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

Alright, there is only one character from the series in this chapter. I'll make it up to you in the next one. This chapter is really adorable and had to be written!

Thank you my Co-Author MisaRae!

Katerina and Tina continued to walk from their new house to Tina's parents' with their fingers tightly intertwined and their tails loosely braided together. As they walked, a handful of cats on the street snickered or made inappropriate comments as they passed. However, Tina and Katerina ignored them completely and basked not only in the warmth of the sun bathing their bodies, but the deep love they felt for each other.

They rounded a corner onto the street where Tina's parents lived, and stopped in front of a small house with an enormous flower garden in front of it. They both rested their forearms on the white plastic fence and admired the vast variety of flowers that the owner had planted.

Slightly out of their sight, an older she-cat who was wearing a floral-patterned dress, as well as a dark green gardener's apron and a large hat asked, "May I help you young ladies?" She came out of her hiding place behind a large tree and recognized Tina almost immediately. Her eyes went wide as she asked, "Tina Cassidy, when did you come back home?"

Tina turned her head to the right and recognized the she-cat, too. She answered, "Mrs. Fredericks!" Tina jumped over the fence, went to the elder she-cat, and gave her a hug. "How have you been?" she asked, obviously glad to see her.

Mrs. Fredericks returned Tina's hug, then said, "I've been better, Tina. These old bones have seen better days." She withdrew from the embrace, looked Tina over, then said, "You are just as beautiful as your mother, if not more so. Oh dear, now, look what I have done! I've gotten you all dirty." She tried to wipe the nonexistent dirt from Tina's clothing.

"Really, Mrs. Fredericks, I'm fine," Tina said. "You didn't get an ounce of dirt on me."

"I'm sorry, child. These ancient eyes aren't what they used to be," Mrs. Fredericks said as she brought her arms back down to her sides. She then looked around Tina and noticed Katerina standing on the other side of the fence. She asked, "Who's your friend, Tina, and why is she standing on the wrong side of my fence?" she asked and motioned to, Katerina. "Come, child, you are welcome in my yard."

Katerina opened the gate to her left, entered Mrs. Fredericks' yard, and closed the gate behind her. She then walked over to Tina and put her right arm around her waist before she said, "Thank you, Mrs. Fredericks. You have a lovely garden."

"Thank you, child, and aren't you a polite one. There are not many young folk around here with proper manners nowadays," she responded.

"Why thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Fredericks," Katerina said. "My mother would have loved to hear you say that."

"Mrs. Fredericks," Tina said as she gave Katerina a reassuring squeeze. "This is Katerina Belikov, my training partner at the academy, as well as my fiancée."

Mrs. Fredericks looked Katerina over as if she was trying to determine her worthiness of being with Tina. She looked Katerina directly in the eye and asked, "Is that so. Do you love Tina, Katerina?"

"Yes, I do love her, Mrs. Fredericks. I love her more than I have ever loved another," Katerina replied.

"Good! Even though Tina has had more than one rough patch in her life, and I don't approve of everything she does, she has been like a granddaughter to me ever since she was a little kitten. She always loved playing in my garden, and I loved having her here," Mrs. Fredericks said. All of a sudden, her face lit up and she said, "Come inside, girls. I have a pitcher of fresh lemonade in the fridge. You must be thirsty."

"Thank you, Mrs. Fredericks, but we are fine," Tina said. "I want to get to my parent's house and introduce them to my soulmate. In fact, we just bought Dru's house, Mrs. Fredericks. We are moving back here once we graduate from the academy, so we will be seeing a lot more of each other."

Mrs. Fredericks face fell as she absorbed what Tina had just said. It had just been so long since anyone had come to visit her. She then said, "Alright, Tina. Go on and get to your parents'. I'm sure they want to see you."

A wave of guilt rose up in Tina's stomach as as she heard Mrs. Fredericks' tone shift from happiness to disappointment. She put on a big smile and said, "I suppose we can stay for one glass. Then we really have to get going."

Mrs. Fredericks' face lit up again and she said, "Splendid! Come and sit on the porch while I get the lemonade."

