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A LEOPARD'S TAIL

1. Part Seven

Peter sighed in relief as the doorbell rang. It was around two in the afternoon, and Kristy had been all over him since the morning, asking him questions, keeping an eye on him, watching his reactions... In short, driving him completely insane.

"I'll get it.." Peter said to his family, sitting around the coffee table in the conversation room. He walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Mrs. Stengel, a slightly overweight woman wearing a floral patterned dress with a gaudy pearl necklace around her neck. Peter's nose wrinkled up almost immediately from the strong, almost overpowering to Peter's sensitive nose, scent of cheap perfume. But what drew Peter's attention quickest was the small white miniature poodle at the end of the leash in Mrs. Stengal's hand. The dog immediately started barking at Peter, straining against its leash. Peter just looked down at the dog for a moment, sniffling his nose at the horrible odor of overused perfume. Needless to say this was not the greatest of first impressions.

"Why hello." Mrs. Stengal said, stretching her hand out. "You must be Peter, John and Elizabeth's son." Peter nodded and tried not to breathe through his nose.

"Yes, that's me. Won't you come in, Mrs. Stengal?" Peter said politely, completely ignoring the little white poodle barking at him.

"Please call me Ruth." She said, stepping inside, making no effort to control her rowdy pet. The animal just kept on barking and pulling at its leash, trying to nip at Peter's feet. "I assume everyone is in the art room?" Peter assumed she meant the conversation room, and nodded his head.

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting." Peter followed her into down the hallway, getting a headache from the perfume and dog barking. This just isn't my day...

Peter stifled a yawn as he sat in his chair, listening as his mother and Mrs. Stengal chatted. From the looks on the faces of his father and sister, they were also quite bored of listening to gossip, although Kristy did seem at least mildly interested. Peter, however, had other things to occupy his mind, like the irritating little poodle sitting in Mrs. Stengal's lap. The dog simply stared at him, but rather than unnerving him, the animal simply annoyed him. Every time he made even a slight move, the poodle would growl lowly at him, and Peter was starting to get tired of it.

Peter stood up from his chair, causing the poodle, Fifi... I still can't believe the woman actually named her dog 'Fifi'! to stand up in Mrs. Stengal's lap and make a low yipping sound, watching him.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." Peter said, heading off towards the hallway and the bathroom by the front door. The dog looked up at it's master, saw her occupied in conversation, and leapt from her lap to the floor, following behind Peter, leash trailing behind it.

The poodle followed Peter around the corner into the hallway. There was silence for a moment, and then a low growl, followed by a loud yip. A few seconds later 'Fifi' tore around the corner as fast as it could run, almost strangling itself when it's collar got caught on something, rushing over to Mrs. Stengal and leaping into her lap, shivering in terror.

A few minutes later Peter returned from the bathroom and sat back down. He grinned as the dog backed away from him into Mrs. Stengal's lap. When Kristy looked over at him curiously, he merely grinned and shrugged and went back to trying to ignore the stench of perfume.

"Well, that was... Fun." Kristy said, after Peter closed the door behind Mrs. Stengal. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, it was a real ball..."

Kristy chuckled. "And you had to love that poodle."

Peter snorted. "And that perfume... What did she do, bathe in it?" Kristy laughed.

"I didn't think the perfume smelled THAT bad... "

"No, you wouldn't..." Peter said, more to himself than her. Kristy watched him for a moment before continuing.

"What DID you do to that poor dog anyway? It really seemed to dislike you, but when it came back from following you, it practically tried to burrow into Mrs. Stengal's lap to get away from you!" Kristy laughed, and Peter smiled a bit.

"Why, I didn't lay a hand on the poor, innocent creature..." Growling at it had been more than enough. Peter though with slight amusement.

Kristy raised an eyebrow. "Suuurrree you didn't..." Peter choose not to comment, and grinned innocently. "Well, let's get back into the kitchen before Mom and Dad start to worry that that poodle had mauled you to death."

Peter just shook his head in amusement and followed his sister back down the hallways.

