Chapter 43
Sunday Gathering

	The first thing Kel was aware of as she drifted to consciousness from the warm cocoon she found herself in, was my gentle voice...
	"Good morning, sleepy head, care to join us in the land of the waking sleepers?"
She mewled softly, "Five more minutes, mom, I don't wanna go to school." Kel smacked her lips blinking at me. "Oh, uh…good morning," she smiled up at me, her brown eyes radiant. Then she felt Gwen snuggling up against her. "Sleep well?" Gwen whispered in her ear, her voice warm and lilting. "Mm-hum." She nodded, snuggling into Gwen's soft body.
	"So, who's ready for some breakfast?” I asked, kissing both girls on the forehead, as I sprang out of bed—or rather tried to—before finding myself being dragged back.
	"Hey, I want a proper kiss, mister." Gwen said. "Yeah, me too." Kel seconded.
"Work-work-work." I chuckled with a smile on my muzzle, giving each in turn a proper kiss.
#  #
	One of the joys of having a shower in the master bath is that it's large enough for two, with room to move around. Three, if you were friendly. A tank-less water heater means no one takes a cold shower unless they want to. The advantages of a tank-less, on demand gas-fired unit meant that the water was HOT! A good thing with two females in the house, I thought. ‘Ahhh, the joys of a sybaritic shower…good thing I buy shampoo and conditioner in five gallon buckets,’ I mused. It was kind of nice having Kel around—gave Gwen someone to hen with, and she wasn't too bad to cuddle up with ether. Though they say the Chinese ideogram for "Trouble" is two females under the same roof. From what I've seen so far, I'd have to disagree. Breakfast was definitely in order, and after finishing my morning business, I padded off to the kitchen to see what I could rustle up.
	Gwen and Kel were still lounging in bed, talking.
	"Feeling better this morning, hon?" Gwen asked.
	"Definitely, I was wound up tighter that a two dollar watch spring. Even with the shielding and grounding, the chaotic energy just—it was like trying to bail out a leaky rowboat with a teaspoon." Kel sighed.
 	"Perhaps you should consider a string of hematite beads, say twelve millimeter is a good size to wear.  I used to wear one when I would go to Bay Area rock concerts. Aerosmith, KISS, Ozzy…a tremendous opportunity to tap raw power—made charging talismans a snap," Gwen flashed her a grin. "The only down side is filtering the energy and not over-amping yourself at the same time." Gwen chuckled ruefully.
	"Maybe I should give that a try, seeing how well that piece of hematite Rick gave me helped, thanks Gwen. By the way, isn't Cassy excited about being preggers?" Gwen smiled, nodding. "Oh I'll say, we had a long talk last night...and just between us, she may not be alone in that."
	"Really?" Kel asked. "You think you and Rick are going to have kits sometime soon?"
Gwen nodded, “Remember what you saw, me with twins. Well things may be moving quickly in that direction. But what about you, Amanda? Ever think of having kits of your own?" Gwen asked, stroking her belly absentmindedly.
	"Kits? Me? No way! I knew I wasn't cut out to have kits in this life—not that I don't like them, it's just something I knew wasn’t for me. So when I turned eighteen, I had myself 'fixed' so I wouldn't have to worry about it. Not that I was ever that active—I just knew it wasn't in the cards." Kel finished solemnly. "But," She looked at Gwen, easing her onto her back in bed. "—Gwen?" She leaned in, giving the skunkette a sniff over "Um, it may be sooner than you think..." the vixen said, somewhat awestruck.
	"Really?" Gwen smiled as Kel nodded. "Could be—I don't know why, but you 'smell' pregnant. Weird, huh?"
	"Interesting..." Gwen mused. "I've been getting subtle hints in that direction. Well, we shall see what we shall see. Let's keep it between just us girls for now, okay?"
	"You got it." Kel grinned conspiratorially at Gwen, who tumbled out of bed and stretched languidly. Kel gasped despite herself. "My God Gwen, you are gorgeous! That, tha, gwahthwa—" Gwen twisted slightly, "Mmh? Oh thank you." She ended her stretch with a full body shimmy of pure sensual seductiveness. 
