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

Ok, another chapter without the help of my co-author MisaRae. Not her fault, I went on a writing blitz and just finished this about five minutes ago. I promise, every other chapter from the next forward with have her loving touch.

This one is quite long so please be patient and review!

Callista put on one of her thousand watt smiles before she replied, "I'm not a witch at all Felicia. I am a 500 year old sorceress and a good one too."

Felicia looked Callista in the eyes in disbelief. She did believe Callista was a sorceress. However, she was having an issue with her stating that she was 500 years old. Felicia finally asked after about two minutes of peering into Callista's eyes, "I'm sorry but I don't believe you. How can someone as young as you appear be 500 years old?"

Callista giggled for a second before she replied as she put her right paw on Felicia's shoulder, "My genes keep me young Felicia. I age much slower than a normal cat."

Felicia slapped her paw from her shoulder and then said, "I don't like liars!"

"She is not lying," Callie stated. "My grandmother has never lied before, why would she start now?"

Felicia turned her head to face Callie, then said, "I don't know Callie." She turned her head to face Callista again, then asked, "Why do you feel the need to lie to me and everyone else?"

Callista rested her weight on her right hip, crossed her arms under her chest, then answered with her own question, "What makes you think that I am lying?"

Felicia's eyes traveled up and down Callista's body. Then her arms followed her eyes as she replied, "Just look at you! You could be a contestant in the "Miss MegaKat City" beauty contest and win! If you were truly 500 years old, you would look at least half of that age, right?"

Callista straightened her posture and let her arms fall to her sides. She then said, "You are the second cat to tell me that I would win a beauty contest and I appreciate it. However, I am telling you the truth; I am really 500 years old."

Felicia shook her head then said, "If you are not lying, then tell me your life's story Callista."

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" Callista asked. "If you want the whole story we are going to be here all night and into the morning."

Felicia cocked her hip and twisted her left foot out, showing the inside of her left leg before she answered, "The short version should suffice."

"Alright, why don't you take a seat and listen closely," Callista said.

Felicia walked over to the couch and took a seat next to Mark.

Mark's eyes wandered over Felicia as she crossed her legs.

Lisa noticed the way Mark was looking at her new friend. She scowled then slapped the back of her husband's head before she went to stand by Felina and Callie. All three of them were shooting death glares at Mark.

Mark was rubbing the back of his head as he lifted his gaze to look at his wife and her two friends that didn't look too thrilled with his actions. He then asked, "What did I do to deserve to have three beautiful she-cats looking like they want to kill me?"

"Mark, dear, this isn't the first time you let your eyes wander over Felicia's body," Lisa said. "What does she have that I don't?"

"This again?" Mark asked. "Lisa, Felicia is very good looking, especially when she is dressed like this. A tom would have to be dead or blind not to look at her. Lisa, I love you and you alone. I would never stray from you ever no matter how gorgeous that she-cat is."

"Do you really mean that Mark?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, I do Lisa," Mark answered. "I meant every word when I recited my vows to you. My heart and body belongs to you for the rest of our lives and I will not be swayed by another."

Lisa left Felina and Callie's side and walked over to her husband. She then grabbed his right ear then said, "Good, because if I catch you with another she-cat, you will not be able to father another kitten ever again, if you get my drift, dear."

Mark knew Lisa was a she-cat of her words and would do exactly as she said. After he winced in pain, he replied, "I completely understand Lisa."

Lisa let go of his ear, then kissed it to make it feel better as if Mark was a kitten who needed comforting. She then sat in his lap with her legs draped over his before said, "Kiss me."

Mark lifted his head to face his wife, then said, "As you command," before he kissed her.

Felicia watched as Mark kissed Lisa. Then she heard a loud moan emanate from one of the bedrooms. She turned her head towards the hall that led towards the bedrooms, then asked, "Is there someone else here?"

Felina's head drooped forward then she said, "Ugh." She lifted her head and turned it towards the bedrooms before she said, "In there are Tina and Katerina. They are engaged to marry and very amorous towards each other." Felina slowly turned her head back towards Felicia before she asked, "I hope you don't have a bias towards couples of the same gender?"

