FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 99 of 100
Title: Forever Home - Chapter 99 of 100
Author: Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R
Spoilers: AU. If you’ve seen Kurt and Adam interact, you’re good.
Summary: Adam is bored, and realizes he needs a companion. He decides to adopt a hybrid human/cat.
Warning: Mention of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: About 5,700 words this chapter. About 452,000 words so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters in this story; they're owned by Fox. Any non-Glee characters are my own invention.
( Chapter 98)
CHAPTER 99
Kurt wanted to read the rest of the story for himself. He was not only impatient to know what happened, and a bit concerned he might forget some things in the next four days, but thought it might be fun to see the reactions of the ones who hadn’t read it yet as they were reading. He talked to Adam about his decision.
“That’s fine, Kurt. It’s up to you. But please don’t give away anything the others haven’t read yet. Let them be surprised, or figure things out on their own.”
“Okay, no spoilers,” Kurt sighed. “Is it kind of like how you don’t want to answer my questions about Harry Potter or Downton Abbey? You keep telling me to wait and see.”
“Yes, just like that. You’d have the momentary satisfaction of knowing, for instance, if someone lives or dies…”
“Someone dies in Harry Potter? Or Downton Abbey?” Kurt didn’t even try to keep the anxiety out of his voice.
Instead of answering, Adam put his hand over his face, completely covering his expression. Kurt pouted until Adam removed his hand a little later. His face seemed calm, so Adam was even keeping his reaction from being spoiled. He supposed it wasn’t really mean, it was meant to make the story more enjoyable for him. But it was annoying.
“Let’s just keep reading and watching, shall we?” Adam suggested. “And remind me to never let you watch Game of Thrones.”
“What’s that?”
“Something you don’t need to see.”
Kurt started to object, but Adam held up a hand. “It’s very violent, and there’s a lot of death. Not to mention, it’s very complicated, with hundreds of characters. I really don’t think you’d like it.”
He wrinkled his nose. “No, probably not.” He sighed heavily. “Damn it. Now I’m gonna worry about everyone in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.”
“Don’t worry too much about it.” Adam advised. “You’ve got plenty of other things on your plate.” He handed the book to Kurt, then pulled out his laptop to do more writing. He was almost done, but there was still plenty of editing to do, before he could send it to a publisher. And he wanted to make damn sure he had a copy of the manuscript before he sent it anywhere.
Kurt left Adam to write in peace, and went to his room to stretch out on the bed to read. He was amazed how little of the book was left, but could see how they wouldn’t have had time to go through it, not with that big a group.
When he was finished, he set the book on the nightstand, and surveyed his room. What he really wanted to do was change. He’d told Adam he’d let him know before changing, but he thought in this case Adam would be able to figure it out easily enough.
In cat form, he stretched as much as possible, then started climbing Buckingham Palace, to go visit his friends. No matter what Adam or anyone else thought, he knew they were Real.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The Tuesday reading lesson went a little more smoothly than the first. There were no new attendees, so no introductions were necessary. There were fewer owners present, too. Julia and Gabriel were at work. Julia had dropped off both pets, and Adam was planning on bringing Artie and Mandy back to Gabriel’s office when they were done. Both Daniel and Jerry were confident enough leaving Carl and Donna on their own, and they could go back to the pets’ lounge when they were done. Jesse was the only other owner hanging around. He didn’t have to be at work until that evening, so he didn’t mind waiting for Chandler. Adam was glad to see him there; he thought it might do him some good, as well as Chandler, to watch the pets interact and hear what they had to say.
“Raise your hand if you went ahead and finished The Velveteen Rabbit on your own, or with help from your owner,” Adam instructed.
Kurt, Artie, Donna, and Carl raised their hands. Mandy and Chandler hadn’t read it yet.
“Let’s get started, then. It might go faster, since some of you have already read it.”
Adam only occasionally had to correct someone’s pronunciation or explain an unfamiliar word.
When they finished it, he wasn’t too surprised to see several faces damp with tears. He wasn’t sure if it was because they were hybrids, but this was a sensitive and empathetic bunch of readers.
He passed around a box of tissues.
“Now, those are all tears of happiness, I hope?”
They all nodded, but didn’t try to speak.
“Would anyone like to discuss anything from the book? Raise your hand. I’ll give you all a chance to talk, I promise.”
He called on Artie first, since he was waving his hand frantically. “So, becoming real is a little like getting adopted, right?”
“How so?”
“Well, you’re kind of kept on the shelf in the pet store. You’re in a cage most of the time, maybe the window if you’re lucky, though you don’t have as much privacy there. But people look at you and think about whether they’re going to want to play with you - one way or another. When you get adopted, you become a little more like a real person to your owner.”
A few hybrids were shaking their heads.
“It wasn’t that way for me,” Mandy admitted. “My owner - my first owner, not Julia - treated me kind of like a toy dog. He didn’t really notice me except when he wanted something from me.” She shut her mouth very firmly, as though she were done talking about the subject.
They discussed their different experiences, some being shocked at just how different someone else’s store time had been.
“But I always thought we were supposed to be treated the same,” Chandler said. “That the pet stores were supposed to treat us the same, no matter which one we were sent to.”
“Anybody have an answer for that?” Adam asked.
Kurt finally spoke up. “Sometimes the way things are supposed to be, isn’t the way they end up. Maybe they’re all supposed to be alike, but it sounds like they’re really different.”
“There’s perhaps not as much regulation as there should be,” Adam suggested. “It’s a bit like schools - universities. In theory they should be pretty similar, but they all emphasize different things, they cost different amounts of money, and two students studying the same program, at different schools or even the same one, can have very different experiences.”
“Right. It seems that each pet store is allowed to make some of its own rules,” Carl mentioned.
“Yes, I think that’s definitely the case. But we’re getting off the subject. Let’s go around the circle. Each of you, please tell us what you liked the most about the story, or what meant the most to you.” He looked around at the hands in the air. “Yes, Chandler.”
Chandler’s voice was surprisingly confident, as he said, “I liked how the stuffed bunny became real.”
“Good.” Adam nodded at the next person. “Donna?”
“It was nice that the Skin Horse was helping him, instead of being mean or just keeping quiet.”
“What about you, Kurt?” He’d deliberately refrained from asking him at home what he thought of the book.
“The way The Boy loved him, even when he was getting dirty and shabby,” Kurt answered promptly.
“And Mandy?”
“I liked that the rabbit learned to play with the other rabbits, the ones who were born real, and they accepted him.”
“Yes, good point. Carl, go ahead.”
The dog hybrid heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I was so glad the rabbit didn’t get burned along with the sheets and clothes and things like that.”
“And last, but certainly not least, Artie.” He was very curious to see what the only rabbit in the group thought.
