'Tis confusion!

Nugget hate.....

I stumbled tiredly down the hall and into Q's room. I knew exactly what he had in mind, but in all honesty, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. The second I landed on the bed, I fell asleep.

I woke up some time later and peered at the clock next to me. Two-thirty... PM? I sat up and glanced towards the window. The monsoon outside had stopped. The entire street below was flooded, but the sun was shining. Looking next to me, I noticed I was alone in the bed. I got up and walked down the hall.

Q was sitting in the kitchen, two untouched cups of coffee in front of him. "Hey there, gorgeous," he said. "Nice bedhead you got there." I reached up and raked my fingers through my hair. "Just for you, babe. Aren't you lucky?" Q grinned. "The luckiest, actually." He pushed one of the cups towards me. "Need some coffee this fine afternoon?" I grabbed it and inhaled deeply, letting the intoxicating aroma tickle my nose. "MMH. How long have you been up, anyways?"

Q glanced at his phone. "Maybe... half an hour? You sleep like the dead, you know that?"

I laughed. "I've been told. But at least I don't snore... speaking of which, where's Sal and the rest of the gang? Has everyone left already?"

Q shook his head. "I don't know if you happened to look outside when you woke up, but you'll remember I said last night, my neighborhood floods pretty badly..and in a storm like this last one, it could be a bit before it's safe to go out. And we weren't able to locate an ark or anything, so you can forget that idea," he added, grinning. 

I nodded. "Gotcha. So everyone's still asleep? That seems...unlikely."

Q shrugged. "Eh. I heard...noises..coming from the guest room, so I can bet some people are awake."

"Speaking of..that...I'm really sorry about last night."

Q shot me a quizzical look. "What are you talking about?"

"You know...that talk of...going to..slay your dragon. I must have been too tired to function properly. I'm really sorry."

He smiled. "It's ok. To tell the truth, I think I fell asleep about three seconds after you did. It's exhausting playing host to this bunch of clowns."

"Don't call me clown, mustache."

He grinned. "Present company excluded, of course. Drink your coffee. Once you're done, we'll see about assembling the troops and figure out what to do with today..well, the rest of it anyways," he added, winking at me.  I nodded and drank my coffee. Then I remembered something.

"So, has there been any more contact with the cat's owner?"

Q nodded. "I actually had a message from him this morning. I assured him we're taking excellent care of - you're not going to believe the cat's name- Nugget."

I burst out laughing. "Are you serious? Man, this was fate, you finding this cat. That's awesome."

"Apparently this dude's girlfriend is a big fan of our show..small world, huh?" I laughed and sat back in my chair thoughtfully. "I wonder how the real Nugget feels about having a cat named after him."

Q beamed. "I love how you refer to Nugget as a real anything. It confirms that you're just as nutso as Sal and I."

"You needed a Nugget reference to prove that? I'm hurt." I stuck my tongue out at him.

Sal wandered into the kitchen just then. "Why are we talking about Nugget? Sticky little bastard."

Q did his best Nugget impression. "Sal no like Nugget talk. Nugget no like Sal. Nugget drown Sal in blood of Nugget ancestors." I cracked up. Sal rolled his eyes and started talking like Nugget as well. "Nugget have much disdain for Sal, but more for Brian. Nugget hate Brian with the fires of a thousand suns... Nugget allergic to cats and grown-ass men who have a hundred of them." I almost choked on my coffee. "Guys, please. I'm gonna have coffee up my nose in a minute." Sal and Q grinned at each other. Sal poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the table next  to us.

"No coffee?" I asked.

"No milk, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Sal took a sip of his water. "So really, why the sudden bout of Nugget talk?"

"We were talking about the lost cat we found the other day. Q's had some more contact with the owner, and it turns out, cat's name is actually Nugget. The dude's girlfriend is a fan of yours'."

"Ah. Weird name for a cat, but to each their own. When are you guys gonna drop it off?"

"As soon as the street is accessible by car, not boat or scuba gear."

Suddenly thunder sounded outside. "For the love of..." Sal grumbled. I looked outside. "It's just drizzling. Pray it stays that way." I finished my coffee, then got up and put my mug in the dishwasher. "Sal, have you seen or heard from anyone else this morning?"

"Negative. Barbara's awake, but that's about all I know." Sal paused. "Actually, I originally came in here to get her coffee. I got distracted by all the Nugget talk."

"Sal!" I admonished him teasingly.

He nodded. "I know. Clearly, I suck. Any chance you still have some non caramel creamers, Quinn?"

"Possibly. You know where they are." Q got up and poured some coffee into a mug, then passed it off to Sal. "Go caffinate your girl."

Sal saluted Q sarcastically. "Sir, yes sir!" I giggled. Q followed Sal out of the kitchen, but not before turning to me. "Gonna stay in here alone?" I shook my head. "I'll relocate in a minute, promise." He smiled and squeezed my shoulder. "I'm gonna time you. Don't think I won't." It was my turn to salute. "Sir, yes sir!" Smiling, he stuck his tongue out at me and left the kitchen.