Both Tina and Katerina did as Mrs. Fredericks asked and sat down on a really old porch swing that had seen better days while Mrs. Fredericks went into the house to get the lemonade and glasses.

After Katerina and Tina sat, Katerina took Tina's paw in hers before she asked, "Mrs. Fredericks seems so nice, but where is her family?"

Tina grasped Katerina's paw tighter before she replied, "After Mr. Fredericks died, she had a stroke. Her son stayed with her for a month or so, but he had to return back to the city. From what Mom tells me, Mrs. Fredericks is taken care of financially. However, her family doesn't come to visit her. Mom stops by when she can, and so do several of her neighbors, but most of the time, she is by herself."

"That's horrible! She is such a nice lady," Katerina exclaimed.

"You heard her earlier. She is like a grandmother to me," Tina said as she took Katerina's paw in hers. "Now that we are moving back here, I want her to be a bigger part of our lives. She is going to love having our kitten playing in her yard, just like I did when I was young. Mrs. Fredericks taught me so much about gardening, as well as letting me rummage through her library and read anything I could get my paws on."

"She certainly sounds like one in, Tina. I wish I had a grandmother like her when I was growing up," Katerina said.

Tina squeezed her paw, smiled at her, then said, "Well, you can have one now, Katerina. We are only going to be a few blocks over from Mrs. Fredericks, and I'm sure that she would love to have your company, especially if you decide to cook for her. She used to love being in the kitchen as much as she loved being in her garden."

"I think that can be arranged, my dove. We can exchange recipes. I would like that, very much," Katerina said.

Mrs. Fredericks came back with a large glass pitcher full of icy cold lemonade and three glasses positioned on a tray held in her elderly paws.

Katerina and Tina heard the footsteps that heralded her return, and instantly rose to their feet to hope Mrs. Fredericks. "Let me take that from you, Mrs. Fredericks," Katerina said as she extended her arms and grasped the sides of the tray with her paws.

"Why, thank you, young lady," Mrs. Fredericks said as she let go of the tray. She then exited the house and sat down on a chair to the left of the porch swing.

Katerina put the tray down on a small table located in front of Mrs. Fredericks, then sat back down on the swing with Tina.

Mrs. Fredericks poured lemonade into the three glasses, then put the pitcher down on the tray. As she took a glass, she said, "Please help yourselves, girls. I hope I didn't make it too tart? If I did, I have some pure cane sugar in the kitchen to sweeten it up."

Tina picked up a glass with her right paw and handed it to Katerina before taking one for herself. She lifted the glass to her mouth and took a cautious sip of the icy liquid. Tina lowered the glass, turned to Mrs. Fredericks, and then said, "You should bottle this. It's real good!" before she turned to Katerina and asked, "What do you think, dear?"

Katerina never had homemade lemonade before. She had always been served the powdered stuff in prison. She looked down into the glass at the opaque liquid, and noticed the slivers of lemon, as well as a couple of seeds. Katerina then brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. As the sour liquid hit her tongue, she scrunched up her face, but once the initial sourness was overcome by the sweetness of the natural sugars, her face returned to normal. Katerina lowered the glass to her lap and then said, "Tina is right, Mrs. Fredericks. You should have this bottled."

"The both of you are far too kind. It's so easy to make, I wouldn't feel right selling it," Mrs. Fredericks said.

"No way! No one can make this the way you do, Mrs. Fredericks! You add something to the drink that makes it yours, your love and compassion for others. That is what makes this lemonade special," Tina said.

"I'll think about tell me, how did you and Katerina meet?" Mrs. Fredericks asked.

Mrs. Fredericks spent the next two hours listening to Tina and Katerina tell their tale about how they met and fell in love with each other as they all slowly drained the pitcher of lemonade.

Eventually, the pitcher was empty, and the only thing left was a few half lemons and some ice. Mrs. Fredericks looked at her watch, and then said, "Will you look at the time. You two had better get going. I'm sorry for keeping you both for so long."

