Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The junkyard was abnormally quiet. Riff-Raff liked it that way. It gave him time to think. Think about his rival Heathcliff and how to get more ground in the neighborhood beyond the junkyard.

His underlings were in their Cadillac, listening to some radio program he wasn’t familiar with. Fine with him. He didn’t have any schemes planned at the moment. He was in the planning phase.

But the peace was suddenly interrupted by a terrible wail. Riff-Raff sat up, and scowled. “What in the world?” He climbed out of his hammock and poked his head out. “You guys? What’s going on?”

“Don’t know. Sounds like a kid cryin’.” Hector said. The four of them wandered closer to the entrance. “Whoa.”

 The cats skidded to a stop, with Riff-Raff smacking right into Mungo. “Hey, what gives…?”

“Uh…that.” Mungo pointed.

Riff-Raff looked around the larger cat and saw a small child at the entrance of the junkyard. “What the…?” He edged ahead of the others and to the front. “Hey, kiddo. What are you doin’ out here by yourself?”

The child blinked. “Kitties?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Riff-Raff said. He winced a cold wind blew. He saw the girl shiver, too. “This ain’t good. Hector, see if there’s any other adult humans out there. Maybe she just wandered off…”

Wordsworth meanwhile, moved over and wrapped his scarf around the girl’s neck. “Here little one, getting sick would be no fun.”

The little girl giggled, and hugged Wordsworth’s arm gently. “Seuss?”

“Wordsworth’s the name, rhyming’s my game.” The white cat with headphones looked at Riff-Raff and Hector. “She’s lost, boss.”

“There’s no one out here.” Hector confirmed. “We should at least keep her warm for a night..”

“Uh, but how do we do that? We don’t know anything about human children.” Mungo put in.

“Maybe you don’t. But I do.” Riff-Raff said. “Cleo’s owner has nieces and nephews.” Riff-Raff came over to the little girl, who was now petting Wordsworth’s tail contently. His rhyming friend was taking it well. “Listen, kiddo. It’s no good stayin’ out here. You wanna come inside my house and get a bit warmer?”  He gently tugged on her sleeve to emphasize his point.

“’kay. Suess, too?”

Wordsworth chuckled softly. “I tried, I did, but there’s no teaching this kid.” He took her by the paw. “We’ll go up higher and get warm by Riff-Raff’s fire.”

“She’ll get it eventually.” Riff-Raff told Wordsworth. But really he was hoping they’d figure out how to help her in the morning and they’d be able to go back to their own lives by the afternoon. He led the way back to his own piece of the yard. “You can come up too, Wordsworth. I think she likes you.”

Wordsworth nodded and picked up their visitor. “Up, up, and away!” He said, smiling as the girl wrapped her small arms around his neck. He followed Riff-Raff up the ladder. He felt the girl tighten her grip and he carefully firmed up his grip. “Don’t worry little one. Riff-Raff’s place is fun.” He gently set her on her feet.

“I should go and talk to Cleo. She might have some ideas. Will you be okay with her for a little while?”

“Me alone?” Wordsworth was so startled, rhymes escaped him. “Riff-Raff, I’m not sure if that’s okay. What do I do with her? What do I say?”

“No sweat, Wordsworth. Me and Mungo can help.” Hector’s voice piped up.  Wordsworth and Riff-Raff turned to see Hector and Mungo. .

“That’s a good idea.” Riff-Raff agreed, heading to his slide. “You guys hang here and keep her warm. I’ll be back with Cleo in a jiffy.”

#­

Gwen stared at the three cats quietly, her fingers in her mouth. Her other hand was wrapped around the white cat’s paw. “Pwetty kitty.”

“Heh.” The cat led her over to a soft cushion, and sat down. He patted the space next to her. “Thanks.” He said.

“What’s your name?” The tan cat asked her. He lounged in a hammock made from a Hawaiian shirt.

Gwen took her fingers out of her mouth. “Gwen.”

“That’s pretty.” The cat offered.

“You’re too young to be alone. How’d you get so far from home?” Her new friend, the white cat ad asked.

“Mama telled me wait for her.”  

“So your mother dropped you off here and left?” Hector scratched his head. “Why would she do that? You’re like what? Four?”

“Uh huh. Four.” She held up four fingers. “Her sayed her coming back…”

“Yeah? Did she say when?” Hector asked.

“Nuh uh.” Gwen whimpered as the white cat moved.

“Don’t fret, I’m not leaving yet.” The white cat said. He patted her head gently.

“You like Wordsworth here, huh?” The tan cat said.

“Seuss.” Gwen giggled.

“His name’s Wordsworth. Can you say that?”

“Worf?”

“Close enough.” The cat picked her up, and laid her down on a cushion. “Mungo, gimme that blanket” Wordworth dropped a tattered blanket over her.

“Mommy waiting…”

“Wait here where’s it warm.” Hector said. “We’ll take you back down when she’s there.”

The cat named Wordsworth sat down next to her, and ran a paw through her hair. “Her mom’s mistaken if she thought her child couldn’t be taken…”

“You’re right.” Hector said. “We should teach her mom a lesson.”

“Uh. I don’t think Riff-Raff’s gonna like that idea…” The larger cat said. “He didn’t want her to stay…”

“Yeah, but her mom shouldn’t just get her back.” Hector said.

Gwen closed her eyes and found herself falling asleep with Wordsworth’s paw in her small hand.

Chapter Text

Riff-Raff came to Cleo’s owner’s music shop quickly and came in, ignoring Bush’s growling and going straight to his girlfriend. “Hey, Cleo.”

“hey, Riff-Raff. It’s kinda late for a visit…” Cleo yawned. “What’s going on?”

“There’s a human child that was left outside our junkyard. She’s really little, and she was scared. Had the guys take her up to my pad to keep her warm.”

Cleo sat up. “Oh no. That’s awful, Riffy. I’ll come and see if I can help… what’s she’s like?”

“A really sweet little girl. She likes Wordsworth a lot because of how he talks. I’m not sure Wordsworth is up for the task of being a kitty cat caregiver…”

Cleo giggled. “I’d love to see those three take care of a child.”

“Ha, me too.” Riff-Raff chuckled. “C’mon.” He led the way back to the junkyard and up to his loft. He found his three lackeys sleeping, and their visitor curled up close to Wordsworth. “Hey guys.” He said quietly.

“I know that girl… she was on the news last night.” Cleo said softly. Riff-Raff’s girlfriend wandered over. “Yeah, this is her. They said she’d been missing for days… did she say anything to you guys?”

“Not to me.” Riff-Raff said. He walked over and nudged Hector, Mungo, and gently nudged Wordsworth, too, not wanting to wake the child up. “Guys, come with me. Cleo’s here.”

Wordsworth was careful to untangle himself from the child without her waking up. Though, she did whimper. “Shh. Relax, I’ll be right back.”

Riff-Raff smiled softly and whispered to Cleo. “What did I tell ya?”

