It was a month and a half later, at the end of June, in the city of Barcelona, Spain. After Mr. and Mrs. Murdock had spent a few weeks in a small and very romantic coastal town in the South of France, they had traveled on to a small town in Northern Italy, on the shore of Lake Maggiore. The hydroplane had made it possible to reach the places quick and without much trouble.

Unlocking the door of the little penthouse apartment Face had gotten for the couple at the harbor of Barcelona, Belinda heard the voice of her husband singing at the top of his lungs. His tenor voice wasn't really trained but obviously that didn't keep him from granting a serenade to the flat and the harbor of Barcelona. What he lacked in exercise, he coped with his enthusiasm that never seemed to retire. At first, she couldn't identify the tune as his voice was missing some notes and skipping some other ones but then she recognized it as the opera song she had heard him singing during the flight. Smiling and remembering her husband's enthusiastic howl when he had taken to the sky, Belinda lightly drummed her fingers against the kitchen door. The singing stopped when the pilot pushed the door open to take her hand, pull her into an emotional hug and kiss her.

"Welcome home," he said, "Dinner is prepared, sweet darlin', so have a seat and enjoy." Belinda smiled when she saw that the table was set for two and the familiar smell of a baked tomato-and-meatball-dish hit her nostrils. To her surprise, the dish tasted a bit different this time, not only because it was made with rice instead of noodles but also because of a good and spicy taste sensation she couldn't place.

"It's tasting different," she said when they had emptied their plates, "Yummy, but a bit different from last time." Murdock stared at her for a moment with his mouth hanging open. Then he got up and slowly advanced on her, wiggling his spread fingers.

"Are you implying something, Mrs. Murdock?" the pilot asked with a mischievous grin. The title still sounded a bit odd to his ears. So, he preferred to call Belinda "Mrs. Murdock" only in case of a slight disagreement. However, he didn't really mind her little remark this time as he could do with a little fun and play. It had taken longer than expected to find the perfect mixture of ingredients to improve the dish to his own satisfaction, like roasted breadcrumbs and chopped bacon added to the meatballs, like powdered pimento,fresh herbs, dried tomatoes and a dash of barbecue sauce added to the tomato sauce, and a different sort of cheese mixed up with the rice cooked in clear broth.

Seeing him flexing his fingers like an athlete stretching his legs before a foot race and knowing exactly that she was in for a fresh round of play-wrestle, Belinda squealed, playfully, and tried to run but her long-legged husband was too fast for her. Getting chased all over the penthouse flat, she just could reach the bedroom when she suddenly tripped over the edge of the bed and landed on top of it. Murdock quickly jumped onto the bed next to her and grabbed her to pull her close, flipped her over, and started to tickle her bellybefore sitting on her legs, pinning her on the bed and nailing her hands simultaneously with his knees to keep her in place. He rubbed his hands together looking forward to the pleasure of tickling his spouse once again – an act belonging to the play-wrestle, in agreement from either side. His grin widened even more when he pushed up the thin fabric of her sleeveless t-shirt to expose the soft curve of her belly, her sensitive sides and the lowest ribs and started prodding and poking the now fully unprotected weak spots he knew so well by now, mounting a full-force ten-finger attack on her sides, ribs and belly. In addition, he slipped his long fingers underneath her arms every now and then to poke her shaved armpits, knowing full well how particularly sensitive this spot was. The only spots being more sensitive were her soles and the back of her knees. When he got the chance to tickle her feet, he held back as good as he could since he knew that she couldn't stand that for long. Therefore he had done it only once or twice since they had moved in together. But he still couldn't help grinning whenever he remembered her hysterical laughter and her squirming to escape his firm grip when he had done it the first time, sitting on her legs while they had been watching TV. He had been nailing her knees with his left leg and her ankles with his right leg, slowly dragging his fingers all over her soles, sending her into screams of laughter. Belinda squealed again, playfully, squirming frantically as if to escape but failing completely. Murdock grinned amused, knowing her struggle was part of the act and no use since he wasn't just taller than her but stronger and faster, too. He could keep her in place without much effort and without hurting her.

As he really enjoyed tickling her and hadn't had the chance to do it in a while, almost a quarter of an hour went by before the pilot decided to let go of his wife with a final squeeze of the soft flesh just above her hips and release the grip of his legs. He gave her a grin from ear to ear as he put his hands on either sides of her shoulders. Then, he bent down and kissed her to confirm the play-wrestle was over.

"See what happens if you'll question my cooking abilities, sweet darlin'," he said, shaking his index finger dramatically at her.

