Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
This is Part Two of the last chapter.
Mark entered Charlie's still carrying Jasmine and Felina. He crossed from the front door to an empty table on the left wall and put the two ladies down.
"That's one way to travel," Felina said. "You should hire yourself out as a personal assistant Mark, I can guarantee you will have she-cats lined up for miles to be assisted by you."
"She's right Mark," Jasmine said as she sat down. "You are a very handsome tom and with your build, you could have your choice of clientele waiting to get their paws on you."
Mark sat down opposite of the two females then said, "Thank you both. But Lisa is the only one I want to have her paws on my body."
A waitress came over to them wearing a white blouse, black neck tie, and a matching skirt that stopped mid-thigh. She had long brown hair that stopped at just below her shoulders and dark brown fur. She was slightly full-figured but still had curves which attracted toms to her. She set down three coasters in front of them, then said, "Evening, I'm Sharon and I'll be serving you tonight. Can I get you something from the bar while you look over the menus in front of you?"
"Can I have a club soda with lemon please," Felina responded.
"Certainly," Sharon answered and wrote down Felina's order. "And you two?"
"Ladies first," Mark said.
"I'll have a vodka on the rocks," Jasmine said.
"A pint of your best ale please," Mark said.
"Of course," Sharon said as she wrote down their orders. "Please let me know if you have any questions." She walked away with her hips and tail swaying.
The three of them picked up the menus from the table and as they looked over them selections, Felina lowered her menu from her face then said to Jasmine, "You did great out there tonight Jasmine."
Jasmine lowered her menu so she could look Felina in the face, then said, "Thank you Lieutenant."
"Its Felina outside of the office please Jasmine," she said.
"Alright, thank you Felina," Jasmine said.
"You're welcome," Felina responded then asked, "I know you dislike what your parents do but weren't you tempted to follow in their footsteps at all?"
Jasmine put her menu down, then answered, "Yes, I was tempted to work with them and I did one job with them. I was the driver of the car so I never entered the house or touched the stuff they took. But that night when my father gave me my cut and I held all of that cash in my young paws, something inside of me told me what I was doing was wrong. I never went out on another job again."
Sharon returned with a tray balanced on her right paw holding their drink orders. She lowered the tray to rest on the table, picked up the vodka first, and said, "Here you go. Vodka on the rocks for you." She placed the short glass full of ice and clear liquid in front of Jasmine. She then picked up the club soda and placed in front of Felina saying, "Club soda for you miss." And finally she picked up the tall glass full of a dark amber foaming liquid and placed it in front of Mark, then said, "And the ale for you." She placed the tray under her right arm as she stood back up and asked, "Are you ready to order?"
"Do you have any of the Fish and Chips left?" Jasmine asked Sharon.
"I'm sure we do, would you like the vinegar with the chips?" Sharon asked as she scribbled down Jasmine's order.
"Yes please," Jasmine responded and handed Sharon her menu.
Sharon took the menu from Jasmine and tucked it under her arm with the tray then asked, "And for you miss?"
"I've had a hankering for a good grilled chicken sandwich all day," Felina answered and handed her folded up menu to Sharon.
"We make some of the best grilled chicken sandwiches around. Would you like some fresh mozzarella on top?" Sharon asked as she wrote down Felina's order.
"Definitely," Felina answered.
"Good choice," Sharon said then turned ever so slightly to Mark and said, "You come here enough to know you want your usual, right honey?"
Mark blushed ever so slightly then responded, "You know me well Sharon."
"I should, I only dated your brother for five years. How is Kevin doing anyhow?" Sharon asked.
"He's still single and completely devoted to his work. You know, I was hoping he would have changed for you Sharon, I grew quite attached to you and thought you and he would have made a great couple," Mark said.
"I thought so too Mark. But your brother worked so hard to get where he is today and I'm proud of him. Kevin just wasn't ready for the type of relationship I wanted to have with him," Sharon said.
"You know, Lisa and I are going to be married in a little over a week, why don't you come?" Mark asked.
"I appreciate the invite Mark but I can't. Seeing Kevin would bring up so many feelings I tried to shove down and I'm not ready to be around him yet. I hope you understand?" Sharon asked.
