Dilemma 3

By Leanna

Panthro was only aware of two things, one, his head felt as if it was stuck under a jack hammer and two he was lying flat on his stomach on something soft, by the feel of it, it was the sofa in the living room. He had a vague recollection of Leanna yelling if he came within ten feet of her, she would remove his manhood with a rusty knife and feed it to the fish, then tossing a pillow and blanket at him before she slammed the bedroom door shut in his face. His mouth was a dry as third earth's desert of sinking sands; he tried to pry open one eye only to have the sunlight stab at him like a million sharp daggers. Groaning he put his head under the pillow and decided sleep was his best option at the moment.

An hour later the big cat was awakened to the sound of an ear splitting screeching of the smoke detector, Panthro nearly jumped out of his fur, the sound wasn't helping his killer hangover; he clamped his hands over his sensitive ears and sat up, all he could smell was burnt toast. He quickly got up and opened the patio door to let some of the smoke out and grabbed a hand towel from off the counter in the kitchen and fanned it under the smoke detector. Once it stopped it's screeching, he looked behind him at his three children who just gave him a sheepish grin accept Lethea who was holding a brunt piece of toast in her hand and sobbing because the loud sound scared her half to death.

Lilia picked up a tray of food they had made, "happy Birthday dad," she smiled innocently.

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Kale nodded, "but the toast gave it away," he shrugged, "so..Umm. Surprise".

"Well thank you guys," Panthro said with a smile and followed Lila to the table and sat down, he looked over what they had made, there was a bowl of fresh fruit, half cooked scrambled eggs with bits of shells still in them, coffee he was almost scared to taste. He glanced down at his youngest daughter as she stood by his leg and offered him her burnt toast. "Thank you kitten," he smiled and took the toast and leaned down and kissed the cub's wet chubby cheek, "this is great" and he ate the whole thing just because they had worked so hard to do something nice.

The three children smiled proud of what they had done, "you better go clean up the kitchen before your mother sees it" the panther winked, "speaking of. Where is she?"

"Down on the dock talking to some guy," Kale answered.

The panther frowned slightly, he got up and took his plate over and set it in the sink and looked out the window, here he had a clear view of the dock, and sure enough, Leanna was talking to a strange Tiger. Panthro grabbed two painkillers from the cupboard for his massive headache and went down to the dock to see what was going on. Wearing only a light tan pair of trousers the panther stepped barefoot on the dock, "Lea?"

The look she gave him when she glanced at him made him remember the thing about the rusty knife and he stopped dead in his tracks. She was still angry, so he kept his distance and he crossed his arms over his chest making himself look larger and stared at the other male with a disapproving glare. He just wanted to know who the hell his male tiger was she was talking to.

The lioness spoke quietly to the young tiger and nodded then shook his hand. The tiger smiled at the panther as he walked by. Panthro just nodded then looked back at his wife who was wearing a pair of his sleep pants rolled up just above her ankles and a thin tank top, her hair done up in a messy bun on the top of her head. "Lea, why where you talking to some strange tiger in your sleep clothes?" he asked.

"Because I over slept and forgot he was coming, If I'm going to have an affair with him, he should see what I look like when I first get up in the mornings don't you think? " she said walking towards him, when she reached him she took his hand and turned it over, "Happy Birthday," she said flatly placing a set of keys in the palm of his hand.

"Oh very cute Lea," He snorted then looked in his hand "What's this?" he asked.

She hooked her finger through the belt loop of his pants and directed him to the end of the dock, "your birthday gift" she said pointing to a brand-new jet ski floating in the water, "I seen it yesterday when I went shopping and thought you might like a bit of fun while our stays here"

The panther's eyes widened, "wow, Lea.. this is amazing, thank you," he smiled broadly then hopped into the machine, "come on, go for a spin with me"

"No," Leanna said shaking her head, "Don't want to leave the cubs alone for to long, you go ahead and have fun" she nodded and turned back to the house.

Later that morning after the kids were fed and dressed the twins went down to the dock to take turns riding with their father on the new Jet Ski while Leanna took Lethea down on the beach to look for sea shells. Only problem the lioness had was when the toddler found a shell she would examine it and put it in her mouth. They hadn't walked far when the child decided she had enough and plopped down in the sand and dumped out her small bucket of shells and used the larger ones to dig in the sand. Every once in a while she would try and put a handful of sand in her mouth, Leanna would laugh and tell her she would grow sand dollars in her belly if she did that. Lethea quickly spit the sand out.

Leanna looked up and seen someone standing on the deck of their house, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand she seen it was Thane, gathering up the shells she put them in the small bucket and picked it and her daughter up and walked to the house.

"Hello Lea," he smiled as the lioness walked up the steps, "where's the birthday boy?"

Leanna turned around and pointed out towards the bay, "he's out there with the kids"

"Umm thanks," thane said noticing the lioness didn't return the smile, "mind if I go down?"

"Feel free," She answered and went inside the house.

Thane watched her go in and walked down to the dock and waved at the panther. Seeing his friend, Panthro guided the Jet Ski to the dock, "well looks like someone is having fun," Thane said as the twins jumped off the Jet Ski and ran towards him.

Panthro got off the jet ski, it wasn't that he wasn't glad to see is friend, but he knew if Thane was here then it was bad news, "you two go up to the house and see if lunch is ready" Panthro said , he wanted to speak to Thane alone.

"Sorry to interrupt your day, Sabar sends her regards and wishes her favourite uncle a happy birthday, she had to work today and couldn't make it," thane said passing the panther a bottle, "good stuff 200 year old whiskey"

Panthro looked at the bottle and nodded, "nice.. Dare I ask how things went yesterday with Katra?"