"My parents raised me better than that," Felicia said. "Love overcomes all boundaries, including gender."

Another moan was heard and they all turned towards the bedrooms before they all started laughing.

Felicia stopped laughing and turned back to Callista before she said, "I still want to hear your story."

Callista regained her composure, straightened her hair, then said, "Alright Felicia. I was born in the Dark Ages to a pair of normal cats. They were the best parents that a girl could ever want. Then I started to mature and my powers started to emerge. The villagers also took notice of my abilities and the rumors of my magic spread like wild fire through the kingdom. A few years passed and my powers grew. However, I had no one to teach me how to control them. I became nervous being around others, fearing that my powers would accidentally turn someone into a frog or worse. I was sitting on the fountain in the square reading a book to a small group of kittens when a group of soldiers marched into the village. I was as stunned as the rest of the village when they surrounded the fountain and the Sergeant in Arms separated herself from the group of the soldiers. She walked straight to me and knelt on a single knee before she said, 'Your majesty, I am here to take you to the palace.' I knew there must be some mistake because I was not a member of the royal family and had no right being in the palace, except as a jester. I responded, 'You must be mistaken, I'm not royalty, just a common girl who is trying to fit in.'

"Nonsense your majesty," she responded before she said, 'The council has heard of your abilities and have elected you to be the new queen.' I quickly stood up and ran from the fountain towards my home. I entered my house and went to look for my mother. I found her in my room, packing my belongings in a sack wearing a long face. I went to her and hugged her tightly before I asked her why she was packing my stuff. That was when the Sergeant entered my room and took my paw in hers. She said, 'I know this has to be very scary for you, especially at such a young age but you have been chosen to be the queen.'

"I grasped my mother tighter before I said, 'I can't be your queen! I'm just a normal girl, er sort of.'

"The Sergeant chuckled before she said, 'That is why you are going to make the perfect queen. Between your youth, your zest for life, and your powers, you are going to make this land flourish under your leadership.'

'But I have no idea how to be a queen,' I said.

'You will learn and I will guide you. Please call me Amelia,' the Sergeant said as a smile crossed her face.'

"Time passed and I started to become more comfortable in my role as the queen, especially with Amelia by my side. We became fast friends and were inseparable. One night there was to be a grand ball to be held for my coronation, where I was to meet a prince who was supposed to sweep me off of my feet. Well, things didn't go as the council planned. I was coroneted as queen in a lavish ceremony where I was wearing this long elegant gown I never imagined myself wearing. Although I do admit, I looked gorgeous. I entered the ballroom escorted by my best friend Amelia. She led me to this prince from a neighboring kingdom. He took one look at me and I could see that he was interested in what he saw. The prince bowed to me and kissed my paw before he led me to the dance floor. However, before he got too far, Amelia grabbed hold of his arm and whispered something into his ear. The prince gulped and continued to lead me to the center of the dance floor. He lifted my left paw high into the air while his right paw found its place on my lower back. The music soon started and we danced. I quickly discovered that the prince had two left feet that were quite heavy on mine. I took a quick look at Amelia and noticed her chuckling as she stood in line with the rest of the guards. I removed my right paw from the prince's shoulder and pointed my finger at my best friend before giving it a wiggle. Amelia was not giggling anymore as a small rain cloud formed over her head and started to rain on her. She scowled and shot me a dirty look before she confidently walked out on the dance floor. I knew I was in trouble with her, but I didn't care. Until, she grasped my arm and led me away from the prince. As soon as we were alone, she pulled me into a tight bear hug, soaking my gown."

"She must have been furious with you for soaking her with your little rain cloud," Felicia said.

