"I'm going to tell her." Jake spoke suddenly as he sat staring blindly at the TV in their waiting area, a few days after his talk with Professor Hackle.
Chance blinked in confusion and turned to stare at his partner questioningly.
The day had been quiet, only one vehicle, quickly repaired and sent on its way. Not even a delivery from those two annoying junk kats to break the quiet. Though, Jake had been working nearly non-stop with Professor Hackle, it seemed he felt the need of a break, for which the tabby was grateful since he thought Jake was getting far too exhausted of late. So a quiet day was just the ticket they needed.
Jake didn't enlighten him on what he meant by that rather bald statement and continued to stare in the distance. Chance frowned a moment in thought before the light went off.
"You want to tell Callie who we are." He finally said with certainly.
"Yes."
"I see...well I have no objections. She would never give us away but she'll be shocked to learn Feral was willing to be bonded to a SWAT Kat." Chance snorted, amused.
Jake turned to look at his partner. "Crud, that's right." He flashed a rueful smile. "Oh well, she'll get over it quickly. I'm just tired of keeping this a secret from her. It feels wrong."
"I understand. If you feel your relationship is truly serious, then I agree, keeping it from her will seem like a betrayal of trust though, I'm sure Callie would be the first to understand why it had been necessary in the first place." Chance said quietly.
Jake relaxed a little. "Yeah, its serious, alright. Thanks." He gave his partner a grateful smile.
"You're welcome." Chance smiled warmly.
They were silent for a little while before Jake spoke again. "Remember when we talked about how stressful it is trying to protect our lovers from getting themselves into situations that could get them killed?" He asked.
"Uhh...yeah, I remember. What about it?" Chance asked, wondering why Jake was bringing it up again.
"Well, it's been bothering me so much that it was affecting the way I work and Professor Hackle noticed. He sorta wheedled the reason out of me. Without telling him who, I gave him a thumbnail idea of what we're up against and how much stress it was causing us." Jake said, plainly. "He surprised me with some really sound advice." He went on to tell his partner about the conversation he'd had with the elderly Kat.
"Therapy?" Chance blurted in surprise. "How the heck can we all see a therapist? That would endanger our lovers safety more than what they do themselves." He objected.
"Yeah, that was my reaction too, but the professor said we were already endangering them by our overprotective behavior and our constant distraction could get us all killed. He said we would just have to trust someone because our lives have become more complicated." Jake explained.
Chance went silent and thought over this dangerous but possibly necessary step. "I don't like it but you're right. I feel the strain too. I've gotten more sharp with Ulysses and sometimes, with his volatile temper, it turns into a shouting match. Though we have great makeup sex after, I'm really getting tired of the tension between us and the stress of trying to get him to see my side of it." He finally conceded.
"It's worse than I thought, then. I wasn't aware the two of you were fighting." Jake said in concern. "Let me talk with Callie, tell her who we are then ask her if she knows someone that can help us. She has more contacts than us and just might have the right person who can be very discreet and trustworthy." Jake said thoughtfully.
Chance frowned, worried about this next dangerous step they were taking but seeing no other alternative. "Alright, go ahead. It scares me to pieces to allow yet more people to know so much about us but the alternative is not an option."
Jake nodded solemnly. He had to agree with that statement.
Later that night, Chance brought up the earlier discussion with Jake. The two of them had finished dinner, cleaned up and were now sitting on the bed watching TV. Chance was giving his mate a firm brushing of the dark tom's long fur.
Feral sighed, his eyes closed as Chance brushed the fur on his back. He'd never had anyone to do this very intimate act for him since he was a kitten and he was loving it. It felt so wonderful.
"Uly?" Chance murmured as he swept the brush down the middle of his mate's back then took the fluffy tail in his paw and drew long strokes down it to get out any tangles.
Feral gasped at the tingles that swept through from Chance's attention which caused him to miss the tabby's soft inquiry.
"Hmm?"
"Jake brought up some important things today and I need to talk to you about them." Chance said seriously as he finished with the tail and let it go.
Feral turned his head to eye his mate questioningly, the serious tone catching his attention.
"What did he have to say?"
"He's going to tell Callie who he is and I said it was alright with me. He's been with her for some time now and considers their relationship a serious one now. The other thing he mentioned did cause me some concern but after discussing it, felt it was one we couldn't ignore any longer." Chance explained.
Feral frowned as he turned his body completely around so he could face his mate. "Am I going to have to play twenty questions to find out what this other subject might be?" He asked archly.
"No, of course not. It's just..." Chance paused and sighed. "Look, Jake and I have become seriously stressed out trying to keep you and Callie from harm without stepping on your pride in the process. It's making us crazy pretending we don't care whenever we're all in public and the two of you get into a dangerous situation. We both feel the intense need to protect you but we can't and its making us do things that could get us both killed."
Hearing the strain in his mate's voice caused Feral to reach out and pull Chance into his arms. "Let me tell you something. I feel the same way. I have to pretend we are enemies and not show how much I'm frightened by some of the things you two do. I have no doubt, when Callie knows who you really are, that she's going to feel the same way. She's luckier though. She has already shown how much she cares about both of you and is able to tell you so but I can't so the stress is more intense for me." He said honestly, nuzzling the tabby's face.
"Crud! I feel stupid not realizing it could be the same for you." He shook his head in disgust. "I now realize its also the reason were at each other's throat so much lately too...we are both afraid of losing each other."
"You're not stupid, love. I missed it too." Feral sighed, snorting at his denseness. "So what did Jake say about solving this problem?" He asked, caressing the tabby's tense back.
