Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hannah Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
First off, thank you to all who welcomed me back.
Second, Welcome aboard 007foamy. Enjoy your flight!
Finally, thank you MisaRae for all you do. Please go and check out her stories, you will not be disappointed.
Lisa waited outside the hospital with Felicia while Razor went to get the car he had called for earlier. Felicia crouched down so she could look Lisa in the eye, and then asked, "So why SWAT, rather than the Enforcers or another law enforcement agency?"
Lisa replied, "SWAT can do so much more for those who can't do for themselves. We work just outside of the law, but not far enough that we actually break it. On top of that, we all have bonded and become a tightly knit family. That feeling of belonging is something I would never be able to obtain from the Enforcers, or any of the other three letter agencies."
"That might be true, Lisa, but being a member of SWAT has to be dangerous. What are you going to do when you are married and pregnant? Go out and fight the Omegas and other factions that the Enforcers can't handle while carrying a kitten? I am sure Adonis will have something to say about that. Just seeing the way he held your paw while you slept, I could tell he loves you to no end. He is only going to want the best for you and his future family," Felicia said.
"I know Adonis loves me, and I love him. I would never do anything to endanger our future kittens, Felicia! I want to be a mother more than anything. My husband is going to be an excellent father, as well as a great husband to me," Lisa said, and then she continued, "Actually, I didn't tell you the whole truth earlier, Felicia. My fiancé and I are also Enforcers. As much as I love being on the force, the feeling I get when I put on my SWAT uniform is amazing. I feel like I can take on the world." Lisa asked as she out her left paw on Felicia's, "Don't you ever get that feeling when you put on your gi before going to the dojo?"
Felicia thought about it, and realized that yes, she felt different when she put on her gi. She actually felt empowered, and she loved teaching what she knew to the students of the dojo. Felicia replied, "Yes I do, Lisa. I never realized it before, but I love the feelings I have when I am in the dojo. Being able to cut loose and do what seems so natural is amazing. When I caught that shiroken with my fingers earlier today, I felt so alive! As much as I love being a nurse and working alongside Henry, I want to teach in the dojo during the day, and work right beside my grandfather and father in their shop at night."
"So why don't you? If that is really what you want to do, you should do it. I thought that being a ballerina was the only thing I wanted to do with my life. Then I learned that helping others made me feel so much better than I ever did on stage," Lisa said.
Felicia turned away from Lisa before she said, "I can't. I have way too many loans from school, plus my apartment and food. Little things like that. Besides, if I left Henry to try and run things all by himself, the entire hospital would melt into a big puddle of chaos. I swear, the man needs a code breaker to decipher his orders sometimes." Felicia turned back to Lisa with a smile on her face before she continued, "Dr. Feldman needs me, and as much as I want to be in the dojo, I would also miss seeing his cheery face every day. How many doctors of his age and caliber would wear a coat with a cartoon kitten on it to a grown adult's room just to make the patient feel more at ease, or put on a clown's nose for a kitten in the ER, or better yet, hold wheelchair races in the halls of the teen wing? Henry Feldman is one in a million, and to see him work his magic with his patients is amazing."
Lisa took Felicia's paw in hers before she said, "I knew he was special, but I had no idea he does all of that."
"Henry loves this hospital and its staff. He would do anything for his patients, and the staff knows it. There is a very good reason he has been chief of staff for over a decade. The only cats that don't appreciate him are the hospital's board of directors. Henry has made them furious on more than one occasion by ordering expensive tests for families who didn't have insurance or any other means of paying for them, or by transferring patients to other facilities that were better equipped for their care, causing the hospital to lose money. Henry wants only what is best for his patients and nothing more. There was one time that the board threatened to fire him over sending a kitten to get an MRI that the family had no way of paying for. Well, when the staff heard about the board threatening to fire Henry, we all decided that a little retribution was in order. Without causing any harm to the patients, we all staged a work slowdown. Paperwork didn't get filed on time, billing didn't go out, little things like that just kept piling up until the board apologized to Henry directly for what they said to him," Felicia said.
"So what happened with the kitten?" Lisa asked.
"It turned out that the kitten had a non-cancerous mass on its lung. The kitten's family couldn't afford the surgery either, so Henry went around to all of his friends and colleagues, asking if they were willing to work pro bono, and every single one of them gave up their time to help him. That kitten had the best surgical team ever seen. Between Henry leading, the chief anesthesiologist, the head nurse, the chief pulmonologist, and a small cast of other high ranking doctors and surgical nurses, it was like a convention of the best doctors and nurses in MegaKat City, all in one room," Felicia stated with a proud smile on her face.
