Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
I really need to thank MisaRae for fixing the emotional mess I made at the end of this chapter. So, thank you my lovely Co-Author. I can't do this without you.
Ulysses told Chance that he would see him at three, when the rest of the group returned from the hangar and impromptu shopping trip. He walked out of the door, closing it behind him. Ulysses walked to the elevator and pressed the down button to call the elevator. As he waited, he thought of how his life had taken a turn for the better, now that Callista was back in his life. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't given her a ring. He had to remedy that immediately. Ulysses got into the elevator and pressed the button that would bring the elevator to the main floor. As soon as the elevator arrived at the main floor of the building and the doors opened, he bolted out of the elevator and ran to his car. Ulysses opened the car door, got in, and once he had the car started and he was secured into his seat, he drove as fast as possible back to his apartment complex.
Jake was in the middle of placing a new hydraulic pump into the TurboKat, while Felina was adding her own personal touch to her baby, the TurboKat 2. She turned to Jake and said, "Honey, the newbies have been gone for an awfully long time. I am going to see what is taking them so long."
"Alright, Felina, just remember to keep your cool. Two of them are very new lovers, and the other is a younger tom. So take it easy on what you say to them. They are our friends and partners-in-arms. We need them to trust us without question as we must trust them. Ok?"
"Alright, I'll try to take it easy on them," Felina replied, and started walking towards the lockers.
Jake finished installing the pump into the TurboKat, and went over to the TurboKat 2 in order to see what Felina was doing to the jet. He walked from the right side of the jet, past the nose, and then down the left side, when he saw Felina's personalization of her baby. Painted on the side of the TurboKat 2 was a simple sentence that proclaimed the TurboKat 2 was hers. It read, 'If you value your life as much as I value this jet, don't screw with it! Caliber.' Jake yelled in the direction of the lockers, "Not cool, Felina!"
Felina ignored Jake and kept on walking towards the lockers. As she turned the corner, she saw Mark wearing his uniform, and it definitely fit him. It hugged every one of his well-defined muscles to perfection. She gave him several once-overs with her eyes, starting with his long hair, to his broad shoulders and back, then to his waist and tail that was swishing back and forth, and finally down his legs. She thought, 'Lisa is one lucky she-cat. This guy is a walking dream come true.' She shook the thought away, walked over, and stood next to him. She looked over the wall to see what had him so enthralled, and saw Tina and Katerina, passionately kissing and caressing each other's bodies. She scrunched up her face and turned to her right before reaching up with her right paw, grabbing his left ear, and saying, "Wait until Lisa hears how you were peeping on your friends as they made out. Come with me while I think of a suitable punishment for you." She led Mark away, never letting go of his ear.
Mark grimaced in pain as Felina tightly grabbed and twisted his ear as she led him back to the main section of the hangar.
Lisa finished ordering the three lattes with extra milk. While she waited for the drinks, she turned and looked at Callista and Callie, and saw them smiling and laughing with each other. She thought, 'Those two really do love each other. Seeing them with Sarah this morning really opened my eyes. Were my parents wrong all along? Tina and Katerina definitely are madly in love with each other and make a great couple. I have seen other heterosexual couples that do not love each other half as much as those two do. I really have to re-evaluate my beliefs.' Her drink order arrived at the counter behind her, and she picked up the carrier that held the drinks before walking over to the table where Callie and Callista sat.
Lisa arrived at the table and placed the drinks down. As she sat, she said, "Dig in, my friends. I had them add extra milk. I hope you don't mind?"
Callista took one of the drinks and took a sip. She said, "Mmm, this is real good. I don't know why I have never tried having a latte like this before." She took another sip before she said to Callie, "Don't let yours get warm, Callie. Take a sip. I promise you will love it."
Callie took her drink and took a sip. The ice cold liquid tasted heavenly to her. She licked her lips and then said, "You are right, Callista. This is delicious." She turned to Lisa and said, "Thank you, Lisa."
"You both are welcome. Nothing is too good for my new friends," Lisa replied, and took their paws in hers.
Callista took another sip of her drink and placed it back down on the table. She turned her head to Lisa and asked, "May I ask you a question, Lisa?"
"Sure, Callista, what is up?" Lisa replied.
"Back at the apartment complex, you were very frightened of me when I revealed my secret to you. Now you are acting like we are old friends. What changed, Lisa?" Callista asked.
