Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Welcome aboard Lyisle Lualdi. Enjoy your flight.
Thank you MisaRae, my wonderful Co-Author. She had posted another chapter of Two-Plus-Two yesterday. Go Read it!
Jean and his family were all sitting around the dinner table, drinking the concoction that Sasha had dreamed up on a whim. Every one of them were well on their way to being inebriated. Jean and Sasha sat at each end of the table, with Leona sitting directly to Sasha's right. The seat to the right of Leona was currently empty and waiting for Susan to make her appearance. To Jean's right, Candice and Tim were seated with their paws tightly intertwined, resting on the table.
Leona noticed the way her granddaughter was behaving, as well as the warm glow on her face, telling Leona that Candice was very happy, and Tim was the reason she felt that way. Leona leaned over to Sasha and asked, "Have you noticed how happy Candice is?"
"You would have to be blind not to see it, Mother," Sasha replied. "She deserved to find someone who is going to love her forever, and from what I see, Tim is going to be that tom."
"I agree, my daughter. Tim reminds me so much of your father. He is not only going to be a great husband to Candice, he is going to be an excellent father to their kittens," Leona said, and then took a sip of her drink.
Susan stopped in front of the hall mirror to inspect her appearance one last time before heading into the dining room, and hopefully managing to divert Tim's attention away from her sister. Satisfied with her appearance, she sauntered into the dining room and took the seat next to her grandmother.
Candice noticed her sister entering the dining room, and the way she was dressed. Candice squeezed Tim's paw tighter and asked, "Going out on a date, Sis?"
"No, Candice, I'm in for the night," Susan replied. She turned to her mother and asked, "May I have a drink, Mother?"
Sasha also noticed the way her youngest daughter was dressed, and let out a low growl of disapproval. Sasha poured Susan a drink, handed it to Leona, and asked, "Mother, would you mind giving this to Susan?"
"Certainly, Sasha," Leona responded, and took the glass from Sasha. She handed the glass to Susan, but as soon as Susan took it, Leona captured her wrist in her strong paw. Leona leaned over to Susan and said, "I know what you are trying to do, and I will not allow it. If you make a move on Tim, you will regret it, Susan!"
Susan took her wrist back from Leona, rubbed it, and asked, "What do you think I am trying to do, Grandmother?"
Leona reached into her lap, picked up her napkin, and put it on the table. She then said as she stood up and grabbed Susan's arm, "If you will excuse us for a minute; I need to have a talk with my granddaughter." She then pulled Susan into the kitchen.
As soon as the door separating the kitchen from the dining room swung closed behind them, Leona grabbed both of Susan's arms and pushed her against the closest wall. Leona peered into Susan's stunned eyes and said, "I already told you to leave Tim alone! He is Candice's boyfriend, not yours, and yet you come to dinner dressed like some trollop just so he'll notice you!"
Susan struggled against Leona's grip and said, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Grandma."
"You are lying, Susan! I have seen you wearing that dress before, and the toms you brought home to 'play with' in your room while your parents were out. I may be old, but I am not stupid! If you are in that much of a need to go and find a tom to screw, go do it elsewhere! Tim is not yours to play with," Leona exclaimed, and let Susan go.
"Fine, Grandma. I'm out of here!" Susan said, and left the house through the kitchen door.
Sasha, Jean, Candice, and Tim heard Susan's bike start and roar down the driveway. Then Leona re-entered the dining room, letting door close behind her. She reclaimed her seat and put the napkin back in her lap.
"What happened in the kitchen, Mother? " Sasha asked.
"Susan needed to be set straight once and for all. She chose to leave of her own accord. I am sure she will be gone for the night," Leona replied, took a drink, then asked, "Shall we eat?"
Both Jean and Sasha looked at each other and then back to Leona. Jean shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Oui. Tim, soin de me donner un coup de main dans la cuisine ?" (Yes. Tim, care to give me a hand in the kitchen?)
"Certainement, vient de me faire baiser ta fille une fois de plus tout d'abord," (Certainly, just let me kiss your daughter one more time first. ) Tim replied, and kissed Candice rather deeply in front of her parents.