“I liked how the rabbit started becoming real early on, but didn’t realize it at first. It’s like, it was inside him to become real, there was no magic spell or someone waving a magic wand. It just happened.”
“I was hoping someone would mention that. Yes. It’s similar to the way one develops confidence or self-esteem. Sometimes it just happens without really noticing it.” He wondered if the owners were more conscious of the changes in some of their pets. He was amazed how much more articulate Mandy was in just a few days.
Mandy raised her hand, and Adam called on her.
“But I don’t understand! Can toys really be real?” She flushed. “I mean, do they become real?”
Adam really hadn’t expected that.
“No, Mandy, they can’t,” he explained gently. “It’s just a story.”
“Well, the animals, can they talk, like in Charlotte’s Web? And maybe people just can’t hear them? ‘Cause they do talk, and I understand them. Well, the dogs, anyway.”
“We all hear them talk, but we don’t always understand the other species,” Carl explained. “But them all being able to talk together? No. It’s just - imaginary.”
“What’s that?” Mandy asked. She looked a bit embarrassed, but curiosity won out.
“Fiction. Playing pretend.” He looked up at Adam, probably for reinforcement.
“But why would -“ Mandy stopped speaking, then sighed and continued, “It’s so nice to think about things like that happening. Why would they write about it if it isn’t real?”
“Because people like to escape,” Artie suggested, without raising his hand. Adam didn’t say anything about it, because he hadn’t interrupted. “We can’t -“ Artie, too, struggled to find the right words. “We don’t get to do that. Or I guess we’re not supposed to. Our books teach us rules, what to do, what not to do, things like that. Their books let them go somewhere else for a while, pretend to be something they’re not, somewhere they’re not. Like a little vacation.”
“But why? I just don’t understand.”
“It’s okay, Mandy,” he reassured her. “I guess that’s one reason we don’t usually read their books.”
He sounded so hurt by the idea, Adam hurried to step in.
“I’m not sure if I can explain it, either. But sometimes it’s nice to think about - or dream about - doing something you know is impossible. Like flying.”
“Oh! That would be nice.”
Kurt spoke up. “Haven’t you ever wanted to visit another country, see what it’s like somewhere else?”
“Isn’t it a lot like here? They speak different languages, but aren’t hybrids treated the same in the other countries?”
“Now that I don’t know,” Adam answered smoothly, “but I’ll bet there are some differences in how hybrids are treated, because of the different cultures.”
“Cultures? What’s that mean?”
“The way people live, their way of life, religion, and things like that. I believe there are some countries that don’t have any hybrids, and I’m not sure if they’re treated as pets everywhere. It would be interesting to know. I’ll see what I can find out about it and tell you all what I found out next time, alright?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Any other comments, questions, observations, about The Velveteen Rabbit?” Adam asked, hoping they could avoid going too far afield.
Artie raised his hand, and Adam asked him to speak.
“I think I figured out why my mom didn’t want me to read the book, why she thought I’d want freedom and wouldn’t be able to have it.” He paused, and looked around at the circle of faces.
“Go on,” Kurt encouraged.
“Maybe she meant that, even now I’ve been adopted, I’m still not quite real like the rabbits in the book. I still can’t do all the things they can. Though I can move around better, thanks to the awesome cart Kurt made for me.” He grinned at his friend, who gave him a thumbs up gesture.
“But I’ll never be able to jump and play, and stretch my body out quite like the rabbits in the pictures. The drawings,” he clarified. “And that’s got nothing to do with me being a hybrid, it’s ‘cause of my legs, and there’s nothing they can do about it. Gabriel is looking into it, and he’s doing some tests, but he wants me to know that he might not be able to find a cure. I might be stuck in a chair like this forever.”
There were some murmurs of sympathy from the other pets.
“But you know what? That might not be so bad. Yeah, I’d love to be able to jump, and run around with you guys, but I probably can’t, ever. But in the meantime, now that I’m adopted, I’ve got a great home, good friends, and books to keep my mind busy. There are so many books at Gabriel’s house, guys, I don’t know if I’ll ever have time to read all of them. Even just the ones I want to read. But because of the escapism in the books -“ He looked at Mandy, then Chandler. “Because I can escape, and sort of run away into a book, it’s kind of like having that freedom my mom thought I’d never get. I can’t go to all these other countries, or out into space, or be a time traveller, or any of that. Any more than any of us can. But I can sort of go along for the ride, and picture it in my mind as though it’s happening to me. And I think that’s a kind of magic all its own.”
Mandy nodded. “That does sound nice.”
Adam spoke up again. “One interesting thing about books is, there’s only so much an author can tell you. A lot of it you have to fill in from your imagination. Unless the book has illustrations, you probably won’t have a lot of details about certain things. Let’s say the author mentions a castle. Now, I suppose none of you has ever been to an actual castle.” Upon receiving confirmation, he continued. “I have, but I’ve only seen a few. There are quite a few in Great Britain, where I’m from. I’ve seen Buckingham Palace, and a few others. But they’re all different.
“If I read out loud, a sentence like, “The King and Queen lived in a castle, far from their subjects,” I’ll bet you all pictured something different. Unless there’s an illustration of the castle, or the author describes it in more detail, you won’t know whether it has square or round turrets, or some of each. You won’t know if there’s a moat and a drawbridge, or if there’s a huge courtyard in the middle, that the castle surrounds, or if it’s a solid building with interconnecting rooms only.” He saw that he had lost some of them, and tried to explain. After a few minutes, he realized there was even more of a gap between their knowledge and his than he’d realized.
“I’m sorry,” he admitted, “I really didn’t intend to confuse you all. Let’s try something easier.” He picked up another book out of his bag. “This time, I’m going to read this to you. It’s a long-ish poem, but much shorter than The Velveteen Rabbit. This is called The Owl and The Pussycat, by Edward Lear. Now, it’s intended as a nonsense poem, meaning it won’t make a lot of sense, but I want you to try to picture the story in your mind as I read it.
“The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,”
He paused as there were some giggles. Chandler raised his hand.
“Yes, Chandler?” Adam tried to sound more patient than he felt.
“But pee isn’t green.”
Several of the pets nodded.
“Very true. But in this case, it’s spelled p-e-a. It’s comparing the color of the boat to a green vegetable, a pea.”
“Oh! Well, if they sound the same, how to you know which it is? If you’re listening, rather than reading, I mean?” Chandler asked.
“You listen for context.” Adam clarified. “That means, you listen to the rest of the line, or sentence, and see if you can figure out which makes more sense. In this case, it’s just describing the color of the boat.”
“Okay. Sorry.” Chandler looked slightly embarrassed.
“That’s alright. Now, since it’s a poem, you’ll notice a lot of the lines will rhyme. I’ll start from the beginning again.”
He repeated the first line, then continued.