Tina got out of her seat, went over to Mrs. Fredericks, and hugged her as she said, "It's alright, and I miss the time we used to spend together on this porch, Mrs. Fredericks. I can't wait until Katerina and I move back here, just so we can do this again."

Mrs. Fredericks returned her embrace as she said, "I miss this too, Tina. It's been way too long since I heard the pitter patter of tiny paws on these floors." She let go of Tina, then said, "Go on, you don't want to keep your mother and father waiting."

Katerina got out of her seat, placed her glass on the tray, and gathered up the other two glasses. She then grabbed the pitcher and carried everything into the house for Mrs. Fredericks before she returned to Tina's side and said, "Thank you so much for having us, and for the lovely lemonade. I personally have never tasted anything so delicious before, and would be honored if you would share the recipe with me."

"The recipe is very simple, Katerina. All it takes is six halved ripe lemons, a cup of cane sugar, and fresh water. Then let the lemonade soak in the sun for six hours and chill right afterwards," Mrs. Fredericks said.

Katerina made a mental note of the recipe, then hugged Mrs. Fredericks as she said, "I wish I had known you when I was younger. You are like the grandmother I never had."

Mrs. Fredericks teared up when Katerina's remark reached her ears and said, "If you want, you can call me Grandma, just like Tina used to."

Katerina withdrew from Mrs. Fredericks' embrace with a smile on her face. She then said, "I would like that, Grandma. Both Tina and I will see you again before we head back to the city."

"Feel free to come by anytime. My door is always open. Have fun with your parents, Tina. They are going to love Katerina, I promise," Mrs. Fredericks said.

"We will Mrs. Fredericks. See you soon," Tina said. She then took Katerina's paw and left the porch. They made their way out of the garden and back onto the sidewalk before turning and waving so-long to Mrs. Fredericks before they continued with their stroll to Tina's parents' place.

They arrived at Tina's parents' house about five minutes later and stopped in front of the walkway leading up to the house. Katerina felt a lump form in her throat, her nerves getting the better of her at the thought of meeting Tina's parents and asking for her paw in marriage. As she looked at the house, she thought, 'What if they don't like me? What am I going to do if they think that I am not worthy of being with their daughter?

Tina felt Katerina tense up, and she gave Katerina's paw a reassuring squeeze. She then said, "You have nothing to worry about, Katerina. They are going to love you, and I know they will welcome you into our family." Tina then gave Katerina a kiss on the cheek and said, "Mom is probably in the kitchen or in the yard, sunning herself. Let's go inside."

Taking strength from Tina's absolute confidence, Katerina took Tina's paw in hers before they started up the walkway to the house. Tina pulled a key from the right front pocket of her shorts and inserted it into the lock. She gave the key a quick turn to the right, and heard the lock's mechanism disengage. She gave Katerina's paw an affectionate squeeze before opening the door. They entered a short hallway where the walls were adorned with family photos that led into the kitchen. Tina stopped at one particular photo and looked at it for what seemed like an eternity.

Katerina also stared at the photo. She recognized Tina instantly, but had no idea who the other she-cat was. She turned her head to Tina and asked, "Who is that in the photo with you, Tina?"

Tina lifted her paw to the photo and gently ran her index finger over the other she-cat's face before answering, "That is Drucila, Katerina. Wasn't she beautiful?"

Katerina responded as she looked at the photo that contained both Tina and Drucila dressed in their formal uniforms, "Yes she was Tina." She couldn't deny that Drucila was attractive and she couldn't help but feel jealous at the way Tina touched and looked at the image of her late lover.

Tina pulled her hand away from the photo and noticed a change in Katerina. She grasped Katerina's paw again and said, "If it were not for Dru, I don't know if I even would have believed love was possible for someone like me. You are the she-cat that I am madly in love with, not Dru. Yes, I loved her at one time. However, she is gone." Tina turned to face Katerina, laid her head on Katerina's chest, then said, "I love you, Katerina, and you alone. I want to marry you, adopt a kitten or two, and live out our lives in the house you just bought."

Katerina wrapped her arms around Tina, let a tear escape her right eye, then said, "I love you, too, Tina, and I want those things, too. I guess I am slightly jealous of Drucila, since she had your heart first."