Candice returned his kiss, then pulled back. Tim smiled and said, "Je l'aime tellement !" (I love her so much!), and followed Jean into the kitchen.
Both Sasha and Leona waited until Tim had closed the door behind him before they turned to Candice. Sasha then said, "My daughter, he is so in love with you. If you ever break up with him, I am going to have you committed!"
Candice took a sip of her drink, put the glass down, and said, "I have no intention of breaking up with him. I am kind of hoping that he will stick around.. for a long time."
"Candice, after seeing the way he just kissed you in front of us, I don't think you have to worry about him not sticking around," Leona said.
Tim handed Jean a stack of large bowls for him to serve the gumbo in with a large smile on his face.
Jean took the bowls from Tim, and made sure the door to the dining room was completely closed before he said, "That was some kiss you gave my daughter, and in front of her parents and grandmother nonetheless."
Tim was in the middle of getting the dirty rice plated as he replied, "I hope I didn't offend you, Jean. I feel at home here, and you already know how I feel about Candice."
Jean finished ladling out the gumbo into the bowls. He put the ladle down and said, "I know you do. Every time I see you and Candice together, I see how much you two are in love with each other, just like Lionel and Leona were, and Sasha and I are. If you do end up marrying her, please love her and keep her happy for the rest of your life."
Tim stopped what he was doing when he realized what Jean had said to him. He asked, "Did you just give me permission to marry Candice?"
Jean now had two bowls of gumbo in his paws, and was on his way back to the dining room. He stopped at the door and replied, "Je crois que j'ai fait Tim." (I believe I did, Tim.) Then left him standing alone in the kitchen.
Felicia and her Master sat on tatami mats with their backs leaning against each other. They were both panting heavily from the intense workout they both had.
Natsume finished pouring three glasses of tea for her husband, Felicia, and herself. She brushed a stray gray hair back behind her right ear with her paw. Even though she was sixty-five, Natsume could still turn the heads of much younger toms. She didn't put much stock in her looks, though. If she could have but one wish, it would be to have her sons alive and well again. She wiped a tear from her eye before grabbing a tray laden down with three large glasses of tea, then making her way downstairs. Once she had entered the dojo proper, she crossed the room towards her husband and Felicia, and asked as she kneeled, "Felicia, are you trying to kill my husband? Yoso is old, and does not have the strength or stamina he used to." She served two of the glasses to Felicia and Yoso.
"Thank you, Natsume, although I am still in excellent shape for a tom my age. I almost had her beat. Then she grabbed my leg and pulled it out from under me," Yoso said.
Felicia panted a few more times, and then said, "Thank you for the tea, Natsume. You have always treated me like family, and for that, I am grateful. As for your husband beating me, I believe he did. My Master scored more hits than I did, so he won the match." She took a sip of the tea, and then said, "I'm going to miss you both. This dojo is not going to be the same without you two here."
"You are right, Felicia. It won't be the same. You will make it better. I have seen the way you interact with the younger students. They adore you and follow every instruction you give them. I can't even get them to do that. My child, you are going to take this dojo to places I have never dreamed of," Yoso said.
"We are not going anywhere for some time, Felicia. My husband and I have to make arrangements to transfer the dojo over to you, plus pack up over thirty years of memories before we are ready to leave. So you are stuck with us for at least a few months," Natsume said.
Felicia went over to Natsume, hugged her, and said, "I'm glad. As much as I love cutting loose in the dojo, seeing you two makes this place so much more special. This is my second home, and both of you have made me feel like family. I don't know if I can ever repay either of you for all you have done for me."
Natsume put her glass down, wrapped her right arm around Felicia, and said, "You have already repaid us, Felicia. You should see the way Yoso beams with pride after your training sessions. You are like a daughter to both of us, and you have filled the holes in our hearts that Sosuke and Ushio left."
"Oh Natsume, I am honored and humbled that you both feel that way about me. I am not sure if I would have excelled in my studies if wasn't for your husband encouraging me to go beyond what I thought I could do," Felicia said, and hugged Natsume tighter.
