Catherine

"I'm really sorry. But she's a sweetheart and I don't want to let her down." I rolled my eyes and faced my vanity mirror. I was already dressed in my usual grey suit when Rose delivered me the news (groggily if I might add) that she couldn't show up on an author's book signing.

"You just had to drink the night before the event." I can hear her groaning from the other line. Probably attempting to get off her bed. She's all to blame on why she's hungover. Who in their right mind would party on a Sunday?

Uh.You. Remember?

Okay but mine was a different story. I had a cause. Sure it was because I had to hunt down prince charming but hey, it's better than drinking because my co-workers dared me to order every available shot.

"You'll do it for me right? Right! I'll text you the address and you just have to show up. You know the drill. Okay bye!" Then she hung up. Looking at my phone, I made a face before stuffing it on my bag.

I got out of my room. My door's been torn down. He told me he was going to replace it. Four days and my bedroom's being entered by sunlight. I'm beginning to suspect I'm a vampire. I liked my room dark. And locked. I'm telling you, if you live with a reaper; I highly doubt ghosts would scare you. I'll probably sing Ghostbuster, calling him just like the spotlight on Batman, and Damon would come bursting inside my room with a vacuum. Or however they collect the souls. He wouldn't tell me.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss Cat.

I turned to knock on Damon's room to tell him I'm off. It's kind of a silent agreement between us. He opened the door as he was wearing his leather jacket. Damon admitted that he thinks the jacket's too hot and he pretty much preferred flip-flops than boots but (according to him) it would ruin his badass image. I asked him if he got any tattoos too, but he said no. Needles freak him out. I'm not going to call him a wuss puss just because he can't get some permanent ink on his flesh. Who am I to judge? Even I'm afraid of needles. And as Benjie/Gina said; they don't have to look the part.

"Need a lift?" he smiled at me and I automatically covered my forehead. He laughed before walking past me and picked up his keys on the table near the door. I'm always on alert mode whenever he's near. You never know when he decides to open your eye just because he likes kissing your forehead.

"I'm off to see Rose' client. She can't make it." just then, my phone beeped, alerting me that I just received a message. I winced as I recognized the place and time she texted. How am I supposed to get there in fifteen minutes? Turning to Damon, I saw him playing with his keys.

"I'm going to take that offer. But please do not kill me." He grinned before letting me walk past the door.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

***
Nobody told me we were supposed to dress up.

Looking around, I saw adults wearing princess outfits and children running around wearing costumes.

"Whoaw." Damon said under his breath.

Whoaw indeed.

I was still taking in the colorful decors hanging on the walls and nursery rhymes playing in the background, when a petite woman approached us.

"Hi I'm Mavis. I'm assuming you're Rose?" she took my hand and shook it. She was smiling at me like she wanted to ask me for something utterly impossible but I'm guessing that's how people usually look like when they're too happy.

"Oh no ma'am. Rose can't make it today due to certain...circumstances. I was sent here just to look if things are going well." She then lets go of my hand and stared at the man behind me.

"Damon Grace ma'am." He smiled at him and offered his hand. Mavis took it, her other hand on her chest. It's either she's too overwhelmed by Mr. Macho here or Damon's taking her soul.

"Everything's great. We're about to start so why don't you and your boyfriend look around. We have snacks at our corner. There are no chairs so you have to sit on the floor. Don't worry it's clean. My son's somewhere over this sea of kids. Can you be a darling and take care of him when you see him? Weird request, yeah? But I have so much to do. And I know you're an honorable and righteous lady. Take any of the kids and you're dead meat. Okay? Okay! Now go have some orange punch." Before patting my hand and turned to leave.

"O-Okay? And he's not my boyf-"

"I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." He took my hand and dragged me to a small table filled with cookies and orange punch. It was like kindergarten all over again.

"We're supposed to take our shoes off first." I pulled his arm gently, noticing that everybody else was barefoot or wearing their socks. He looked around too and few of the women's attentions were on us. I quietly dragged him on where they place the others placed their shoes and started to take off mine. I was about to take off the second one when I felt someone grab my ankle. I looked down to see Damon taking my left shoe off. It was like my Cinderella moment.

In reverse.

At a book signing.

"You didn't have to do that." He was slumped on the floor as he took off his boots. He just kind of like looked at me and said nothing. After he was finished, we walked back to see that it was starting. I've been to events like this where readers try to dress up like the characters on the book and this is no different. But those book signings didn't have little humans walking around. Damon and I were getting ourselves a plate, when I shrieked as I felt something hit my bum. Looking down, I saw a lion. Well not really a lion but a kid wearing a lion onesie. We both had shock painted on our faces and we didn't move. And Damon being Damon was busy choosing animal-shaped cookies so he's completely oblivious to what just happened.

Then the kid started sniffing, his lip quivering as he looked at me.

"No no no. Don't cry sweetheart. Aunt Cat's sorry." I put down my plate and bent down to pick him up. His arms were already help up so I guess it was the right thing to do. He looked at me and put his thumb on his mouth. He looked like he was three years old.

"Cat?" The lion asked. I nodded and removed his thumb from his mouth. He may have touched a lot of things with his hand and it makes me uncomfortable to see him putting it in his mouth. He placed his hand on his chest, and in all seriousness proclaimed his name.

"Wion."

I laughed and kissed his cheek. He's just three so it was alright.

"I see you have tamed the king of the jungle." I felt Mr. Lion hide his face on the side of my neck, hugging him tighter, I turned to Damon holding a pink cup with orange juice and a plate of cookies on the other.

"He ran into me." I explained. Damon held onto my elbow and guided me to a corner. He sat down on the floor and put down his plate and cup beside him before offering his arms. I carefully transferred my squirming cargo to Damon and sat down.

"Hey buddy." Damon cooed as Wion stared at him.