"Great cooking Mom." Peter said, as he ate his third hamburger. Mrs. Hoffman just smiled back at her son.

"Thanks Peter. But I guess anything would be good after whatever it is you bachelors eat, all alone in your tiny little apartment..." Peter's mother said. Peter rolled his eyes in amusement, and Kristy and Mr. Hoffman resisted the urge to laugh.

"Mom, I'm not THAT bad a cook!" Peter replied, taking another bite of his dinner.

"Well, you must not be eating very well then! You certainly have an appetite."

Kristy laughed. "She's got you there Peter. I can't remember the last time I saw you eat so much, especially meat. You always used to stick to bread and vegetables" Mrs. Hoffman nodded in agreement.

"Sometimes it seemed like you lived on bread and water when you were little." Peter cleared his throat a bit and put down his burger, his appetite gone.

"Things change..." Peter said quietly, more to himself. Then he forced himself to smile back at him mother. "So, how have you been keeping yourself entertained without me and Kristy around to drive you insane?" Mrs. Hoffman smiled.

"Oh, I make do..." While the conversation continued, Kristy watched her brother carefully.

Peter sighed and looked at the clock again. He yawned hugely, but forced himself to keep his eyes opened. It was late at night, or, more precisely, early in the morning, and Peter was still fighting his need for sleep.

Kristy had already take a little peek into his room a few hours ago, to check in on him. Peter knew that the odds of her coming back in again were slim, but he just couldn't let himself fall asleep. If she were to walk in on me as a leopard again, there'd be no way she could pass it off as a dream...

With a low sigh, Peter rubbed his face. No matter how hard he tried, he'd HAVE to sleep sometime. No one in their right mind would be up at this hour. Peter thought to himself. He let out a low bitter snort. Which probably explains why I'M up... He sighed once again and looked at the clock. Well, might as well try to get an hour or two of sleep...

"Good Morning Peter!" Mr. Hoffman said as Peter entered the kitchen early the next morning. "Are you okay son?" John asked with concern, looking at his son's haggard face."Oh, I'm fine Dad." Peter said, waving his hand as he yawned. "Just a bit tired." Mr. Hoffman nodded his head and handed Peter a cup of coffee.

"So, how's your job going?" Peter's father asked conversationally.

"Oh, pretty good Dad. I'm still amazed I ended up with such a great boss, and my co-workers are a pretty nice bunch of guys too. The work isn't too hard, and I'm making more than enough to get along." Peter took a large gulp of coffee, trying to wake himself up. His father nodded.

"So, how are things going outside of work?"

"What do you mean 'outside of work'?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I just meant..."

Peter chuckled. "You meant, when am I going to settle down and get married?" Mr. Hoffman laughed and nodded.

"I always taught you to come to the point." He smiled. "I don't know why I keep forgetting that myself."

"Well, at least you're better than Mom!" Peter laughed and rolled his eyes.

"You know how your mother is." Peter's father shrugged. "She just wants what's best for you."

"I know, I know." He sighed. "But all these blind dates she tries to set me up on..." Mr. Hoffman nodded.

"So, do you really like this Karen?" Mr. Hoffman asked bluntly. Peter blinked in surprise for a moment, and then took a sip of coffee to give himself time to think.

"I'm... Not sure." Peter said slowly. "I mean, she's really nice, and she's been helping me... "

"But...?"

"But... I don't know how she feels... I don't know she'd want to hang around with someone like ME..." Peter looked down into his cup of coffee.

"And what's wrong with you?"

"More than you think..." Peter mumbled to himself without thinking. Mr. Hoffman raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.

"Look son, I don't pretend to know what's going on in your life. I've noticed that you've been acting a bit strange lately..." Peter's head rose up to look at him, and Mr. Hoffman chuckled. "Come on Peter. You're mother and I aren't THAT inattentive!" Peter smiled a bit and nodded.

"But anyway, as I was saying... I've always believed that you and your sister are smart enough to know what's right, and I've always tried not to interfere with your lives. God knows, your mother does that enough!" Peter and his father both laughed a little.

