The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.

Well, November is more or less over. I didn't complete the contest as I hoped. I instead wrote three chapters of my original story and started a new tale called 'Anne's Chance at Love'

I hope you all will welcome me and my Co-Author MisaRae back?

As promised, Felicia walked into Pirouette's room pushing a wheelchair. She said, "Dr. Feldman has sprung you, time for you to go home, Pirouette."

Pirouette was now dressed in a pair of bright blue leggings, and a red and blue button-down shirt. She would have preferred a t-shirt to go with the leggings, but her shoulder prevented her from wearing one. She took one look at the wheelchair and said, "My legs are fine, Felicia. Is this thing really necessary?" She then kicked the wheelchair with her left foot.

"It's hospital policy. If I let you walk out of here, I could be fired, and as much as I want to work with my father and grandfather, I need this job to pay for my student loans. Besides, I am not sure what Dr. Feldman would do without me, either. He is one of the biggest and sweetest toms you will ever meet, as well as one of the best doctors in the city, but sometimes he's a lot more like an absent-minded professor. When that happens, I remind him of what he forgot, and make sure that he gets it done," Felicia said. Then she smiled and continued, "Take a seat, Pirouette, and as soon as you are safely outside of the Hospital's doors, you can do what you want. Personally, I would love to see why you call yourself Pirouette. Were you a dancer or something before you became a SWAT Kat?"

Pirouette reluctantly sat down in the wheelchair and kicked down the leg supports with her feet. She then answered, "Yes, I was a ballerina before I became a SWAT Kat. Ever since I was a kitten, I have loved dancing, and dreamed of being on stage. That all came to a screeching halt the same day I got engaged to Adonis. Having the doctor tell me that I would never dance again hurt me even more deeply than this bullet wound. Dancing was my life. Now that the life I'd dreamed of was over, I had no idea what to do. Adonis helped me realize that I am so much more than just a ballerina, and I can do so much more as a member of SWAT. So I donned the mask, and started helping the citizens of this city as a vigilante."

As she listened to Pirouette's reply, Felicia started wracking her brains, knowing that something about what Pirouette just said sounded very familiar. She vaguely remembered a she-cat who had been brought into the ER for a leg injury she had suffered while she was on stage. She also remembered how devastated that she-cat had been when the doctor told her of the underlying condition that would prevent her from ever dancing in a professional capacity again. Felicia set the brakes on the wheelchair, walked to the door, then closed and locked it. She came back to Pirouette, crouched down, and gazed directly into her eyes. She said as she covered Pirouette's paws with her own, "I was in the ER that day. Although I wasn't assigned to her case, I couldn't help checking in on the ballerina whenever I got the chance. I remember her fiancé holding her left paw in both of his so tightly; I could see his muscles straining as the doctor gave her the news about her condition, and how distraught she was that she would never dance again. Hearing you tell me the exact same story makes me wonder if you and that ballerina are the same she-cat? You both have the same long, blonde hair and body type, as well as the same very well-built fiancé, so I am only going to ask once: is your real name Lisa Ericson?"

Lisa was shocked that Felicia had figured out her identity. She had no idea if Felicia could be trusted or not. Lisa quickly turned her head to Razor, who immediately came to her side. Lisa locked eyes with him, silently asking what she should do.

Razor answered her by asking Felicia, "How well do you know Dr. Feldman?"

Felicia lifted her gaze to face Razor head on. She replied, "Both he and I tell each other everything, Razor. That is why we work so well together. There is nothing we don't know about each other. Why do you ask?"

"Felicia, Henry knows who we are behind the masks, and so does his wife. Since you are very smart, and you figured out who Pirouette is from her tale, you will probably figure out who the rest of us are in very short order. With your vast knowledge of metal, and your great amazing with martial arts, you would be a perfect addition to our little group," Razor said, before he removed his mask and continued, "Felicia, my real name is Jake Clawson, and as you have already guessed, Pirouette is Lisa Ericson. Her fiancé's real name is Mark Samuelson. You will meet the rest of SWAT sometime later, and they can tell you who they are themselves."

