Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by the Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Thank You again Misarae!
A very brief reminder:
Callie laughed at Persival being called a Scaredy Cat. Who would have figured that a large magical puma could have been frightened off so easily by one magical meal going awry.
T-Bone woke up to find a warm, unexpected body sleeping next to him. He jumped out of the bed and stumbled backwards, tripping over the mop that he had left on the floor.
Turmoil was awakened by the commotion that T-Bone caused. As she opened her eyes and saw T-Bone lying on the floor, she said, "I have never had a tom leave my bed in such a manner. I am that bad of a sight to wake up next to?"
"No, you are not, Turmoil. That is, if I were in love with you. Why was I in the same bed with you?" T-Bone asked very carefully. He was hoping that they did not do anything that he would regret.
"I am shocked, T-Bone, that you don't remember making mad, passionate love to me all night after we finished cleaning up in here," she replied, obviously teasing him.
T-Bone's mouth dropped open at Turmoil's explanation. His gut churned at the thought that he had cheated on Empress. What was he going to tell her?
Then Turmoil laughed at the look on T-Bone's face and said, "Relax T-Bone, nothing happened between us. After we finished cleaning up last night, the floor was still wet from the water leak. I would not allow you to sleep on a wet floor and get sick on me. So, you took one side of the bed, and I took the other. You were wrapped up so tight in the covers, I would have needed a can opener to get anywhere near you, even if I wanted to. If we did what I said, we wouldn't be clothed right now, would we?"
T-Bone paused to take in his current state of dress, and discovered that he still had his pants on. He breathed a sigh of relief. After regaining his composure, he said, "Please don't do that to me again. I can take a joke here and there, but not when it comes to my feelings for Empress."
"Alright, T-Bone. Just remember, we are supposed to be lovers. How would it look to Dark Kat if he walked in here and found you sleeping on the floor, and me in the bed? He would know something was up. He is not stupid in the least. Especially after the disaster in the lair yesterday, he is going to want answers as to why the power was cut, and the reason for the water leak. We are going to be his prime suspects. We need to be very careful from this point on," Turmoil said.
"I agree, Turmoil. We will have to step up the act if we are to maintain our cover. How do we explain the blackout and the water, though? We weren't even in the lair when the power went out, and who knows where the water came from. I am still as clueless as you are on that one," T-Bone said as he walked back to Turmoil.
Turmoil smelled something that was not pleasant. She took another sniff in T-Bone's direction and scrunched up her face. After closing her nose with two fingers, she said, "You need a shower. Whatever was in that water has made you stink worse than a week old fish. The bathroom is down the hall. I hope that the water is back on. There is a clean uniform in the closet over there, "she pointed with her free hand to a closet over in the corner of the room. "Don't come back until you are clean."
T-Bone went over to the closet, and removed the clean uniform from it. He left Turmoil and made his way to the bathroom. T-Bone undressed, got into the shower, and tried to wash away the pain from the previous day. It didn't work. He kept seeing Empress' beautiful face, as if she were haunting him, every time he closed his eyes. He banged his fists against the tiled wall in frustration. After a few minutes of that, he stopped and said to himself, "It's only for a few days. Then I will be back in Empress' loving arms again."
After showering, he dried himself off, and dressed in the spare uniform. He left the bathroom and returned to Turmoil.
Turmoil saw T-Bone returning to their shared bedroom. Once he entered, she took a sniff, just to make sure that he did not smell anymore. She breathed a sigh of relief. She got up, went over to him, and gave him a hug. Then she said, "Dark Kat wants to see us in the mess hall."
T-Bone stiffened as she spoke Dark Kat's name. He gently pushed her away from him and replied, "Any idea what he wants?"
"No, but he did not sound happy when I spoke to him. I am guessing it has to do with what occurred yesterday," Turmoil said.
"He is probably going to accuse us of sabotage," T-Bone replied, then grabbed Turmoil's paw in his and continued, "Let's go and get this over with."
They left their only refuge in the lair and went to the mess hall in relative silence, fully aware that Dark Kat would already be suspecting the worst.
Dark Kat was eating his breakfast in the corner of the mess hall when T-Bone and Turmoil arrived. He motioned for both of them to join him at the table. They complied. T-Bone pulled out Turmoil's seat, then pushed her in once she sat down. He noticed her perfume was the same as Empress'. He thought to himself, "What is she trying to do? I had better play along with her. Otherwise, Dark Kat is going to blow his stack."
"Do either of you two have any idea why we lost power, had a water leak, and then the power came back on, destroying several pieces of equipment that I needed to read the files from the treasury?" Dark Kat asked, while looking at both of them.