"And Kristy too... She's just as bad."

"Well, she's your older sister. She always took it upon herself to keep you out of trouble. And boy, did you ever manage to get into trouble when you were a kid!" Mr. Hoffman smiled. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this. As your father, I can only give you advice. It's up to you to do what you think is right. And if you're having problems, whatever they are, your family is always here for you." Peter nodded and smiled.

"And your advice in this situation is...?" Peter's father shrugged slightly.

"Tell her how you feel. Don't let her slip away. It's the only way you'll really find out what she thinks of you." Mr. Hoffman slowly stood up and patted his son's shoulder. Then he looked at the time

"Oh yeah... Almost forgot..." Peter looked down into his coffee, thinking, while his father got a small dish and filled it with milk. Peter eventually looked up curiously.

"What are you doing Dad?" Mr. Hoffman did a quick check of the room before gesturing for Peter to follow. His curiosity piqued, Peter followed him through the conversation room, and back into the living room, which had a large sliding glass door to the backyard. Sitting outside the door was a small cat with mottled fur.

Peter's father smiled and opened the door, putting the dish of milk in front of the stray. "Your mother keeps telling me not to feed it, but I guess I'm just an old softie." He said with a grin.

Peter just blinked and looked at the cat, which stared right back at him for a moment before cautiously bending over to lap at the milk. Even as it drank, it continued to watch him. Peter started to feel vaguely uncomfortable. At least it's not a leopard...

His father continued talking. "At least I'm not as bad as the lady down the street..." He laughed, and Peter blinked, returning to reality.

Peter looked around for a second, avoiding looking at the cat. "Um... I think I'm going to go for a little walk, to clear my mind. I'll be back in a little while." Mr. Hoffman looked at his son for a moment, and nodded.

"Okay Peter. But I suggest you be back in time for breakfast. You know how your mother can be if she doesn't think you're eating right." Peter nodded and headed towards the door, grabbing his jacket and shoes on the way.

Peter let out a deep breath, and watched it freeze in the chill air. It was an unusually cold morning, but Peter didn't mind too much. It helped clear his thoughts.

Dang animals. Even strays stare at me!

Peter's thoughts turned away from that problem, to the conversation he had with his father. I really should tell them about this... But I don't know how they'd take it... No, I'm not going to put anymore stress on them. The fewer people who know, the better...

Peter's mind took a different track as his thoughts wandered. Except for Karen. Things would be a lot worse if not for Karen. She's really helped me out. And she's funny, and kind, and caring... Peter shook his head. And I'm some sort of freak who turns into an animal. He sighed. I don't know....

"Hey! Hey you! Those are my cats!"

Peter's head snapped up at the sound of an old woman's voice. He quickly turned to see what going on.

"What are y..." Peter stopped in mid sentence, looking at the pack of stray cats that was standing a few feet behind him. The animals just stared at him, and Peter twitched. How long have they been...? I was so deep in thought, I never even... Don't I EVER get a break?? He asked himself, staring at the animals.

"They're my cats!" Peter looked up to the source of the voice, an elderly woman standing on the porch in front of her house. "I feed them, and I take care of them!" She said, more than a little belligerently.

"Um.. I'm sure they are, and I'm sure you do.." He swallowed hard and waved his hands at the cats, slowly backing away. "Shoo! Shoo! Go away!" The cats sat where they were, but didn't disperse, continuing to stare at him.

"Have you got fish in your pockets or something? The woman asked. "I've never seen them all act like this..." Peter continued to back away slowly, as the old woman watched him curiously.

"Er.. It's nothing Ma'am. It was a pleasure meeting you." Peter said nervously, backing away from the cats faster and faster. Eventually he started to turn around and walk away, looking over his shoulder every few second to make sure he wasn't being followed. He slowly increased his pace to something just short of a run, and headed around the corner of the block. Only when he was finally out of sight did the cats walk back to the old woman, acting normal once more.

