Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Sorry for the delay, too much stuff going on at home prevented me from posting.
My Co-Author posted two more chapters of Two-Plus-Two this morning. Go and read them!
The early dinner at the Cassidys' went off without a hitch. As Tina expected, her father and mother were quite famished after their afternoon activities.
Meridyth wiped her mouth, rubbed her belly, and said, "I haven't eaten that well in a very long time." She then turned her head to Katerina and said, "If continue feeding me like that, I am going to weigh over two hundred pounds."
Katerina smiled at her new mother's comments and said, "I'm glad you liked it, Mom. However, what I made was not loaded with calories. True, you ate more than I expected for such a slender she-cat, but the amount of calories you ingested tonight was no more than you would find at a decent restaurant. I actually prepare my meals to be quite healthy and full of vitamins. I wouldn't be surprised if you feel great in the morning, instead of bloated from eating the amount of food you did."
"That's good to know, Katerina. I work very hard to maintain my girlish figure, and I want to stay in shape so I can keep up with my husband when he works out," Meridyth said.
Gary was finishing his glass of wine when he overheard his wife. He put the glass down and said, "Dear, you keep up with me very well, and as far as your smoking hot body, let me keep an eye on it for you."
Tina choked on a small piece of chicken she was eating when she heard her father's comment about her mother's body. She quickly took a sip of her water, turned her head towards her father, and said, "Dad! Katerina and I don't need to hear about Mom's 'smoking hot body' as you called it!"
"Oh come on, Tina. You can't deny that your mother is quite beautiful and has a body that rivals she-cats half her age," Gary said.
"Only half my age, dear?" Meridyth asked.
Gary didn't want to end up sleeping on the couch as she had promised before they had made up so passionately an hour ago. He responded, "Meridyth, you have a body and mind that makes me purr every time I see you, and yes, you can hold your own against any she-cat out there in a beauty contest and win, paws down. The only other she-cat that might run you competition is our daughter. She inherited your intelligence, your wisdom, as well as your beauty. The only thing she got from me is my fur coloring and markings. When I look at my gorgeous daughter, I only see you looking back at me, my ever loving wife."
Meridyth got out of her seat, made her way over to Gary, pulled his chair out, and sat in his lap. She then rested her head on his left shoulder, and let out a content purr while her fluffy tail Gary under the chin. "I love you, Gary, and I always will."
Gary wrapped his strong arms around his wife's waist, rested his head against hers, and said, "I love you, too, my ever-so-sexy wife."
Tina knew her parents loved each other, but seeing them display their love in front of her and her fiancée was a little too much for her to handle. She got up from the table, grabbed her plate to clear it, and said, "Kat, please help me clear the table and give my parents some more alone time."
"Of course," Katerina responded as she stood and cleared her place setting.
They both entered the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink. Katerina then said, "Your parents really do love each other."
"Yes, they do, to the point of embarrassment, though. They can't go anywhere without sneaking in a tiny little kiss or snuggling up with each other," Tina said as she started washing the dishes.
"So what if they kiss out in public, Tina?" Katerina asked. "Unlike most married couples I have seen, they are still truly and deeply in love with each other. I personally think it's adorable. Don't you want me to kiss you like your father kisses your mother when they are out?"
Tina stopped doing the dishes and wrapped her arms around Katerina. She then said, "Yes, I do, Katerina. I want you to kiss me whenever you feel like it! I want the world to know how much I love you and you love me."
"So is there a difference then between us and your parents, then, Tina?" Katerina asked. "They want to show that they still love each other very much, and I find there is nothing wrong with that. Your father does push the boundaries a little, but he loves your mother none the less."
"You are right, Katerina," Tina said. "There is no difference between us and my parents. We love our significant others to no end, and are not ashamed to show our love anytime or anywhere." As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled Katerina back towards the dining room and said, "Let's get the rest of the table cleared so we can have that cake my Dad bought. It's my mother's favorite, and she is going to love it!"
They entered the dining room, and when Tina turned around to face the table, she saw her parents in a passionate lip-lock with her mother's arms wrapped around her father's neck, and her father's paws on her mother's ass.
"Really, Dad!" Tina exclaimed.
"So what you are telling me is you and your five-hundred-year-old grandmother are sorceresses, and my daughter has a pet dragon? You have got to be pulling my leg," Sally said before she took a drink of water.
Callie took the empty glass from Sally, then said, "That's correct, Sally. Despite her youthful looks, Callista was the queen of these lands over four hundred years ago, and Sarah has a pet dragon that appears to be maturing faster than we all thought possible."
"That can't be possible, Callie. What you are telling me sounds like one of my daughter's fairy tales that my husband reads to her every night," Sally said.
"I thought the same thing, Sally, until Sparkplug here lit up my apartment by making her paw glow," Felina said.