"Wow! I knew Henry was well-liked, and a much respected doctor. However, I had no idea that he could command such a response for just one kitten." Lisa said.
The smile never left Felicia's face as she responded, "Henry is such a charismatic cat that the moment he steps into the room, he lights it up." She then saw a long, black limousine out of the corner of her eye, and said, "I think your ride has arrived." Felicia punctuated her statement by pointing at the impressive vehicle pulling around in front of them.
Lisa turned her head in the direction of Felicia's finger and said, "Oh no. That can't be for me."
The limousine stopped in front of Lisa and Felicia, and Jake got out of the car. He went to the passenger side door, opened it, and said, "Your chariot awaits."
Felicia released the brakes on the wheelchair, brought Lisa closer to the limousine, helped her out of the chair, into the back of the limousine, and closed the door. She then said through the open window, "I have a feeling we will be seeing each other again soon, Lisa."
"I certainly hope so, Sensei," Lisa replied before she closed the window.
Felicia stood up, turned to Jake, and asked, "Sensei? She is not a member of the dojo. Why would she call me that?"
Jake went over to Felicia, took out a card, and replied as he handed her the card, "She just gave you your new code name. Welcome to SWAT, Sensei. Call me at the number listed on the card, and we will get both you and Nancy fitted with uniforms."
"You want Nancy to join, too? I am sure she will be honored, but you will have to ask her yourself, though. I think she and her husband are trying for their first kitten," Felicia said.
"I will have to come back and ask her, then. Thank you for telling me," Jake said.
"You don't have to come here to ask her. She is taking a test next weekend at the dojo to advance her rank. Why don't you and Lisa come out to the dojo and witness her in action?" Felicia asked.
Jake paused before getting into the limo and said, "We might just do that, and I will bring the rest of the group so they can see Nancy kick tail. I hope to hear from you soon, Sensei." Then he ducked out of sight, the door closing after him moments before the limousine sped away
Felicia watched her new comrades drive off. She fingered the shiroken in her coat pocket and said, "You will be hearing from me real soon, Razor."
As the limousine drove away, Razor removed his mask and asked, "Sensei? What made you give her that code name?"
"With her expertise as a martial artist and her metalworking abilities, I can only imagine what she can teach us. Having Felicia and Nancy as members of the Black Ops division, we would be almost un-stoppable!" Lisa replied.
Jake thought for a minute about Lisa's comment, then said, "You are right. Having a team of ninjas as part of the Black Ops division makes perfect sense. Chance is going to have a fit when he hears about it, though. Oh well. He dealt with having you and Mark joining the team pretty well. I guess he is starting to realize that he and I can't do this alone anymore. The opposition is getting stronger and more powerful every day. Let's get you back to your apartment so you can pack a small bag for yourself. Your fiancée is waiting for you at Callie's new house with the rest of SWAT, and a little kitten who I hear is utterly adorable."
While Jake and Lisa were riding to her apartment, Callista was hard at work in her shop. For some reason, she had more customers than usual, buying all sorts of stuff. Not that she was really complaining about her shop being busy. It was just slightly overwhelming having so many customers when she had been planning on closing early so she could look her best for her date with Ulysses that night. After she had dealt with a tom who wanted a sword to mount on his mantle, she decided that it was time for a short break. Callista locked the front door and put up a sign stating 'Be back in thirty minutes.' She then retired to the back room of the shop. Callista sat down behind her desk, then slumped forward, resting her head on her crossed forearms. She looked up and noticed a small pink bag from Vickie's Lingerie. In that bag was a gift she had gotten for Lisa as a thank you for saving her life. Not having the energy to stand, she lazily waved her right paw, and the bag disappeared, reappearing in Lisa's apartment. Satisfied that her gift had arrived safely, Callista took advantage of her comfortable position and her eyes drifted closed as she settled in for a well-deserved nap.
Lisa and Jake arrived in front of her building in semi-record time. The driver parked right out in front, got out, and walked around to the passenger side in order to let them out. She opened the door, extended her leather glove-covered paw into the limousine to assist its passengers in getting out safely.
Lisa was the first out of the limousine, followed by Jake. He turned to the driver and saw a she-cat of average height wearing a tight, thigh-length, gray leather jacket and a pair of light tan leggings. Her light brown hair was done up in a tight bun, nestled under a leather cap. Knowing that Felina was not going to like him being driven by another she-cat, especially one that looked like her, Jake asked, "Where is Lucas? He is my usual limo driver."