"What a strange young man... Oh well. It's feeding time my friends." The old woman smiled to herself as the cats followed her once again.

Peter opened the front door, stepped through, and quickly shut it behind him, leaning back against it. He sighed and wiped some sweat from his brow, looking around to make sure no one saw his unusual entrance.

This is ridiculous... I can't even walk down the street! Peter felt the urge to laugh at the strangeness of it all, but resisted. Instead he concentrated on slowing his breathing, rubbing a hand over his face. He did feel a very light coat of fur, and closed his eyes to calm his nerves and concentrate on changing back.

He was just running his hand over his face again when Kristy walked down the stairs and spotted him.

"Ah, THERE you are Peter! Where have you been?" Peter jumped slightly, and quickly lowered his hand from his face, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Um, nowhere. I just went out to get a little fresh air." Peter said, in a nervous voice. Kristy gave him an odd look, noticing how strangely he was acting, and filing the information away for later.

I'll find out what's going on with you sooner or later Little Bro. You're going to get my help with whatever it is whether you want it or not... Kristy smiled back at him.

"Well, Mom was just making breakfast, and I wanted to let you know." Peter nodded.

"Well then, let's go eat!" He said with a grin. Kristy nodded and headed down the hallway in front of Peter. As soon as her back was turned, Peter quickly ran his hand back over his face, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" Peter and Kristy waved to their parents as the taxi pulled up in front of the house.

"Are you sure you don't want us to drive you to the airport?" Mr. Hoffman asked. Peter shook his head.

"No thanks Dad. You know how traffic at the airport is around now."

"Well, you two be careful! Don't forget to write! And call!" Mrs. Hoffman waved to her children from the door as they entered the taxi.

"We will Mom, don't worry." Kristy smiled and waved. "Seeya later Mom! Dad!"

After finishing up their farewells, the two siblings got into the taxi and told the driver where to go. Peter sighed in relief and stretched out a bit inside the cab. Whew.. Made it.

"So... Heading straight back home?" Kristy asked, eyeing him. Peter sighed. Well, maybe I haven't made it quite yet...

"Yep. I've got to be back at work. How about you? Where are you headed?" Peter asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I have another exhibition at a museum in Ohio somewhere..." She shrugged. "After that, there are a few places my work might be sent. Anyway, I want to get back to a studio. I have a few ideas for pieces of work running around my head."

Peter nodded, and they rode out the rest of the trip in silence, both of them looking out their windows and watching the scenery pass by. When they arrived at JFK, they headed for their terminals.

"Well, my plane leaves in about five minutes... How about yours?" Peter asked.

"I've got another half hour." Kristy replied. Peter nodded.

"Well then, I guess this is goodbye." Peter said with a small smile. Karen chuckled at him.

"Oh no you don't... You don't get off that easy Little Bro. I still may not know what's going on, but you can't deny you're in some kind of trouble. And whatever it is, I'm eventually going to find out, and help you, whether you want it or not." She said, smiling cheerfully. Peter did not look amused.

"This is nothing you can help with Sis. It's my problem, and I'm dealing with it. The best help you could offer is to drop the whole matter."

Kristy ginned some more. "Sorry Little Bro, but you know me better than that." She smiled and gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you soon, Peter." She waved once more, and headed off towards her terminal. Sooner than you think, if I can work something out...

Peter sighed and waved back, a defeated look on his face.

Peter dropped his bags on the floor of his apartment, and flopped down onto his sofa, exhausted. He'd managed to relax a bit on his flight, but he was still tired to the core. After three days of nerves, questioning from his mother and sister, and forcing himself to remain calm and not change shape, not to mention getting less than a single normal night's sleep over the past three, Peter was feeling more than a little exhausted. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he wandered over to the phone to check his messages.

"Hello Peter. It's Karen. I guess your home, since you're getting this message. I just wanted to know how your little trip home went. Give me a call when you get back. I'll talk to you later."