“They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.”
“A what? A really long note on a lot of paper? And that’s why it’s heavy?” Mandy held her hand over her mouth, then raised the other one.
Adam dared not laugh. “No, it’s English money. We use pounds, rather than dollars. So a five-pound note is similar to a five-dollar bill.” He wasn’t about to explain that it wasn’t a direct correlation to the amount of money a pound was worth, versus a dollar.
“But why would you put honey inside money? Wouldn’t it get the honey dirty, and the money all sticky and gross?”
Adam began to wonder if he’d chosen this project as wisely as he’d thought.
Kurt waved his hand rather frantically. Adam wondered if he were going to ask to go to the bathroom.
“Kurt?” he asked warily.
“I know! You could put the honey in a ziplock bag, to keep it clean, and wrap the money around it!”
Adam fixed a smile on his face.
“Yes, that might solve the problem. But keep in mind, please, all of you, this is a nonsense poem. The words are supposed to give you some images in your head, but the story the poem is telling might not make that much sense.”
Artie raised his hand. “Is it kind of like Alice in Wonderland, then? With all the rhymes and stuff that sounds really cool, but doesn’t necessarily mean anything?”
“That’s a good example.” Adam heaved a sigh of relief. “Yes. There is some symbolism in Alice, though - Never mind.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll continue.”
He read clearly and loudly, until he was stopped again.
“O let us be married! too long we have tarried
But what shall we do for a ring?"
“Tarried means waited,” Adam explained, anticipating the question.
“They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows…”
“What’s a Bong Tree?” Chandler’s eyes grew wide. “I’m sorry.” He raised his hand.
Adam sighed as unobtrusively as he could. “I don’t really know. Let’s say it’s a type of fruit.”
He got a little bit further before hitting another snag.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
“A shilling is a small coin, let’s say similar to a penny,” Adam quickly added.
“They dined on mince, and slices of quince -“
“What’s a quince? And mince?”
He glanced at Carl, wondering if he was trying to be funny. It was clear from his expression that he was sincere.
Adam cleared his throat. “Another type of fruit, and mince is actually something like hamburger.” He didn’t think it would be a good idea to introduce mincemeat pies into the mix at this point.
He knew there would be a bit of trouble with the next verse.
“Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.”
Donna raised her hand.
“What’s runcible mean? Is it like an old-timey word for rinsible, like washable?” she asked, looking around hesitantly.
Nobody laughed at her.
“It’s actually a nonsense word,” Adam explained, “a made up word. Scholars finally decided it was a type of fork, actually, rounded at the sides somewhat like a spoon, but with three tines. For picking up the quince.”
Adam closed the book.
“The poem itself is nonsense.” He thought it was a good idea to remind them. They seemed to be taking it too seriously. “It’s meant to be silly, rather than an actual story. But it’s very visual, isn’t it?”
There were a few uncertain looks.
“Can someone explain what they think I mean by it being visual?”
Mandy raised her hand. “Because it’s easy to see pictures? In my head, I mean?”
“Yes, exactly!” He smiled widely at her. “In some books, this poem has illustrations, and there are some paintings as well. This poem was written in 1871, so people have been reading it for over a hundred years. Think of all the different people, and the images they all had. The beauty of it is, each one of you might have a different mental picture of what the owl, the pussycat, the pig, and the turkey looked like. And you’d each be right.”
“What do you mean?” Chandler asked.
“Well, he doesn’t describe them in much detail, does he? We don’t know what kind of owl it is, or the color. We don’t know what kind of pussycat is described, either. Does she have dark fur, light fur, a combination? Is she a Siamese, Tabby, or Persian, for instance? Has she got a soft, fluffy tail, or a long, thin, whip-like tail?”
Carl raised his hand, his brow furrowed. “We don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Because he didn’t tell us what they looked like.”
“Correct. Now, what does the pussycat look like to you? Kurt?”
“Like Misty. A big, beautiful, snow-white Persian,” he explained to the rest.
“Very good. Donna? What type of cat did you see?”
“A Tabby, brown and gray stripes, with a fuzzy tail, and the fur is kind of medium-short.”
“Okay. Artie, what did the Pussycat look like to you?”
He shrugged. “I was thinking one of those big, furry, you know, long-haired cats with the sort of apricot-colored fur.”
“Apricot?” asked Chandler.
“Peach-colored. Kind of a light orange.”
“Or marmalade,” Adam suggested, then hurried on before they could ask about that. “Okay, very good. Mandy, what did you see in your mind?”
“A pretty cat, with big green eyes, black fur, and white paws. And a little bit of white at the end of her tail. And a little red collar with a bell, but not a hybrid collar.”
“I’m impressed with your sense of detail!”
She blushed.
“Now, Carl, what about you?”
He shrugged. “I figured she was like a little gray housecat, you know? Shortish fur, really long tail, yellow eyes.”
“Chandler?”
“A black cat, long fur, pretty gold eyes.” He blushed as he spoke.
“Very good. Now, you all saw a cat, but each of you saw a very different cat. There’s nothing wrong with that. But what you may notice, when a book is made into a movie, they’re going to cast certain actors, and create sets, that may look different from what’s described in the book. Or possibly different from the way you pictured it in your head from the book. And sometimes there will be a detailed description of a scene, and you’ll still see it differently in your mind…you’ll turn it around to make sense to you. Then when you see it in a movie, even if it’s accurate to the book, it’s not going to match what’s in your head, and it may be frustrating. You’ll definitely notice differences, for instance, between the Harry Potter books and movies.”
He looked around at the mostly frowning faces, and sighed. “And I can see I’ve completely lost some of you. Now don’t feel bad,” he added quickly. “It’s not your fault. As Kurt will gladly tell you, I talk a lot, probably too much. Alright. Since I don’t want to confuse you, and I think you’ve already got plenty to think about, let’s just go to some questions. Do any of you have any questions about what we’ve been reading? Or anything it made you think about? Or have you thought of anything else you’d like to ask?”
Kurt was shaking his head. He half-way raised his hand, and spoke in a stage whisper, as though he thought it might prevent him from being overheard. “Adam, too many questions! Fewer questions, fewer choices. Just one thing at a time.”
“Thanks,” a couple of the group murmured.
Adam rolled his eyes. “Duly noted. We don’t have much time left today. Does anyone have anything to say?”
Mandy slowly raised her hand. “I just wanted to thank you. I’m talking more now than I have in a long time. And I’m talking more to Julia, too. Thanks.”
“You’re very welcome.”
He was starting to realize that Kurt and Artie really were exceptions to the rule; it appeared that most hybrids were still a long way from ready to be independent. And even Kurt had backslid quite a bit when confronted with early programming. Well, as they said, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The conditioning would take some time to overcome, and future generations would need to learn new skills, and have more education, if they were to hope to succeed. But that was going to take time, and it certainly wasn’t going to help the current generation of hybrids.