"I am not sure, sir. My name Alice, and I will be taking over his duties.," Alice replied.
"We will be right back, Alice. Please wait by the car," Jake said.
"Very well, sir," Alice replied. She went over to the trunk, opened it, and bent over so she could get something out.
Jake and Lisa watched as she retrieved the item, and her jacket rode up, revealing her backside for all to see. Jake quickly turned away as he blushed, while Lisa laughed at him.
Alice found the chamois she was looking for, then withdrew it and closed the trunk. She then noticed her client blushing and Lisa laughing. She asked, "Is everything alright, sir?"
Jake responded, "Yes and no. You are doing a fine job, Alice. It's just that your attire is not something I would consider appropriate for a driver to wear."
"My apologies, sir. This is the standard uniform for the she-cats at our agency," Alice replied.
Lisa asked, "What do the toms at your agency wear for a uniform?"
"We don't have any toms on staff, miss. We are the only agency in the city that only employs she-cats, and our services are in high demand, because we are always on time, very courteous, and we treat our customers with the utmost respect at all times," Alice replied.
"That's nice to know, Alice. I would hate to think that your agency gets hired based on the drivers' bodies and looks alone," Lisa said.
"Unfortunately, we do have some clients that hire us based on that. They expect us to be arm candy for the night, and we try to explain that our job is to drive them, and not to be their escorts. There are plenty of other agencies for that sort of thing. The agency's owner had to let go a few drivers for supplying, let's just say, extra services for a larger tip. We don't want to be known for that, period. We are good at what we do, and our boss demands the best from all of us," Alice replied.
"Good to know, Alice. I will be sure to hire your agency again, if the need arises, and I will have Deanna pass your agency's name on to our travel department. The firm that is currently working for us has been slacking off. Some of my sales and marketing personnel have been missing flights because their ride to the airport was late, or did not show at all," Jake said.
"Diana would love to hear that! Mind if I call her and give her the news while you two are upstairs?" Alice asked as her tail rapidly swished back and forth, making streaks in the smattering of dust that was part of the limo's normal wear and tear.
"Go right ahead, and you might want to take a few steps away from the car, Alice. Your tail is getting dirty," Jake said.
Alice's tail came to an immediate halt, and when she looked behind her, she stared for a second in horror. She snatched her tail forward, inspecting her once pristine dark brown tail to find it was now liberally streaked with black and said, "Now I have to wash it again. My tail's fur is so dense, it takes hours for it to dry, so I can brush it out." Then she smirked and said she said, "That will give my tom-friend something to do to do tonight, since I have to study for an exam in business class tomorrow."
Lisa pictured Alice lying across her tom-friend's lap, reading her textbook and taking notes while he tended to her tail with a brush and a comb. Lisa asked, "Does your significant other enjoy doing that for you?"
"Mike does anything I want him to. Just as long as he gets a kiss at the end of the night, he is happy. Go on and pack up. The day isn't getting any shorter, and it is close to an hour's drive to your destination," Alice said.
Jake and Lisa went into her building, while Alice called Diana and told her the very good news.
They arrived at the door to Lisa's apartment, and Lisa withdrew her keys from her bag. She opened the door with her left paw, and then said, "Come on in, Jake. Welcome to my abode."
Jake walked past Lisa and into her apartment. He immediately brought his paw up to shade his eyes as they were hit with practically an entire wall of sunlight streaming in through several large windows that took up most of the opposite wall. Once his eyes adjusted, he quickly scanned her apartment. The living room was sparsely decorated, and had a large open area in the center that he quickly assumed Lisa used to practice her dancing. There was no TV, but on the right wall were a very impressive stereo and an enormous amount of CDs resting on shelving attached and cantilevered off of the wall. Jake wandered over to the stereo and read the name plate. He then turned to Lisa and said, "This thing must have cost a small fortune. Why do you need such an elaborate setup?"
Lisa entered the apartment, closed and locked the door behind her, and replied as she put her keys down, "When I dance, I need to feel the music and not just hear it. I let the music take over my body and move me accordingly. Now you know why I drag Mark to dance clubs on the weekends we aren't working. The music is so loud, I can feel every tiny note in my body, and when we dance together, it's almost like we are moving as one. We have been together so long, we anticipate each other's next move without even thinking about it. I can hardly wait until we are married. I want to finally know what it's like to be one with Mark, both mentally and physically."
