FIC & GRAPHIC: Bewitched (Team Ash/Jo)
Dec. 14th, 2012 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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srs2012_r1Summary: Ellen and Jo are pagan witches who own a magic shop. One day, a stray cat shows up and over the course of a few weeks, he becomes very attached to Jo. Little do they know; however, that he's a shapeshifter and has come to them for a very important reason other than just tuna and catnip.
Word Count: 3904 (4041 according to wordcounter)
Characters: Jo Harvelle, Ellen Harvelle, Ash
Pairings: Ash/Jo Harvelle
Tags: magic-shop!AU
Jo yanked the trash bag out of the bin behind the counter before yelling upstairs to her mother.
"Hey mom, did you put incense on the list? They're getting low, you might want to order extra."
Taking a minute to look around the small shop, Jo eyed the shelves to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything else. She heard her mother shuffling papers in the apartment upstairs.
"You think we'll sell it all?"
Jo rolled her eyes and hoisted the full trash bag over her shoulder. "Mom, when do we not sell incense?”
Ellen started talking again but Jo didn’t hear the rest, walking back through the storage room and out the side door. She was about to heft the trash bag into the open dumpster when she felt something rub against her leg. Dropping the bag, she almost tripped over it as she jumped back.
“Shit!”
Jo looked around for the culprit, balance regained. Jumping up to sit on the edge of the dumpster was a lean, ginger tabby cat. Jo grinned. “You scared the shit out of me, cat. What the hell were you doing?”
She turned back to retrieve the trash, placing it into the dumpster. The cat barely flinched, watching her. Once she dropped the bag, the cat stuck it’s head down in the dumpster after it, sniffing and pawing the plastic. Jo frowned.
“What’re you doing? You hungry, kitty?”
The cat lifted it’s head and meowed, making Jo laugh. “Guess that’s a yes. C’mon then.”
Walking back into the shop, she smiled. The cat had followed her inside.
“Smart kitty.”
Jo yelled up the stairs. “Hey mom! Do we have any cat food?”
Ellen appeared at the top of the stairs, making her way down with papers in hand.
“What? Cat food? Why do you need cat food?”
“There was a cat in our dumpster, mom. He’s hungry.”
“Joanna Beth, you don’t need to be feeding strays.”
“But look at him. He’s so cute. Please, can we feed him?”
Ellen sighed, hands on her hips as she stared down the cat now perched on her front counter, waiting patiently. Setting her papers on the shelf, she waved a hand at Jo.
“You already let him inside so you might as well. Go look in the back and see if we’ve got anything.”
Ellen hesitated before adding, “And Jo?”
“Huh?”
“How’d you know he’s a boy? Did you check?”
Glancing back at the cat, Jo raised an eyebrow. “Check?”
“Under its tail?”
The cat rolled over, stretching its legs out so its white tummy was facing up. Jo rubbed his middle, quickly lifting his leg to make sure he was a he and not a she. He began to purr louder.
“Yup, he’s a boy.”
Grinning, Jo went to the back, rummaging through shelves for anything she could find. Ellen shook her head and walked out front to collect the mail. The cat stayed put, cleaning himself, and it wasn’t long before Jo was back. She picked up one of the display bowls and filled it with the dry cat food she found. She set it in front of him and smiled.
“There you go, kitty.”
Ellen came back in, frowning at the newspaper in her hands. Glancing up she saw the cat munching away on her counter.
“Jo, get the cat off there.”
“Oh come on, he’s not in your way.”
Jo picked the bowl up and moved it anyway, the cat following. He purred but continued eating when Jo reached down to pet him. Looking up at a clock on the wall, Ellen huffed.
“You’re gonna be late for school if you keep playing with him.”
Sneaking one last rub behind his ears, Jo hurried up to her room to finish getting ready.
~
When Jo returned home, she was surprised to see the cat still there. He was laying on the front counter enjoying a little attention from a customer as Ellen rang them up. Jo dumped her backpack near the stairs and grinned.
“The cat’s still here!”
The customer smiled. “This your cat? He’s very handsome.”
He bumped his head under the man’s palm and meowed quietly.
“I dunno Jo, what do you say? Is this our cat?”
Jo stared at Ellen for a moment as she thanked the customer and handed him his shopping bag.
“Mom, are you serious?”
“Yeah, why not? He’s very well-behaved and besides...”
Ellen smiled at the customer and waved, waiting for the door to shut before continuing. “The customers like him. I can never have enough happy customers too busy paying attention to the cat to realize what they’re spending.”
Jo’s grin grew even wider. “Guess he needs a name then.”
She scratched the cat behind the ears. “What should we call you, hm? How about...Ash?”
He purred loudly.
Ellen busied herself dusting and straightening up the store, but continued talking. “You know he even asked to go out? And just when I’d stopped wondering if he’d come back around, he walks in with a customer. Jumped right back up on the counter. I think we’d have a hard time getting rid of him even if we tried.”
Jo laughed. “You’re a genius kitty aren’t you, Ash?”
“We should keep him downstairs though, Jo. I don’t want cat hair all over my furniture.”
