Sheeple

I didn't fall off the face of the earth, but life got Very Busy. However, I have a new shifter story for you. Same universe as the others, with a couple of twists. Hope you enjoy it. I plan to post about every two weeks as my schedule permits. Thanks to my partner for helping edit this story. Don't forget to vote and comment!

Jaisen

"Now be good, and don't eat any Sheeple while you're out shopping!" Kate said as she headed out the door. Behind her, Eric rolled over and mumbled into the pillow.

Kate was off to take the children to summer school. It was the first day she had gone without Eric. He and her oldest son Zach were going off with his girlfriend Anne to do some shopping. Living out in the boonies had its advantages as well as some disadvantages. One of them was being unable to find computer parts easily. Eric was building yet another computer and had run out of memory. Computer memory that is.

Kate ran out to her beat up Subaru where Jamie and Mark waited. It was a fair drive to the school, and while the radio blared, Kate started thinking about how life had altered over the last fifteen months. She was still deep in thought when they got to the school. Jamie kissed her goodbye and Mark muttered something and slammed the door.

"Don't slam the doors!" she hollered at Mark.

The dust from the road rolled over the Subaru when she finally came to a halt at a picnic site deep in the valley. She stood up and stretched, smelling the breeze. Cottonwoods, pines, water and the smells of animals caressed her nose. She was very aware of just how sensitive she had become to scents.

Grabbing her water bottle and the light pack with her lunch, she headed farther up the road towards a spot where she and Eric loved to stop. Without Eric, she was hesitant to put the car in 4 wheel drive and drive up the rough road. Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting beside a stream that bisected the road. Her muscles felt good for the fast pace she'd set, and yet Kate was ready for a rest. Spreading out the blanket, she settled down for some thinking. The clouds floating by caught her attention. Especially the one shaped like a wolf's head.

*

If anyone had told her she'd be living with Eric two years ago, she'd have said they were crazy. Widowed for nearly six years, new men in her life were a low priority. Four sons were enough, and she almost had them out the door. So, when Eric and his two children showed up at the shelter, the last thing she had on her mind was taking home strays.

Cats, dogs, kids. You name it and Kate ended up opening her door to them. All of the boys had friends that thought of her as Mom. Even some of the girlfriends adopted Kate as a big sister or mom, and stayed in contact long after they'd stopped dating one of the boys. Then there were the ferals. Ferals is what she called the kids that had dropped out of society and into her kitchen. Dysfunctional for the most part, she helped them get on their feet. They were just like the feral cats she dealt with. You coaxed them in and tried to domesticate them. Give them a place to stay, food, warmth and cleanliness. Feeding them was the hardest part. Some days she fed just her own family and other days she stretched the chicken or hamburger to feed fourteen people.

Granted, it didn't help that she worked at the local homeless shelter. You'd think that there wouldn't be a problem with homelessness in the rural parts of the country. However, after ten years of living here, Kate was no longer surprised by anything. The town was next to the interstate which also contributed to the shelter's population from time to time. It was Suzanne who'd asked Kate to help. She realized that Kate had a knack for dealing with some of the really lost cases. Not the ex-military nutters living rough in the hills or the drunks, but the families that were down on their luck or kids that just couldn't take the abusive home life any more. Kate had a talent for getting them to open up and discuss things that most people would rather never hear about. She also had a way of getting people to where they need to be whether it was a new house, a job or off to the next town. Most families either settled down in low income housing or disappeared in the middle of the night.

The Cole family showed up late in the evening. It had been cool all evening and Kate was just closing the windows in the kitchen when a knock on the door drew her attention. Opening the kitchen door she found two small children and a man standing in the pool of light.

"Our car broke down, and we've been walking for at least an hour. The sheriff that picked us up said we could stay here," he said in a quiet voice.

"Oh. Yes. Come in. Are you hungry?" Kate asked as they moved into the kitchen.

The two children nodded their heads. The man shook his head in a weary way that told Kate that he was hungry, but nervous or upset enough in some way that he couldn't eat.

"Well, I was just closing up the kitchen, so lets see what we can find." Kate started towards the cupboards where the peanut butter and bread were kept. After she placed those items on the counter, she turned to the fridge to get the jelly. The man sat the two children at the table and stood off to one side.

