Disclaimer: Not ours.

A/N: We're glad everyone liked Mace's production of "Kiss the Girl," we had tremendous fun writing it. And, Hyper-SpaceGrl, a karaoke episode sounds like it would be fun to write! We'll definitely have to try it. And now, for the mystery chapter!

Part 9: Special Kitty 2: Moonbeam's Return

"Obi-Wan has too much spare time when he returns from training. They need to give Padawans more homework so they will stay out of trouble." Qui-Gon explained.

"Qui-Gon, when was the last time Obi-Wan got in trouble for having too much free time?" Plo wanted to know.

"Uh…um…well…" Qui-Gon thought for a minute, "Never. But I know it's going to happen some day!"

"Qui-Gon the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior." The ever-so-wise Adi said.

"Then I guess I will just have to give Obi-Wan more chores." Qui-Gon said.

"You do that." Mace muttered.

"Mace, I just noticed, you're not eating cereal. Are you okay?" Depa wanted to know.

"Ill are you?" Yoda asked.

"No. Just worried." Mace replied.

"About what?" Yarael asked.

"Excuse me, Masters, but I am not finished yet." Qui-Gon spoke up, "I still need to tell you all about…"

"Master Jinn, we don't care." Shaak said, bluntly, "Now go home, take off your hat and your shoes sit down and meditate about happy things."

"But I am not wearing a hat." Qui-Gon replied.

"I meant it as an expression." Shaak sneered.

"Qui-Gon, what Shaak here is trying to say is, LEAVE!" Ki-Adi-Mundi snapped.

"Alright. But only because Master Windu seems ill. I will talk to you all first thing tomorrow." Qui-Gon bowed and exited.

"So Mace, whatcha worried about?" Adi wanted to know, "Did they stop making Coco Puffs?"

"They changed the flavor of Trix?" Yaddle guessed.

Eeth gasped, "Surely they didn't discontinue Honey Bunches of Oats Cranberry Almond cereal bars?"

The council erupted in laughter.

"It has nothing to do with cereal." Mace muttered, "I'm worried about Moonbeam."

The Jedi all stopped laughing and looked concerned.

"Uh…you didn't by any chance drop him in glue remover and his fur fell off did you?" Oppo asked.

"No, why?" Mace wanted to know.

"Oh, no reason." Adi glanced around nervously.

"Moonbeam has been really moody lately. He just isn't acting like himself." Mace said, "And the worst part is, I have to leave on a mission this afternoon. So I have to leave my special kitty with you idiots again."

"Hey!" Depa objected, "We took darn good care of that cat last time."

"Yes. But he's sick. And I won't be there to take care of him." Mace sobbed.

"Mace, we'll take good care of Moonbeam. And if anything happens, we'll call you and take him to a vet." Yoda reassured Mace.

"Okay." Mace sighed.

Later that day…

"Goodbye Moonbeam. I'll see you when I get back." Mace waved goodbye to his special kitty.

"Bye-bye Mace." Adi took Moonbeam's paw and made him wave.

"Bye." Mace got in his shuttle and flew off.

"Mace is right. This cat…I mean special kitty is acting rather skittish." Adi observed.

"Maybe he's got a cold or something." Plo shrugged.

"Didn't Luminara once have a cat? Maybe she knows what's wrong with him." Yarael suggested.

So Adi, Yarael, and Ki-Adi-Mundi took Moonbeam to Luminara's quarters. Luminara carefully examined the cat.

"So what has been going on?" She asked.

"Well, he just seems irritable and moody." Ki-Adi-Mundi replied.

"He?" Luminara repeated.

"Yes. Moonbeam. The special kitty." Ki-Adi-Mundi pointed to the white cat.

"This cat is a she." Luminara replied.

"What?" The three Jedi all said at once.

"Now my first thought was that this cat had some sort of nerve disease. But after noticing that the cat's stomach is really tight, I've made a different diagnosis." Luminara announced.

"What? Dare I ask." Adi said.

"Congratulations, you all are going to be parents!" Luminara cheered.

"Wha?" Yarael asked.