“Cute.” Cleo said turning and going back down.

Riff-Raff gestured for the others to follow him, and he joined Cleo. “what’s the story?”

“She went missing  a few weeks ago from two or three towns over. There was a ransom call, and when the parents went to pay, she wasn’t returned.”

“So the mom she’s talking about ain’t her Mom?” Hector asked.

“Not at all.” Cleo looked sad. “We should probably take her to the police station…”

“Probably not gonna go without Wordsworth now.” Hector chuckled. “I think she’s adoptd him.”

“Hey, don’t forget. I’m no one’s pet!” Wordsworth said indignantly. But he softened suddenly as they all heard the little girl start crying. “Well….not yet…” He muttered. He scrambled back up to Riff-Raff’s loft and came back to them quickly with the girl in his arms. He was rubbing her back. “Maybe she’s the exception to the rule, her affection’s kinda cool.” He smiled softly. “Here, I’ve got soft music tuned in. Have a nice listen.” He carefully situated his headphones on her ears.

“Wow, Wordsworth. If I didn’t know better I’d think you had a human before.” Riff-Raff said.

Wordsworth said nothing to that, and Riff-Raff had to wwonder if he was on to something. “Well. If we’re not going to the police right now…”

“We need to get her in something much warmer than what she is wearing.” Cleo suggested.

“Right. There’s a donation box down the street. Maybe we can rummage in there.”  Riff-Raff said. He looked at his gang. “Alright, you heard Cleo. Get going.”

“She can stay with me.” Cleo said, gently taking the girl from Wordsworth after untangling the headphones. “Here, Wordsworth.” Riff-Raff watched his girlfriend gently nuzzle the child. “My owner has nieces and nephews, remember? I’m used to this.”

 ?“Worf…” The girl reached for Wordsworth almost instantly.

“It will be alright. I’ll be back by the end of the night.” Wordsworth leaned over and gave the little girl an affectionate nudge, purring a bit. “Cleo’s a nice kitty.” He added.

Gwen was already playing with Cleo’s fur, and Cleo let her, laughing a bit. “Sof’.”

“My owner keeps it soft and brushed.” Cleo explained to her, taking her back towards Riff-Raff’s loft. “We should keep her with us until we know where she really belongs, Riffy. I don’t want to give her to the wrong people… she could get hurt.”

“Right. But I can’t have the boys playing babysitters…”

“This is one of the best honors a cat can have, Riff-Raff, to be loved by a human. Do you know how many cats would kill for that?” Cleo said seriously. “She might be little, but her heart is pure.”

“I know, I know, but still. We’re a gang…”

“Worf?” Gwen looked up at them.

“Y’like Wordsworth, huh? I think he really likes you, too.” Cleo smiled. “Tell you what. He’ll be back any time now. Let’s give you the tour. This is going to be your home for a while.” Cleo set her down, and took the girl by the hand. “Okay, so you see that?” She pointed up to the Cadillac. “That’s where Hector, Mungo, and Wordsworth sleep. “It’s their favorite place, their home.”

“Dey no house?”

“Nah, houses are overrated around here.” Riff-Raff said. “You will get to try it out when Wordsworth gets back. I need my own space back.”  

Cleo glanced outside hearing a noise.  “Looks like he’s here.” Then the three cats are crowding the doorway. “Looks like you guys brought the whole box with you.”

“Of course not.” Hector said. He dumped a sack of clothes on the floor of Riff-Raff’s loft. “Here, Gwen. Take your pick, little one.”

Gwen looked over at Wordworth. “Worf!” She ran to him and tugged on his paw. “Worf…”

Wordsworth knelt to her level and hugged her gently. “I’m here, I’m here, there’s no need to fear. Let’s look in the bags, and get you out of those rags.” He took her hand and led her over to the pile of bags and clothes on the floor.

Riff-Raff stood with Cleo. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to separate those two.”

“We’ll have to, eventually.” Cleo said quietly. “She has human family somewhere. I’m sure of it.”

“You look great.” Hector said.

Riff-Raff looked over and smiled. Gwen had put herself into sweatshirt with no holes and a pair of jeans that looked like they might be a bit long on her. Wordsworth was rolling the legs up a bit for her. “Yeah, and I bet you’re a lot warmer, too, huh?”

Gwen nodded. “Can wisten to your music ‘gain, Worf?”

“Sure.” Wordsworth gave her the headphones again. “This time I found some tunes with a more childish sound.” He set his radio down next to her and turned to the others. “Gwen’s a real sweetie. She’d be allowed to stay, if it was up to me.”

“Yeah. She gives good tummy rubs.” Mungo agreed with a smile.

“I knew you guys were a buncha softies.” Cleo said. “But it’s not right. Gwen’s got a real family out there. We’re gonna have to try to find it for her.”

Riff-Raff nodded. “Right. She can stay with us until then but not one minute longer. We’re not babysitters.”

“Look. For whatever reason, the people who took her dropped her here. She is our responsibility for now. Or I should say, yours, since I don’t live here full time. But I can help as often  as I need to.” Cleo said. “It’s not her fault and you shouldn’t blame her for it.”

“Yeah, Riff-Raff.” Hector put in.

Cleo watched her boyfriend throw his paws up. “No one said I was.” He yawned. “Maybe we better get her ready for bed.”

“But it’s not warm enough up there…” Mungo said.

“Sure it’ll be warm enough. We’ll just curl up around her.” Hector said. “C’mon, Wordsworth. Let’s take her back to our place.”

Wordsworth gently scooped the little girl up. “It’s time for bed. We’ll take you back to where we rest our heads.”

“Mommy?”

“We’re still workin’ on that.” Hector said. “Don’t worry, you’re gonna be safe with us. No one is gonna hurt you with us around.”

Cleo watched the three carry her off, then turned back to Riff-Raff. “Well. I guess that’s that for now. I better get back before my owner worries and Bush really feels like getting mad at you.”

“No worries, babe. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.” Riff-Raff said, and the two of them shared a soft kiss. “Goodnight, Cleo.”

“Night, Riffy. By the way. I’m so proud of you.”

Riff-Raff just stood there, stunned for a few minutes before he climbed into his hammock, and pulled his hat down over his eyes to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

“We’ve been lookin’ all over th’place. The girl ain’t where she was supposed to be.” Parker reported. He hung his head. “I don’t know why our boss’ owner just left her there. It was stupid. Kids run away all the time, and she was never one to sit still.”

“Well better find ‘er soon before someone else does and turns her in to the cops. Her real parents are beggin’ to pay more for her and even our boss’ owner has morals about takin’  money when they don’t have somethin’ to give back.” DeLuise said.

“Hey boys. I got a bug for you…you know them junkyard cats? They got your girl. Bet they are calling in for a ransom of their own. Their leader Riff-Raff is always looking for quick buck.” Penny came out of the shadows. “I almost had her too. Then she started wailing like crazy. Didn’t want the wrong human to catch me, so I ran.”