"You're welcome to sit. You look tired," Kate made the sandwiches.

"I've..... I've got our things outside," he started.

"Oh. What was I thinking? Please go get them. You can put them in the corner until we find you a room."

"Okay." He turned to the children. "Jamie, Mark, I'll be right back. Stay put and mind your manners."

The two children nodded and waited for the food. Kate put the sandwiches on paper plates along with some chips and a couple of cookies. She made a plate up for their father as well who was busy bringing in bags and placing them in the corner of the kitchen. After pouring glasses of milk, she started to tidy up the counter. The man was standing behind the children again, but not eating.

"I made you a sandwich. It's nothing fancy, but it will fill you up a bit," she said softly. She had a feeling that there was more than a broken car worrying this guy.

"I'm okay. Really."

"Alright. I just don't want food to go to waste, and you look hungry." She put away the peanut butter. "I'll go find a room for you and be back in a minute."

The man sat down quietly and picked at the food as she left the room. Hurrying up to the front she grabbed a clipboard with forms on it and the keys. Heading up the stairs, she went down the hall to where she was fairly sure there was an unoccupied room. Ten minutes later, she was back in the kitchen.

"Alright, I've got a room if you'll follow me. Oh, and I'll need you to fill out some paperwork so that I can make Suzanne happy in the morning," she said as light heartedly as she could. Tension was still radiating off of the guy, and the children hadn't spoken a word since she'd walked back in the room. They followed her up to the room, and she helped settle the children into bed. He'd moved their possessions up to the room as well.

"If you'd just come downstairs with me a minute, we can fill this out." She held up the clipboard. He nodded and followed her downstairs.

Sitting at the desk she took a better look at him. Dark curly hair, brown eyes and such a serious face. He was slight of build, but looked like he'd worked outdoors a lot. He looked back at her, and Kate figured she had better get this done. Kate hated paperwork. Almost as much as she did paying bills.

"I need to know your name and the children's names and ages." She was ready to fill out the form.

"I'm Eric Cole. Jamie's seven and Mark is ten."

"J-a-m-i-e?" she spelled out loud.

"Yes."

"Okay. You said that your car died. Is it fixable?"

"No. I think I blew the radiator, and may have damaged the block." Eric sighed.

"Oh... do you have any means to replace it?" She totally forgot the form in her hands.

"No. That's what has me worried. I am low on cash and was on my way to try to find work up North."

"Ah. What kind of work?"

"Computers. I'm an unemployed SysAdmin. However, I'd wash dishes if it put food on the table."

"I understand. When I was widowed, I was in the same position. My job skills just didn't meet the jobs available. So, I worked in a cafe, a hotel and a few other places to keep food on the table."

Eric nodded in understanding. He began to relax just the tiniest bit.

"Where are you from?" She looked back at the form.

Eric tightened back up and Kate wondered what she had said wrong. "Umm... do you really need that information?"

"Well, we are suppose to ask. If you don't want to say, I'll leave it blank or we can put in a fake address. You'll just have to remember the answers if we do that."

"I'd rather leave it blank."

"Okay." Kate took another look at him. That intuitive part of her brain was buzzing like mad. "You're trying to disappear aren't you?" she asked almost before she had time to think of what she was saying.

Eric gave her a look that was both hostile and puzzled. "I... Yes." He paused. "You can put Virginia as last state of residence. I did live there once."

"Okay. Not a problem. Eric, please realize that working here we see all kinds of people and situations. I understand that sometimes you just have to disappear. I don't know your reasons and don't need them. But, I do understand."

"Okay. Can we finish this up? I'm really tired."

"Sure. There are only a few more questions and then I need your signature at the bottom." She finished up her part of the form.

Eric watched her fill out the form and took it from her to sign when she'd finished. Handing it back, he stood. "I don't know your name."

Kate blushed, feeling absolutely daft for having forgotten to introduce herself. "My name is Kate. Kate Ratkovich." She held out her hand again.

Eric shook her hand and then said his good nights. He headed upstairs to where the children were sleeping while Kate finished locking up and headed home. She didn't work at the shelter tomorrow and wondered if the Cole family would still be there. He had that feeling about him that made her think he'd disappear in the middle of the night like so many did.