"You heard me, I think this cat is pregnant." Luminara answered, "The only way to know for sure is to go to a vet for a test. But I'm pretty sure that's what it is. You all should be thankful. If this cat did have a nerve disease, it would be paralyzed and eventually die."

"I'd prefer that over kittens!" Adi shouted.

"Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure that's what it is. Take her to a vet to find out." Luminara said, "Now leave. I'm having a few friends over for a game of Yahtzee."

"Why weren't we invited?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

Before Luminara answered, she slammed the door in their faces.

"So now what?" Adi asked.

"I really don't want to take this cat to a vet. It will probably traumatize him…eh…her." Yarael said.

"Maybe we can just buy a home pregnancy test and use it." Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested.

"Great idea!" Adi shouted, "But who can we trick into buying one?"

The three of them returned to the council chambers.

"Guys, we really need a few groceries." Adi said, "Could someone please take this list and go to the store?"

"Sure." Plo volunteered.

"Go also I will." Yoda said.

"Thanks…" Adi handed Plo the list.

Yoda and Plo headed to the nearest Wal-Mart.

"Let's see. Carrots. We've got those. Eggs. Go those. Socks. Check. Saw blades. Check. Sesame Street coloring book. Check." Plo paused, "Why does Adi want all this stuff?"

"Perhaps it is for the younglings." Yoda suggested.

"Saw blades?" Plo asked.

"Uh…maybe those are for Adi." Yoda replied.

"One last thing. A…what?" Plo was shocked.

"What?" Yoda asked, "What is it?"

"A home pregnancy test!" Plo shouted.

Everyone in the store stopped and stared at him.

Plo lowered his voice, "Do you realize what this means?"

"Pregnant Adi is." Yoda nodded.

"Who's the father?" Plo asked.

"There's no telling." Yoda sighed.

"Seven bucks says it's Mace." Plo muttered.

"Let's just go buy it. Then leave we can." Yoda said.

So the two guys went down the feminine products isle. They saw all sorts of scary things. Finally, Yoda found an EPT test. He snatched it up and dashed off to the check-out counter.

Soon, Plo and Yoda returned from the store. Thankfully, Yoda used to self check-out lane so no store cashier would question their purchases. Adi grabbed the bag and scurried off.

Yarael and Ki-Adi-Mundi dragged Moonbeam into the bathroom. Adi started reading the instructions on the test.

"Oh…my word…" Adi stammered.

"What?" Yarael asked.

"We need cat…pee." Adi replied, "Moonbeam's to be specific."

"Okay…" Ki-Adi-Mundi said, "We'll give him…I mean her lots of water. She'll have to go eventually."

And Moonbeam did go eventually. In Ki-Adi-Mundi's shoe.

"Thanks you special kitty." Ki-Adi-Mundi snorted.

Adi took a drop of the cat urine in a dropper and put it on the test. The three Jedi all waited in suspense for the results. About two minutes later, two blue lines showed up on the test.

"What does that mean?" Yarael asked.

"Eh…" Adi grabbed the box the test came in and started reading, "If the lines are red your dreams are dead. If the lines are blue, a baby for you. Well that seems a little blunt and unkind. And unnecessary. Who makes these tests! I'm gonna write my congressman!"

"Adi, it's just a pregnancy test." Yarael said.

"And according to it, Moonbeam is going to be a mommy." Ki-Adi-Mundi announced.

"Mace is going to kill us!" Adi yelped.

"Why? Moonbeam was obviously pregnant before he left." Yarael told her.

"And it's not our fault Moonbeam sleeps around." Ki-Adi-Mundi folded his arms.

"Okay. Maybe we should look for the father." Adi suggested, "I'm sure Mace would like to know. So he can get kitten support money or whatever."

"These kittens could belong to any cat on this planet." Yarael said, "There's no way we're going to find him."

"We'll just have to keep Moonbeam healthy until Mace returns." Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

Almost two months later, Mace still wasn't back. His mission was proving to be more difficult than he had expected.