Jake walked over to her and placed his right paw on her left shoulder as he said, "Mark loves you, Lisa. In fact, I've rarely seen a tom so in love with his fiancé. When the time is right, and you two decide to take that step, I can guarantee he will make your first time as a married couple special."
"Thank you, Jake. I can see why Felina fell in love with you. You are one of the sweetest toms I have ever met. If things were different and I met you before I met Mark, I might have fallen for you," Lisa said as she put her paw on top of his.
"Don't let Felina hear you say that. Otherwise, that bullet wound will be the least of your problems," Jake grinned at her to let her know he was halfway joking before he sobered. "I have known her for years, Lisa, and I guess I have always had feelings for her," Jake said.
"So, if you had feelings for her for so long, why did you wait so long to act on them?" Lisa asked as she took her paw back and started walking to her bedroom.
Jake followed her as he pondered her question. As Jake followed her into the bedroom, the first thing that caught his eye was a large poster of a ballerina that hung over the headboard of her bed. The second thing he realized was that the entire room was pristine. The bed had been meticulously made, and not a single item was out of place. There was not a thing out of place in the entire room. He sat on the right corner of the bed, facing Lisa's back, and replied, "Back when I was in college, I fell in love with a fellow student that I was tutoring. I thought she had the same feelings for me. After years of dating her, I got up the courage to ask for her paw. I did the whole tux thing, and had the ring in my pocket. When I popped the question, she laughed and said she was just using me to keep her grades up. I was devastated, and swore to never get that close to a she-cat again."
Lisa took a bag out of her closet, walked over to her bed, and put the bag down. As she opened the bag, she asked, "So why did you try again with Felina?"
Jake turned his head to face Lisa and replied, "As I mentioned before, Felina and I have known each other for years. We went through the academy together, and became fast friends. Since she and Callie are best friends, and Chance was dating Callie, it just made sense to ask Felina out. Dip my toes back in the dating pool, as it were. We hit it off big time. I didn't think I would fall in love with her so quickly, but I did. Being around her felt so right and natural that when we were apart, I didn't feel whole. After Chance asked Callie to marry him, I thought it was time for me to stop being so afraid of being rejected again. Now here we are. I am finally marrying the she-cat I am madly in love with that has been right under my nose for years."
Lisa finished packing up her bag when she noticed a small, pink gift bag out of the corner of her eye. She went over to the bag and read the bag's label. It read 'Vickie's Lingerie'. Lisa lifted the bag, turned to Jake and asked, "Did you put this here?"
Jake had no idea what she was talking about. He got up from the bed, went over to where Lisa was standing, studied the bag she was holding, and replied, "That is one place I would not go into, not even for my fiancée."
"I didn't buy anything from there, so where did it come from?" Lisa asked. She then noticed the card inside the bag. She removed the card, opened it, and read, 'Lisa, this is a little thank you gift for saving my life. Mark is out at the house right now with your friends. I gave him something to wear that you are definitely going to like seeing him in. Have fun tonight, Callista.' Lisa put the card down and reached into the bag. Her paw hit something that felt like very expensive silk, or something similar. She removed the garment from the bag and instantly realized it was a piece of lingerie that would most likely drive Mark wild, but she could never see herself wearing. There in her paws was a pair of barely-there shorts and a miniscule top, both in a matching shade of light pink silk.
Jake turned to her and asked, "What is in the bag?"
Lisa's face turned bright red in embarrassment before quickly forcing the garments back into the bag and putting said bag into her luggage. "Not much, Jake. Callista decided to get me a thank you present," Lisa said, wishing her hair was just a little bit longer to hide her face.
"From Vickie's Lingerie?" Jake asked. "That place has some of the highest-priced unmentionables for she-cats in town. Not to mention, some of the sexiest stuff I have ever seen on a she-cat."
Lisa quickly snapped her head towards Jake and asked, "You know what they sell?"
"Lisa, I might be a mature tom, not to mention an engaged one, but I am still a tom. I'm committed, not dead, so of course I can still appreciate the lovely form of an attractive female," Jake replied.
Lisa zippered up her bag, lifted it onto her good shoulder, and started pushing Jake out of her room. She then said, "Just make sure Felina doesn't catch you looking at another female's body, especially in that store. She will skin you alive if she does. Now let's get on the road before it gets any later." Lisa and Jake left her apartment, and she closed and locked the door behind her.
End of Chapter