	"Hobida-hobida-hobida." Kel said, shaking herself out of her enthrallment with the stunning Skunk.  "Girl, you make me think of takin’ a walk on the wild side, if ya know what I mean..." she chuckled. Gwen just looked down at the vixen with half lidded eyes. 
	"Mmm. All things considered, we could say, 'been there, done that' I guess—but you never know where a journey like this will take you. Care to join me in the shower? We could do each other’s fur?" Gwen smiled sweetly, extending a paw to her friend...
# #
	"Aaah, the first cup of the day was something to be savored. Bean-a-licious! Being a Java-crucian, I dutifully intoned the morning prayer of the dedicated Coffee drinker…
	"We all Worship The Black Bean, 
Symbol of the god Caffeine-
Like a Drop, Of, Coffee,
 Flowing To The Great Cup.
	Where There Is Life, There Is Coffee, 
Where There Is Co-fee, There Is Life."

What you took in your coffee determined your path to Bean Nirvana; Cream and Sugar equaled the path of Sweetness and light. If you took it straight up, yours was the path of delectable darkness. There was also the issue of which "Side” of "The Bean" you were on. Espresso drinkers were definitely adherents of the "Dark side," I chuckled looking over at my espresso machine sitting on the counter. Its black enamel surface glowed in the morning light. In my head I could hear 'Darth Vader's' voice emanating from its dark depths...
	"You have no IDEA of the power of the Dark Side! Bwahahahaha!"
Pouring two more cups for the girls, and adding their preferred amendments to each, I took them into the bedroom. "Cof-fee…" I called gently. Then I saw the two girls emerge from the bathroom, their fur still slightly floofy from the full body fur dryer. "Thank You," they both grinned, accepted the proffered cups, and kissed me on the cheek. 

After we reconvened in the dining room over breakfast, we were having a spirited discussion. "Granted, I can see that, but I don't want to contemplate what would happen if one, or both of them should panic and run out of the circle, when we are outside normal space—and between the worlds..." I paused, sipping my coffee. Kel paled visibly. "Is that even possible?" "I’ve never met anyone stupid enough to try it, but yes it is." I said, nodding. "I have tossed things out of the circle when between the worlds, and they were not there when I returned to the world. So yeah, I guess it IS possible to exit the circle between the worlds. Of course, we could run a few tests—tethered cages of say, lab rats or something."
	"NO!" Kel and Gwen exclaimed in unison, cutting off my line of thought. I shrugged.
	"Just an idea to prove a theory..." I grinned sheepishly.
	"That's the problem with Ceremonial Magicians" Gwen chided. "Everything is an experiment to them." "Well—would you prefer I grab some homeless fur off the street? I DO have my ethics, you know..." I grinned wickedly. "Although..." I sat back, contemplating my last suggestion.
	"You WOULDN'T!" Kel gasped, a paw over her muzzle—shocked that I'd even suggest that.
	"No…" I chuckled shaking my head. "I'm not a member of some 'Black Lodge' who performs unethical magical experiments on unsuspecting furs—although, I have heard…" I said, my voice trailing off...
	"ENOUGH!" Gwen admonished.  "We need to decide what to do about Cassandra…right?" She looked at me, letting me know in NO uncertain terms that the time for levity had passed.
 "Of course, my love—just a bit of speculation, nothing more. But you are right. Now then, Kel…can you handle the idea of keeping Mike from bolting?"
	"Sure, I guess," she said, pausing as a wicked grin split her muzzle. "It may involve the use of Paw-cuffs..." she winked.
 "Amanda!" Gwen squawked.
	"S’okay. I've got some fuzzy ones, they don't chafe." she nodded sincerely.
	"Let's keep that as a back up option, okay..." Gwen eyed her apprentice. I just grinned liking the idea... "Sheesh!" Gwen threw her paws in the air in exasperation. “I swear, you two are acting just like a couple of perverts!" she barked, glaring at Kel and I.
We just looked at each other, grinning wickedly then back at Gwen.
 "Acting?" we said in unison, then burst out laughing...
 "ARGH" Gwen muttered darkly, before laughing herself. 
