SWAT Kittens

by Youkai55

Chance finally realizes what is important in his life. He starts dating, marries, and has triplet female kittens. Of course, there are bumps and bruises along the way and a few villains that have to have their say in his plans. Rated: "T" to be safe. Please take the "Genres" with a grain of salt. There is something in here for all. Enjoy.

111. Time to go Home

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

I hope you all are ready for an emotional roller coaster? This chapter is going to take you on a ride through Tina's past as well as the rest of the SWAT crew saying so long to their wonderful weekend of fun.

As normal, my Co-Author MisaRae outdid herself with her edits and suggestions to bring forth the emotions the characters were feeling onto the screen. She had posted a new chapter of Two-Plus-Two this morning, as Commander Feral would say, "Go and read it! That's an order!"

Everyone finished breakfast, and despite Felina's insistence, they all assisted Callie with cleaning up the kitchen.

Both Sarah and Callie were standing at the kitchen sink with Callie washing the dishes while Sarah was to her left, drying them. Callie turned her head to make sure that no one was watching her, turned back to Sarah, winked at her, then asked, "You know, this is boring. What do you say we spice things up, just a little?"

Sarah noticed a tiny sparkle in Callie's eyes, brought her left paw to her mouth in order to suppress a giggle, then replied, "Sure, Callie." Her tail moved of its own accord as the anticipation built in her little body.

"Alright." Callie turned her head and noticed the pile of dishes still waiting to be washed. She wiggled her right index finger, and the dish that was sitting on top of the pile floated of the pile drifted over to the sink as if propelled by invisible hands, while the awaiting sponge floated at the ready to scrub it clean. The dish lowered itself into the basin, turned itself onto its side so the sponge could scrub it before getting rinsed and deposited into the dish rack for drying.

Sarah watched in amazement as Callie manipulated the dirty dishes and the sponge with just a twist of her finger.

Felina quickly noticed that Callie was not holding up her end of the bargain and was using her powers to assist her with the cleaning. She went over to Callie and Sarah with a very perturbed expression on her face, crossed her arms over her chest, and asked, "And what do my sisters think they are doing?"

"I think I am cleaning up my kitchen, in the time-honored tradition of the she-cats in my family," Callie replied as she twirled her finger in the air.

"Time-honored tradition, my butt! Your mother had her powers sealed by your grandmother when she was a teenager, and you just recently found out your grandmother is both alive and a 500 year old sorceress," Felina said.

Callie focused her gaze on the floor for a second then quickly returned her focus to Felina, and replied, "You're right, Felina. I don't know much about my family, especially my grandmother. I'm going to have to rectify that as soon as I get back to the city."

Felina went over to her friend, placed a gentle paw on her shoulder, then said, "You will have to get her away from my uncle first, Callie. Knowing the way he gets attached to the females in his life, he is not going to let her out of his sight, not even for a minute."

Callie smiled for a second, then said, "If that is the case, my dear sister, your uncle had better get used to having two hot, powerful sorceresses running around. I want to get to know Callista better since she is going to be a large part of my and my family's life."

"Yeah, and I can just see you calling my uncle Grandpa. Wait a minute! Once they marry, wouldn't that make you my cousin or something?" Felina asked.

"Well, you and I always wanted to be related. So, once my grandmother and your uncle get married, we will be," Callie said.

Felina's tail bristled of its own accord, then said, "Once we really are related, this city had better watch out! Between both of our radiant looks, and brains to boot, we are going to be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with."

Callie lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about, Felina?"

"Not sure, Callie; but it felt right to say," Felina replied. "Now go on and finish up cleaning the kitchen, any way you want."

"Really!? Any way I want?" Callie asked.

Felina almost instantly regretted telling her that. She slapped her forehead, then answered, "Yes, Callie, anyway you want."

Callie smiled a mile wide. She looked over at Sarah and said, "You might want to give me a little space, Sarah. I'm going to try something I've never done before, and I don't want you to get hurt."

Sarah backed away from Callie, but kept her eyes fixed on the she-cat she admired.

Callie quickly lifted her arms over her head and a burst of energy left her body, engulfing the entire room with a bright light. After the light faded, the kitchen was completely spotless. Callie lowered her arms to her side, inspected her work, then said, "All done. Did I do a good job?"

Everyone else in the room stood there with their mouths agape at what they had just witnessed.

