Timothy quietly watched as team going to Antarctica left. Shi had only wanted to help and try to make it up to Janace and Anubis for the way shi had behaved when shi was still human. Even though leaving Janace would be a violation of the punishment the court in Colorado Springs had placed on hir for her actions in the localized outbreak in their zoo, Timothy wanted to show that shi had changed.
"I only wanted to help," Timothy said, "and we aren't truly cold blooded. My sssssssssssoughter hassssssssssssss sssssssssssssssaid sssssssssssso."
"And Elise has told me that many dinosaurs are believed to have actually been warm blooded," Casey Jones commented, "particularly the theropods."
"Hmm?" Timothy asked, sounding curious.
"Two legged predatory dinosaurs... like T-Rex, Allosaurus, Deinonychus, Velociraptor, and others like them," Casey Jones explained.
"Oh," Timothy answered and glanced over to the Dinokat.
Casey Jones stood taller than Timothy, and hir head, while somewhat similar to Timothy's in shape, was also very different. Timothy's head was more like a rectangle with a squared off muzzle. Hir teeth, while recurved and sharp were all held inside hir mouth and covered by hir lips. Casey Jones's muzzle was more rounded and it was narrower than the back of hir skull. In addition, Casey Jones also had a Tyrannosaur's classic overbite in that hir lower jaw fit inside hir upper jaw and the teeth on hir upper jaw weren't completely covered by hir lips and were visible, even while hir mouth was closed. They weren't as big as a normal T-Rex's, but then Dinokats weren't as big as the creatures their DNA had originally been taken from. Many of them might be bigger than some other Kats, but they were all within the same range of sizes other Kats were. As such, Casey Jones's teeth were bigger than Timothy's were by far. Timothy guessed that only Charlie and Mina's sabers were longer than Casey Jones's teeth. Casey Jones also had a coating of feathers on hir body, though they were mostly on hir back and at long distance would be mistaken for scales, in contrast to Timothy who was coated in beaded scales. But, strangely, Timothy also found Casey Jones strangely beautiful.
"So you said you wanted to go somewhere?" Casey Jones asked.
"Yesssssssssss," Timothy answered and began to walk toward Janace's "downtown." Casey Jones followed hir, and Timothy soon noticed another difference. Timothy could feel hir tail drag along the ground as shi walked, yet Casey Jones's tail was held stiffly behind hir and swayed side to side as shi walked.
The two made their way downtown to what was a fast food restaurant, ordered a couple of smoothies and rested in the dining area. It had tables, but no chairs, since the four legged Kats couldn't sit in them and booths for Janace's human population. As they waited, the two began to talk and actually introduce themselves. This also included some confessions on the things that haunted their minds.
"Sssssssso you had a mate?" Timothy asked.
"A fiance in New York, yes," Casey Jones asked, "Shi got clawed by some Dinokat that was based off of what Elise told me was Compsognathus after I described the Dinokat that attacked hir. I got the Dinokat off of hir, but shi was already changing into a Dinokat... based off of Stegosaurus... and went off saying shi was hungry. While I was fighting with the Kat that clawed hir, I got clawed and soon became as I am now... based off of Tyrannosaurus. The other Dinokat fled as I changed, but when I finished... I was hungry... hungry beyond all measure and I went into a strong blood-lust... I didn't come out of it until after I had caught..."
Timothy watched as Casey Jones sniffled.
"After I caught and ate my fiance," Casey Jones sniffled.
"That wasssssssssssssn't your fault," Timothy spoke.
Casey Jones nodded, "I know... and I'm largely over it... but I felt guilty and powerless about it and I really needed some help to get to where I am now..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
While Sally, Jess, Alexis and Luna were meeting with Justin and Francine, Casey Jones sat quietly in a hotel room that shi had been given to stay in. Shi had no home yet, though shi had heard Elise would be talking with Flake, Danna, Mikkie, Angel, and Demon about getting a home for hir built. Casey still felt guilty and powerless over what shi had done. Shi could accept that shi was at the virus's mercy, but shi had originally been a he. "He" was supposed to be in control of things, not mindlessly eating his one true love because of the virus. For the moment though, Casey Jones had been left to hir thoughts, when there was a knock on the door. Getting off the bed, shi walked over to the door, and found the Deinonychus based Dinokat, Elise, and a black exoskeleton based Scorpkat, Brent.
"Hello Casey, are you feeling okay?" Elise asked.
"As well as a victim can feel," Casey Jones answered, "Come on in."
