Mindy sat in his living room awkwardly. She was in his shirt, looking at her hands, with her stick.
Hunter smiled. "So, are you comfortable?"
Mindy nodded gently. He sighed. She was scared. But he couldn't take her back to an alley to freeze could he? Freeze or starve.
Maybe worse.
"Mindy, let me get a blanket. You're shivering."
She looked away, clenching her stick tighter.
He sighed once more, handing her a blanket. She wouldn't take it so he wrapped it around her shoulders.
"I understand that you don't know me. But I want to help you, Mindy. What can I do, to help you trust me?"
"People only protect what's theirs," she whispered.
"Then how about this. You can be mine. So you know I'll protect you. Mindy-mine."
She looked up at him. "You don't know me."
Hunter crouched down in front of her, brushing her hair back. "I was a cop once. I know it's crazy. But let's just say I'm a good judge of character okay?"
She looked away. "Will you hurt me."
He put his hand on her head. "No. I won't ever hurt you Mindy. And you can leave whenever you want."
She swallowed. "Okay...for now. But I'm keeping my stick."
He chuckled. "Okay. Sounds good. Still hungry. Let me feed you."
"Okay." She nodded. She yawned.
He smiled. "Why don't you take a nap? I'll cook some food and leave it out for you."
Mindy laid over lazily. He chuckled. She was more like a little cat than a woman. He laid the blanket over her, going to fix something.
He sighed. Spencer was gonna kill him. He ran up his tab over at Mooney's and he was not gonna be happy.
He'd pay him back. Not that the bastard needed it.
He sighed, starting the chili.
He should probably contact his old partner. see if he could find Mindy's family. She wouldn't stay with him forever.
He yawned. He was exhausted. He set the chili on low, taking the opposite sofa.
He forgot to ask, he though as he drifted, if Mindy liked spicy food.
• • •
Hunter woke up feeling good. He hadn't felt a ladies in a while since Monica. What a vivid dream he was having.
He sat up. Mindy smiled, jerking him off gently.
"What are you doing?" He asked gently.
"Saying thank you," she said innocently.
He took her hands off him. "That's not how you say thank you."
"It's not?" She asked.
He shook his head vigorously. "No. No that's something you should do with someone very special to you."
"You're special to me—" she reached for him.
He grabbed her hands,covering himself with his blanket.
"No. You have to know them for a long time, and love them."
She frowned. "I'm sorry. You didn't like it—"
"No! You...you were lovely but that's something...that you shouldn't do with me. Okay? Come...come sit beside me."
She sat next to him awkwardly.
"If you want to say thank you, you could give a gift. Like a flower. Or a meal. Or...something."
He frowned. "Who taught you to say thank you that way, Mindy?"
She looked down, with a shrug. "I dunno. I just know that's what I'm supposed to do."
"Well it's not. You don't ever have to do anything like that to say thank you. Or sorry. Or anything else. You should only do that if you really. Really want to."
"I think I want to," she whispered. "Because you're nice."
Hunter cleared his throat looking in her eyes. "It shouldn't be because I'm nice. Or because I'm mean or because of anything. Other than you want to. And you don't want to Mindy."
She sighed. She burrowed her face in his chest making him jump.
"You're so nice to me, Hunter. Can I stay with you forever? You don't make do bad things and you feed me. I want to live with you. I'm not scared anymore."
He swallowed, gingerly putting his arms around her.
"Sure. Sure Mindy-mine. You can stay forever," he said quietly.
But he also knew that was a promise he couldn't keep. He would help her get settled. Mentally she was a child. He needed to teach her to keep herself safe.
Teach her what should and shouldn't happen. Once she'd grown up and was stable he'd let her fly away.
But he'd miss her. He already knew he'd miss her.