Persival ran around the corner and into the kitchen the moment he felt a powerful wave of magic flow through the house. He skidded to a halt in front of Callie, then asked, "Is milady here? I felt a surge of magic in the house that could have only come from her."

Callie crouched down to Persival, scratched his head, then said, "Nope. Callista is back in the city with her fiancé. That blast of magic was mine."

Persival whipped his head around to face Callie, then asked, "Yours, mistress? Do you realize how much trouble you may have just caused this family?"

"Persival, it's just my family here. They all know my secret, and would never tell a soul about anything that happens in this house," Callie said.

"Mistress! Everyone present in this house may be family, either by blood or otherwise, and will take this family's secret to their graves. However, my mistress, that burst of magic could have been sensed by any advanced magic user within ten miles," Persival said.

"What are you talking about, Persival?" Callie asked. "Callista never mentioned anything about other magic users being able to pick up on my own abilities."

"She should have, mistress. Advanced sorcerers and and sorceresses can easily pick up on the signature of fellow magic users within a certain radius," Persival replied. "You must be more careful when you use your powers, especially since your grandmother has yet to teach you how to shield them properly."

Callie scratched his head once more before she said, "I understand, Persival. I'll take it easy with using my powers until Callista has properly trained me."

Persival let out a deep purr from her loving scratch, then said, "That is a wise idea, mistress. Your friends are packing up to leave. Might I suggest you do the same?"

"You may, Persival, although I don't want this weekend to end. I had such a great time here with my new family," Callie said.

"This house is now yours and Chance's; you will make your own memories here. Both good and bad, and sometime soon, there will be the pitter patter of tiny little paws on the floors of this house again," Persival said.

Callie rubbed the area on her stomach that would soon expand as her kittens developed, and smiled since she could not wait for them to be born so she could see them for the first time. She then said, "I only hope they aren't as wild as their aunt. I would hate to try and raise three Felinas."

"Hey! I was an absolutely adorable kitten!" Felina rebutted.

Callie turned her head towards Felina, ruffled Sarah's hair, then said, "According to Ulysses, you were an adorable kitten who lived up to her last name to a 'T'." She picked Sarah up, then said, "Come on, Apprentice. Let's get you and I packed up and on the road. We also need to think of a way to break the news to your mother about your new pet."

Jake had already called Diana for a car, since Mark and Lisa were heading back to Lisa's apartment, which was in downtown MegaKat City, and the rest of them would be able to fit into Sally's van heading uptown.

Alice arrived with a Town Car a few minutes after they all placed their bags on the porch of Callie's house. She got out of the car and made her way over to the porch. Alice stopped in front of Jake and asked as she showed off her new uniform, which consisted of a pair of khaki-colored slacks instead of the leggings she had once worn, "Do you like this uniform better, Jake?"

"I do, Alice. It's more professional than the other one," Jake replied.

"Well, I hate it!" Alice said. "These slacks are not as comfortable as the leggings were, and they don't show off how shapely my legs are, so all my hard work is going to waste!"

Mark took a good look at Alice and couldn't see anything wrong with her uniform. All he saw was a good looking she-cat wearing a uniform that complimented her form. He said, "Alice, I don't see anything wrong with your uniform, either. I actually think you look hot in it."

Lisa turned to her head to her husband and said, "Why are you even looking at her, much less telling her she's hot? You are married now, and the only female you should be complimenting on their looks is me!"

"Easy, Lisa, I was only trying to back what Jake said. I only have eyes for you and you alone," Mark responded.

Lisa wrapped both of her arms around his left bicep, rested her head against his shoulder, brushed her tail against his butt, and said, "Good, because I would hate to find out that you are a terrible flirt." She lifted her head to look into his eyes, then said, "I want you to move in with me, Mark. As much as I like your apartment, it's too small for the both of us to live in. Between your weights and my dancing supplies, there would not be enough room for us to live in your place without tripping over something."

Mark pulled her into a tight embrace before he said, "I was hoping you would say that, Lisa, because I gave my place to my brother Sean. I was going to ask if I could move in with you on Monday anyhow."

"So you gave your apartment to your brother, hoping that you could move in with me?" Lisa asked. "That was presumptuous of you, Mark."

"Yes, it was, Lisa. However, my hedging bet paid off! I get to move into a much nicer apartment and live with the she-cat I married. Er, am going to marry. Whatever!" Mark said.

Lisa pulled away from him, then said, "You are lucky that I love you."

