Tim drove in silence as his mind retraced the meeting with Dr. Deeks that they had just left. Overall he thought the meeting went well, though he wished Cat hadn't been so free with information to Deeks, especially about the liberties he allowed her. Deeks had told Tim that he would stop by one day to check out Cat's living quarters. He wondered how Deeks would react—was he expecting that Cat should be kept tied up on the back porch?

Tim's concentration was broken as Cat shifted position in her seat for the fifth time in the last five minutes. "Are we there yet?" she asked excitedly.

"Not yet," Tim chuckled as he realized he was starting to enjoy these public relations assignments, though, not quite as much as Cat.

Their assignment included participating in a safety talk to a group of grade-school students. After they had arrived at the school and done their part, Tim had decided that their afternoon spent at the school was better than crawling around a warehouse any day.

He enjoyed the short play that some of the older children performed as part of the program for the younger children. Everyone in the audience cheered as Cat made her appearance and apprehended the school principal who graciously played the part of the villain.

Afterward, Tim and Cat went around to each of the classrooms to give a small talk and let the children ask questions. Most of their questions tended to be about Cat, which she was quite happy to answer.

Later, as Tim took a little break walking down the hall, he overheard a group of teachers talking about performing standardized IQ testing for the students. Tim looked back and forth between the teachers and Cat where she stood talking to a few children further down the hallway. He hummed as a thought occurred to him.

"Excuse me," Tim said as he interrupted the teachers. "Those tests, are they for any particular age?"

One of the teachers gave Tim a friendly smile. "The exams are set up to test learning ability, not specific knowledge. There are some differences between the younger grades and the older, but just in wording. Why?"

Tim smiled a bit sheepishly. "I was curious to see how my partner would do."

The woman looked shocked for a moment. "Do you think she is capable of understanding the questions?"

"Cat is very smart." Tim said with a hint of pride in his voice. "She's done quite a few things that have surprised me. I'd just like to see how she compares to humans."

"Well, we could let you borrow a computer station for a little while. The test takes an hour. Do you have time for that?"

Tim checked his watch. "I think so." He looked down the hall where Cat stood waiting and called to her.

Cat hurried to his side. "Sir," she said brightly.

Tim smiled. "How do you feel about taking a little test, partner?"

"What kind of test, sir?"

"One that you can impress me with your knowledge."

Cat grinned. "I'm ready for anything, Sir."

Tim and Cat followed the woman to the computer lab. She set the test up on the computer and stood aside for Cat to take a seat.

"Are you taking the test too, Sir?" Cat asked.

"I hadn't planned to," Tim replied before considering what Cat had said. "But I guess it would give me something to do if they can spare another terminal."

The teacher smiled and promptly set up a station for Tim.

A little while later, Cat sat back, smiling as she finished her test and waited for Tim to catch up.

After Tim finished, the young woman returned and handed two slips of paper to Tim. "Very good scores for the both of you. Cat had a high average and yours was very high, Officer Grady," she added before excusing herself to get back to her class.

Tim looked at the results on the paper—a score of 150 and a score of 190. Impressive, he thought as he looked at the lists of questions. His eyes widened for a moment as he recognized some of his answers and realized that the teacher had mixed up the results.

"How did I do, Officer Grady?" Cat asked, staring at Tim with an excited grin.

Tim decided it was probably better to keep Cat's score to himself. "You did very good. You are, without any doubt, the smartest partner I have ever worked with."

Cat smiled proudly.

"But I didn't need a test to figure that out," he said, as tucked the slips in his pocket. "Let's go home, partner."

Cat smiled as she walked into the police station's cafeteria. She was excited but didn't know why. She walked over to Tim where he stood with the other officers.

"Hi, Cat," Tim said as he placed his hand on her cheek, stroking gently.

Cat rubbed her cheek against his hand in response as she let out a contented sigh. "You wanted to see me?"

Without a word, Tim leaned close and pressed his lips to hers.

Cat's heart leapt as overwhelming surprise and happiness surged through her. Her eyes closed and her arms went around Tim as she eagerly returned the kiss.