“So much for maternal instinct there, Penny.” DeLuise mocked.

“Shut it. I betcha it is those cats, and Riff-Raff took over the ransom.”

“Then we gotta get her back. That ransom is ours!” Parker said. The group of cats left the area to plan.

#

“Worf?”

Wordsworth felt himself being shaken. “Go away, not time to start my day.”

 “Worf? Hungwy..."

Wordsworth groaned. “Hector, Mungo. Are you awake? Need to figure out a breakfast we can make.”

“Breakfast? We’re lucky we even get snacks…” Hector moaned half asleep.

“Can she eat this..?” Wordsworth suddenly smelled a fish that seemed to be going bad. Mungo held it in front of his face.

“Eugh! No way, Mungo. You better let that stinky fish go! She’s not a kitten or a cat. She’ll need something much better than that.”

“Morning, boys. Figured you might run into that problem.” Cleo’s voice was welcome from below. Wordsworth looked down and saw she was carrying a basket. “I have some toast and dry cereal.”

“Oh good.” Wordsworth scooped Gwen up and climbed down to Cleo. “Thank you, Cleo. How much do we owe?”

Cleo took Gwen from him and hugged her gently. “You don’t owe me anything, Wordsworth. It’s for her, though.” She added as Mungo began to paw around the basket. “Hey, if she wants to share after she’s done then it’s okay.”

“Mommy.” Gwen had her small fist full of cereal as she let Cleo hold her.

“We’re still working on that one.” Riff-Raff spoke up. “I had a thought. We could go into town, and ask around the other cats or dogs.”

“Hey, not a bad idea. Maybe even Heathcliff?” Hector suggested.

“You guys handle that. I don’t go anywhere near Heathcliff. You know that.” Riff-Raff said.

“I have a solution to your problem.” An unfamiliar voice said.

They all turned and saw three cats. One black and white in a leather jacket, another male cat with denim jacket, and a female black cat. Cleo moved closer to the three junkyard cats. “What do you want?” She was cradling Gwen gently.

“You cats got something that belongs to us.”  The  cat in the denim jacket said. “Gwennie. Why did ya run off?”

Gwen buried her face in Cleo’s chest. “Mm… you bad kitties, DeWuise an’ Pawker.”

“You know these clowns, Gwen?” Riff-Raff asked. He moved to stand in front of his gang. “You heard her. She doesn’t wanna go with you. I suggest you beat it before we make you beat it.”  

“Too bad she ain’t got a choice.” The female cat said. She stepped forward, and came over to Cleo. “Hand her over so no one has to get hurt. Her real parents would dearly like to have her back, y’know. We’re just gonna return her after we get the ransom. I assume that’s the plan you had, too.”

“You’re wrong.” Riff-Raff said. “We’re trying to find her real family.”

“Too bad.” The female snatched Gwen from Cleo’s arms, hissing when the child started to struggle. “Now now, Gwen. You act as if you don’t even know us.”

Wordsworth pushed past Riff-Raff. “Hey you give her  back right this minute, we had a plan and you’re not in it!” He winced, hearing the girl begin to cry. Gwen had turned and was reaching for him.

“Worf!”

“Be quiet.” The female said quietly. “No one’s gonna hurt you. We’re just taking you back home. This is no place for you. It’s stinky, and dirty.” She passed her to the cat in denim. “I believe she was staying with you, DelLuise?”

“Heh, yeah.” DeLuise cradled the girl but not gently. “You’re gonna hafta learn not to wander off.”  

“Worf!! Waff!”

“You heard her, boys.” Cleo said.

Wordsworth was all to happy to oblige. Temporary or not, Gwen had clearly claimed him as her kitty. And that meant something. It reminded him of something from long ago. When DeLuise turned with Gwen in his arms, he turned to Hector. “Hey, what’d we say? You’re not about to take her away!” His friend nodded, and they both gave chase.

 “Mungo, that stack of tires over there!” Riff-Raff called.

“Uh…right!”

 Wordsworth watched as Mungo knocked a stack of six tires and sent them rolling towards the gang. The cat in the leather jacket and the female were both tripped up, while DeLuise nimbly leaped over them with Gwen. “Drats. We’re gonna hafta do better than that…”

“I got an idea!” Riff-Raff snapped his fingers. “Hey, Leroy! We got some trespassers, and they’re trying to make off with something that doesn’t belong to them!”

“Huh?” The resident dog, who could be both a friend and an annoyance in the same day came and took stock of the situation. “Hey, it’s that little girl yous guys were taking care of… she don’t look like she wants to be with them…”

“That’s right, and they’re getting away with her!” Cleo fretted.

“Oh no they ain’t!” Leroy charged after DeLuise, his teeth bared. “Listen, cat. I don’t care how tough you think you are. You put that child down right now, or I’ll neuter you the hard way!”

Wordsworth reached forward, having followed the dog. He swiftly plucked the child out of DeLuise’s arms, and held her close to make her feel safe, before speed skating away with her back towards the Cadillac. “There there, little one…” Wordsworth said softly. The girl was shaking. “It’s alright, Gwen… you should know, we Cadillac cats always win.”

“Poor thing…” Cleo said softly, rubbing her back. “Thanks, Leroy.” She said as the dog came back.

“Hey no problem. So what’s the deal anyway? Does she really belong to them?”

“Not as far as I know.” Riff-Raff said.  “She showed up outside the yard last night. Surprised she didn’t wake you up, too.”  

“I wasn’t here last night, actually.” Leroy admitted. “Any leads as to where her real family might be?”

“Not yet.” Riff-Raff said. “But I think she might know more than she’s letting on. I just don’t know how to get it out of her…”

Wordsworth was gliding back and forth on his skates with Gwen in his arms. “She’s too scared of that I’m sure. I bet someone’s threatened her Mommy before.”

“Well, we gotta find out somehow. She can’t stay with us forever and I wouldn’t count those guys out.” Riff-raff said.

“I know, I know. But we should really go slow.” Wordsworth said. He paused in his skating and looked down. Gwen was sleeping, nestled against him contently. If I had a real home, you wouldn’t need to roam. He thought, carefully climbing up to the Cadillac. “It’ll be okay.” He said quietly as he laid the girl down and put a soft rug over her. “Hey, will you tell me about your mom?”

“Her gone Heaben.” Gwen said. She petted his fur gently. “Daddy gibed me ‘way….”

Wordsworth sucked in a breath, and then curled up on the backseat with her. “That’s sad, and mean of your Dad.” So if her real mom is dead, and dad is giving her away…who are the people asking for a ransom from? Wordsworth would have to wait until Gwen was sleeping.

“Worf? I ‘tay wif you?”

Wordsworth look up and saw Hector and Mungo shaking their heads. “We’ll have to see, but it’d be okay with me.” He said finally, pulling the little girl closer to him.

“Uh, Wordsworth? You don’t get to decide that!”

