The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
The story needed to be lightened a little to prepare for what is to come.
Thank You my Co-Author and dear friend MisaRae for helping me with this.
Friday morning came too early for Ulysses and Callista. They were in bed together, watching the sun rise from Callista's window. Callista still had her head on his chest while lazily letting her right paw draw circles on Ulysses' stomach. She smiled as the sun's rays started to warm her face as she listened to Ulysses' heart beating in his chest.
Ulysses had not slept so well in years. Having Callista in the same bed, and in his life, was the one thing that he had been missing in order to make his life complete. He lifted his head to look at Callista and then kissed her between the ears.
Callista raised her head and kissed Ulysses on the lips before saying, "Good morning. I am sorry about last night. Did you sleep well?"
Ulysses still had his left arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He pulled her a little tighter to him and replied, "I did, my queen. I was lying awake on your couch, worrying about you, until you screamed. When you did, I wanted to get to you as fast as I possibly could to make sure you were alright. I was very nervous when you asked me to sleep with you. Although, after listening to your soft purrs as you slept, I fell asleep myself and have to admit, I have not slept so well in a very long time."
She rolled over so she could look him in the eyes, but not lose any physical contact with him, and said, "I never want to make you nervous around me, Ulysses. Why didn't you say anything last night? I would have understood."
Ulysses was trying very hard to control himself, especially with Callista laying on him the way that she was. The straps of her nightgown had fallen off of her shoulders, and he could very easily see her chest. His temperature started to rise as he looked down at her. He pulled the covers over them in order to cover her body before he said, "The only thing that mattered to me at the time was taking care of you, my queen. Nothing else mattered to me anymore. I just did what I had to do. Although, I am glad I did."
Callista lifted her upper body and rested on her elbows before asking, "What is with the 'my queen' business, Ulysses? You never called me that before. Why now?"
Ulysses brought her back down so she was resting on his chest again before he replied, "You deserve to be worshipped as the royalty that you are, Callista, and I intend to treat you as such. That means I am your humble servant, my queen." He smiled to let her know that he was joking, just a little.
Callista smirked before she said, "Then as your queen, I order you to kiss me."
"As you wish, my queen," Ulysses said before he sat up and claimed her lips with his.
Persival decided to go and spend some time with Isis instead of being home alone. He stayed with her in her enclosure, and woke with his right wing wrapped around her body. He was smiling all the way back to Callista's apartment. As he entered, he saw an unfamiliar bag sitting on the living room floor and a blanket and pillow sitting on the couch. He knew that it was not normal for Callista to leave her apartment in such disarray, and started to worry that something had happened to her. Persival started searching the apartment. Not finding her in any of the common areas of the apartment, he walked down to her bedroom. He pushed the door open with his right front paw, entered her bedroom, and saw his mistress in bed with Ulysses, kissing him. He instantly took a defensive posture and growled angrily before saying, "Ulysses, you had better have a very good reason as to why you are sharing my mistress' chambers."
Callista instantly pulled back from Ulysses, pulled the covers up to her neck, and sat upright, staring into Persival's eyes. She said, "He was originally sleeping on the couch, but then I had a nightmare, Persival. I woke up screaming, and he ran to me to make sure that I was alright. I was so scared by the visions, that I invited him to stay in order to make me feel safe."
"And why would you need to do that, Milady? You are the most powerful sorceress I know, and one of the most independent females that I have ever seen. You have taken down entire empires by yourself, despite being offered help by your closest friends and allies. So to hear that you need a tom to make you feel safe is very disconcerting to me, Milady," Persival said, never removing his intense gaze from Ulysses.
"Persival, have you ever needed someone else to lean on, ever?" Callista asked.
Persival quickly turned to face her and stated, "Never!"
"You're lying, Persival. There were several times that you have come to me as an emotional wreck, and I have had to comfort you like a mother would. I was in such a state after reading a note which threatened Callie's life that I had nightmares of her being killed right in front of me. I needed someone to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be alright. Ulysses happened to be the tom that I turned to because I love him, and I want to marry him," She quickly covered her mouth with her paws after she said that last sentence. She hadn't meant to let her thoughts on the matter slip out quite yet.
Ulysses turned to look at her questioningly and asked, "You want to marry me?"