She felt overjoyed, lost in the pleasant embrace with the only human she had ever felt anything for, the only human to make her feel like she was a person. Her ears focused on the snickering and laughter that started to fill the room.

"You loose," said Officer Brady as he slapped Greg on the shoulder.

Cat opened her eyes to see Officer Phillips handing out money to some of the other officers.

"I didn't think he had the guts to kiss a dog," he said with disappointment.

"Come on, Greg. You've never kissed your dog on the head or nose before?" Tim teased.

"Well, yeah. Not on the lips though."

"It was a bit odd," Tim admitted. "Though, I was completely surprised when she kissed back."

"Maybe she thinks she's human," someone said causing everyone to laugh harder.

Cat turned and ran from the cafeteria as the laughter continued.

Cat sat up in bed, her fur heavy with sweat. She pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them as she started to sob softly.

Tim woke to the sound of the shower. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to focus on the clock. Four in the morning was much too early for Cat to be playing in the tub. Alicia complained a little as he got up. Tim ignored her as he walked out of the bedroom to the bathroom. The bathroom door was opened a crack. As he neared, he could hear muffled sobs from inside.

"Cat?" Tim called softly as he pushed the door open and looked inside.

He could see Cat's silhouette through the glass door on the tub. He could tell she was sitting in the tub under the spray. He could hear her mumbling in-between sobs.

"What am I?" Cat repeated softly to herself while she huddled in the tub, her arms holding her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth.

"Cat?" Tim asked gently as he knelt beside the tub. "Are you all right?"

She continued rocking herself as if she didn't hear him.

Tim turned off the cold water. He jumped slightly as Cat suddenly raised her arm up between them.

"What am I under this?" Cat said, taking her other hand and pulling a tuft of fur from her arm. "What am I," she began crying repeatedly while pulling at more and more of her fur.

Tim grabbed Cat's hands to keep her from hurting herself any further.

She struggled to free her hands but quickly gave up, slumping against Tim's arms. "What am I?" Cat sobbed again.

Tim slipped his arm behind her to help her up.

Cat looked into his eyes as he lifted her. Their closeness drove her to wrap her arms around him and hold him close for support.

Tim stiffened as the cold water from Cat's fur soaked through his shirt as she latched onto him. He put his other arm around her as she buried her wet muzzle into his neck and let out a muffled cry.

She didn't have the strength to stand. She continued sobbing as they sat down beside the tun.

Tim shushed her gently as he stroked the back of her neck. "It's okay."

Cat began to feel her anxiety fade as Tim held her.

"Cat, I know what you are." Tim said, reaching for a towel and pulling it around her.

Cat looked up into his eyes.

Seeing Cat in so much pain made Tim question how he had been treating her. He wondered if he should have forced himself to ignore the more human aspects of her personality.

"You are my friend." Tim said, causing Cat to smile a little and hug him tightly as he continued stroking her fur.

"What brought this on?" Tim asked after a few minutes, as Cat seemed to calm down.

"I had a dream," Cat replied softly.

"About what?"

Cat shook her head. "It's not important. It was just a dream," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry for waking you."

Tim placed his hand on her cheek and gently stroked her wet fur. "It's okay, Cat. If you want to talk, I'm always here for you."

Cat looked into Tim's eyes. She remembered in her dream how Tim had touched her just before they kissed. She knew it was just a dream and that Tim would never be so ignorant of her feelings. Still, she wondered what it would be like. She blinked at she noticed Tim was staring back at her. She gave him a nervous smile when she realized how close she had unconsciously moved toward him. "Thank you," she said timidly.

Tim smiled as he reached up and pulled another towel from the bar above them. He dropped it over Cat's head and started to dry her vigorously.

Cat started to giggle from under the towel.

"What's going on?" asked Alicia as she poked her head in the doorway.

"She just had a bad dream," Tim said looking up at Alicia. "I think she's feeling better now."

"I am," Cat chimed from under the towel.