Turmoil spoke, "T-Bone and I were not here when the power went out, Dark Kat. As far as the water leak goes, you still don't know where it came from, either. You can't blame.."
Dark Kat interrupted her, slamming his fist on the table. "Don't tell me what I can't blame you for, Turmoil! The creeplings are loyal and trustworthy, you two are not! Who else am I going to blame for this? You both had ample opportunity to plant something before leaving for the hangar. The way I see it, T-Bone set a device up to cut the power after you left so you two could have a romantic tête-à-tête at the hangar while you were supposedly re-fueling. The device turned the power back on once you had returned. The water leak was an unfortunate accident. Tell me that I am wrong?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Dark Kat, but I am not Razor. If he was in the same situation as I am, then I would suspect the same thing that you are. He is the one who could pull that off. I am just a pilot with a sharp wit, nothing more. The last time I wired something, a pretty she-cat walked by and distracted me. I ended up wiring the entire device with the same color wire, and screwed the connections up so badly, it took Razor a week to fix it," T-Bone replied cautiously.
Dark Kat had to think about what T-Bone had just said. He knew that Razor was an engineering genius and T-Bone was an excellent pilot. They made a great team together, but T-Bone pulling off a stunt like this without Razor's help was not possible. At least, Dark Kat did not think so. He finally spoke, "You two are confined to your quarters until I repair the equipment that I need for the heist. You can use the mess hall and the restrooms, but that is it. Eat your meals now, and get back to your quarters!"
T-Bone and Turmoil got up and left Dark Kat. They went to get their meals from the kitchen, and then made their way to an empty table in the corner. After seating themselves, T-Bone said, "We got off lucky. From this point forward, we need to be real careful as to what we do."
Turmoil replied after she took a bite of her food, "I agree. Dark Kat could have killed us both right then and there. So now what do we do? "
"I don't have a clue. I guess we just keep a low profile, and wait and see what happens. I don't want to put Dark Kat any more on edge than he is already," T-Bone said. Then he and Turmoil ate their breakfast.
The sun's warm rays bathed the newly engaged couple as they lay in bed. Felina's head rested on Jake's chest as she started to stir. She lifted her head, looked down at her sleeping fiancé, and smiled as she remembered the events of the previous night. Felina lowered her head to brush her lips against Jake's. As she did so, she started to play with the dense fur on Jake's mid-section, slowly moving her paw lower and lower.
Jake was sleeping soundly until he felt a soft paw playing with his fur, then heading down towards the lower regions of his body. He woke with a start and grabbed the offending paw before it reached its destination.
Felina kissed his lips and said, "I wanted to wake you up with a smile, not startle you." Then she lowered her face against his neck, and started to kiss the area just above his shoulder.
Jake was still on edge from Felina's wake up call, but he relaxed and moaned as she kissed his neck. He flipped them over so that he was on top of her. He then claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss. They made love one more time before deciding to get their day started. As Felina got out of bed to head to the shower, Jake said, "If that is the way you plan on waking me up every day, I am going to be pushing up daisies by the time I hit forty."
Felina peeked out of the bathroom and gave him a wink before going back in to shower. She emerged ten minutes later with a towel wrapped around her. Jake was still in bed with the news on. As he was getting up for his turn in the shower, the reporter came on with a special report. Both Jake and Felina watched intently.
"David Litterbin with a special announcement. Apparently two of the SWAT Kats are getting married. We have a video of Caliber and Empress entering a bridal shop. My guess would be to pick out a dress for the lucky she-cat. As you see in the video, they get off of their cycles, go into the shop, and leave two hours later. We tried to ask the clerk for information, but she was tight lipped about the whole thing. So I am asking, Caliber and Empress, would you like to appear on my show? It will boost my ratings having the two hottest she-cats in the city on. If you are interested, call the number shown on the bottom of the screen and we will schedule your appearance."
Jake and Felina exchanged a look, and then Felina said, "Oh, I have got to call Callie." She ran for the phone to call her as Jake went to shower.
Callie and Callista were eating their breakfasts when they also heard the broadcast. Then Callie's phone started to ring.
"Hello?" Callie answered.
"Were you watching the news just now?" Felina asked into the phone.
"Yes, I saw the report. You think that we should go on 'The Litterbin' show?" Callie asked.
"Why not? I mean, how many times do you get asked to go on a late night national TV show and talk about your love life?" Felina replied.
"Never, Felina. I'll call the station later and get the details from them. I'll use the phone in the hangar since it can't be traced," Callie said.