Thane looked back at the house, "Dare I ask why Lea isn't her cheerful self, and if looks could kill I think I would have dropped dead?"

"She knows, Thane" Panthro sighed.

"Oh shit!" thane cringed

"Yeah, but she wouldn't let me explain everything, and of course I was drunk and dumb ass me just blurted it out, I'm lucky she didn't kill me right then and there"

"Well," Thane said scratching his chin, "you never were one to be beat around the bush and I was the one who said you should tell her"

"I know, but honestly I was scared to death to, how do I tell my wife I have another child by someone else"

"Well not by getting drunk off your blue ass and just blurting it out, nice going, "thane said shaking his head.

"So, you never did answer my question about Katra"

Thane paused a moment, "she wouldn't leave, she is insisting on speaking to you,"

Panthro's shoulders slumped, "what does she want from me?, she's the one who ended things"

"Wouldn't say" Thane said shaking his head," but I think you need to talk to your wife before you talk to Katra"

"Why don't you and Sabar come for dinner tonight, might make Lea more talkative" the panther said with a slight smile.

"You mean you want witnesses in case she goes after your balls with a carving knife" Thane chuckled.

"More like gutted from navel to nose like a fish" Panthro laughed

"And your lovely niece can stitch you up" thane winked.

Panthro chuckled and patted the jaguar on the shoulder, "one of the perks of having a doctor in the family"

"Ok, we'll come to dinner this evening, long as Lea don't mind the extra company"

"She won't mind," Panthro nodded.

After saying good bye to Thane, Panthro went into the house, the lioness was in the kitchen making lunch, and he walked up and stood behind her as she cut the crust off Lila's sandwich. He smirked slightly as he seen Goosebumps rise on the back of the lioness's neck, a reaction to his proximity. After setting the sandwich on the plate, the panther put his hand over hers as she picked the plate up and leaned over her shoulder, "thank you for the great gift, kids and I had fun," he said softly in her ear.

Even after ten years and three children, that panther had a way of making her go weak in the knees with just a touch and times like this when she wasn't happy with him she cursed him for it. How the hell was she suppose to stay angry with him, when all he had to do was just walk up behind her and just lightly touch her? "Welcome, can you pass this to Lila please" she replied flatly trying to show his close presents wasn't effecting her.

Panthro smiled and took the plate from her hand and set it in front of his oldest daughter, he really never understood why she didn't like the crust on her bread, and Kale on the other hand would eat anything put in front of him, long as it wasn't still moving, the boy had an appetite like his father. After finishing serving the cubs their lunch of soup and sandwiches, Panthro took the lioness's hand," Kids watch over Lethea for a minute" he said and took his wife out on to the deck. "We need to talk".

Leanna scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, "don't be like that," Panthro said with a sigh, "Please, Anna…I need your help with this ". He said brushing his hand lightly down her arm." I can't do this alone".

Leanna looked at him the look in his eyes was that of desperation and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on,"ok, who is this woman? And what does she want?"

"That's just it, I don't know what she wants from me" panthro said running a hand over his head, "I haven't seen her in years then all of a sudden she just pops up out of no where with my son"

"Does she want money?" Leanna asked.

"no, I offered to set up a trust fund for the boy, but she said she didn't want it"

"When you seen her, what did she say to you?" Leanna asked trying to figure out what this woman could possibly want.

"She wanted me to claim him as my son"

"And that's when you had the test done?"

"Given who I am and my ties with the ThunderCats yes, I did" panthro explained

"Ok then, "the lioness nodded, "it's been proven that this child is yours, so why not claim him? It's not the child's fault, he cannot be held responsible for his parentage"

"I know," Panthro sighed, "but I having the feeling there is much more to it then that Lea, I haven't seen her since the day she walked out on me"

"Oh," Leanna said quietly, "did you love her?"

Panthro chuckled a little and shook his head, "that's why she left, I just couldn't give her what she needed"

The lioness eye brow rose, "and that was?'

Panthro looked at her and smiled, "My heart, that was already taken, as broken as it was, I just couldn't give her something that wasn't mine to give in the first place, and she told me that I was rude and ill tempered, as I said Lea, it was a very dark time for me . my whole world shattered and all I could think about was you and Kale, hell woman I didn't have anything to burry, I couldn't even say good bye to my wife and only son, there was nothing but a burnt out shell left of the car and even that was only recognizable by the tag on the inside of the engine"

"You must have thought something of her if you got her pregnant" Leanna said with a slight snort.

Panthro frowned, "stop it! I know you're angry, there is no need to be spiteful"

"Angry, no, I'm very hurt, and do you know why?" she asked looking straight at him, "it's not the fact you were with someone else, it's the fact you hid this from me, you deliberately with held this from me for months, that's why I'm hurt" she said as tears weld up in her eyes, "after ten years together, you should be able to trust me"

"Anna, honey," Panthro said softly, "this wasn't about trust"

"Then what was it about," she half shouted pulling away.

Panthro gently grabbed her am again, so she couldn't walk away "I didn't want to hurt you, I really wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't find a way to do it and blurting it out half drunk sure in the hell wasn't the way to do it, You don't know how sorry I am, for everything" he said and pulled her against his chest and held her, "I'm so sorry, Please, I need you to help me through this"

The lioness raised her head, "rude and ill Tempered hmm?" she questioned, "Can't picture that," she said with a slight smirk.

The panther just chuckled and held her tighter.