Alicia gave them an annoyed look before turning away back to the bedroom.

Tim noticed Cat shiver as he moved to get up. "Now dry yourself off and get back to bed. I'll be in to check on you in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir," she said as she peeked from under the towel.

Tim left the bathroom and allowed Cat to clean herself up. He went into the kitchen and put some milk on the stove to warm. When he heard her return to her room, he poured the milk into a mug and took it to her.

Cat watched Tim walk in as she pulled the blankets around her.

Tim handed her the mug as he sat on the bed. "Here. This will help warm you up."

"Thank you," she replied, taking the cup and carefully sipping the warm milk.

Tim smiled as Cat purred pleasantly at its taste.

"It's very good," Cat said gratefully.

"I don't want you to get sick," Tim said as he waited for her to finish.

Cat smiled at his concern for her. It made her feel warmer than the drink. She slipped slowly at the mug, knowing that when she finished, Tim would leave. She wished Alicia wasn't there so that she could sneak into Tim's room and sleep close by his bed like she used to. Cat reluctantly handed him the empty mug before snuggling into her blankets.

Tim tucked the blankets around her. "Good night, Cat," he said before kissing her on her forehead. "Better dreams, I hope."

"Good night," she said, watching Tim as he left the door opened a crack. With a sigh she closed her eyes and settled into sleep.

The following weekend, Cat offered to clean up around the house while Tim went out for groceries. She hummed happily to herself as she worked; knowing Tim would take her to the park if they finished their weekend chores early.

The phone began to ring. Cat padded over and picked up the receiver.

"Officer Grrady's residence," she said cheerfully.

"Hello, is Tim there?" asked an older woman's voice.

"He went out shopping, ma'am. May I take a message?" Cat replied sweetly.

"Yes, dear. Please tell him to call his mother about coming over for Thanksgiving dinner."

Cat scribbled a note beside the phone. "I'll be sure he gets the message. Is there anything else?"

There was a pause as Cat waited for Tim's mother to continue.

"Well, pardon my being nosey, but who are you?"

"I'm Cat, his partner," she said proudly.

On the other end of the line, Karen Grady smiled at the young woman's enthusiasm. "Oh, I see. Do you visit Tim often on your days off?"

"I'm not visiting. I've lived here with him for the last few weeks."

Karen was surprised to learn of Tim's houseguest. She continued to chat casually with Cat.

An hour later, Cat's ears perked as she heard Tim pull into the driveway. "Just a minute, Mrs. Grady, your son just got home. It was nice talking to you."

Cat set the phone down and ran out to help Tim. She sent him inside to the phone while she brought the groceries in and started putting them away.

Tim picked up the phone. "Hi mom."

"Tim, you should call home more often so I know what's going on in your life."

"I'm sorry. The last few weeks have been crazy, getting settled with my new partner," Tim apologized. "Did you catch any clips of us on the news?"

"My son was in the news and I missed it," his mother said disappointed.

"It's okay. It was mostly city politics. It probably wasn't worth more than a mention out there in the country."

"Well, I called to see when you were coming over for dinner next week."

"I'm going to head out early so I should be there around noon and can stay through Saturday."

"Wonderful," his mother said, pleased to be seeing him for a few days. "You're brother and his family will be here for the weekend too."

"That's great. I'd better go help put away the groceries. I'll see you next week."

"Okay dear, goodbye. I'll have a place set for you and your girlfriend," she added before Tim hung up.

He paused briefly on his way to the kitchen to help Cat. He thought his mother almost sounded as if it would make her happy to see Alicia. He shrugged it off and continued on to the kitchen to help Cat.

Cat paced in the living room while Tim waited for Alicia to show up so they could leave for his parents' home.

"I wish she would get here," Cat said impatiently. "I can't wait to see your parents' farm. I've never seen the country."

Tim chuckled. "It's like a big version of the park. Lots of trees and meadows. There aren't any playgrounds and not many people but there is plenty of space to run around and play."

Cat's ears perked at the magic word. "Will you play with me?" Cat asked with a hopeful smile.