Peter paused for a moment, leaning back on the sofa, half-listening to the rest of his usual messages. When the tape had played itself, he reached over and dialed Karen's number. The phone rang a few times, and Peter was just about to hang up, when Karen's voice came over the line.

"Hello?" Karen asked in a pleasant voice.

"Hi Karen. It's Peter. I just got home and got your message. Hope I'm not disturbing you..."

Karen laughed softly. "No, I was just getting out of the shower... So, how was your trip?" Peter let out a low chuckle.

"Fine, if you ignore the fact that my sister grilled me, my mother tried to set me up on a blind date, and a pack of stray cats started following me around the block..." Peter could hear Karen laughing on the other end of the line, and smiled.

"I'd like to hear about it." Karen said, after she finished laughing.

"Well... You could always come over here if you want..." Peter resisted the urge to yawn. He was still tired, and he had work early tomorrow, but it felt good to talk to Karen after the past few days.

"Are you sure Peter?" Karen asked. "You said you just got home, and you sound pretty tired."

"I think I can manage to stay awake for a little while." Peter said, smiling.

"Well, okay then. I'll be over in a little while. I just have to dry my hair. Oh, and since I'm coming over, would you mind if I did a few more little tests?"

"What kind of tests?" Peter asked a bit cautiously. He really didn't feel like getting poked with needles again right now.

"Oh, nothing major. I just wanted to measure you in leopard form again, to see if your body has changed any since last time."

Peter nodded to himself. "Okay, fine by me." He said with a smile. "I'll see you in a little while."

"See you then!" Karen replied and hung up the hone. Peter yawned again, took one look at his bags, and decided to stuff them into his closet and unpack later. He took a seat on the couch, and sat staring at the wall for a while, thinking.

"Hello Peter." Karen said, as Peter opened the door. She immediately noticed how tired he looked. I shouldn't have come over... She thought to herself. I should have just let him get some sleep.

"Hi Karen." Peter said cheerfully, opening the door wide for her. "How have things been going at the zoo?" He asked.

"Oh, things have been going fine. Nothing unusual happening really." Karen walked into the apartment and took a seat by Peter. "So, tell me about your trip." She smiled and waited.

"Well, all in all it went pretty well I guess..." Peter said slowly. "Like I said, besides my sister grilling my, my mother trying to set me up on a blind date, having a pack of stray cats follow me down the block, not getting much sleep for the past two days, and having my sister walk in on me when I WAS sleeping..." Karen opened her mouth wide in obvious surprised.

"Your sister SAW you??" Karen asked. Peter nodded his head.

"Yeah... She went to go to the bathroom while I was asleep, and accidentally went into my room instead... Thankfully seeing a leopard asleep on the floor instead of her brother was so strange and absurd, she just went back to bed, and woke up thinking it was a dream..." Peter let out a deep breath. The fact that someone had come so close to stumbling onto his secret, even if it was his own sister, had really made him nervous. It had brought home just how careful he had to be around people, lest they find out about him.

Karen could easily tell how unsettling having his sister see him like that had been. "I'm assuming you still haven't told them yet?" She asked delicately. Peter slowly shook his head.

"I don't know... Kristy knows that something is up with me, even if she doesn't know exactly what it is... She was grilling me and watching me the entire weekend." Peter grinned weakly. "She's always been way too protective of her 'Little Brother'. I suppose I should probably tell at least her... but every time I even think of it, I get the chills..." Peter said, shivering slightly.

Karen patted his hand comfortingly. "How did the rest of your trip go?" She asked.

Peter proceeded to fill her in on the events of the past three days. His family noticing his eyes, his mother trying to set him up on a blind date, his family commenting on his eating habits, his sister thinking she just dreamed what she saw in his room... The whole nine yards. He did, however, completely leave out the conversation he had with his father that morning, and he only lightly touched the topic of his mother's attempts to get him on a blind date, and his family's asking about Karen. Karen did, however seem a bit interested in his blind date, until Peter told her he'd declined.

"And that's about it." Peter said, finishing up with a huge yawn.