“Yeah, Riff-raff gets the final say.” Mungo put in.   

“Shh. Don’t wake her.” Wordsworth carefully unwound himself from the child and laid a paw in her hair. “Be right back.”  The three of them climbed down, and Riff-raff met them at the bottom.

“Hey, Wordsworth, tell Riff-raff your plans.” Hector chuckled.

Wordsworth nudged him hard. Then gulped as Riff-raff tapped his foot impatiently. “If her parents can’t be found, I’m keeping her around.”

Riff-raff crossed his arms. “Is that right? And just why wouldn’t her parents be found?”

“Hey man, it’s just a plan. Her mom’s dead, and her father’s lost his head.”

“Say more than that.” Riff-raff said, frowning. “Did she tell you more?”

“Not much more.” Wordsworth said. “Bottom line, the kid is gonna be mine.” He had decided to put his foot down, knowing it was going to put him at odds with his boss.

“I thought we decided that wasn’t a good idea?” Riff-raff asked. “Wordsworth, you can’t expect us to raise her here. It ain’t practical. She’s a human child. We’re a junkyard cat gang. Look, we didn’t even do that well with the baby lion, and that was closer to our own breed!”

“It’s not your task. I didn’t ask.” Wordsworth said. “She wants to stay. Why send her away?”

Riff-raff scowled. “Wordsworth, the answer is no. Even if we don’t find her parents, or someone responsible, we gotta take her to the police station so she can be properly taken care of. It’s the right thing to do.”

Wordsworth scowled. “She’s not gonna like it. Not one bit. She thinks I’m her cat, and I’m okay with that.”

“You know, if we turn her over to the police, those other cats might just take her back, and she didn’t seem to like them much…” Hector began. “Hey, Riff-raff, we gotta at least take care of that gang first, right?”

“You’re right. I hate to admit it, but you’re right.” Riff-raff said. “Meanwhile I’ll get Cleo to come and stay with her. You’re gettin’ too attached to her, Wordsworth.”

Wordsworth refrained from releasing an uncharacteristic hiss. Instead, he climbed back up into the Caddilac. “No way, no how. No one’s separating us now.” He whispered to Gwen as he curled up around her. He felt the little girl pet his ears in her sleep, and he let out a contented purr.

Chapter Text

Heathcliff looked up as he heard the familiar noise of Wordsworth’s skates. Perfect. Just the putzes I was lookin’ for. But before he could even think about tricking them into some shenanigans, he saw the seriously worried look on their faces. Even Mungo, who never looked worried about anything other than his next meal. “Hey, fellas. What’s gotcha so worried?”

“We got a story that’s wild. It involves a human child.”

“Eh?” Heathcliff raised an eyebrow. He had to hear this. He crossed his arms.

“A stray girl has become my world. I wanna give her my affection but what she really needs is protection.” Wordsworth said, looking perplexed.

“I think one of you better take over.” Heathcliff said, feeling frustrated with Wordsworth’s prose.

Hector cleared his throat. “Easy there, Heathcliff. See, we rescued a little girl outside our junkyard, and mr. poetry over here got himself attached.”

“What’s this about protection?” Heathcliff asked.

“Oh she’s being pursued by another gang, and there’s this whole kidnappin’ scheme and everything. We wanta do the right thing and everything but we can’t until we take care of this gang.”

“Lemme get this straight. You’re askin’ me to help?” Heathcliff asked. “You remember we’re s’posed to be rivals, right? Where’s your boss? Too afraid to face me himself, I guess.”

“Nah, Riff-Raff’s trying to come up with a plan of his own.” Hector said. “Sent us to ask you if you’d back us up if we needed it.”

“Fine. But only for the girl. Not for him. You boys are gonna owe me for this.” Heathcliff didn’t do anything for free, especially not for Riff-Raff’s gang. “You three know where to find me.” Heathcliff didn’t do much for humans besides Iggy, and sometimes Marcy. But this girl sounded innocent enough, and that was one thing he didn’t put up with. “Get me the names of the other gang members, too.”  He turned and walked off. He still had Spike to play with. “Oh and boys? This doesn’t mean we’re on a truce.”

“Course not.” They chorused.

#

“Ugh. This is great. As long as she’s bein’ protected by those four clowns, we’re never gonna get her back. I never took Riff-Raff as one to give two cents about a child, but I guess I was wrong.” DeLuise groused. “Moreover, now that knock off poet’s stolen my girl.”

“Maybe that’s because you’re too hard on her.” Penny commented. “You were pretty rough. Maybe if you softened up a bit. Ever since that new owner took you in, you’ve been a crabby kitty.”

“Eh, maybe.” DeLuise said. He turned to Parker. His friend was quiet. “You’re quiet.”

“I was thinking we should leave her be. Them humans don’t know what they want her. Besides, I heard some not so good things. Like the fact that the woman they’re claiming is her real mom ain’t.”

“That’s not our problem is it?” DeLuise said. “Y’wanna go back to the pound? I didn’t really like it there myself, but maybe you did.” He sighed. “We’re going into that junkyard and we’re getting her out. Tonight.”

#

Wordsworth was watching as Gwen played (or tried to) Checkers with Hector. Hector was trying to hold on to his patience, but Wordsworth could see he was having trouble. He swooped in, and pulled Gwen into his lap, and took over. “one two three, yu lose, says me.” He said, jumping some checkers Hector left wide open in his frustration.

“Hey! What’s the big idea, Wordsworth?!”

“Nevermind that.” Riff-Raff called. “Cleo says she wants to take Gwen over to the store.”  

Wordsworth scooped Gwen up and took her to the ground with Riff-Raff. “I’ll go too, if it’s okay with you.”  

Riff-Raff shrugged. “Fine with me. But I think she wants to introduce her to her owner.”

Gwen was clinging gently to Wordsworth as they walked to the exit. “No ‘duce.”

“Aww. I bet you’ll have fun there. Music stores have a great sound, and lots of instruments to be found.” Wordsworth tried to speak brightly, to encourage Gwen to cooperate with whatever plan Cleo might have.

“Yeah, Wordsworth is right.” Riff-Raff put in. They paused outside the store as Cleo and Bush came out. “Hey guys.”

“Riff-Raff…” Bush nodded gruffly. “I shouldn’t be agreeing to this, but…”

“Oh Bush, let it go.” Cleo said cheerfully, coming over. “Hey, Gwen.” She got on all fours, and nudged the girl gently. “C’mon. I’ll show you some neat things in the store. My owner will be in soon.” She got baack on her feet, and picked Gwen up gently. “You coming in too, Wordsworth?”

“Until I know she’ll be fine, if you don’t mind.” Wordsworth said.

“Sure.” Cleo said.

Riff-Raff followed. “You know, you can trust Cleo with her. I told you that her owner has human and nieces and nephews.”

“It’s alright, Riff-Raff. I think it’s sweet, how protective he is.” Cleo said. She followed Bush back inside. She set the girl down, and led her around the store.

