Mark, Tina, and Sarah arrived back at Callie's house just in time for breakfast. As they entered the house, they all inhaled the very pleasant scent of pancakes on the griddle, fresh coffee being brewed, as well as bacon and sausage being cooked. All of their mouths started to water just from entering the house and walking into the kitchen.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Tina went over to Lisa, who was sitting at the counter, reading the morning paper and drinking a cup of coffee. She then said, "Lisa, even though I am totally in love with and devoted to Katerina, being kissed by your husband really rocked my world. You are one very lucky she-cat to be married to him. I am actually sort of jealous."
Lisa put her cup down, turned her head to face Tina, and asked, "What do you mean 'being kissed by my husband', Tina? Why did he kiss you?"
Mark was right behind Tina when Lisa asked her questions, and he responded, "There was a very narrow-minded couple we passed on the way back from the store that didn't take kindly to Tina's lineage. Since they already assumed Tina was my wife, on the spur of the moment, I kissed her to teach them a lesson." He then stepped around Tina to his wife, wrapped his arms around her, and said, "I do have to admit, she kisses almost as well as you do, dear."
Lisa scowled, elbowed Mark in the stomach, making him let go of her, and stormed up the stairs.
Mark crouched over, holding his stomach, and asked, "What did I do wrong? I thought I was doing the right thing by standing up to that couple, and what do I get for it? An elbow to the midsection and a pissed-off wife."
Chance leaned over to Callie and said, "Who knew Lisa was the jealous type? I hope you would not react the same way if I was defending Felina or Katerina in the same manner?"
Callie snapped her head in his direction so she could face him and asked, "You want to kiss my best friend and your ex-girlfriend!? How could you!?" She then stormed out of the room and joined Lisa upstairs.
Chance watched Callie disappear around the corner and head up the stairs. Once he heard the door slam, he asked, "Now what?" He turned his head to Tina and said, "This is your fault, Tina. You had better go up there and make this right!"
"Fine, I'll go and straighten this out with your respective others," Tina said as she left to go and talk to Lisa and Callie, but just before she left the kitchen, she said, "You guys are wimps!"
Felina and Katerina had finished plating the last batch of pancakes while they overheard the slight disagreement. They both looked at each other, nodded in silent agreement, and went over to Chance. They stood on either side of him, stroked his cheeks with their paws, then Katerina asked, "You want to kiss both of us, Chance? Do you think you can handle two, red-hot she-cats at the same time?"
Chance turned bright red beneath his fur as Katerina and Felina caressed his cheeks, while Jake was off in the corner watching his fiancée tease his best friend. Jake shook his head, went over to Sarah, and said, "Come on, Sarah. Let's go do something fun, and leave those three to their own devices. I've got something for you that I'm sure you will like."
Sarah was slightly confused as to what was going on at the moment; especially with Callie and Lisa storming out of the room. She turned her head towards Jake and said, "Sure, Jake. Let me get my dragon first." Sarah turned her head back towards the empty hall, and yelled, "Inferno!"
Inferno had been resting on a window sill in the living room, letting the sun's warm rays soak into his body. He then heard his adoptive mother's call, perked up, and opened his wings before taking off with a single mighty flap of his leathery wings. Inferno flew into the kitchen, and once Sarah was in his sight, he let out a little screech before landing on her shoulder and curling his tail around his legs.
As soon as Inferno was safely on her shoulder, Sarah reached out with her left paw and stroked his head as she asked, "Have you been a good boy while I was away?"
Inferno rubbed his head against her paw, then let out a little coo in response.
"Good boy! Care to go with me and Jake?" Sarah asked.
Inferno opened his mouth and a tiny flame left his throat, and then he curled up on her shoulder.
She turned her head back to Jake, took his paw in hers, and then said, "Let's go."
"Alright, Sarah. Come with me back to my house. What I have to show you is in the garage," Jake said.
The three of them left the kitchen and the house, then went over to Jake and Felina's new home. They stood in the driveway and stared at the closed garage door for a second while Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the screen a few times, and the garage door started to open with a loud creak. As soon as the door stopped, a series of lights turned on almost as if by magic, illuminating the garage's interior. They entered Jake's new workshop that was full of all sorts of tools and machines that appeared could make anything Jake dreamed up.
Sarah had never seen anything like it in her entire life, and some of the machines were quite scary to look at. She grabbed onto his left pant leg and asked, "Is it safe to go in there? Some of those things look scary."
Jake ruffled her hair and said, "Everything is perfectly safe, Sarah. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have brought you here. Come on, there is something under that tarp in the corner that I think has your name on it."