"Hardly," Callista said. "She pulled back from her hug then said, 'You should know by now, I don't get mad, I get even!' She walked away leaving me dripping wet. I could not help but to laugh. Amelia was my best friend and I knew she would be until the end of time. For her, that came way too early. I watched her get married to one of the captains of the guard and she could not have been happier. Seeing her walking down the aisle and watching her future husband who normally was a rock of courage, shaking like a leaf from nervousness. I leaned over to him and whispered to him, 'She loves you to no end. You have nothing to be worried about, except for maybe tonight when you spend your first night together as husband and wife.' That little line made him blush deeper than a tomato. I married them and gave them a very lavish reception. A few months later, a neighboring kingdom decided to attack. Amelia and her husband led the guard into battle. I monitored the battle from afar. Although, when the casualties started to rise, I left the castle against Amelia's request and went to help out in the infirmary in any way I could. Unfortunately, I was too late to help some of my soldiers. I had to watch them pass right in front of my eyes. What I didn't know was Amelia and her husband was mortally wounded during the battle. They died holding each other's paw." After she finish speaking a tear left her eye.

Callista wiped the tear away with her right paw, then said, "Over three hundred years past and my kingdom was dissolved. The castle I loved was taken down and shipped off to England where it stands today. However, since I was the queen, I was allowed to maintain the rights to the property that once was my kingdom. I sold just enough to have a very comfortable but not extravagant lifestyle. Another hundred years past and I met the first love of my life. Ulysses came to my antiques shop wearing his letterman's jacket and looking very dapper. I saw he was interested in me so, I decided to take things to a new level. I climbed a ladder in order to get something off of a high shelf in order to give him a better look at my legs. I slipped and he caught me then kissed me out of the blue. Of course, I kissed him back and after a minute, he pulled back and ran from my shop with his tail between his legs."

"Wait a minute!" Ulysses said. "My tail was not in between my legs!"

Callista turned to Ulysses and said, "No? Dear, you ran out of my shop faster than I have ever seen and yes, your tail was firmly between your legs. Now, where was I. Oh yes! Ulysses was bitten by the love bug but he was afraid to face me. I saw him looking in my front window several times a day, but never daring to enter. Well, I have had enough. On a cold and rainy day, I caught him looking in my window again and decided to act. I left my shop from a rear door and snuck up on him. I tapped him on the shoulder and boy was he surprised. Then I noticed he was almost shivering from the cold. So I conjured up a mug of hot chocolate and handed it to him. I confronted him and asked him why he didn't have the courage to face me after he kissed me for the first time. Ulysses couldn't contain himself anymore. He swept me up in his arms and kissed me again. We dated for a few months, then he received his orders to be shipped overseas to serve in the military. He asked me to come with him, but I couldn't. I walked away wanting to turn around and run back to him. Time passed and I met the second love of my life. Steven didn't care that I was a sorceress or semi-immortal. He just loved me for being me. We were married and a few months later and had a daughter. I loved being a mother more than anything. I especially loved holding my daughter in my arms and watching every little expression her tiny face made. As Serena aged, Steven and I tried again for another child, but it wasn't meant to be. Both he and I made the best life for Serena as we possibly could. Just before she became a teenager, Steven had an unexpected heart attack and died. We both were devastated. His death put a strain on our relationship that we could never get past. As she aged, her abilities started to rise to the surface. Serena started begging me to seal her powers so she could be a normal teenager and be with her friends. I refused at first and told her that her powers were only part of the beautiful girl she was but she wouldn't hear of it. One day, she came home and demanded I sealed her abilities or she was going to have another sorcerer do it. I reluctantly did what she asked and in turn, I lost my daughter." Callsita rubbed her throat with her left paw, turned her head to face Felina, and asked, "May I have some water please Felina?"

Felina replied, "Alright, unless you would like some tea instead?"

Callista's face brightened just a hair before she said, "Tea would be nice, thank you."

"You're welcome Callsita, please give me a minute," Felina said before she turned to Jake and asked, "Care to give me a paw?"

Jake rose from his seat next to Chance on the couch, went to his future wife, then said, "I'm all yours."

They left the living room and went into the kitchen to make tea for everyone.

Felicia wiped a tear from her eye with her right paw before she asked, "Why did your daughter become so distant when she was younger, you both obviously loved each other very much?"

"The short answer is, she was a teenager and being popular was more important to her than her own family. I always thought Serena would come around and return to be the loving daughter I once had, but she didn't. She graduated high school and moved out of my apartment and my life altogether. I was almost alone again except I had a very large, winged, and cuddly ball of fluff to keep me company," Callista replied.