"I'm sure there will be time for that."

"She's here," Cat said, relieved that they would soon be on their way. "I'll go get the bags and put them in the truck."

Tim greeted Alicia at the door.

Alicia smiled and kissed him quickly. "I just want to take a shower before we leave for your parents."

"We're already going to be late," Tim said as she headed towards the bathroom.

"Just a quickie," she called back to Tim, giving Cat a look as they passed in the hallway.

Cat paused as Alicia's scent caught in her nose; it was different than normal. The bathroom door closed behind Alicia as Cat finally recognized the scent. Cat looked back at the bathroom while growling softly. It was the last straw, the final insult that could not be forgiven. She couldn't believe that she had tried to befriend that woman. Then she thought about how much this holiday meant to Tim and calmed herself. She would wait to confront Alicia and not spoil Tim's weekend.

After Alicia was ready they headed off to Tim's parents' home. Tim noticed Cat was more silent than usual during the long drive, but attributed it to Alicia's presence.

They headed down the drive to Tim's parents' house and pulled up in front of the farmhouse. Tim's mother came out to greet them. Alicia was first out of the car and hurried to the house, giving Tim's mother a brief greeting in passing on her way to the bathroom.

Karen Grady had a look of confusion as her son greeted her with a kiss.

"Hi, Mom. Something wrong?"

"I wasn't expecting to see Alicia. I thought you were bringing your new girlfriend along with your new police dog."

"New girlfriend?" Tim said with a confused look of his own. "What gave you that idea?"

"Who was that sweet young woman living with you I spoke with on the phone the other day?"

Tim started to chuckle as he realized whom she was talking about. "That was my new police dog." He noticed his mother’s expression change to one like any mother giver her child when she thinks he is fibbing. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Cat coming up the walk with their bags. He turned back to his mother and smiled. "Mom, that's Cat, my new partner," he said before turning to Cat. "Cat, this is my mother."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Grady," Cat said happily. "I enjoyed talking to you last week."

Tim's mother looked even more surprised as she recognized the voice to be that of the woman she had spoke with on the phone. "Why thank you. It's nice to meet you," she responded politely.

Cat smiled at Tim's mother before turning to Tim. "Sir, where should I put these?" she asked as she motioned with the bags.

"Wow," exclaimed a young voice.

Tim turned to see his eight-year-old nephew who had come from around the side of the house. "Hey there, Ronnie."

"Uncle Tim," cheered the boy as he ran up and hugged Tim.

Tim glanced at Cat who was grinning at him as if to say, how cute.

"Ronnie, this is Cat. Would you do me a favor and show her to one of the empty rooms?"

"She's pretty," he said while quickly forgetting his task.

"Yes, she is," agreed Tim. "Now if you ask her nicely, she might play a game with you later but first, show her where the bedrooms are."

"Okay," Ronnie said as he pulled one of the bags Cat was holding. "Come on, Cat. This way."

"That's not what I was expecting," admitted Tim's mother after Cat was out of sight.

"You thought she was a new girlfriend, didn't you?" Tim said with a grin.

Tim's mother was speechless for a moment. "She sounded so sweet. I thought you had finally met someone nice," she added in a hushed voice.

Tim refrained from commenting to avoid starting the same old argument with his mother about Alicia. He also didn't dare mention that he wished he could find someone with even half of Cat's personality.

They went inside where Tim was greeted by his brother, Donald, and sister-in-law, Ellen. Donald worked for the Chicago fire department, which was where he met Ellen who worked as an EMT. Everyone settled down in the den and chatted, catching up on each other's lives while Karen worked on dinner.

Alicia was certainly out of place in his parents' house among a family of public servants. Tim found himself wishing he hadn't brought her as he listened to her prattle on about her work and the famous people she has met. He knew she's was attempting to make conversation with people she had nothing in common with. He felt sorry for his brother and sister-in-law as they politely feigned interest in her stories.

Tim's mother called downstairs for everyone to come up and seat themselves in the dining room. Cat followed everyone up and detoured through the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Grady?" Cat offered.