The two nodded and followed Casey Jones in. Casey Jones returned to rest on the bed, careful not to rip the bedding with hir claws while Elise moved to sit by the television. Brent, hir scorpion half looking a bit bigger than before moved to where a small round desk was in a corner. On the desk, Brent noticed several sketches that showed a beautiful human woman in either costumes or were just pictures of her head and face.
"I take it this was your fiancee when shi was human?" Brent asked.
"Yes," Casey Jones answered, "The most beautiful human woman ever, and nothing will ever change that... and in a moment of weakness... I ended hir life."
"I'm sure shi knows you weren't in control," Brent commented.
"But I'm supposed to be in control!" Casey protested, "I was a MAN! I was supposed to be in control of myself... so that I could protect hir when shi needed it and support hir and cheer for hir when shi succeeded... but the Kat Virus ruined everything. We were going to be stars together and now I've eaten hir and was powerless besides."
"Feeling weak isn't an altogether uncommon feeling," Brent gave a sigh, "Particularly when bad things happen..."
"But you look happy!" Casey pointed out.
"I've also had my family to support me, my sither and hir mate, my mother and hir mate, and they've also been helpful," Brent answered.
"And what "bad" thing happened to you?" Casey wondered.
"For me, it was rape," Brent explained, "I got caught in the Vatican outbreak and was raped by some horny Scorpkats, which left me pregnant.. and I did feel just as powerless as you do for it... after all... I too was a man and men don't get pregnant... we also tend to be hard to rape as it's hard to get an erection when you don't want one. But getting support from my family helped a lot... and finding and adopting Kila in New York has made me more open to being a "mommy," so I've come to accept what I am... a Kat, a hermaphrodite, and a mother to be."
"And simply telling me that is to take things away?" Casey Jones asked.
"No," Brent shook hir head, "to give you someone to talk to who understands... in a way... and can help you fully get over it... because I'm sure that your fiancee knows you weren't in control of yourself and has forgiven you. Shi won't want you to live your life alone and in guilt..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
"...And Brent has been quite helpful," Casey Jones finished, "It generally did feel good to get something off of my chest."
"Which grew rather ample, I ssssssssssssee," Timothy commented with a giggle.
Casey only looked down to the rather impressive breasts on hir chest, which strained the vest shi was wearing. Shi only "humphed" at the comment. Timothy quit hir giggling and then made a more serious comment.
"It issssssssss okay to have help," Timothy commented, "We all make misssssssssssstakessssssssssssssss and need help sssssssssssometimessssssssssssss. Believe me, I know..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Again on the same day that the conference on France's royal future, Janace found hirself at Maurice's home. It wasn't something shi expected and shi had deliberately asked Anubis to remain on baby-sitting duty with Charlie and Sally and Jess and Nikole's children. Anubis actually did rather well with kids and that actually made Janace smile. While shi and Anubis had agreed to take things slow to not only get to know each other, but to also let Janace truly bond with hir grandchildren and let them get used to Anubis as well. There was also the concern about getting through all the outbreaks before producing more sithers for Sally and Jess in addition to the children that Justin and Francine had had. But as the days since starting to date Anubis, Janace could feel the hope for having a family... feeling children inside Anubis move as well as feeling children inside hirself as well... but Janace was content to wait.
Shi pressed the button to ring the doorbell and then waited for someone to answer. It was ultimately Maurice who answered.
"Hello, Janace, thank you for coming," Maurice gave a sigh, "I'm sort of at my wits end with all of this..."
"This" was the consequences of Timothy's rash decision to become a Kat quickly. The trial had recently ended and while Maurice had promised to pay or at least help pay the fine that Timothy received, and the worst part of the punishment was that Timothy was exiled to Janace and could not leave its city limits. It could have been far worse than it was, but Timothy hadn't tried to combat Anubis, even though that technically they were on equal terms. They were both Kats, now. Instead, Timothy had been in rather deep depression, and Maurice, Snowy, and Ronnie had been unable to really get Timothy out of it. Snowflake, Alpha, and Centuri tried in their own way, but while Timothy hadn't been mean to them, hir depression seemed to make hir disinterested in their attempts to play. Maurice eventually decided the only way left to try and get Timothy to get out of hir guilt was to get the Kat that Timothy had wanted to talk with hir. Thankfully, Janace agreed to talk.
"A lot has happened," Janace sighed, "and to be honest... I'm probably just as responsible as shi is."
"Come again?" Maurice looked perplexed.
"Well... I told him we could never be a couple because I was a Kat and he wasn't," Janace began, "and..."
Janace never finished as Maurice slapped hir hard.
"That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Maurice gave a rather righteous growl, "and if I didn't know better, I'd say it was racist on your part."