Moonbeam was now very, very chunky. The members of the council were all growing very excited. They all started buying cat toys and cat clothes and cat treats. Everyone except for Plo and Yoda, who were still under the impression that the test had been for Adi. They started planning a baby shower.

One day, Shaak noticed that Moonbeam was breathing very rapidly and seemed very uncomfortable.

"Ohmygosh!" She yelled, "Today's the day!"

The Jedi all started running around like decapitated poultry birds. Three hours later, six new special kittens entered the world. They were all very healthy and Moonbeam was just fine. However, the council members were scarred for life.

"That was…disgusting." Eeth muttered.

"I feel like I need to take out my brain and wash that memory out of it." Oppo agreed.

"Come on guys!" Depa cheered, "These kittens are miracles! And they're so adorable!"

"Depa. Please. Stop it." Ki-Adi-Mundi mumbled.

"You men just don't understand." Adi snapped, "The process you just witnessed showed how we're all alive!"

"We're all dead!" Yarael shouted.

"What?" Adi asked.

"Mace's ship just landed." Yarael replied, "We're dead."

"We will have to tell him in a very calm, subtle fashion." Depa told everyone, "Someone take Moonbeam and her kittens into another room and don't let Mace see them until we tell him."

Yaddle and Eeth took the cats out of the chamber. Two seconds later, Mace entered the chamber.

"How's my special kitty?" Were the first words out of his mouth.

"Mace we need to tell you something." Depa said.

"Moonbeam's dead!" Mace shrieked, "You morons killed my cat!"

"No. Mace would you ever want to add a few members to your family?" Depa questioned.

"Now is not the time Depa! I need to mourn Moonbeam!" Mace wailed.

"Mace your cat ain't dead!" Depa screamed.

"Then where is he?" Mace wanted to know.

"SHE is in the other room." Depa told him.

"What?" Mace asked.

"That's right Mace. Moonbeam is a girl. And she just had kittens." Depa said.

"Moonbeam is a mommy?" Mace stammered.

"Yes. And you can go see them if you promise not to freak out." Depa explained.

"Okay. I won't freak." Mace said.

"That's what you said when you first saw Honey Bunches of Oats with raisins at the store." Depa replied.

"I swear I won't freak." Mace said.

"Alright." Depa led Mace over to the room where the kittens were.

Mace cheered and started jumping up and down when he saw the kittens, "YAY! Look the seven special kitties!"

"Mace this could qualify as freaking out." Depa warned.

"I'm sorry." Mace stopped his jumping and knelt down beside Moonbeam and her kittens, "I'm going to name this one, Moonbeam Junior. And this one Muffin. And that one Peaches. And that one Honey. And that one Bunches. And that one Of Oats."

"I pity those kittens." Yarael muttered.

So Mace was actually happy about the kittens. He refused to sell any of them and built them a gigantic cat jungle gym in the middle of his quarters.

"Well, guys. Do you all realize what this means?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

"What?" Shaak wanted to know.

"Now whenever Mace goes on a mission, we have SEVEN cats to take care of!" Ki-Adi-Mundi replied.

The Jedi all sighed and buried their faces in their hands and prayed that Mace would never go on another mission.

But wait…

Two days later, Adi walked into her quarters.

"Surprise!" Yoda and Plo jumped out from behind her couch and threw confetti at her.

"What is this?" Adi demanded shaking the paper squares out of her hair.

"It's a baby shower." Yoda replied.

"For who?" Adi asked.

"For you silly!" Plo said and put a button on Adi's shirt that said "Baby on Board."

"What?" Adi asked.

"Don't try and hide it from us. We were the ones who bought your pregnancy test." Yoda said.

"That was for Mace's cat. Not me." Adi replied.

"Oh." Yoda said.

They all stood there in silence.

"Well. No point in letting all this food and all these decorations go to waste. I guess I can pretend to be pregnant for the day." Adi grabbed a pillow off the couch and stuffed it up her shirt. The three Jedi all went on with the party.

How disturbing. You see what happens when we don't plan the next chapter?

THE END

Tune in next time for

Part 10:

The Pot Luck Dinner