"Wion." He insisted and touched Damon's nose. Damon pretended on biting his hand making Wion giggle.

"Aren't we supposed to find his mom?" I took a cookie from his plate and broke it in two, handing Wion the other half.

"She'll see us." Damon was completely engrossed on playing with him and Wion was looking at him funny. Wion turned to me.

"Apple." My eyes widened and scooted towards them a little.

"Have you been smoking again?" I gritted my teeth as I looked at Damon. He turned to me, confused on my sudden accusation.

"What. No. You told me to stop and I obeyed like a good boy." He held Wion up and clapped his hands. Unconvinced that he stopped smoking, I sniffed on the same spot Wion placed his head. I heard him chuckle and move away from me, careful not to jostle Wion too much.

"Don't do that." I frowned and just shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm going to check on things. I'll be back. Okay Wion?" The little boy nodded and waved his hand. "Bye Cat."

I smiled before walking to where the author sat, signing storybooks held by mommy princesses. Mavis stood beside me as I smiled and gave the author a thumbs up.

"You and your boyfriend planning to have your little bundle of joy soon? I must say, you make an odd couple." She whispered and I had to move my eyes away from Damon playing with Wion.

"We're not-" But I was quickly interrupted.

"Ready? Can't blame you. Caring for a baby takes all your time. You're lucky if you can even squeeze in some private time with him." I winced and decided not to answer. People seem to enjoy cutting me off when I'm talking. I gave one last look at the author and went towards Damon.

I frowned when I saw him approaching me with a very silent Wion in his arms. I panicked and met them halfway, my hand automatically touching Wion's cheek.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I looked at Damon, whose eyes were wide. Probably because I said the line the moment our eyes met. "I meant Wion.'' His mouth formed an 'o' as he gave me Wion.

"He told me...potty." I barely heard the last word. I looked down to see Wion concentrating.

I looked at Damon and asked him to come with me to the restroom.

"I'm not going in there." Glaring at him as I opened the restroom's door.

"You will. Or I'll give him to you. Poop and all." I entered the restroom and started taking off his onesie. I heard Damon groan as he closed the door.

I held Wion by his armpits and sat him down on the toilet bowl. He started groaning and the smell of some nasty garbage monster wafted around the small restroom. I heard Damon gagging as he covered his nose with Wion's onesie. My eyes were getting teary-eyed but I tried not to look down at what was happening while Wion pushed for dear life.

"Done." I looked down to see Wion grinning at me. I forced a smile and turned to Damon.

"Ohoh no no. I'm not cleaning him up." He stepped back as I flushed the toilet.

"He's a boy." As if that would convince him to clean our little cookie monster.

"That doesn't make sense." He frowned as he slowly approached us. He placed Wion's onesie at the sink near the toilet bowl and reached for him, his face facing the restroom's door.

I sighed, handing Wion over. "I already flushed the toilet Damon."

"But it still stinks. Why can't you clean him up." He whined as he accepted Wion. He looked between the two adults arguing on who's going to clean him.

"Because he's a boy. And he has boy parts. Besides, I haven't even cleaned a baby before." Wion was starting to feel cold and let out a sneeze.

"And I have? He's a baby. Nobody minds baby parts." I crossed my arms on my chest.

"How are you going to take care of a baby when you can't even help Wion potty?"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "We can go to classes on how to handle our babies." Giving up, he turned to the sink and I turned around as he tried cleaning Wion.

"Done." I swirled to see him looking at me, smirking. "At least I think I cleaned him." He offered me his hand and I was supposed to take it when I remembered him using it to clean Wion up.

Laughing, he asked me for the towels folded neatly on the corner.

"You're all clean now buddy." He whispered near Wion's ear and he started dangling his legs as he clapped. It was too late when Wion's foot caught on to his onesie and fell on the toilet bowl as he moved his leg. We both stared at the soaked lion suit for a full minute before looking at each other.

"What now?" I handed him the towel as he dried Wion off. He didn't answer and I tried to peak from his shoulder when he took too long. He eventually moved out of the way.

"Tadaaaa!" he presented Wion. Wion, not sure on what's happening raised his arms and copied Damon's words. "Tadaaa!"

I wasn't sure if I should be laughing because he found a way to at least cover him up, or be mad because he turned Wion into a mini Tarzan.

"He's still the king of the jungle, see?" He gave me Wion who turned to Damon, whining.

"Take Wion's onesie off the bowl." I smiled at him sweetly, hoping that would be enough to make him want to do it.

He stared at me and moved closer. "Wion's oneshie!" Wion urged as we both smiled at him.

"I'm a taker of souls and you just boss me around with a three year-old." He mumbles and turned to bend over the bowl.

He was wincing as he lifted it and we both turned when we heard the door opening, Mavis' head peaked in

"Is anybody in-oh." Mavis looked at me, holding Wion in a makeshift loincloth and Damon holding a wet onesie with his thumb and pointer finger. She approached us and Wion eagerly went to her arms.

"Mommy!"

Damon and I looked at each other.

"I was looking for you Wion." She cooed.

Wait. What? That's actually his name?

"Cat! Apple! Tarzan! Tadaaa!" He exclaimed and raised his arms again.

Mavis turned to us. A woman wearing a suit and a man wearing a leather jacket holding a onesie. Both barefoot.

"Well." She cleared her throat. "I better change Tarzan here." she smiled at us and walked out of the restroom.

Silence.

He sighed and he threw the onesie on the sink, running his fingers through his hair.

"We clearly need to take baby 101."

I was about to answer when I remembered something.

"Isn't that the hand you used to clean..."

He quickly stopped messing his hair and stared at his hand in disbelief.

"Shi-"

"Ships!" I interrupted him before some kid walks inside with a huge man talking about poop.