With Elora safely out of the way, Feral could relax more and spend some serious 'getting to know you' time with Hadrian. They had traded the usual things one did with a one night stand; name, where you lived, what you did for a living, and not much else.
Now was the time to find out more about the person and with that in mind, he returned to the living room. "Hadrian, why don't you come join me in the kitchen so we can talk while I make lunch." He said casually.
"I'd be delighted to." The Bengal tom said with a smile as he rose from his seat and followed the dark tom into the other room.
As he headed to the counter where his sandwich fixings still waited, Feral gestured to a chair and went to work. "I was making a roasted tuna sandwich with a potato salad side. Would you like one as well?" He asked as he began to make lunch.
"I confess to never having had one of those before. I'll give it try, if you don't mind?" Hadrian said agreeably.
"No problem."
As Hadrian watched the dark tom performing his self-imposed task, he struggled with what to say to open a dialog that would help break the ice. Despite all that he'd researched about Ulysses, none of it helped him know the Kat himself. He realized there was one question he needed answered. It was very personal but it was something he should have been here for and now needed to know what he had missed. He felt it would bring him closer to Elora.
"Ulysses?"
"Hmm?" Feral glanced over his shoulder, a questioning look in his eyes.
"What little I know of hermaphrodites has told me giving birth is very difficult. Was it for you?" Hadrian asked, concern in his voice.
Feral turned away and kept making their lunch. He wasn't certain if he wanted to discuss something so personal. It had been a scary time and had shaken him to the core. Trying to decide what to say, he finished making their plates then turned and placed the filled dishes on the table.
"Milk?" He asked.
"Uh...sure that's fine." Hadrian answered uneasily. He felt he might have overstepped with that question and didn't know how to extricate himself from it now.
Feral poured two glasses, put the milk back in the fridge then returned to the table, placing one glass at each place setting. He sat down and picked up his glass, taking a big sip to cover his discomfort.
Hadrian picked up his sandwich and took a bite and blinked in surprise.
"Oh, this is very good, thank you." He said enthusiastically.
Feral gave a wane smile. "You're welcome."
Taking a sip of milk, Hadrian eyed the pensive tom who hadn't touched his sandwich at all.
"Ulysses, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked but..." he started to apologize but was cut off by Feral raising a restraining paw.
"No, it's alright. I...it was just such a traumatic thing for me and I've not discussed it with anyone." He said shaking his head.
Hadrian put his sandwich down and reached out a paw to touch Uly's arm. Feral looked into his face, a puzzled look in his eyes.
"Then perhaps it's time you did. Traumatic events that still haunt should be spoken of to a trusted person otherwise they color everything you do from now on and not in a good way. If I'm not the one you wish to speak to about this then please find someone who is." Hadrian said earnestly.
"I once had an associate who had lost his mate and was struggling to raise his son alone. He never spoke of his loneliness or grief with anyone but those of us who knew him could see something was very wrong. In the end, his grief sent him to the hospital with a breakdown and frightened his son. He finally got the help he needed but it cost his son pain that could have been prevented. From his example, I learned to never to keep problems that were bad enough to disturb my work and sleep to myself. My best friend, Tafari has been my confidant and he has kept my sanity and I his for many long years." He related quietly then removed his paw and returned to eating his sandwich.
Feral stared at him in amazement. This tom was very grounded and had someone important in his life that helped him deal with life's stresses. He realized, he did not. He couldn't even consider Sgt. Fallon a confidant since he never revealed anything personal to the sturdy tom.
He'd made it a habit to simply ignore or shove to the back of his mind anything he didn't want to deal with. It was a poor way to handle what life threw at him but he had no other way to deal with them except to deny they bothered him or existed. As he stared at Hadrian, he realized he actually envied the tom. Having a friend that close was a wonderful thing.
Perhaps he should answer Hadrian's question. Who better to hear it than the father of his kitten? If he'd been more accepting of his condition, he could have had Hadrian at his side during that difficult time. It was too late now but perhaps talking about it would help him deal with it better. He realized, Hadrian was right...he still harbored some resentment for his change in circumstances and though he loved Elora dearly, he never would have chosen to have this happen at all.
"Perhaps you're right. You are a very lucky person. I have no one close to me to talk to." He finally admitted, feeling very alone at that moment.
