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All Disclaimers Apply

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The night was starless, the sky deeply overcast. A dark form huddled against the chill in the air.

Steve Sloan walked out to his truck after a long day. He'd gotten some disturbing news earlier. Henry Evans was out of prison. Steve had arrested Henry's brother, Charlie, for manslaughter and the brother had gone to prison. Within about a month of going to prison, Charlie had been stabbed by another inmate. Henry had let it be known that he held Steve responsible for Charlie's death. And now, Henry was out. As Steve walked through the parking lot, his senses were ultra-alert for any signs of danger.

He stopped short when he spied the dark bundle under his truck. His eyes quickly scanned the area, but there was nobody there. Henry had never been known to use bombs before, but it was amazing what you could learn in prison.

The dark bundle moved. Steve gave a deep sigh and tried to get his racing heart back under control. Well, whatever it was, it was alive. He approached cautiously, not sure what it might be, and spotted two glowing eyes.

"Meow?" It almost sounded like a question.

Relief flooding through him, Steve crouched down and looked into the round, glowing eyes of a black cat. "Look Bud, I don't know who you belong to, but you're going to have to move. I've had a long day and I want to go home." Saying that, Steve picked up the cat and removed it from under his truck. "Go sit under someone else's car." Steve got into his truck and started it up. He didn't see the piece of blackness as it jumped into the bed of his truck.

When Steve got home, he went straight to his apartment. He was tired and wanted to go right to bed. He didn't notice the small black form following him into the house.

After getting washed up and changed, Steve fell onto the bed, with a sigh. He fell asleep almost instantly and never saw the small black form jump onto the bed and settle on the pillow near his head.

*****

When the alarm went off the next morning, Steve fumbled in the dark until he finally hit the OFF button. He thought he heard a thump as if something had dropped to the floor, but as he looked around, nothing was out of place.

When he'd finished getting washed and dressed, Steve headed upstairs to get his morning caffeine transfusion. As he went into the kitchen, his father turned to greet him, but stopped and stared in amazement.

"Who's your friend?" Mark inquired.

"What?" Steve was confused.

"Your friend," Mark said with a nod of his head toward Steve's side.

Steve looked to his side and gaped with astonishment. "What the..."

"Where'd you get him from?"

Steve looked at his father with total shock. "I don't believe it. He couldn't possibly have followed me home. And how the heck did he get inside?" Seeing his father's inquiring look, Steve explained about his encounter with the cat the night before. "He couldn't have followed me from the police station, could he?"

"I wouldn't have thought so, Steve. That's a long way to travel for a cat, especially in just one night. What are you going to do with him?"

"Well I can't just turn him out. What if someone's looking for him? He looks in too good shape to be just a stray. I'll have to keep him till I can find his owner. I'll have to go by a pet store before work and pick up some supplies."

Mark smiled inside, making sure not to let the smile show on his face. He always knew his son was a big softie, but Steve tried hard not to let that side of himself show. *My son, the marshmallow,* he thought as he watched the cat follow Steve into the dining room, and then sit by Steve's right side.

As they ate breakfast and talked, Mark noticed Steve's hand, every now and then, going down to pet the cat

"What?" Steve asked.

"Hmmmm?"

"What are you grinning at?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering what Jesse and Amanda will make of your little shadow there, when they come over for dinner tonight."

Steve stared at his father and then at the cat. "Shadow. What do you think of that, kid?" he directed his question at the cat.

"Meow"

"Hey Dad, I think he likes that."

"Steve, maybe you shouldn't be giving him a name. If you start getting attached to him, it's going to make it kind of hard to give him back to his owner."

"Come on, Dad. I'm not going to get attached. He's just a cat. Besides, I have to call him something."

Mark gave a mental sigh as he watched his son's hand absently scratching the cat's head.

*****

Steve was preoccupied as he drove home that night. Along with the other cat supplies Steve had bought that morning, he'd also bought some cat toys, but he still worried that Shadow might be bored being by himself all day. He hoped everything had been okay. His mind on the cat, Steve didn't notice the car that followed him to the beachhouse.