"By the way, Jake and I are in Honolulu. Your grandmother sent us here as an engagement present after she calmed you down. We should be back in a couple of days, that is, if we can figure out how. She sort of zapped us here," Felina replied. Then she said, "Got to go, Jake just finished showering." Felina hung up the phone.
Callista took a sip of her coffee and asked, "Are you really thinking of going on that show?"
Callie put her phone away, looked at Callista, and then said, "I don't see why not. I have heard the kind of questions he asks, and they are pretty tame. It would probably be good PR for The SWAT Kats if we go on."
"Callie, he is promoting this as 'The Litterbin show with the two hottest she-cats in the city!' He is going to treat you and Felina just like pin-up magazine models. I do not like the thought of my granddaughter parading around on stage in a skimpy outfit just to boost his ratings," Callista exclaimed.
"I would never let that happen, Callista. I will call the station and find out all the details before making any decisions as to whether we go on the show or not," Callie retorted.
"Ok, Callie. I just don't want you two taken advantage of," Callista said.
Callie didn't answer. She just finished her breakfast and drank her coffee. She knew that Callista only wanted what was best for her, so Callie really could not be angry with her. Callie eventually said, "I'll be careful. I did not become Deputy Mayor of this city by being stepped on by others."
"Very true. Now let's get out of here and go brush Persival before he leaves fur all over the apartment," Callista said, then smiled.
Callista paid the bill and Callie left a tip for the server. They left the diner and went back to the apartment to find Persival.
As they entered the apartment, they found Persival sitting in the middle of the kitchen with a small pile of fur around him, cleaning his paws.
Callista looked at the pile of fur on the floor, and then at Persival. She said as she placed her paws on her hips, "It's time for your brushing, and possibly a bath."
Persival got up and went down the rear stairs to the backyard, followed by the two she-cats. Callie grabbed his brushes that were hanging on the wall by the back door as they exited into the yard.
Persival laid down on the soft grass and waited for Callie to start brushing him the way that she used to. He was very relaxed, because he knew that Callie had a very gentle touch.
As Callie got down on her knees to start brushing him, Callista stopped her by saying, "Try using your powers to brush him."
Persival instantly tensed up, remembering what had happened that morning in the kitchen. He turned to Callista and said, "Are you sure about this, milady?"
"She will do fine, Persival. She just needs to focus on the task at hand. Right, Callie?" Callista said to the nervous puma, then turned her attention to Callie.
Callie was anxious about using her powers to brush Persival. She did not want to hurt him in any way. Callie gave Persival a comforting scratch behind his left ear and said, "Please forgive me if I hurt you." Then she started to concentrate on picking up the brush and lightly stroking the fur on Persival's back below his wings. The brush obeyed her commands and lightly touched Persival's back, then slowly went through his fur just as Callie wanted.
Persival started to relax a little as the brushing started. It almost felt as if Callie herself was brushing him.
After about six strokes, the brush was full of fur. Callie willed the excess fur out of the brush and onto the ground. She would clean up that mess later. Then the brushing continued without incident. Persival had grown a lot since she was a kitten and he was a cub, so the task took longer than it used to. The whole process took a shade longer than two hours. After the brushing was completed, there was a pile of fur about a quarter of the size of Persival himself.
Sometime during the brushing, Callista had gone back into the apartment and brought out a pitcher of lemonade, along with glasses for each of them. She saw the pile of fur left over from the brushing, then said to Persival, "You don't shed? So what is this, then, Persival?" while pointing at the pile of fur.
"It is my undercoat, milady. It is summertime, so I lose that coat. We go through this every year. It is not shedding," Persival said.
Callista held up her right paw, made it glow, then she said, "Are you going to argue with me?"
Persival backed up at the sight of his mistress' glowing paw and tried to hide behind Callie. It didn't work, since he was three times the size of Callie's much smaller frame. He eventually said, "No, milady, I am not going to argue with you."
Callista smiled and placed her paw down. Then she said, "Good." Callista walked over to Persival, got down on one knee, and gave him a good scratch behind the ear. He purred, then said softly, "It's not shedding."
Callista heard him and wiggled her nose. Persival was instantly turned into a tiny, little puma cub.
Callie reached down and picked up Persival. She straightened with him cradled in her arms, petting him softly. Then she turned to Callista and said, "How long is he going to stay like this?"
"Not long, Callie. Only about an hour. Just long enough to teach him not to try to get the last word in on me," Callista said as she got up.
"He is so cute!" Callie said as she brought Persival up to her face to cuddle him. Then she said, "Can we keep him like this?"