Mark went over to Lisa, picked her up, then said, "Yes, I am. May I carry you to the car?"

"You may," Lisa said.

Mark carried her down the stairs to the Town Car and waited for Alice to open the door.

Alice followed right behind Mark, then scooted around him so she could open the door for them.

As soon as the door was opened, Mark gently set Lisa down inside the car and went to get their bags from the porch. He got to the porch, hugged everyone, grabbed their bags, then said, "I will see you all back in the city." He turned to look at Sarah one last time, and noticed a small tear in her eye. He dropped the bags, went over to her, couched down, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Mark then said, "We will see each other again soon, Sarah, and once I am settled into Lisa's, we will have you over for a sleepover."

Sarah sniffled, then said, "Alright, Mark, but I will miss you and Lisa."

"That's normal, Sarah," Mark said. "We will miss you, too. Don't worry, though; we share a bond that cannot ever be broken, little sister."

Sarah hugged him tighter for a second before letting him go. She said, "Take care of my big sister, big brother."

Mark rose to his feet again, grabbed the bags, then said, "I will, Sarah, for the rest of my life." Mark turned back to the car, walked down the stairs, and put the bags into the trunk. He then walked over to the rear passenger door, where Lisa grabbed him and pulled him into the car.

Before Alice closed the car door, she looked inside and saw Lisa kissing Mark, only pausing long enough to pull his shirt off over his head before resuming her passionate assault. Alice closed the door, snickered, then said, "Jake, I might have to charge you for cleaning the interior of the car after they are done."

Jake slapped his forehead with his right paw, then said, "Young love. Please get them home nice and safe, Alice."

"Will do, Jake," she replied, walking around to the driver's side of the car and noticing it start to rock. She shook her head, then said, "Diana will be sending you the cleaning bill in the mail. See you all soon." She then slid into the car, closed her door, and drove off.

Felina finished loading Sally's van, closed the trunk, then said, "I guess it's time for us to go, too."

Sarah left the group of adults and ran to Persival and Isis. She did her best to wrap her arms around both of their necks at the same time, then said, "I'm going to miss both of you. I love you."

Persival and Isis rubbed their heads against Sarah, then Isis said, "Don't be sad, little one. We will be seeing each other again."

"My love speaks the truth, Sarah. We will most likely be living at milady's apartment until Callie and Chance take up residence here." Persival said. "I know milady loves having you around, so you will be welcome anytime you want, and her shop is only a short walk from your mother's, or so I have been told."

"Then I can come see you on the way home from school, right? I can't wait to tell Callista that I am a junior SWAT Kat now!" Sarah said.

Persival chuckled, then said, "I'm sure milady will love to hear all about it. Now, give me one more kiss, then get in the van. I'm sure your mother wants to see you again."

Sarah leaned in and kissed Persival's cheek, then ran back to Callie. She wrapped her arms around Callie's legs and said, "Thank you for everything, Callie! I loved spending time with you and your friends."

Callie embraced Sarah, and then said, "You are welcome, sister, You are welcome, sister. You know you can stop by here or my apartment anytime, right, Sarah?"

"I know, Callie. Just like I know I have to go home now. Mommy must be missing me," Sarah said

"Alright, Sarah, let's get you home," Callie said, then took Sarah's paw in hers and walked with her to the van.

Felina closed the sliding door, walked around to the driver's side, and got in. She closed the door, buckled her seatbelt, started the van, and looked at the house once last time. Felina put the van in gear and drove down the driveway with a tear in her eye.

They drove through the streets of the city for about a half an hour when Tina yelled, "Stop the car!"

Felina pulled over to the side of the road, turned her body so she faced the rear of the van, and asked, "What is wrong, Tina?"

Tina was peering out of the window at a house with a 'For Sale' sign in front of it. She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed Katerina's paw, opened the sliding door of the van, and pulled her out. Tina stared at the house, leaned against Katerina, then said, "This is the house where I fell in love for the first time."

Katerina put her arm around Tina, then asked, "Do you want to go inside?"

"Yes," was Tina's simple reply.

"Alright," Katerina said. She then broke free from Tina, walked over to the van, stuck her head in, and asked, "How much trouble will I be in if I get back to your apartment later than you, Felina?"

"Do what you feel is necessary, Katerina. I can cover for you," Felina said.

"Thank you, Felina. Something tells me that Tina needs me here. There seems to be some unfinished business between Tina and that house," Katerina said.

"Go on, be with your soulmate, Katerina," Felina said.