*****

The evening had gone well, if predictably. Amanda hadn't said anything about the cat, other than that it was adorable, but Steve could tell she'd been amused. Jesse had given him a lot of ribbing about it, especially the "It followed me home" part.

Amanda and Jesse drove away from the Sloan house; they'd decided to carpool that night. Both of them were silent, but smiling, till finally Jesse broke the silence.

"I still can't believe it - Steve with a cat. He always struck me as the type who would have a dog, a very big dog, named Fang."

"Or Thor. I don't know, Jesse, I think Steve's got a soft spot that he just doesn't like to show. I think having a cat will be good for him."

"I couldn't get over how it followed him everywhere he went."

"Well, Jesse, I would imagine that's why he calls it Shadow," Amanda's voice dripped sarcasm.

"Duuuuh." Jesse grinned at Amanda

The man in the car down the road from the Sloan beachhouse watched the two people leave. A car and a truck still sat in the driveway. He'd wait a while longer to see if someone else left. Maybe Sloan shared the house with a roommate. That would explain how he could stay there on a cop's salary.

*****

The next morning, both the car and truck were still in the driveway. The man got out of the car and started walking, to stretch his legs. As he approached the beachhouse, he saw an older man getting in to the car and driving off. The man went back to his car to avoid being noticed, if Sloan came out. A short time later, the truck pulled out of the driveway. Okay, time to look around a bit.

The man walked around to the back of the beachhouse, so he wouldn't be seen by passing cars. He made a mental note of the placement of the windows and doors. Probably the best entrance would be the downstairs door. He didn't stay long. He could always come back; he had plenty of time to watch and work out the details.

The man never noticed the small black shape watching him from inside the beachhouse.

*****

As each of the next seven days passed, Steve found himself becoming more hopeful that Shadow's owner wouldn't come forward. Maybe someone had moved out of town or into an apartment where they couldn't have pets, and they'd just abandoned Shadow. Today would be the last day that the ad would be run in the lost and found section of the paper. After that, Steve figured he could keep Shadow with a clear conscience. Although Steve and his father had never really discussed the situation, there was an unspoken agreement that Shadow would stay. They weren't going to find another home for him. Steve picked the cat up and gently stroked the silky fur.

"After today, Shadow, you become the newest member of the household. What do you think of that?"

"Meow"

"I'll take that as a sign of agreement. I'd better get to work, kid. I'll see you later."

Although Steve had been fairly alert to danger within the first few days of Evans release from prison, as the days passed and he hadn't heard or seen anything of Evans, Steve had started to relax. Evans had probably just been blowing off steam when he'd threatened Steve. It *had* been a couple of years since then.

The man sat in the car watching the white truck go by. After his second visit to the beachhouse, he'd been careful to stay out of Sloan's neighborhood. He hadn't wanted to arouse any suspicion from the neighbors. Since he knew where Sloan lived, he hadn't had to risk being seen anywhere near Sloan. Now he was ready and it was time to go to work. He took a quick look around and then exited the car.

When he got to the downstairs doorway, he put a suction cup on one of the glass panes, then carefully used a glasscutter to cut around the outer edge of the glass. After completing the cut, he removed the pane, and then reached in to unlatch the door. Once the door was unlatched, the man replaced the pane and then caulked around the outer edges of the pane, so that everything would appear normal. Now all he had to do was find a good place to hide and wait for Sloan to get home.

Under the couch, two glowing eyes watched every move the man made.

*****

As Steve walked into the beachhouse, he couldn't help being excited. He hadn't gotten any calls about the lost and found ad. Surely someone would have called by now if they'd seen the ad. Steve could hear his father in the kitchen, and he went to greet him.

"Hi Dad."

"Hi yourself. Your day must have gone pretty well; you look like you're about to break into song!" Mark teased. Then realizing the probable reason for his son's attitude, he added, "I take it nobody called to claim Shadow?"

"Nope! I'm going to go down and get washed up before dinner."

More likely he was going to go down and give Shadow the good news, Mark thought.

When Steve entered his apartment, Shadow immediately started winding his body around Steve's ankles, so much so that Steve wasn't able to take another step.