“Cleo! Oh there you are. What’ve you got there, sweet kitty?”

Cleo mewed a bit, and rubbed against a woman’s leg, and gestured to Gwen. She holds up a missing child flier. While the woman looked at the flier, she turned to Gwen. “I’m showing her the fliers that have been up. To show her about the reward. I wish I could explain about the bad guys…”

“Oh you poor baby…”

Wordsworth watched as the woman picked Gwen up, and brushed her soft curls out of her face. “I don’t know how Cleo found you or what these other cats have to do with it, but I’m not gonna let you stay out on the street. You can come stay with me while we figure this out.”

“Worf too.” Gwen pointed to him.

Wordsworth panicked. “Riff-Raff, I don’t know what to say. In a house is not somewhere I’ll ever stay.”

“Don’t worry, Wordsworth. I’ll handle it.” Riff-Raff said. He walked over to Gwen. “Hey, kiddo. Wordsworth’s gotta come back with me, but we’ll make sure he comes t’visit and everything, and I’m sure Cleo will bring you back to us, too.”

“It’s true. I will.” Cleo said, nudging her gently with her head. She’d gotten on her fours again, and Wordsworth figured it was to make Gwen feel more at ease. “This will be better for you, Gwen. It’s too cold at night to sleep outside, and Riff-Raff likes his space.”

“Worf…” Gwen said, insistently reaching for Wordsworth.

Wordsworth sighed. “Maybe I’ll come, just for a night. Do you think your owner will be alright?”

“I’ll sneak you in after she goes to bed.” Cleo agreed. Before they could say anymore, her owner came back with a carrier. Cleo groaned. “The things I do for you, Riffy. She’s bringing me home with her so that Gwen has someone to play with…”

Riff-Raff shrugged. “Don’t worry, Cleo. It’s only temporary. We’ll get this gang taken care of and then she can find a place to live safely.”

“Better take care of it soon.” Cleo walked into the carrier, letting out a disdainful meow. “you know what it’s like to get attached to someone and have them taken away you…”

“I do, yes it’s true.” Wordsworth finding himself admitting. He squatted to Gwen’s level and whispered, “You  hang tight, and I’ll you tonight.”

Gwen didn’t get to reply as Cleo’s owner took her by the hand and led her out of the store.

Chapter Text

Gwen sat up suddenly. She was sleeping on an air mattress. Her new friend, Wordsworth was sleeping close to her, purring softly. Cleo was sleeping on the couch next to the mattress. But she’d heard something. She’d always had a good sense of hearing. She gently shook Wordsworth. “Worf?”

Wordsworth cracked open an eye. “S’okay, little one.. I know bedtime’s not fun…” He pulled her closer.

“No, Worf. Someone heres.”

Now Wordsworth was up, and he grabbed a fireplace poker. “Is that so? Then I’ll just make them go.” He skated towards the door. The door banged open, sending him flying.

“Worf!”

“Gwen, get behind me.” Cleo grabbed her with a paw, and pulled her behind her. She narrowed her eyes as Parker and DeLuise walked in. “What do you two goons want?”

“You’re just as dumb as your boyfriend. Just hand over the girl and no one gets hurt. Got it?” Parker said. He reached over and grabbed Wordsworth.

“No hurt my kitty!” Gwen wrenched away from Cleo’s grip, and ran towards them.

“That’s a good girl…” Penny purred, scooping her up. “I knew you’d see it our way.”

“So did that big oaf, Mungo when we told him we were gonna make mince meat outta your friend here if he didn’t tell us where you went.” DeLuise said with a sneer. “Let’s split before the human woman wakes up and shoos us away.”

“Worf!!” Gwen struggled. “No wet takes me….pwomise no be twouble….!”

Wordsworth tried to stand, but he was off balance from being smashed by the door. “Cleo, help her.”

“She better not.” Parker said. He had ther other poker now, and they were sparring. “get going, DeLuise. You and Penny take the brat home.”

“No….Gwen, don’t go!” She heard Wordsworth groan before Penny carried her out the door.

#

“She’s gone? What happened?” Riff-Raff demanded the next morning. “I thought you and Mungo were coming here to take care of them, Hector.”

“We were, but it turns out they can out run us on those electric scooters of theirs.” Hector said drily. “That, and we couldn’t get Heathcliff out of bed.”

“Havin’ Heathcliff would’ve been nice but let’s get real. Gwen’s our problem, not his.” Riff-Raff said. He heated that they’d even gone to his rival. Even though, he had to remind himself, it was his idea in the first place.

“What are we gonna do now?” Hector asked.

“The only thing we can do. We get her out.” Riff-Raff turned to Wordsworth. “I know you’re coming.”

“Of course I’ll come.” Wordsworth said. He still looked as though he was in pain from the attack. “I need to get her out of that I have no doubt.”

“Not for nothing, boss, but I think we should get Heathcliff for this one.” Hector said.

“I hate to agree with you, but it might a one time deal where we do need him. These cats aren’t anything to mess with.” Riff-Raff said. He turned to Cleo. “You weren’t hurt in the melee were you?”

“Not at all. I’m worried about that little girl. She was really scared…”

Wordsworth was busy skating back and forth in his version of a nervous pace. “We need to ask around and see where she can be found.”

“I know where they are.” Mungo said. He was holding a flier. “I found this outside. It’s a pretty flier for a carnival.” He handed it to Riff-Raff.

“Their owners must be the carnie folk.” Cleo said. “or else they’re carnie cats.”

“Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I wanna ride a lot of rides, Riff-Raff!”  Mungo said with excitement.

“Later. First we get Wordsworth’s human back.” Riff-Raff said. He turned to Hector. “You go get Heathcliff and meet us there.

“On it. But… he said we’d owe him for helping.”

“We’ll work it out.” Riff-Raff waved a paw dismissively. “Just get goin’. We’ll take the Cadillac.”

#

DeLuise covered his ears. “Ugh, what is with this kid? She won’t shut up.” Gwen had been screaming and crying for “Worf” since they’d brought her back to the carnie, and it was getting incredibly annoying.

“I’m tryin’ to calm her down. Chill.” Parker was pacing with Gwen gently. “It’s alright, Gwennie girl. We’re not gonna hurt you.” He carried her over to the merry-go-round. “Come on, let’s ride the horsie.”  He gently put her on one of the plaster horses and made she was strapped on. “Hey, Penelope, turn it on.”

“Okay, but if that nasty human of yours comes, I’m outta here.”  The carnival had been closed down for hours by now.

Parker hopped on the horse behind her and wrapped his paws around the child’s middle, and the ride began to rotate with music. “See? It’s alright…” he said softly, adding a trill to voice.

Gwen rested against Parker’s chest, her eyes closing. DeLuise smiled to himself. Parker could play tough guy all he wanted, but when it came to Gwen, he was all soft. “We’ll put her in our special underground burrow. If I know dem Catillac Cats, they aren’t gonna give up getting her back yet.”