Callie scrunched up her face, turned her head to face Felina, and said, "Again with the 'Sparkplug'? When are you going to let that nickname die?"
"But it suits you so well, Callie," Felina said as she leaned back against Sally's sewing table and crossed her arms and legs.
"You are so lucky that I love you, Felina, or I might be tempted to turn you into a frog; a big ugly one with warts!" Callie said.
Sally had to let out a chuckle as the two best friends bantered about a silly nickname. She then said, "Magic and sorcery don't exist, or at least, I don't think they do. What I do know is ever since Sarah first met you all, she has changed for the better. She is making friends and being the loving kitten I knew she could be."
"Sarah is so easy to fall in love with, Sally. You really have a great daughter," Callie said.
"I agree with Sparkplug. Sarah is one sweet little girl. You should have seen her face when she was flying on Persival's back yesterday, or when she was building a sandcastle with Mark and Tina. She looked like she was having the time of her life," Felina said.
"What, or who, the heck is Persival, and why was Sarah flying on his back?" Sally asked.
"Persival has been my grandmother's protector and guardian for years, Sally. Let me see if I can describe him for you. He is a large puma with white, feathery wings. Not to mention, one of the sweetest souls you will ever meet. You know, just describing Persival doesn't do him justice. Why don't I let you see him for yourself?" Callie asked. She turned her head towards a blank wall and decided to try using her powers to project an image of Persival onto it. "Sally, please focus on the empty wall to your left," Callie said, then she quickly raised her right arm, pointed to the wall, and focused on the image of Persival she had drawn in the privacy of her own mind.
A small cloud formed in front of the wall, and after a few seconds, a blurry image appeared in the center of the cloud. About a minute ticked by as the image came into focus and revealed Persival snuggling up to Isis on Callie's rear porch.
"Is that Persival?" Sally asked as her eyes focused on the black puma affectionately nuzzling a white jaguar.
"Yes, that's him. Persival may look big and scary, but he's a big pussycat at heart, and wouldn't hurt a soul," Callie said.
Sally's eyes traveled down Persival's body and settled on his large wings. She then asked, "Are those wings real?"
"Yes, they are," Callie answered. "Sarah couldn't get to sleep last night, so she ended up curling next to him. When I found her this morning, Persival had her underneath his left wing to keep her warm."
"Wow, my daughter has made some strange friends," Sally said.
"We might be a strange bunch, Sally, but we all love and care for Sarah. She has even started to call us brothers and sisters," Felina said.
Sally turned to her and said, "She must really love you to call you that. Can you help me up? I want to see my daughter."
Felina and Callie helped Sally up from the floor, then Callie said, "I'll have to call Chance and see if they are still at the park. Knowing him, he took her to get some ice cream or something." She pulled her phone out of her purse and called Chance.
Felicia, Chance, and Yoso were giving the new space a good looking over when Chance's phone started to ring. He retrieved the phone from his pants pocket and answered, "Hey Callie, how's Sally doing?"
"She is fine, Chance, but she wants to see Sarah. Where are you?" Callie asked.
"I'm in a vacant store, right next to Felicia's dojo with her and her master. Sarah is back in the dojo with Felicia's master's wife and Inferno," Chance responded.
"Send me the address of the dojo and we will be over shortly," Callie said.
"No need. The dojo is on Fourth and Lex. It's about four blocks from where you are now," Chance said.
"Alright, we will be there shortly. See you soon," Callie said and disconnected the call. She put her phone back in her purse, then said, "Care for a walk? Sarah is at my friend's dojo about four blocks from here."
"I know that place!" Sally said. "Mr. Saito has always been very generous when it came to Sarah's kitten scout troupe. Let's go. I want to see my daughter and her new pet. I wonder exactly how big her dragon is going to get?"
They walked down the streets of the city and over to Lexington before they made a right turn and walked the last few blocks to Felicia's dojo. Felina tried to open the door, but found it locked. She looked inside through the glass door, but could not see anything past the wall just inside the door. Although she did notice Sarah's shoes in a cubby. She then said as she pulled back from the door, "She is in there somewhere. Where did your fiancé say he is?"
"He said he was next door," Callie responded. "I guess that means this store to the right."
They went next door, looked through the large windows, and saw Chance as well as his nurse from the hospital and an older tom they didn't know.
Felina went over to the door, opened it, and motioned for Callie and Sally to enter.
They entered the storefront, and when Callie saw Chance leaning against a railing, she ran over to him and crashed into his large frame, hugging him tight. She then asked, "How was your play date with Sarah?"
Chance hugged her back, kissed her, then answered, "It was fine. Actually, it was more than fine, Callie. I liked spending time with Sarah."
"As much as I want to hear about your time with my daughter, I would like to see her. Where is she?" Sally asked.
"I can help you with that. I'm Felicia, future master of this dojo," Felicia said as she extended her paw to Sally.
