Together

Cats

Hello hello hello! I hope you've all had a nice day. I had a terrible math test lol so hopefully you all had better days than me. After that last chapter that I didn't like very much, this one is fun. I like it more and it's quite sweet. Enjoy/comment/vote x

February 5, 2026

Harper

It surprises me a bit, when I get a text from Taylor around lunchtime.

Taylor: Hey love, I've got a huge favour to ask of you and Patrick... my label wants me meet with me in LA for a few days before I'm unable to fly and I need somebody to pop over and feed the cats... would you two be willing? I'll pay you, of course.

Harper: Sure, that's not a problem! When are you leaving?

Taylor: Tomorrow. Could you come over this afternoon before your evening show so that I can show you the ropes? Anytime will work.

Harper: Yep!

I send Patrick a quick message at work, notifying him of what is happening, then I decide to just go over to Taylor's and grab a sandwich for lunch on the way. We can hang out for a bit that way.

I absolutely adore Taylor's cats, so it'll be fun to get to hang out with them, even though that might sound pathetic.

When I arrive at Taylor's flat, she most certainly has that early-pregnancy 'glow' about her, even though I know that she hasn't been feeling the greatest.

"Hey," I say, giving her a hug. "How are you doing?"

"As good as I can be," she laughs with a shrug. "How about you?"

"Same as always."

"How's your dad?" she asks, sympathetically.

"He's... the same," I frown. "No better, no worse. They're expecting him to start declining more soon."

"I'm sorry, love," Taylor tells me, rubbing my back. "I'm here if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Just as I'm saying that, Taylor's cat, Olivia, walks up to me and starts rubbing against my legs. "Hi Dibbles," I coo, using her common nickname. I pick up the small cat and cuddle her against my chest, to which she happily purrs.

"So, you had a kitten when you were growing up, right?" Taylor asks.

"Yeah."

"Great, so you know how to scoop out a litter box?"

"I can't say that it's my favourite thing to do, but yeah."

Both of us laugh.

"So, their litter box is in the laundry room, and I usually scoop it every other day," Taylor says, leading me down the hall. "Just put it into a plastic bag and seal it closed before putting it in the bin."

We turn into the laundry room and Taylor shows me what she means by that.

"Perfect."

"So, I usually feed them half a cup of dry food and a third of a can of wet food every day, per cat. If you could come over in the mornings, that would be great. Just put out the wet food when you come over and they will scarf that down right away, and will save their dry food for the rest of the day, probably."

Taylor shows me where she keeps the cats' dry and wet food, in a little closet by their litter box.

"And they have toys and such scattered throughout the house, so that shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure that you change their water once a day, too. Oh! I like to give them Greenies, becuase it helps to clean their teeth, too. It helps with their kitty breath."

I smile. "Sounds good," I tell Taylor.

"Any questions about anything?"

"I don't think so..."

"Would you fancy a cuppa?"

"Taylor," I gasp, "you did NOT just say that!"

She laughs. "What?"

"You sound so... so British!"

"I'd suppose that Joe is rubbing off on me."

"You know that you're picking up the accent a bit, too, right? It was really heavy when you said that. You sound like Joe."

Taylor smiles and blushes a bit. "It's about time, I suppose. Anyway, tea?"

"Sure," I reply. We walk into her kitchen, where she turns on her electric kettle and pulls out two mugs.

"I think you'll fancy this mug," she smiles, showing me the ceramic mug that she is holding in her hand. It's black with the logo from Cats on it. "They gave me a whole bunch of merchandise from the stage musical when I did the movie."

"I love that," I reply.

Taylor fixes up our tea, naturally ensuring that both of them are caffeine free, then sits down with me at her little table.

"So, tell me," she says, "how's the life of Harper Alwyn?"

"Well, I get to come hang out with some cats for the next week," I give a cheeky smile, "so it's really not that bad."

"Well, I'm glad that you're excited. You know that you're completely welcome to come hang out here as much as you'd like."

"Thanks."

"How about Patrick? How's he?"

"He's fine," I shrug. "Nothing too new in his life. He's going to his pediatrics class and working. I don't see a lot of him, in all honestly, but we get to cuddle every night."

"When you're done with Anastasia, you'll get to see him more, right?"

"Yeah," I nod. "I have honestly no idea what I'll do next, but I'm probably going to take a month or two off, at least."

"That's good. You need that time to rest. Your job is exhausting, love."

"It doesn't seem like it, because I love it. My casts become my family."

"But you have a real family that you need to see, too," Taylor reminds me.

"I know. That's why I'm going to take a bit off."

"I have no idea when I'm going to return to music," she admits. "I mean, with the baby and everything, it could be honestly years."

"Everyone will understand," I tell her.

"I don't want my fans to worry, or even worse, suffer. I always worry... what if there is a song that I could put out that could help somebody, just when they need it most, but I don't, and I can't help them..."

"Hey, you can't think like that," I insist. "You need to prioritize you first, and your child. Your fans will be supportive of you, okay?"

"Thanks, Harper," Taylor tells me, giving me a small smile.

We end up talking for quite a bit longer. Thankfully, I saw that coming and brought my things for my show. After making a quick stop at a Pret to grab dinner, I go straight to the Piccadilly Theatre for my evening performance.