Jo frowned at her mother, who wasn’t paying her any attention, before turning back to whisper at the cat.
“We’re not gonna keep you cooped up downstairs, are we? No, we’re not.”
~
Jo was right. It wasn’t long before Ash was a regular member of the family, lazing around the shop during the day and heading upstairs (against her mother’s wishes) once Jo got home from school. He followed Jo around everywhere, playing with her pencils on the desk while she did homework, curling up on her lap when she watched tv and on her pillow at night. He even sat patiently at the table during meals on the off-chance he would score some table scraps.
He was sitting there one morning, chewing on a piece of Jo’s bacon, when Ellen spoke up.
“I talked with the coven today. They’re worried about the spirit that’s been causing trouble with the old hospital renovation.”
Jo frowned and ripped off a piece of her toast for the cat. Ellen refrained from rolling her eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking, and my answer is no.”
“Mom I know my spells.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Mom –”
“I said no! It’s too dangerous.”
Ellen rose from the table. “Wash your dishes before you come downstairs. Ash, time for work.”
Ash stared after Ellen as she disappeared downstairs, but stayed put. Jo sighed and rubbed behind his ears.
“Go on. Get downstairs. She’ll come looking for you if you don’t.”
Ash meowed and licked Jo’s hand, bumping his head against her arm and rubbing against her legs before skittering down the stairs.
~
That brief argument with her mother sparked something. Jo couldn’t stand being told no. After two more failed attempts at changing Ellen’s mind, Jo came up with a new plan. Ash watched her closely throughout the week as she slowly borrowed things from the store, a bit of herb here, some stones there, and hid them in her room with the rest of her altar supplies.
By the time the weekend arrived, she decided it was time to put her magic to use. Jo fought with her mother Saturday morning, one last time, and after dinner she retreated to her room, Ash close behind. He jumped up on the bed to watched as Jo filled her backpack with the supplies she’d hoarded. With everything packed, Jo lay down and waited for her mother to go to bed. Ash sat on her chest, and when Jo tried to get up again he refused to move.
Jo pushed him off. “Ash, come on. Move, you fatty. I gotta go.”
Slipping on her shoes, Jo frowned. Ash was laying on her backpack now. She picked him up and he meowed loudly.
“Shut up! You’ll wake mom.”
Ash huffed and pawed at Jo’s shirt.
“No. I gotta go. And you’re staying right here. I’m not having you wake mom and get me in trouble.”
Jo dropped Ash on the bed, grabbed her backpack, and slipped out her bedroom door, leaving Ash inside. Quietly, she snuck down the stairs and out the back door.
~
It was early in the morning, the sun hadn’t even started rising, when Ellen rolled over to look at the clock. She groaned, unable to sleep. Getting up and heading for the kitchen, she heard a strangled yell coming from Jo’s room. Ellen yanked open the door, only to find a young man, naked on the floor, clutching his leg. He looked up at Ellen, obviously in pain.
“Ellen! Jo’s in trouble. She went to the hospital. You’ve gotta help her!”
Quickly snapping back, Ellen did the only thing she could think of. She got mad. She had never seen this boy before and yet here he was, injured, in her daughter’s room, yelling at her.
“Who the hell’re you!? What’re you doing in my house!?”
“Ellen, please. I’ll explain later. Jo’s in trouble. Eugh!”
The boy was clutching his leg again, eyes watering from the pain.
“Please. Just go!”
“But wh-”
“GO!”
“Don’t talk to me in that tone, boy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded, expression still screwed up with pain. “But please, listen to me?”
Ellen paused. He couldn’t be lying. He was in too much pain to be worried about anyone else and yet he was demanding she help Jo. Ellen’s instincts were screaming he was right. She exhaled and glanced back at the boy.
“Put some clothes on.”
He nodded.
Grabbing her jacket as she flew out the door, Ellen reasoned with herself. Even if he was lying, he wasn’t getting down those stairs by himself. He’d still be there when she got back.
~
When Jo woke up she was back in her own bed. Not quite sure how she’d gotten there, she could hear muffled conversation coming from the living room and tried getting up.
“Fuck!”
She winced. Her leg hurt like hell when she tried to move it. The hospital. She had tried to banish the poltergeist but something went wrong. One of the ceiling beams collapsed, breaking her circle, and nearly breaking her leg. She’d passed out once her head hit the floor.
Jo shoved the covers aside to examine her leg. It looked like her mom had wrapped it in a stint for now. Jo figured if she was careful, she could probably walk. Heedfully, she slid off the bed and pulled on some sweatpants before opening her bedroom door. The conversation in the living room ceased. Ellen looked up from the stove and frowned.
“Jo, what’re you doing out of bed? Get off that leg right now.”
Jo rolled her eyes and was about to head for the couch when she noticed that it was already occupied by a strange boy in a pair of boxers. He was sprawled out with one leg propped up on the arm of the couch, holding an ice pack against his spectacularly bruised thigh, smiling at her.
“Moooom, why’s there a boy on our couch?”
