The Collaboration Part 2 – Happily Ever After – CH 1 Who is PJ? – aaTnB

            PICKS UP THREE MONTHS AFTER THE END OF “The Collaboration – Twisted Fate.” (Except Shane didn’t die)

            RING RING RING

            “Hello?”

            “Hey Al its Tina.”

            “Oh heywhat’s up?”

            “We’re all going to the Planet for lunchdo you and Dana want to join us?”

            “Let me askhold on”

            Alice put her hand over the phone and shifted the bundle in her arms from one hand to the other so she could turn and yell down the hallway.

            “DANE?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Tina wants to know if we want to join them for lunch at the Planet.”

            Dana came walking into the living room holding a magazine and looking very eager. Ever since they found that damn cat Alice has become quite the homebody. She threw the magazine on the table.

            “Sureif you want to”

            Alice looked at her then looked down at the cat in her arms thoughtfully. Dana rolled her eyes a little at Alice’s behavior but she waited patiently for an answer. Finally Alice looked up with a smile on her face.

            “Okaywe can bring PJ with us”

            Alice put the phone back to her ear to confirm with Tina what time while Dana did her best not to launch into a spiel about how they should just leave the cat at home. At first when they found the cat Dana thought it was cute that Alice cared about it so much, but after a while, her mother like behavior became old real fast.


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            TWO MONTHS AGO

            Alice was walking from her office to the deli down the street to grab lunch for her and Dana, who was going to be meeting her in half an hour. She was walking along lost in thought about how well things were working out between her and Dana when she heard a noise coming from the alley next to her. Alice looked around and finally she found where it was coming from. Next to one of the dumpsters there was a cardboard box with a little of kittens in it and the mother cat was nowhere in sight. Alice quickly brought the animals to the Humane Society to get checked and after seeing that everything was okay with them Alice decided to keep one as a surprise for Dana.

            An hour later Alice returned to her office to find a very agitated Dana waiting for her. Alice set her purse down before turning to Dana with a big smile on her face. Dana looked quite puzzled.

            “What are you smiling about?”

            “I have a surprise for you”

            Alice made a big show of pulling the newborn kitten out from her bag and setting it down on her desk in front of Dana. At first Dana looked skeptical about this new cat, but after it jumped into her lap and started purring immediately she fell in love with it on the spot.

            “I know Mr. P can’t really ever be replaced, but I thought he could be our cat”

            “He’s so cute Alwhere did you get him from?”

            “I found him in an alley. Yeah I was going to get us lunch when I heard him and his kitten siblings crying. There were five more just like him.”

            “Well he’s perfectbut are you sure we’re ready to have a cat?”

            “Surepets first kids second right?”

            Dana looked up with a startled expression on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Alice took one look at the expression on her face and burst out laughing.

            “Calm down DanaI’m not saying I want kids yet, if everbut it’s a step in that direction if we ever decide”

            “UmAlI’m not”

            “Relax FairbanksI was just kidding.”

            Dana looked relieved and went back to playing with their new kitten. Alice watched her with a smile on her face for a second before a thought crossed her mind.

            “So what do you want to name it?”

            “I don’t knowyou pick”

            “Okayhow about.umm.Mr. Piddles Jr.? We can call him PJfor Piddles Jr.”

            “PJI like thatokay PJ it is”

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