"Okay, Okay." she smiled. "Point taken. What do you suggest?"
"Well, we have that massage table we can use to have Cassy lay on; we can even tie her to it, if it comes to that. I've got some nice, soft nylon rope we can use...Mike as well, if need be." I said offhandedly. 
“That will give us a nice horizontal surface to work from, instead of securing her to the ground." Gwen nodded. "Okay, that should work. You have a real kinky side there, mister—one that I didn't even know about." 
Kel grinned to herself at the idea of staking Cassy buck naked out on the ground, spread eagle in the circle. Seeing the look in her face Gwen asked, "What is it, Amanda?" Kel was shaken from her revere. 
"Oh, um…nothing, just considering possibilities..." Seeming satisfied, Gwen nodded.
	
"I’ve known Mike for almost nine years and have seen him through some really bad points in his life. He's almost schizophrenic where Cassy is concerned. On one paw, he's ecstatic that she's recovered—and the fact that she's pregnant with his child, he's walking on air because of that.  And on the other paw, he's absolutely terrified that he's ruined her life, that because of him, she may end up in a wheelchair for the rest of her life due to her pregnancy." The girls nodded, seeing my point.
	"But…and here's a big Idaho bubble-but," I flashed them a grin. “Aside from that brush with the magical path he experienced with his Grandma, back when he was a teenager—and he told me it scared the hell out of him. So he has steered clear of anything even remotely connected with the mystical. This will be loading a lot on him in a short time..." 
	"I know, love." Gwen admitted. "I had a long talk with Cassandra last night after you all went off to work. She understands what's involved and said she would ease Mike into it, so he wont be walking into this cold. It should work itself out. Now then, what are you	planning to throw on the Bar-B-Que?" she asked, turning the subject towards a more relaxing topic. Before long, all was ready when Mike and Cassy arrived...
#  #
=Ding-Dong=
	"I'll get it!" Kel called out, dashing to the front door. A quick glance out the peephole confirmed her expectation and she threw open the door. 
"MIKE!! CASSY!! Come on in, take off your skin, and rattle around in your bones!" She ushered them quickly inside.
	"Kel. You’re—" Mike exclaimed.
	"What? Buck bare in just my fur?" she replied to the stunned ferret, who just nodded.
	"Told you so." Cassy teased as she started to strip out of her clothes.
	 "See that sign by the door?" It read, ‘Did you remember your clothes?’
	"Oh, right. Forgot about that. Oh well, when in Rome..." Mike smiled. 
	"Shoot Roman candles?' Kel asked with a giggle as she led them to a guest room, the same guest room that they first made love in. They both smiled at the memory.
	"There are robes in the closet, if you are feeling a bit...exposed." Kel grinned at Mike and Cassy chuckled. Cassy emerged a few minutes later decked out in her honey and cream fur, and padded out to the patio. A noticeable patch of her belly fur was missing, attesting to her stay in the hospital. Kel squatted before the bunny, examining the area. Aside from a six-inch pink line in the center of the shaved patch, and a slight pucker at the bullets entry point, she had healed up quite nicely indeed.
	"So, how's it feel?" Kel asked, gently running her finger over the scar.
	"Eep! That tickles." Cassy giggled. "It still itches a bit, but they say that's due to my fur 	growing back in."
	"Well, looks like you healed up all right." Kel looked up at Cassy's grinning muzzle.
	"Yeah, thanks to you." the bunny nodded, flopping her ears.
Kel leaned in sniffing, "Yup." she nodded. 
"Yup what?" Cassy asked, helping Kel to her feet.
	"You smell pregnant." Kel winked. "Well, duh—I am, ya know." Cassy rolled her eyes.
	"Exactly my point, hon. How are you feeling now?"
	"Well, aside from a bit of queasiness this morning—soda crackers and ginger ale work wonders, by the way—I'm doing great! I feel all glowey." Cassy said as she sat at the outdoor table.
 "Beautiful day." Gwen came up to greet her friend.
	"Yes, indeed it is, Cassandra. I am so glad you are doing better."
	"Wanna see my scar?" she grinned, pointing at her belly—a wide grin breaking across her muzzle. 
