Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
Things start to get interesting again from here on out.
I gave my Co-Author the weekend off. Although, she was still gracious enough to look over this before heading to the land of umbrella drinks. So thank you MisaRae.
Ulysses had finished his work for the day and was heading out. On his way back to his car, he spotted a flower shop out of the corner of his eye. He thought, 'I could surprise Callista by dropping by with a bouquet of roses. I remember how she kissed me last time I did that. I thought I was in heaven as her lips touched mine.'
He walked over to the shop and entered. Ulysses looked around the refrigerated case that contained the cut roses, and saw a bunch in a very unusual color. Instead of being a brilliant red, pink, or white, these were colored a deep violet and stood out from the rest of the flowers in the case.
A short, plump she-cat approached Ulysses and asked, "Can I help you?"
Ulysses looked down at the she-cat and said as he pointed to the unique-colored flowers, "Yes, may I please have a dozen of those roses?"
She looked into the case and saw the roses that Ulysses was pointing to. She replied, "Everyone says that red is the color of love, but when given to someone you love, roses of that particular color mean 'I want to spend my life with you'. I hope the cat that you are giving these to means a lot to you." She opened the case and removed twelve of the best roses from the bunch.
Ulysses heard every word that came out of the she-cat's mouth, and he could just imagine giving the roses to Callista and seeing the way she smiled at him in return. His heart warmed at the image and replied, "She means even more to me now than she did before."
The she-cat turned and faced Ulysses before asking, "You have dated her before?"
"Yes, I have. She and I dated before I was deployed to East Asia for the war. I guess you could say that I never stopped loving her," Ulysses replied.
As she wrapped up the flowers, the she-cat asked, "So how come you didn't marry her when you returned?"
"She was all I thought of while I was deployed over there. The image of her face kept me going through all the hard times. Then I caught some shrapnel from a grenade and was sent home. After I arrived home, I was discharged from the service and sent to physical therapy. That was when I met my first wife. She was both kind and beautiful. As we saw more and more of each other, we started to fall for each other. We married a few months later. We enjoyed two beautiful years together, but then we decided to try and have a kitten. We tried several times to get her pregnant, but were never successful. The fighting started a few months later. I ended up leaving her because I could not stand the constant fighting anymore," Ulysses replied.
The she-cat held her paws to her mouth in shock that someone would treat another in such a manner.
"After a very bitter divorce, I walked the streets of the city feeling very depressed and worthless. As I wandered around, I came back across her shop and saw her again. My heart stopped as I saw her through the window. I very much wanted to go in, see her, and hold her in my arms. Then she turned and I could see that she was cuddling a kitten in her arms. I took off, not wanting to ruin the relationship that she had started while I was away. She never saw me looking in at her. I joined the Enforcers the next day. Now after all this time, I have another chance to have her back in my life, and I don't want to blow it," Ulysses said.
"If you feel as strongly about her as I think you do, she will be yours, in time. Just treat her gently and let her be herself," the she-cat said.
Ulysses took the flowers from her and said, "I most certainly will, and thank you."
"No problem. Now go and be with your girlfriend," the she-cat said.
Ulysses smiled at her before walking out the door.
Jake had finally finished tearing into the TurboKat. He was covered in grease and grime, but he was ecstatic that there had not been much damage done to the TurboKat, and that fixing it should be relatively easy. Although, he wanted to improve the way the jet handled by incorporating some of the systems from the TurboKat 2. He placed his tools away and walked towards the ladder that led back to the garage. But before he ascended the ladder and turned off the lights, he took one last look at the TurboKat and said, "Don't worry, girl. You will be back in the air and under Chance's control in no time." He turned off the lights and ascended to the garage.
The girls were riding in Felina's car heading towards Marty's deli and Chance's ex-girlfriend. Felina parked her car across the street as Callie looked at the front of the deli. She saw that the place was packed, as usual. She wondered if she would even have a chance to talk to Sheila, given how busy it was. She got out of the car, walked confidently across the street, and waited for her turn to get into the deli.
