aldersprig | Kitten Switch, a story of the Aunt Family for the Mini-Giraffe-Call

For wyld_dandelyon's prompt

Aunt Family has a landing page here on DW and here on LJ

Beryl-modern-era. After What to do about Auntie X (LJ) and Cleaning House (LJ)

Beryl, Stone, and Chalce spent the day - along with Stone's friend Jake, with the truck (and also some amazing blue eyes) - distributing Aunt Beatrix's cats among family and friends. They had agreed with Aunt Beatrix that three was a reasonable number for her to keep, and then agreed with her that they'd stop in once a month to check on her and her cats.

Beryl, other than the smell, didn't mind. Aunt Beatrix had some interesting books, and some more-interesting do-dads, tucked up and around in the strangest places. She wouldn't turn down a chance to ask her great-Aunt about them.

When they were done distributing cats, however, they had one kitten less than they ought to - they had counted three times, once when packing them, once at the vet's, and once as they passed them out - and one loud Siamese male more than they had planned on.

Since the kitten had been pastel marmalade, they could rule out strange definitions of kitten. They called the relatives - nothing. They called Aunt Beatrix's - nothing. They called the vet's - nothing. Finally, in frustration, Beryl asked the cat. "All right, you sharp-toothed old bastard, where'd you hide the kitten?"

The cat merely yawned at her. Sighing, Beryl picked him up. "I really liked the kitten," she muttered. "I was hoping to take him home. I guess I'll take you home instead, you grumpus." She knew she was sulking, but the kitten had looked at her with just that look in its eye, and she'd fallen for the little thing. This old bitten-eared one-eyed tom...

...was currently mewling at her, half a pound of marmalade kitten in her hands where the tom had just been. Looking very very cute, until, quite deliberately, the thing winked at her.

"Well," she muttered. "In this family, I suppose even the kittens..."