For that matter, what would happen to the others at New Directions? Some of them needed to find homes soon, others still had a few years to go. From what he’d seen, Kurt and Artie were the most ready to adapt to a new way of thinking about themselves. Which implied a lot had to do with how they were raised in their own family before being sent to a pet store. How many parents would be willing to help their child overcome the programming, and would encourage them to think for themselves? And would that get the hybrids into trouble later on? Would they be teased, harassed, bullied as Artie and Kurt had been? Or would the other hybrids be more curious to learn why some in the store thought differently than they did? How would that go over with the owners, or the government?
He’d bitten off way more than he could chew, that was for sure.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Adam helped Artie out of his wheelchair and into the back seat of his car, and was able to fold up the chair so it would fit into the trunk. Kurt opened the back door for Mandy, so she and Artie could sit together. “Oh, I just thought, Mandy, do you want to sit up front with Adam? I can sit back here, if you’d like.”
Adam slid into the front seat, and adjusted his seatbelt, doing his best to look uninterested in the conversation.
Her voice sounded nervous. “Um, no, thank you, this is - fine?” He didn’t think she’d meant it to be a question.
Adam heard Kurt’s voice change slightly, to a very calm and soothing tone. “Okay. It’s easier to see everything from up front, but it’s nice back here, too.”
“If it’s okay, I -“ she sighed, obviously frustrated.
“Hey, Mandy,” Artie interrupted, “it’s okay. We can talk on the drive. You want me to help you with your seatbelt?”
“I think I’ve got it, thanks.” She sounded relieved.
Adam thought it best to keep his voice out of things entirely. He and Kurt would have plenty of time to talk. He turned the radio down, but left it on, as a soothing background noise. It would help give the illusion of privacy to the conversation in the back seat, without intruding on it. Kurt looked like he had plenty of things to occupy his mind, so Adam focused on getting them all to Gabriel’s office.
Kurt went with them. Adam was pretty sure Artie and Mandy could have managed to get to the right office without any trouble, but technically they were supposed to be with a human. He lightly held all three leashes, and hoped Artie wouldn’t try to speed up. They made it to the office without any mishaps, and Adam was a bit relieved to turn the other two pets over to Sara.
“We’ll see you both on Friday, yeah?” he asked them.
“Uh-huh,” Artie answered.
Mandy just nodded and averted her eyes. She seemed surprised when Artie took her hand, but didn’t look angry or scared. In fact, she relaxed her shoulders a bit and Adam thought he saw a tiny smile before it disappeared again.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Adam wanted to talk to Kurt about his concerns about making changes in the lives of hybrids. He found him a sympathetic listener, but not especially helpful.
“I’m just not sure anyone in this current generation of hybrids would even be ready, if they were set free tomorrow.”
“No, Adam, they wouldn’t.” Kurt sounded irritated. “As much freedom as you’ve given me, if the government said tomorrow, ‘You’re on your own, go out and live your own life,’ I wouldn’t know how to do it. How would I support myself? Who would give me a job?”
“Well, there are a couple of people I can think of, who seemed very impressed with you,” Adam suggested.
Kurt snorted. “Okay, but where would I live in the meantime, if I didn’t live with you? How would I get to and from work? I don’t even know what I’d do with a paycheck. How do you turn that into actual money? How do you pay the rent? How do you know how much you need for groceries?”
Adam forced his face to look serious as he replied, “You go to a bank and either cash the check, or put it into your account.”
“Right, a bank account. Which I don’t have. Are the banks suddenly going to be willing to give all hybrids accounts? A lot of us don’t even know how to count money or make change. How would I get an apartment? Would a bunch of us hybrids be able to get together and rent a house? With what money? And what about -“
“Okay, Kurt, I see your point.” He really didn’t want to upset Kurt any further. “It’s not as simple as that. You’d all need training, and more education, and maybe testing, to see what type of job you’d be suited for. In the meantime, as you say, bankers, landlords, employers, all sorts of people, would need to be prepared. It’s not going to be easy, and I doubt very much they’re going to make huge changes in your lifetime. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Do you want future generations of hybrids to go through the same things you did? To be taken from their parents, given to strangers, and told they had to obey to survive?”
“No, of course I don’t want that. But it works out pretty good for some. It did for me.” Kurt sighed as he thought about some of the others he knew, including ones who hadn’t been adopted yet, as far as he knew. “And others have it really tough. As nice as some people have been, I think there are a lot who won’t like the idea.”
“That’s very true. Well, we can’t solve everything now, but we can make a start. Once the book is out there, we’ll see what the reception is like. How many people actually want to read it, and what they think.”
“You’re going to let me read it before you send it to publishers, aren’t you?” Kurt asked.
“Of course. I want you to approve it, at least any of the parts that pertain to you. But I may have to publish it myself, to make sure it isn’t edited in ways I don’t want.”
Kurt shuddered. “How do you keep them from taking out whatever they don’t like, or adding something you didn’t write?”
“I don’t know. It would have a better chance of reaching more people with a professional publisher, but you’re right, there could be all sorts of things they might object to that I’d want to keep in there.”
Kurt sighed heavily, and leaned his head on Adam’s shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to make a decision now, do you?”
“Not just yet, no. What did you have in mind?”
“Can we take some time for us? I have a feeling, once the book gets out, things might get even crazier, and we might not have as much time together.”
Adam ruffled his hair as he spoke. “Possibly. But I’ll do my best to be sure we have time for each other.”
Kurt turned until he was cuddled as close to Adam as he could get. “Meow?” he asked hopefully.
“You want to change? And cuddle as a cat?” Adam asked, surprised.
“Mm-hm.”
“Go ahead, then.”
In seconds Adam found himself with an armful of cat, instead of an attractive young man. He sighed quietly and let Kurt get comfortable on his lap. He really wished he could do the same thing, turn off the busiest part of his brain, and just relax with someone. Then he realized he could at least try to do part of that. His mind didn’t want to relax, but the more time he spent petting Kurt, the easier it was to push those annoying thoughts aside. Instead of thinking about all the changes that couldn’t be made, and hybrids that couldn’t be helped, he focused on all the things he and Kurt had accomplished together. Maybe it wasn’t his job to change the world, but he could at least try to be the best possible owner he could be for Kurt.
Only time would tell what sort of reception his book would get. Julia had assured him the worst that was likely to happen would be for his book to be banned and perhaps confiscated. She said they couldn’t take Kurt away from him, and considering Kurt’s father was a Congressman, they were unlikely to try to cause any trouble for Kurt himself.
Kurt’s soft purrs turned to gentle snores. Adam closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. Maybe he just needed a good nap to sort out his mind.