"I'm really sorry, my handsome Captain," Belinda whispered a mock apology as soon as she could breathe better, tenderly smiling at him and sliding her hands up his thighs to his hips and down to his knees again, "I didn't mean to question your cooking abilities. The different taste just amazed me."

"'S okay, my sweet darlin'," Murdock answered softly, smiling brightly and lying down next to her, "And you were right, it was tasting different. I had the idea to improve the dish a bit, y' know. I wanted to surprise you."

"And you've done great. It was marvelous," Belinda said lovingly and turned around to face him, caressing the tip of his nose with hers so their noses and lips touched at the same time. She was sure that there would never come a day the pilot wouldn't surprise her. There would always be an idea popping into his mind's eye sooner or later. Murdock wrapped his arms around Belinda's shoulders, snuggled close to her, and kissed her tenderly. She felt his fingers sliding along her spine and put her arms protectively around her waist just in case a round two was in the works. It wouldn't be the first time that the pilot would get the idea of tickling her again when she didn't expect him to.

Murdock took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He just hoped that his wife might never find out that he had some rather ticklish spots himself, too. He wasn't as ticklish as her but it was enough to give her the chance of a real good payback. And he knew if she ever found out, she would definitely take every advantage of this knowledge she could get, and he knew he'd have it coming for the numerous times he had tickled her. Yet he couldn't let it be – it was just too much fun to drive her insane just by dragging his fingertips across her belly and along her ribs or giving her sides a few sudden pokes with both index and middle fingers, watching her jerk away and try to get out of reach – unsuccessfully, of course, given the range of his long arms.

Actually, Belinda didn't really mind the tickle attacks of her husband as they always lead to some pleasant apology like spending the rest of the evening or the day in bed, cuddled close together, sharing tenderness and talking, mostly until midnight or the next morning or like taking a walk in a moonlit night, pausing to see the sun rise, holding each other close.

And tonight, she was really glad about the tickle attack because she had important news for her husband. She had been to a doctor a few weeks before they had set off for their trip to Ohio because she hadn't felt good and had been told that there was a particular reason for her not feeling well – she was in the family way. She had given it a lot of thought, and now she had found the right words to tell her husband. Just saying "Oh, by the way, I'm pregnant." didn't seem to be adequate.

"I have to tell you something, handsome Captain," she therefore began.

"Okay, sweet darlin'," Murdock replied, taking her hands in his and kissing the knuckles. "I'm listenin'."

"Remember the last time when we had pizza before we went to see my family?" she asked, straightening up.

"Sure," the pilot said, frowning, "How could I forget the first time I've seen you eating anchovies?"

"Well, I had a reason for taking the first piece of your pizza." Belinda closed her eyes for a moment.

"So, what was the reason for you gobbling down the first piece of my pizza? Tell me." Murdock straightened up on one elbow and ran his index finger along his wife's nose and chin, and kissed her eyelids and her forehead.

"The reason was that our little family is complete now." That was all Belinda could say before she heard the pilot gasping for air. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a broad and very happy grin lighting up her husband's expression.

"Are you gonna tell me that... that you are…?" he asked, "That… that I'm gonna be…? That we'll have…?" He was unable to finish the sentences, shaking all over with delight.

"That I'm pregnant? Yes, I am," Belinda replied with a smile. "That you'll be a father? Yes, you'll be, and I bet you'll make a helluva father. That we will have a baby? Yes, we will." She was unable to hide a smile since her husband looked ready to turn a somersault in midair any moment. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him to settle him down again. But it took a felt eternity before Murdock was able to get a grip again. He put his trembling hand on his wife's belly, caressing it gently before bending down and kissing the soft skin above her belly button where he expected his child to be growing. Then he straightened up on his hands and knees and panted a few times, his tongue hanging out of a corner of his mouth. Finally, the pilot threw his head back and uttered a howl resembling the outcry of a lonely prairie wolf in the moonlit desert after a successful hunting. Belinda smiled, imaging the faces of people who might hear the out-of-place sound.

"Down, boy!" she ordered, sounding as rigid as she could. But seeing him sitting in front of her on his hands and knees and panting with the tongue hanging out of the corner of his mouth, made her smile nonetheless. Murdock gave a little whining sound, hanging his head, as if to ask if she really could be mad at poor, little him. Belinda stroke his back as if ruffling some fur until he blinked a few times and shook his head to slip out of the canine character again. Tenderly, Belinda pulled him close so he could rest his head on her shoulder and close his eyes. He splayed his hand across her belly, and dragged his thumb slowly back and forth across the soft skin until Belinda fell asleep.

