Arriving near his neighborhood once more, Feral stopped the car some two blocks from his apartment building.
"I'll go in on foot from here so no one will connect me with you. Take Elora and use the same subterfuge to get her back inside. Here is my key," he said, handing the apartment key to Hadrian then putting his hat back on.
He climbed out of the car and went to the side door to retrieve the kitten bag. "You be good for your father and mommy will see you in just a few minutes," he told his daughter who was awake and staring at him with big wide eyes. He leaned close and gave her a kiss before withdrawing and closing the door.
He immediately took off walking toward an alleyway just ahead as Hadrian drove off quickly. Doing what Ulysses had done before, he went down a back alley and came upon the apartment building from the rear. He parked close to the back entrance. Quickly climbing out, he opened the back door of the rental car but made sure he was blocking anyone from looking in as he uncinched the car seat, dragged the bag over the whole thing, pausing only a moment to reassure his daughter before hauling her out then locking the car door.
Hanging it over his back, he moved easily toward the rear door and used the key to enter. The stairwell was empty as before and he made his way upward at nearly a run as he could hear Elora begin to cry. Opening the stair door a crack, he ducked back quickly as he caught sight of a female opening the door to her apartment. Counting to five, he opened the door again and was relieved to see no one around.
Hurrying down the hall to Ulysses' apartment, he put the key in and unlocked the door, pulling it open quickly and ducking inside. He stopped just inside the door and hurriedly pulled off the bag to reveal Elora's unhappy, tearful face.
"Ahh, sugar! Daddy's sorry!" He soothed her as he undid her straps and picked her up. He hugged her close with one arm as he picked up the carrier with his other paw and moved further into the apartment. He had just set it behind the couch when the door opened again and Ulysses ducked inside.
"Is she okay?" Feral asked as he shucked both hat and coat and came to Hadrian's side.
"Yeah, but she sure wasn't happy about the bag this time and was letting me know it. Fortunately, she hadn't worked up to a fit yet when I managed to get us inside," Hadrian said then looked at Elora. "Here...you want mommy?" He said to his daughter as he handed her over to Feral.
"Sorry about the strange treatment, honey. How about some dinner, hmm?" Feral cooed to Elora as he walked to the bedroom.
Hadrian sighed and decided to make for the kitchen. It was nearly dinner time and he was very hungry. He noted the listing of take out places Ulysses had near his phone. Looking it over, he knew what he wanted but went to the bedroom to see what his lover might feel like eating.
The bedroom was lit by the small amount of sunlight coming in the closed curtains. Ulysses was laying on his side and dozing a little as Elora nursed. Hadrian paused in the doorway and gazed on them for some minutes, really loathed to disturb the peaceful sight. He could stand here forever watching over his family.
That was how he thought of them now. No matter what, this was his family and it wouldn't be long before it was so in the eyes of others as well. This was what he prayed for and would make damn certain it was what he got. He smiled to himself as he thought the battle nearly won already as comfortable as his daughter and Ulysses were with him already.
His musings were interrupted by the rather loud rumble of his angry stomach. He scowled down at his belly but jerked his head up again when he heard a soft chuckle.
He grinned widely as he saw Ulysses staring at him in amusement. "Sorry, I came here to ask what you'd like for dinner...my treat," he said.
"Hmm, good idea. I'm famished. I don't care what I have really...you pick what strikes your fancy," Feral rumbled softly.
"Okay."
Hadrian turned away and made for the kitchen once more and ordered dinner. That done, he went to the living room and turned on the TV, keeping the sound down low. Some ten minutes later he heard Ulysses pass behind him to go to the kitchen. Moments later, he returned to the living room with two glasses of milk, handing one to Hadrian before sitting down beside him with a sigh.
"Thanks, love," Hadrian murmured taking a big gulp from the glass. He was thirsty too, he realized.
"You're welcome," Feral said, smiling slightly at the endearment the Bengal had used without realizing it. He found he liked it and pressed closer to the tom who welcomed him by putting a warm arm around his shoulders.
He sighed and closed his eyes. Having seen where Elora would spend her days had soothed his worried mind though that didn't mean he was going to be any happier when she left his arms tomorrow. Pushing that unhappy thought away, Feral allowed himself to just bask in the obvious caring arms of Hadrian.
They remained that way, comfortingly at peace with each other, no words being necessary as they let the silence wrap around them. It was rudely interrupted some fifteen minutes later by the door bell. Sighing, Hadrian rose from his seat, reluctantly, and went to answer the door. He peered out the peep hole and saw it was indeed the delivery Kat before opening the door. He paid for the food and took it to the kitchen where Ulysses already had gone and was setting up the table for their meal.
They ate and chatted about all manner of things then cleaned up the kitchen. Going back out to the couch, they turned on the TV and watched a movie together. It wasn't long before they were making out hot and heavy again but once more, Hadrian stopped before anything more serious could happen.