Next - Chapter 100
Author: Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R
Spoilers: AU. If you’ve seen Kurt and Adam interact, you’re good.
Summary: Adam is bored, and realizes he needs a companion. He decides to adopt a hybrid human/cat.
Warning: Mention of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: About 5,700 words this chapter. About 452,000 words so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters in this story; they're owned by Fox. Any non-Glee characters are my own invention.
( Chapter 98)
CHAPTER 99
Kurt wanted to read the rest of the story for himself. He was not only impatient to know what happened, and a bit concerned he might forget some things in the next four days, but thought it might be fun to see the reactions of the ones who hadn’t read it yet as they were reading. He talked to Adam about his decision.
“That’s fine, Kurt. It’s up to you. But please don’t give away anything the others haven’t read yet. Let them be surprised, or figure things out on their own.”
“Okay, no spoilers,” Kurt sighed. “Is it kind of like how you don’t want to answer my questions about Harry Potter or Downton Abbey? You keep telling me to wait and see.”
“Yes, just like that. You’d have the momentary satisfaction of knowing, for instance, if someone lives or dies…”
“Someone dies in Harry Potter? Or Downton Abbey?” Kurt didn’t even try to keep the anxiety out of his voice.
Instead of answering, Adam put his hand over his face, completely covering his expression. Kurt pouted until Adam removed his hand a little later. His face seemed calm, so Adam was even keeping his reaction from being spoiled. He supposed it wasn’t really mean, it was meant to make the story more enjoyable for him. But it was annoying.
“Let’s just keep reading and watching, shall we?” Adam suggested. “And remind me to never let you watch Game of Thrones.”
“What’s that?”
“Something you don’t need to see.”
Kurt started to object, but Adam held up a hand. “It’s very violent, and there’s a lot of death. Not to mention, it’s very complicated, with hundreds of characters. I really don’t think you’d like it.”
He wrinkled his nose. “No, probably not.” He sighed heavily. “Damn it. Now I’m gonna worry about everyone in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.”
“Don’t worry too much about it.” Adam advised. “You’ve got plenty of other things on your plate.” He handed the book to Kurt, then pulled out his laptop to do more writing. He was almost done, but there was still plenty of editing to do, before he could send it to a publisher. And he wanted to make damn sure he had a copy of the manuscript before he sent it anywhere.
Kurt left Adam to write in peace, and went to his room to stretch out on the bed to read. He was amazed how little of the book was left, but could see how they wouldn’t have had time to go through it, not with that big a group.
When he was finished, he set the book on the nightstand, and surveyed his room. What he really wanted to do was change. He’d told Adam he’d let him know before changing, but he thought in this case Adam would be able to figure it out easily enough.
In cat form, he stretched as much as possible, then started climbing Buckingham Palace, to go visit his friends. No matter what Adam or anyone else thought, he knew they were Real.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The Tuesday reading lesson went a little more smoothly than the first. There were no new attendees, so no introductions were necessary. There were fewer owners present, too. Julia and Gabriel were at work. Julia had dropped off both pets, and Adam was planning on bringing Artie and Mandy back to Gabriel’s office when they were done. Both Daniel and Jerry were confident enough leaving Carl and Donna on their own, and they could go back to the pets’ lounge when they were done. Jesse was the only other owner hanging around. He didn’t have to be at work until that evening, so he didn’t mind waiting for Chandler. Adam was glad to see him there; he thought it might do him some good, as well as Chandler, to watch the pets interact and hear what they had to say.
“Raise your hand if you went ahead and finished The Velveteen Rabbit on your own, or with help from your owner,” Adam instructed.
Kurt, Artie, Donna, and Carl raised their hands. Mandy and Chandler hadn’t read it yet.
“Let’s get started, then. It might go faster, since some of you have already read it.”
Adam only occasionally had to correct someone’s pronunciation or explain an unfamiliar word.
When they finished it, he wasn’t too surprised to see several faces damp with tears. He wasn’t sure if it was because they were hybrids, but this was a sensitive and empathetic bunch of readers.
He passed around a box of tissues.
“Now, those are all tears of happiness, I hope?”
They all nodded, but didn’t try to speak.
“Would anyone like to discuss anything from the book? Raise your hand. I’ll give you all a chance to talk, I promise.”
He called on Artie first, since he was waving his hand frantically. “So, becoming real is a little like getting adopted, right?”
“How so?”
“Well, you’re kind of kept on the shelf in the pet store. You’re in a cage most of the time, maybe the window if you’re lucky, though you don’t have as much privacy there. But people look at you and think about whether they’re going to want to play with you - one way or another. When you get adopted, you become a little more like a real person to your owner.”
A few hybrids were shaking their heads.
“It wasn’t that way for me,” Mandy admitted. “My owner - my first owner, not Julia - treated me kind of like a toy dog. He didn’t really notice me except when he wanted something from me.” She shut her mouth very firmly, as though she were done talking about the subject.
They discussed their different experiences, some being shocked at just how different someone else’s store time had been.
“But I always thought we were supposed to be treated the same,” Chandler said. “That the pet stores were supposed to treat us the same, no matter which one we were sent to.”
“Anybody have an answer for that?” Adam asked.
Kurt finally spoke up. “Sometimes the way things are supposed to be, isn’t the way they end up. Maybe they’re all supposed to be alike, but it sounds like they’re really different.”
“There’s perhaps not as much regulation as there should be,” Adam suggested. “It’s a bit like schools - universities. In theory they should be pretty similar, but they all emphasize different things, they cost different amounts of money, and two students studying the same program, at different schools or even the same one, can have very different experiences.”
“Right. It seems that each pet store is allowed to make some of its own rules,” Carl mentioned.
“Yes, I think that’s definitely the case. But we’re getting off the subject. Let’s go around the circle. Each of you, please tell us what you liked the most about the story, or what meant the most to you.” He looked around at the hands in the air. “Yes, Chandler.”
Chandler’s voice was surprisingly confident, as he said, “I liked how the stuffed bunny became real.”
“Good.” Adam nodded at the next person. “Donna?”
“It was nice that the Skin Horse was helping him, instead of being mean or just keeping quiet.”
“What about you, Kurt?” He’d deliberately refrained from asking him at home what he thought of the book.
“The way The Boy loved him, even when he was getting dirty and shabby,” Kurt answered promptly.
“And Mandy?”
“I liked that the rabbit learned to play with the other rabbits, the ones who were born real, and they accepted him.”
“Yes, good point. Carl, go ahead.”
The dog hybrid heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I was so glad the rabbit didn’t get burned along with the sheets and clothes and things like that.”
“And last, but certainly not least, Artie.” He was very curious to see what the only rabbit in the group thought.