Jo hobbled her way over to the dining room table, not taking her eyes off the stranger. She propped her leg up on a chair and Ellen set a bowl down in front of her.
“Ash was just telling me that you’ve been taking things from the store, and that you snuck out to go to that hospital after I forbid it.”
“But mom I – wait. Ash? That’s not Ash.”
Ellen shot Jo a look as she walked over to the coffee table, setting a bowl down for Ash.
“Ash is a shapeshifter. Now eat. You’re in big trouble, young lady.”
“But mom, he’s our cat. If he’s a shapeshifter, why didn’t he tell us before?”
“How about you ask him instead of talking to me like he’s not here?”
Jo stared at her soup. Her cat was laying on her couch in a pair of boxers. Her male cat. The one that had curled up in her shirt and watched her get dressed in the morning. He was on her couch, eating soup. Jo looked up, face flushed with what she swore was indignant anger, to address him.
“Well? Why’re you here?”
Ash stopped slurping to look up, meeting Jo’s gaze.
“I’m your familiar.”
“What? That’s ridiculous. A witch’s familiar is an animal not...”
Jo gestured vaguely in Ash’s direction.
“Besides, a witch chooses her familiar.”
“Not always, Jo. You know that. Every witch has one true familiar,” Ellen raised a brow. “Ash is yours. It’s rare for a witch to be paired with a shapeshifter, but not unheard of.”
“But mom! He can’t be! He’s... He’s...”
“I’m what?”
Ash had set his bowl back down on the table, frowning, and waiting for an answer.
“You just can’t be!”
“I guess I’ll just have to prove it then.”
“What?”
He leaned forward, setting his icepack aside before wrapping both hands around his injured thigh and squeezing hard. Jo gasped. She had felt that. A sharp pain in her own leg. Ellen frowned.
“Ash, stop.”
Ash let go, replacing the icepack and grabbing his soup again.
They ate in silence, but Jo’s mind was still churning. Her familiar was a boy. How was she supposed to deal with that? A witch and her familiar shared a bond of trust and understanding. How was she supposed to do that with a guy she barely knew? It didn’t seem possible.
Jo finished her meal and retreated to her room. She didn’t want to think about this anymore, but there he was, leaning against her door frame.
“Get out of my room.”
“I’m not in your room. We need to talk. Mind if I sit down?”
“Yes.”
Ash came in anyway, sitting at the foot of Jo’s bed. Jo frowned and scooted up against the headboard, as far away from him as she could get.
“What’s there to talk about? You made your point, but you’ve still been lying to us all this time.”
“I never lied to you. You know who I am.”
“No, I know my cat.”
“I am your cat.”
“You’re a boy.”
“Yeah, I’m also a boy. So what? Does it change anythin’?”
“Of course it does!”
Seeing Ash sit there watching her with those familiar blue eyes, just like her cat used to, was unsettling. She saw him twitch and immediately knew why. If he was still a cat he would’ve crawled into her lap already like he always did when she was upset. He was obviously fighting the urge. Jo tried hard not to smile at the mental image of a full grown man trying to do the same.
“How old are you?”
“Cat years or human years?”
She glared.
“Nineteen.”
“And what’s your name?”
He grinned and tilted his head.
“My name’s Ash.”
Jo rolled her eyes.
“No I mean your real name, stupid.”
“... Does it matter?”
“It matters to me.”
Ash looked down, absently plucking at the blankets.
“Miles.”
“Just Miles?”
He didn’t respond, picking imaginary fuzz off of the bed instead.
“Fine. Why’re you here?”
“I told you. I’m your familiar.”
“Uh huh, right.”
“I’ve been lookin’ for you for a long time, Jo. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t even know what I was lookin’ for at first, I just knew I had to find it. I left my family. I left everythin’.”
Ash looked up at her again and Jo swallowed. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. What could she even say? This would’ve been so much easier if he was still a cat. That’s all she wanted, to be curled up with her kitty, petting him as they both drifted off to sleep. Ash shifted uneasily at the end of Jo’s bed, catching her attention.
His leg. It was all bruised and beat up. Just like hers. If he was really her familiar, then they were already connected in some way.
“Uh, sorry about your leg. I didn’t exactly mean for the ceiling to cave in on me.”
“That’s what I came in here to talk to you about. I know your mom doesn’t want you doin’ that spell –”
“Look I don’t need to hear it from you too.”
“But, I think you’re right. You can do it. I can help.”
“And how exactly are you gonna do that?”
Ash rolled his eyes.
“Look, I’ve spent a lot of time around witches. I know what I’m talkin’ about.”
“Fine then. Tell me?”
“You’ll be stronger with me there.”
Jo narrowed her eyes but continued listening.
“A human and their familiar can combine their energy and it becomes more powerful.”
“So...you want to come with me?”
Ash nodded, staring at her again.
“What!? Stop looking at me like that.”
~
The hallway light went out but Jo knew it would be a few more minutes before Ellen was asleep. She was sitting in bed, listening for her mom’s snoring when she heard scratching at the door. She was lucky to have done a healing spell earlier to mend their legs. Now they were almost good as new. Jo hesitated before letting the cat inside. He bounced onto the bed and looked up at her.