Mark got out of his seat and hugged Sharon tightly as he said, "My brother is an idiot for choosing work over you and when I see him next, I'll remind him of that fact."
Mark, please don't. What I had with Kevin is over and I don't want to relive what might have happened. Just let us be, alright?" Sharon pleaded.
Mark let her go and sat back down. He then said, "Alright, I won't beat my brother into a bloody pulp again for what he did to you Sharon."
"Good, let me get this order into the kitchen. I'll be back soon," Sharon said and walked away.
"I thought you and Sharon were a little to familiar with each other," Felina said after she took a sip of her drink.
"She and my brother Kevin dated for about five years. They both thought they had a chance of becoming something more. But my brother got hired by MASA and became a very successful propulsion and mechanical engineer. He was so focused o his new job that he started to neglect Sharon. I tried to tell Kevin he was screwing things up with Sharon and he was about to lose the best she-cat he had ever been with. But instead, he focused on some formula he was working on and blew me off. One night, Lisa and I came in here only to find Sharon in tears. She told us that Kevin broke up with her. I left Lisa to comfort Sharon and I went to kick my brother's tail. I found him, hard at work in his office and I lost it. I balled up my fist and knocked him across the room. I yelled at him, 'You broke up with Sharon! Are you out of your mind!? She loves you to death and you break up with her! Kevin, you are such an ass! I hope you know she is at work crying her eyes out over this and I hope you feel rotten dear brother!'" Mark took a long pull of his ale then said," I saw Kevin a few days later with a large bruise on his face. I was still mad at him but he is my older brother so I apologized for hitting him, even though he deserved it."
"I never would have thought you would ever hit someone you cared about Mark," Jasmine asked as she swirled the ice in her drink.
"Normally, I wouldn't but my brother needed his head cleaned that day and I was glad to do it," Mark said. "Now my other brother Sean, when he heard about the breakup, he beat the daylights out of Kevin. Sharon is like a sister to us and when Kevin hurt her, he hurt us both but Sean took it harder than I did. Us brothers have mended our relationship and now are a tight family again. But it took my father having a stroke and dying to mend the relationship. My father will never know his grandkids which I hate more than anything. He would have made an excellent grandfather." He took another pull of his ale, then said, "Enough about my family, Jasmine, this night is for you to celebrate your first collar."
Jasmine's phone vibrated in the pocket of her skirt. She stood up to retrieve the phone and read the message. 'We have been let go daughter. Talk to you later.' She put the phone down, then said, "My parents are out of jail and on their way back home."
"What!? How the hell did that happen?" Felina asked.
"Apparently, their lawyers are quite good at what they do," Jasmine said before she took a sip of the icy cold vodka sitting in front of her.
"It doesn't matter right now Jasmine, even though they are on their way back home, you still made the arrest. You should be very proud of yourself, and by the way, where did you learn to flip around like that?" Mark asked.
Jasmine took another drink of her vodka then answered," One of the things I liked to do when I was a kitten was gymnastics. My mother was a former Olympic finalist and she taught me a few of her moves. Once she discovered I had a proficiency for it, she quickly enrolled me into a school for gymnastics with the hope, I would either join a team or my parents would use my new talents to help them with their nightly activities."
"That explains how well you moved out there tonight. But what happened to you joining a gymnastics team?" Mark asked.
Jasmine finished her drink then answered, "Boys happened Mark. When I was in class, I was surrounded by boys who had bodies very similar to yours. Even though the females out numbered the boys in class, we still had a very hard time concentrating on our maneuvers when the boys started working out in those form-fitting pants they wore. There was one boy who had his eyes on me ever since I started to mature. His name was Nick and he was quite handsome. Nick always volunteered to be my partner when ever possible so he could get his paws on my legs. One night, we were assigned to clean up the gym. Nick rolled up the mats so I could sweep up the chalk from the floors. I quickly finished my job and I was sweeping up the rest of the chalk into a dust pan when I heard a loud bang from behind me. I turned around and found Nick buried under a pile of mats and spare parallel bars. I giggled for a second then went over to help him out. I asked him what happened and he simply replied I was distracted by your gorgeous body. I never had anyone call me gorgeous before so I naturally blushed. I helped him out of the mess he was in, and once he was free, he pulled me close. I felt his accelerated heart beating in his chest for a second before he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me."