"It was fun spending time with you this weekend, Sarah. I hope to do it again soon," Katerina said, then closed the door to the van. She returned to Tina's side and asked, "Are you ready?"

"I am, Katerina," Tina replied. "With you by my side, I can face this."

As they walked towards the house, Felina drove off with the rest back to the city.

Katerina opened the front door to the house and let Tina enter before she closed the door behind them.

"May I help you ladie.. Tina Cassidy? Is that you?" the real estate agent asked.

"Mr. Otninski?" Tina asked as she finally recognized that the real estate agent was her old high school principal. She ran over to him, hugged him tightly, and questioned, "How have you been? How is your wife?"

He returned her embrace and said, "I've been better. My wife passed a few years ago from a heart attack."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Otninski. I had no idea she passed away," Tina said.

"Don't apologize, Tina," he said. "You had no idea. So, what brings you back here after all of these years?"

"My friends have houses about a half an hour from here. My fiancée and I spent the weekend with them," Tina answered.

"Fiancée?" he asked.

Tina released him and took Katerina's paw in hers. She then kissed Katerina and replied, "Mr. Otninski, this is Katerina, the she-cat I am going to marry."

Katerina extended her paw and said, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Otninski."

He took her paw in his and studied her face. He then said, "I think I've seen you on TV before, maybe during the news?" Suddenly, it all came back to him, and he said, "Now I remember you! You are Turmoil! You tried to take over the skies of MegaKat city!"

Katerina took her paw back, her tail fell to the floor, and she said, "I was Turmoil, Mr. Otninski. She is no more. I have turned my life around, and joined the Enforcers. Both Tina and I are cadets in the academy."

"That's good to know, Katerina, but aren't you going to be tempted to return to your former life?" Mr. Otninski asked.

"Niet! I never want to return to my former life. As I said, Turmoil is dead! Only Katerina Belikov remains, and I want nothing more than to marry Tina and start a family of our own," Katerina said.

"If that is the case, please call me Ron," he said. "Has Tina ever told you about her high school life?"

"No, she never did. What was she like in high school?" Katerina asked as her tail lifted back to its normal height.

"Tina was a model student throughout her freshman and most of her sophomore years. Then she was forced to come out before she was ready, and most of her so-called friends turned on her. Tina was devastated and alone. She started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and her once 'A' average started slipping."

Katerina hung onto Tina tightly as Ron told her story from his point of view. She felt Tina shudder and kissed her cheek as she listened to Ron.

"Every one of Tina's teachers were getting quite concerned for her. We all knew Tina as an intelligent, fun-loving student, but she stopped laughing or even smiling, and her grades began to drop. Then she really started acting out, and causing damage to the school and other places. Tina's parents and I talked, and we decided that we needed to act in order to get the Tina we loved back before she did something truly serious. It was the end of the school year, and we all knew she would not be missing anything worthwhile in school, so her parents enrolled her in the Junior Enforcer Academy," Ron said before he focused on Tina. "Of course, Tina was not keen on the idea. She actually took a swing at her father once she found out what her parents had in store for her. Oh, wait until you meet him. His markings make him look adorable, but cross him, and you will be facing a tom who can break a stone wall with his fists alone."

Katerina turned her head so she could face Tina. She then asked, "Exactly how big is your father, Tina?"

"Dad is the biggest tom in his family. His stature is just a shade bigger than Mark's," Tina answered.

"How is that possible, Tina?" Katerina asked. "You are one of the smallest in stature but one of the most beautiful she-cats I know. How did he get that big?"

Tina snickered, then answered, "Dad had a benign tumor on his pituitary gland when he was younger. He shot up in height practically overnight, and my grandparents were definitely concerned. When he reached adolescence, Dad had the tumor removed. The surgery went fine, but he was still left with a flabby stomach that got on his nerves. So he hit the gym hard, and developed a body very similar to Mark's. According to Mom, Dad was considered a hunk, and always had a she-cat on his arm. That was until he met Mom in college. I'll let Mom or Dad tell you that story."

"Wow, I can't wait to meet him," Katerina said.

"My house is not far from here. We can walk there from here so you can meet my parents," Tina said before she turned to Ron and asked, "Can I take Katerina on a tour of the house?"

"Go right ahead, Tina. You lived here with Drucila, so you know this place better than I do," Ron said.