“If you change back without clothes on, I’ll get the water gun.”
Ash flicked his tail and huffed.
“Everything’s packed, we’ve just gotta get downstairs without waking mom. Guess we’re sneaking out back, huh?”
Ash lifted his head and rubbed against her arm but Jo pulled away. Ash’s tail dropped. Jo sighed before petting him carefully.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “It’s weird. I saw you in boxers earlier.”
Her cheeks flushed red and she stood up fast.
“...Anyway...I think mom’s asleep now.”
When they got outside, Jo looked back to make sure the coast was clear.
“Once we get closer to the hospital you can change.”
Ash started to run and Jo frowned.
“Hey, wait up!” she whispered, securing her backpack again, and taking off after him.
~
“This it?” Ash pulled his shirt on and Jo turned around to face him.
“Wait ‘til you get inside.”
Pushing open the basement door, Jo pulled out her flashlight. Ash glanced at the mangled deadbolt.
“I got that last time I was here,” she smirked. “Nothing a pair of pliers can’t fix.”
They made their way inside. It smelled of mold and expired medical supplies.
“Legend has it, there used to be a doctor who did unauthorized experiments on his patients down here. His lab was right about...” Jo squinted as they turned a corner. “Here.”
In the middle of the room was the large wooden beam laying across the floor.
“We should get started.”
“Yeah, I’m already gettin’ a bad feeling about this. Kinda like chills, you know?”
Jo began casting the circle, stepping three times around. Ash stood back and let her work. She placed several stones and candles inside and grabbed her jar of salt.
“You better get over here,” she beckoned him forward and started pouring a thin ring around them.
Ash cocked his head as a shadow hovered across the room.
“Jo...”
She looked up. A cold surge of energy hit her straight on and the figure of an old man appeared, grabbing hold of her hair.
Ash ran forward but was forced back onto the floor.
Jo tried to pry the spirit from her, grabbing the salt and flinging it on him. He vanished and she fell back next to Ash.
“You okay?” he asked, sitting up.
“We’ve gotta start the spell.”
Jo stood quickly and began pouring the salt again.
“Dark of the moon, all powers surround. Bless this space as sacred ground.”
The cold energy surrounded them, lapping up dust and making shadows against the dark walls. The candles flickered dangerously but Jo continued.
“Ill confine and harm confound as I –”
The candles extinguished and the figure appeared again, this time knocking both of them to the floor. The jar of salt smashed, glass flying everywhere.
The circle broke, allowing the spirit access inside where he took Jo by the arm and yanked her across the room. Both her and Ash yelled out in pain.
“Jo, we’ve gotta leave!”
“Not yet!”
She scrambled to her feet and reached for her magic supplies, only to be pushed back again. The spirit lifted its hand, now holding a large scalpel. As he was about to attack, Ash reached for Jo’s hand, pulling her out of the way just in time.
Then it hit her. They were stronger together.
“Don’t let go of my hand, okay?”
Ash looked worried but tightened his grip.
“Ill confine and harm confound as I banish thee from Earthly bound!”
The spirit lashed forward but Jo held out her free hand. Suddenly a force within her came forth.
“I banish thee from Earthly bound!”
She squeezed Ash tightly, concentrating as hard as possible, a heavy energy taking hold, lighting the spirit aflame before her eyes. The flames roared up and Ash pulled her back. They started to run as the fire quickly spread, lighting the medical equipment and everything else in the room within a minute.
Hurrying through the smoke, they fled as fast as they could. They found the exit and ran, coughing as they reached outside.
Jo’s eyes widened as the flames grew. She hadn’t realized, but Ash was holding her as he caught his breath. He met her gaze and smiled.
“I think you –”
Before he could finish, she leapt up and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hard on the lips.
He didn’t protest, leaning into her gently.
The fire burned behind them and they could hear sirens in the distance.
“JOANNA BETH HARVELLE.”
The sirens were the least of their concerns.
Ash quickly pulled away and Jo stepped back as her mother raced towards them.
“What were you thinking?! How dare you –”
“Mom, I can explain!”
“Oh you have a world of explaining to do, young lady.”
“Mom, we got rid of the spirit!”
“I don’t care what –” she stopped. “You what?”
“Me and Ash banished the spirit.”
The sirens grew louder as fire trucks pulled up to the old building.
“...You better have a good story for the police, Jo. We’ll talk about the spell later.”
Ellen shifted her gaze from Jo to Ash and glared before dragging them to the authorities.
~
As the flames died down and the police packed up, Jo and Ash made their way out of the crowd.
Jo looked at her feet as they leaned against Ellen’s car.
“I guess you’re really my familiar, huh?”
“Told you.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“It’ll take a bit gettin’ used to.”
She smiled and turned to him.
“I can change into a cat again if you want.”
“No way. I’m not carrying your clothes home.”
Ash chuckled, leaning over to kiss her quickly.
“Joanna Beth, we’re going home now.” Ellen came behind them and they got up fast.