Janace slowly rubbed hir cheek. It stung a little from the blow.
"When I told you about my dad's crush on you, I expected you to be gentle and polite with him," Maurice answered, "Not pull some BS that humans and Kats can't love each other. Snowy and I have followed a lot of the events that have gone along with the orders of the Kat Serum. The serum has not been bought in pairs all the time and not every lover of someone who became a Kat in an outbreak decides to become a Kat to join their mate. There are at least four women married to Kats out there that have had children WITH the Kat they married or were already married to when their husband became a Kat. There are at least ten men who married Kats or were married to a woman that became a Kat after their marriage and they have also had children... and you go and say that you and my father couldn't be together because HE WASN'T A KAT!?"
"I'm sorry, Maurice... I..." Janace actually whimpered and feeling rather small, "I wasn't thinking."
"Clearly," Maurice scolded, "and I expected much MORE from you. You do realize that your line is probably the reason why my father decided to rush hir own transformation... so that he could be a shi in order to compete with Anubis... and look what it's done... it nearly killed the new Chakat Industries, nearly sent my father to prison, and has hir in deep depression!"
Janace drew all six of hir tails down and held them between hir legs, showing submission to the angry Persian Cat based Chakat.
"I'm sorry," Janace repeated, "Let me try... I'll apologize to hir and try again..."
Maurice then nodded, and let Janace in. Janace then slowly followed Maurice though the house until they came to a room with a closed door.
"Shi's in there," Maurice spoke and then left.
Janace opened the door and went into the room. It was rather dark as no lights were on and the curtains were over the windows. Outside the house, Janace heard Snowflake and Janice talking with Pinkie, apparently on tips on where Pinkie could take Alia to have fun. The Kat in hir wanted to reveal in how hir grandchildren were growing up and how happy they were, but shi was there to make up for the rather short sighted way shi turned Timothy down.
"Tim, are you here?" Janace asked, though knowing full well that shi was there.
"Don't look at me," Timothy answered in the darkness.
Janace turned and looked to see Timothy laying on the bed. Hir legs were drawn up to hir sides and hir head, humanoid torso, hir tail completed what looked very much like a circle. The scales around hir eyes looked worn and weak, and hir eyes red from weeping. This confirmed to Janace that becoming a Kat would probably change how Timothy looked at hir actions, though not that that changed the consequences of what happened.
"Tim, what happened in Colorado Springs wasn't your fault, and I don't hold you responsible," Janace told hir.
"I became thissssssssssss for you," Timothy answered, "You are very sssssssssssexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxy and I wanted to make you happy... to love you... but sssssssssssssincccccccccccccccce you can only love a Kat..."
"I could have loved you as a human and we could have even had children together while you were human," Janace cut hir off, "being a Kat wasn't the reason I turned you down. That was just a line I used because I didn't want to be a sex toy and then left when you got bored..."
Timothy didn't answer.
"At the time, I cannot say I was really thinking," Janace continued, "and to be honest... the way I turned you down was stupid and probably started the little outbreak in Colorado Springs."
Timothy looked up after a moment, "That doessssssssssssssssn't change what I did. And ssssssssssssssstill, I sssssssssssssssshould have ssssssssssssssssssssseen how wrong I wasssssssssssssss. What I did in Colorado Sssssssssssssssssspringssssssssssssssssss wasssssssssssssssss in line with everything I've been in the passsssssssssssssssssst. But in the passsssssssssssst my gamblessssssssssssssss never hurt otherssssssssssssssss when they failed. Thissssssssssss time I nearly ruined my ssssssssssssssssson'ssssssssssssss life."
"Yes... but the lust phase of the virus isn't your fault," Janace answered, "you're driven so hard to mate by the virus that it doesn't matter... and still... I'm the one ultimately at fault for it..."
"How?" Timothy brought hirself up, doing little if anything to cover hirself.
Janace noted that Timothy did look as young as any of the other adult Kat did now, and strangely, as a Komokat, Timothy actually somehow managed a "gurl-next door" look.
"I told you we could only be mates if you were a Kat and then walked off with Anubis," Janace sighed, "how did you feel after that?"
"I wanted to be what you wanted," Timothy answered.
"So, you rushed to become a Kat because of what I said," Janace spoke.
"Yesssssssssss." Timothy answered, "Ssssssssso that you would love me."
"And you wanted it done quickly for fear that Anubis and I would become mates before you could show yourself as a Kat?" Janace continued.
Timothy nodded.