“Probably not.” Penny said. She came to stand by him. “What does Parker’s owner want with her?”

“Supposedly he’s her real father or somethin’. I don’t think I buy that. But nevermind him. I’m keepin’ her now just to annoy Riff-Raff.” DeLuise chuckled.

“I’m takin’ her down. She’s asleep.” Parker’s voice said. That’s when DeLuise noticed that the ride was quiet. “Better she not be immediately accessible if they do come tonight.”

“Good thinkin’, Parker.  All we need to do is make sure our humans leave us when the carnival goes tomorrow. She’ll be ours.”

“That’s easy. Just disappear. But better make sure she can’t wake up and cry for help or anything. That’ll ruin your whole plan.” Penny said.

“How do we do that?” Parker asked. He was still holding Gwen gently. “We promised not to hurt her…”

“Hm. Maybe we all hide down there. They can’t reach us anyway.” DeLuise said. He took the child from Parker. “You old softie. Come on, before they get here.” DeLuise led the way towards the back of the Carnival where a deep hole existed. “we’ll figure out how to keep her happy over time.”

Chapter Text

Heathcliff stood in front of the carnival with the Catillac Cats and eyed their surroundings. “I don’t see any cats or humans. It’s completely quiet. Mungo, are you sure this is where they are?”

“Yeah! I heard that one cat DeLuise talk about a side show he had to be back for.” Mungo replied. He sniffed. “I smell left over hot dogs. Please can we have some?”

“I thought we were here on a rescue mission?” Heathcliff asked. “Not a midnight snack.” He was going to walk away when he suddenly heard a commotion.

“Grab her! What are you doing, just standing there!”

“She ain’t going anywhere. The gates are locked, the humans went home.”

“Hey, is that your girl?” Heathcliff asked, pointing. The little girl was climbing a rather high pole.

“Whoa.” Heathcliff watched as Wordsworth rushed to her. “Gwen. No. That’s too high for you to go!”

“Worf!” Gwen squealed.

Heathcliff watched as Wordsworth carefully guided her back down one rhyme at a time. He was about to introduce himself when three cats, two males and tough looking female appeared. “You three must be jerks who stole this girl.”

“Steal? No no. We recovered her.” The female said. “Wait. You’re Heathcliff, aren’t you?”

“In person…” Heathcliff blinked. These jokers sure weren’t like the cats in town.

“You’re a legend!” The female said. She came closer. “I’m Penelope.”

“I’d say it’s a pleasure, but what you’re doin’ is wrong.” Heathcliff said. Normally he loved it when he got complimented that way, but now was not the time.

“She’s gotta stay with us. DeLuise and Parker’s owners are lookin’ for her, and they’re gonna hurt her.”

“I ain’t buyin’ that.” Hector spoke up. “I saw how you treated her at the junkyard. She’s scared of you.” Hector glanced up as Wordsworth brought the little girl to them. “Nice job, Wordsworth.”

Gwen held on to Wordsworth tightly, her face buried in his chest. “Worf…”

“Relax little one, these goons are done.”

“Now you hold it right there, Mr. Poetry. That child’s gotta stay with us. Do you not realize how much money she’s worth?! Our owner’s gonna claim it, not yours!”

“Jokes on you pal, we don’t have any “owners”.” Riff-Raff snapped. “And we don’t need any. Besides, I’d rather she go to a good home, then be passed around like a scam.”

“Hey, what do you mean, scam?” The one with the leather jacket demanded.

“This.” Riff-Raff held up the flier. “That kid don’t belong to anyone. She’s an orphan. Your owners are pulling a scam and they’re gonna get arrested. I think I know what happened now, and we’re gonna straighten it out.”

Heathcliff scratched his head. “So you guys either back off, or find out how I got my reputation in town.”

“We’ll see about that.” DeLuise scowled. “Y’can’t just take her. She’s mine and Parker’s human.”

“She was your human for a time. But now it looks like Gwen here is mine.” Wordsworth said. He gently nudged the sleeping girl with his head, and Heathcliff heard him purr.

“Hey, Riff-Raff.” He said quietly. “What’s the deal with your poet guy over there? He plannin’ to keep her now or what? Shouldn’t she be with humans and better taken care of?”

“You’re tellin’ me. I think she reminds him of someone from his past.”  Riff-Raff said.

Heathcliff shrugged. “Well, since we got this all figured out, who wants to ride some rides?”

“What do you say, Gwen?” Wordsworth asked.

But Gwen was quiet, sucking her fingers as she petted Wordsworth’s fur. She buried her face in it then. “Mm…cadwack.”

“Okay. We’ll go to the Cadillac and rest till they come back.” Wordsworth said gently, putting a paw in her hair. He shook his head at the others. “She’s warm.”

“Uh oh. That’s no good.” Cleo said. “I’ll go with you, Wordsworth. We’ll check her out there.” She leaned down to kiss Riff-Raff on the cheek. “Don’t be long boys, but I know you’ve earned this.”

Heathcliff rolled his eyes while secretly wishing Sonya was there for him. He led the way to the carousel. “Come on, guys. Let’s give this a whirl.”  The others followed.

Chapter Text

Gwen held tightly to Wordsworth’s paw as Cleo put her own paw to her forehead. “No feels good…”

Wordsworth petted her hair gently. “Cleo, what’s deal? Did they do something to cause the way she feels?”

“It was pretty cold out there. She doesn’t have fur like we do, Wordsworth. She needs a human doctor.”

“If we give her back to the humans, will I see her again?” Wordsworth asked.

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Cleo said. “Wordsworth, she reminds you of something, doesn’t she?”

“If you must know, it was a long time ago. When I was a kitten, there was a girl, just her age. She played with me, and petted me, and gave me treats and love galore. But then one day she got sick, and I saw her no more. Her parents blamed me, though I don’t see how. That’s how I became the cat you see now.”

“Oh Wordworth, that’s horrible!” Cleo said, wiping a tear away. “Some humans don’t deserve to have us as companions.”

“I no weabe you, Worf…I wove you.” Gwen said in between small coughs. “You my kitty nows.”

Wordsworth hugged her close. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that it might not be the case. He wasn’t even sure that He wanted to “belong” to anyone. “We’ll see, Gwen…” He said instead.

“So? Are we going to take her to the hospital or what?” Cleo asked.

Wordsworth took a deep breath and let it out. “Yes, I confess. I think it’s best.” He laid her down in the back of the Cadillac, and got in the driver’s seat. “I just hope it doesn’t end up the way I dread it might. I don’t want to see her putting up a fight…”

“I’ll go and tell the others to meet you there.” Cleo said. “you’re a good cat, Wordsworth. It’s no wonder she loves you.”

“We’ll see.” Wordsworth wasn’t sure who was going to be more upset about this, Gwen or him.

#

Gwen woke up feeling a bit tired. She looked around. “Hopital…” She said softly to herself, looking down at the IV coming out of her small hand. She teared up. “Worf…?”

