laying my packages on one of the benches, I sat down on the other to enjoy the peace and quiet, and was engulfed in a feeling of total despair and utter desolation. The pain and loneliness were so painful it actually hurt to breathe. I pulled my knees up, wrapped my arms around my ankles, resting my forehead on my knees, and lost track of everything in the wake of the despair and aloneness that was beating me down. I didn’t even notice that it had started to snow, or started to accumulate. The last thing I remember is hearing two vaguely familiar voices calling my name and then darkness.