Lisa let go of their paws and focused her gaze on the table top. Her cheerful smile fell away, and was replaced by a remorseful scowl. She gathered up some courage and lifted her head before replying, "Callista, I am so sorry about the way I acted in the elevator. I am especially sorry for calling you and Callie evil. After spending time with both of you this morning, I realized that not only are you both not evil, but you two are some of the nicest and most loving cats in the city. Those old school teachings that I was brought up with blinded me to the real truth: that not all magic users are evil. Instead, they can be very good and caring cats." Lisa took Callie's and Callista's paws in hers again before she said, "I promise, if I am blessed with having kittens, that they will be raised to be accepting of all, no matter their race, gender, sexual preference, or special abilities."
"I am so glad to hear you say that, Lisa. You and Mark make a great couple, and are going to be wonderful parents. Plus, you both are very loving and caring cats. I have a feeling that those lessons were written by an old tom-friend of mine a long time ago. He was madly in love with me, until he kissed me one night just outside my castle's walls. I got so lost in his kiss that my powers bubbled to the surface and had to escape by any means necessary. I blasted a hole in the castle wall, and he ran off screaming at me that he hated all magic users and he never wanted to see me again," Callista said, and looked at her drink as sadness filled her from remembering the hurt that had he caused her. She lifted her head and said, "I ran back to my room after he left me standing alone, crying hysterically. The only cat that could calm me down was my best friend, Amelia. She held me in her strong arms, and rocked me like a tiny kitten until I fell asleep. From what I heard, she found him later at a tavern, and kicked his tail so badly that he had to leave the kingdom because he had been so thoroughly beaten by a she-cat."
Lisa listened to Callista tell her story, and was flabbergasted that a tom could do that to her. Ever since Lisa had met her, Callista had treated everyone around her with kindness, and her love for her family was obvious. So what if she was a sorceress? Callista had proven to be a good friend to everyone around her, time and time again. That tom had been a complete idiot for throwing his love aside because of his hate for magic users. Just as Lisa had been when she called Callista evil not that long ago. Lisa squeezed Callista's paw tighter and looked into her green eyes before saying, "I am so sorry that he was so blinded by hatred that he could not see past it. He obviously did not deserve your love. If I had been your friend back then, I would have joined Amelia in kicking his tail so hard that he would not be able to sit for the rest of his life!"
Callista laughed after Lisa spoke. She knew from watching the anger form in Lisa's eyes that she was telling the truth. She replied, "Amelia would have loved to have you be by her side. Having you and Amelia as my Sergeants-At-Arms would have scared off any would-be assailant. Besides, having that position in the guard had its advantages when it came to finding mates. If I remember correctly, Amelia always had a very well-built tom on her arm at all times. As a matter of fact, Mark would have been right up there at the top of the line for all the ladies of the court to have a go at. He would have looked real handsome in the garb from the dark ages. His long, toned legs and firm butt in those tight hose, and his broad shoulders and back dressed in a cambric shirt… No she-cat in the court would be able to keep their paws off of him."
Lisa pictured Mark wearing that outfit and started to drool slightly. She liked the image Callista planted in her mind. She would have to buy him something similar to wear for her one night, so she could live out that tiny, little fantasy of her knight coming to her rescue and then claiming her for the rest of the night.
Callie watched as Lisa became lost in thought. She asked, "Lisa, are you ok?"
Lisa snapped out of her dream world as Callie spoke and replied, "I am fine, Callie. Actually, more than fine. Your grandmother placed a very nice image of my future husband in my mind, and I was not quite ready to let it go." She then took a sip of her drink. Lisa quickly turned to Callista and asked, "Wait a minute, you were checking out my fiancé's body?"
"Lisa, I may be old, but I am not blind. Mark is one fine specimen of a male," Callista said as she slitted her eyes.
That line caused them all to laugh at Mark's expense.
Lisa stopped laughing first and said, "Yes, he is one hunky tom. You should have seen all the girls in my dorm when I brought him back for the first time. Every single one of them locked their eyes on his ass as he walked by, and when I finally got him into my room, you could have heard a pin drop."