"My child, I only tapped into the potential I saw in you. As long as you are determined, you are going to excel at everything you do, Felicia," Yoso said and stood. He went over to a wall of katanas, removed one from the wall, and came back to Felicia. He dropped to his knees and presented the katana to her. "This belonged to my father. He gave it to me after I opened my first dojo, and now I am giving it to you."
Felicia let go of Natsume, took the sheathed katana from Yoso, and then unsheathed the sword. She inspected the blade, and several familiar details caught her eye. She nearly dropped the katana in shock when she realized that she was holding one of her grandfather's works of art. She sheathed the katana once more and said, "I cannot accept this." She tried to hand the katana back to Yoso and continued, "It belongs to your family."
Yoso lightly shook his head, put both of his paws onto the katana, and pushed it back into Felicia's paws as he said, "Nonsense, my child. You ARE family, hence that sword now belongs to you."
Felicia unsheathed the sword again and walked over towards one of the practice dummies. She bowed in respect, then struck the dummy with the katana. A large chunk of wood fell to the floor after the sword sliced cleanly through it in a single strike. Felicia brought the sword back into a resting position, bowed to the dummy again, and resheathed the sword. She then returned to Yoso and Natsume.
"That was amazing, Felicia. It is as if that katana is a natural extension of your arm," Natsume said.
"My wife is telling you the truth. No one in my family has ever been able to use that katana the way you can. The only other that has even come close was Ushio, and even he could not slice through a dummy in a single strike," Yoso said.
Felicia knelt next to Yoso and put the katana down on her left. She then looked Yoso in the eyes and said, "Thank you, Master. I will treasure this gift forever." She fingered the katana nervously, and then said, "Today I was asked to join an elite group that protects the city and its inhabitants from the cats the Enforcers can't handle. I accepted their offer. I want to help those who are unable to help themselves."
"That is very noble of you, Felicia. However, you mentioned that this group is not part of the Enforcers. Is this a truly wise decision? I have already lost two sons who rushed into such danger. Do not deprive me of a daughter as well," Yoso said.
"I am positive, Master . I can do more as a member of SWAT than I can as a civilian or an instructor," Felicia said.
Yoso shook his head, and then looked Felicia deadpan. He said, "My child, I completely understand wanting to help others, but SWAT is a bunch of vigilantes who one day will simply wind up in jail if they're lucky, or in pine boxes if they are not. Do you remember the day T-Bone was brought into the hospital after his jet was blown out of the sky? Did he ever return to duty? The last I heard, he was in physical therapy. If it wasn't for his girlfriend, he would be dead. Is that what you want? To be like him? Risking your life every time you put on that uniform?"
"Master, you have always told me to use your teachings to make the world a better place. Being a member of SWAT allows me to do that. I love this dojo, and I am going to love being its master even more, but the criminal element in this city is getting stronger every day. As you can see, the Enforcers can't deal with them. SWAT works just outside the law. That allows them the leeway to deal with criminals in creative ways, which would be forbidden to the Enforcers. I need to do this, Master. I met Razor and Pirouette at the hospital. I may have only known them for a short time, but I can tell that they consider each other family, just as we do," Felicia answered.
Natsume put her left paw on her husband's right shoulder and said, "Yoso, I have never told you this before because I know that you would attempt to retaliate." She looked away from him and continued, "A few years ago, I was attacked on the way back from the market. The youngsters only wanted my money, which I gave them. Then one of them paused and looked at me. I can still feel the way his eyes raked over my body as he started having other ideas. I screamed in terror as he came after me. Thankfully, T-Bone happened to be outside the alley. I guess he was on patrol, although I never asked him why he was there. He charged down the alley and took care of those youngsters." She delicately wiped away the tears that had fallen at the recollection of that harrowing day as she said as she said, "If it wasn't for T-Bone, I might not be here today."
Yoso and Felicia took her in their arms and hugged her tight. Yoso finally asked, "Why didn't you tell me, Natsume? I could have helped you get through this."