"I'm glad to see you too, Shadow, but I need to go get washed up." Steve tried to take a step but was unable to do so without tripping or stepping on Shadow. He bent down to pick the cat up, but Shadow moved away and headed toward Steve's bedroom. The cat's fur was all on end and he walked with that peculiar, almost sideways gait that cat's use when they approach something they're afraid of. As Shadow reached the doorway to the bedroom, he bristled even more and hissed. Steve could feel the hackles on his neck rising. He took out his gun and slowly approached the doorway, continuing to talk to Shadow so that, if someone was listening, they wouldn't get suspicious.

"Boy, you certainly are an ungrateful cuss. I feed you, I put a roof over your head, and this is how you thank me? You hiss at me?" By that time, Steve had reached the bedroom door. In one quick motion, he entered and leveled his gun toward the part of the room he hadn't been able to see from the door.

"Alright, Evans, drop the gun real slowly. If you even think of making a wrong move, you're dead meat."

Evans dropped the gun.

"Now put your hands on your head and turn around." As Evans turned, Steve took out his handcuffs, then quickly placed the cuffs on Evans' wrists. Steve called the station for a black-and-white to pick Evans up, and then motioned for Evans to head out the doorway and then up the stairs.

When Mark heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs, he turned in amazement. "Steve, what's going on? Who's this?"

"Dad, it's a long story and I'll fill you in over dinner."

The patrol car arrived pretty quickly, and Evans was soon on his way back to a jail cell. After the officers had taken Evans into custody, Steve headed downstairs to find Shadow. He picked up the cat and held it close to his chest. He was starting to feel the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush. As he tried to calm down, he bent his head toward the cat and spoke softly, "I don't know if you know it or not, Shadow, but you just saved my life. If I'd walked into that room with no warning of danger, Evans would have blown me away. You're a real hero, kid."

*****

The next evening, Mark, Steve, Amanda, Jesse, and Shadow gathered for a double celebration - a celebration of Shadow's status as a hero and his status as the newest member of the Sloan household. Mark had prepared fish and had set aside a small plate for Shadow, so Shadow could share in their dinner. After all, he was the guest of honor.

Off and on throughout the evening, Jesse had referred to Shadow as "Fang". Whenever he did, he and Amanda would get into a giggle fit. Steve didn't know what that was all about, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to know, either, so he just ignored them.

Dessert had been some dish that Mark had whipped up, with fruit and marshmallows. Amanda had asked what was in it and Mark had listed the ingredients. When he mentioned the marshmallows, Amanda gave him a searching look. When Mark returned her look with a grin, the two of them had to try desperately to hide their laughter. Again, Steve didn't know what that was all about, but he was certain he didn't want to know.

The phone rang as they were sitting in the living room after dinner. Steve quickly rose to get it. He'd been feeling all evening that he was at the wrong end of an inside joke, and he was anxious for a reprieve. He took the phone into the kitchen.

"Sloan residence."

A female voice responded, "Um, hi, I'm Chris Sawyer. I'm calling about the ad you placed in the lost and found about a cat you found?" The voice ended with a note of inquiry. "I've been out of town and didn't even know my cat was gone till I got back today."

Steve's heart stopped at those words. "Uh, can you describe your cat for me?"

"He has short hair and he's all black. According to the note my cleaning lady left for me, he's been gone for about a week."

"Well, it sounds like I might have found your cat, then," Steve replied. "When did you want to come pick him up?" Steve could feel a lump rising in his throat and could barely get the words out.

"Could I come over right now? I've been so worried since I found out he was missing."

"Sure, uh, that's fine." Steve gave her the address and directions.

After ending the connection, Steve stood, stunned, for a second or two, and then reached down to where he knew Shadow would be sitting. He picked the cat up and held it so close that the cat finally protested.

"MEOW"

"Sorry." Steve loosened his grip a little, but still held the cat close. He could feel the moisture building in his eyes, and felt foolish. It was only a cat for crying out loud. It wasn't like he was losing his best friend or anything.