"Well, it certainly sounds like you had an interesting weekend." Karen said with a smile. Peter rolled his eyes in amusement, and chuckled.

"Interesting doesn't cover even half of it..." He said, grinning.

"Well, I guess it's about time for you to change so I can take my measurements, and let you get some sleep!" Karen said.

"Sleep? What makes you think I'm tired?" Peter asked, smiling a bit.

"Well, besides the fact that you're yawning every few minutes, and your eyes are on the verge of being bloodshot?" Peter laughed and nodded his head. "There's also the fact that there's been a bit of fur growing on your face for the past hour, and you'd probably have to pretty tired to let that happen." Peter moved a hand up to his face to check, and sure enough, it was covered with a significant amount of fur. He smiled, and for once he didn't feel the need to quickly concentrate and make it vanish. Karen knew all about him already, and he'd be changing into a leopard in a few minutes anyway.

"All right then.." Peter nodded to Karen, and slowly got up to head for his room to change. He took a few steps, then stopped for a moment, and turned back to face Karen, looking a bit nervous.

"Um, before I change, I was just wondering... If you might want to go out to see a movie and maybe get some dinner tomorrow night? I get off early from work..." Peter asked a bit hesitantly. Karen paused for a moment before smiling slightly and replying.

"Why Peter... Are you asked me out on a date?" Peter swallowed a bit hard and slowly nodded his head.

"Well, I suppose I am... If you want to..." He said, trying not to look right at her. Karen's smile grew, and she nodded her head.

"Well then, I'd have to say yes." Peter looked back up at her. "Seven okay for you?" Peter smiled and nodded his head.

"That's be... great." He replied. Karen grinned.

"Good.. Now get in there and change, so I can do my work and you can fall asleep on me tonight, instead of tomorrow!" Peter chuckled and nodded.

"Oh, and don't worry about me if I do fall asleep now..." Peter said with a grin. "I set my alarm and all for tomorrow, so I'll be fine... I'm sure you can let yourself out."

Karen nodded and shooed Peter into his room to go change. He quickly closed the door behind him, and Karen started to laugh quietly to herself. I wonder if he even noticed how much fur he grew when he asked me out... Karen thought to herself. Like I was going to say no! She continued to laugh lowly for a few minutes, too low for even Peter's enhanced hearing to pick up, while she waited.

A few moments later there was a thumping noise against the door, and the doorknob slowly started to turn. Karen paused for a moment, then slowly turned the knob in curiosity. She hurriedly jerked her hand back when the door slammed open, dropping Peter in his leopard form to the floor. Peter landed on his feet, and stood back up, shaking his head slightly as Karen quickly put her hands over her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. Peter looked up at her a bit sheepishly. He'd changed into a leopard, but forgotten to leave the door opened a bit, so he'd had to lean against the door and try to turn the knob with his paws. Normally he would have just shifted back to a slightly human form, turned opened the door a crack, quickly shifted down, and walked out. But he was so tired, he'd decided to try to save some time and energy

Karen laughed as Peter picked himself back up. "Silly.." Peter took a moment to stick his tongue out at her, which just made Karen laugh harder. Then he walked over to the middle of the living room, and sat down with a huge yawn.

"Well, none of the cats at the zoo ever did that to me." Karen said in reference to his sticking out his tongue, still laughing a bit. She opened the purse she'd had with her, and took out a tape measurer, as well as a pad and pencil.

"Okay now, stretch out on the floor..." Peter followed Karen's instructions as she measures his legs, the length of his tail, his girth, and all the other necessities. Like last time, she unconsciously began to scratch him on the head to calm him down as she worked. Peter quickly began to purr and close his eyes, and Karen started to laugh a bit again, as she finished her measurements.

"Just like a big house cat..." Karen smiled as Peter's tail started to sway back and forth, and increased her scratching. Peter's eyes eventually closed completely, as he nodded off to sleep. Karen shook her head in amusement, gathered up her stuff, closed the lights, patted Peter on the head one last time, and headed out the door.