Katerina watched as Callie stood in line to get into the deli. She asked, "Felina, are you sure that this is a good idea?"
Felina was also watching Callie from the driver's seat, and she replied, "Callie will be fine. They are so busy that Sheila will not be able to say more than a few words to her."
Callie managed to get to the head of the line and to the counter. The deli was an old school type where the aromas of freshly made corned beef and pastrami filled the deli. As she waited for her turn, she looked into the cases and tried to figure out what she wanted for dinner, and what Chance might like.
Sheila was very busy taking orders and making sandwiches as fast as she could. She was taking turns with three others at the counter when she saw the Deputy Mayor waiting in line. She made her way over to her and asked with a smile on her face, "What can I get you, Deputy Mayor?"
Callie looked up into Sheila's eyes and instantly saw what Chance must have. She was very good looking, and had a body that any tom would want. She also had long, flaming red hair. Callie answered, "I'll have one of the house specials, and one of whatever my fiancée would want, please."
Sheila was writing Callie's order down, but had to stop when she said "'Whatever my fiancée would want?'" She had no idea who the Deputy Mayor's fiancé was, so she asked, "Who is your fiancé?"
Callie answered, "Chance Furlong."
Sheila's once cheery face was now riddled with annoyance at hearing his name. She said, "You are engaged to Chance? Can you ask him why he stood me up?"
"I think I can answer that, Sheila. Can you take a break so we can talk, alone?" Callie asked.
Sheila turned and yelled at Marty, "Mart, I need to take five. Cover for me." She turned back to Callie and said, "Follow me." She walked around the counter and towards the back of the deli where tables had been set up, but were rarely used. She took a seat at a table located at the rear of the deli.
Callie sat down across from her.
"Can I get you a cold drink or something? I want you to feel comfortable, and let you know I am not mad anymore. I just want to know why he stood me up after trying to get me to go out with him for weeks," Sheila said.
"I am alright, thank you. He and I have wanted to date each other for years, Sheila. We met back in high school, and again in college. He was so handsome, and always had a cheerleader or another beautiful she-cat on his arm. After I graduated college and left to get my master's degree, he joined the Enforcers and started in the academy. I came back to the city after being offered an internship in the Mayor's office. When I saw him again, he was dressed in his dress uniform. I so wanted to take him to lunch, but my supervisor told me that it was not a good idea at the time. I then became the Deputy Mayor, and as much as I wanted to find him and date him, it was against protocol to do so. When I was captured by the Past Master, Chance barged in to rescue me. He then kissed me and confessed that he had been in love with me for years. We started dating after that. I guess your date with him was somewhere between my getting kidnapped and our engagement. I apologize for him standing you up, and I will make sure that once he is out of the hospital, he will come and talk to you himself," Callie said.
Sheila listened to Callie tell the story of how she and Chance fell in love. Her story was just like one of those romantic movies Sheila liked to watch. She got up and walked to Callie, crouched down so that they were on the same level, and gave her a hug.
Callie returned Sheila's hug and closed her eyes.
Sheila pulled back and asked, "Why is he in the hospital? Is he going to be alright?"
"He is fine, Sheila. He inhaled some smoke from something that caught fire in the garage. He should be released in a couple of days." She started to giggle as she remembered Dr. Feldman. After she stopped giggling, she continued, "You should see his doctor. He acts just like a grandfather would around his grandkittens. Dr. Feldman is definitely a character, and one of a kind. He invited Chance and I to his house for dinner with his wife Mary someday," Callie said.
Sheila stood up and said, "Dr. Feldman has been coming in here for years. He always has a smile on his face, and is always joking around with Marty. He is definitely one of a kind." She looked at the line at the counter, and then said, "I need to get back to work, or we will never get this crowd out of here. I will get your order together and meet you at the register. Please go and get a few cold drinks from the cooler on your way to the front." She then walked back to the counter and behind it.