“I liked how the rabbit started becoming real early on, but didn’t realize it at first. It’s like, it was inside him to become real, there was no magic spell or someone waving a magic wand. It just happened.”
“I was hoping someone would mention that. Yes. It’s similar to the way one develops confidence or self-esteem. Sometimes it just happens without really noticing it.” He wondered if the owners were more conscious of the changes in some of their pets. He was amazed how much more articulate Mandy was in just a few days.
Mandy raised her hand, and Adam called on her.
“But I don’t understand! Can toys really be real?” She flushed. “I mean, do they become real?”
Adam really hadn’t expected that.
“No, Mandy, they can’t,” he explained gently. “It’s just a story.”
“Well, the animals, can they talk, like in Charlotte’s Web? And maybe people just can’t hear them? ‘Cause they do talk, and I understand them. Well, the dogs, anyway.”
“We all hear them talk, but we don’t always understand the other species,” Carl explained. “But them all being able to talk together? No. It’s just - imaginary.”
“What’s that?” Mandy asked. She looked a bit embarrassed, but curiosity won out.
“Fiction. Playing pretend.” He looked up at Adam, probably for reinforcement.
“But why would -“ Mandy stopped speaking, then sighed and continued, “It’s so nice to think about things like that happening. Why would they write about it if it isn’t real?”
“Because people like to escape,” Artie suggested, without raising his hand. Adam didn’t say anything about it, because he hadn’t interrupted. “We can’t -“ Artie, too, struggled to find the right words. “We don’t get to do that. Or I guess we’re not supposed to. Our books teach us rules, what to do, what not to do, things like that. Their books let them go somewhere else for a while, pretend to be something they’re not, somewhere they’re not. Like a little vacation.”
“But why? I just don’t understand.”
“It’s okay, Mandy,” he reassured her. “I guess that’s one reason we don’t usually read their books.”
He sounded so hurt by the idea, Adam hurried to step in.
“I’m not sure if I can explain it, either. But sometimes it’s nice to think about - or dream about - doing something you know is impossible. Like flying.”
“Oh! That would be nice.”
Kurt spoke up. “Haven’t you ever wanted to visit another country, see what it’s like somewhere else?”
“Isn’t it a lot like here? They speak different languages, but aren’t hybrids treated the same in the other countries?”
“Now that I don’t know,” Adam answered smoothly, “but I’ll bet there are some differences in how hybrids are treated, because of the different cultures.”
“Cultures? What’s that mean?”
“The way people live, their way of life, religion, and things like that. I believe there are some countries that don’t have any hybrids, and I’m not sure if they’re treated as pets everywhere. It would be interesting to know. I’ll see what I can find out about it and tell you all what I found out next time, alright?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Any other comments, questions, observations, about The Velveteen Rabbit?” Adam asked, hoping they could avoid going too far afield.
Artie raised his hand, and Adam asked him to speak.
“I think I figured out why my mom didn’t want me to read the book, why she thought I’d want freedom and wouldn’t be able to have it.” He paused, and looked around at the circle of faces.
“Go on,” Kurt encouraged.
“Maybe she meant that, even now I’ve been adopted, I’m still not quite real like the rabbits in the book. I still can’t do all the things they can. Though I can move around better, thanks to the awesome cart Kurt made for me.” He grinned at his friend, who gave him a thumbs up gesture.
“But I’ll never be able to jump and play, and stretch my body out quite like the rabbits in the pictures. The drawings,” he clarified. “And that’s got nothing to do with me being a hybrid, it’s ‘cause of my legs, and there’s nothing they can do about it. Gabriel is looking into it, and he’s doing some tests, but he wants me to know that he might not be able to find a cure. I might be stuck in a chair like this forever.”
There were some murmurs of sympathy from the other pets.
“But you know what? That might not be so bad. Yeah, I’d love to be able to jump, and run around with you guys, but I probably can’t, ever. But in the meantime, now that I’m adopted, I’ve got a great home, good friends, and books to keep my mind busy. There are so many books at Gabriel’s house, guys, I don’t know if I’ll ever have time to read all of them. Even just the ones I want to read. But because of the escapism in the books -“ He looked at Mandy, then Chandler. “Because I can escape, and sort of run away into a book, it’s kind of like having that freedom my mom thought I’d never get. I can’t go to all these other countries, or out into space, or be a time traveller, or any of that. Any more than any of us can. But I can sort of go along for the ride, and picture it in my mind as though it’s happening to me. And I think that’s a kind of magic all its own.”
Mandy nodded. “That does sound nice.”
Adam spoke up again. “One interesting thing about books is, there’s only so much an author can tell you. A lot of it you have to fill in from your imagination. Unless the book has illustrations, you probably won’t have a lot of details about certain things. Let’s say the author mentions a castle. Now, I suppose none of you has ever been to an actual castle.” Upon receiving confirmation, he continued. “I have, but I’ve only seen a few. There are quite a few in Great Britain, where I’m from. I’ve seen Buckingham Palace, and a few others. But they’re all different.
“If I read out loud, a sentence like, “The King and Queen lived in a castle, far from their subjects,” I’ll bet you all pictured something different. Unless there’s an illustration of the castle, or the author describes it in more detail, you won’t know whether it has square or round turrets, or some of each. You won’t know if there’s a moat and a drawbridge, or if there’s a huge courtyard in the middle, that the castle surrounds, or if it’s a solid building with interconnecting rooms only.” He saw that he had lost some of them, and tried to explain. After a few minutes, he realized there was even more of a gap between their knowledge and his than he’d realized.
“I’m sorry,” he admitted, “I really didn’t intend to confuse you all. Let’s try something easier.” He picked up another book out of his bag. “This time, I’m going to read this to you. It’s a long-ish poem, but much shorter than The Velveteen Rabbit. This is called The Owl and The Pussycat, by Edward Lear. Now, it’s intended as a nonsense poem, meaning it won’t make a lot of sense, but I want you to try to picture the story in your mind as I read it.
“The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,”
He paused as there were some giggles. Chandler raised his hand.
“Yes, Chandler?” Adam tried to sound more patient than he felt.
“But pee isn’t green.”
Several of the pets nodded.
“Very true. But in this case, it’s spelled p-e-a. It’s comparing the color of the boat to a green vegetable, a pea.”
“Oh! Well, if they sound the same, how to you know which it is? If you’re listening, rather than reading, I mean?” Chandler asked.
“You listen for context.” Adam clarified. “That means, you listen to the rest of the line, or sentence, and see if you can figure out which makes more sense. In this case, it’s just describing the color of the boat.”
“Okay. Sorry.” Chandler looked slightly embarrassed.
“That’s alright. Now, since it’s a poem, you’ll notice a lot of the lines will rhyme. I’ll start from the beginning again.”
He repeated the first line, then continued.
“They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.”