Felicia stood up and walked around Lisa's wheelchair to stand in front of Jake. She then asked, "Jake Clawson, as in Claw-Tek Industries? I applied there while I was in school for an internship in the engineering department. I was turned away because I didn't have the necessary degrees for the position, even after I showed my interviewer the formulas for the metal I was developing."

"Yes, I am the same Jake Clawson who owns Claw-Tek, and if I'd known you had applied for that position and if I had been able to personally review your application and see your formula, you would have been hired on the spot," Jake said.

"I thought so," Felicia said. She turned around and went back to Lisa. She unlocked the wheelchair's brakes and started pushing Lisa towards the door. Felicia stopped, unlocked the door, opened it, and then said, "Let's get you out of here, Lisa, and then we can continue this discussion where maybe the walls don't have so many ears. Are you coming, Razor?"

Jake quickly re-donned his mask and followed them out of the room.

Candice was in the shower, washing the chlorine from her fur and her hair. The water felt heavenly as the droplets cascaded down her fur. There was only one thing that could have made it even better: having Tim's arms around her, holding her tight as he kissed her all over. She quickly washed those thoughts from her mind just as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Although those thoughts and images didn't stay away for long. She closed her eyes and thought about what her future might hold. She envisioned being in the kitchen of her home, preparing dinner for her family, when she heard the front door open. In came her twin, seven year old kittens. They were both yelling, "Mommy!" as they ran into the kitchen. Candice dropped to her knees, opened her arms, and embraced her kittens as they ran into her arms. Her husband followed the kittens into the kitchen, and put the kittens' lunch boxes in the sink before going to his wife of nine years and kissing her. That kiss snapped Candice out of her dream and back into reality. She turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around her body, and left the bathroom.

Tim sat on the bed, waiting patiently for Candice to finish in the bathroom so he could have his turn. The sound of the shower running provided a soundtrack to the racing of his thoughts as he pondered the day's events, especially his talk with Leona. He still could not believe he told her that one day he would love to call Candice his wife. He leaned forward and rested his head in his paws as he pondered his feelings for Candice. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear the door open.

Candice left the bathroom and noticed Tim with his head in his paws. She sat down next him and put her left paw on his right shoulder. She asked, "Are you alright, Tim?"

Tim lifted his head and turned towards Candice. He replied, "I'm fine, Candice." He turned to look out the window, and then said, "I had a long talk with Leona this afternoon."

Candice removed her paw and asked, "Oh? What did you and my grandmother talk about?"

"Mostly about your grandfather, Candice. I wish I could have met him. From what Leona has told me, he was a great cat, who loved his family to no end," Tim replied.

"My grandfather was a great cat. I loved spending time with him, and being held in his big, strong arms. You would have liked my grandfather, Tim, and he would have liked you," Candice said.

Tim turned back to Candice, kissed her, and then said, "There is more. Leona said that I reminded her of Lionel. She also told me that she wants me to keep you happy, and she gave me permission to court you."

"Tim, I told you she would like you, and you are very similar to my grandfather. I guess that is one of the reasons I was initially attracted to you. He loved his wife and family, and was not at all shy about showing his family how much he loved them. As my grandmother probably told you, the rest of the pride thought he was going soft, especially when he was around her. "He was anything but soft. In fact," Candice took Tim's paw in her own, squeezing it tightly, "did Grandmother tell you about the time she was attacked by other members of the pride?"

Tim's eyes widened in concern and he put his free paw on top of their already joined ones to try and reassure her. "No, she did not. What happened?"

"From what Grandmother told me and Susan, she was out with her friends getting supplies for a large feast celebrating the spring equinox. Once they were done shopping, she and her friends went their separate ways. As she was walking back to her car, a group of males came up to her. She recognized them as being males she had rejected in the past. They surrounded her, but she stood her ground, calmly asking them what they wanted. One of them responded that her fiancé was weak, and did not deserve to have such a lovely lioness as his bride.