“Who is ‘Worf’, little one?” A soft, kind voice asked. Gwen turned to see a woman sittin by her bed a pad of paper in her hands. “I’m Ms. Sandy. I’m going to be taking care of you until you get out of here, and then we’ll put you somewhere safe. They found you outside the Emergency Room…”

“Worf my kitty. He white and habe headbones and ‘kates.” Gwen said, not knowing how to process the rest of what the woman said.

“I don’t think they found any kitties, baby. But if he’s really yours, I bet he’s skulking outside the hospital, waiting for you.” Sandy said. “Do you wanna watch some cartoons?”

“No. I wants Worf….”

The woman sighed, and pressed the nurses’ call button. “We’ll see if anyone has seen him, alright? But they probably won’t let him in here.  Pets aren’t allowed.”

Gwen nodded, laying her head bck on the pillows. She felt really groggy, and her head hurt. She hoped Wordsworth and his friends were okay. She didn’t remember much about the night before.

#

“Will you sit down? Your pacin’ in driving me crazy!” Hector exclaimed. “I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.”

“Just left her there. What if she thinks I don’t care?” Wordsworth lamented. “How are we going to know where she’ll go?”

“I’ll tell you how.” Cleo spoke up. “My owner is there right now, checking things out. From what I’ve heard from her so far, she’s got a small case of pneumonia, but it’s clearing up.”

“That’s no good.” Wordsworth shook his head. “I gotta get in to see her…”

“That sounds like a scheme I can get behind.” Riff-Raff came over. “Let’s go over there. I bet your little friend would love to see you, too, with all the unfamiliar humans around her.”

“Sounds good to me. Hey, Boss, you want me and Mungo to come, too?”

“We’ll all go.” Riff-Raff suggested. “Cleo? Is your owner really serious about adopting Gwen? That would work out perfect. Wordsworth wouldn’t have to be without her.”

“Yeah, but she’d also have more structure.” Cleo added, “and I think she needs that.”

“Structure?  Hey, we could’ve given her plenty of structure!”

“I’m sure. Come on. My owner will be gone for a while, we can sneak in, or at least get Wordsworth in there.”

“Right. Let’s hit the road.” Wordsworth jumped in the Cadillac.

“Move over, Wordsworth. You’re too shaken to drive.” Hector shoved him into the passenger seat. “I’ll get us there in no time.” The Cadillac sputtered to life, and they took off.

#

Wordsworth watched the nurse leave Gwen’s room, before he went in himself and closed the door lightly. He jumped on the bed. Gwen was asleep. He purred, rubbing against her gently. “Hey, Gwen.”

“Wordworf…” Gwen’s eyes opened ,and her hugged him. “Doing here? No ‘llowed.”

“good thing for me, cats can’t read.” He made quotation marks with his claws. He settled beside her. Of course he’d seen the sign outside the hospital. That’s why it was called sneaking in. The others were keeping the security staff busy. “Cleo said you were real sick…”

“Froat sore…” She began to cough then, and she whimpered, curling up against his chest. “No weabe ‘gain, Wordworf. I miss yous…”

“I know, and I’m sorry I had to go.” He stroked her hair. “You want some tunes? I found some that were new.” He slipped his headphones on her head, and turned on a children channel he’d come across. While she rested on her pillows, he laid curled up against her. I wish things were different. She and I could be happy together…If she moves in with Cleo’s human, maybe she won’t want to come visit…She could make friends with the Nutmeg kid instead.. or that other girl that pushes Heathcliff around in the buggy. The longer he let the thoughts run, the more panicked he got. This wasn’t going to do at all.

There was a knock on the door and Wordsworth dashed under the bed. He watched as Cleo’s owner walked in. Steal my human, will you? I don’t think so… Wordsworth kept his ears open though.

“That’s great, Mrs. Kerrigan. Yes, I see here that you had the adoption in progress. It’s a good thing some good Samaritans brought her in. Who knows what could have happened to her if they hadn’t.”

“That’s true.” Mrs. Kerrigan said. “Gwen, you’re going to come home with me as soon as you’re cleared by Dr. Torres. Ms. Sandy here is your new social worker.”

“What tocial worker? I wanna ‘tay wif Wordworf…” Gwen whined. “He bes’ fwien.”

“Wordsworth…?”

“Her kitty. She’s been asking for him since she woke up. He’s apparently a stray cat she befriended on the street. Though none of us have seen him ourselves.”

Wordsworth was half tempted to make himself known. Only the fear of being immediately disposed of kept him under the bed. Hang in there, Gwen. I just gotta wait for the humans to leave…

“I see. Well, maybe we’ll find him and you can at least explain things to him before we go home.” Mrs. Kerrigan  said.

“Wordworf come wif me… he my kitty.” Gwen said.

Wordsworth froze. Uh oh. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough with her. I can’t be anyone’s house pet… I need my freedom… He would have to talk to the gang about this. He didn’t know how he’d explain to the little girl why he couldn’t come home with her.

“We’ll see. I don’t think Cleo and Bush would like it too much if I brought in a new cat…” The woman reached over and smoothed Gwen’s hair back. She glanced at her watch. “Oh. I have to go and teach a voice lesson in fifteen minutes.” She turned to the other woman in the room. “Can you let me know when I can bring her home?”

“They’re saying tomorrow.” Sandy told her.

“Very good. That will give me one more day to finish getting her room together. I might have Cleo come stay at the house with her more so that she’s not lonely, since she seems to like kitties.” Mrs. Kerrigan smiled. “I’ll be back later tonight.” She turned and left. Sandy followed, thankfully.

Wordsworth waited until the door was closed completely before he climbed back up on the bed. “Sounds like you’re gonna have a good home, and won’t be alone.”

“You come toos, Wordworf. No more Dunkyawd.” Gwen hugged him close. “Pwease.”

Wordsworth smiled sadly. “I wish I could, but it’s no good. I’m stray and that’s how it should stay.” When her face began to crumble, he hastily added, “But you’ll be living with Cleo, so I know I’ll be able to see you. Unless…” He hesitated. “I take you back with me.”

Gwen tilted her head. “Wiff Waff no wike.”

“Nevermind what he likes, you’re my little tike.” Wordsworth patted her head. “I don’t wanna say goodbye. You don’t need the reason why.”

Gwen giggled. “I wove you, too.”

Wordsworth chuckled. “Well, that settles that. I’ll take you back with me as soon as that woman sets you free.” And for once, I am putting my foot down with Riff-Raff. “For now, I should go home.” He untangled his Walkman and headphones, placing them with Gwen. “This you can borrow, until I see you tomorrow.” He’d have to find a way to get Gwen her own set at some point, he decided. He left the room, and was careful to avoid any other humans as he left the hospital, too.

Chapter Text

“Dis fun!” Gwen squealed happily as Wordsworth made another lap around the junkyard on his skates.