"You mean Persival?" Mark asked.

Callista whipped her head around to face Mark and Lisa. She quickly noticed that sometime during her telling her story, Lisa climbed into Mark's lap and had her paws around his neck while his were high on her thighs. She smirked, then said, "I'm sure that Felina and Jake wouldn't mind if you two used their room if you wanted to."

Mark quickly moved his paws lower on her thighs and gave Callista a censuring look.

Callista giggled then said, "No, Persival wasn't even born yet. My companion was his father. His name was Gabriel. If you all thought Persival was large, you should have seen Gabriel. Imagine Persival with an extra sixty pounds of muscle and another eight to ten inches in height."

"Persival?" Felicia asked. "What type of cat is Persival?"

"Persival is Callie's familiar and guardian," Callista replied. "He was born to protect and guide the next generation of my family."

"Wow! Can I see him?" Felicia asked.

"I think Callie can arrange that," Callista said before she turned her head to face her granddaughter and asked, "Right, Callie?"

"I have never conjured up an image before Callista, I'm not sure if I can do it," Callie said.

Callista walked over to her, put her paws on Callie's shoulders, then asked, "Why are you doubting your abilities Callie? I feel your power deep within your body and from what I sense, your powers surpass mine. Don't question what you can't do Callie, question why you are afraid to try."

Callie lowered her gaze to the floor for a minute, then brought it back up to meet Callista's. She confidently said, "Alright!" Callie turned her head to face Felicia and said, "You wanted to see Persival? Well, this is what he looks like." Callie raised her arms into the air just like Callista did earlier and concentrated on Persival's form.

Another cloud of mist formed next to the first one and in the center of the cloud, a fuzzy image started to take shape.

Callie concentrated harder and the image came into focus. In the center of the image was Persival. Just below him was Isis and apparently, they both decided since the house was vacant, they would solidify Isis' pregnancy.

Everyone watched as nature took its course as the couples took each other's paws and gave them an affectionate squeeze, when Jake and Felina emerged from the kitchen. Jake was carrying a tray with a large pot of boiling water, a box containing several different types of teas, and cups of different sizes and shapes. Felina then said, "I wasn't sure what type of tea everyone wanted, so I brought out a variety of.." The image of Persival mating Isis caught her eye, then she cheered, "You go Persival!"

Everyone turned to look at Felina and after she noticed everyone looking at her, she folded her arms under her chest and asked, "What? Can't I be happy for Callie's companion that he is making sure he is going to be a father?"

"Dear, what they are doing is quite private and we really shouldn't be spying on them," Jake said. "I do agree they are going to make great parents to their cubs but I really don't need to see two of my friends getting caught in the act."

"Oh come on Jake!" Felina exclaimed. "You know we saw worse during those lousy health classes back in school."

"Yes we did Felina," Jake agreed before he grasped her paw and said, "However; they weren't our friends on the screen performing for us. Do you want to see Callie and Chance making love on our flat screen?"

Felina turned to Callie and asked, "Would you do that for me?"

Callie's mouth dropped open in response to Felina's question before she made the image disappear and respond, "NO WAY!"

"Aw come on Callie," Felina said. "Didn't you ever want to be an exhibitionist?" She crossed the room and wrapped her left arm around Callie's shoulders, then said "It will be just between us friends. No one else will see it. I'll do you one better. If you and Chance make a little video for me, I'll make a little video for you. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Callie remove Felina's arm from her, then answered, "There is something not quite right with you Felina but I love you anyway."

Felina closed the distance between them, grabbed Callie around the waist, and leaned in before she said, "Come on, give me a kiss."

Callie elbowed Felina in the side, forcing her to let go, and walk away from her.

Felina followed right along behind Callie, begging for a kiss.

After Callie entered Felina's bedroom and tried to slam the door behind her before Felina could follow her, Felina stuck her foot into the door jam, stopping the door from closing. She entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Felicia watched the two supposed best friends enter Felina's bedroom, before she asked, "Is Callie going to be alright being alone with her?"