Callista turned to him, looked deeply into his eyes, and placed her paws on his chest before replying, "Yes, Ulysses, I do want to marry you, when the time is right. If you would have asked me all those years ago to marry you, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. I have been in love with you since we first started dating, and I guess I never really stopped. Becoming your wife would make me the happiest she-cat in the world."
Ulysses wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her to him. He said, "I love you, too, Callista. I know this is sudden, but but," he paused to gain every ounce of courage in his body to say the next few words, "will you marry me, Callista Catlow?"
Callista was not shocked, but stunned at his proposal of marriage. It was just a few days ago that he said he wanted things to go slow, and now he was asking her to marry him, right in front of Persival. She replied, "I need to know one thing before I answer, Ulysses. You said that you wanted this relationship to build slowly. So what changed?"
"I have been a broken tom for way too long, Callista; having you back in my life has healed my heart. The final straw was staying with you last night. It made me realize what has been missing from my life for all of these years, and it was you. I don't want to take the chance of letting you slip through my fingers again. I want to you to be the first thing that I see when I wake up, and the last before I sleep. For the past few days, the only thing that has been on my mind is you. Please make me whole again and be my wife," Ulysses replied.
Callista started to tear up at his declaration of his love for her. Steven had loved her to no end, and she had loved him. He would have done anything for her and their kitten. However, Ulysses' love for her was slightly different. From what she could tell, he would walk to the ends of the world for her, if she asked, and he had been in love with her for over thirty years. She finally said after making her decision, "Ulysses, after all of this mess is over, I would love to be your wife."
Ulysses took her paws in his and said, "You have just made me the happiest tom in the city, if not the world." He claimed her lips again after he finished speaking.
Persival was glad that his mistress was happy once again, but he still did not trust Ulysses 100%. He said, "I am happy for the both of you. Although, you have yet to earn my trust, Ulysses. That will come with time and patience."
Ulysses pulled back from kissing Callista, and said, "Persival, I will earn your trust. I love her, and I always will."
"You had better, Ulysses. If you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, I will be there to cut you to ribbons and feed your remnants to my future cubs!" Persival said before he folded his wings tightly against his body as he turned and walked away.
Ulysses turned to Callista and asked, "Is he always so protective of you?"
Callista chuckled as she laid her head against his chest, then replied, "Yes, he is. Just wait until Callie has her kittens. You want to see an overly protective cat? Chance is not even going to be able to get close to his own kittens once Persival sees them."
"Callie is pregnant and Chance is the father!?" Ulysses exclaimed.
"I'm surprised Felina hasn't already told you? I guess she was going to let Callie or Chance tell you themselves. That means you are going to be a great great-grandfather, Ulysses... once we get married, that is," Callista replied.
Ulysses thought, 'Wow, not only will I have the most beautiful she-cat ever as my wife, I am going to be a great-grandfather. It would have been nice to have my own kittens and watch them grow up. Then again, I get to spoil Chance's kittens and send them back home to their parents.' He said, "I get the best of both worlds. I get to marry you, and I get back at Chance for all of those years of him tormenting me as T-Bone by spoiling his kittens."
"You have an evil streak in you, love," Callista said.
"Only a small one. I need to call Felina and set up that meeting for this afternoon. If this cat tries anything, he or she is not going to know what hit him," Ulysses said as he started getting out of her bed.
Before Ulysses had a chance to fully get out of bed, Callista leaned over, pulled him to her, and gave him a searing kiss.
Ulysses kissed her back for a few minutes, and then pulled back. He looked into her eyes and said, "That is one way of waking a tom up. What made you decide to kiss me like that?"
"I wanted to show you just how much I am going to love being your wife, my king," Callista replied and smirked.
"If you keep waking me up like that, I might not get out of bed, and neither will you," Ulysses said as he finally succeeded in getting out of her bed.
Callista got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom to shower up and get ready for the day.
Jake was lying in bed with Felina resting her head on his chest. They were both still basking in the afterglow of the previous night's activities.
Felina let her left paw graze Jake's mid-section to the area just above his lower abdomen, and then back up to his chest, letting her paw continue just a hair lower each time she moved it down his body.
Jake loved the feeling of her nails running through his fur. He was getting ready to take Felina to heaven one more time before getting up, when one of their cell phones started ringing.