“A what? A really long note on a lot of paper? And that’s why it’s heavy?” Mandy held her hand over her mouth, then raised the other one.
Adam dared not laugh. “No, it’s English money. We use pounds, rather than dollars. So a five-pound note is similar to a five-dollar bill.” He wasn’t about to explain that it wasn’t a direct correlation to the amount of money a pound was worth, versus a dollar.
“But why would you put honey inside money? Wouldn’t it get the honey dirty, and the money all sticky and gross?”
Adam began to wonder if he’d chosen this project as wisely as he’d thought.
Kurt waved his hand rather frantically. Adam wondered if he were going to ask to go to the bathroom.
“Kurt?” he asked warily.
“I know! You could put the honey in a ziplock bag, to keep it clean, and wrap the money around it!”
Adam fixed a smile on his face.
“Yes, that might solve the problem. But keep in mind, please, all of you, this is a nonsense poem. The words are supposed to give you some images in your head, but the story the poem is telling might not make that much sense.”
Artie raised his hand. “Is it kind of like Alice in Wonderland, then? With all the rhymes and stuff that sounds really cool, but doesn’t necessarily mean anything?”
“That’s a good example.” Adam heaved a sigh of relief. “Yes. There is some symbolism in Alice, though - Never mind.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll continue.”
He read clearly and loudly, until he was stopped again.
“O let us be married! too long we have tarried
But what shall we do for a ring?"
“Tarried means waited,” Adam explained, anticipating the question.
“They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows…”
“What’s a Bong Tree?” Chandler’s eyes grew wide. “I’m sorry.” He raised his hand.
Adam sighed as unobtrusively as he could. “I don’t really know. Let’s say it’s a type of fruit.”
He got a little bit further before hitting another snag.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
“A shilling is a small coin, let’s say similar to a penny,” Adam quickly added.
“They dined on mince, and slices of quince -“
“What’s a quince? And mince?”
He glanced at Carl, wondering if he was trying to be funny. It was clear from his expression that he was sincere.
Adam cleared his throat. “Another type of fruit, and mince is actually something like hamburger.” He didn’t think it would be a good idea to introduce mincemeat pies into the mix at this point.
He knew there would be a bit of trouble with the next verse.
“Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.”
Donna raised her hand.
“What’s runcible mean? Is it like an old-timey word for rinsible, like washable?” she asked, looking around hesitantly.
Nobody laughed at her.
“It’s actually a nonsense word,” Adam explained, “a made up word. Scholars finally decided it was a type of fork, actually, rounded at the sides somewhat like a spoon, but with three tines. For picking up the quince.”
Adam closed the book.
“The poem itself is nonsense.” He thought it was a good idea to remind them. They seemed to be taking it too seriously. “It’s meant to be silly, rather than an actual story. But it’s very visual, isn’t it?”
There were a few uncertain looks.
“Can someone explain what they think I mean by it being visual?”
Mandy raised her hand. “Because it’s easy to see pictures? In my head, I mean?”
“Yes, exactly!” He smiled widely at her. “In some books, this poem has illustrations, and there are some paintings as well. This poem was written in 1871, so people have been reading it for over a hundred years. Think of all the different people, and the images they all had. The beauty of it is, each one of you might have a different mental picture of what the owl, the pussycat, the pig, and the turkey looked like. And you’d each be right.”
“What do you mean?” Chandler asked.
“Well, he doesn’t describe them in much detail, does he? We don’t know what kind of owl it is, or the color. We don’t know what kind of pussycat is described, either. Does she have dark fur, light fur, a combination? Is she a Siamese, Tabby, or Persian, for instance? Has she got a soft, fluffy tail, or a long, thin, whip-like tail?”
Carl raised his hand, his brow furrowed. “We don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Because he didn’t tell us what they looked like.”
“Correct. Now, what does the pussycat look like to you? Kurt?”
“Like Misty. A big, beautiful, snow-white Persian,” he explained to the rest.
“Very good. Donna? What type of cat did you see?”
“A Tabby, brown and gray stripes, with a fuzzy tail, and the fur is kind of medium-short.”
“Okay. Artie, what did the Pussycat look like to you?”
He shrugged. “I was thinking one of those big, furry, you know, long-haired cats with the sort of apricot-colored fur.”
“Apricot?” asked Chandler.
“Peach-colored. Kind of a light orange.”
“Or marmalade,” Adam suggested, then hurried on before they could ask about that. “Okay, very good. Mandy, what did you see in your mind?”
“A pretty cat, with big green eyes, black fur, and white paws. And a little bit of white at the end of her tail. And a little red collar with a bell, but not a hybrid collar.”
“I’m impressed with your sense of detail!”
She blushed.
“Now, Carl, what about you?”
He shrugged. “I figured she was like a little gray housecat, you know? Shortish fur, really long tail, yellow eyes.”
“Chandler?”
“A black cat, long fur, pretty gold eyes.” He blushed as he spoke.
“Very good. Now, you all saw a cat, but each of you saw a very different cat. There’s nothing wrong with that. But what you may notice, when a book is made into a movie, they’re going to cast certain actors, and create sets, that may look different from what’s described in the book. Or possibly different from the way you pictured it in your head from the book. And sometimes there will be a detailed description of a scene, and you’ll still see it differently in your mind…you’ll turn it around to make sense to you. Then when you see it in a movie, even if it’s accurate to the book, it’s not going to match what’s in your head, and it may be frustrating. You’ll definitely notice differences, for instance, between the Harry Potter books and movies.”
He looked around at the mostly frowning faces, and sighed. “And I can see I’ve completely lost some of you. Now don’t feel bad,” he added quickly. “It’s not your fault. As Kurt will gladly tell you, I talk a lot, probably too much. Alright. Since I don’t want to confuse you, and I think you’ve already got plenty to think about, let’s just go to some questions. Do any of you have any questions about what we’ve been reading? Or anything it made you think about? Or have you thought of anything else you’d like to ask?”
Kurt was shaking his head. He half-way raised his hand, and spoke in a stage whisper, as though he thought it might prevent him from being overheard. “Adam, too many questions! Fewer questions, fewer choices. Just one thing at a time.”
“Thanks,” a couple of the group murmured.
Adam rolled his eyes. “Duly noted. We don’t have much time left today. Does anyone have anything to say?”
Mandy slowly raised her hand. “I just wanted to thank you. I’m talking more now than I have in a long time. And I’m talking more to Julia, too. Thanks.”
“You’re very welcome.”
He was starting to realize that Kurt and Artie really were exceptions to the rule; it appeared that most hybrids were still a long way from ready to be independent. And even Kurt had backslid quite a bit when confronted with early programming. Well, as they said, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The conditioning would take some time to overcome, and future generations would need to learn new skills, and have more education, if they were to hope to succeed. But that was going to take time, and it certainly wasn’t going to help the current generation of hybrids.