"Thank you, Mr. Otninski. We'll be back soon," Tina said. She then took Katerina's paw in hers and showed her the house. After the tour was completed, they ended up in the backyard and sat on a white bench swing. Tina looked at the arm of the bench, and noticed the engraving Drucila had made. It was a heart with a 'D + T' in the center. A tear left her right eye as she remembered her first real love. She then said, "I haven't been totally honest with you or anyone else, Katerina."

"What do you mean, Tina?" Katerina asked.

"I have fallen in love one other time since I was forced to come out by that cheerleader in my sophomore year of high school and it was quite serious," Tina responded.

Katerina draped her right arm over Tina's shoulders after she noticed the tear in Tina's eye.

Tina wiped the tear from her eye, then said, "Drucila was my instructor at the academy. She put me through the wringer every day during the first few weeks. Each training session was harder than the last, and Drucila seemed to revel in my pain. Everything changed during the fifth week. I was running the obstacle course, which I had gotten very proficient at. I wanted to show off in front of Drucila, so I tried to run the course faster than any other cadet. Well, my plan failed big time. Apparently Drucila had made a few adjustments to the course and moved a few of the hurdles farther apart. I didn't inspect the course before I started it, for if I did, I wouldn't have leaped over one hurdle and directly into another, falling to the ground hard enough to break a few ribs.

"Drucila ran to me as fast as possible. She picked me up and held me in her arms. Drucila actually said to me, 'You stupid girl! You could have gotten yourself killed! Why did you do that, Tina?'

"I responded, 'I wanted to show you that I have gotten better and stronger, Dru. I want to be like you.'

"Drucila hugged me tighter and said, 'I know you have gotten better and stronger, Tina. I couldn't be prouder of you. Let's get you patched up, then you're coming with me to my place. Sleeping in a bunk would put you in a world of hurt, so you are going to listen to me, and that's final."

Katerina pulled Tina into her side, then said, "She must have really cared for you, Tina."

"She did, Katerina. More than I knew at the time. When we returned from the hospital, Drucila put me on her couch. She then let her long straight black hair out of the high ponytail she normally wore it in and shook it out. That was when I started to admit to myself that my determination to show off wasn't just rooted in frustration at her teaching technique. Drucila got up and walked over to the kitchen to get an icepack for me. All I could do was watch the way her hips and tail moved so sensually with every step. When she returned, she had unzipped the top of her jumpsuit, revealing her collarbone, and she held the icepack in her left paw.

"Drucila sat down next to me on the couch, held the pack to my bandaged ribs, and stroked the fur on my left cheek. By then, I was too far gone to think straight anymore. I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine, praying that she wouldn't freak out, and she didn't. Drucila deepened the kiss, and that was as far as I thought it would go. Drucila proved me wrong, gently picking me up and carrying me to her bedroom, where she laid me down in her bed. She quickly removed her jumpsuit, laid down next to me, and stroked her claws lightly through my hair until I fell asleep."

"We spent the rest of the summer together, and fell deeply in love. With Drucila's encouragement, I pulled my grades back up and became a model student again. We started talking about moving out west where we could actually get married and be together for the rest of our lives.

"Then she was taken from me.

"The morning of the day she was killed, I was to receive an award for my hard work towards getting my life back on track. I had kissed her goodbye that morning and watched her leave for the academy before I went to school, dressed to impress. I was talking with my lit teacher, when Mr. Otninski pulled me out of class. I could see in his face that something was terribly wrong. He sat me down in his office and told me that Dru had been shot and killed while protecting a pregnant mother during a robbery. I wanted to die right then and there, so I could be with my beloved Dru again. My parents rushed into the principal's office a few minutes later, and I fell into my father's arms, crying my eyes out."

"We went to her funeral, which was open to the public, and they gave her full honors. All of her friends and colleagues were wearing their formal dress uniforms, and saluted her casket as it passed. I stayed strong, just like she would have wanted me to throughout the entire funeral. After she was buried, we returned to my parent's house where I broke down and mourned the loss of my beloved."

Katerina sat there in silence as Tina finished telling her story. She eventually hugged Tina tighter before she wiped the tears away from the face she had fallen in love with and said, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that at such a young age, Tina, and I understand why you felt you had to hide such a relationship from me, as well as everyone who cares for you. You were her junior, and that type of relationship would have been deemed inappropriate."