As he was saying goodnight at the door, Feral was feeling really frustrated. Though it had been he who had suggested they take their time, he found himself desiring Hadrian more each time he saw the tom and was beginning to hate their separation.
For crud sake! The tom had only been here a few days! What was he...a lovesick she-kat? But he couldn't deny just how much he was truly falling for the handsome Bengal. He'd been lonely far too long and the tom felt like a cool drink of water after a long drought.
He shook himself and locked up, taking himself off to bed. Tomorrow would be a hectic day as he got back into the swing of being at work.
Morning came far too soon to his mind. Elora woke around five a.m. so Feral fed her then gave her a warm bath. He dressed her in a nice little jumper and let her sit in her carrier watching him as he too got ready for the day. He had made sure to pump extra milk yesterday and this morning and packed them in an ice bag before putting them in her fully packed kitten bag along with the notes he'd written up for Hackle.
The door bell rang as he rushed around taking care of last minute details and worrying about forgetting something Elora should have with her. He made for the door and opened it rather abruptly.
Hadrian stood there holding a paper bag that smelled of breakfast and coffee. Feral eyed him in surprise.
"Figured you hadn't eaten at all and I was right. You've been busy getting both of you ready and now you're obsessing about what should go with her even though you packed her bag yesterday," he said knowingly as he stepped across the threshold and gave Feral a kiss on the mouth.
Feral could only blink in surprise as he shut the door and followed his lover to the living room.
"Hello my sweety! How's daddy's little one this morning?" Hadrian sang out to their daughter who waved her little arms and gargled happily at her father's voice.
"I can't get over how well you read me. It's positively eerie," Feral grumped as he sat down at the table.
"It wasn't that hard to guess, my love. You're a very devoted mother and this will be hard on you. Now here...eat some breakfast...I'm certain there's nothing left that needs to be done except for sitting down and eating as well as enjoying Elora's company and mine, of course," Hadrian grinned as he handed Feral a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee.
Feral could only sigh and take the items from the Bengal's paw. "Thank you. I was just thinking about fixing something but couldn't seem to stop to do it yet."
"Then it's a good thing I got breakfast this morning," Hadrian smirked. He took a big bite of his sandwich just to coax Ulysses to do the same.
Realizing what the tom was up to, Feral gave him a wane smile and began eating. The coffee was good and was just what he needed to steady him. They ate in peace, Hadrian cooing at Elora every now and then.
When breakfast was done, Hadrian collected the trash and insisted Feral play with Elora for a few minutes until it was time for her to leave.
Feral grimaced unhappily at the reminder as he pick up Elora from her carrier and carried her around, talking with her and making her laugh.
A noise near the balcony some thirty minutes later, startled them both. Elora was drowsing in Feral's arms when Razor came into the room carrying some kind of pod like thing.
"Good morning all. Hello, you must be the father. Pleased to meet you," Razor said easily coming to Hadrian to shake his paw.
Hadrian gave the powerful but lean built tom a return paw shake while studying him keenly. "And you must be Razor...I want to thank you for taking such good care of my daughter and Ulysses."
"We we're glad to do it. She's such a sweet thing," Razor said warmly. "Aww, I take it she's had breakfast and play time and is very pooped now. That will actually make this easier on her. This is her travel pod the Professor and I invented to keep her safe on my cyclotron. It has baffles to keep it quiet inside for her and Agracite for its shell to make it super strong. She'll be safe! I bet my life on it."
"It does look very sturdy. We took the opportunity to go visit Professor Hackle yesterday and are pleased with the arrangements he's made. Elora found him acceptable as well," Feral managed to say, though his heart was hammering with fear and anxiety about the coming separation.
"Okay, let's load her up, its nearly time for you to leave for work and I should be away before you leave the apartment. I didn't detect anyone lurking about but with the type of enemies we've got that doesn't mean anything," Razor said seriously as he opened the pod and set it on the couch.
Swallowing hard, Feral hugged his daughter tightly for a moment longer before giving her a kiss and putting her into the snug pod that held her comfortably. Gently, Razor moved close and did up the complicated harness he'd made for her. Soon Elora was cinched in and the pod was closed.
"Her bag ready to go?" Razor asked briskly, not wanting to extend the torture for Feral any longer than necessary. "Oh, and here is the comm unit that will allow you to call either us or the Professor. Position one is us and two is Hackle," he showed Feral on the device before handing it off to him.
Feral could only nod, taking the device, then watched as the SWAT Kat grabbed the bag, slung it over one shoulder then slipped the straps attached to the pod over each shoulder so that Elora hung on his back snugly.
Feral nearly reached out for her but Hadrian was there to wrap a comforting arm around the distraught mother as he watched his kitten quickly disappear over the balcony rail on the back of a SWAT Kat. He shuddered and tried hard to shove down his feelings of distress.
"It's alright love, I know how hard this is. It didn't feel so good for me either seeing her leave that way but she will be back safe and sound later tonight...just keep that in mind," Hadrian told Uly firmly while offering all the comfort he could.