Rolling her eyes, Jo got into the passenger seat and smiled back at Ash. Her mom would get over it. The important thing was that she was a real witch now. And what’s a witch without her familiar?
Word Count: 3904 (4041 according to wordcounter)
Characters: Jo Harvelle, Ellen Harvelle, Ash
Pairings: Ash/Jo Harvelle
Tags: magic-shop!AU
Jo yanked the trash bag out of the bin behind the counter before yelling upstairs to her mother.
"Hey mom, did you put incense on the list? They're getting low, you might want to order extra."
Taking a minute to look around the small shop, Jo eyed the shelves to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything else. She heard her mother shuffling papers in the apartment upstairs.
"You think we'll sell it all?"
Jo rolled her eyes and hoisted the full trash bag over her shoulder. "Mom, when do we not sell incense?”
Ellen started talking again but Jo didn’t hear the rest, walking back through the storage room and out the side door. She was about to heft the trash bag into the open dumpster when she felt something rub against her leg. Dropping the bag, she almost tripped over it as she jumped back.
“Shit!”
Jo looked around for the culprit, balance regained. Jumping up to sit on the edge of the dumpster was a lean, ginger tabby cat. Jo grinned. “You scared the shit out of me, cat. What the hell were you doing?”
She turned back to retrieve the trash, placing it into the dumpster. The cat barely flinched, watching her. Once she dropped the bag, the cat stuck it’s head down in the dumpster after it, sniffing and pawing the plastic. Jo frowned.
“What’re you doing? You hungry, kitty?”
The cat lifted it’s head and meowed, making Jo laugh. “Guess that’s a yes. C’mon then.”
Walking back into the shop, she smiled. The cat had followed her inside.
“Smart kitty.”
Jo yelled up the stairs. “Hey mom! Do we have any cat food?”
Ellen appeared at the top of the stairs, making her way down with papers in hand.
“What? Cat food? Why do you need cat food?”
“There was a cat in our dumpster, mom. He’s hungry.”
“Joanna Beth, you don’t need to be feeding strays.”
“But look at him. He’s so cute. Please, can we feed him?”
Ellen sighed, hands on her hips as she stared down the cat now perched on her front counter, waiting patiently. Setting her papers on the shelf, she waved a hand at Jo.
“You already let him inside so you might as well. Go look in the back and see if we’ve got anything.”
Ellen hesitated before adding, “And Jo?”
“Huh?”
“How’d you know he’s a boy? Did you check?”
Glancing back at the cat, Jo raised an eyebrow. “Check?”
“Under its tail?”
The cat rolled over, stretching its legs out so its white tummy was facing up. Jo rubbed his middle, quickly lifting his leg to make sure he was a he and not a she. He began to purr louder.
“Yup, he’s a boy.”
Grinning, Jo went to the back, rummaging through shelves for anything she could find. Ellen shook her head and walked out front to collect the mail. The cat stayed put, cleaning himself, and it wasn’t long before Jo was back. She picked up one of the display bowls and filled it with the dry cat food she found. She set it in front of him and smiled.
“There you go, kitty.”
Ellen came back in, frowning at the newspaper in her hands. Glancing up she saw the cat munching away on her counter.
“Jo, get the cat off there.”
“Oh come on, he’s not in your way.”
Jo picked the bowl up and moved it anyway, the cat following. He purred but continued eating when Jo reached down to pet him. Looking up at a clock on the wall, Ellen huffed.
“You’re gonna be late for school if you keep playing with him.”
Sneaking one last rub behind his ears, Jo hurried up to her room to finish getting ready.
~
When Jo returned home, she was surprised to see the cat still there. He was laying on the front counter enjoying a little attention from a customer as Ellen rang them up. Jo dumped her backpack near the stairs and grinned.
“The cat’s still here!”
The customer smiled. “This your cat? He’s very handsome.”
He bumped his head under the man’s palm and meowed quietly.
“I dunno Jo, what do you say? Is this our cat?”
Jo stared at Ellen for a moment as she thanked the customer and handed him his shopping bag.
“Mom, are you serious?”
“Yeah, why not? He’s very well-behaved and besides...”
Ellen smiled at the customer and waved, waiting for the door to shut before continuing. “The customers like him. I can never have enough happy customers too busy paying attention to the cat to realize what they’re spending.”
Jo’s grin grew even wider. “Guess he needs a name then.”
She scratched the cat behind the ears. “What should we call you, hm? How about...Ash?”
He purred loudly.
Ellen busied herself dusting and straightening up the store, but continued talking. “You know he even asked to go out? And just when I’d stopped wondering if he’d come back around, he walks in with a customer. Jumped right back up on the counter. I think we’d have a hard time getting rid of him even if we tried.”
Jo laughed. “You’re a genius kitty aren’t you, Ash?”
“We should keep him downstairs though, Jo. I don’t want cat hair all over my furniture.”
Jo frowned at her mother, who wasn’t paying her any attention, before turning back to whisper at the cat.
“We’re not gonna keep you cooped up downstairs, are we? No, we’re not.”