"As cute and cuddly as he is, he will soon return to his normal size," Callista said as she walked over to Callie and Persival. When she got there, she petted Persival. "Now we need to get the shop open. You can bring him with you. There is a mat in the corner of the shop where he can sleep until the spell wears off," Callista said. Then she, Callie, and Persival went back inside and opened up the antique shop.
Jake and Felina got dressed in shorts and T-shirts, then went to get breakfast from the dining room. As they ate, Felina suggested that they spent the day relaxing on the beach. Jake liked the idea of being able to just relax and spent time with his fiancée without having to fix a car or deal with SWAT. He said to her, "This is going to be like a mini honeymoon. If being married is anything like this, I want to marry you as soon as possible, Felina."
Felina smiled and reached across the table to take his paw in hers. Then she said while she stroked his fingers, "You know, we still have to call my family and tell them the news. I can't wait to hear what my uncle is going to say when he hears that I am going to marry you, Jake."
Jake was nervous as to what the Ferals were going to say when Felina told them the news of her engagement. They probably didn't even know that he and Felina were dating! What were they going to say when they found out that she was engaged? He started to have a bad feeling about it. After thoughts of Ulysses Feral drawing and quartering him, as well as the rest of the Feral clan beating him to a pulp left his mind, he said, "Why not call your uncle now and tell him while we are 1000 miles away from the city? At least he can't reach through the phone and kill me that way, right?"
Felina had never really thought of how her family would react to the news of her engagement to Jake. She knew that her uncle was not fond of him in the least, after the incident years ago at Enforcer Headquarters resulted in Jake and Chance being thrown out of the Enforcers. On the other hand, Ulysses knew that she was very independent, and would do what she wanted, whether he liked it or not. She picked up her phone and called her uncle.
"Felina, where are you? I have been trying to call you for days," Feral barked into the phone the instant he saw who it was on the other end of the line.
"Uncle, are you sitting down?" Felina asked cautiously.
"I am now. What is wrong, Felina?" Feral asked.
"Do you remember Jake Clawson?" Felina asked.
"Yes, I booted him off the force. What of him?" Feral asked with an annoyed tone in his voice.
"Uncle, Jake and I have been dating for some time now." She took a deep breath. Then continued, "He asked me to marry him yesterday and I said yes. We are currently in Honolulu celebrating our engagement," Felina answered, slightly nervous.
There was silence from Ulysses for a moment while he processed that bit of information. Then he asked, "Is Jake with you now?"
"Yes, Uncle," Felina answered.
"Put him on the phone, please," Feral more or less ordered.
Felina held the phone away from her ear and passed it to Jake. Then she said, "He wants to talk to you."
Jake gulped as he took the phone from Felina, then he said into the phone, "Commander."
"Jake, I only have one question to ask you. Do you love her?" Feral asked.
Jake was in shock. He thought that Ulysses was going to be screaming at him and threatening to have him beheaded as soon as he set foot in the city. Jake answered, "Yes, Commander. I love her with all my heart. I can't imagine my life without Felina in it anymore."
There was another brief silence before Ulysses spoke, "I am glad to hear that, but if you hurt her in any way, I will personally make it my life's work to make you so miserable that you will wish you were dead. Felina is like a daughter to me, and I love her as a father would. Her happiness is paramount above all else to me. Is that understood, Clawson?"
"I promise that she will be one of the happiest she-cats ever. I could never hurt her. She is what I dream about, and what I want to see first thing every morning. I cannot live without her in my life," Jake replied.
Ulysses got a bit misty-eyed when he heard Jake's proclamation of love for his niece. Just from the tone of Jake's voice, Ulysses knew that Jake was the perfect tom for his beloved Felina. Ulysses replied, "When you return, please meet me at headquarters. I want you back on the force."
"No offence, Commander, but I like my life as a lowly mechanic at the salvage yard. Granted, it is not as glamorous as being an Enforcer, but I enjoy helping fellow cats, and working with my hands just comes naturally to me," Jake replied.
"Very well, Jake, but can you support Felina, and eventually your family, on that salary?" Feral asked.
"No, I have other income that will take care of us very well. That is one thing we will never have to worry about," Jake answered.
"I am happy for the both of you. When you get back, we are going to have a celebration dinner at Felina's parents' house out on the island. Please have Felina call when you return," Feral said, then disconnected the call.
Jake placed the phone down and looked over at his fiancée. He said, after looking into her eyes for a moment, "Your uncle is happy for us, and wants to have a celebration dinner at your parents' house when we get back."
Felina got up and gave Jake a big hug. Then she said, "C'mon, the beach is waiting for us."
Jake got up from his seat and took Felina's paw in his. Then they walked back to the lobby elevators, which would take them back to their room to change.
End of Chapter