"That doesn't sound to bad Jasmine. I guess Nick actually liked you," Felina said.
"He did like me, or more like he liked the way my butt looked in my leotard," She lifted her empty glass into the air and asked, "Can I get another one of these please?"
The bartender nodded to her and started making her another drink.
She lowered her glass to the table, then continued, "Nick picked me up and carried me over to the mats while kissing me. He laid me down and let his paws travel all over my body. Before he could get any farther, the instructor entered and saw Nick on top of me. She ran over to Nick and grabbed him by what was left of the scruff and yelled at him. Nick was kicked out of the gym and I never saw him again. As much as I loved gymnastics, I couldn't be in that place any longer without thinking about how my first time was going to be on a gym mat."
Sharon returned, carrying Jasmine's fresh drink as well as their dinners. She grabbed a tray stand while balancing the large tray of food on her right shoulder and deftly set the tray stand up in front of them before lowering the tray to the stand. "She picked up a wooden base that held a metal dish which was still sizzling with the fish and fries in it. Sharon set the base down in front of Jasmine and said, "Careful, this just came out of the oven and is very hot. Don't touch the dish." She then picked up the plate that contained the Chicken sandwich and placed it in front of Felina.
Felina looked at the large sandwich with melted fresh mozzarella cheese leaking out from between the halves of the roll and said, "There is no way I can eat all of this. This thing is huge!"
"That's the way Charlie makes them. Now for you Mark, I had Charlie add some extra horseradish to the tuna, just the way you like it," Sharon said as she served Mark one of the largest tuna salad sandwiches that both Felina and Jasmine had ever seen.
"Thanks Sharon, you're a doll," Mark said then dug into his sandwich. Mark's eyes rolled into the back of his head while he moaned. He put the sandwich down, wiped his mouth with his napkin, then said, "This is amazing Sharon! Charlie outdid himself this time!"
Sharon laughed then said, "I'll be sure to tell him that Mark. Enjoy your dinner." She grabbed the tray stand and walked back to the bar.
Jasmine watched as Mark devoured the sandwich right in front of her. "You've got to be kidding me Mark. You are actually going to eat that whole thing?" Jasmine asked.
Mark put the sandwich down long enough to say, "My body requires over four thousand calories a day but Lisa makes sure that I eat only what is good for me. She makes sure that I eat my veggies and when she packs my lunch, there is always a large piece of fruit packed with a homemade sandwich." He dug back into his sandwich and took another large bite.
Felina cut her sandwich in half, then picked up the left half of her sandwich and took a bite. The flavors hit her tongue and she let out a 'Mmm'. Felina finished the bite in her mouth, then said, "This is really good. Not even Jake or maybe even Katerina can make a sandwich this good!"
The way both Felina and Mark were enjoying their food made Jasmine want to dig into her own food. Jasmine cut into the steaming hot fish fillet, dipped it into the cup of vinegar, and brought it to her mouth. She closed her eyes and took the bite into her mouth. The light batter the fish was dipped in had a slight lemony flavor which when coupled with the bitterness of the vinegar exploded in her mouth. She put her fork down, wiped her mouth with her napkin, then said, "Where has this place been all of my life? This fish is some of the best I have ever had and my parents made sure that I always had the best of everything." Jasmine picked up a fry and quickly ate it. The exterior had this great crunch and was not greasy at all. While the interior was soft and done to perfection. "You guys need to try a fry. Its almost the best thing I ever ate!" She exclaimed
Mark and Felina each took a fry from her plate and ate it.
Mark finished first and said, "That is Charlie for you, he only uses the freshest potatoes and he prepares them himself. He refuses to use anything frozen." He then stole another fry from Jasmine's plate.
"Hey! You have your own food Mark!" Jasmine said as she slapped his paw away from her dinner.
Before Mark put the stolen fry into his mouth, he said, "Put mine didn't come with fries." He quickly ate the stolen fry then said, "Besides, aren't you concerned about your figure?"
"You've seen my mom Mark. She still has a figure of a she-cat half her age, which I am not going to tell you by the way," Jasmine said.