The pilot however was far too excited to do more than just take a nap. Being unable to sleep was nothing new to Murdock, but this time it was for a good reason instead of haunted dreams of war, blood and death. He was trying to imagine what their son or daughter would look like. Maybe it would have Belinda's face with his eyes or vice versa. Or maybe it would look like one of their parents, being African-American like Belinda's father or Caucasian like her mother and his parents. Murdock remembered what he had learned in Biology in highschool and considering his knowledge about genetic science, even a dark-skinned child with the blue eyes of Belinda's mother really might be possible. Besides, he was wondering if Belinda's house would be big enough for a family with offspring. When he realized that he might have to get a new house with more space to live in, Murdock couldn't help gasping for air, making Belinda straighten up who had snuggled into his arm, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Everything okay, my handsome Captain?" she whispered, knitting her brows.

"Yeah, sweet darlin'," the pilot said, tenderly caressing her hand that rested on his heart. "Just a dream."

"What dream?" She looked at him, caressed his chest and rested her head on his shoulder again, expecting to hear one of the war occurrences he had told her several times. By now, she was used to him waking up in the middle of the night from a nasty dream, just the way she was used to him acting like a dog from time to time.

"Tell me," she demanded. The pilot described his thoughts about the child's visual aspects in a few sentences.

"Sounds interesting," Belinda agreed and couldn't help smiling about the image of an Afro-American child with her mother's blue eyes, either.

"What do you think about a stroll in the city, sweet darlin'?" the pilot suggested when he found himself unable to go back to sleep.

"With pleasure, my handsome Captain," Belinda said, putting on a long-sleeved dark red t-shirt and a black jogging suit to go with her sneakers. Even if Spain was a sunny country, the nights could become quite chilly. When her husband had gotten dressed as well, the pair left the apartment to go down the street towards the center of Barcelona hand in hand. However, the night turned out to be warmer than expected. Murdock and Belinda sat down on a bench on Barcelona's shopping boulevard with lots of small stores and eating houses. Despite the late hour, the street was crowded. The pilot wrapped his arms around his wife and put his head on her shoulder while he was watching the people passing by. Suddenly, he clicked his fingers and pointed at the sky where a crescent moon was hidden behind some ragged clouds.

"Look," he whispered. "Just like in the night when we went out for the first time. The Movie Night, remember?" Belinda nodded, smiled and leaned back into her husband's embrace.

"And what a wonderful night it was!" she whispered and cranked her neck to kiss his jawbone before a quiet rumble from her stomach made her tear her eyes from his features.

"I think I could do with a snack," she said quietly. "How about you?"

"Me too, sweet darlin'," the pilot agreed, rolling his eyes at the sudden change of subject and kissing her cheek. He looked the street up and down to see if one of the small eating houses was still open. Suddenly, his face brightened up.

"Look!" He pointed towards a small restaurant on the other side of the street. Some tables and chairs were standing in front of it.

The pilot and his wife went over to sit at a table and study the folded paper menu. A few minutes later, the waiter appeared next to the table to take their order. Belinda told him that she had decided to take a plate of mixed starters – deep-fried potato wedges, deep-fried mushrooms and deep-fried calamaris with sour cream on the side – and a large Submarine sandwich with rubbed-on tomatoes, olive oil and tuna fish. Murdock grinned when he heard her order. He had chosen a baked potato with sour cream on top.

"So that's a snack to you?" he grinned, "Hope you'll find rest after such a meal."

"Well… I just don't want the baby to be lonely," Belinda smiled, making the pilot grin back, "Besides, you know I love to stay awake with you, my handsome Captain. And if your potato shouldn't be enough to feed you, we can share the sandwich." One of the first things Belinda had learned about the pilot was that he was almost always hungry and that he could eat lots of food containing sugar or fat like cornflakes, chocolate bars, candy and cakes or pizza, hamburgers and French fries, almost without gaining weight.

"Thanks. That's one thing I adore about you. Not only you're a pretty girl, you're such a smartgirl, too." The pilot leaned across the table to kiss her when the waiter returned with their food and two bottles of Coca-Cola.

"Coca-Cola?" Belinda frowned at the beverage.

"Well, can't let have you alcohol as you're with child, now," Murdock explained with a proud grin and a little shrug. Belinda nodded, taking his hand and entwining her fingers with his. It was touching that he was caring about her condition so much already, even if there wasn't really much to see of her pregnancy yet. Belinda had reached the fifth month, and her belly had grown up to the size of a small watermelon.