"I'll go and referee," Chance said as he got off of the couch and headed towards the bedroom.

"Now that's over," Callista said as she rubbed her temples. "The next time I saw Serena, she told me that she was married and was pregnant. I was not only shocked, but thrilled that my daughter was back in my life again. We began to repair our relationship and with time, became close. A few months later, Serena was working right alongside me in my shop when she doubled over in pain. I ran to her as fast as I possibly could, prepared to cast a healing spell to stop the pain. That was when I discovered I was about to become a grandmother. My daughter was about to go into labor! I teleported both of us to the alley to the left of the hospital and walked her towards the ER entrance. Once she was situated and on her way to the delivery room, I borrowed a phone and called her husband. He arrived just in time to see his daughter being born. After she was born and Serena was able to hold her daughter for the first time, she called me into the delivery room and let me hold my granddaughter. Holding her felt so right, I almost wanted to not give her back to her parents. Then she opened her eyes and looked into mine. That was when I saw the sparks in her eyes, telling me that my granddaughter was blessed with the family gift. I looked at my daughter and her husband and I quickly decided that I wasn't going to tell them their daughter was a sorceress."

Lisa stopped nuzzling Mark's neck long enough to turn her head towards Callista, then asked, "Why didn't you want to keep something like that from her parents? Didn't they have the right to know what their daughter might be capable of and wouldn't Serena want to carry on the family legacy?"

"I wanted to make sure that my granddaughter was able to have a say in her own life Lisa. If I had told Serena her baby daughter had the family gift, she would have insisted I sealed her powers away,"Callista said as she looked towards the bedroom which held her granddaughter.

"That's horrible!" Lisa said. "If my child was born with special abilities, I would want him or her to be able to make their own decisions about their life."

"That is the exact reason I didn't tell Serena," Callista said. "I told you we were more alike that you thought. Since Callie's parents had to work, they relied on me to watch her during the day. That allowed me to bond with Callie. I loved spending time with my granddaughter and she loved spending time with me. Callie was about three when I first introduced her to Persival. She was so small and so was Persival. If I remember correctly, he was about two to three months old. He could barely walk and his wings were so small that they couldn't keep a fly aloft. However, they bonded instantly and while Callie was in my care, they were inseparable. Seeing the two of them cuddled up together when nap time came around is something I will never forget. She would hold him and cuddle the poor puma like a baby and he let her. Years past and Callie grew into a beautiful teenager." She then scowled before she said, "That was when I started receiving letters asking me to join The Society. I had no idea who or what they were, so I threw the letters away and paid them no mind. I short time later, I received a letter stating that my abstinence to their requests was not appreciated and they were going to have to get more aggressive. The letter continued by stating that if I didn't comply with their request, they were going to have to do something drastic. They dared to threaten my family! That was something I would not allow to happen, period! I called my daughter and met with her in my shop. After I showed her the letter, we came up with a plan that would keep them away from my family permanently. Despite knowing our decision was going to devastate Callie. I was going to fake my own death for the sake of my family. I feigned getting severely ill and put myself on bed rest stating to Callie that it was just a case of exhaustion. She still came by every day to sit with me and make sure I was comfortable the best she could. After about a week, I cast a spell to make it appear that my heart had stopped and I stopped breathing. I closed my eyes and waited for Callie's normal visit. She showed up right on schedule and found me. Callie shrieked and cried wanting me to come back to her, but I couldn't. It pained me beyond death itself to hurt her the way that I did. However, if I didn't die, she and the rest of my family would have been placed in danger. I was carried away by a few actors and the last thing I heard before the doors to the ambulance close was Callie's hysterical crying. I think that is enough for today Felicia. Care to hear Jake's plan?"

"Sure, just as long as you tell me exactly how steamy that prince actually was," Felicia said.

Callista couldn't help but to laugh at Felicia's request then said, "Alright, you have a deal. You have to listen to Jake's plan first and make and comments that you see fit and then, I will tell you exactly how steamy the princes were that courted me and I promise you Felicia, every one of them had bodies very similar to Mark's."

