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"Um? I mean, meow!" The animal somehow managed to express itself in a way that made it clear he knew he'd been entirely unconvincing.
Buffy crossed her arms under her chest looking dubious. "Not much with the convincing there, kitty cat."
"I'm lost and I can't find my way home. Where am I?"
"Sunnydale."
"Huh? Is that in Boston?"
Buffy gave the black cat an amused look, "No, it's in California, an hour or so outside Los Angeles." Then she switched topics while the cat gave her a distressed and horrified look. "Why can you talk? Are you demon of some kind?"
The cat abruptly went back to a calmer stance then blinked. "A demon? No. I'm a cat. Well, I'm a human but the Witches Council turned me into a cat for a hundred years for trying to take over the world. It was a very unfair judgment since I would've been a benevolent ruler." His attitude slipped before perking up.
"Can you call Sabrina for me? She or her aunts can come and pick me up." It was an odd expression on a feline, even if you ignored its ability to verbalize.
"Are they cats, too?" At this point, it wouldn't surprise her all.
"No! They're real people. With opposable thumbs and everything. Just please, can you call them for me?"
She consented but insisted he come to her home as she wasn't going to use a payphone to call a random stranger who lived nearly 3,000 miles away. Which resulted in her walking home at a more sedate pace than she normally did, and with a not-cat trotting beside her keeping up a steady stream of rambling.
By the time they reached 1630 Revello Drive, she knew the cat's name was Salem Saberhagen, and the Sabrina he wanted her to call was the niece of the witch who had been sentenced to take care of him because of the whole attempted world domination thing he'd mentioned earlier.
The house was empty when she arrived and she gave a silent thank you to whoever might be listening, as a talking cat was something she'd rather not try to explain to the other occupants.
"Nice house," Salem commented. "Where's the phone? I'm a housecat and I need my Sabrina." He surveyed the entrance and what he could see of the living room, attempting to locate the communication device.
Buffy shook her head in amusement. "You said you're 500-years-old, I'm sure you can survive for a few days without these people." Then she walked over to a nearby console table and picked up the cordless. "Give me the number."
He rattled off a long list of numbers that would connect her to 133 Collins Road in Westbridge, Massachusetts. It rang, and rang, and then rang some more before the answering machine clicked on. "Um, hi. This is Buffy Summers calling from California. Do you have a black cat named Salem? If you do, he somehow managed to get to Sunnydale, California. Please call me back." Then she listed her number before hanging up.
She looked down on the expectant cat at her feet, "There. Happy? If you're not lying to me they'll call me back and we can figure out a way to get you home."
"Excellent. Now, do you have tuna?"
***
The next evening she hadn't head anything, so she tried again.
After half a dozen rings a female voice answered. "Spellman Residence."
"Hi, hello. This is Buffy Summers. I'm calling from California. Are you Sabrina?"
There was silence on the other end, aside from steady breathing. "Yes, this is her. Why are you calling?"
This was the tricky part, if the furball had told her the truth then this woman would know exactly who she was talking about. If he'd lied then this was going to turn awkward fast. "I have a cat here named Salem."
"You found him! Is he okay, is he hurt?" Then a pause. "How did he get to California?"
"He's fine. A little homesick, but fine. And he's with the vagueness about how he got here."
"He's stowed away again, didn't he? The little rascal."
"I take it this isn't the first time this had happened?"
"No. You know, cats and curiosity..."
They agreed on how to get the wayward not-really-a-cat back to Westbridge and then they ended the call.
"All done. She'll be here in a few days to pick you up."
Now all she had to do was make sure no one realized there was a cat in the house for the new few days...