*

Kate fed the dogs, cats and her household on Tuesday morning. After she dropped by the library and the grocery store, she headed for the shelter. Opening the door, she saw a few people standing around the desk. It looked like someone was trying the computer again. It hadn't worked in months. Someone had virused it and not even Zach had been able to make it work.

She was almost in the door when someone small tackled her around the knees. Looking down she saw the little Cole girl.

"Well, good morning. You're Jamie, right?" she asked with a light tone to her voice.

"Yes. And your name is Kate and you make really good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And I ate mine faster than Mark ate his. And..." Jamie prattled on so fast that Kate was having trouble keeping up.

"Whoa there dear! Slow down a bit." Kate smiled. Looking down at Jamie, she realized that she looked a lot like her father. Turning around, she realized that it was Eric at the computer. He was deep in conversation with Suzanne and figured that she'd catch up on the latest gossip in a bit.

"Now, where is your brother?" Kate said as she moved down the hall.

"He's in the room, reading a book."

"Alright. Do you need to stay with your dad?"

"Maybe. Can I go with you?"

"Not right now dear. I have some stuff to do," Kate hugged Jamie. She sent her back towards her dad and turned down the hall to her office.

Opening the door, she took a look at her office. It was topsy-turvy and all the heavy stuff was pushed away from the walls. Kate was just about to head out and complain when there was a knock on the door frame. She turned to find Eric standing there with a computer cable in his hands.

"I'm sorry about the mess. I've been trying to get your computer system online. Suzanne said it's been down for a couple of months. Your office had the phone connection I needed." He was apologetically.

"I was wondering what had happened to my space." Kate was shaking her head at the disarray.

"I'll have it all back in place soon. Then you can do your paperwork on the computers again. I'm really sorry about the mess."

"That would be nice," Kate turned to find her jobs list for the day. It would be so nice to have the computers working.

A few hours later, Kate was sipping a cup of tea when Suzanne came in. Her office was still a mess, but her computer worked.

"Where did Eric come from?"

"What do you mean?" Kate was puzzled.

"Yesterday I came in and there was this quiet little family. The next thing I know, Eric had volunteered to fix half a dozen things, and actually got them done. He tackled the computers this morning and had them up and running before anyone could say boo."

"Oh. They showed up on the back stairs just as I was getting ready to close up for the night. They're from Virginia I think," she went on vaguely.

"Well, I am so happy that he was able to do something with the computers. He seems a nice man. Does he plan to move on, or stay locally?"

"He said that they were heading North when their car broke down. I haven't talked to the sheriff's office to see what happened. All I really know is what was said the other night."

"Okay. I just wondered if you knew anything more that I did." Suzanne turned and left the office.

*

Eric was working hard to make a good impression on those around him. He was also looking for work. It had been over a month, and the best prospect he had had been fast food counter service. Eric hadn't declined the job, but he wasn't too eager to take it either. The odd jobs on computers had given him a bit of leeway, but not much.

The sheriff that had picked them up that night helped him get the remains of his car towed into the local junk yard. It was a hopeless mess. Too many miles and a blown radiator hose was just more than the little engine could take. Realizing that there was no way to head North, he started to change his priorities. Eric needed housing, work and to get Jamie and Mark into school. School might be the hardest part as there were no records to hand over. Living up on the ranch had been good and bad. Mostly bad. Now he had to start all over. Sweeping up the kitchen, he was lost in thought and didn't hear Kate come up behind him.

"Eric."

"Geeze!" he exclaimed as dropping the broom.

"Oh! I'm sorry Eric. I thought you heard me come into the kitchen."

"No, I didn't hear you. You startled the hell out of me." He picked up the broom, and tried to take a deep breath. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner. The boys are all home and I know you don't know many people," she trailed off.

Eric looked at her, and then around at the kitchen. "Give me five minutes to finish up this job and we will be ready to go."

"Oh good. I'll get Jamie and Mark."

"Okay. Thanks." He went back to sweeping. He worked fast and was upstairs to change almost before she had gotten the children ready to go.

"My that was fast."