Callie said, "I felt the same way about Chance. When I first saw him, my knees almost gave out. He was wearing these tight jeans that showed off his lower half perfectly. Then I finally met him in the hall when I accidentally dropped my books. He was the only one to stop and help me. Our paws touched, and I felt this tiny spark leap from his paw to mine. I wanted to lock my arms around his neck and kiss him right then and there. It took a good ten years before we actually went on a date. When he asked me to marry him, my heart stopped. I never expected to marry someone like him in all my life. That first night we spent together as an engaged couple was heavenly. Just between us girls, he is very well versed in female anatomy, if you get my drift." Callie took a sip of her drink after she finished speaking.
Callista really didn't want to hear about her granddaughter's life in the bedroom. However, she was glad that Callie felt she could tell her anything as a friend, and not a grandmother.
Callie then turned to Callista and asked, "You have to have a few steamy stories in that head of yours. Come on, tell us one."
Callista never thought that she would be placed in a situation where she would have to tell about her past love life, but since it was all in good fun, she figured why not. Callista remembered one particular tom that really made her night, so she decided to tell the tale. She said, "There was one tom that I fell head over heels for. He was a prince from a neighboring kingdom. He had heard of the beautiful queen of Megalith, and rode in on a white horse, just to try and court her. I met him at the entrance to my castle with Esmeralda by my side. He dismounted his horse and walked up to me, went down on one knee, and kissed my paw. He said, 'I have never seen a beauty such as you in my entire life. Please do me the honor of letting me escort you to the ball in a few days.' I, of course, said I would, but Esmeralda huffed and two plumes of smoke came from her mouth. I giggled as the prince backed away from me. I walked towards him with my hips sashaying and tail swaying in order to keep him interested. When I was close enough, I touched his face with my paw and said, 'Don't worry about her too much. She will only eat you if you don't treat me right.' I then leaned in and kissed his cheek. The prince smiled as my lips touched his fur. He said, "I will see you in a few days, my beautiful queen.' He turned and walked away from me, and I got a very good view of his tail and butt as he walked away and mounted his horse."
"The night of the ball came all too quickly, and I found myself frantically getting ready for the prince to show up. I was dressed in a pink, formal gown that showed off a decent amount of my chest. I was finishing applying a light coating of makeup to my face, when the crier announced that the prince had arrived. I stood up from my dressing table and walked out of my chambers. I met Amelia, who was dressed in her formal uniform. She escorted me to the main hall and the awaiting prince. We descended the main staircase, and Amelia presented me to the prince. As she stepped aside, she whispered to him, 'If you misbehave and I find out, you will lose your head.' The prince gulped as Amelia spoke to him. Then he looked at me and froze. I smiled, walked over to him, and placed a paw on his face. He let out a purr just from that simple touch, and I melted as his purr vibrated through my paw. He said, 'Shall we go, my queen?' and he took my paw in his as he escorted me into the ballroom." Callista took a sip of her drink while Callie and Lisa waited with bated breath for her to continue.
"We danced the night away, and he was the total gentleman at all times. That night, he took care of every want and need I had. After the ball ended, we went for a stroll into the courtyard. His paw never left mine as we walked. We ended up at a gazebo in the center of the courtyard, illuminated only by moonlight. We sat down on a chaise lounge and looked up at the stars. He apparently soon became bored with looking at the sky, and just stared at me, instead. Eventually, the weight of his gaze was more than I could bear, and I turned to look at him. The prince placed his paw against my cheek and gave it a soft caress. It felt so good that I closed my eyes to savor the moment. I didn't even realize I was leaning toward him until he closed the distance and captured my lips. He slowly brought his arms around me, as if allowing me to escape if I wanted, but I had absolutely no desire to. His paws splayed against my back, bringing me even closer to him as he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into my mouth.
"His kiss was more intoxicating than the finest wine I had ever tasted, and I found my own paws first pressing against his chest, and then working the buttons of his shirt so I could feel his fur directly. I hadn't fully realized at the time that doing that gave him silent permission to start undoing the hooks of my dress, but I wasn't about to complain, especially when he buried his face in the crook of my neck. I moaned as he lightly nipped at my throat, while his paws managed to get the back of my dress fully open so they could slip inside. Eventually, he had worked my dress low enough that all he had to do was shift slightly, and the entire top fell down, exposing my breasts to him. I probably should have been embarrassed, but by then, I was already caught up in his passion. As he caressed my breasts, I grew bolder, too, my paws moving to the laces of his breeches. I faltered in my relative inexperience, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, the way he chuckled into my mouth let me know that he found it both amusing and arousing. Once I finally succeeded, he wasn't laughing anymore as I touched him, his moans turning me on to an impossible degree as I stroked him. My body felt as if it was on fire, and even the silk of my ballgown was far too hot. He actually whimpered when I drew away, but his eyes widened as he watched me regain my feet, allowing my gown to fall to the ground.