Felina got up, walked over to her bag, and dug out her phone, not bothering to put anything on just to keep Jake in the mood. She answered, "You had better have a very good reason for interrupting me!"
"Felina! I do have a very good reason for interrupting you. Well, actually two. One, I need to meet with you and Jake to help me protect Callista this evening. Apparently, someone is threatening her and her family. She is going to meet that cat tonight. I want the SWAT Kats there to back me up in case something goes wrong. Two, I asked Callista to marry me and she said yes."
"Alright, uncle, we will meet you and her at my apartment at 1, and, congratulations. It's about time you made a move on her," Felina replied. She then hung up the phone, turned back to Jake, and walked toward him, sashaying very seductively as she let her paws run up and down her body.
Jake saw the way that Felina was walking towards him, and knew she was stalking him in the best possible way, her eyes devouring him as she came closer. He gulped and asked, "What did your uncle say?"
Felina crawled up onto the bed and straddled him with her arms and legs, trapping him in the bed. She lowered her head so that her mouth was about an inch from Jake's when she replied, "My uncle wants us to meet this afternoon so SWAT can back him up, and he asked Callista to marry him. She accepted." Felina closed that tiny distance and kissed him, forcefully slipping her tongue into his mouth. After a few seconds, she pulled back and said, "That gives us a few more hours of you pleasuring me before we meet them. So get to work, Jake, and make your fiancé purr."
Jake did not need to be asked twice. He flipped her over, kissed her passionately, and made love to her, several more times over the next few hours.
Ulysses was not done making his calls. He used the directory in his phone and called who he felt were two of his most loyal officers on the force.
Mark and Lisa were alone in the Enforcers gym, since it was early in the morning. Lisa was doing her normal routine of aerobic dance as a cardiovascular workout to a fast-moving jazz tune. She was dressed in a simple sports bra with blue Capri tights and a pink pair of briefs. With her dancing background, she made every move look flawless and easy, no matter how difficult the maneuver was. Her long blond hair that was done up in a ponytail was swaying behind her as she danced.
Mark, on the other hand was using the bench-press machine, trying to erase what he had seen yesterday from his mind by pushing his body to the limit. He had abandoned his shirt, leaving him in just a pair of gym shorts and was sweating heavily. His shoulder-length, black hair that he normally kept in a low ponytail was out and cascaded down the bench. He kept adding more and more weight to the machine, seeing exactly how far he could push himself. However, it was not working as he had planned. Every time he finished a repetition, he kept seeing the face of the body that he had pulled from the river with a bullet hole right between the eyes. Finally, after attempting to do a repetition with 375 pounds, he faltered, letting the weight fall back to its resting position. He yelled as his muscles gave out, "Crud!"
Lisa stopped her routine and ran over to him as she heard him yell. She saw Mark massaging biceps, and she asked, after looking at how the machine was set, "Are you trying to injure yourself? 375 pounds is way too heavy for even you, Mark." Her paws took the place of his, trying to massage the pain away.
Mark watched her work, admiring the way her sky blue eyes traced the paths of his muscles and her lips were taut as she concentrated. He replied, "I had to get that image out of my mind somehow. The look of that tom's face with the bullet hole right dead in the center haunted me all night long. I could hardly sleep a wink. I wish you had been there with me last night. I could have talked to you and held you in my arms, until I fell asleep again."
Lisa kept her massage going since she felt his muscles still twitching under his skin. She said, while looking into his deep brown eyes, "If you had just called me, I would have driven over and stayed with you, Mark. You are going to be my husband, and what one of us goes through, so does the other. I was also having nightmares about those two teenagers being killed. They looked so innocent, and just wanted to be together. Although, I don't approve of them doing what they were doing out of wedlock, they still did not deserve to be killed." Her eyes started to mist up.
Mark removed her paws from him and pulled her into a tight hug in order to comfort her. His arms protested, but he did not care. He could not stand to see her upset for any reason. He said softly to her, "No, they did not deserve to die like that, Lisa. No one does. The Enforcers will find out who did all of this and bring them to justice one way or another."