Curious about the phone call, Mark entered the kitchen. Seeing the look on his son's face, he knew.

"Shadow's owner?"

"Uh, yeah." Steve tried to get his composure back.

"When is he coming to pick Shadow up?"

"She's on her way now."

Amanda had entered the kitchen, but quickly left again when she took in the situation. A short time later, she and Jesse entered the kitchen and said they really needed to be going. They thanked Mark for the dinner, and hurried out.

Mark put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Steve, I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, Dad. He's just a cat." But despite casual tone of his words, Steve never once let go of Shadow while they waited for Shadow's owner to arrive.

When the doorbell rang, Mark started to rise, but Steve stopped him. "I'll get it Dad." When he opened the door he saw an incredibly beautiful woman. For a moment, he was speechless.

"Shadow!" The woman came forward and took the cat from Steve's arms.

"Shadow?" Steve couldn't believe the coincidence.

"Yes, that's what I named him," for a moment the woman looked a bit embarrassed. "It's kind of a silly story how he got that name."

Desperate to delay the moment of parting for as long as possible, Steve said, "Well, I'd be interested to hear it, if you don't mind. Why don't you come in? Oh, by the way, I'm Steve Sloan."

As Steve talked, the woman found herself mesmerized by the deepest blue eyes she'd ever seen. "Well, alright, if you really want to hear about it." Saying that, she followed Steve into the house.

"Ms Sawyer, this is my father, Dr. Mark Sloan."

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Sloan. Please, call me Chris. After all, you took such great care of Shadow for me."

"Uh, Shadow?" Mark inquired. "And please, call me Mark."

"Dad, Chris was just going to tell me how Shadow got his name."

"I'd be real interested to hear that," Mark said.

"Well, as I told Steve, it's kind of a silly story. I hadn't had Shadow for too long and I was trying to come up with a name that fit him. Nothing seemed right, though. Then, one evening, I brought a man I'd been dating back to my apartment. Well, Shadow really hated the guy and let the guy know it. Shadow got all puffed up and hissy, and he even spat at the man. It was pretty obvious, from the guy's reaction to Shadow, that he had no feeling for animals at all. It really made me think twice about dating him, and I never went out with him again. After that incident, I was thinking about what they say about animals being able to sense the good and bad in people, and it brought to mind that old TV show, The Shadow. They always started off with, 'Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men...'"

"The Shadow knows!" Steve concluded with a laugh.

"I told you it was silly," Chris looked embarrassed.

"No, not at all," and Steve told Chris about how Shadow had saved his life. "So the name is entirely appropriate," Steve finished.

Chris hugged the cat closer, "I always knew you were special, Shadow."

"Meow!"

At that, they all laughed.

"Well, I don't want to intrude any longer," Chris started to rise. "I'd better be going."

At those words, Steve could feel the sadness building in him again. "Uh, I'll walk you to the door."

As they reached the door and Steve opened it, Chris turned to thank Steve once again for the care he'd given to Shadow. She was stopped by the look of sadness in those deep blue eyes.

As he stood there, Steve could feel the lump in his throat threatening to choke him. He reached out to give Shadow a few more strokes before he had to say goodbye.

Chris's heart started to beat faster at the nearness of the hand which almost, but not quite, touched her. "You know, Steve, Shadow has never really taken to any of the men I've brought home for him to inspect," Chris said with a smile. "He seems to have taken quite a liking to you, though, and it's obvious you care for him. There's no reason why you can't stop by from time to time to say hello...to Shadow, I mean, and to see how he's doing." Chris watched as the sadness in those blue eyes was replaced with hopefulness.

"You mean that? It wouldn't be too much of a bother?" Steve could hardly contain his relief.

"It wouldn't be any bother at all. Why don't you get a piece of paper and I'll give you my phone number, so you can call me when you want to stop by."

Steve quickly got a pen and paper and took down the information.

Chris started to turn away to leave, then turned back. "Call me," she said with some emphasis. Then she did turn away and walk to her car.

Mark, who had been standing by listening to the exchange, gave a low chuckle. This had to be a first - a cat who played matchmaker. Shadow was definitely one very special cat.