~
Jo was right. It wasn’t long before Ash was a regular member of the family, lazing around the shop during the day and heading upstairs (against her mother’s wishes) once Jo got home from school. He followed Jo around everywhere, playing with her pencils on the desk while she did homework, curling up on her lap when she watched tv and on her pillow at night. He even sat patiently at the table during meals on the off-chance he would score some table scraps.
He was sitting there one morning, chewing on a piece of Jo’s bacon, when Ellen spoke up.
“I talked with the coven today. They’re worried about the spirit that’s been causing trouble with the old hospital renovation.”
Jo frowned and ripped off a piece of her toast for the cat. Ellen refrained from rolling her eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking, and my answer is no.”
“Mom I know my spells.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Mom –”
“I said no! It’s too dangerous.”
Ellen rose from the table. “Wash your dishes before you come downstairs. Ash, time for work.”
Ash stared after Ellen as she disappeared downstairs, but stayed put. Jo sighed and rubbed behind his ears.
“Go on. Get downstairs. She’ll come looking for you if you don’t.”
Ash meowed and licked Jo’s hand, bumping his head against her arm and rubbing against her legs before skittering down the stairs.
~
That brief argument with her mother sparked something. Jo couldn’t stand being told no. After two more failed attempts at changing Ellen’s mind, Jo came up with a new plan. Ash watched her closely throughout the week as she slowly borrowed things from the store, a bit of herb here, some stones there, and hid them in her room with the rest of her altar supplies.
By the time the weekend arrived, she decided it was time to put her magic to use. Jo fought with her mother Saturday morning, one last time, and after dinner she retreated to her room, Ash close behind. He jumped up on the bed to watched as Jo filled her backpack with the supplies she’d hoarded. With everything packed, Jo lay down and waited for her mother to go to bed. Ash sat on her chest, and when Jo tried to get up again he refused to move.
Jo pushed him off. “Ash, come on. Move, you fatty. I gotta go.”
Slipping on her shoes, Jo frowned. Ash was laying on her backpack now. She picked him up and he meowed loudly.
“Shut up! You’ll wake mom.”
Ash huffed and pawed at Jo’s shirt.
“No. I gotta go. And you’re staying right here. I’m not having you wake mom and get me in trouble.”
Jo dropped Ash on the bed, grabbed her backpack, and slipped out her bedroom door, leaving Ash inside. Quietly, she snuck down the stairs and out the back door.
~
It was early in the morning, the sun hadn’t even started rising, when Ellen rolled over to look at the clock. She groaned, unable to sleep. Getting up and heading for the kitchen, she heard a strangled yell coming from Jo’s room. Ellen yanked open the door, only to find a young man, naked on the floor, clutching his leg. He looked up at Ellen, obviously in pain.
“Ellen! Jo’s in trouble. She went to the hospital. You’ve gotta help her!”
Quickly snapping back, Ellen did the only thing she could think of. She got mad. She had never seen this boy before and yet here he was, injured, in her daughter’s room, yelling at her.
“Who the hell’re you!? What’re you doing in my house!?”
“Ellen, please. I’ll explain later. Jo’s in trouble. Eugh!”
The boy was clutching his leg again, eyes watering from the pain.
“Please. Just go!”
“But wh-”
“GO!”
“Don’t talk to me in that tone, boy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded, expression still screwed up with pain. “But please, listen to me?”
Ellen paused. He couldn’t be lying. He was in too much pain to be worried about anyone else and yet he was demanding she help Jo. Ellen’s instincts were screaming he was right. She exhaled and glanced back at the boy.
“Put some clothes on.”
He nodded.
Grabbing her jacket as she flew out the door, Ellen reasoned with herself. Even if he was lying, he wasn’t getting down those stairs by himself. He’d still be there when she got back.
~
When Jo woke up she was back in her own bed. Not quite sure how she’d gotten there, she could hear muffled conversation coming from the living room and tried getting up.
“Fuck!”
She winced. Her leg hurt like hell when she tried to move it. The hospital. She had tried to banish the poltergeist but something went wrong. One of the ceiling beams collapsed, breaking her circle, and nearly breaking her leg. She’d passed out once her head hit the floor.
Jo shoved the covers aside to examine her leg. It looked like her mom had wrapped it in a stint for now. Jo figured if she was careful, she could probably walk. Heedfully, she slid off the bed and pulled on some sweatpants before opening her bedroom door. The conversation in the living room ceased. Ellen looked up from the stove and frowned.
“Jo, what’re you doing out of bed? Get off that leg right now.”
Jo rolled her eyes and was about to head for the couch when she noticed that it was already occupied by a strange boy in a pair of boxers. He was sprawled out with one leg propped up on the arm of the couch, holding an ice pack against his spectacularly bruised thigh, smiling at her.
“Moooom, why’s there a boy on our couch?”
Jo hobbled her way over to the dining room table, not taking her eyes off the stranger. She propped her leg up on a chair and Ellen set a bowl down in front of her.
“Ash was just telling me that you’ve been taking things from the store, and that you snuck out to go to that hospital after I forbid it.”