Sarah let go of his pant leg, then took his left paw before Jake led her through the small maze of machines in the garage. As they slowly walked through the garage, Jake pointed to various machines and explained what they did. He stopped at one particular machine that looked really old. It had a large metal wheel oriented vertically, and it was suspended by two large, steel arms that were mounted to the floor. Under the wheel was an empty socket that held a round anvil. As Jake pointed out various sections of the machine, he said, "This is my favorite tool. It's called an English Wheel. What it does is stretch the metal by pinching it between a selectable anvil and the large vertical wheel. You control the amount of force applied to the metal with that wheel by your feet. Let me show you how it works, and if you want, you can try it."
Jake let go of her paw for a brief minute, grabbed a football-shaped anvil from a stand next to the machine, inserted it into the socket, then grabbed a piece of sheet metal from the pile standing upright next to the machine. He positioned the metal under the wheel before slipping on a pair of gloves. He adjusted the tension between the two parts with the wheel at his feet, and started pulling and pushing the sheet metal through the machine. After a few pulls, the metal started taking on the form of the anvil it rested on.
Sarah watched and learned Jake's technique, marveling at how he was forming the once completely straight piece of metal into such an intricate shape.
Jake stopped and turned his head to look at Sarah. He then asked, "Want to try?"
"Sure! What do I have to do?" Sarah replied.
"First, you need some gloves. Safety first," Jake said as he handed her a smaller pair of gloves.
Sarah put them on and waited for her next instruction.
"Alright, now stand in front of me and grasp the metal nice and tight," Jake said.
Sarah followed his instructions to the letter. She ended up directly in front of him with her paws grasping the metal just as he had showed her.
"Good, now slowly push and pull the metal through the machine just like I did," Jake said, and trained his eyes on her paws so if she accidentally moved them too close to the machine, he could react and get her paws out of harm's way very quickly.
Sarah tried her best to move the metal as Jake had instructed her to, but it was way too hard for her.
Jake noticed that there was too much tension on the metal for a little kitten to be able to move it easily, so with his left foot, he loosened the screw, which adjusted the tension. Gradually, Sarah was able to make the metal slip through the machine all by herself.
As Sarah moved the metal through the machine, she felt the metal being stretched and formed by the machine. She was beaming with pride that she was actually able to make something on her first try.
Jake watched his little apprentice form the metal around the anvil, and especially the smile on her face as she worked the metal like he had when he was about her age and worked right alongside his father in his shop.
After a few minutes, the once flat piece of sheet metal now resembled a fender for a bicycle. "That's good enough, Sarah. You can stop," Jake said.
Sarah stopped what she was doing and waited for her next instruction.
Jake loosened the screw further, allowing the newly formed fender to be lifted out of the machine. With the metal still in Sarah's paws, Jake inspected the part, and was very pleased with the result. He said, "Great job, Sarah. Now the only thing left to be done to this is weld on the mounting brackets and paint it. Then we get to mount it onto what is under that tarp over there. Would you like to see what is hiding underneath?"
"Yes!" Sarah beamed with excitement.
"Alright, follow me," Jake said. He led Sarah over to an object in the corner of the garage that was covered by a tarp. He grasped the tarp in his paws, then said, "On a count of three. One, two, three!" He pulled the tarp off to reveal a scaled down version of a Cyclotron that was missing its front fender and seat. "Apprentice, this is for you. I can't have a junior member of the SWAT Kats running around without a vehicle of some sort, so when Callie mentioned that you were coming up here this weekend, I whipped this up out of spare parts in the hangar. Do you like it?"
Sarah was completely speechless. Not only had Jake given her a Cyclotron of her very own, she was now a junior member of SWAT. With a few tears in her eyes, she wrapped her gloved paws around Jake's leg again and said, "I love it! Thank you Razor! Now I can be like my hero, Empress!"
Jake couldn't stop a small tear leaving his right eye as he said, "You are welcome, Apprentice. But it's not finished yet. We still have to paint it, mount the fender you made, and install the seat. Then we can take it for its maiden ride around the salvage yard."
Sarah lifted her head and looked into Jake's eyes. She then asked, "You said 'we'? Does that mean I get to help?"
"Of course you do. Every member of SWAT has to get their paws dirty by helping around the hangar. Why don't you head over to the computer by the door? There is a program loaded that will assist you with picking out a paint color," Jake said.
After Sarah let go of his leg and ran over to the computer, Jake turned his head and noticed Felina leaning against the garage door's frame. Jake put the fender down on a nearby workbench and went over to her. He then asked, "Are you and Katerina done toying with Chance?"