"'Lionel is twice the male of any of you!' Grandmother said, growling in anger. 'Apparently it takes four of you to face a single lioness. Where is your honor? Your pride?' That was when one of them slapped her. Her head whipped to the side, but she stayed standing, glaring at the male once she had recovered. That was when a second one punched her in the stomach, making her double over. The male who slapped her then delivered a blow to her spine, sending her to her knees, and another one kicked her upside the head. Once she was down on the ground, they took turns kicking and stomping on her. But they didn't stop there. When she was just about to black out, two of the males hauled her upright. They held onto her arms, letting her body dangle between them. The male who had hit her first came right up to her, and he wasn't expecting her to have enough fight left to snap her head foreward and end up bloodying his nose. That made the male even more enraged, and he buried his paw in her hair, forcing her head back. Grandmother could feel the sharpness of his claw against her neck. Any sudden movement, and he would slit her throat.

"Or so she thought, until the male brought his claw up, brushing it against her cheek before stopping above her eye. 'Lionel does not deserve a beauty such as you,' he hissed. 'Why don't I make sure he will turn away from you in revulsion? No one would ever want to marry a blind, scarred lioness.'

"My Grandfather was already on the way to see my Grandmother when he heard the panicked roar of a lioness. Knowing Grandmother would forgive him for the detour, he went to try and help if he could. When he came in sight of the group, he was stunned to see that the lioness in danger was his fiancée! He saw her battered and bruised, held up by two male lions, which a third had his claw hovering directly above her eye socket. There was a fourth male there as well, obviously enjoying the spectacle. My Grandfather roared in anger and threw himself into the fray. The male who had been threatening Grandmother with his claw leapt away from her, but my Grandfather was faster.

"'How dare you attack my fiancée!' Grandfather roared, slashing at the first male.

"'You are weak as a cub, Lionel,' the male lion taunted. 'You don't deserve a lioness like her!'

"'And you do?' Grandfather countered, while delivering a staggering blow to the male's chest.

"That was when the fourth male jumped on Grandfather's back. Grandfather grabbed his attacker's arms and let out a ferocious roar as he swung the male up over his head, slamming him to the ground. Grandfather could hear the cracking of several of the male's bones, and knew he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. That made my Grandmother's original attacker turn away and start to run, but Grandfather tackled the male to the ground before beating the living daylights out of him.

"Once he was sure the first tom was down, Grandfather finally looked back, praying that in his rage, he hadn't let the two toms holding Grandmother hurt her even worse. Fortunately, it seemed the toms had fled, my Grandmother half sitting, half lying dazed on the ground. Grandfather ran over to her, whipping his coat off to gently drape it around her shoulders. He then picked her up and brought her to the hospital to be checked out.

"The next thing he did was call the Council of Elders, then her parents, and explained what had happened, as well as admitting to having battered and beaten the males who had hurt my Grandmother. He never left my Grandmother's side while she was in the hospital, and once her parents arrived, he backed away so Leona could be with her mother and he had a long talk with her father."

Tim's head fell forward as Candice told Leona's tale. He could not believe someone would attempt such a violent act towards another. Tim balled his fists in anger at those males as he asked, "So, what happened to those males? I can only assume that the elders took care of them?"

Candice took a breath and replied, "They were dealt with according to the pride's laws. If I remember what Leona told me correctly, all four of them were banished from the pride, and Lionel was excused of the attempted murder charge since he acted on behalf of another. After the trial, Lionel and Leona were inseparable. He moved into her house with her parents, and they were married a few months later." A small tear left her right eye once she finished speaking.

Tim turned his body to face Candice, and saw the tear running down her cheek. He quickly wiped the tear away with his right index finger and said, "Please don't cry, Candice. Seeing you in tears breaks my heart."

