Callie had a lot on her mind after putting in several hours of overtime. She hurriedly rushed into her apartment and headed straight for her bedroom. Some minutes later, she'd changed into a comfortable pantsuit and walked back through the living room, grabbing her briefcase she'd left near the front door and placing it on the coffee table then going on to the kitchen where she puttered around, setting the kettle on to boil, getting out glasses, plates, and silverware plus setting out a coffee cake she'd bought the day before.
She'd ordered dinner when she'd left the office and only had to do these prep things ahead of her guest's arrival. The tea kettle whistled and she pulled it off, pouring the water into a carafe then fetching sugar, honey, lemon and tea cups, putting them neatly on her tea service tray.
Just then the doorbell rang. Hurrying to answer it, she was pleased to see the food had arrived. Paying the delivery Kat, she took it from him then carried it off to the kitchen and set it on the counter.
Before she could do anything more, the doorbell rang a second time. Moving swiftly to the door, she opened it to reveal guest, Abi. Smiling warmly, she gestured for the brown she-kat to enter then closed the door behind her.
"Right on time, Abi. The food just arrived seconds before you did," she told her friend as she led her to the kitchen.
"I thought so. I could smell the food lingering in the elevator," Abi chuckled.
"How about we serve up then take it back to the living room to sit down?"
"Good idea! More comfortable that way and less dishes."
"Exactly," Callie smirked.
They served up their food, Callie got a glass of wine while Abi made herself a cup of tea, then they headed out to the living room to curl up comfortably on the couch. They ate for a few minutes in companionable silence, winding down from the long day.
Abi put her half finished meal down and picked up her cup of tea. Sitting back, she eyed the lovely blond she-kat who was daintily eating a Chinese rib. Calico Briggs had always fascinated her...a strong, take charge she-kat who was also very brave and compassionate. The perfect leader for this city...much better than that pompous fool who ran it presently. But she had to agree with Callie's reasoning that she got more done behind the scenes than she would have being in the center seat.
They had met initially during fund raisers for the museum but after the Pastmaster began interfering with her life, she became more familiar and closer with the deputy mayor as well as the SWAT Kats. She rather liked the fact she was considered a valuable asset to the defenders of Megakat City as a repository for information on ancient history and magic. This rather necessary interaction brought the two of them in constant contact which had gradually morphed into a deep friendship.
As she watched Callie under her half lowered lids, she realized only recently, that their relationship was becoming more than friendship...at least on her part, she wasn't so certain about Callie. She certainly flirted with the toms but many of them did, but whether she'd be interested in a she-kat...Abi had no clue...but she had hopes.
"Penny for your thoughts," Callie murmured, giving her friend an arched brow of concern.
Abi shook herself alert, realizing she'd been frankly staring and fantasizing a little too long. Callie had finished her dinner and was eyeing her curiously as she drank her wine.
To cover her embarrassment, she took another sip of her tea only to discover it was empty. She stared at her cup in surprise.
Callie chuckled. "Would you like another cup of tea or some wine?"
"Oh, uh, wine would be nice, thanks. I'm sorry, my mind was...uh...drifting. I hadn't realized I was drinking at the same time," Abi said, embarrassed.
"I could tell. You haven't even finished your dinner," Callie said in amusement as she rose gracefully, took Abi's tea cup and glided off to the kitchen.
Abi sucked in a soft breath as she watched the fetching she-kat walk off. She could feel her cheeks flushing heat. Trying to regain her composure, she quickly picked up her now cold dinner and finished it.
Callie returned a few moments later with both glasses filled and the bottle of wine under one arm. She set Abi's glass before her and set the bottle on the table before taking her seat again, holding her own glass.
"Thought I should just bring it in," she said casually.
"Good idea," Abi agreed, rather inanely, quickly picking up her glass and sipping it.
"So...what had your mind so preoccupied?" Callie asked again, eyeing her friend closely.
Abi felt her cheeks heat again as she fumbled for a sensible answer. She'd rather die than say what she'd really been thinking. "Oh...umm...just going over all the amazing things I saw aboard the Wotan," she managed to say at last.
Callie raised her eyebrows. She was nearly certain that hadn't been what had captivated and held her friend's mind but she let it go. Whatever it was would come out eventually.
"Yes, it was truly remarkable and I'm envious of all the advanced medical and weaponry it carries. But I'm more upset about the possible loss of the guys. I can't believe they've been offered a chance to go off in space." She shook her head unhappily. "And losing Feral for certain, as well."
Abi sighed and said, "yes, that was quite the bombshell alright. To think the Commander is actually mated to one of them was a shock. I'm concerned, that Capt Ing feels the defense system they plan to leave in place will be enough to keep our city safe."
"Well, on that I think they are justified in believing placing robots within the ranks of the enforcers will help beef them up and allow them to finally do their jobs more effectively, is a sound one and I refuse to think Razor wouldn't have looked into that thoroughly before even considering leaving us on our own," Callie said firmly, taking another sip of her wine. "Also, don't forget, Capt Ing said they had been offered the chance but said nothing about them accepting it yet."