Hadrian felt his appetite leave him completely. He stared at Uly with sad eyes. 'To not have a close friend? How had he managed to handle all the stresses of his job?' He wondered worriedly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be a very lonely existence." He said carefully.
"It can be when I bother to notice, but my job ensures I have no time to realize it much as it is so hazardous and demanding. I usually am far too tired at the end of a day to dwell on it much." Feral said with a fatalistic shrug.
"Oh, Ulysses! That's not right." Hadrian said in distress wanting to get up and hug the tom tightly and offer comfort but something warned him now wasn't the right time.
"Don't worry about it. You're here now and perhaps, if things work out between us, I won't be alone for long." Feral said lightly, trying to dispel the growing gloom the current discussion was causing.
"Then I will make it my mission to win your heart and become your confidant for life." Hadrian swore firmly, giving the tom across from him a determined grin.
Feral couldn't help but smile at the tom's certainty and secretly hoped the Bengal succeeded but for the moment...time to unburden himself.
"When I found out, I was pregnant I was more than a little upset. I refused to accept it, shoving it and its implications to the back of my mind, getting on with my job. It was a very busy time so it was easy to ignore my expanding belly. I never really showed much right up to delivery. I was home sleeping and it was near dawn when I received a very rude awakening." Feral began without preamble.
"The pain was indescribable which was strange since I've been injured any number of times in the line of duty but this was not like anything I'd suffered before in my life. It was so intense and seemed to last a long time before I finally expelled her. I was exhausted and still had to take care of her because she wasn't breathing right at first but after I licked her over, she was soon wailing loudly. Once I placed her on my breast, I was finally able to collapse. However, that wasn't a good thing as I gradually grew cold and my limbs felt like lead. I realized rather slowly, that I was bleeding to death." He said pragmatically.
"What? OMG! Ulysses, how did you manage to survive?" Hadrian blurted in horror.
"By calling my faithful and most excellent personal assistant, Sgt. Fallon. I had the foresight to give him a key to my apartment so I called him and he rushed over. Taking emergency measures then summoning help was why I made it to the hospital in time. I was in surgery for a couple of hours and in the hospital for a week. And that wasn't the end of my nightmare...just as I was leaving the hospital, Dr. Viper came charging in to steal something. He hadn't seen me yet and rushed on by. Sgt. Fallon couldn't go after him as he was guarding me. Though it pains me to say it, those annoying SWAT Kats arrived and went after him but that damn mutant grabbed a lab tech and held her hostage. He kept them at bay while he made for the doors I was still near. Sgt. Fallon managed to trip him, forcing him to release his prisoner but he got to his feet again quickly and to my horror, the slimy snake puss ripped Elora from my paws and ran out the doors. I was far too weak to give chase so was only able to scream my loss which the SWAT Kats heard as they charged after him. They succeeded and brought her back, unharmed to my arms. I'd never been so terrified in my life nor so grateful. It left me totally confused and bewildered for a long time." He finished, reaching for his milk and downing the glass.
Hadrian sat there in shocked dismay. What Ulysses had gone through was horrific and he'd not been here to help him. It didn't matter that he hadn't known, he still felt guilty.
"Oh, Ulysses. What a terrible thing to endure. I must thank Sgt. Fallon and these SWAT Kats for keeping you and my daughter safe." He finally said after a long moment trying to come to grips with this news.
"The SWAT Kats!" Feral grimaced. "I can't believe how much I owe them. It places me in a strange position. On the one paw, they've been very helpful to me but on the other, they are working outside the law and I'm supposed to arrest them for it. However, I can't do that since they've been very good to me and Elora during this trying time. It just twists me up inside to be so split about my duty to the city. If only they didn't cause me so much trouble, they'd be a force to reckon with on the right side of the law." He admitted reluctantly.
"We're only doing what your poor enforcers aren't equipped to do, Commander. We aren't law breakers. We bring them in. However, I'm glad to hear you think so well of us even if you can't admit that in public." A familiar gruff voice said from the door to the kitchen, amusement tinging it.
"T-Bone!" Feral growled, jumping to his feet. "What are you doing here?"
As the colorfully dressed and powerful looking tom stepped into the kitchen, Hadrian studied him. He had heard about the SWAT Kats but except for the newspapers and TV, he'd not seen them in person. He was impressed. The tom exuded strength and confidence but he could sense a core of goodness in him despite his formidable appearance. But why on earth was he here? By all reports, there was no love lost between them and Ulysses.