"See, what happened was my fault," Janace answered, "Don't get me wrong... this isn't to ask you out now that you are a Kat... I love Anubis and hopefully the two of us will be mates when things quiet down for good... but I'd think we could be friends... or at least get you out of your guilt."
"You'll forgive me, but I don't think anyone will want to love a rapisssssssssssst with an impatient and gambling persssssssssssssonality," Timothy said slowly.
"Do you really feel like gambling any more?" Janace asked.
"No... thissssssssssssss whole thing hasssssssssssss made me ssssssssssssssee how wrong I wasssssssssssssssss," Timothy answered, "No one will love me like they love their matessssssssssss or ssssssssssssitherssssssssssssss."
Janace came and sat by Timothy's bed so that hir torso was close to Timothy's torso. Shi then pulled Timothy into a hug.
"If you've truly changed and see how wrong you were... put the past behind you and love the way you see love now..." Janace answered, "Kats can be surprisingly forgiving. The scientist who launched the Vatican outbreak has been working with Maurice and Snowy. I'm sure you've seen him around, haven't you?"
"Yessssssssss," Timothy nodded, "He'ssssssssssssss helping perfect the new Vaccccccccccccccccccine that will protect humanity from becoming Katssssssssssssssssssss."
"And do the Kats here hate him?" Janace asked.
"No," Timothy commented, "He..."
"He was forgiven," Janace finished, "you made a mistake, yes... but you are clearly sorry for what you did, you've realized that your past behavior was wrong. You need to get up, brush yourself off and start over as a Kat. Don't just lay in here and sulk over your mistakes... I'm probably the real cause of these last mistakes and I'm sorry I turned you down in such an unthinking way... can... can you forgive me?"
Timothy looked over and saw all six of Janace's ears lowered and hir furry eyebrows raised near where hir muzzle was. In a way shi did look apologetic.
"Yesssssssssssss," Timothy responded.
"Thank you," Janace then gave a smile, "see... we Kats forgive easily. The others will accept you and will love you, so long as you're repentant."
"But you'd rather have Anubisssssssssssss," Timothy said weakly.
"Well, yes," Janace admitted, "I love hir, Tim. Shi is sweet, shi is kind, shi is dignified, and I've actually learned a lot about hir. And maybe we can all be friends... but you need to get back on your feet, Tim. You'll be forgiven... and you will find someone... that someone could be a he, a she, or a shi... but you'll never find that someone sulking in here."
"You think I'll find ssssssssssssssssssomeone?" Timothy asked sliding off of the bed.
"Yes, you will," Janace replied, "I'm sure of it... we Kats seem to fall in love at the drop of a hat... I think I even loved Anubis after shi complemented me while I was an old human woman. You'll find someone and if you remember the lessons you've learned from how you behaved in the past... you'll have many happy years with that someone."
Timothy climbed onto hir feet and actually looked a little bit better. Strangely being assured that shi would be forgiven and loved also made hir feel better.
"Thank you," Timothy said to Janace.
Janace nodded and turned toward a dresser nearby, "Let's get you dressed before we go out as friends. You don't want to flaunt your breasts for all to see."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"And Anubisssssssssssssssssss did forgive me for the way I acted towardsssssssssssssss hir and agreed to be friendssssssssssssssssssss," Timothy finished, "It'ssssssssssssss why I wanted to help."
"Heh... it would appear we're both overcoming mistakes," Casey Jones commented.
Timothy nodded, "You weren't at fault for what you did."
"And you weren't really at fault for what you did," Casey Jones replied, and then leaned back as their smoothies were delivered.
Timothy nodded and looked into Casey Jones's eyes with a soft smile on hir face.
"You're beautiful," Timothy suddenly blurted.
"So are you," Casey Jones replied.
Timothy felt hirself smile. Janace had been right, shi had met someone and shi was falling in love with that someone. And it wasn't lust or simply playing with someone. Timothy wanted to be with Casey Jones forever... to lay hir eggs... to sire eggs within hir.
"Ssssssssssssssso... are you sssssssssssssssstill an artisssssssssssssst? Or actor?" Timothy asked.
"I don't know," Casey Jones replied, "Janace doesn't have a theater and I haven't met any other actors yet... but if something comes along I wouldn't opposed to it? What about you?"
"Well... my lassssssssssst job before coming here wasssssssssssss running a hotel in Italy," Timothy commented, "Ssssssssssssssincccccccccccccccccce moving here I've been helping my ssssssssssssssssssssssoughter with hir work... I sssssssssssssssupposssssssssssssssssssse I'll be doing more of that."
The monitor lizard and saurian based Kats sipped their smoothies and then continued to get into their small talk.