"Well, all right, if you'd like to show me…" Gwen couldn't help but smile at the exuberant bunny as she stood next to her and passing a paw over the shorn area with the lightest of touches. "Yes indeed, you are doing a great job of healing."
	"Oooh that felt weird—when you did that, it kinda felt like you were blowing on it." Cassy looked between the two girls sitting at the table, and noticing the demure smile on Gwen's face.
	 "That was just my way of seeing how you are healing up. If there was anything to be concerned about, it would have felt warm."
	"Okay, Cool! Now when are we gonna get this bullet outta me? What's weird is…it doesn’t hurt exactly—but I can feel it there, kinda like a pressure, but not quite—it just feels...wrong, ya know?" Both Gwen and Kel nodded.
 "Understandable, it's something that shouldn't be there, and with any luck, after tonight, it won't be." Gwen nodded at Cassy, placing a paw over her scar.
	"Coolness! But Gwen, even if this doesn't work, it's okay. I'm okay with the idea of, ya know...being in a wheelchair. If it means I can be a mom and give Mikey the family he wants..." Cassy said softly. 
"Hopefully it won’t come to that, Cassandra." Gwen said encouragingly. Cassy only nodded. Hearing the sliding glass door, she turned to see Mike emerge wrapped in a fluffy white house robe. The girls grinned. 
	"Hey Mike." I said grinning at my friend’s slight embarrassment, but that's what the robes were for after all. "How are you doing this morning?" Mike shook his head, Grinning.
	"She hasn't killed me yet!" he limped just a bit, I noticed as the girls giggled. I could sympathize.
 "Just wait until you're married," I chuckled as he made his way over to the grill.
	"Yeah, and I've often wondered why the honeymoon was referred to as 'The Widow Maker." he said ruefully, laughing. I handed him a beer 
"S’okay Mike. You know what they say, ‘That which does not kill you, makes you stronger.’" 
	"Yeah, But didn't the guy who said that, die of syphilis?" Mike asked. I nodded. "Why yes, he did. I guess it didn't make him stronger..." I laughed.
	"Gee, thanks." Mike chuckled. "So, whatcha grilling?"
	"Got quite a mixed grill here, Lets see...some salmon...a few venison steaks KC marinated...brats...some lamb kabobs, corn and a few veggies...I can throw on some burgers if you'd like?" I grinned.
	"Damn Rick, it all sounds so good, how can I choose?"
	"Why not just have a bit of everything?" I offered. 
"Could I?" Mike asked,  I nodded.
	"That'd be great! Thanks." Mike beamed.
	"So, tomorrows the big day huh?"
 Mike nodded, looking over at Cassy henning with the girls. "Oh yeah. Git the rings on Friday, now I see why you did it, Rick. I wouldn't have believed it...after Lenora stabbed me in the back, I honestly didn't believe I'd ever fall in love again...It just hurt too much." Mike paused to take a pull from his beer. "But after that first night," he said, shaking his head, "That…wonderful, magical night, I came so close to losing her, and when that scumbag shot her..." Mike sighed heavily. "Never again. We were meant to be together, I can see that now...I OWE you guys soo much, and this thing tonight—Cass told me some of it. I don't even pretend to understand it—I won't lie to you, Rick. This scares the crap out of me. But if it means keeping her out of a wheelchair..." 
He paused to look lovingly at his beloved hunny bunny chatting and laughing with the girls.
	"If modern medicine says she has a better than 50% chance of ending up that way, then I say, go for it! I'll spit in da goddam doctor’sa eye! ‘da closed minded goomba!" Mike's accent always came out when he was upset...
	"I tell ya I waz goin' outta my minda with worry. What da hell wuz takin ‘dem so long? And when day wheeled her in, in ‘dat godam chair...I dam near piss ‘da myself!" Shaking himself out of that nightmare, "Sorry bout that." He polished off his beer in one long pull, then crushed the can between his paws. “So tell me, how's this gonna work? I mean I knew you were into magic, ya know, cards, coins and dice. Hell, you even taught me some of it, but..."