Felina laughed at the two sitting with her since they acted like siblings more than having just met. "Mark, there is something I have been wanting to tell you. But I was going to wait until my uncle returned from his honeymoon before saying something."
"What is it Felina? You know you can tell me anything," Mark asked.
"I know Mark and that is why you are going to make a great officer," Felina said.
Mark shot her a questioning look, then said, "Why do I get the feeling something bad is about to occur."
"Nothing bad I assure you Mark. Actually, its quite good for you and Lisa. How would you feel about taking my job?" Felina asked.
Mark dropped his sandwich to his plate when he heard Felina's question. He then asked, "Where are you going that I need to take your job Felina?" Mark asked.
"I'm not going anywhere," Felina answered. "My uncle is retiring after I return from maternity leave. I'm taking his place as Commander. After we spent that weekend at Callie's house and watched as you lead everyone and we all followed you without question, I came to realize I had found my replacement. However, I very recently realized I am going to have to take an early leave to make sure I give birth to a healthy kitten. That is why I'm offering you my job as lieutenant Mark. Between the two of us, we are going to make the Enforcers into the fighting force my uncle always dreamed of."
Mark looked over to Jasmine hoping she would help him make a decision.
Jasmine looked back at Mark and said as she grasped his paw, "This is a decision only you can make Mark. I might have only known you for a short time. But I know you can do this."
Mark squeezed Jasmine's paw, looked back to Felina, and said, "Felina, as much as I want to accept your offer. I need to discuss this with Lisa first. This not only affects me but her and my family as well."
Felina reached across the table and grasped both of their paws with hers and said, "Take whatever time you need Mark but my decision is not going to change. I want you to take my position as lieutenant and help me lead the Enforcers to greatness."
Mark wanted this promotion so he could better support his family and so Lisa didn't have to work so hard and could concentrate on their kittens. He also knew if his kittens were anything like he and his brothers, they were going to be a pawfull to deal with. But since he has only been on the force for only three years, he knew other officers that have been on the force much longer than him were not going to be happy that he received this promotion over them. "Felina, what about my fellow officers that have been on the force longer than I have? Aren't they going to be pissed that I got this offer rather than one of them?" Mark asked.
"I spent years of my life proving that I deserved my rank Mark. I was thrown into this position by my uncle not because I was his niece, but because he knew I was the right cat for the job. I had to fight, tooth and nail for the first few years as lieutenant. My subordinates didn't respect me, my superiors didn't support me, and when I complained to my uncle, he told me to tough it out and deal with it! He was right. I had to earn the respect and support of my fellow officers and not expect it. Not only was I hampered by my last name, but I was a female as well. I had to work twice as hard as any other cat in my position and that is what I expect you to do. You are going to have to work your tail off, proving yourself time and time again that you are more than worthy of the rank of lieutenant. One of the lessons my uncle taught me was to lead by example and not to tell others to do things that you wouldn't do. Mark, I believe you can do this and I will support you with every decision you make."
"That is a large confidence boost Felina. But I still need to talk to Lisa before I say yes," Mark said.
"Talk to her and let me know your decision," Felina said. She took another bite of her sandwich, swallowed, then asked, "So Jasmine, what do you want to accomplish in your career as an Enforcer?"
Jasmine finished her second drink then answered with a slight slur, "I just wanted to be able to help others Felina. And basically tell off my parents."
Mark and Felina put down their sandwiches, then Felina said, "I think you had better switch to water Jasmine, I am beginning to think that you are a little drunk."
"I'm not drunk, I'm feeling a little warm but I'm not drunk," Jasmine said.
"I beg to differ Jasmine," Mark said. "Please eat some more of your food while I get you some water.
Mark started to raise his paw in order to flag down Sharon. But Jasmine grabbed hold of his forearm and said, "I can handle my liquor quite well Mark!" She was now suspended in the air holding onto his arm tightly.
"Now I know you are drunk Jasmine!" Felina said before she turned to Mark and asked, "She is not in any shape to drive, can you make sure she gets home safe and get her something to get her hydrated?"