"I have already said why I didn't tell you, Yoso. I couldn't stand the thought of you going out there with Felicia, as well as several other students, to get revenge. This entire dojo thinks of you as a member of their family, and would do anything you asked them to. However, I was not harmed, thanks to T-Bone, and my assailants were arrested. If Felicia wants to join SWAT, I stand by her decision," Natsume said.
Yoso got up from the floor and walked away from them. He stopped a few feet away, with his back towards them, and said, "Felicia, to my side."
Felicia let go of Natsume, rose to her feet, and went to Yoso's side.
Yoso didn't move an inch as he asked, "Is this what your heart desires? To become a vigilante, not knowing whether or not you are going to come home after a mission?"
Felicia answered without skipping a beat, "Master, if I didn't know in my heart that I can make a difference and improve the lives of the residents of this city, I wouldn't have accepted their offer."
"Then with a very heavy heart, I give you my blessing, my child," Yoso said. "However, your position at the hospital as well as your teachings here must not suffer!"
Felicia embraced Yoso tightly and said, "Thank you, Master. You have no idea what your blessing means to me."
Yoso returned her embrace and said, "You are welcome, my child. Come, we have some celebrating to do, and I have just the bottle chilling upstairs to do it with."
Sarah and Callie finished getting the items they needed in order to make pizza for dinner. As they left the market, Sarah looked up at Callie and said, "Anthony and his daughter are so nice. You and Chance are going to like living here. I hope I can come and visit."
Callie stopped pushing the cart, bent over, and picked Sarah up. She then said, "You can come out to visit as often as you want, Sarah."
"Really? Thank you, Callie! I love you!" Sarah exclaimed as she hugged her.
"I love you too, Sarah," Callie replied. Then she put Sarah down and said, "We need to get back to the house, so you can show Felina how to make pizza. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Do you think Felina can toss the pizza dough like Anthony did?" Sarah asked.
It only took Callie a moment to formulate her reply. She said with a grin, "I highly doubt it, unless you want to see what a ceiling fan looks like with pizza dough hanging from it?"
Sarah giggled, and then said, "That would be funny, but messy."
Callie laughed right along with Sarah, and replied as soon as she caught her breath, "Yes, it would, "Yes, it would definitely be messy, Sarah, but I don't think Katerina will allow that to happen."
They loaded up Sally's mini-van with the groceries, got in, and put on their seatbelts. Callie started the van and pulled out of the parking space. As she left the lot, she asked, "Sarah, what do you think I should name my kittens? I'm going to have three girls, and I am having a very hard time picking out names."
Sarah replied, "Your grandmother is so nice. How about naming one of the kittens after her?"
Callie's eyes grew a hair wider and said, "That's a good idea, Sarah. Callista would love it if one of her great-granddaughters was named after her. Can you think of any other names?"
"Hmm I've always liked the name Clarissa. How about that one?" Sarah asked.
"Not bad; I'll definitely consider it. One more to go," Callie replied.
"I don't know, Callie. What names do you like?" Sarah asked.
"You know, back in high school, I had this teacher who inspired me to pursue a career in politics. I could always go to her with anything that bothered me. She and I became friends, and I still talked to her even after I graduated. I think I am going to name the last kitten after her. Her name is Kate. What do you think of the name Kate Furlong?" Callie asked.
"I like it; it has a nice ring to it. Aren't you going to ask Chance to name one of them?" Sarah asked.
"Nah, just because he the father doesn't mean he gets to name the kittens," Callie replied, then continued with, "Besides, he is a boy. What does he know about girls, anyway?"
Sarah laughed at Callie's little joke at Chance's expense, and then answered, "He knows enough to marry you and to give you his kittens."
Callie pulled up to a stop sign and brought the van to a full stop. She looked at the gleeful kitten in te rearview mirror and said, "You're right! He does know something about girls. You know, us girls outnumber the boys in SWAT now. I think we should rename our little group from the SWAT Kats to the SWAT She-Kats."
End of Chapter