Title: Ryan's Cat
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the cat. No profit taken.
Description: Ryan finds a kindred soul.

Author's Note: Two years ago this month I posted my first chapter of my first fanfic, chapter 1 of this story. To commemorate that, I have written this epilogue.

Ryan arrived home that evening, after going to school and hanging out with Sadie, and as usual, Cat met him by the door to the pool house. Ryan broke out into a wide grin and swept Cat up into his arms and carried her into the kitchen to feed her.

Ryan and Cat had gotten into a routine lately. He usually didn't get back until near dinnertime on weekdays, what with school and hanging out with Sadie or going somewhere with Seth or going to the library, etc. But Cat was always there to meet him when he got home. She would usually spend the day curled up on his bed, or on the floor basking in the sun. Although if Kirsten was home, they would leave at least one of the french doors open, letting Cat come and go as she pleased. Ryan knew by this time that she would always come back.

When Ryan reached the kitchen, he put Cat down by the food and water bowls. He first refilled her water bowl, then picked up her food bowl, and got a can of cat food out of the cabinet. He spoke to her as he opened it up.

"Cat, I have a special treat for you today. Your favorite. Whitefish and Tuna. You know why?"

Ryan looked down at Cat. She was currently rubbing back and forth against the backs of his legs, waiting for him to put the food down. She wasn't meowing. Even after all this time, she rarely meowed, something she learned not to do during her time as a stray.

Ryan continued, "It's our anniversary." He turned back to what he was doing. "Yup. Two years ago today you showed up in the pool house."

Ryan finished scooping the food into the bowl and put some water in it, then put the bowl back down on the newspaper that he had on the floor for the cat bowls to sit on. Cat was a little bit of a messy eater. As was his routine, Ryan then sat down on the floor in the kitchen, leaned back against the cabinets, and watched Cat eat. He smiled as she wolfed down the food, with a little bit more enthusiasm than usual.

"You really like that, huh?" As Ryan spoke to her, he reached out and started to stroke her slowly along her back, careful not to disturb her eating.

Ryan had to smile to himself. Seth used to tease him mercilessly about talking to the cat, and all of Ryan's threats couldn't get him to stop. But one well-placed set of scratches from Cat did the job. The two of them still didn't get along so well, although they usually tolerated each other. Kirsten, of course, like Ryan, still loved Cat to death and doted on her like a mother with a new baby. Sandy had learned over the two years to appreciate cats, especially since Cat was so well-behaved, but he was still a dog person at heart.

As usual, after Cat was done eating, they both headed over to the bed. Cat jumped up and settled in for her post-dinner bath. Ryan grabbed his bookbag and joined her on the bed to do some homework. It was more comfortable to use the desk and chair over in the corner, but at this time of day, between Cat's dinner and his own, Ryan liked to do it on the bed so he could watch Cat do her thing, washing every part of herself with that rough tongue of hers, purring all the while.

Ryan settled in with his history homework. Shortly, though, his thoughts interrupted his school work. He put the books down and watched Cat wash her face. He couldn't believe it was two years already. In some ways, it seemed a lot shorter, in other ways it seemed like Cat had always been there with him. Ryan couldn't imagine his life without her any more.

Two years ago when Cat first showed up, Ryan had just turned sixteen and had only been with the Cohens for about eight months. He didn't even know if he'd still be here, now, after he turned eighteen. Sandy and Kirsten and Seth had tried to reassure him that nothing would change, and Ryan tried to believe them, but he couldn't quite do it. Not back then anyway.

But over the years, with all their discussions about graduating from high school and going to college, etc, Ryan had slowly come to believe. And it had proven to be true. Nothing had changed. Well, Sandy and Kirsten were no longer his legal guardians. Now they were just his family.

Ryan reached over to scratch Cat under the chin and around the ears, the way she liked it. She was still so cute, the way she raised her chin up, then ducked her head to the side.

Ryan sighed and his mind turned back to his deep thoughts. Sandy had proven himself yet again on Ryan's eighteenth birthday. He had gone to all that trouble to track down his mother and try to get her to come to his party, and she just blew him off, again, with just a note. And then there was the stark reminder about what his father was like, when he and Sadie went looking for Johnny's father. Jack Harper was the same kind of man as George Atwood. Ryan couldn't get his father out of his head for days after that. Ryan shuddered just thinking about it.

Ryan frowned. Yeah, what winner parents he had. An abusive bastard for a father and an alcoholic mess for a mother.

Cat finished her bath, stood up, and took a couple steps towards him. That was Ryan's cue to put his books away and lie down on his back so she could climb up on his stomach. So he did and she did. She settled down like she always did, with her back end on his stomach and her front end on his chest, her face just inches from his. She pulled her tail in to lie along her body, and tucked her front paws under. Ryan started stroking her back, in long, slow strokes. She blinked her eyes shut in contentment and started to purr. As usual, Ryan could feel the warmth radiating from her body into his chest and stomach. Ryan smiled. He loved this part.

Ryan took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. In total contrast to Dawn and George, who were never there for him, Sandy and Kirsten were always there for him. They'd proven themselves over these last two-plus years to be his real family.

Ryan looked down at Cat and scratched her around the ears. "We're real lucky, aren't we, Cat? To be part of a family like this?"

Ryan looked back up at the ceiling. Soon he was going to be leaving for college. Although as Sandy told him, going off to college didn't mean goodbye. He would still be part of the family. And Cat, too. Sandy and Kirsten said that they would keep an eye on Cat while he was off at school. Ryan looked down at Cat again. He wasn't sure he wanted to be parted from her, though.

Looking back at the ceiling, Ryan thought some more about an idea he had. Maybe if he got an apartment off-campus he could bring Cat along with him. He knew he couldn't have her in the dorms, but maybe an apartment. Well, it also depended on which college he got into and stuff. Either way, he knew that Cat would be well taken care of, and he would have her after he graduated and got his own place. Sandy and Kirsten would see to it.

Ryan smiled. Sandy and Kirsten. His family. You know, now that he was eighteen, he could legally change his name to anything he wanted.

Ryan Cohen. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.