Mark lowered Jasmine back to her seat, then said, "Certainly, let me pack up mine and Jasmine's food into a To-Go bag and I will take her home.
Jasmine's antics managed to attract Sharon and when she came over, she asked, "Is everything alright?"
"My friend is a little inebriated and she needs to go home to sleep it off. Can I get two boxes and a large bottle of water please Sharon?" Mark asked.
"Of course, I'll be right back," Sharon said and walked off to the kitchen.
"You two are no fun," Jasmine said before she lowered her head to the table. "I'm going to have to start going out with a younger crowd."
Felina and Mark watched as Jasmine fell asleep at the table and started mewing like a little kitten.
Sharon quickly returned to their table with two To-Go boxes as well as a large bottle of water for Jasmine. She put the stuff down on the table and said, "Here you go." Sharon the noticed Jasmine sleeping at the table and asked, "Exactly how old is she? I didn't card her on the way in because she was with you Mark."
"As far as I know she is over 21 or she wouldn't be allowed into the Enforcers Sharon," Mark replied as he started packing up their food.
"Good, Charlie has worked too hard to have this place shut down because of an underage drinker getting drunk while here," Sharon said as she placed the bill on the table.
Felina picked up the bill, reached into her jacket pocket to pull out her wallet, and placed one of her credit cards on the bill. As she handed it back to Sharon, she said, "Mark will make sure she gets home alright and this will take care of the bill."
Sharon quickly scanned the card to make sure the name sort of matched the owner, then she closed the bill and said, "I certainly hope he does Miss Feral." She walked away to process the payment for the dinner.
Mark finished packing up his and Jasmine's food, placed the two To-Go boxes into the white plastic bag Sharon also dropped off, then rose from his seat. "Thank you for the dinner Felina, I'll see you in the morning." Mark picked up the food and then Jasmine in his arms and left the pub.
He returned to the precinct and started walking towards his car.
Jasmine woke up and asked, "Where are we and why does my head hurt?"
Mark continued walking towards his car as he answered, "We are in the lot at the precinct. I'm taking you home to sleep off the two drinks you had."
Mark stopped in front of his Impala and shifted Jasmine to his left arm so he could get the keys from his pocket.
Jasmine looked at the car and said, "No way am I leaving my car here overnight. Take mine instead."
Mark removed his paw from his pocket and asked, "Which one of your car?"
Jasmine lifted her left paw and pointed to a bright red Alfa Romeo sitting in the corner of the lot.
Mark walked over to the car and gave it a good look over before he asked, "This car costs more than I make in two years! How in the world can you afford this on a Rookie's salary?"
"Remember what my parents did for a living Mark. Their services cost a pretty penny and they are quite frugal with their earnings. This little girl was a present for me graduating college," Jasmine answered.
Mark sighed then said, "Give me the keys Jasmine."
"No keys needed for this car. As long as I have the fob in my pocket, you don't need a key," Jasmine said.
Mark pulled on the passenger's door handle and the door opened. He lowered Jasmine into the sporty black leather seat and carefully buckled her in. He righted himself and closed the door before walking around the front of the expensive car and got into the driver's side. After Mark buckled himself in, he pushed the starter button and the engine roared to life. He took a quick look at Jasmine then focused on the GPS built into the dashboard. Since Jasmine was out cold, he was lucky enough to find a button on the screen labeled 'Home'. Mark tapped the button and the GPS' screen changed to a map guiding him hopefully back to Jasmine's apartment. He put the car in gear and started driving on the prescribed route shown on the screen.
Mark arrived at the building twenty minutes later. He looked out of the passenger window at the tall gates. "Now how do I get past these?" Mark asked himself. He looked at the dashboard for some device that didn't belong in a car this expensive and sophisticated. Mark could not find anything on the dash or on the visors that could open the gates. He was going to park the car on the street but then, he noticed a tiny button built into the rear view mirror. Deciding 'Why not.' He pushed the button and the gates to the building opened before him.
Once the gates opened far enough, he drove through the gates and parked the car in a large space that had to be Jasmine's since the name 'Harper' was painted on the ground. Mark shut off the car, got out, and went around to the passenger's side to get Jasmine out of the car.