Callie got up, pushed her chair back in, and walked to the cooler to get drinks for her and Chance. She looked in and saw the normal stuff that everyone carried. Then she saw some glass bottles that were shaped as if they had been made in the fifties which contained root beer, ginger ale, orange soda, and grape soda. She hadn't seen those types of bottles since her kittenhood. She opened the cooler and took out three bottles: one bottle of ginger ale and two bottles of grape soda, one of her little indulgences that she had on occasion. She closed the cooler and walked to the register where Sheila was waiting.
Sheila took the bottles from Callie and placed them in the bag with the two sandwiches she had ordered earlier. As she handed the bag to Callie, she said, "Marty said this is on the house, and to tell Chance to stop by when he is able."
Callie took the bag from Sheila and said, "Thank you, Sheila. I will make sure that Chance stops in as soon as he can." She waved so long and walked out the door.
Felina was talking to Katerina and Tina about what happened in the spa. She asked Tina, "So, now that you are in on our family's little secret and we can trust you, would you like to know one more?"
Tina looked at Felina and said, "Sure, you know so much about me, and I want to know more about my new friends."
"Do you know who the SWAT Kats are?" Felina asked.
"Who doesn't know who the SWAT Kats are, I especially love that they now have two she-cats as partners. Caliber and Empress can kick tail just as well as T-Bone and Razor, if not better," Tina replied.
Felina just sat there smiling and said, "Thank you. I am glad that you think I can kick tail as well as my fiancée does, and I am sure that Empress will tell you she feels the same way when she gets back in the car. By the way, your new girlfriend goes by the name of Havoc, and we will have to make her a uniform when we have the time."
"You have to be pulling my leg. There is no way a lieutenant in the Enforcers and the Deputy Mayor of the city are Empress and Caliber, and what do you mean that Katerina is Havoc? I have never heard of her," Tina replied.
"You saw what Callie could do in the spa. She can do that and more as Empress. Me, I am just a reckless pilot when I am in command of my jet, the TurboKat 2. Just wait until you see her. She is sleek, sexy, and looks just as fast as she flies. Jake will tell you that I talked to her just like a mother talks to her kitten," Felina said.
Tina turned and faced Katerina. She looked into her eyes and asked, "Is this true, Katerina? Are all three of you SWAT Kats?"
Katerina took Tina's paws in hers before answering, "Yes, what Felina says is true. She is Caliber, Callie is Empress, and I am the newest member called Havoc."
Tina took her paws back from Katerina and looked out the window. Not because she was upset, but because she had spent the entire afternoon with two of her idols. She asked, "When was someone going to tell me? I have told you all everything about me, and you all hold this back? Why?"
Felina replied, "We had just became friends today, Tina. If Callie had not blasted a hole in that bin, I don't think I would have told you this secret, at least, not yet. If someone found out who we are, it could mean real trouble for all of us, and I mean all of us. You, me, Katerina, Callista, Callie, Jake, and Chance. There are several organizations in the city that are well connected, and would like nothing more than to find out who we are so they can use our families against us, and they will stop at nothing to get back at us for taking several of their members to jail."
Tina turned and faced Katerina. Then she turned and faced Felina, who was smiling at her in attempt to make her feel at ease, when Callie returned to the car and got in. She said, "So what are you ladies talking about?"
Tina turned her attention to Callie and replied, "Not much. Just Felina dropping a small bomb on me that all of you are SWAT Kats!"
Callie scrunched her face and looked directly at Felina. She then crossed her arms under her chest after she placed the bag of food on the floor.
Felina turned, saw how pissed Callie looked, and said, "She was going to find out anyway, especially with her and Katerina dating. How was Katerina going to explain running off at the sound of an alarm, and returning to Tina wearing a uniform similar to ours? Not that Tina would mind seeing Katerina in a very form-fitting costume."
Callie relaxed after Felina finished explaining. She said, "I guess a trip to the hangar is in order before we head to the hospital so Tina can see for herself."