For that matter, what would happen to the others at New Directions? Some of them needed to find homes soon, others still had a few years to go. From what he’d seen, Kurt and Artie were the most ready to adapt to a new way of thinking about themselves. Which implied a lot had to do with how they were raised in their own family before being sent to a pet store. How many parents would be willing to help their child overcome the programming, and would encourage them to think for themselves? And would that get the hybrids into trouble later on? Would they be teased, harassed, bullied as Artie and Kurt had been? Or would the other hybrids be more curious to learn why some in the store thought differently than they did? How would that go over with the owners, or the government?
He’d bitten off way more than he could chew, that was for sure.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Adam helped Artie out of his wheelchair and into the back seat of his car, and was able to fold up the chair so it would fit into the trunk. Kurt opened the back door for Mandy, so she and Artie could sit together. “Oh, I just thought, Mandy, do you want to sit up front with Adam? I can sit back here, if you’d like.”
Adam slid into the front seat, and adjusted his seatbelt, doing his best to look uninterested in the conversation.
Her voice sounded nervous. “Um, no, thank you, this is - fine?” He didn’t think she’d meant it to be a question.
Adam heard Kurt’s voice change slightly, to a very calm and soothing tone. “Okay. It’s easier to see everything from up front, but it’s nice back here, too.”
“If it’s okay, I -“ she sighed, obviously frustrated.
“Hey, Mandy,” Artie interrupted, “it’s okay. We can talk on the drive. You want me to help you with your seatbelt?”
“I think I’ve got it, thanks.” She sounded relieved.
Adam thought it best to keep his voice out of things entirely. He and Kurt would have plenty of time to talk. He turned the radio down, but left it on, as a soothing background noise. It would help give the illusion of privacy to the conversation in the back seat, without intruding on it. Kurt looked like he had plenty of things to occupy his mind, so Adam focused on getting them all to Gabriel’s office.
Kurt went with them. Adam was pretty sure Artie and Mandy could have managed to get to the right office without any trouble, but technically they were supposed to be with a human. He lightly held all three leashes, and hoped Artie wouldn’t try to speed up. They made it to the office without any mishaps, and Adam was a bit relieved to turn the other two pets over to Sara.
“We’ll see you both on Friday, yeah?” he asked them.
“Uh-huh,” Artie answered.
Mandy just nodded and averted her eyes. She seemed surprised when Artie took her hand, but didn’t look angry or scared. In fact, she relaxed her shoulders a bit and Adam thought he saw a tiny smile before it disappeared again.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Adam wanted to talk to Kurt about his concerns about making changes in the lives of hybrids. He found him a sympathetic listener, but not especially helpful.
“I’m just not sure anyone in this current generation of hybrids would even be ready, if they were set free tomorrow.”
“No, Adam, they wouldn’t.” Kurt sounded irritated. “As much freedom as you’ve given me, if the government said tomorrow, ‘You’re on your own, go out and live your own life,’ I wouldn’t know how to do it. How would I support myself? Who would give me a job?”
“Well, there are a couple of people I can think of, who seemed very impressed with you,” Adam suggested.
Kurt snorted. “Okay, but where would I live in the meantime, if I didn’t live with you? How would I get to and from work? I don’t even know what I’d do with a paycheck. How do you turn that into actual money? How do you pay the rent? How do you know how much you need for groceries?”
Adam forced his face to look serious as he replied, “You go to a bank and either cash the check, or put it into your account.”
“Right, a bank account. Which I don’t have. Are the banks suddenly going to be willing to give all hybrids accounts? A lot of us don’t even know how to count money or make change. How would I get an apartment? Would a bunch of us hybrids be able to get together and rent a house? With what money? And what about -“
“Okay, Kurt, I see your point.” He really didn’t want to upset Kurt any further. “It’s not as simple as that. You’d all need training, and more education, and maybe testing, to see what type of job you’d be suited for. In the meantime, as you say, bankers, landlords, employers, all sorts of people, would need to be prepared. It’s not going to be easy, and I doubt very much they’re going to make huge changes in your lifetime. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Do you want future generations of hybrids to go through the same things you did? To be taken from their parents, given to strangers, and told they had to obey to survive?”
“No, of course I don’t want that. But it works out pretty good for some. It did for me.” Kurt sighed as he thought about some of the others he knew, including ones who hadn’t been adopted yet, as far as he knew. “And others have it really tough. As nice as some people have been, I think there are a lot who won’t like the idea.”
“That’s very true. Well, we can’t solve everything now, but we can make a start. Once the book is out there, we’ll see what the reception is like. How many people actually want to read it, and what they think.”
“You’re going to let me read it before you send it to publishers, aren’t you?” Kurt asked.
“Of course. I want you to approve it, at least any of the parts that pertain to you. But I may have to publish it myself, to make sure it isn’t edited in ways I don’t want.”
Kurt shuddered. “How do you keep them from taking out whatever they don’t like, or adding something you didn’t write?”
“I don’t know. It would have a better chance of reaching more people with a professional publisher, but you’re right, there could be all sorts of things they might object to that I’d want to keep in there.”
Kurt sighed heavily, and leaned his head on Adam’s shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to make a decision now, do you?”
“Not just yet, no. What did you have in mind?”
“Can we take some time for us? I have a feeling, once the book gets out, things might get even crazier, and we might not have as much time together.”
Adam ruffled his hair as he spoke. “Possibly. But I’ll do my best to be sure we have time for each other.”
Kurt turned until he was cuddled as close to Adam as he could get. “Meow?” he asked hopefully.
“You want to change? And cuddle as a cat?” Adam asked, surprised.
“Mm-hm.”
“Go ahead, then.”
In seconds Adam found himself with an armful of cat, instead of an attractive young man. He sighed quietly and let Kurt get comfortable on his lap. He really wished he could do the same thing, turn off the busiest part of his brain, and just relax with someone. Then he realized he could at least try to do part of that. His mind didn’t want to relax, but the more time he spent petting Kurt, the easier it was to push those annoying thoughts aside. Instead of thinking about all the changes that couldn’t be made, and hybrids that couldn’t be helped, he focused on all the things he and Kurt had accomplished together. Maybe it wasn’t his job to change the world, but he could at least try to be the best possible owner he could be for Kurt.
Only time would tell what sort of reception his book would get. Julia had assured him the worst that was likely to happen would be for his book to be banned and perhaps confiscated. She said they couldn’t take Kurt away from him, and considering Kurt’s father was a Congressman, they were unlikely to try to cause any trouble for Kurt himself.
Kurt’s soft purrs turned to gentle snores. Adam closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. Maybe he just needed a good nap to sort out his mind.
Next - Chapter 100