Mark opened the door and noticed since he parked, Jasmine managed to curl herself up into a tight ball on the seat. He reached in, unbuckled her seatbelt, and as gently as he could, he lifted her out of the car.
As soon as she was out of the car, Jasmine instinctively wrapped her arms around Mark's neck and buried her face into his left shoulder.
Mark grabbed the bag of food from the car before closing the door with a bump of his hip and carried Jasmine to the elevators at the other end of the garage.
Since it was close to one in the morning, a few of her younger neighbors were arriving home from their night out and noticed a large muscular tom carrying Jasmine in his arms.
One particular female yelled, "Way to go Jas!"
While another one yelled, "Take care of Jas properly Tiger! She'll tell us in the morning how you did!"
Mark heard the two females and ignored them both. He managed to get to the elevator and gently shook the sleeping Jasmine so she was conscious enough to answer which floor she lived on and what was her apartment number.
She groggily told him before she fell back to sleep.
Mark called for the elevator and when the doors opened, he got in as well as the two females from earlier.
He looked at the two and saw that one was a brunette that was wearing a bright green mini-dress that was made for a she-cat a size smaller. Her dark brown fur had a nice sheen to it but she wore too much makeup. The other one was slender and was about the same height as the first one. She was wearing black leather pants that were so tight to her body, it was amazing she was able to walk at all. She was also wearing a matching tube top and had a lighter coating of make-up on her face. She gave Mark the once over with her eyes, then asked, "So tall, dark, and handsome, are you and Jasmine an item or this just a one night fling?"
"Hardly, I'm her friend and I just came to drop her off at her home. Not that it's any of your business," Mark answered.
"Well, if you are just her friend, how about after you put her to bed, you come down to apartment 315 and take care of us?" The other one asked then licked her lips.
"Not happening ladies, I'm happily married to the she-cat of my dreams," Mark said.
The elevator opened to the third floor, then Mark said, "This is your floor, might I suggest you get out so I can put my friend to bed."
The two she-cats huffed and exited the elevator.
"Bye ladies," Mark said as the doors closed.
The elevator opened again this time on Jasmine's floor. However, the elevator opened up to reveal a single door in front of him. He left the elevator and walked to the door. As he approached, the door lock made a click. He pushed open the door, entered the spacious apartment, and closed the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed, the lights came on automatically; revealing a lavishly furnished living room.
Mark walked further into the room and noticed that the living room was as large as his and Lisa's apartment.
By then, Jasmine became semi-conscious and she felt herself being carried in a pair of very strong arms. Since she thought she was dreaming, she wrapped her arms around Mark's neck and said, "My prince has come to claim his princess." She then started nibbling on his neck.
Mark tried to pull her away, but he feared of dropping her the way he was carrying her. He did say, "Jasmine, please wake up. I don't want to do this."
"Doesn't my prince want to be with his princess? Because she wants him to spend the night showing his princess how he loves her," Jasmine said as her left paw undid the buttons holding Mark's shirt closed as slipped her paw inside to feel his hard pectorals.
Mark shifted her in his arms so he could carry her with his left arm while his right paw grabbed her left and pulled it from him. "Jasmine, you are a beautiful she-cat and any tom would be honored to be with you. But not me. I will not betray Lisa with you or anyone else. You need to snap out of this."
Jasmine became even more aggressive with her antics. She lowered her right paw to Mark's belt and started tugging on the leather. She managed to get his belt open, then went to undo the button that held his pants closed.
That was the straw that broke Mark's resolve. He quickly made his way through the apartment and found a bedroom. He put her down on the bed and left the room before he left the apartment.
Mark stood outside of her door panting with his pants open. He quickly redid the button and his belt before walking the short distance to the elevator and calling the car. The doors opened, he entered, and pushed the button for the lobby. While he rode down, he said, "That was way too close. I'll talk to her in the morning about what happened tonight, that is if she shows up for work."
The doors to the elevator opened to the lobby and he walked out and left the building. Once outside, he realized he had no way of getting back to the precinct to get his car or get back home to Lisa. He removed his phone from his pocket and dialed one of the only cats he could trust in this situation.
"Hello," a female's voice answered.
"Tina, its Mark. I need a lift."
End of Chapter