As Jake explained his plan to Felicia, just outside of Callie and Felina's building, three cats stood on the corner looking up at the building. One of the females had a long braid that fell to her lower back, the other had a head of a jaguar, and the male had a long blonde ponytail. The female with the braid turned to the others and said, "Your daughter's friends and her fiancé will keep her safe during her time of need. I told you that you had nothing to worry about my lords."

The male looked down at the female and said, "That may be true Amelia. However, if this David touches one hair on my daughter's head, by my father, he will feel my wrath and I promise it will not be pleasant in the least!"

"Ptah, please calm down," Bast said to her husband. "Our fathers to not know we have come to the land of the living and I prefer to keep it that way. They both love their granddaughter and will do anything in their power to keep her from harm. But their love only goes so far, we both know we broke the rules by coming here and the price for breaking those rules is quite steep."

"You are right, my eternal love," Ptah said as he wrapped his arm around his wife. "Shall we go back before our fathers find out?" He turned to Amelia then said, "You will continue helping Chance heal and watch over your friend. Should you fail, the rest of your afterlife will not be pleasant!"

Amelia put her right fist over her heart and said, "I swear on my life my lord, your daughter and my dearest friend will be protected from all."

A smile crossed Ptah's face then he said, "I expect nothing less from you Amelia." Before he and his wife disappeared into nothingness.

Over breakfast, Tim tried his best to explain to Candice's family why she was in the pool without any clothing on.

Although none of them were angry at them for that minor infraction after Tim explained in grave detail how he truly felt about Candice.

"So, you love my daughter enough to tell her that you want to marry her, eventually Tim," Sasha said before she took a sip of her coffee. Then she asked, "So why not ask for her paw now if you feel that strongly?"

"As I explained far too many times Sasha, I do love Candice. However, we have only known each other for such a short time. I want our bond to grow stronger before I ask her to marry me," Tim replied.

"Tim, as soon as I saw Sasha for the first time, I knew she was the one for me," Jean said. "I asked her to move in after a few weeks and asked for her paw in marriage a few months later. I understand why you want to let your bond get stronger. But the heart has its own plans and when it finds what it wants, time no longer matters. Do you understand Tim?"

"I understand completely Jean," Tim replied as he grasped Candice's paw and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

Candice leaned over and kissed Tim's cheek before she said, "Mom, Dad, and Grandma. As much as Tim and I want to stay here for the rest of the day, we have to head back to the city. I have work in the morning and Tim has to keep his eyes on me at all times."

Tim smiled back at Candice and returned her kiss to her cheek before he said, "Candice is right, we do need to head back to the city." He turned his head to his new family and said, "I really appreciate all of you making me feel welcome, especially you Leona. I wish Lionel was still alive, I would have loved to have met him and proved to him that I truly love his granddaughter. I would have loved to have him approve of our relationship."

Leona rose from her seat and went over to Tim. She looked him directly in the eyes before she hugged him tight and said, "Lionel would have given you his blessing Tim. As I mentioned before, I see so much of my husband in you." She then lifted her head to his ear, then whispered, "No great-grandcubs before my Candi-cub has a ring on her finger, alright?"

Tim smiled then kissed Leona's cheek before he said, "I promise Leona but I also promise, you won't have to wait too long before you are able to hold a cub in your arms again."

Leona let him go then said, "Promise me Tim, you will take care of her for the rest of your life."

Tim looked at her then back at the she-cat that has captivated every fiber of his being. He turned back to Leona and replied, "I swear, I will love her for all eternity."

Jean walked over to Tim, slapped his left paw onto Tim's right shoulder, and said, "Bon, parce que si vous cause de ma fille et la douleur, je vais utiliser chaque ressource à laquelle je dois m'assurer que vous souffrez. Me faire effacer ?" (Good, because if you cause my daughter and pain, I will use every resource that I have to make sure you suffer. Do I make myself clear?)

"Vous n'avez rien à craindre de Jean, Candice est ma vie et va être ma femme, pour toujours," (You have nothing to worry about Jean, Candice is my life and is going to be my wife, forever.)Tim replied.

"Go on, get out of here and make my daughter happy!" Jean said.

