We're in This Together

Episode 31 (Part 3)

Lexa's disbelief was evident as she asked, "What did you say?". Her eyes widened as she turned to face us – Alex, Lawrence, and me. The three of us had just arrived at Lexa's cafe after striking a deal with a man. I wasted no time in recounting the entire incident to Lexa, leaving her in shock.

"I need a cold drink," she declared, swiftly reaching for a glass filled with ice and water. After taking a deep breath to steady herself and she resumed the conversation.

"So, let me get this straight," she began, "You guys almost ended up in jail because you attempted to steal twelve kittens from the platform shopkeeper?" We all nodded in agreement, prompting Lexa's eyes to widen even further as she exclaimed my name.

"Jennifer Alison!" she yelled, causing us all to flinch in unison. However, she quickly lowered her voice upon noticing the other customers in the cafe placing orders with Dan.

"It wasn't my idea," I interjected, pausing to glance at Alex. "It was his..." I pointed accusingly at him, eliciting a shocked reaction.

"Yeah, it was his..." Lawrence chimed in, echoing my sentiment as Lexa took a sip of her water. Her gaze sharpened as she turned towards Alex, who instinctively moved his chair behind me, using me as a shield. Lexa let out a small sigh before continuing the conversation.

"Anyway... where are the kittens now?" she paused, scanning our faces. "You guys returned them already, right?" she asked, her tone tinged with concern. The three of us exchanged glances before Alex and Lawrence slowly rose from their seats and headed towards the exit.

"Jennifer... please don't tell me you brought them here," Lexa's eyes bore into mine as they left me alone at the table. Before I could respond, the faint meowing of kittens could be heard from the entrance as the door swung open.

"Surprise!" I exclaimed, forcing a smile. But before I could even register the reaction, Lexa called out my name again, this time loud enough for the entire cafe to hear, drawing confused looks from the other customers.

"Jennifer!" Lexa's voice rang out, causing me to close my eyes in apprehension. "Are you telling me that you've brought all of those cats here... to my cafe?" she asked, her expression creased with a frown.

"Yeah, what else could we do?" I replied, feeling a bit defensive as Alex and Lawrence returned, each carrying a box of kittens.

"There are only 8 left... not the original 12," Lawrence added.

"And the officers took 4 of them from us..." Alex attempted to explain, but Lexa shot him a deadly glare, silencing him.

"Lexa, come on... they're just little kittens," Dan interjected, joining our group after attending to the customers. He pulled up a chair and sat down with us.

"Well then, Dan, why don't you take them all and play mommy?" Lexa retorted, her tone laced with anger, though it was hard for us to contain our laughter. The mental image of Dan being a cat mommy was too amusing to ignore, causing both Alex and me to chuckle softly.

"It's okay... I can take 2," Dan offered, inspecting the boxes that Alex and Lawrence had brought into the cafe. There were still 8 kittens inside, their tiny mews filling the air. As we continued our conversation, Adie emerged from my workshop room upon hearing the sounds of the kittens. She trotted over to me with a bright smile, but her excitement halted as soon as she laid eyes on the small furballs.

"Wow, kitties!" she exclaimed, dropping to her knees to get a closer look. I gently patted her head with a soft smile as Alex glanced at me, curiosity evident in his expression.

"Your niece?" he inquired, nodding towards Adie, who was eagerly peering into the box.

"Um... she's actually my daughter," I replied, turning to Adie with a warm smile. "Adeline Alison," I introduced her, then redirected my attention to Alex, who nodded in understanding.