Tina sat there and let the situation sink in. As she sat and stared out the window, she thought, 'They have no reason to lie to me about this. So that means they are really members of the SWAT Kats, and I have been hanging around with Empress and Caliber all afternoon.' She turned and looked at Katerina and tried to imagine what she would look like dressed in her uniform. The image appeared in her mind, and she was definitely not disappointed with what she saw. Katerina was now sitting next to her with a mask covering the top of her head and her ears showing through the top. Her long, dirty blonde hair with the white tips flowed down her back. The bottom half of her face was exposed, leaving her very kissable lips in plain view. The rest of her body was encompassed in this very tight fabric that did nothing to hide her body. Every curve and muscle was in plain sight for all the world to see. Tina was now starting to feel very warm as she sat there with that image in her head. She shook her head in order to dispel the image.
Katerina was watching Tina intently as Tina stared at her. She asked, "Is everything alright, Tina?"
Tina snapped out of her trance and replied, "Everything is fine, Katerina. I was just lost in the image of you in that uniform. You will have to model it for me. Although, you won't be wearing it for very long, if you do."
Katerina started blushing at Tina's comment. She replied, "It's so different from the tight-fitting clothing that you are wearing under those shorts and t-shirt, my dear, and believe me, I want to do nothing more than to rip that outfit off of you, too."
Tina took Katerina's left paw in hers and started to caress it ever so lightly. Her ghostly touch was sending Katerina into a state of warmth and contentment that she had never felt before from just a simple touch of her paw. She returned Tina's soft touches and leaned over to her left to give Tina a quick kiss on the cheek.
Tina was also enjoying Katerina's ever-so-soft caresses. She turned to face Katerina, just to look into her eyes, but was not expecting Katerina to be leaning over to kiss her. They ended up kissing each other on the lips.
Callie and Felina saw Tina and Katerina kissing again. They both rolled their eyes before Callie said, "We had better get to the hangar so Tina can see that we are telling the truth, and then get them back to your apartment so they can be alone."
Felina turned around and faced the windshield before starting her car and taking off towards the salvage yard. As soon as they were on the road, Felina jokingly said, "Keep your paws visible at all times, ladies, or I will drop Katerina at my apartment and Tina back at the academy, then assign some old she-cat to keep an eye on Katerina instead of you, Tina."
Without missing a beat, Tina held up her left paw with her middle finger pointing up in the air while she continued kissing Katerina.
Both Callie and Katerina started laughing hysterically as Felina continued driving towards the hangar.
They arrived about fifteen minutes later at a pair of closed chain link gates. Felina parked the car in front of the gates and got out of the car. She walked over to the gates, while fishing out a key from the right pocket of her pants. She inserted the key into the lock and gave it a quick turn. The lock sprung open and she removed the lock from the gate. Felina opened the gates enough to let the car enter the yard. Then she returned to the car and drove through the gates. Once they were through, Callie got out and closed the gates behind them. She then got back in the car.
Felina drove to the garage and parked the car right in front before turning it off. Before getting out of the car, she turned to Tina and said, "You are going to have to keep everything that you see in here to yourself. I meant what I said earlier; there are some very powerful and very well-connected groups out there that would kill everyone we know in order to find out who we are."
They all got out of the car and started walking towards the garage door. Felina removed another key from her pocket and inserted it into the lock before giving it a turn to the right. A hinged door that was built into the roll-up garage door swung open at her command. She said, "After you."
They all entered before Felina closed the door. She led them towards a very large toolbox that was against the left wall of the garage, right next to a very large steel plate on the floor. She reached behind the toolbox and entered a code into the hidden keypad that was located there. The plate slid out of the way, revealing a hatch door that led to the hangar.
Felina crouched down and opened the hatch. She then looked at the group and said, "Let me go down first and turn on the lights before you head down." She descended the ladder into the darkness.
Jake was in the middle of his shower when an alarm started sounding. He quickly shut off the water and jumped out of the shower. He said, "Probably a rat tripping the sensor in the hangar again, but just in case." He wrapped a towel around his waist before reaching behind the vanity and pulling out a Glovetrix. He put the Glovetrix on his right paw and ran out of the bathroom towards the garage.