“But mom I – wait. Ash? That’s not Ash.”
Ellen shot Jo a look as she walked over to the coffee table, setting a bowl down for Ash.
“Ash is a shapeshifter. Now eat. You’re in big trouble, young lady.”
“But mom, he’s our cat. If he’s a shapeshifter, why didn’t he tell us before?”
“How about you ask him instead of talking to me like he’s not here?”
Jo stared at her soup. Her cat was laying on her couch in a pair of boxers. Her male cat. The one that had curled up in her shirt and watched her get dressed in the morning. He was on her couch, eating soup. Jo looked up, face flushed with what she swore was indignant anger, to address him.
“Well? Why’re you here?”
Ash stopped slurping to look up, meeting Jo’s gaze.
“I’m your familiar.”
“What? That’s ridiculous. A witch’s familiar is an animal not...”
Jo gestured vaguely in Ash’s direction.
“Besides, a witch chooses her familiar.”
“Not always, Jo. You know that. Every witch has one true familiar,” Ellen raised a brow. “Ash is yours. It’s rare for a witch to be paired with a shapeshifter, but not unheard of.”
“But mom! He can’t be! He’s... He’s...”
“I’m what?”
Ash had set his bowl back down on the table, frowning, and waiting for an answer.
“You just can’t be!”
“I guess I’ll just have to prove it then.”
“What?”
He leaned forward, setting his icepack aside before wrapping both hands around his injured thigh and squeezing hard. Jo gasped. She had felt that. A sharp pain in her own leg. Ellen frowned.
“Ash, stop.”
Ash let go, replacing the icepack and grabbing his soup again.
They ate in silence, but Jo’s mind was still churning. Her familiar was a boy. How was she supposed to deal with that? A witch and her familiar shared a bond of trust and understanding. How was she supposed to do that with a guy she barely knew? It didn’t seem possible.
Jo finished her meal and retreated to her room. She didn’t want to think about this anymore, but there he was, leaning against her door frame.
“Get out of my room.”
“I’m not in your room. We need to talk. Mind if I sit down?”
“Yes.”
Ash came in anyway, sitting at the foot of Jo’s bed. Jo frowned and scooted up against the headboard, as far away from him as she could get.
“What’s there to talk about? You made your point, but you’ve still been lying to us all this time.”
“I never lied to you. You know who I am.”
“No, I know my cat.”
“I am your cat.”
“You’re a boy.”
“Yeah, I’m also a boy. So what? Does it change anythin’?”
“Of course it does!”
Seeing Ash sit there watching her with those familiar blue eyes, just like her cat used to, was unsettling. She saw him twitch and immediately knew why. If he was still a cat he would’ve crawled into her lap already like he always did when she was upset. He was obviously fighting the urge. Jo tried hard not to smile at the mental image of a full grown man trying to do the same.
“How old are you?”
“Cat years or human years?”
She glared.
“Nineteen.”
“And what’s your name?”
He grinned and tilted his head.
“My name’s Ash.”
Jo rolled her eyes.
“No I mean your real name, stupid.”
“... Does it matter?”
“It matters to me.”
Ash looked down, absently plucking at the blankets.
“Miles.”
“Just Miles?”
He didn’t respond, picking imaginary fuzz off of the bed instead.
“Fine. Why’re you here?”
“I told you. I’m your familiar.”
“Uh huh, right.”
“I’ve been lookin’ for you for a long time, Jo. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t even know what I was lookin’ for at first, I just knew I had to find it. I left my family. I left everythin’.”
Ash looked up at her again and Jo swallowed. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. What could she even say? This would’ve been so much easier if he was still a cat. That’s all she wanted, to be curled up with her kitty, petting him as they both drifted off to sleep. Ash shifted uneasily at the end of Jo’s bed, catching her attention.
His leg. It was all bruised and beat up. Just like hers. If he was really her familiar, then they were already connected in some way.
“Uh, sorry about your leg. I didn’t exactly mean for the ceiling to cave in on me.”
“That’s what I came in here to talk to you about. I know your mom doesn’t want you doin’ that spell –”
“Look I don’t need to hear it from you too.”
“But, I think you’re right. You can do it. I can help.”
“And how exactly are you gonna do that?”
Ash rolled his eyes.
“Look, I’ve spent a lot of time around witches. I know what I’m talkin’ about.”
“Fine then. Tell me?”
“You’ll be stronger with me there.”
Jo narrowed her eyes but continued listening.
“A human and their familiar can combine their energy and it becomes more powerful.”
“So...you want to come with me?”
Ash nodded, staring at her again.
“What!? Stop looking at me like that.”
~
The hallway light went out but Jo knew it would be a few more minutes before Ellen was asleep. She was sitting in bed, listening for her mom’s snoring when she heard scratching at the door. She was lucky to have done a healing spell earlier to mend their legs. Now they were almost good as new. Jo hesitated before letting the cat inside. He bounced onto the bed and looked up at her.
“If you change back without clothes on, I’ll get the water gun.”