"That's certainly true, perhaps they won't but there's no way of telling until everything shakes out. Still I feel uneasy about the possibility."
"I know! But the reason we all feel that way is the fear of tipping the present balance of power we have right now, even though it is a destructive one," Callie mused thoughtfully.
"That's because all Kat's fear change...it's a natural behavior and one that's very hard to alter."
"So very true. The only thing that would make the change more acceptable to everyone is if the Arcanians do succeed in helping us rid our city of the rest of our omegas as they've planned to do and help us build a space platform prison for them then we should be able to breath easier and handle whatever comes after that," Callie affirmed. "I'm also glad that a galactic patrol will be guarding our space borders if the United Nations refuses their offer to join."
"I'll be pleased to see that prison built and ready for the omegas they capture and I'm grateful too for the added protection at our borders," Abi agreed. Leaning back on the couch, she sipped her wine and thought a moment. "I think the United Nations will jump at the chance to be a part of a much larger community. Our world could only benefit from such a relationship and I don't think they'd be that insular enough to refuse the offer.
"There are some nation's that might, but they are insular to begin with, however, the majority could indeed agree to it. I just wish it wouldn't take so long to get an answer."
"Maybe they will surprise us and make a quicker decision...say in six months."
Callie snorted, "now that would be an amazing feat, but then stranger things then that have happened so why couldn't a body of 100 individuals make a decision that quickly. One could hope, certainly."
Abi smiled widely at that true statement and offered a salute with her glass. "I'll be hoping for it!"
Callie saluted back and they drank their wine at the same time.
"So while that's going on, I need to tie up all those loose ends with the other omegas that we thought were taken care of," she sighed worriedly.
"On that, I may have a solution for you. I got to thinking on the drive to the shuttle, that Captain Ing's advice was a good one and that I might be able to give you the assistant you need to investigate the old cases.
Callie blinked in surprise and leaned forward to stare at Abi with hope. "Really? What did you come up with?"
"As you know, the museum was tasked with collecting data on all the events that occur during a mayor's term in office which is then incorporated in the history archives of Megakat City. This has been the museum's responsibility since the first mayor of this city instituted it. It's a part of the city's budget and a team of four archivists are assigned to it. Since I'm in charge of this, it won't be any problem setting one of them to do a more indepth search on the part about omegas. The one archivist I'm thinking of is fearless and won't be easily scared off by those who might not want him nosing around and of course, if you put the Mayor's authority behind it, he shouldn't have any roadblocks at all in finding out what you needed to know about the status of the supposedly closed omega cases," Abi explained, pleased with her solution.
"Abi, that's wonderful and I really should have thought of that myself," Callie said, shaking her head at missing such an easy solution.
"No you shouldn't have. Callie, as Capt Ing pointed out to you, you can't be everywhere or know everything that's why it's important to confide in others and seek their help. If I'd known about this possible leak in our security to protect the city, I would have gotten this done a long time ago. Now that I do, I'll make sure its part of the protocols for the archivists to keep a more complete data file and follow up program on the omegas after they have been captured. It would certainly prevent repeat problems which we have been incurring for years," Abi snorted, shaking her head at how much of their problems could have been solved if they had been more vigilant.
"You're a busy person, too, Abi. If I'm not supposed to beat myself over it neither are you. In this Capt Ing was right, we're too close to the problem and it took an outsider to have seen it. Count our good fortune that such intelligent and friendly visitors dropped in on us at the right time," Callie said firmly.
Abi sighed and nodded. "Touche! And you are very right about that...we have been lucky."
"So tomorrow, you take care of assigning this Kat and I'll inform the Mayor about giving him the authority to poke around. Have the information sent to me immediately so we can fix whatever needs fixing and I'll know what has been truly closed or not."
"I'll get right on it."
Callie sighed and finished her glass of wine then poured another offering more to Abi who smiled and held her glass close for a refill.
Now I feel much better. Taking care of these nasty loose ends will go a long way to easing the loss of Feral and the SWAT Kats. Mayor Manx will certainly be thrilled after he gets over being angry and afraid that no one thought to check on this before," Callie said ruefully. She glanced over at Abi with a thoughtful frown. "Do you remember all the ones you have to check on?"
"Most of them, but all I really have to do is set this Kat to checking all omegas and verifying their status so we won't miss one. My archivists are pretty thorough guys at making sure the main facts are in the data bank but this requirement was never thought of so they didn't realize it was something that needed to be monitored. It will feel good to plug that hole."
"I agree with you completely on that," Callie sighed then winced, raising a paw up to rub her neck with her fingers.
"You okay?"
"Oh, just my shoulder muscles aching. The price of all that desk and computer work."