Felina reached the bottom of the ladder and switched on the lights. The entire hangar was now slowly illuminating with light as the overhead fluorescent light fixtures came to life. She cupped her paws to her mouth before yelling, "It's alright to come down."
Callie was the next to descend, followed by Tina, and then finally Katerina.
After Tina reached the bottom of the ladder, she moved out of the way so Katerina could finish descending the ladder. She then turned and saw a black jet sitting on a turntable with its nose facing a ramp, just waiting to be taken into action.
Felina was already walking towards the TurboKat 2. When she reached the belly of the jet, she ran her right paw down it while saying, "Momma's back baby. Did you miss me?"
Tina was in complete shock at what she was seeing. She had seen some pretty impressive jets before, but the TurboKat 2 was far and above anything that she had ever seen before. Felina's description of the jet had failed to truly describe it. Not only did the jet look as if it was traveling at Mach 2 standing still, the jet had a menacing look to it if you stared straight at its nose. Tina whistled in appreciation. She asked as she walked around the jet, "Where did all of this come from?"
Felina stopped looking at the TurboKat 2 long enough to answer, "Callie's and my fiancées built all of this, Tina. Jake most likely designed it, and then he and Chance built everything from scrap in the yard."
As Tina walked around the TurboKat 2, she saw several motorcycle frames leaning against the wall, waiting to be built into something. Then she turned a little further to the right and saw the Cyclotrons parked over in one of the corners of the hangar. She made her way over to them and ran her left paw down the fuel tank. A small static spark hit her finger as she touched the bike.
Katerina made her way to Tina's side and placed her right arm around her before saying, "Very impressive, right?"
Tina turned to Katerina and replied, "Yes, it is. I would love to ride one of these, just once."
Felina was looking at a small scratch in the paint of the TurboKat 2. It was so small, that it was almost invisible to the naked eye. She had just grabbed a rag and a can of polish that was on a cart by the jet and started to buff out the scratch when she heard Tina's comment. She said, "So, why don't you?"
Tina turned quickly towards Felina and replied, "You can't be serious? I am not a SWAT Kat. There is no way I can ride this."
"You are now, Sniper. Both you and Havoc, go get a set of helmets and go for a ride," Felina said as she continued to buff the scratch out of the jet's finish.
Ulysses arrived in front of Callista's shop and grabbed the bouquet before exiting the car. He got out and closed the door before walking to Callista's building. He tried the shop's door and found it locked. He looked to the left and saw another door. He went to that door and pressed the doorbell's button just to the left of the door.
Callista was back in her apartment, getting ready for Ulysses to pick her up when the doorbell rang in the living room. She asked, as she applied a very light dusting of eye shadow to her eyelids, "Persival, can you let Ulysses in, and then go hide?"
Persival was lying on the floor next to her with his head resting on his paws when he heard the bell and then his mistress' request. He got up and replied, "Of course, mistress." He walked over to the hallway that had the intercom with the door release. He pressed the door release button.
Ulysses heard a buzz and he pushed the door open. He entered the foyer and closed the door behind him. Ulysses started walking up the stairs to Callista's apartment.
Persival was trying to find a place to hide from Ulysses, but since he was not a small puma anymore, none of the places that he used to hide would fit him anymore. He ran into the kitchen, opened the pantry door, and went inside before closing the door behind him.
Ulysses made it to the top of the stairs and knocked on the only door.
Callista was brushing out her hair, just to make sure she was as beautiful as she could be when she heard the knock on the door. She got up and made her way to the apartment's door and opened it. She saw Ulysses still in his uniform and her heart skipped a beat. He had always been a very handsome tom, but to see him standing ramrod straight with his chest out was a sight to behold. She said, "Welcome, Ulysses. Please come in."
As Ulysses entered, he held the bouquet behind his back with his right paw. Once he had entered, he bowed to her and presented the bouquet while saying, "A beautiful bouquet of roses for the most beautiful she-cat in the city."