Candice got up out of her seat, hugged and kissed her family, then returned to Tim's side. She then said, "Papa, vous n'a pas besoin de menacer de lui, je sais très bien comment prendre soin de moi et j'ai un très bon sentiment que je n'aurai pas à. Tim va me rend très heureux que mon mari et va adorer nos chatons. C'est une fois que nous les avons." (Dad, you didn't need to threaten him, I know very well how to take care of myself and I have a very good feeling that I won't have to. Tim is going to make me very happy as my husband and is going to love our kittens. That is once we have them.)

Upon hearing his daughter speaking in the language of love, he responded, "Candice, my dear. I know very well Tim is going to love you and your future kittens. However, I am your father and if I didn't try to assert my dominance over Tim, I wouldn't be doing my job." Jean hugged his daughter then said, "Please get home safe."

Candice returned his embrace and said, "I will Dad." She let him go and said to Tim, "Time to leave paradise and head back to the city."

"Alright dear," Tim replied and started to leave the house, holding Candice's paw very tightly. But before he left, Tim turned to Candice's family and said, "Thank you all for this wonderful weekend. I am proud to be able to call every one of you family," then left the house with Candice.

As Tim loaded their suitcase into Candice's car, he looked over at his girlfriend who was looking back at her parent's house as she contemplated everything that occurred over the weekend. He closed the trunk, went to her, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Candice just opened the car's driver's side door, got in, closed the door, and said, "Are you going to get in or are you going to walk back to the city?"

Tim went around to the other side of the car, got in, and closed the door.

Candice already had the car started and as soon as Tim closed the door, she let out the clutch and took off.

They drove in silence for about a half an hour before Candice asked, "Did you really mean what you said back at the house Tim?"

Tim turned his head to face Candice and watched her mane of hair blow in the wind generated from the car's movements. He answered after a few seconds of pondering her question, "Why would you doubt that I want to marry you?"

Candice quickly pulled the car off of the highway, recklessly crossing two lanes of traffic before bringing the car to a halt on the shoulder. She turned her body to face Tim and said, "Why would I doubt everything you said back there? Tim, don't you think things are moving a little too quickly? We only met a few weeks ago and now you have told my family that you want to marry me! Tim, I love you and I know you love me but all of this talk of marriage is over the top."

Tim did the first thing that he thought of to prove to her that he wanted not only marry her; he wanted to be able to love her for the rest of his life. He leaned across the center armrest and captured her lips in a kiss that he poured every ounce of love he felt for her into.

Candice felt his warm lips press against hers and felt something that she had never felt before from just a kiss, true love. She returned his kiss and just like Tim did, she let her love for him flow though her lips and into his body.

Tim pulled back from their shared kiss, looked into the gorgeous eyes of his future bride, and said, "Now you know why I want to marry you Candice. I have fallen so far under the spell you put on me, that I can't possibly find another she-cat that makes me feel the way you do. If you still think this is moving way too fast for you, then I am sorry. However, nothing will ever change the way I feel about you Candice. I want to marry you!"

Candice was still reeling from that kiss he had given her and his proclamation of eternal love and devotion to her and her alone. She turned in her seat and faced the road again before she slipped the car into gear and headed back to her home.

Once again, they rode in complete silence while Candice contemplated everything Tim said to her and made her feel. He had rattled her nerves and she was not comfortable being in this position.

Tim on the other hand was starting to feel like he made the largest mistake of his life. He was not regretting telling her that he loved her in any way, shape, or form because he would be lying to himself and everyone around him if he said otherwise. No, he was regretting telling her that he wanted to marry her when the time was right. Tim kept berating himself in his mind, telling himself, 'How stupid can you be? This she-cat is used to being free and being able to do what she wants, when she wants, without having to worry about anything. And you go and throw the term 'Marriage' right in her face. It's obvious she is not ready for such a step and you blew it, big time. You're lucky she doesn't throw you out of the car.'

Candice pulled into the garage for her building and parked her car. She got out, opened the trunk, and removed her suitcase before slowly walking towards the elevator and waiting for Tim to catch up to her.