Since he knew she was pregnant, the pilot used every opportunity to put his hand onto her belly and feel for the baby. Although it wasn't much to feel of the baby yet, he enjoyed the smooth skin of the round belly against his palm. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he imagined that the baby might be able to see or feel his fingers touching the belly and reach out to touch his hand. Whenever this idea crossed his mind, he concentrated on thinking positive thoughts like the rush that always washed over and through him when he stepped into a cockpit. Besides, it was still an odd thought that he would be a father in a few months so touching the belly made him realize it better. Sometimes he stayed up late, lolling in the tub or lying on the couch, enjoying a lollipop or some hard candy and thinking about this new turn of life. A new stage of life both of them were looking for a lot.

A few days later, Belinda suggested traveling on to Hastings, a coastal town southward of London since she wanted to see Britannia's pulsing capital as well before they would go home again. But as the British capital was a pricey place, Face had organized a double room in a bed & breakfast in the coastal town close to the city. So, the pilot and his wife could stay three weeks at low expense in the small town boarding house instead of just a few days in a high-priced London hotel.

Besides, the small town had a nice beach and was surrounded by a peaceful forest where the couple took long, romantic walks in moonlit nights or could make picnics on sunny days or, depending on the pilot's mood, on a moonlit, balmy night.

When he had taken a checked blanket from their room to sit on and had bought a couple of pizzas with their favorite toppings – anchovies for him and salami, ham, sliced tomatoes and extra cheese for Belinda – from an Italian take-away place to take her to a moonlit picnic on the beach for the first time, Belinda hadn't been able to believe it at first. But then again, knowing he hardly did things without a reason, Belinda had decided to just be surprised by his idea. Maybe it wasn't the reason she'd expect but it always turned out to be a good one. It always mad her realize that she loved the pilot for not being like any other guy.

Murdock and his wife chose some rocks close to the water to sit on the blanket and eat the pizzas. Belinda smiled when she saw the anchovies on her husband's pizza were lying on top of the cheese, forming the words "Emily" and "Henry". Obviously, he had thought about a name for their baby.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, pointing at the names.

"They sound nice, handsome Captain. Emily was your mother's name, wasn't it?" Belinda asked, remembering one night when they had talked about their kinsfolk. "She died when you were five, right?"

"Right," the pilot agreed. "I thought it would be nice to remember her that way. Henry was my grandfather's name. I grew up at my grandparents' farm. They died in a train accident when I was in my teens, remember?"

"I remember," Belinda agreed. "The names are really nice. Let's see which one to pick when the baby is born."

"Just when I hoped you'd gimme a hint," he sighed, taking the first piece of his pizza so the names were torn apart. Belinda started eating her pizza, too.

"Sorry, no hints," she said softly, shaking her index finger at him when she had finished the first piece. "You'll have to wait, handsome Captain." The pilot lowered his gaze and sighed again.

Belinda wasn't sure yet if they'd have a boy or a girl, but even if she'd known she wouldn't want to tell her husband quite yet – it was far too much fun to watch him using his imagination.

"There's something else I wanted to tell you," he continued now. "I thought about getting a new house for us so we'd have more livin' space for you, me and our child." Suddenly, he jumped in surprise and slowly withdrew his hand.

"What is it?" Belinda asked and smiled although she could imagine what had happened. She had felt the baby move inside her.

"It kicked me." The pilot gave his wife a puzzled glance and asked, "What did I do for gettin' kicked?"

"Nothing. It just moved. The same way you do when you're sleeping," Belinda explained with a smile and kissed his forehead. "You ain't sleeping like a log, either, you know. Nobody does, I guess."

"Oh!" The pilot blinked and shrugged.

"Supposing you'd go find a new house… just supposing… where would it be?" Belinda suddenly wondered.

"Remember when I told you I grew up in rural Texas? It was great growin' up there. So, I think I'd like to live a bit further from the rush of the city. I want our child to see there's more to life than rushin' around like a jack rabbit all day," Murdock answered in a kind of dreamily voice and smiled at her. Belinda smiled back.

After they had come back home to the States, Murdock started searching for another comfortable home for his family. When the pilot had told the news to his team mates, Face had offered to help him finding a house and B. A. had promised to build furniture for the baby. And finally, the con man found a nice and comfortable two-story house for Murdock and Belinda close to the small town of Topanga Beach that had everything a little family needed for a good life. The con man even had made it possible to have Belinda's house sold for a more than decent price and get the new house at low expenses. That way, the couple could save some money for a rainy day.