"I hope so, Mark. I don't want to live in a city where someone can just go around and shoot cats, and think they can just get away with it," Lisa replied. Then her gym bag started to ring. She pulled out of Mark's embrace, which was not easy, and walked over to her bag. She crouched down and opened the bag, retrieving her phone. Lisa answered, "Hello."
"Officer Ericson, I hate to bother you when you are not on shift, but I have a favor to ask of you and Officer Samuelson. Someone is threatening my fiancé and her family. I need the both of you to help me protect her while she attends a meeting tonight with this cat. I would also ask Officer Jones for assistance, but I have him tied up protecting that witness from yesterday. Can I count on you two?" Ulysses asked.
"Sure, Commander. Mark and I will help you in any way we can. May ask you a question, sir?" Lisa asked.
"Yes you may, Ericson," Ulysses responded.
"Not to get too personal, but I haven't heard a peep from anyone on the force that you were dating someone, and you know how news travels around here, and yet you just told me that you are engaged to be married. When did you start dating, and who is the lucky she-cat? I have never told you this, but the way you took me and Samuelson under your wing, it made me think of you as an uncle," Lisa stated.
"I am glad that you think of me as an uncle, Ericson, and please, when we are not on duty, call me Ulysses. As for your question, I have been in love with her for years, but I have been afraid to tell her how I felt until recently. We are all going to meet at Felina's apartment at 1. I'll send you the address. You will meet her there," Ulysses replied.
"We will be there, and congratulations, Ulysses. I am happy for you, and please, call me Lisa," Lisa said.
"Thank you, Lisa. I will see you soon," Ulysses said before disconnecting the call.
Lisa placed the phone back in her bag, turned, and smiled at Mark before walking back to him.
Mark saw Lisa's smile and asked, "What did the Commander want, and why are you smiling like that?"
"The Commander is getting married to an old flame of his. We are going to meet her this afternoon at Felina's apartment. He needs our help with keeping her safe while she attends some meeting," Lisa replied.
"After all he has done for us over the years, I will be more than happy to help him and his girl out in any way I can," Mark said.
Lisa placed her arms around his neck and pulled him to her before she said, "He has been like an uncle to both of us, and I am very happy for him. He deserves to be happy, just as we are." She then kissed him.
Mark wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his right paw rest just above her tail. He felt her fur with his left paw and her heart beating against his upper mid-section as he returned her kiss. Before the urge to take things to the next level got any stronger, he pulled back from her kiss and said, "I am very happy for him, Lisa. Although, if you keep kissing me like that, I am not going to be able to keep my promise to you and wait until we are married before I make love to you for the first time." He pulled her tight to him so she could feel exactly how her kiss had affected him.
Lisa felt how excited Mark was when he pulled her close. She placed both of her paws flat against his chest and said, "Maybe I don't want to wait anymore, Mark. We have been together for over two years, and are getting married at the end of the year. I know that this has to been hard on you, since you have admitted that you have had relations with every one of your girlfriends except me, and I am more than just your girlfriend. I am going to be your wife, so why can't we enjoy ourselves just like every other couple who are in love?"
Mark let his arms go slack, but kept them around Lisa's lithe/curvy form. He said, "You told me that you wanted to wait because of the way that you were brought up, and I respect that, Lisa, because I love you and I want to make you happy. If that means that I have to wait to make love to you until we are married, then that is what I am going to do. I don't want to rush you into something that you are not ready for just because I have had sex with my other girlfriends. Lisa, you mean more to me than those other girls. I have been infatuated by you from the first time I saw you dancing on stage in college."
Lisa pushed herself back just a hair so she could look up into Mark's eyes and said, "You liked the way I danced back then? I always thought my dancing was clumsy and awkward compared to the other girls."
Mark placed his right paw under her chin so he could make sure that she could not look away from him as he said, "Lisa, in my eyes, you were the most graceful girl on that stage. I could not tear my gaze away from you from the moment your feet hit the stage."
Flashback
"Are you sure that a ballet recital is a great place to pick up she-cats?" Mark asked as he took a swig of his beer.
His friend Joe replied, "You're kidding, right? There is more available tail there than you will find at any bar." He took a long pull of his beer.
"Alright, I will go, but I expect you all to be there," Mark said to his friends.
"Oh, we will be there. Right, guys?" Joe said.