"I can help you ease it. I'm a dab paw at massage," Abi volunteered, setting her glass down and moving to sit closer to Callie. "Here, just turn and lean over the arm there and I'll rub it out for you."
Callie smiled, set her glass on the table then turned to lean her chest on the couch arm. Strong fingers began to knead her shoulder muscles. It hurt a bit at first but then everything eased and she sighed with relief.
Abi smiled at the sound, pleased that she could provide some comfort for her friend. "Feeling better already?"
"Oh yes, you do that very well."
"You were very tense, Callie. You really need to spend time on yourself once in a while...you know go to a spa and get pampered. Give you a real lift and help you relieve the stress in your body."
"I will if you will because I suspect you're just as bad as I am about getting away," Callie murmured, teasingly, half asleep from the soothing massage.
"Well, yes I'm busy too but I'll have you know, I have made time to pamper myself. Crawling around archaeological sites can put a lot of bruises and truly sore muscles on a body. I've blessed my favorite spa for keeping me from whimpering with pain every time I come back from a dig."
"I stand corrected. You need to give me the address of this perfect place," her friend murmured. "Perhaps we should go together sometime, hmmm?"
"I'd love to," Abi whispered, a note of something else in her voice.
Callie heard it and decided to act on her suspicions. She turned around suddenly, reached out and pulled the other she-kat toward her to give her a gentle kiss before releasing the stunned she-kat and lay back on the couch to see the reaction.
Abi blinked in shocked surprise, her face blushing in pleased confusion, "I...
"I thought I'd stop the dancing around I sensed you were doing all evening and see if my suspicions were true," Callie said with a veiled smile then she lowered her voice and murmured seductively, "come here..."
Mesmerized by those beautiful green eyes and the invitation she saw in them, Abi leaned over Callie and sank into a wonderfully long kiss. All her dreams were coming true and her heart was flying. If all she got was a kiss for this evening, she would be in heaven knowing more would follow eventually.
However, after a long make out session on the couch, she was invited to stay, much to her surprise. She was quick to learn Callie wasn't shy about making her wishes known especially about her lovers and Abi found herself enjoying a truly blissful night in the arms of her new lover.
The next morning and after a short romp, they showered and shared a quiet breakfast, relaxing and enjoying each others company. They had plenty of time before leaving for work as they were early risers..
"I will brief his honor on what you plan to do first thing this morning before he sneaks away to the golf course. Meanwhile, I have many other things to catch up on from being gone yesterday. By possibly tomorrow or the next day, we'll hear about whether I have a magical core or not," Callie said musingly as she went over her day in her mind. "I think I should also tell the SWAT Kats about what we're doing and see if Razor knows of anything we might have missed."
She paused to take a bite of her toast and drink some coffee.
"I will also have to contact Feral to get his authority for your guy to be allowed into the evidence locker and to see the case files. I might run into a fight by him about dealing with any open problems because he'll feel he should be the one dealing with them and not an outside. However, I'm going to use your argument that he's too busy and since this is already funded by the city, he shouldn't waste his own manpower on it. That might get his attention more than the fact we may have left the 'barn door' open as it were."
"I'm afraid the Commander is going to be very angry at himself for having missed this as well," Abi interjected with a shake of her head.
"Oh no doubt of that. However, with Lt. Kam by his side, he seems to think before he leaps with anger and that has been a really good thing. I hadn't realized that was happening until the incident with Dark Kat and how well he handled learning of his mate's secret and accepting the SWAT Kats help to defeat that omega permanently. He's like a totally different Kat."
"I haven't been I contact with him so I don't know but the last time I saw him, he did seem happier, more settled." Abi nodded, finishing her breakfast.
"Because of that change in mindset, I might be able to get him to allow the SWAT Kats to dispose of any troublesome problem that hadn't been taken care of like Mad Kat's box. If we can't dispose of the demon in some way perhaps dropping the box in the deep vent in the ocean will at least get rid of it for a very long time maybe even forever. It gives me the shivers that thing is still around just ready for some other fool to get their paws on it," Callie said with a shiver as she collected her dishes and put them in the sink.
"That will be the first thing I'll have my guy take a look into. You're right, it's just a new incident waiting to happen and the most dangerous," Abi agreed as she too placed her dishes in the sink.
"The only other thing I'm still concerned about is you learning magic if they find you've a magical core," she added as they left the kitchen to collect their things in preparation for leaving to work.
Callie sighed as she took out her jacket and Abi's from her hall closet. "Let's just worry about one thing at a time, Abi. It's just one of many things on my plate right now." Ready to go, she paused to give her new lover a reassuring kiss. "See you tonight?"
Abi blushed prettily and nodded but had only a wane smile on her face as she answered, "I'll call and let you know when I'm leaving and you're right, we both have a lot to do today so I won't mention the other concern for now." She sighed, allowing the subject to be shelved for now as she went through the open door ahead of Callie who locked it behind her and the two of them made for the elevator.