Callista took the roses from Ulysses, closed her eyes, and sniffed before opening her eyes and saying, "Why thank you, Ulysses. You didn't have to buy me flowers."
Ulysses up-righted himself and saw how gorgeous Callista was. He gulped and replied, "A she-cat as beautiful as you are, Callista, deserves to have roses brought to her every day."
Callista blushed ever so slightly, which only enhanced her beauty even more.
Ulysses definitely noticed her blushing and he started to feel warm himself. He pulled at the collar of his shirt in order to try to cool down, but it only made matters worse.
Callista saw how he was reacting to her, and closed the gap between them before standing on her tiptoes in order to kiss his left cheek. She stood back on her heels again and said, "Would you mind placing these in a vase? I have a crystal vase in the pantry located off of the kitchen." She handed the flowers back to Ulysses.
Ulysses took the flowers back, but before he went to the kitchen, he took one of the roses, snapped the stem off of it, and placed it in Callista's hair right below her left ear. He let his paw run though her hair afterwards, and it felt very silky to his touch. He watched as it wrapped around his fingers in a gentle embrace, holding him captive. He could feel the heat rising up within him, the desire to take her in his arms and never let her go. Instead, he forced himself to take a step back, letting her hair fall from his fingers with one last, silent caress before he cleared his throat and said, "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, my beauty." Then he made his way to the kitchen.
Ulysses was not the only one feeling warm as he ran his paw through her hair. Callista had to resist the urge to wrap her arms around him and pull him into a deep kiss, one that would likely lead them into a very heated lovemaking session that neither of them were ready for. Although, she would not mind waking up next to him every morning.
Ulysses went into the kitchen and found a large door located on the right wall. He placed the flowers down on the counter, and then he went over to the door and turned the doorknob.
Persival heard footsteps in the kitchen that were obviously not Callista's. They were way too heavy to have been hers. He heard them getting closer to the pantry door. He then heard the doorknob turning. Persival did the only thing he could think of at that time. He crouched down and got ready to pounce on whoever opened the door.
Ulysses opened the door and something jumped out at him, causing him to fall backwards. As Ulysses looked up and saw a large, black puma's head with yellow eyes staring back at him, he screamed, "What in cat's name are you?"
Persival scrunched up his face as Ulysses screamed. Once he stopped screaming, Persival replied, "Would you mind not screaming in my face? My ears are rather sensitive, so please refrain from doing that. As for who or what I am, I am Callista's familiar and sworn protector. You must be Ulysses, my mistress' new beau. My name is Persival, and if you hurt her or break her heart," Persival narrowed his eyes before saying, "I will make it my life's work to hunt you down and use you as a scratching post for as long as you live."
Callista heard Ulysses' screaming and ran to the kitchen. She saw Persival looking directly into Ulysses' eyes and she heard him threatening Ulysses. She yelled, "Persival! Let him up now, and I mean now!"
Persival turned his head towards Callista before getting off of Ulysses and going over to stand next to her.
Ulysses got up and dusted himself off. He looked at Callista, then Persival. That was when he finally realized what he was seeing: a pair of large, white, feathery wings flowing naturally out of Persival's back. Ulysses asked, "What exactly is he?"
"As Persival said, he is my familiar and my protector. He is also one of the best companions that anyone could ask for." As Callista was speaking, she gently petted Persival's head. She then added, "His family has protected me for centuries. Persival is the fifth or sixth generation of magical winged pumas that have been by my side, and to also be by Callie's side as soon as she sees fit."
Ulysses' glare at Persival didn't waver as he crossed his arms over his chest before saying, "I guess he has done a good job so far. Persival, you don't have to worry about me causing her harm, period. I could never do that to a she-cat. Especially one I care for so much."
Persival was obviously not impressed, shifting his stance to better act as a bodyguard before saying, "You say that now, but my family has been around her long enough to know that her suitors will say anything to us, and her, in order to gain our trust before causing her pain. Steven was the only tom I have trusted enough to get close to her so far, and he proved his worthiness of her love and my trust time and time again. You have not gained my trust yet, and I will not allow you to go anywhere near her until you do. I care for her way too much to allow anything to happen to her."