Riff-Raff shook his head. “What is he thinking? I thought we had this discussion about her staying here? Cleo’s owner is going to be beside herself with worry if she’s not home before dinner… it’s one thing for Cleo to take off and come back, but Gwen’s a young human. They’re not supposed to be unsupervised, and I know the humans don’t think we count!”

“I think Wordsworth is afraid of losin’ her, Boss.” Hector spoke up. “When he came back from visiting her last night he kept muttering something about not losin’ another human. He said he was gonna control things.”

“He said that, did he? Did he forget who was in charge around here?” Riff-Raff scowled. “One of you better talk to him before I get back. I have to help Cleo keep her owner occupied. Get that child back where she belongs!

“Will do. I’ll set him straight. If I can get Mungo to distract Gwen while I talk to him.”

“Yeah. Good point. She doesn’t need to hear the harsh reality of things.” Riff-Raff offered a smile in her direction. “Can’t say I can entirely blame him. She does really seem to love it around here. But we’re not babysitters. And I can’t have you guys distracted all the time.” He climbed off the sofa and headed out of the junkyard.

#

Hector waited for Wordsworth to settle Gwen with Mungo and some fish before he approached. “Hey, we needta talk.”

“I don’t know about you, but all my talking’s through.”

“Then you’re gonna listen.” Hector said. “Riff-Raff don’t want her here, and we already decided. She can’t stay with us.”

“She can cause I said so, man.” Wordsworth scowled. “You don’t understand.”

“Wordsworth. Be reasonable. I know you love her but she’s a human child. She can’t stay out in the open like this with us. Ya want her to get sick again?”

Wordsworth frowned. “But she doesn’t wanna stay with Cleo’s owner. Don’t have to be kind to her?”

Hector sighed deeply. “Sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind. You gotta think about what’s best for her because she’s not thinking about that. She’s thinking about things like getting’ ta pet ya, and your music, and things like that. Not about how she’ll stay warm and healthy and get enough food.”

His friend didn’t say anything for a long time, and Hector wondered if he’d gone too far. Then he spoke. “Do ya ever miss it, Hector?”

“Miss what?” Hector asked.

Wordsworth studied him. “have you always roamed? You never had a home?”

“Eh. No. Was born right here on the streets.” Hector said. “But even if I hadn’t been, I’d never want this kinda life for someone like Gwen. She’s kind, and decent. The streets turn kids like her into cruel, nasty adults. Y’wanta be responsible for that?”

Wordsworth put his paws on his hips. “We’d make sure she didn’t…”

“We ain’t even all that nice!” Hector said.   “Bottom line, kid is out. Riff-Raff doesn’t want her here when he gets back.” Then he softened his voice a bit. “Look if you love her, you gotta let her go. It’s not like Cleo wouldn’t make sure she’d come visit…or even let you go visit her.”

“Wordworf! Mungo maked chocwate cake! Come habe some!” Gwen’s small voice called suddenly. “He sayed it taste better fwesh!”

“Do the right thing, Wordsworth. Or I will.” Hector warned.

“If anyone’s gonna take her home, it’ll be me. Alone.” Wordsworth said finally. “Coming, Gwen.” He glided past Hector without another word to him.

Hector watched him go, deciding he’d tail him, just to make sure that Wordsworth didn’t try and pull a fast one on his way.

#

Wordsworth carefully wiped Gwen’s little mouth after she was done eating. “Didja get any of that in your mouth?” He chuckled softly.

“we go pway cadwack.”

“Uh… no. Listen, we gotta go.” He scooped her up in his arms. “Riff-Raff put his foot down. No matter how much you frown. I gotta take you home, because you can’t just roam.”

“I no wanna go! I wove you, Wordworf, and her sayed you no stay!”

Wordsworth winced. “Shh, shh…I know, I know. I wish you didn’t have to go.” He stroked her hair gently as they walked towards the exit of the junkyard. “Y’gotta understand. This wasn’t my plan. But I work with for Riff-Raff, and he’s the boss. Being kicked to the curb would be a terrible loss.”  

“Hey, Gwen.” Cleo and Riff-Raff, as it turns out, were standing right outside. “Come on. I’ll get you home before my owner gets back.” She took her out of Wordsworth’s arms.

“Before you go back home, here is something from me so you won’t feel alone.” He held out a child-sized Walkman. “I’ve set it with tons of tunes just like I first introduced you to.”

“Fank you.” Gwen took the music player. “You best fwien’ Wordworf….” Her little face started to crumble. Cleo rubbed her back gently.

“So are you.” He reached over and patted her head gently. Without another word to her, he went back inside. Even though the bit of rock music in his ears, he heard her begin to cry for him. You have to be cruel to be kind. Hector had said it and it was true. But it hurt him, just the same. Instead of turning back and trying to comfort her, he climbed up into the Cadillac and turned his music up louder.

#

Gwen paced her new bedroom. Cleo’s owner had gone out of her way to make it feel comfortable for her. There were toys, books, and a small kid friendly TV. Cleo, as she’d promised, was there, as was her friend, Bush. 

Cleo lounged on her bed. “You like it?” She asked.

“It okay…” Gwen ran a hand over the plush toys, one was a white cat. “Dis ‘ppose be Wordworf?” She held it up to Cleo.

Cleo smiled. “I guess so.” The female cat got down. “You know, it’s not really a good bye for you guys. I can take you to visit him anytime. We just can’t stay there all the time or Bush will come looking for us. He doesn’t even like Riff-Raff that much. Used to try and chase him out of the music store.”

“Bus’ a good doggie….no wike Wiff-Waff ‘acause him maked Wordworf gibe me ‘way.”

Cleo frowned, and moved to sit by her on the floor. “Gwen, you wouldn’t have survived once Winter hit. Wordsworth would’ve tried his best, but you could’ve gotten really sick again. He didn’t want that for you. Riff-Raff might have had other reasons for making him send you back, but I bet that was part of it, too.”

“Gwen? It’s time for bed, little one. Let’s go brush your teeth.”  Her new foster mother came in, and patted Cleo on the head. “Good girl, my Cleo. Making her feel more comfortable here. I knew I could count on you.”

Cleo mewed daintily, then nudged Gwen lightly as she passed to leave the room. “I’ll make sure you have everything you need here, and I’ll make sure you get to see Wordsworth as much as I can.” She said as Gwen was scooped up gently. “and I’ll be back when she tucks you in.”

Gwen let the woman carry her to the bathroom where stepping stool was set up so she could reach the sink. She brushed her teeth and then, with assistance, changed into a long nightgown before being tucked into bed. Cleo jumped on the bed as Bush came into the room. “You good fwien’, too, Cweo.” She said.

“I try.” Cleo said with a soft laugh, curling up close to her. “Good night, Gwen.”

“Night Cweo… night Mrs. Kerwiggan…”

“Good night, sweet girl. I hope someday you will accept this as home…and me as Mommy.” The woman turned off the light and left her door cracked.