"I don't even know where the impulse came from, but I sat back down on top of him, our faces almost touching as I gazed into his eyes. Then I felt myself falling, my newfound lover guiding me onto my back. I had absolutely no objections, wrapping my legs around him and drawing him down for another kiss to let him know that without a doubt. He then made love to me. I groaned as he filled my body with warmth, since I never had a tom do that with me before." Callista took another sip of her drink before she asked, "Was that steamy enough, Callie?"
Both Lisa and Callie sat there in total shock as Callista finished telling her story. Neither one of them had known that Callista had experienced such a steamy love life. Callie asked, "So, exactly how many toms did you end up dating?"
"Not that many, Callie. Maybe eighty-five to a hundred, but I only slept with a small percentage of them," Callista replied.
"And what percentage would that be, exactly?" Callie asked, as she rested her head on her paws with her tail swishing back and forth.
Callista took a long sip of her drink as she thought about how much Callie and Lisa should know about her past tom-friends. She replied, "I'm not telling. You will have to find out when I am dead."
Callie huffed, and then proceeded to get up and head back to the coffee bar to get another drink.
Lisa watched Callie go, and then she turned to Callista and asked, "Now that she is gone, how much of that was true?"
Callista turned to Lisa and replied, "All of it, Lisa. Being immortal has its advantages." Callista leaned in close so only Lisa could hear, "Like being able to outlast every tom that I slept with." She sat back down and took a sip of her drink.
Lisa just sat there, smiling from ear to ear, as she thought, 'She is going to be one of my best friends.'
Callie returned with a cappuccino with chocolate shavings in the whipped milk in her paws, and took her seat. She swiped a stray strand of her hair away with her left paw before she asked, "What did I miss?"
Callista took Lisa's paw in hers and replied, "Nothing, Callie. Absolutely nothing."
"So Callista, whatever happened to that prince?" Lisa asked.
Callista simply said, "After a few more magical dates, he was sent off to a faraway kingdom. The next I heard of him, he was marrying some princess that he managed to get pregnant, or something along those lines."
"So you never saw him again," Lisa asked.
"I did see him one more time. I met him and his wife, as well as his six kittens one day in the square. Apparently, married life didn't quite agree with him. He aged very rapidly, most of his hair, and gaining enough girth that, well, he looked like a furry bowling ball," Callista replied.
All three of them started laughing at the prince's misfortune. Lisa calmed down enough to say, "You are lucky that you didn't end up with him. I can't see someone as gorgeous as you with an overweight, balding prince."
"Neither could I, Lisa. After he left with his family, I broke down laughing. I could not help myself after watching his large rump walk away, considering he had been an absolute dreamboat when I first met him. All lean, but muscular where it counted, and not mention, well-endowed," Callista replied.
Both Callie and Lisa spit out their drinks when they heard Callista's last comment.
Callie said, "I can't believe you actually said that! Here I thought that you were one of the most polite and refined she-cats I know, and here you are, gossiping like a teenaged she-cat about her tom-friend's anatomy!"
"Oh calm down, Callie. You can't tell me that other she-cats aren't jealous of you getting to sleep with T-Bone? Just look at the way he fills out his uniform. I am sure every she-cat in the city has dreamt of bedding him at one time or another."
"You checked out T-Bone?" Callie asked.
"As I mentioned earlier, I might be old, but I am not blind, Callie. He is one hunk of a tom. You are lucky that he is marrying you, Callie. You get to feel those muscles flex as he is bringing you to new heights of pleasure," Callista replied.
"If that is the way you talk about our fiancés, what did you or your friends used to say about Ulysses when you first dated him?" Callie asked.
"Do you really want to know?" Callista replied.
Both Lisa and Callie replied, "Yes."
Callista thought about her reply for a very brief minute before she replied, "When Ulysses and I first dated, I really didn't have friends I could gossip with, and so that subject never came up. What I can tell you both is that he is a really good kisser, and knows how to use those strong paws of his. However, we never slept with each other. He was always a gentleman, even when I didn't want him to be."