When Belinda saw her husband come home accompanied by Face, she smiled. The arrival of the men indicated they seemed to have had success. She took a couple of steaks and two big potatoes out of the fridge. She had bought the food earlier this day to celebrate these news. Some time later, the steaks were marinating in vegetable oil mixed up with black pepper, chopped sweet basil, chopped rosemary and cut-up garlic cloves, and the potatoes were cut in half and baking in the oven. Each potato half was cut-in several times, covered with chopped herbs and a mixture of butter, a bit of rough sea salt, and some powdered megnut and was wrapped in aluminum foil. A small saucepan with the rest of the butter inside sat on the stove, ready to melt the butter.

"Heh, sweet darlin'! Come into my arms!" Murdock pushed the door open and reached out to embrace his wife, grinning from ear to ear.

"Got news, handsome Captain?" Belinda asked and held on to his shoulders when he pulled her close and carefully turned around to spin her.

"What can I say? Thanks to Faceman here, we found a nice house for my family for a good price," the tall pilot explained with a happy grin and put his hand on her belly to greet the baby as well. The con man nodded affirmatively.

"And here's something for a rainy day," Face said and handed a brown envelope to Belinda who pulled him into a rather unexpected hug.

"Thank you, Face," she answered and let go of the con man again. "My handsome Captain already told me you're good at those things, and considering the wonderful wedding ceremony you made possible for us I know you're a great man of coordination but I almost forgot how good you really are." She handed the envelope to her husband. Murdock looked inside and quickly thumbed the bills to count the money. It turned out it was much more than he or Belinda had expected. It almost seemed as if Face would have gotten the new house for a song.

"The house is actually a holiday residence built like a round-year home, a bit bigger than this place, less than half a mile past Topanga Beach. In fact, the beach is beginning right behind the porch steps behind the house," Face explained when the men followed Belinda into the kitchen. She checked on the potatoes before she started to heat up a skillet and put the oiled steaks into the pan. As soon as the frying meat filled the kitchen with delicious scent, she remembered her manners and asked Face if he'd like to join them.

"Aw, no," the con man answered, catching Murdock's slightly irritated glance. Face handed a set of keys to his friend and bid a fond adieu to the couple as he could see clearly that the pilot preferred to spend the evening with his wife – and Face couldn't say he'd think that to be a bad idea. In the hearts of his heart, the con man had always wished for a regular home himself; a place to grant him security after he had been on the run for such a long time. Face didn't know about Hannibal's opinion but he had heard B. A. mention the wish to buy a nice house more than once after they would be over and done with the whole thing.

When the steaks and the potatoes were done, Belinda turned on the cooking plate under the sauce pan to melt the rest of the butter before she put the steaks and the potatoes on two plates, cut the potatoes into smaller pieces and poured the melted butter over the potatoes. Then, she started to prepare baked ice cream for dessert; she opened three eggs to separate the egg yolks from the egg-white. Since they weren't needed, the egg yolks met the trash can before Belinda started to whisk the egg-white into meringue. She heated up the oven at 350 degrees before she filled two pieces of chocolate ice cream into a round ceramic baking dish, added some red sugar stars, stirred them with the ice cream, covered all with the meringue and put the dish into the fridge.

"Coming?" she said, looking at her husband. Of course she knew she didn't really have to ask if he would come for dinner. So she wasn't surprised to see Murdock had already sat down, throwing an invisible cowboy rope at her to reel her close. She took his hand when she was close enough, let him pull her towards the table and sat down on the chair facing his so they could have dinner.

"Sweet darlin', this is really yummy," Murdock said through a mouth full of spicy baked potato while he mashed the potato with the melted butter and mixed it up with the well-done steak cut in pieces. He leaned across the table to kiss his wife and pat her hand.

"Thanks, handsome Captain," Belinda replied, smiling contently. She was delighted that he liked the food because she was used to prepare sweet and spicy muffins, all kinds of baked dishes, different kinds of salads, fried eggs sunny side up and pancakes but this was the third time in her life she had cooked a steak, and the first two times weren't worth mentioning at all. She mashed her potato with the melted butter and mixed it up with the cut-up steak, too before she put a forkful into her mouth. The pilot was right – it was yummy.

When Belinda had finished her plate, she put the baking dish into the oven and set 5 minutes on her kitchen alarm-clock. When it was done, the couple cherished the baked ice cream.