"I just came by to be sure you and Elora were alright and to ask if you have thought about how you're going to guard her when you return to work. Razor and I are concerned for her safety." T-Bone said bluntly.
Feral blinked in surprise. These two troublemakers never ceased to amaze him. He'd been trying to solve that problem since he knew he was going back to work but even with Ms. Brigg's help, he still hadn't come up with a solution. Now here was his bane of existence asking the same thing. It just felt too weird. However, there was a more serious problem...T-Bone had given away to a stranger that he was much closer to the Chief Enforcer than anyone knew.
"I think you've just managed to endanger both her and I by appearing in my apartment." Feral growled at him angrily, getting up from his seat.
"Easy there, Commander. I was listening in and know this is Elora's father. I don't think he would endanger his daughter by blabbing to people about you having the SWAT Kats in your apartment. He should be made aware of what we were doing though so he doesn't get the wrong idea and because we still have a vested interest in Elora's safety." T-Bone said raising a paw to calm Feral.
But Feral was even more furious rather than reassured. "You had no right spying on me!" He nearly shouted, fury making him shake.
T-Bone bristled and took an aggressive stance but before things could get more heated, Hadrian jumped to his feet and planted himself between the two.
"Hold it! Calm yourself Ulysses. He's right about me even if I don't like the idea he was spying on us. I can assure you I have no intention of revealing anything that was said here. I don't know what is going on with him being here but I can sense he is only interested in our daughter's safety. Is he right? Is she in danger?" He asked anxiously.
Feral was annoyed Hadrian had interfered but backed down when he saw how upset the Bengal was. But his temper nearly flared again when T-Bone answered rather than letting him do it.
"Yes she is. Feral has lots of enemies who'd love to get to him through his daughter. Razor is worried that the moment he's back to work they will make a move." T-Bone rumbled darkly.
Feral's temper deflated instantly and fear clutched him. If Razor thought there was a threat against Elora, he couldn't dismiss it out of paw. That damn tom had been right too often and he'd not risk his daughter by ignoring it.
"You mean because of the lack of action by the omegas lately." He said more calmly. He'd been feeling more anxious lately and hadn't been able to shake it. Was he beginning to sense danger like the smaller of the SWAT Kats? He shook that off as being way on the weird scale even for him.
T-Bone relaxed a little as he realized Feral was taking him seriously and no longer fighting. "Yes. It's just too eerie that they've been so quiet all this time. We suspect Dark Kat has some plan in mind and Elora is part of it." He said grimly.
Feral hissed and clenched his paws helplessly. "Damn it! I haven't been able to secure any kind of safe place or person for her even with Ms. Briggs' assistance but I have to return to work and taking her with me isn't a good idea." He growled angrily.
"Okay, then you'll be happy at the solution Razor came up with. I have to admit it's brilliant and no one would suspect her being there." T-Bone smirked with real pleasure.
Feral frowned at him. "Well, don't keep us in suspense here." He grumbled irritably.
"Oh, sorry! Have her stay with Professor Hackle." The burly tom said easily.
"What? Why should I allow that crackpot to care for my daughter when he can't even keep control of those two metal criminals?" Feral shouted furiously.
"Whoa keep your voice down...aw crud now look what you've done." T-Bone growled irritably then surprised Hadrian by turning and leaving the room just as he began to hear a wailing sound.
Frowning in confusion, Hadrian turned to stare at Ulysses questioningly and was further surprised when the dark tom began pacing the kitchen in agitation. Before he could ask why he wasn't going to get their daughter, the SWAT Kat reappeared with Elora in his arms. The kitten was making happy sounds as the big tom gently bounced and cooed to her as he approached Ulysses.
"Here, I changed her. Geez, Commander...calm down will ya. You don't need to be scaring your daughter like that." T-Bone scolded the dark tom.
Feral scowled at the tom but was very gentle as he took Elora from the tiger tom's arms as if he'd done this many times before. "I don't need lectures from you." He hissed which caused Elora to whimper. Feral quickly cleared his expression and cooed at his daughter until she was calm again.
"Yeah, sure you don't." The SWAT Kat muttered softly as he passed behind Hadrian to stand across the room from Feral.