They finished their drinks, stood up, cleaned up their table, and left the coffee bar. Each one of them had smiles on their faces from having a morning of bonding with each other.
Lisa was especially happy, since she now had two new friends that were like sisters. She was glad that Callista and Callie had proved her parents' teachings wrong.
They all got back in the car and Callie drove them back to the hangar.
Ulysses made it back to his apartment in record time. He parked his car in the covered parking lot and got out. Once he locked the car, he sprinted to the stairs that led to his floor. It didn't take him long to ascend the stairs to get to his floor, since the complex only had two floors. After he made a left turn out of the stairwell into the hall, one of his neighbors was leaving for the morning and asked, "Hey, Ulysses, I haven't seen you run so fast since you were on street patrol. Someone try to get into your apartment?"
Ulysses stopped and turned in the direction of the voice. Once he saw that it was one of his older neighbors who had known him since he became a Lieutenant, he replied, "No Sam, no one tried to get into my apartment, or at least, I hope not. I just forgot something very important."
"You? Forgetting something? I have never seen that happen, Ulysses. You are the first one to take out your trash on every Wednesday when everyone else in the complex forgets. You remember stuff from over fifteen years ago, just like they happened yesterday. So what, exactly, slipped that great mind of yours that made you run back to your apartment in such a big hurry?"
"To be honest, Sam, I need to find my mother's engagement ring to give to my new fianceé. I'm getting married again," Ulysses replied.
Sam extended his paw to Ulysses and shook his right paw, then asked, "Who's the lucky she-cat that will never get to see you because of your job? You are hardly ever here, Ulysses. You spend most of your time at Enforcer Headquarters or on the streets."
"All that is going to change, Sam. Come Monday morning, I am handing in my retirement forms. So in a year, I will have all the time in the world for her and my niece's kitten." Ulysses replied.
Sam took his paw back and said, "You are actually retiring?" He then smiled and said, "The guys at the lodge are going to be pissed. I won the 'Will Ulysses ever retire' pool. I just won five thousand dollars! Thanks, Ulysses!"
Ulysses raised his right eyebrow and asked, "There actually was a pool?"
"We all figured that you would die in your office, still barking out orders to your subordinates. Boy, were we wrong. This she-cat must be someone special for you to give up being the commander," Sam said.
Ulysses smirked and lowered his eyebrow. He then replied, "Yes, she is, Sam. I should have married her before I started basic training all of those years ago."
"Well, you now have a chance to do just that, Ulysses. Don't screw this marriage up like your last one," Sam said as he went back inside his apartment.
After the door closed, Ulysses said, "I am not planning on it." He then resumed the journey to his apartment.
Ulysses opened the door and entered. He turned on the lights and saw how he had been living for the past twenty years. The apartment was dark, barely furnished, and worst of all, there was no one there to welcome him home. He closed the door and made his way to his bedroom. He entered and turned toward the dresser before walking over to it. Ulysses took a deep breath before opening the top right drawer and removing a locked steel box. He placed the box on top of the dresser and stared at it for a brief minute. Ulysses loosened his tie and un-did the first few buttons of his shirt, so he could remove the chain that he wore around his neck which held the key to the box. Ulysses inserted the key into the lock and turned it. The lock clicked open, and he opened the latch. Ulysses paws froze on the top of the box, and he started to tremble ever so slightly since he hasn't opened the box since his ex-wife had scornfully told him that she didn't want a hand-me-down ring on her finger.
Ulysses took a few deep breaths and opened the lid. Inside were a few important papers and a small, blue velvet box. He took the box out and opened it. Inside was a one and a half karat diamond ring with a platinum setting. He carefully removed the ring from the box and read the inscription on the inside of the ring. It read, 'To Meridyth, I will love you forever, Nicholas'. Ulysses placed the ring against his chest and looked to the sky. He said, "Mom, Dad, I have finally corrected that mistake I made all those years ago. Callista has agreed to be my wife. I feel whole again. I wish you both could be here to celebrate with us." He placed the ring back in its box and closed it before placing it in his pocket. He then closed the steel box and returned it to the dresser before closing that too. Ulysses turned to leave the room, but at the last minute he looked back, taking in the spartan room one last time before saying, "I will never have to live like this again. Now that Callista and I are engaged, my life will be a lot more colorful from now on." He left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving his old life once and for all.
End of Chapter