Mark finished his beer and placed the bottle on the counter before saying, "Fine, I will see you there around 7:45, and if you are not there, I will pound you hard." He left Joe's apartment and headed home to put on something more appropriate.
Mark had changed into a pair of dark jeans, a decent button-down shirt, and a pair of boots. He looked at himself in the mirror and liked what he saw. Although he had the reputation of being the "bad boy" on campus, he had never really done anything wrong. He actually enjoyed helping others. However, with his tall, muscular frame and his long black hair, he always caught the attention of the she-cats on campus. Mark was just about to leave, when he grabbed his signature leather jacket from the coat rack and his helmet. He left his apartment and closed the door. As he was walking down the hall, one of his girlfriends' opened her door and saw Mark dressed up and smelling real good. She asked, "Got a big date tonight, babe?"
Mark stopped, turned to her, and replied, "I might have one later, Sharon, and I'm meeting Joe and the guys at the ballet. They told me that it is a great place to pick up she-cats."
"Well, if that does not work out, come back here and I will take care of you," Sharon said.
Mark smiled and said, "I might take you up on that, Sharon. See you in class." He waved at her as she continued down the hall. He made it down to the parking lot and found his parking space. He un-covered his bike and placed the cover in one of the saddle bags. He then patted the gas tank and said, "You know that you are the only girl for me, right?" He got on the bike, sat down, and started it. The bike roared to life and Mark gave the gas tank another pat before placing the bike in gear and heading off to the theater.
Mark rode down the main street and received several lingering stares and cat calls from the she-cats walking on the sidewalks. He ignored them all with the thought that if they acted like that in public, then they were not the classy girl he had always dreamed of dating and bringing home to meet his parents. He arrived at the theater's lot and parked his bike off in the corner. He covered it again and went into the theater.
Lisa arrived early, as usual, and went through her warm-up routine. Several other dancers were jealous of her, since she managed to get the female lead on her first audition. This caused Lisa to be slightly nervous about the upcoming performance.
One of the other dancers went up to her and said, "Don't mess up out there, newbie. You will make us all look bad, and there is going to be a scout from Julliard out there tonight. It might not matter to you since you are a sophomore, but to us juniors and seniors, it is a major deal. So don't screw up!" She walked away with her tail swaying behind her.
Lisa's nervousness was now at an all-time high. She did not want to embarrass herself or the troupe out there tonight. Especially now that she knew that a scout from Julliard was going to be in the audience.
The troupe's head choreographer walked into the rehearsal hall and said, "Five minutes, everyone. Take your places, please." She walked over to Lisa and said, "You will be great out there, Lisa. Just do what you did in rehearsal, and you will be fine." She patted Lisa on the back before she left.
Lisa walked out of the rehearsal hall, hall, making her way backstage, then into the wings of the main stage, and waited for and waited for her cue.
Mark had paid for his ticket and waited as long as possible for Joe and the rest of his friends to show up. They never did. He was about to leave and go pummel his friends, when he saw a poster of the show that was going to be put on that night. He saw a blond she-cat, dressed in a tight bodice that did not hide her body at all, and a flowing skirt that did nothing to hide her long legs encased in sheer tights. He thought, 'Whoever she is, she is definitely attractive, if not downright beautiful. I wonder if she is real or just a Photoshopped image. Only one way to find out.' He went inside and took his seat.
The lights dimmed and the music started. Lisa took a few quick breaths, raised her arms, and went out on stage.
Mark was just getting comfortable when the houselights dimmed and the music started. Then the most angelic figure that he had ever seen in his life came out on stage.
Lisa just let the music take over her body and let it move her. She moved with absolute fluidity. It was almost like she was floating just above the stage. Her spirit flew higher and faster as her body arched and whirled, her muscles moving subconsciously to the rhythm as she strived for both physical and emotional perfection.
Mark was entranced by her instantly. He could not have removed his gaze from her, even if he wanted to. Not that he did. A few strands of her long, blond hair fell out of the tight bun that she had on top of her head. The strands fluttered behind her just like a pair of wings. Mark had to meet her, no matter what.
The show ended and Lisa finally opened her eyes just as the applause started to roar from the audience. Lisa joined the rest of her troupe and took her bow with them before leaving the stage and heading to the dressing room.