"All of sees a therapist." Chance said flatly.
"What?" Feral pulled back enough to see his mate's face.
"Yeah, that was my reaction too but Jake told me what Professor Hackle suggested and I had to agree with him." Chance said.
"Hackle? What does he know about this?" Feral asked in confusion and beginning anger.
"Cool yourself." Chance soothed then told his mate about what Jake and Hackle had discussed and the Professor's advice.
Feral blinked in surprise when Chance finished. "I would have never credited that tom to be so insightful. I always thought of him as just an eccentric inventor. It makes sense though, he's able to observe us from the outside and see what we can't." He sighed, shaking his head in dismay. "Well, Jake's got the right idea. Callie does have a lot of contacts. None of mine would give us what we need."
"So you're willing to see a therapist?" Chance asked softly.
Feral sighed and pressed his head against his mate's as he responded, "I hate head doctors but if it will make things easier for us then I'm all for it. So, I guess we wait and see who Callie knows that can help us and I dearly hope we don't pay for this moment of weakness with our lives."
Chance nodded in agreement. He didn't think Ulysses was being over dramatic in his statement since he felt exactly the same way. Seeing a therapist was going to be a great risk to all of them.
Some hours after Chance had left the garage, Jake showered and dressed then headed down to the hangar. Soon he was roaring down the city streets on his cyclotron toward Callie's uptown apartment.
Parking his bike in the alley behind a dumpster then setting its security system, Jake walked to the front of the building and stepped into the lobby. He nodded at the security guard who gave him a nod back as he entered the just arriving elevator. He waited as a couple stepped out then strode forward and punched the button for the top floor.
He was deposited on a quiet, carpeted floor. There were only three apartments here and Callie's was the end one near the stairs. He knocked softly on her door.
It opened to reveal the she-kat wearing a long, dark green lounge dress with some kind of blue tracery flowing down its length. He smiled warmly at her as he stepped in and wrapped his arms around her waist, closing the door with his foot.
After a breath-stealing kiss of welcome, they parted and went to the living room. On the coffee table, Callie had laid out some cheese and meats with chips on the side and two glasses of wine.
"Hmm, what's the occasion?" Jake asked as he swept her toward the couch and sat them both in its center.
"No occasion. Just felt like making it a little romantic around here. You like?" She said, smirking coyly at him as she picked up her glass and took a sip.
"Oh yeah, I like it a lot." He grinned, picking up his glass as well and a piece of cheese with meat, popping it into his mouth.
They leaned back and cozy upped, kissing and feeding each other. Before it could get too serious, Jake leaned back from her a little.
"Callie, I need to talk to you about something very important." He said quietly.
She eyed him a moment and sighed. "I'm listening."
He took her paw in his and rubbed her knuckles with his fingers. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before raising his eyes to stare into her's.
"I asked my partner before making this decision and he has agreed that you can be trusted." He said carefully.
Callie suddenly held her breath and felt her heart beat faster. Jake had something momentous to tell her and her mind was flying everywhere to try and guess what it might be. She thought it far too soon for one of those things that came to her mind first. She was startled when he reached into a pocket and pulled out something.
When he slipped it over his face, she nearly fainted dead away, as it was, she could only stare, her mouth gaping.
"Razor?" She finally managed to blurt.
"Yeah, its me." Razor said blushing then pulled the bandanna off again. "I figured it was the right time for you to know."
She threw himself at him, hugging and kissing as tears of joy fell down her face. "Oh, this is soo wonderful. I thought I was being two faced by wanting both of you and now I find you are both one and the same."
Jake sighed in relief. She was overjoyed and not mad at him. He allowed her joy to pour over him as he hugged and kissed her back.
"So I was in competition with myself, huh?" He teased.
She blushed. "I'm sorry, but you both had such wonderful qualities however, after being with you, I found it was you I wanted the most." She admitted shyly.
"I'm glad to hear that. I'd hate to think you were a pushover for a costume." He snickered.
Callie gave him a playful shove which turned into a bout of friendly wrestling then more amorous things. When they rested after a vigorous bout of sex, they fed each more food and relaxed.
"Callie, I needed to ask you something." Jake said as he reached for more cheese and meat.
"Certainly. Ask away." She said taking another sip of her now warm wine.
He thought a moment about how he wanted to discuss this then decided to just launch into the problem. He told her of their increased stress levels trying to deal with protecting those they loved from the dangers they all faced on a nearly daily basis, then his conversation with both the Professor and Chance on how to solve it.
"So we agreed that seeing a therapist would be a good idea and hoped you knew of someone that could be discreet and that all of us could trust with the secret of our relationships." Jake finished.
Callie lay still, her pretty face frowning unhappily. "I should have realized how much stress you were under even when I didn't know it was you. You and Chance are the type to jump in and protect those you love without a thought for yourselves. But the shoe fits on the other foot for Feral and I, you know. Some of the things you do..." She said shaking her head.
Jake sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that's certainly true and one we failed to bother paying attention to, hence the best reason for seeking therapy."
"I have to admit, I'm really surprised that it was Professor Hackle of all people that would actually suggest that." Callie said, still amazed by the old Kats insight. "As for a therapist, I think I do know someone who'd be right for the job but I need to check her out first." She said thoughtfully.
"Perfect. We'll wait until you've vetted this person then let you set up a discreet appointment for us. Don't know if we should be seen as a group or as individual couples. Guess the therapist will have to tell us." Jake commented. "Anyway, now that's been discussed, how about we engage in something more fun?" Jake purred, beginning to caress her back.
"Hmm, good idea." She purred as well.