Candice looked into Tim's eyes, and saw nothing but the love that he had for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his right shoulder. She then said, "If Lionel had not been there to stop them, she might not be here with us today. I hate that such a wonderful lady had to endure such a thing."

Tim quickly returned Candice's embrace and said, "She shouldn't have had to go through that at all, Candice. If those males had been raised properly, they would have known how to treat a lady with the proper respect. The pride went easy on them. If I had been on the council, their punishment would have been a lot worse. No one should ever have to go through that. I think that Lionel went easy on them. If it were me and you in the same situation, those males would not have had to stand trial because they would be dead!"

"You would have killed them, Tim?" Candice asked.

"I would have done what needed to be done, Candice. You mean so much to me that I do not know what I would have done in the same situation," Tim replied, hugging her tighter.

Candice pulled her head back, looked into his eyes, and kissed him. She then placed her paws on his chest, feeling his heartbeat accelerating with every second.

Tim vigorously returned her kiss, and leaned her back onto the bed. He lay on top of her, deepening the kiss. Then, Tim's lips left hers, and he started kissing her neck, feeling her pulse against his lips and tongue.

Candice wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him close and feeling him pressing against her stomach. Never had a tom make her feel the way that Tim did, and she never wanted another tom to touch her like that again. She said, "Tim, I want you to take me, now."

Tim felt his resolve crumbling with each moan of pleasure Candice made. He so much wanted to take her the way that she wanted, but he also wanted their first time making love to be special and memorable. He said, "No, my love. I won't make love to you now. However, I will let you have your fun though." He quickly darted out of her sight.

Candice said, "What are you talking..?" Her speech was interrupted as she felt his lips on the apex of her thighs, then move higher.

Tina watched Sarah run into the house with her bag in her tiny paw. Tina then went over to Katerina, put her left arm around her waist, and said, "When we are ready, I want to adopt a little girl just like Sarah."

Katerina retuned her embrace and said, "I want the same thing too. She is such a sweet little girl. Now about our attire, we didn't bring bathing suits with us, or anything else, for that matter. What are we going to do? Lie in the sand in our street clothes?"

Callie replied, "Let me handle that, Katerina." She tickled the dragon on her shoulder, and then waved her paw in the air. Now everyone in the group was wearing one-piece swimsuits, except for Chance and Mark. Callie turned their clothes into tiny speedos.

Chance looked down at what he was wearing and said, "I don't think this is quite something that Sarah should be seeing Mark and I wear. Care to try again?"

Callie let out a short laugh, and then said, "But Chance, both you and Mark pull off that look in spades. Are you sure you don't want to wear them, just for us girls?"

"That may be, dear. However, Sarah does not need to see us dressed like this. Please come up with something a little more appropriate," Chance replied.

Callie huffed as Tina, Katerina, and Felina laughed. Then Callie waved her paw again, and the speedos changed into swim trunks that stopped at mid-thigh.

Mark looked down at his new attire and said, "That's better. As much as I like being a SWAT Kat, that uniform Jake designed was starting to get annoying."

Just as Mark finished speaking, Sarah ran out of the house and directly into his right leg.

Sarah grabbed hold of his leg so she wouldn't fall after losing her balance, and felt the strong muscles there. She looked up and saw a tom that was built just like one of the comic book characters she always read about, sans tights. She asked, "Are you a superhero or something?"

Mark peered down at the little girl that was firmly attached to his leg and replied, "No, I am not a superhero. Although, I could be yours, if you want? I'm Mark, by the way."

"Hi Mark! I'm Sarah. My Dad is strong, but probably not as strong as you," Sarah said.

Mark then said, "Not many toms are as strong as I am, Sarah. I spent years working out and staying fit to get like this, and my fiancée is just as fit as I am. She will be here later on today, and you can meet her then. You will like her, Sarah. She used to be a ballerina, and she still likes to dance every chance she gets."