Sally took her paw and gave it a firm shake, then said, "The front door is locked and no one seems to be in there."
"My apologies. Why don't we all head upstairs and see what Natsume and Sarah are up to," Felicia suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea, my student," Yoso said as he walked over to them. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to Sally and said, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Sally."
"It's good to see you too, Mr. Saito," Sally said.
"Please call me Yoso, Sally," he said.
"Alright, Yoso. Can we go and see my daughter?" Sally asked.
"Certainly," Yoso said. "She is with my wife right now."
They all left the store, and Felicia locked the front door before she followed them back to the dojo.
"Please remove your shoes before entering the dojo, Sally," Yoso requested.
"Of course, Yoso," Sally said as she removed her shoes and put on a pair of slippers.
After they all had slippers on their feet, they went upstairs and entered the living room.
"I had a feeling this place would be lavish. You and your wife did an excellent job decorating. I feel like I am in Japan with all of the Oriental-inspired artwork," Sally said as she looked around the living room.
"Thank you, Sally," Yoso said. "Every single item was purchased by either Natsume or myself during a special occasion like a date, our honeymoon, or our anniversary. Each one holds a special place in our hearts."
"That is so sweet, Yoso. You must really love Natsume," Sally said.
"More than she knows, Sally," Yoso said, then clapped his paws together and asked, "Shall we go and find Sarah?"
That was when Inferno decided to fly into the room and land on Sally's left shoulder. He twisted around to study her face, then relaxed, leaning into her neck and letting out a coo of contentment.
Sally hesitantly brought her right paw up to pet Inferno, and when her paw touched his head, he brushed his head against her paw and cooed again.
"My, aren't you sweet? As long as you're a good boy, just like this, I suppose she can keep you," Sally said before she turned to Callie and asked, "Since Callista had a dragon as a companion, do you know how big he is going to get?"
"I think I have your answer," Natsume said as she entered the room with Sarah holding her paw.
"Mommy!" Sarah yelled as she broke free of Natsume's grasp and ran to her mother.
Sally crouched down and opened her arms in preparation for her daughter to collide with her.
Mother and daughter eventually embraced, then Sally asked, "Did you give Chance any trouble?"
"No, mommy," Sarah replied, then asked, "Inferno seems to like you, Mommy. Can I keep him?"
Inferno noticed Sarah and left Sally's shoulder, walked down her arm, and up Sarah's to rest and curl up around Sarah's neck. After he was situated, he let out a light purr and a small puff of smoke escaped from his nostrils.
Sally watched as Inferno curled up around her daughter's neck and let his tail drape over her left shoulder. "I guess we can keep him, but how am I going to explain this to your father? He didn't want you to get a fish for a pet, much less a fire-breathing dragon. I have a feeling this will be a very interesting discussion."
"I can vouch for Inferno, if that will help you?" Natsume asked.
Sally turned her head and faced a very elegant looking she-cat wearing a sweatshirt with a green dragon embroidered onto it and said, "You must be Yoso's wife." She let go of Sarah, rose to full height, and said as she extended her paw, "I'm Sally."
Natsume looked questioningly at Sally's paw, then said, "That is not how family members greet each other." She pulled Sally into a firm embrace, then said, "This is much better, don't you agree?"
Sally couldn't deny that she liked being held by Natsume. Sally responded, "I agree, this is much better. As much as I love being held by my husband, being held by you makes me feel like I am being hugged by my own mother."
"I am so happy you feel that way, Sally. I have only known your daughter for a short time, but I have become quite attached to her. If my sons were still alive, I would like to think that their kittens would be just like little Sarah," Natsume said.
Sarah walked over to the two adults and threw her arms around their legs, then said, "I like you, too, Natsume. Can we be friends?"
"Of course, Sarah. You are welcome here any time. Although, Yoso and I are planning on retiring to Hawaii now that Felicia is going to take over for us here at the dojo, so you are going to have to ask her," Natsume said.
"She can come by anytime she wants, Sally," Felicia said. "Our little apprentice needs some training if she is going to kick tail with the rest of us."
"Apprentice? Why are you calling Sarah your apprentice?" Sally asked.
"I think I had better answer that, Felicia," Callie said as she came closer to them.
Sally turned her head to Callie and asked, "I'm obviously missing something here. What is it that I don't know?"
Callie stroked Sarah's hair, and then answered, "I assume you have heard of the SWAT Kats?"
"Of course I have. What do they have to do with Sarah?" Sally asked as she wrapped her right arm protectively around her daughter.
Callie quickly swiped her left arm through the air, leaving a wake of white light behind it. When the light faded, she and the rest of SWAT were changed into their uniforms, including Sarah who was now wearing a light blue jumpsuit with red accents. Empress then said, "Sally, we are the SWAT Kats, and your daughter's code name is 'Apprentice'."
End of Chapter