Mark was on his feet as soon as the show ended, clapping along with the rest of the crowd. As the applause died down, he grabbed his jacket and left the auditorium. As he went through the lobby, he forced his way backstage and waited for his angel to reappear so he could ask her out for coffee or even for a "real" date. As he waited, he vowed not to murder Joe for playing a joke on him. He leaned against a cement wall, crossed his arms and legs, and waited.
Several of the other female dancers finished changing and left for the night, leaving Lisa alone in the dressing room. She gathered up her stuff and placed it in her bag. She looked at herself in the mirror one more time before leaving.
Mark watched as several other she-cats left the dressing room, some of them stopping to look at him before they passed. He gave them all an angry stare to ward off the unwanted attention, since they were not who he wanted at that moment. He wanted his angel, and no other female would do anymore. Finally, the door opened and she emerged, wearing a form-fitting pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Her hair was now in a high-ponytail swaying behind her. Although most of her stage makeup was gone, a hint of lipstick emphasized her lips, drawing his eyes to them. His mouth dropped slightly open at the sight before him.
Lisa looked up and saw a muscular tom leaning against the wall. He looked as if he walked off of the cover of one of her romance novels that she liked so much. Then she noticed that his eyes were burning holes into her. She walked over to him, just to make sure he did not need anything, since he looked very out of place. She asked when she was close enough, "Can I help you with something?"
Mark was still in such a stupor from just seeing her up close that he did not respond at first. After his brain regained some function, he replied, "I was waiting for a certain dancer in order to tell her that I loved the way she danced."
"Do you know her name? I can pass the message on to her," Lisa said.
"No, I don't, and you don't have to pass the message on to anyone because now I can tell her myself," Mark said.
"Ok then, see you around," Lisa replied and started to walk away.
Mark thought that he had blown it. He had tried to play it cool, but it did not work. His heart sank as he watched her walk away from him and possibly out of his life. He let impulse take over and reached out to grab her arm.
Lisa felt a very strong hold on her right arm and turned to face the same tom from just a minute ago. She said, "Can I have my arm back, please?"
"You can just as soon as you listen to what I have to say," Mark replied as he gathered up some courage. "First, my name is Mark Samuelson, and I loved the way you danced out there tonight. I never in my life thought that I would see something as beautiful as you dancing on stage. Although, now that I have seen you up close, your dancing pales in comparison to your beauty. Please go out with me tonight, just so I can bask in that beauty and get to know you better."
Lisa had never had a tom ask her out is such fashion before. Then again, she had never had a walking, talking hunk of a tom ask her out, either. Most of the toms she had dated wanted nothing more than to see her dance provocatively for them and then take her to bed. Neither of which ever happened. Yet here was this tom that she knew nothing about asking her for a date after seeing her perform. She asked, "Why should I go out with you?"
"Because I have never seen someone as beautiful as you. Plus, I am a gentleman, despite my appearance. Just give me a chance to prove myself," Mark begged and released her arm.
Lisa took her arm back and thought about it for a second. She saw the way his eyes shone with sincerity and said, "Alright, one date. Where are we going?"
Mark smiled when she agreed to go out with him. He was so happy that he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her. Instead, he replied, "Anywhere you want to go, my angel."
"My name is not Angel, its Lisa," she replied.
"Even better," Mark said as he extended his elbow so she could take his arm.
Lisa took his arm and they left the theater.
End of flashback
"And who would have thought that Mr. Eye Candy would have ended up with a washed-up ballet dancer as his fiancé? " Lisa said as she pulled herself close to him and purred as she listened to his heart beating.
"Your ballet career might have ended too soon, Lisa, but I am sort of glad it did. If you had taken the job with that traveling troupe, I would have died. I could not live without you in my life, and you make an incredibly beautiful Enforcer anyhow," Mark said, then kissed her.
"Come on, hunk-wonder, let's head back to your apartment to shower up and get ready for this meeting with the Commander, and you owe me breakfast anyhow," Lisa said as she twirled out of Mark's embrace, and then danced away from him.
He smiled as Lisa playfully danced out of his sight. He thought to himself, 'She acts just like a kitten sometimes. She is going to make an excellent wife and a great mother to our kittens, eventually.' Then he followed her out of the gym.
End of Chapter