 "That was illusion—this is magic, the real deal my friend, no bullshit. I've been studying this since I was fifteen. I hold the grade of Master Mage—think Merlin, hell, think of what you said your granny was into."
	"I know, that's what scares the hell outta me! I seen her do stuff, stuff I can't explain. And now I find out that not ONLY is my best friend into this, but so is his ladylove, and she's teaching KEL to do this stuff!  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful as hell for what she did for my Cassy—It's just a lot to hit a guy with all at once, ya know?" Mike had a slightly haggard look on his face. "Hell, if it wasn't for Gwen's premonition, we wouldn't even be having this conversation—it's just..." He trailed off, not sure what to say, he was far too out of his comfort zone to make much sense of any of this. I placed my paw on his shoulder.
	"Mike. You're not going to go to hell, for this, okay?" Mike let out a sigh,
	"Oh, yeah, no it's not that, it's…" Mike looked at me looking somewhat lost.
	"You were raised Catholic, right?" 
	"Well, yeah. But that's..." I just shook my head.
 "Mike, normally we wouldn't be talking about this; most furs can't handle the idea that magic is a real force in the world. But it is. Or the fact there are furs like US, who know how to use it, but there are...Now, we've known each other for, what? Almost nine years. In all that time, have I ever lied to you?"
	"Nope. You've always been straight up with me." Mike nodded.
	"When your life exploded in your lap like a grenade, who was there for you."
	"You were...and if you weren't, I probably would have offed myself." Mike said flatly.
	"I know. That's why I laid that gease upon you. Remember what I said to you?  That suicide was a permanent solution to a temporary problem—that was a gease. It kept you from attempting it, and the thing I used to keep you going was, that there was one who waits for you." I pointed over to Cassy.  Mike just stared dumbfounded. 
	"No shit... Well looks like it worked. Can't tell you how many times I wanted to eat my pistol." "But you couldn’t do it, could you?" I said softly.
	"Nope, and a couple of times I really wanted to. But all I could do was just stare at it; I couldn't even pick it up when I felt that way...I should be pissed off at you, but I can't be. 	'Cause you were lookin’ out for me...thanks, man." Mike shook his head. "So, how do we help Cassy?" 
	I was transferring the contents of the grill to serving platters. "I'll try and keep this as non-technical as possible—we mark out a working area then draw it into a non-standard reality between the worlds of the physical and the spiritual. You don't have to believe it, 	just accept it for now. As with all things, there is a spiritual component to everything." Mike nodded. 

"Okay, the bullet in Cassy has a non-physical essence. What we are going to do is 	remove it from her non-physical form and that will allow us to key into it and remove it from her physical body, via matter transmigration. And once it's gone it will be a simple matter of reminding her damaged vertebrae what it was like to be undamaged. Then aid it in returning to that state." Mike was silent for a few moments digesting the information.
	"So, let me get this straight, You're going to remove it from her spirit, and that will allow you to remove it from her body? If I read you right, then her spirit carries the essence of the bullet that's lodged in her spine? Is that it?" I nodded. 
"Yeah, that is as good an explanation as any; it's more complex then that, but yeah." I nodded to my friend.
	"At's what I thought...Gran was always talking about how all blessings flow from God—she used to say, 'As Above, So Below.' Never understood that until now, I guess that's what you were talkin’ about, yes?" Mike had a lopsided grin on his face. "Chalk one up for Straga Nona."
	"Okay, let's eat, we'll need the carbs for what we plan to be doing later." 
As we ate the discussion was on the upcoming operation, I did notice Kel had removed a small bag from her car, at my inquisitive look, she just gave me a sly smile and a wink...ah, I thought, the paw-cuffs...
	"Now, Mike, Cassy, I'm going to give you something to help you relax." Gwen said softly. "It’s nothing dangerous, it is an herbal compound called Valerian root. It has been used for centuries for its relaxing effects and has also been used as a sleep aid. These are five hundred milligram capsules, I want you to each take two of them." She handed each of them two light brown capsules. 
"Gakh!" Mike made a face at their pungent aroma. 