"You have nothing to be jealous of, Katerina. Yes, Dru was special to me, although I was young at the time and thought I knew what real love was. I did love Drucila, but not as much as I love you, Katerina. Just being with you sets my heart a-flutter, and I feel warm from head to toe. I didn't feel that when I was with Dru. Yes, we had amazing sex together, and she taught me how to please another female in ways I never thought possible. But when we make love, Katerina, it feels so much better. We become one, body and soul. It's like I can sense exactly what you are feeling in that moment, and I hope you have the same experience, Katerina." Tina pulled back and said, "You are my soulmate, Katerina. You are the one I want to raise a family with, and you are the one I want to be by my side for the rest of my life. Yours is the face I want to see when I fall asleep at night, and wake up in the morning. Yours alone." Tina pulled out of their embrace without releasing Katerina's paw from hers, and then said, "Come on, love. I can't wait for you to meet Mom. She is going to love you, I promise."

They walked into the kitchen where they found a she-cat with wavy, chest-length grey hair standing at the counter. She was wearing a pair of form-fitting jeans and a red shirt, which showed off her shapely upper body. She seemed to be enjoying what she was doing, if the movements of her tail and her humming in time were any indication.

Tina let go of Katerina's paw and ran over to the she-cat as she yelled, "Mom!"

The she-cat stopped what she was doing, turned around just in time to see her daughter running towards her at full speed, and opened her arms to embrace the furry blur.

Tina crashed into her mother and grasped onto her tightly. She then asked though a purr, "How have you been, Mom?"

Tina's mother purred as she held onto her daughter, savoring the moment before eventually answering, "I'm fine, Tina, and enjoying my early retirement. Now, who is your friend?"

Tina let go of her mother, went back to Katerina's side, grasped her paw, and replied, "Mom, this is Katerina Belikov. She is going to be my partner at the academy, as well as my partner in life. I'm engaged to marry her, Mom!"

Tina's mother looked over the taller blonde she-cat who had her fingers intertwined with Tina's. She planted her paws on her now cocked hips as her grey-furred tail swished. Tina's mother then asked, "Are you ready to marry an ocelot-lynx hybrid, Katerina? Tina can really be a wild cat when she wants to be."

Katerina snickered at Tina's mother's remarks. She then cinched her hold on Tina and replied, "I have seen how wild your daughter can get, Mrs. Cassidy, yet I still love her and want to spend my life with her by my side."

Tina's mother relaxed her posture, then ran over to them and hugged them both at once. She let a deep purr escape her throat and said, "In that case, welcome to the family, Katerina, and please call me Meridyth, or if you prefer, Mom."

That was exactly what Katerina wanted: to be accepted into Tina's family and be able to call Tina's mother "Mom". She wrapped her right arm around Meridyth and said, "Thank you, Mom. You have no idea how much it means to me to be able to call you that."

While the females were embracing in the kitchen, Tina's father came up from the basement where he had set up his own, personal gym. He was wearing a pair of red shorts, ankle height socks, and a pair of sneakers. Beads of sweat adorned his brow, his large, muscular chest, and his eight-pack of abs. His short brown hair was disheveled from his workout. He noticed his wife and daughter in a tight embrace with a tall blonde she-cat that he did not know and said, "Well, this is an interesting sight to behold. Three beautiful she-cats embracing each other in my kitchen."

Tina heard her father's deep baritone voice behind her, withdrew from the group hug, and ran to her father.

Tina's father crouched down just enough to capture his loving daughter in his strong arms. His arms encircled Tina's entire body, then he stood up to his full height with no intention of letting her go. Tina's father kissed her right cheek, then said, "I love you, my daughter, and do you know what? I miss having you in my arms. This is just like old times when you lived at home and would come running to me for anything, no matter how small."

Tina loved her father and she especially loved being held so close to him, where she could feel his heart beating with all the love he felt for her. "Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. I am fully capable of taking care of myself. Can you put me down, please?" Tina asked as her feet dangled in the air by a good two feet.