"Look, Professor Hackle is not a crackpot. He's very smart and extremely security conscious. You should see his home and lab. You'd have to take an army to break into there plus you'd have to contend with his security bots first. Trust me, for a frail old guy, he's well able to keep Elora safe. And before you ask, we already checked with him. He's got a little cyberbot that helped us out when those mummies of the Pastmaster came calling. It's a feisty little thing and a very good guard. We trusted it with our lives and it didn't let us down. As for the Metallikats, Razor checked and they are disassembled at this moment and off line." T-Bone explained calmly. "Come on, Commander. No way would we risk her life with just anyone. Give us some credit for insuring this was the best way to protect her. And to ensure no one knows where she is, Razor suggests you allow us to take her there and back. We are able to move about faster and more under the radar than you."
"No way! I'm not about to let you transport my daughter anywhere..." Feral began to object as he bounced Elora in his arms but his anger and fear was being transmitted to Elora and upsetting her.
Hadrian stepped in. "Ulysses! You're too upset and its making Elora upset. Let me hold her if you can't keep calm." He insisted quietly.
Feral froze in place and stared at Hadrian's reaching arms for a long moment. Elora squirmed and fussed anxiously in his arms. He sighed and reluctantly handed over his daughter to her father.
Hadrian carefully cradled her in his arms and began to rock her back and forth. This seemed to calm her quickly and she began to drift off.
Feral had to admit, though inexperienced, Hadrian had managed to calm her and apparently, Elora sensed her father meant no harm and trusted him enough to sleep in his arms. He wasn't certain how that made him feel so he returned his attention to the SWAT Kat's suggestion.
But T-Bone jumped in before he could speak. "Think, Feral! You'll be followed the moment you step out of here. The press are waiting for you and so are the bad guys. You're a good enforcer and mother but you can't be on alert every second of every day. It will wear you out and that's when they'll make their move. Don't let them get her for the wrong reasons. You know we'd rather die then let anything happen to her." He insisted urgently, knowing this was the only way to protect the kitten.
Feral stood shaking, his fists clenched...fear and frustration were warring within him. His more strategic mind told him the SWAT Kat was right, this was the best way to protect her but his motherly instincts were upset at trusting them to take her away every day.
T-Bone pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against and walked to the Commander's side. He put a paw on the tom's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "I know it isn't your enforcer side that's objecting. It's hard for a mother to see their kitten leave their protection and this will be the first time you will have to do so. I know it's not fair but you are in a dangerous position and you knew this would happen no matter how much you wanted to deny it. Let us keep her safe for you and let's work together to eliminate the threat that prevents you from your motherly duties." He said softly.
Feral swallowed. T-Bone had hit on his reason for resisting with perfect precision. It hurt more than he'd dreamed it would, allowing Elora from his sight. He couldn't look at the tabby and stared at the floor.
"It's what happened with Viper on that first day, isn't it?" The burly tom asked sympathetically. "I don't blame you. That had been a very terrifying moment for you and believe me, it won't get any easier as time goes on but mothers' do get used to coping with danger toward their little ones and you'll be no different. And now that her father's back in the picture, perhaps he will help you let go more easily." He said gently, giving the tom a squeeze then stepping away to give Feral breathing space. "You think hard about this solution and I or Razor will be back to get your answer. You return to work on Monday, right?"
"Yes." Feral said thickly.
"Okay. Then I'll be seeing you again soon. Take care." T-Bone said, stepping out of the kitchen and vanishing as quietly as he had arrived.
Feral could only stare at the doorway blankly. He'd never expected to receive such gentle understanding from the gruffest member of the SWAT Kats and, that plus the fear of letting Elora go, were causing his emotions to spiral out of control. Ever since his pregnancy, he cursed how emotional he'd become. His female hormones pushed his male stoicism aside and made him a blubbering mess just like now as he felt another emotional overload beginning to swamp him. 'Oh god...not now! I hate losing control!' He moaned mentally.
He struggled to hide it but Hadrian, who had been watching and listening closely to everything, had noted the shudder and look of distress on Uly's face. Still holding their daughter with one arm, he came to the tom's side and wrapped a commiserating arm around him.
Giving up trying to choke back tears of distress and worry, Feral sobbed against the Bengal tom's comforting shoulder. 'How humiliating,' was his last coherent thought.