"Yes, we are done toying with Chance. Both he and Mark are apologizing to Callie and Lisa right now," Felina said. She turned her head to Sarah and said, "Even though I think she is too young to be a member of SWAT, she is going to be an excellent apprentice, just like you are going to be a great father to our kitten. Seeing you with Sarah just now solidified it in my mind."
Jake turned his head and watched Sarah gleefully go through almost every color the computer had to offer before she started to get creative with the program and mix her own blend of paints together to get the color and hue she wanted. Sarah then asked, without removing her eyes from the screen, "Jake, how do you add sparkle to the paint?"
"That's easy, Sarah. I'll show you how to add metallic flake and a special additive called 'candy'," Jake answered as he led Felina over to the computer to help Sarah tailor the paint color she created in order to the give it the luster she desired.
"Am I forgiven, Lisa?" Mark asked after both he and Tina apologized and explained in detail what happened earlier.
Lisa was not really mad at Mark for kissing Tina. Actually, she was proud of him for standing up for her. However, she could not get past the fact that her new husband was kissing another. She said, "Dear, I'm proud of you for standing up for our friend, but what I can't get past is you kissing another she-cat when we haven't even been married for a full day."
Mark went around the chair Lisa was sitting in, fell to his knees, and took her paws in his while looking directly into her eyes. He then said, "Lisa, I am completely devoted to you and our marriage. I would never cheat on you or let another lead me astray. Yes, I kissed Tina earlier today. However, she is the little sister I never had and always wanted. I do love her, but only as a brother loves his sister."
Lisa tightened her grip on his paws, then said, "I guess I will have to forgive you, Mark, but on one condition.. you have to kiss me like you have never kissed anyone before."
Mark smirked, brought his face very close to hers, and then said right before he met her demands, "As you wish, my wife."
Callie, Chance, and Tina watched as Mark and Lisa kissed each other, and from what they could see, the newlyweds made it clear, they were not stopping anytime soon. After a minute, everyone else left the room and closed the door behind them to give Mark and Lisa some privacy. Chance then said, "Callie, just like Mark, I am in love with you alone, and no, I don't want to kiss Felina or Katerina. The only she-cat I'll ever want to kiss for the rest of my life is you."
Callie grabbed Chance by his shirt and brought him to her. She looked into his eyes, then said, "Prove it!" She then used her grip on him to close the gap, sealing her lips to his with a ferocity that made them both shudder.
Chance instantly wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss, causing her to let out a little moan.
Tina held up her paws in frustration at the two couples making out yet again, then left to go and check on Katerina.
Katerina had just finished putting the pancakes and sausage in the oven to keep them warm when she heard Tina come back down the stairs. She wiped her paws on a dish towel, then asked, "Are the guys still alive, or did Lisa and Callie turn them into sushi?"
Tina entered the kitchen, went over to Katerina, and wrapped her arms around Katerina's waist. She then said, "The guys are fine. Actually, if you listen very carefully, you can hear how fine they are."
Katerina listened and heard the sounds of a headboard rhythmically hitting a wall. She then said, "I guess they made up. Jake, Sarah, and Felina should be back in a minute. Breakfast is in the oven, waiting for us."
Tina took Katerina's paws in hers, then asked, "Dear, with all of this talk about kittens this weekend, plus Sarah being here, has made me realize that I want to be a mother, especially since I have finally found my soulmate to raise a kitten with. We have never seriously talked about having a family together before. Do you want to have a family, with me?"
Katerina spun around so she could look into Tina's eyes. She hugged Tina with all of her might and replied, "Of course I want a family with you, Tina! Nothing would make me happier than to have a kitten or two running around! We are going to be great parents! Plus, we have the support of our family to help us if we need it."
Tina returned Katerina's embrace and laid her head on Katerina's left shoulder. She then said, "This is something I have always dreamed of, Katerina: finding someone to love me and start my own family with. I love you, Katerina Belikov. I will love you forever."
Katerina stroked her hair and said, "I love you, too, Tina Cassidy. Once we graduate from the academy, let's make the second part of your dream a reality."
Tina lifted her head and asked, "How do you plan on doing that? We can't get pregnant, at least not in the usual way, no matter how many times we make love."
A smile crossed Katerina's face, then she replied, "I know that, Tina, and as much as I wish I could impregnate you, I can't. However, we can adopt a kitten. There are several kittens out there looking for a good home."
"That is an excellent idea, Katerina! We could even adopt an older kitten and forego the diaper stage. Let's do it! We have plenty of credible references to vouch for us, so it would be very hard for them to turn us down," Tina said.