It took Feral much longer than he thought it should to get over letting Elora go. The lump in his throat just wouldn't go away and his breakfast sat in his stomach like lead.
"You need to be going, love. I'll leave first out the back way and you out the front. Take a deep breath and let it out. Focus your mind on all the work waiting for you and don't forget the communicator Razor gave you to call later to check on Elora. I will be back here later this evening with dinner," Hadrian promised, giving Feral another hard hug and a kiss before reluctantly leaving.
Feral knew Hadrian was right and he tried to do his best to keep his focus on the day ahead and not obsess about Elora's safety. He waited some ten minutes before finally leaving his apartment, locking the door behind him. He took the elevator as he usually did, meeting no one on the way down, much to his relief. Looking around him as he made for his hummer parked on the street and seeing nothing suspicious, he climbed aboard and started the engine. He was soon on his way to work but his mind refused to forget that last image of his daughter going over the balcony.
Razor had moved quickly down the building by his grappling line from his glovatrix to his cyclotron parked below. It was a smooth getaway as he zoomed away down a back alley then out to the main road going faster than the cars could see him.
In less than twenty minutes, he was driving up the hidden paved road to Professor Hackle's rear entrance he and T-Bone regularly used when they visited the elderly inventor. The huge door slid up just as he came close and he drove right in. The door silently went back down as Razor shut his engine off and climbed off.
He handed the kitten bag off to Cybertron who gave him an electronic hello.
"Good morning to you too," Razor said. "Well here she is Professor. Let's see how she handled the trip here."
Razor went through the lab hangar to the smaller work lab where the professor had set up the kitten area, slipped the pod off his back and set it on the changing table to open it. Inside the pod, Elora was fast asleep.
"Aww, she handled the trip like a champ. The baffle system we designed worked like a charm, Professor," Razor said as he undid Elora's harness.
"It did indeed. She looks so peaceful," Hackle said as he stared down at the little kitten.
"Yeah, doesn't she. Let's just get her into bed now. She should sleep for about two hours or longer before waking to eat and stay up looking around for a little after that. I'm sure Feral has put instructions in the bag as well as milk for her," Razor told him.
"And how was the Commander when you left?" Hackle asked curiously.
Razor grimaced as he turned away from the bed and pulled the kitten bag to him, searching for her favorite blanket. Cybertron had already removed the milk and placed it in the fridge.
"The poor guy looked miserable...nearly had tears in his eyes. I got out of there as fast as I could so as not to make it worse on him. Expect to hear from him fairly soon. He'll want to know she arrived okay and how she took the ride. It's weird to think of that arrogant so and so being such a loving mother," Razor said shaking his head in mild amusement as he laid the blanket over the sleeping kitten.
Hackle could only smile at that statement. "At least he knows she will be safe and that is all that matters. But it will be some time before he will get used to her leaving him this way every day."
"You got that right. Okay, I better get going myself. Let me know if you have any problems. Elora knows us well and we are able to calm her if need be," Razor said heading for his bike.
"Don't worry, she should be fine," Hackle assured him.
Razor nodded, climbed on his bike and was soon zooming out the opening door, heading back to the hangar.
Feral pulled up to his parking spot. It felt strange after being gone for so long, but the feeling eased as he quickly left his vehicle and climbed up the steps of the Enforcer Building after more than two months absent. As he walked into the huge lobby, he got many a shouted welcome and stares as his enforcers welcomed him back with relief.
He caught an elevator and rode up swiftly to his floor. Sgt Fallon met him near his office.
"Good morning, sir. Great to see you back," Fallon said warmly.
"Glad to be back," Feral said as he entered his office, removed his coat and hung it up then made for his desk. It seemed to be over flowing with reports. Growling to himself, he wondered just how big a mess he was going to have wade through.
"I've tried to keep up on what needed to get done sir and farmed some of the important stuff to Lt. Commanders Wilson and Barrington to handle but there's still a lot left," Fallon said apologetically.
Feral just sighed. "I thank you for the efforts you made. Just give me the low down and let's get started clearing this mess but first get me some coffee and last night's blotter."
"Yes sir," Fallon said briskly as he about-faced and left the office.
Feral used the time while the sergeant was gone to take out the comm device and switched it to Hackle's frequency. It only took a moment before the professor answered.
Before he could say anything, Hackle spoke up saying, "she's fine Commander. She fell asleep in the pod and is presently resting in her bed right now."
Feral sighed in relief. "Thank you, Professor. I'm glad this worked. I might call again at lunch if I have time."
"Certainly, sir. Have a good day and please try not to worry about your little one," Hackle soothed the worried mother.
"I'll try. You have a peaceful day as well. Elora can be a pawful at times," Feral said in parting. He received a warm chuckle in response then Hackle said farewell. He sighed and put away the comm just as Fallon returned. It was a good thing he was going to be very busy. He wouldn't have the time to worry about Elora.