"I never met a real ballerina before, is she pretty like my dolls?" Sarah asked.

"Lisa is gorgeous, Sarah. You will see for yourself in a little bit. Now, my little sister over there mentioned something about building a sandcastle. Why don't we get to building the biggest one we can, while the sun is still high in the sky?" Mark replied and smiled down at Sarah.

"Tina is your little sister? I thought you all were good friends, not family?" Sarah asked.

Mark let out a deep laugh, and then answered, "You are right, Sarah. We may not be blood related, but we are a family. Each one of us cares for others, just as a brother or a sister would, Sarah. That is why I consider all of us to be a family. Would you like to be part of our family, too?"

"Oh yes! I would love to have a big sister like Tina, and a pair of real big brothers like you and Chance!" Sarah exclaimed.

Mark reached down and removed Sarah from his leg, lifted her onto his shoulders, and then said, "Welcome to the family, Sarah!" Mark walked over to Tina, lifted her by the waist, and then said, "The beach is waiting for us, my little sisters. We have a castle to build for Queen Sarah and her Court Jester, Tina."

Tina didn't exactly like Mark picking her up, and she definitely didn't like being called the Court Jester, even as just a joke. She crossed her arms in protest, but as soon as she noticed how much fun Sarah was having, she let her anger towards Mark fall away, her mood lightening considerably.

Mark left the porch, walked down the stairs into the backyard, and towards the path that led to the beach. He stopped about halfway down the path, turned back to the house, and said, "Are you guys going to let me, Sarah, and Tina have all the fun while you sit on the porch? I think not. Get it in gear! This castle isn't going to build itself!"

Without conscious thought, the rest of them fell in line, instinctively reacting to Mark's authoritative tone.

As they were walking towards the beach, Felina leaned close to Callie and said, "I'm going to need your help with something, Callie. Once my uncle retires and I take over his position, someone is going to have to take over mine. Mark is the perfect cat for the job. I am going to write up a recommendation for his promotion to lieutenant when I get back in the office on Monday. Where you come in is the by-laws will have to be amended so he can be offered the position. As of now, he does not have the required time under his belt. That by-law change must be approved by the Mayor's office, meaning you, my dear sister."

"Mark has the qualities to be a leader. Just look how he more or less ordered us to help with a sandcastle, and we followed his command. We'll have to refine the way he acts with both his fellow officers and the general public, but I think in the long run, he'll make a great officer," Callie replied.

By the time the rest of the group caught up with Mark, Tina, and Sarah, they were already sketching out a design for the sandcastle in the warm sand. Felina noticed a small shed hidden beneath the switchback stairs they had to descend in order to reach the beach a few hundred feet below the yard. She went over to it, opened the door, and found the shed contained beach chairs and other paraphernalia. She turned her head and said, "Hey Katerina and Callie, give me a hand getting these chairs and an umbrella out and set up."

Callie and Katerina complied, and went over to the shed to help Felina get everything they needed out and set up on the beach. Once they were done, Callie turned her head and eyed the deep, blue water of the ocean. It was hot enough out that she was sweating a little, so she determined that a swim was in order. Callie went over to Felina and asked, "Care to take a dip? It's too nice of a day to be sitting on the beach. What do you say?"

"I personally wouldn't mind a swim. The last time I was at the beach, I was just starting to date Jake. I have always loved the ocean, and now that we are going to be living out here, I couldn't be happier. But this is Sarah's day. We should ask her if she wants to take a dip, and your little friend might need to find a nice warm, dry place to wait while we are in the water," Felina said.

Callie turned her head and looked at the sleeping dragon on her shoulder. She said, "It's been sleeping so soundly, I forgot it was there. Why don't we go and ask Sarah what she wants to do." Callie turned back towards Sarah, Mark, and Tina, and saw they all appeared to be having fun building up the walls of their sandcastle.