Callista stepped back from Persival and turned to him before saying, "Persival, this is my life and not yours. I do love you and thank you for your loyalty to me for all of these years, but I love him and he loves me. I want to see where our relationship goes from this point forward. How can I do that if I have to worry about you lurking behind every dark corner, watching us like some stalker? I have not been a naïve teenager for some time, and yes, there were a few suitors who wanted nothing more than to take me to bed, just so they could say they had taken the Queen of Megalith. Although, I never let them get that far. There was a very good reason why there were so many snakes around my castle." As she spoke to Persival, she let her emotions get the better of her and her right paw started to glow white. "Ulysses and I have dated before, and I have never felt anything from him but love and affection. I feel safe and secure when I am around him. I need you to allow us to let this relationship take its course and go where it wants. Can you do that, Persival? You did it for Steven, so why can't you for Ulysses?"
Persival looked away from Callista as tears formed in his eyes. He did not want her see him crying due to his fear of losing her affection because of another. He said as he faced the wall, "I will do as you say, mistress, but I will do so with a very heavy heart. I have come to love you as a brother would over the years, and it hurts me to know that your love is going to shift from me to another. There is nothing I would love more than to spend the rest of my life by your side, protecting you and your family from all harm. How can I accomplish that when you are snuggling up to another every night and I am not close to you?"
As she calmed down, her paw extinguished. Callista then dropped down on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck before saying, "There is no way that anyone could ever replace you in my heart, Persival. I may love Ulysses as a mate, but as you said, I love you as a sister would love a brother. So get that through that thick skull of yours. You will always be in my life, and so will your family. You and Isis are going to have a litter of six cubs sometime in the near future, so you are going to have your paws full with your own family. Not that I want to spoil your surprise."
Persival's eyes stopped tearing, and he turned to her before asking, "Isis and I are going to be parents to six cubs?"
"Yes, and your cubs are going to be adorable!" she exclaimed.
Persival pulled back just enough so he could look into her eyes, but not so far that he pulled out of her embrace, before he said, "I'm going to be a father. That is something I would never have expected. I always thought that I would perish defending either you or your granddaughter, and not grow old watching my cubs grow up." He then placed his head on her shoulder and let his tears flow again, only this time, out of happiness.
Ulysses stood there, not knowing what to think, since the love of his life was down on her knees with a winged, talking puma's head on her shoulder crying its eyes out once he found out that he was going to be a father. So Ulysses completed the mission he had started earlier, before meeting Persival. He retrieved the vase Callista had wanted and placed her flowers in it before adding some water.
Callista said, "You are going to be a gray-furred puma by the time one of your sons grows up enough to take your place, Persival. So relax and know that you will always be in my heart, my protector and dearest friend."
"Ahem, as much as I want to see you two continue to tell each other how much you love each other; we have a dinner to get to, Callista," Ulysses said as he placed the vase down on the counter.
Callista released her hold on Persival and stood up. She went to Ulysses' side and slipped her arm around his waist before saying to Persival, "I am going to have dinner with Ulysses' niece and her fiancée. We shouldn't be that late, but don't wait up." She reached up on her toes again and kissed Ulysses' cheek, then asked, "Shall we go?"
Ulysses offered her his left elbow so she could lace her right arm through, which she did. He then said, "I must be the luckiest tom in the world to have a she-cat as beautiful as you on my arm." He then turned to Persival and said, "I promise you that I will do my best to love her and protect her at all times. I will earn your trust, Persival, and you will see that I could never do anything to cause her pain or heartache."
"We will see, Ulysses. We will see," Persival replied before they left.
"Whoa Felina, as much as I appreciate you showing me all of this, I am not ready to be a SWAT Kat!" Tina yelled.