"Thank you, Katerina, and you are right. Even though I was her junior, neither of us could resist the feelings we had for each other. We kept our relationship a secret until I finished the academy, then I told my parents we had fallen in love with each other. I wasn't really expecting it, but when they noticed how much happier I was around her, and after both Dru and I convinced them that our love was not just a fling, they endorsed us being together." Tina turned her head to face Katerina, and said, "Just being here reminds me of all the good times Dru and I had together. I have always loved it here, even after Dru was taken from me."

Katerina listened to every word Tina spoke and made a decision. "I need to use the restroom. I'll be back in a few minutes," Katerina said as she let go of Tina and walked back to the house.

Katerina found Ron in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. As she approached Ron, she asked, "What is the asking price for this house?"

Ron quickly glanced at his pricing sheet, looked back into Katerina's eyes, and replied, "One hundred seventy-five thousand dollars."

"Does your phone make International calls, and if so, may I use it?" Katerina asked.

"Certainly," Ron responded as he handed her the phone.

"Thank you. Please excuse me for a minute while I make this call," she said and started dialing.

She brought the phone to her ear and waited for a response.

"Da, who is this? I do not recognize this number," the she-cat asked in Katerina's native tongue.

"It's Belikov. You still have my money in a safe place, da?" she asked.

"Da, it's just as you instructed, Commander. But why do you need money in prison, Commander?" the she-cat on the other end of the line asked. "You planning on bribing your way out?"

"Niet. I'm buying a house. I have been, as you would call it, sprung?" Katerina responded.

"Ah good! Now you can get revenge on all those who put you in a cage! We stand at the ready and await your command," the she-cat said.

Katerina shuddered for a second. She had no idea there was an entire force back in her home country waiting for her to get out of prison. She then said once again in her native tongue so Ron could not understand her, or at least, she hoped he would not understand what she said, "Turmoil is dead! Only Katerina Belikov remains. There is no need for revenge, Sergeant. I have joined the Enforcers here and have fallen in love, with a she-cat. Now transfer one million rubles to my Swiss bank account so I can access it through normal means, and do so quietly, if you get my drift, Sergeant."

"No trail leading back to your accounts here, got ya. It will be done as you have ordered, Commander. If you need us, we stand at the ready, waiting for your orders, Belikov," the Sergeant said before she disconnected the call.

Katerina lowered the phone from her ear, went to the phone's history, and deleted the number she had just dialed from the list. She turned back to Ron and said, "Draw up the papers. I will have cash ready for you on Monday afternoon. You can contact me through Tina's parents." She handed the phone back to Ron and made her way over to Tina.

As it was, she walked fast, approaching Tina at a decent clip. Tina looked at Katerina questioningly, her curiosity only deepening as Katerina took her paws in hers, then said, "We have a date with your parents so I can formally ask them to marry you. Oh, and I have a gift you for you, my dove. This house is now ours."

Tina widened her eyes as her mouth dropped open in surprise. She then asked, "How could you buy this house? You are on parole, and as far as I know, don't have a bank account."

Katerina leaned in nice and close to Tina. She then whispered into her right ear, "I may have given up my life of crime, Tina, but I still have money. We, my dear, are what is known here as wealthy. I have close to seventeen million dollars hidden in an offshore account. We will never have to worry about money for the rest of our lives, and neither will our kitten or kittens." She then righted herself.

"I'm not sure what to say, Katerina. I love this place, and I love you, but purchasing it with money that came from illegitimate sources is something I am having trouble with," Tina said.

"It was not illegitimate, my dove. Not all of it came from, as one would say, legitimate sources. However, most of it was obtained on the up-and–up," Katerina said.

Tina couldn't help but smile as bittersweet joy filled her. Things had come full circle. Now she could live freely in the house she once wished she could share with Drucila, but this time, it would be with the love she was meant to find: Katerina. This house would be the home where she and Katerina lived and raised their family for the rest of their days. It was a simple house with a decent-sized yard. Nothing too extravagant, but it was theirs. She leaped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Katerina's neck. She then said, "Thank you, my love. Not only for buying this house, but for helping me find love again." Tina captured Katerina in a passionate kiss that lasted for about five minutes before she broke it and said, "My parents' place is about a five minute walk from here. I can't wait for you to meet them and introduce you as my fiancée." Tina let go of Katerina and extended her paw for Katerina to take.

Katerina took Tina's paw in hers and grasped it. They walked out of the backyard, paw-in-paw, with their tails lovingly intertwined, heading towards the Cassidy residence to meet Tina's parents.

End of Chapter