Tim followed suit and caught up with her. He desperately wanted to read her mind so he could attempt to figure out what was going through her head, but instead all he noticed was a stoic expression on her face.

They entered the elevator and Candice pushed the button for her floor. They got out of the elevator, walked down the hall to her door, and she opened it with a swipe of her fob.

Once they entered, Candice closed the door, grabbed Tim by his shoulders, and said, "Tim, I feel like a school girl with her first crush again and I don't like it. I am so used to being the one in charge of the relationship that now; I'm not sure what to do anymore. Part of me wants to drive all the way to Vegas and marry you right now. Another part is telling me to break up with you and end this before I get hurt. The last part of me wants to take you to my bedroom and make love to you for the rest of the day and into the evening. So tell me what I should do Tim because I don't know what to do anymore."

"Candice, I meant every word I said at the house and on the way home. I love you and I want to marry you. You make me feel complete and I love that feeling a lot. I don't want to live without you in my life. I want to call you my wife, I want to be there when you give birth to our kittens, and I want to be there for you when you need me. Candice, the past few weeks has taught me that I don't need to be alone anymore and I don't want to be alone, I want to spend the rest of my days, watching the she-cat I fell in love with growing old by my side, watching our kittens grow up and starting their own families, then spoiling our grandkids rotten. I swear, I will love you until the day I die and I will still love you after that. You are going to have to put up with a ghost that is going to steal a kiss as often as I can and sleep with you at night. I love you Candice Thibideau, and I want you to be my wife."

That was the straw that broke Candice's resolve. She crashed her lips to his, slipped her tongue into Tim's mouth, ripped his shirt from his body, then said, "I hope you have some good health insurance Tim, because you have just made this lioness very aroused and if you are still want to marry me when I am done with you, then yes, I will be your wife!"

They kissed again and started to remove each other's clothing as she guided them towards her bedroom. They entered her bedroom just as her paws found the zipper holding his pants closed. She lowered the zipper down, slipped her right paw into his pants, then said after she broke the passionate kiss they were sharing, "I want you Tim! I want you now!"

As soon as his pants were down his legs, she picked him up and threw in on her bed. She leaned forward and kissed him just before she made love to him for the first time.

A few hours later, both Candice and Tim were coming down from a lust driven high. Candice laid next to him on his left. Her head rested on a soft white pillow, her right paw made lazy circles on Tim's chest and abs, while her left leg was nestled between his. She lifted her head, kissed him, then said, "That was amazing. I have not been made love to like that in.. Forever. Is this what it feels like when you are truly in love with the one you are mating with?"

Tim looked into Candice's eyes, kissed her, then answered, "I really don't know, my love. I do know that when I had relations with others, they never made me feel as good as when I made love to you. There is one thing though; we were so driven by lust, that we sort of didn't use anything. As much as I want to give Leona great-grandcubs, I'm sort of not ready to be a father."

"With the amount of times you made love to me, I might be pregnant Tim," Candice said.

Tim's body went rigid as he thought about what she just told him.

Candice felt his mood change. She closed her eyes, let out a light giggle, then said, "Relax, I'm on the pill. Although I was not expecting to have to use it for this particular reason, I have abnormally heavy times of the month. The birth control pill helps with that."

Tim's head hit the pillow as his worries left his body. He then said, "That is a relief Candice. As much as I love you and I want to start a family, I want to spend time alone with you before we start having kittens. I want to be able to show off my beautiful, smart, and sexy wife to my friends and family. So I can make them jealous."

Candice looked into his eyes again, and asked as she grabbed hold of his tomhood, "Tim, are you telling me that if what we just did resulted in me getting pregnant, you wouldn't want the cub? Think about your answer carefully, my claws are as sharp as Leona's as you know."

Tim responded, "Of course I would want the cub Candice! He or she would have been made from our love and I would love him or her for the rest of my life."

Candice started stroking him after she heard his answer, then said, "In that case, care to make your girlfriend purr again?"

Tim rolled over on top of her, nestled himself between her legs, then said, "Yes, I would like to do that." He then kissed her and nibbled on her neck as he made love to her for the sixth time that afternoon.

End of Chapter