"No, dear. Everything is fine," Karen said pleasantly. "Thank you for offering. Go on in and seat yourself."

Cat walked into the dining room and seated herself next to Tim as he gave her a smile. She looked over the large variety of food spread across the table. She inhaled deeply and smiled at the pleasant aromas that saturated the air.

Once everyone was seated, Tim's father led a prayer and gave thanks for the family being together. As tradition, everyone around the table gave thanks for something in turn.

As they worked their way around the table, everyone gave thanks for their friends and families. Alicia, being next to the last, added quickly that she was thankful for her successful career before she started to fill her plate.

"What about you, Cat?" asked Karen.

Cat thought for a second. "I am thankful to be Officer Grady's partner," she said with a wide smile as everyone giggled at Tim's embarrassment.

"Every dog needs a master," Alicia muttered under her breath, low enough that no one could hear but not realizing that canine ears could still pick her words out through everyone's laughter.

Cat's eyes went to Alicia as she continued. "I am thankful for his friendship, his generosity and kindness that to some is appreciated deeper than words can express," she said, looking to Tim as she finished speaking.

Tim smiled as his eyes met Cat's and held her gaze for a moment. Everyone started filling their plates and passing bowls to one another. He took pleasure in seeing Cat enjoy her dinner with the family.

After seconds and thirds made their way around the table, Cat was the last to finish. "That was the best meal I have ever had," Cat said after a contented sigh.

The sound of Tim's mother in the kitchen drew Cat's attention. She got up and went into the kitchen to see if there was anything she could help with. There was a slight commotion as Tim's mother chased her out will telling her she was a guest and didn't have to help clean. Cat knew better than to argue the point. She reappeared in the dining room with and embarrassed grin and excused herself to go take a nap.

Tim chuckled and nodded his approval. After she left the room, Tim's brother and sister-in-law both commented on how well behaved and intelligent Cat seemed. Their conversation drifted to some of Tim's experiences with Cat and at work.

After a few minutes, Alicia grew tired of their fussing and left the dining room to wander around the house. She found Cat in the den, stretched out on the couch.

"What was that earlier, some kind of cheap shot?" Alicia asked angrily.

Cat got up, her fur bristling slightly. "I'm sorry if what I said made you feel guilty."

"Guilty? I don't have anything to feel guilty about," Alicia sneered.

Cat looked at Alicia and found her anger growing. She wanted to wait before confronting her, but couldn't contain herself. "You're such a horrible person," Cat said contemptuously. "Tim deserves someone better than you."

"What?" Alicia laughed. "Someone like you?"

"True, I'm not human, but if I were, I would certainly treat him better than you. Tim is a wonderful man. He deserves someone that cares about him." Cat tried to regain control of her feelings. She turned to leave as Alicia stood glaring at her.

"Who do you think you are to judge me?" Alicia spat as she grabbed Cat's shoulder and forced her to turn. "You're not even human. You have nothing in common with us other than what your creators intended. You're nothing more than a test-tube bitch given a basic human form to better serve us."

Cat placed her hand over Alicia's, taking it firmly. Her ice-blue eyes focused coldly on Alicia as a snarl formed across her muzzle. In a smooth motion she jerked Alicia's hand off her shoulder, pulling it away across her chest. Cat's motion forced Alicia to step forward in order to maintain her balance. Cat moved close behind Alicia, wrapping her other arm around her. She let out a low growl as she hung her muzzle over her Alicia's shoulder near her ear.

"Don't ever touch me again," Cat rumbled viciously. "Being touched by someone as deceitful as you disgusts me."

"How dare you."

"Shut up," Cat commanded, followed by a deep growl. "I know why you were late when you came over yesterday. Another man's scent was all over you; I could smell your unfaithfulness."

Alicia gasped in shock, horrified that Cat would tell Tim what she had done.

"You're right," Cat's voice rumbled in Alicia's ear. "We have nothing in common. I would do anything to keep Tim happy. It's obvious that you care only for yourself."