Felina stopped what she was doing, turned to Tina, and said, "You most certainly are more than ready to be a SWAT Kat! You have proved yourself to me more than once that you are ready to be a member of SWAT. Once you have completed the academy, you are going to be a great gunner and an awesome sniper. Hence your code name. Now, if you want to take that Cyclotron out for a ride, go get changed into Callie's uniform. Hopefully it will fit, since you are slightly smaller than her. So get out there, Sniper, and that is an order!"
Jake was descending the ladder into the hangar when he heard yelling from that direction. He hit the floor of the hangar and started walking towards the source of the yelling with his Glovetrix at the ready. He got as close as he possibly could and hid behind a very large toolbox. Jake waited for the yelling to stop before springing out and surprising whoever was in the hangar.
Tina looked at Felina, then to Katerina before she said, "I'll do it, but only if Havoc goes with me."
"I will go with you. I will need to change into one of Caliber's uniforms, as long as she does not mind," Katerina replied.
Jake heard the names Sniper and Havoc, and he said to himself, "Who the heck are they?" He then sprung out from behind the toolbox with the Glovetrix extended in front of him and yelled, "Don't anyone move an inch!" Although, he did not notice that the towel he was wearing snagged on the corner of the toolbox as he sprung out from behind it. This rendered him totally in the buff.
All of the girls stopped what they were doing and turned towards the now naked Jake. They all started laughing as Jake stood there wearing nothing but a serious face and a Glovetrix.
Felina stopped laughing long enough to say, "Honey, if you were trying to arouse me, this is definitely not the way to do it."
Jake had no idea what Felina was talking about until he felt a cool breeze come across his backside. He quickly looked down and did not see the towel that had once been wrapped around him. He dropped his paw with the Glovetrix and tried to cover himself as he ran back up the ladder.
The girls all watched as Jake quickly ran back up the ladder to the garage before Callie said, "Well, that was something that I never want to see again." She turned to Tina and then said, "Tina, as much as you want to go and ride the Cyclotron, I would like to get back to the hospital and my fiancée before it gets too much later."
"And I have to get my streaker fiancée ready for dinner with my uncle. Tina, I am going to give you the keys to my car and my apartment, as well as the address. Do you think that you can keep Katerina sequestered at my apartment for the rest of the night?"
Tina turned her attention to Callie and Felina for a minute. Then she turned to Katerina, who was standing next to her. She took Katerina's paw in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before saying, "Oh, I am sure I can keep her occupied and make her stay put, one way or another."
"Just be sure to keep it down to a dull roar, Tina. My walls are not that thick, and I don't need to hear any complaints from the board about wild behavior. I get enough grief from them already," Felina said.
"You have almost nothing to worry about, Felina. I will keep that mouth of hers occupied at all times," Katerina said as she gave Tina's paw a squeeze and Felina a wink.
Felina crossed her arms under her chest and shifted her weight to one hip before saying, "You two had better behave yourselves in my apartment. I don't want to come home and find you two curled up on the floor with just a blanket covering yourselves in the middle of the living room."
"You won't have to worry about that, Felina. Rug burn hurts like hell, so I'm not about to try that again," Tina said.
Felina brought both of her paws up and covered her face as she tried desperately to get the image that Tina had just planted out of her mind as fast as possible.
Callie just stood there laughing at Felina, since Felina had been very wild in her teens and twenties with her boyfriends, and often complained that she was sore after a date.
Felina heard Callie's laughter and turned to her as she brought her paws down, then said, "I'll tell you what, Callie. I will give them the key to your apartment instead, and you can be the one getting the calls from the board, not me."
Callie stopped laughing instantly and replied, "You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh yes I would, Deputy Mayor. Can you imagine what the press would say if they heard that there were strange moaning and groaning sounds originating from your apartment? I can see the headlines now: 'Deputy Mayor in Heat? Mystery Tom Makes Her Yowl!'" Felina replied.
Callie placed both of her paws on her hips before saying, "You are one evil she-cat."
"Yes, I am, but I am also your best friend, so let's grab Jake and get you to the hospital to see Chance," Felina said as she wrapped her left arm around Callie.
They all made their way up the ladder to the garage before heading their separate ways for the night.
End of Chapter