"Well, the idea of something besides PB J's was just too enticing." Eric smiled.

"Good. I hope you like barbecue. Andy, Zach and his buddies have the grill fired up and are sacrificing chicken and beef to the charcoal gods." It was Kate's turn to smile.

"Are there going to be hot dogs?" Jamie asked.

"Yes dear. Hot dogs, root beer, potato salad, and lots of chips."

"Oh goodie! Goodie! Goodie!" Jamie danced.

Behind her Mark smiled, but it was like it just grazed the surface. Kate didn't know what to make of him. Jamie was so like Eric, it was almost as if Mark wasn't even his child. She wondered if he took after his mom.

"Well, my car is out back. A white Subaru, and it's unlocked. Off you go." She turned them towards the door. Eric followed her out and made sure that the back door closed tight.

*

Kate lived in an older house. Built in the '30's, it had that well lived in look. Stuccoed walls and and flower beds complemented the old growth trees snuggling up to the walls. The gargoyle on the front porch as well as the wind chimes hanging from various nooks, branches and nails made Eric smile. He'd almost swear that the house was welcoming him. Before Kate got to the door, a blond giant opened it and welcomed them in.

"This is Zach, my oldest son," Kate said as they swept into the kitchen. It was full of people of all ages, and voices flowing faster than you could follow.

Zach shook Eric's hand. "I've heard about your computer skills. Maybe you can look at my box later. Just got the latest processor and motherboard, and haven't gotten everything running yet."

"Sure. I'd love to have a look at it."

"Zach, you can wait until he's at least had dinner!" Kate sighed somewhat exasperated.

"Okay mom. Just..." Zach trailed off as a petite young woman grabbed him for a kiss.

Kate smiled. "That's Anne, his girlfriend of the moment."

Eric just smiled back and nodded. He was beginning to feel a bit lost and looked around for his children. They were busy in a corner with another little girl and a puppy. There were also cats and an older dog working the crowd, hoping for the odd bit of food to drop.

"Andy, this is Eric. Those are his two children playing with Bess." Kate introduced Eric to her son. Andy looked like a thinner, shorter version of Zach, but with flaming red hair. "Somewhere in here are Pat and Jon. They are the two youngest boys." She turned, looking around the room.

"Mom!" A voice boomed from across the room.

Kate looked up almost in time before a long haired young man who matched Zach in size and looks picked her up off her feet in a hug.

"Pat, put me down!"

Pat complied with a devilish grin on his face. "Want a beer mom? Or a glass of wine?"

"I'll have a glass of wine. Red please." Kate then turned to Eric. "Which would you like?"

"A beer please. Wine and I don't get along."

"Okay. Back in a second," Pat said.

Eric watched him go and realized that another young man who matched the boys was coming his way. The teen towered over Eric in a gangly sort of way. Like a puppy that hadn't grown into its paws.

"I'm Jon."

"Hello Jon. Nice to meet you. I'm Eric."

"Yeah, know that. Mom's talked about you and the kids. Said I had to say hello. So, hello." Jon turned on his heels and disappeared out of the kitchen.

Kate just rolled her eyes. "Sorry about that. To say that he is a difficult child just so doesn't begin to describe Jon."

Eric smiled. "Who's gene pool did your sons get their height from? It certainly wasn't you."

"Ooooh.... short jokes eh?"

"No, it's just that I've not been made to feel this small in years. And all I could think of was just how tall is their dad or your dad."

"Was. He was 6'3"," Kate said a bit quietly.

"Oh. Sorry. Divorce or death?"

"Death. He died nearly four years ago. Fell asleep at the wheel."

"I'm sorry Kate." Eric felt rather awkward as he wasn't sure where to go with the conversation.

Kate realized that Eric was beginning to freeze up and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. David made a choice to drive when he should have pulled over. He paid for it. I find it hard to deal with some days and others, well.... it just sneaks up on me when I think I'm okay." She took a deep breath and looked around for Pat.

"Pat! Where is that alcohol?"

"Coming Mother!" he said as he strode towards them. The crowd parted around him and the next thing they knew, Kate had a glass of wine and Eric some sort of European beer. "Hope you don't mind ale."

"No, I rather like it. Most American beers are a bit bland."