Ash flicked his tail and huffed.
“Everything’s packed, we’ve just gotta get downstairs without waking mom. Guess we’re sneaking out back, huh?”
Ash lifted his head and rubbed against her arm but Jo pulled away. Ash’s tail dropped. Jo sighed before petting him carefully.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “It’s weird. I saw you in boxers earlier.”
Her cheeks flushed red and she stood up fast.
“...Anyway...I think mom’s asleep now.”
When they got outside, Jo looked back to make sure the coast was clear.
“Once we get closer to the hospital you can change.”
Ash started to run and Jo frowned.
“Hey, wait up!” she whispered, securing her backpack again, and taking off after him.
~
“This it?” Ash pulled his shirt on and Jo turned around to face him.
“Wait ‘til you get inside.”
Pushing open the basement door, Jo pulled out her flashlight. Ash glanced at the mangled deadbolt.
“I got that last time I was here,” she smirked. “Nothing a pair of pliers can’t fix.”
They made their way inside. It smelled of mold and expired medical supplies.
“Legend has it, there used to be a doctor who did unauthorized experiments on his patients down here. His lab was right about...” Jo squinted as they turned a corner. “Here.”
In the middle of the room was the large wooden beam laying across the floor.
“We should get started.”
“Yeah, I’m already gettin’ a bad feeling about this. Kinda like chills, you know?”
Jo began casting the circle, stepping three times around. Ash stood back and let her work. She placed several stones and candles inside and grabbed her jar of salt.
“You better get over here,” she beckoned him forward and started pouring a thin ring around them.
Ash cocked his head as a shadow hovered across the room.
“Jo...”
She looked up. A cold surge of energy hit her straight on and the figure of an old man appeared, grabbing hold of her hair.
Ash ran forward but was forced back onto the floor.
Jo tried to pry the spirit from her, grabbing the salt and flinging it on him. He vanished and she fell back next to Ash.
“You okay?” he asked, sitting up.
“We’ve gotta start the spell.”
Jo stood quickly and began pouring the salt again.
“Dark of the moon, all powers surround. Bless this space as sacred ground.”
The cold energy surrounded them, lapping up dust and making shadows against the dark walls. The candles flickered dangerously but Jo continued.
“Ill confine and harm confound as I –”
The candles extinguished and the figure appeared again, this time knocking both of them to the floor. The jar of salt smashed, glass flying everywhere.
The circle broke, allowing the spirit access inside where he took Jo by the arm and yanked her across the room. Both her and Ash yelled out in pain.
“Jo, we’ve gotta leave!”
“Not yet!”
She scrambled to her feet and reached for her magic supplies, only to be pushed back again. The spirit lifted its hand, now holding a large scalpel. As he was about to attack, Ash reached for Jo’s hand, pulling her out of the way just in time.
Then it hit her. They were stronger together.
“Don’t let go of my hand, okay?”
Ash looked worried but tightened his grip.
“Ill confine and harm confound as I banish thee from Earthly bound!”
The spirit lashed forward but Jo held out her free hand. Suddenly a force within her came forth.
“I banish thee from Earthly bound!”
She squeezed Ash tightly, concentrating as hard as possible, a heavy energy taking hold, lighting the spirit aflame before her eyes. The flames roared up and Ash pulled her back. They started to run as the fire quickly spread, lighting the medical equipment and everything else in the room within a minute.
Hurrying through the smoke, they fled as fast as they could. They found the exit and ran, coughing as they reached outside.
Jo’s eyes widened as the flames grew. She hadn’t realized, but Ash was holding her as he caught his breath. He met her gaze and smiled.
“I think you –”
Before he could finish, she leapt up and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hard on the lips.
He didn’t protest, leaning into her gently.
The fire burned behind them and they could hear sirens in the distance.
“JOANNA BETH HARVELLE.”
The sirens were the least of their concerns.
Ash quickly pulled away and Jo stepped back as her mother raced towards them.
“What were you thinking?! How dare you –”
“Mom, I can explain!”
“Oh you have a world of explaining to do, young lady.”
“Mom, we got rid of the spirit!”
“I don’t care what –” she stopped. “You what?”
“Me and Ash banished the spirit.”
The sirens grew louder as fire trucks pulled up to the old building.
“...You better have a good story for the police, Jo. We’ll talk about the spell later.”
Ellen shifted her gaze from Jo to Ash and glared before dragging them to the authorities.
~
As the flames died down and the police packed up, Jo and Ash made their way out of the crowd.
Jo looked at her feet as they leaned against Ellen’s car.
“I guess you’re really my familiar, huh?”
“Told you.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“It’ll take a bit gettin’ used to.”
She smiled and turned to him.
“I can change into a cat again if you want.”
“No way. I’m not carrying your clothes home.”
Ash chuckled, leaning over to kiss her quickly.
“Joanna Beth, we’re going home now.” Ellen came behind them and they got up fast.
Rolling her eyes, Jo got into the passenger seat and smiled back at Ash. Her mom would get over it. The important thing was that she was a real witch now. And what’s a witch without her familiar?