"There is one thing, Tina. We would not be a traditional family. Not that we wouldn't love and care for a kitten any less than a tom and a she-cat would, but it's a possible hurdle we might have to deal with," Katerina said.
"You might be right, Katerina, but with the endorsement of the Deputy Mayor and the new Commander of the Enforcers as references, I think they will look past the kitten being raised by two she-cats," Tina said.
"Always the optimist, but that's just one of the many reasons I fell in love with you," Katerina said right before she quickly kissed Tina. "I'll go and get the lovers from upstairs if you will go get Jake, Felina, and Sarah from next door. Breakfast will start to dry out if we don't eat it soon,"
Tina glowed with happiness, now that her dreams were becoming a reality. She said, "I have the easy job. You get to break up the sex-fest going on upstairs." She then ran out of the kitchen to get the others from next door.
Ulysses and Callista had made love several times and were coming down from a euphoric high. She kissed him one more time before she slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe.
Ulysses let his eyes roam over her body as soon as she left the bed. They focused on her shapely backside and tail, and he was tempted to pull her back into bed so he could pleasure her at least one more time. Unfortunately, the spell was broken as Callista donned her robe, hiding her delectable body from his sight. He said, "You look better without it."
Callista turned back around and noticed his bare chest. She licked her lips, crawled back onto the bed, making sure that he could see the tops of her breasts, and positioned her face inches from his. She then said as seductively as she could, "When I get back from getting the paper, you might get to see me without it again. So I hope you have rested up, Ulysses. It's been over twenty years since I have had a tom in my bed, and I plan on making the most of it." Callista kissed him and ran her claws down his bare chest, just hard enough to cause a hint of pain, but also copious amounts of pleasure.
Ulysses winced when her claws grazed his skin through his fur, but then he groaned in pleasure from the tiny bit of pain. He then said, "You are going to be the death of me, Callista. You may be over 500 years old, but you have the body and stamina of a thirty-year-old she-cat. I think I'm too old for you, my love."
Callista lifted her head and looked into his eyes before she said, "I like older toms. They have more experience with pleasing she-cats." She then got off of the bed and left the room. She went downstairs to the front door of her building and opened it before she crouched down to get the newspaper from her stoop.
As she righted herself, she heard, "Good morning, miss. You look absolutely radiant, as always. Will you marry me?" She then saw the teenaged tom who worked at the shop next to hers. Every morning, he would compliment her looks, then ask her to marry him. It was just their daily routine. She answered, "Reggie, I would marry you in a heartbeat, but I am afraid I am engaged to a tom who captivated my heart years ago."
"Damn, well if it doesn't work out, I'll be here," Reggie said.
Callista waved to him and turned to head back inside. That was when she noticed the dagger holding two notes to the doorframe. She pulled the dagger out of the frame and removed the notes from the blade before she went inside and closing the door. Callista went into the kitchen and sat down at the table as she put the knife down and took the notes out of her pocket. She opened the first note and read:
'Callista, I never meant for things to get so out of hand at the club the other night. Having such a lovely and noble she-cat turning my proposal down was too much for me to handle. I acted without thinking. I am truly sorry for having one of my associates try to kill you. However, seeing you last night with that tom made me want you even more, not only by my side as a ruler, but also as my lover. We would make an unstoppable pair. We could rule the world! In closing, you have two choices. One, be mine for all eternity and that tom you were with last night is allowed to keep breathing. Two, stay by his side, and be responsible for his demise. You have three months to make your decision, David.'
Callista's once joyous mood changed instantly to pure rage. She knew she could easily go over to his headquarters and make him suffer. All it would take was a single thought to bring the entire building down around him. However, she also knew that David was not the only occupant of the building, and the others would be collateral damage if she brought it down. She knew very well that she couldn't live with herself if she was the cause of so many innocent people losing their lives, no matter how angry she was at David. Her paw grazed against the second note. She opened it up and read:
'My queen, David is obsessed with you to the point of insanity. He needs to be stopped and removed from his position, or he is going to bring down this entire organization. The Society was originally started to help those with special abilities to acclimate themselves with society at large. Over the years, David has twisted that mission. I am not alone in my opinion. There are several others who feel the same. We have a plan to end his tyranny and return the Society to what it once was. However, we need you, my queen, to lead us, and we await your command. Please honor me and a few others with your presence. There is an old bookstore three blocks over that is run by my mother and her sister. I know you are familiar with the store, since I have seen you in there before. I and a few followers will be there at 12 in the afternoon in two weeks' time. We will explain our plan in detail then, Michael.'
Callista stood up and returned to her bedroom to discuss everything with Ulysses.
End of Chapter