On the next afternoon, Murdock took Belinda to see the new house. Of course, he had taken pictures over pictures but he wanted her to experience the entire ambiance of the new place with her own senses, wanted her to see and feel what he had seen and felt. The steady rush of the waves had been wonderful. Murdock was sure Belinda would love it, too.

When the taxi was approaching the house, Belinda took Murdock's hand, caressed and kissed it.

"It's really a wonderful place out here," she said, smiling at him. Murdock searched the pockets of his jacket for the set of keys and unlocked the door to lead his wife through every room of the house, starting with the comfortable living room with the wonderful view on the beach, followed by the room next to it that happened to be the kitchen. Wide-eyed, Belinda looked around. A few cabinets with maize yellow doors were attached to the walls of the kitchen, giving a warm aspect to the black-and-white floor resembling a chess board, and the white walls. A wide window with colorful curtains let the light of the sunset float into the room. Belinda looked at Murdock and could almost see the little cogwheels of his brain working.

"What do you think about painting the walls in a reddish color?" she asked, trying to work out what kind of ideas he was getting.

"Good idea, sweet darlin'," the pilot agreed, tapping his chin, "The color would make the room look like a Mexican cantina." He took her hands and softly kissed the knuckles.

The next spot to see was the porch made of brown wood. Some wooden steps led down to the beach and disappeared in the sand. The wood was lacquered with transparent paint to protect it from rain. The steps were still warm from the heat of the August day so the couple sat down on the stairs to enjoy the view and imagine their child who would be born at the end of next month running around and playing on the beach. Suddenly, the song "beach baby" – a song he had heard years ago – filled the pilot's mind. He drew a deep breath and started humming the melody. Belinda leaned back against Murdock's chest and put her hands on his knees as if he was an armchair. She closed her eyes and gave a joyful sigh.

"I knew you'd love it," Murdock answered and put his arms around her to caress her belly that was as big as a Halloween pumpkin by now. He felt the baby moving inside as if it couldn't wait to come out of the womb and see the place with its own two eyes. Then he rested his chin on his wife's shoulder so they could watch the sun disappearing into the ocean together.

"It's really a wonderful place," Belinda whispered, snuggling her head against Murdock's shoulder. "I can't wait to have breakfast or supper out here on the porch."

"Neither can I. It's gonna be lovely," the pilot said and kissed her cheek while the sun was setting, turning the ocean into liquid gold.

"You know, handsome Captain, we're happy people," Belinda added in a hush voice as if every loud word would make the beautiful view burst like a bubble.

"Yeah, sweet darlin', we're happy people," Murdock agreed and kissed her temple.

With the help of Hannibal and B. A., the pilot and his wife packed their stuff to move into the new place on the next day. With the help of B. A.'s strength, it took less than expected to arrange the furniture in the new place. While the men arranged the heavy furniture, Belinda took care of arranging minor things and Tabby's stuff to help the cat getting used to the new place. During the first hour, she watched Tabby wandering through the house and taking a closer look here and there.

"Well?" Belinda said when the cat finally made herself comfortable next to her on a sunny spot on the porch. "You like the new home, too?" Tabby meowed and purred as if to agree, looking the beach up and down, and tucking her paws except for one underneath her body. Then, all of a sudden, the cat flicked her tail and turned her ears to the left. Belinda let her eyes follow the movement to notice a small lizard crawl along on the lower step. Quickly, Tabby reached out to catch it and pin it to the step with the paw that had remained outstretched. When the reptile had stopped squirming, Tabby pulled it close enough to push it towards Belinda.

"For me?" the young woman said, smiling. "Why, thank you, Tabby." Keeping a paw on her victim, the cat sat up to purr and rub her head against Belinda's outstretched hand. Tabby meowed again and puffed out her chest as if to say, "And I caught him all by myself! Me, the great huntress!"

"I see," Belinda said. She stroke the cat's head, picked up the lizard and wrapped it into a handkerchief, seeing the golden eyes twinkle. "You're really a great, great huntress." The cat added little trills to her purring.

When the furniture was in its place and Belinda had offered a couple of drinks to the team mates, Hannibal and B. A. said good-bye to return to their own habitats. As soon as the team members had left, Belinda showed Tabby's prey to her husband and said, "Look at the welcome gift Tabby gave us." The pilot grinned.

"She caught it all by herself?" he asked.

"She did. I saw her catching it," Belinda explained. Murdock bent down to pick up the cat and caress her fur.

"Way to go, Tabby," he said and nudged her ear with the tip of his nose. "Whatta brave kitty-cat you are."