Cat pushed Alicia away and turned to walk out of the room. She gasped as she found herself facing Tim. "Sir," she said in a shaky voice, uncertain how long Tim had been standing there or how much of her conversation he had heard.

"Tim," Alicia shouted. "Thank God you came in. I thought she was going to attack me."

Cat's ears were flat against her skull and her head lowered. She felt sick and fought to stand straight, but she couldn't bring herself to look Tim in the eyes.

Tim looked at the both of them for what seemed like an eternity.

"Cat. Go to your room," Tim said gently at seeing her distress. "We'll talk in a bit."

"Yes, Sir," she said, walking away with her head lowered. Once out of the room she started to run for the downstairs bathroom as a wave of nausea hit her.

Alicia smiled at Tim.

Tim's face remained expressionless. "Alicia, call yourself a cab and leave."

"I've always let you do your own thing. I've never asked anything of you Alicia," Tim said with great disappointment. "But, I had always thought that you could at least be faithful."

"She's an animal, Tim. How can you take her word over mine?"

Alicia saw his face darken and went silent.

"Selflessness," Tim said firmly. "A concept foreign to you, but her way of life."

Tim turned and walked out of the room. He left the house and walked down to the meadow where he vented his anger. He cursed Alicia for her unfaithfulness as well as himself for his stupidity and the time and feelings he had wasted on her.

Tim returned to the house a little while later. His mother and brother met him at the door and offered their support. He knew his mother had never really liked Alicia. He was grateful she didn't remind him of that at the moment. Tim convinced them he was fine and asked if Cat was still in her room.

He went downstairs to her room. Judging by the size of the lump on her bed, he figured Cat was probably under the covers.

"Cat?" Tim said as he felt around for her head. He pulled the covers back when he found it.

Cat looked at Tim through watery eyes, the fur on her cheeks wet with her tears. "I'm sorry," she cried softly.

Tim was surprised to see her so upset.

"What have you got to be sorry for?" Tim asked gently. "You haven't done anything wrong."

Cat was slow in responding. "I didn't mean to start a fight and ruin your weekend."

Tim would have laughed had Cat not been in such obvious distress. "I am hurt. But that was Alicia's doing, not yours," he said as he stroked the back of her head. "I should probably thank you for revealing the truth."

Cat hiccuped and grinned a little.

"You're a good friend, Cat," he said as he wiped the tears beneath her eye with his thumb. "I'd feel a lot worse right now if you weren't in my life."

Cat sat up and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, sir."

Tim smiled. "Earlier, that was the first time I remember ever hearing you use my first name."

"I'm sorry," she started apologizing as Tim interrupted her.

"I don't mind," he said, smiling slightly as he remembered the caring way she had said his name. "It's probably best to be formal at work, but when were off duty, I think I'd like it if you called me Tim."

Cat gave Tim a quick hug. "If it makes you happy, I'll do that." She cocked her head and smiled before adding, "Tim."

Tim gave a short chuckle. "Go clean your face and I'll meet you upstairs. I think there's some pie for desert."

Cat nodded and went off to the bathroom. Tim let out an exhausted sigh as he left the guestroom and headed upstairs.

The cab stopped in front of Tim's house. Alicia got out and angrily tossed the driver his fare before stomping up the walk to Tim's house. She used her key to get inside and began collecting her belongings that she kept there.

As she headed back out the front door, she gave a startled gasp as she opened the door to a man standing on the porch.

"Hello. Is officer Grady at home?"

"No. He's at his parents' home for the holiday," Alicia said curtly.

"I'm Dr. Deeks. I'm in charge of the GESA program. I had told Officer Grady that I wanted to come by and see how Cat was doing. Even though it's the holiday, I hoped I might catch him on my way by."

"She's doing just fine at killing relationships," she said bitterly. "They wont be back until Monday."

"Has Cat caused some trouble?" Deeks asked with interest.

Alicia paused for a moment then began to smile. "Why don't you come in for a few minutes, Dr. Deeks."