"Nope," Tina's father replied. "Even though you are all grown up, and are more than capable of taking care of yourself, you are still my little girl, and when I get the chance to, I'm going to hold you in these big arms of mine for as long as possible."

Tina lifted her head away from her father and looked him squarely in the face. She looked at his adorable markings, and then the grin that reminded her of Mark's. She thought, 'My father and Mark are so similar, I sort of feel sorry for Mark and Lisa's kittens. They are going to have to deal with a father who is going to love them to death, and is not afraid to show how he feels in front of anyone and everyone.' She then said to her father, "Dad, with your strength, you could hold me like this for weeks and not get tired. As much as I love it when you hold me, please put me down."

"Really, Tina? You think I could hold you in my arms for weeks? Hmm. I might have to try that out. Although your mother might not like having you in bed with us. She can still get quite frisky when she wants," Tina's father said.

Meridyth heard what her husband said to her daughter, and her face turned bright red. She then grabbed the nearest towel and snapped it at his exposed right thigh. "I'm frisky, Gary? You just bought yourself three nights on the couch!"

Gary felt the sting of the towel against his skin, and he dropped Tina to massage the pain away with his paws.

Tina gracefully fell to the floor and landed with her legs spread open, using her knees as springs to absorb the shock as she heard her father cry, "That stung, dear! I thought you had more class than to whip me with a dish towel?"

"And I thought you had better manners than to discuss what happens in our private quarters with our daughter and her fiancée," Meridyth said.

Gary bolted upright and asked, "Fiancée? Our daughter is getting married? To whom?"

"To me. I'm Katerina Belikov, Tina's training partner, as well as her fiancée. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cassidy," Katerina said as she extended her paw to him.

Gary looked at Katerina and saw how beautiful she was. He also noticed the graceful way she moved, and the feminine muscle tone of her arms and legs. "You want to marry my daughter?" Gary asked. "I don't recall you formally asking us to marry her."

Katerina withdrew her paw and asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy, I fell in love with Tina almost at first sight. We love each other to no end, just like you two do, and we can't live without each other. May I please have your daughter's paw in marriage?"

Gary saw the love for his daughter in Katerina's eyes, and heard the sincerity in her voice as she asked for Tina's paw. But being the prankster he was, giving her a straight "yes" wasn't an option. He responded, "You may not have her paw."

Katerina's face fell when she heard Gary's response to her question.

"That is, until you give me a hug, Katerina," Gary then said before a smile crept across his face.

She ran over to Tina's father just like Tina had, and hugged him with every ounce of strength she possessed.

Gary returned her embrace, rubbed her back, and said, "Welcome to the family, daughter."

Katerina purred, then said, "I have a family to call my own again."

"You certainly do, Katerina," Gary responded. He pulled back from their hug and said, "This calls for a celebratory dinner! Meridyth is an excellent cook, and since this is a special occasion, I'm sure she could whip up something." He turned his head to his wife and asked, "Right, dear?"

"Niet," Katerina said. "My new mother does not need to cook for us tonight. If my new father wants a celebratory dinner, then his daughters shall make a dinner like no other. Da MOY SLAV-neey ka-TYO-nak?"

The Cassidys all looked at each other, since they had no idea what Katerina just said. Tina went over to Katerina, caressed her cheek, and asked, "What you just called me sounded so sexy, and I loved it. Now please tell me what you said."

Katerina purred and then replied, "It means 'my sweet kitten', Tina."

Tina stood on her toes, leaned in for a kiss, and just before her lips touched hers, she said, "Wait until we are alone tonight, Kat. I'll show you what this kitten can do to make a she-cat purr." She then kissed Katerina.

Gary and Meridyth watched as Tina and Katerina kissed, then Gary said to Meridyth, "Remind me of that phrase the next time we make love. Considering it made Tina kiss Katerina so thoroughly, I wonder what you would do, dear."

Meridyth removed her husband's arm from her, then said, "Well, you are going to have to wait a long time to find out, Gary. Remember, you are riding the couch for the next three days." She then walked out of the kitchen with her tail held high.

End of Chapter