Anyway. the stray turned 30 today, works graveyard and so is always up at night, was alone except for his 5-year-old adorable daughter, and was truly in need of company, friends, computer help, and a good meal. Cate and I, after an already fairly full-of-doing-stuff day, had planned to play some starcraft, be online for a few hours, and get some sleep, before he called. After he called, my box of pens-and-stuff, some animal-print blankets, a pirate hat, candy, Cate, myself, and of course our little two-door car all headed out to snag the stray and daughter to give them a birthday and a good evening.

We didn't DO much, technically - we went to the Hotcake House, where all of us shared a plate of biscuits and gravy and a waffle, and where I drew on the daughter (who is a Princess btw, shh, it's sort of a secret) and decorated her, gave her sparkly things (and one of the animal-print blankies), and the four of us talked. Turns out that Corey (that's the stray's Actual Name) has a computer, is paying for internet access, but can't get the computer to even work.

We end up over there, me with the Princess who decided that she wanted to be one of my cats asleep in my lap while I sat on the floor, Cate and Corey installing windows. For those of you who haven't done so, let me state two things: first, it SHOULD be done with alcohol, but we had none; second, it takes fucking forever and NEVER goes right on the first try. So yeah. No internet, no phone where we could be reached or call out from 'cos Cate's cell was low-battery and their landline had 'spensive long-distance. LOTS of time spent there.

To be honest, I was enjoying myself immensely. The little one was a delight, and after the miscarriage and all of the hormonal drama there, it was a relief to be able to hold a child, alive, safe, sleepin' in my arms. I think that has helped me more than anything else to get over some of the trauma. She slept, Cate and Cory did computer stuff, eventually she was transferred to the sofa and I curled up on the floor beside her, pirate hat for a pillow, and actually got a nice nap-ish. Finally the computer problems were solved, and Cate and I headed home, where I updated briefly before passing out on our bed.

This stray... Puppy, I really DO need you to get out here, there's a lot of reasons for it and now there is one more. This boy has never encountered anything like me; he's vanilla, got far enough along in the marines that he's vulnerable to anyone who knows how to push army-enabled buttons, has been hurt by women before but doesn't understand why. He's prey, puppy, fucking prey handed to me on a platter, I can take him, break him, and make him into something decent and he doesn't stand a chance. He doesn't know what I am, doesn't know that people like me even EXIST until this weekend, and Puppy, I am so hungry...

The daughter will make an excellent minion, btw, and I can already tell she's going to grow up Domme; she's got the spirit, the Princess attitude, she's clever and far too knowledgeable for her age and someday she'll have a stable of her own, I suspect. She knows what I'm doing to her Daddy, told me so, and thoroughly approves. *wry grin* I can't leave her for the white trash and the tweakers, I can't. She needs to grow up to be good, and if she's left alone where she is... it will be bad. Very bad. I see myself in her and I already want to kill whoever made her grow up so fast. Someone's scarred that girl, and I can't just walk away.

The boy... ehh. He can't hold a candle to my Puppy, of course, and scruffy as he is I have NO intention of letting him anywhere near My bed (or anyone else's, actually, he's got enough kids, I think he needs to be snipped now). He's not so far gone that he can't be turned into something good but he IS sliding - when he washed out of the Marines he didn't have anyone to catch him, he didn't have a good family or even friends to fall back on, and it shows. It'll take a lot of work to make him useful.

Puppy, I need your help. Screw the money, screw the meds, I'm going off painkillers and staying sober for a while, I can't Hunt properly if I'm fogged... but I need you here. I need you to look him over, to let me know if I'm making a mistake, to help me, to keep me from breaking him too much. I need you, Puppy. I do. I'm going to attempt this, I can't NOT, and you know there's no one else here who can do anything to change my mind if I'm wrong. I don't think I am, but that's kind of the point. *sigh*

He's innocent.

He's prey.

He's already Mine, he just doesn't know it yet.

Gods, this is trouble waiting to happen, I know it, and I can't help it. My skills have been unused for far too long...