Mark noticed that the sand was starting to get a little too dry to work with. He grabbed a bucket, and said as he stood up, "I'll be right back. We need some water to moisten the sand, so it will all stick together and hold whatever shape we mold it into." He then started walking towards the ocean.

Callie, Katerina, and Felina finished setting up the chairs and umbrella just in time to watch Mark walk off towards the ocean. Callie and Felina marveled at the way Mark's body moved, and how every one of his muscles flexed as he walked. Callie said, "If I was not hopelessly in love with Chance, I would not mind climbing that hunk. Lisa is going to have so much fun on her wedding night. I'm sort of jealous of her."

Chance caught the tail end of his fiancé's comment. He went over to her, and then said, "You have nothing to be jealous of, Callie. I'll tell you what I am going to do. Once my leg is better, I'll start hitting the gym harder and get a body just like Mark's. Would that make you happy?"

"You don't have to do that, Chance. You have a great body." She caressed his face before she said, "And tonight, once Sarah goes home, I'll show you how much I love that body of yours."

"I look forward to that, my dear," Chance replied, and then kissed Callie.

While Mark filled the pail, he turned his head back toward his friends, who were playing in the sand. He smiled and said, "This is how a family is supposed to be. I only hope that Lisa and I have this type of relationship with our kittens. I can hardly wait to marry her and have a family of my own. I especially want to be there when my kitten opens its eyes for the first time and sees me, its father." He snickered as he lifted the pail of water, and then said, "Who am I kidding? I may be big and tough, but my kittens are going to have me wrapped around their little fingers!" He left the ocean and returned to Tina and Sarah.

Tina and Sarah had just finished erecting two of the walls of the sandcastle. They both had smiles on their faces as they admired their work.

Mark was about to put the pail down, but he decided to have some fun at his little sister's expense, instead. He said, "You two do great work. Although, the sand looks a little dry. Sarah, can you help me dampen the sand?" He then extended his paw to her.

Sarah got up, went to Mark, and said, "I'm ready to help!"

"Good. Now, the sand isn't the only thing on this beach that is dry. My little sister has so much fur on her body from being a half lynx and half ocelot that she must be awfully hot. What do you say we cool her down?" Mark whispered to Sarah.

Sarah giggled while Mark snuck up behind Tina, raised the bucket above her head, and dumped the water onto her, soaking her to the skin.

The normally soft, fluffy fur on Tina's face was plastered to her skin, water dripping down from its own sheer weight, making her look like a drowned rat. She then looked directly at Mark, slitted her eyes, and said, "You had better hope those legs of yours can out run a lynx, Mark. Because when I get my claws on you, I am going to skin you alive!"

Mark grabbed Sarah and took off running, just as Tina got her footing in the sand and took off after them.

The rest of them watched as Mark ran off, carrying Sarah in his arms while Tina quickly followed, her shorter legs nearly a blur as she sped to catch up with them.

Mark was definitely having fun. Although he sort of felt bad for dumping water on Tina, seeing the little kitten he was holding smiling and laughing hysterically made up for it. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and yelled, "You wouldn't do anything to me while I was holding Sarah, now would you?"

As mad as Tina was with Mark, she couldn't deny that she was having a great time. With a smile on her face, she launched herself at Mark's legs, tackling him so that he and Sarah fell right into the ocean.

Both Mark and Sarah hit the water, and went under for a few seconds. They lifted their heads up out of the water, shook them to disperse the water from their facial fur, and burst into laughter. Then they went to Tina and hugged her. Sarah said, "That was so much fun! Thank you, and I love you both!"

Both Tina and Mark turned to each other, and then back to Sarah, before Tina said, "We love you, too, Sarah. Come on, it's almost lunch time. I think Felina said something earlier about taking care of lunch. Knowing her, it'll either be delicious, or we'll be six feet under by dinnertime!"

They lifted Sarah up onto Mark's shoulders and walked back to the rest of the group.

End of Chapter