After the feast, it was time to set up. "You two wait here, we will come and get you when everything is set. It should be about twenty minutes." Gern nodded
As Mike and Cassy watched, the perimeter of the circle was laid out with heavy nylon rope. The brightly colored cloth elemental banners Black and Red, and Yellow and Blue were placed in the cardinal points. North and South, East and West. The massage table was set in place as were the other items needed. Mike noticed that he was feeling pleasantly relaxed—nowhere near as anxious as he thought he'd be "How you doing, Honey Bunny?" He asked, taking her paw in his.
	
"Oh fine, not nervous at all—that Valerian stuff’s pretty good..." Cassy mused, happy to be here with her Mikey. Mike had to agree. When all was in readiness, they were given a final briefing on what was about to happen; then the couple was led to their places in the circle. Kel stood by Mike.
 "If you don't understand something, ask me, K." He nodded as Cassy was laid upon the Massage table, although Mike did idly wonder what the coil of nylon rope sitting under the table was for... "So Mike, how do you feel about Dragons?"
	"Okay, we are ready.” Gwen announced. Once more, she and I cast the circle and spoke the spell that sent the circle between the worlds. Kel grabbed Mike’s paw, and two seconds later the world outside the circle vanished, and they were once more between the worlds surrounded by swirling gray mist.
	"What The FUC—" Mike gasped, looking around at a whole lot of nothing. He began to feel the panic rise within him as the colorful cloth banners blazed with raw energy that looked to Mike like fire. Kel, sensing his distress took action, facing the panicky ferret.
 "Mike!" She looked directly into his eyes locking his gaze on her, where he began seeing something familiar..
 "Oh, hey Kel, this is weird!"
	"Yes, Mike. It is..." She said in a calm soothing voice. "Remember, we are here to help Cassy." That seemed to do the trick.
 "Oh, Right. Sorry Kel, it's just—" She smiled at him.
 "I know, I remember my first time..." She squeezed his paw. 
Gwen stood at Cassy's side. "Cassandra, how are you doing, hon?" Cassy looked around amazed. "This is so COOL!" she jumped slightly. "I—is that a—a dragon?" Cassy asked, her eyes going wide with wonder.
 "Yes hon, it is. It won't harm you; it is here as a Guardian." Gwen soothed, as the Dragon loomed above the circle in the gray swirling mist. Cassy absently waved,
 "Hiya, Mr. Dragon...you're cool!" She cooed. "He's beautiful Gwen. I-I do you think I could meet him sometime? I'd like to sit down and just talk over tea…" 
Cassy mused, overjoyed to see a real live dragon. Gwen could feel the Guardian's amused approval.
 "I think that can be arranged," she smiled down at the bunny. Mike, on the other hand, wasn't handling it quite as well as his beloved...
	"OHMYFRIGGINGOD! It's A-a fricking DRAGON!" Mike squawked.
	"Yes, Mike." Kel said calmly. "That's the one I TOLD you about, remember?"
	"It—it's looking at me! Holy shit it, it's uh..." He immediately looked for a place to hide. Just then he heard a familiar voice behind him.
	"MICHAEL! Behave a you self!" He spun around only to come face to face with his maternal grandmother, Isabella Ferretti. 
=SMACK!= She slapped him across the muzzle, hard.
	"Getta holda youself! It's ah justa DRAGON, whatzamatteryou?" Mike just blinked in shock at the apparition. 
"Grandma?" 
	"At'sa Right." The wizened old ferret femme said, smiling at her grandson. "What? You forget ta you manners now?" That jolted him out of his shock.
	"Oh! Uh, Gran, this is Kel...Kel, this is my maternal grandmother, Isabella Ferretti." She smiled at the fox femme.
 "Calla me Straga Nona." Kel shook the elder Ferret's paw. 
"Pleased to meet you Ma'am."
	"Okay, Michael. Who you other friends there?" She asked in her broken English.
	"Huh? What? Oh right." his mind was not ready for this. "G-Gwen, Rick...uh, come 'ere a minute p—please!" His voice was still slightly panicky. Gwen looked up, smiling as they approached. 
	"Oh, hello there, I'm Gwen Coona, and this is my mate Rick. And this is..."
	"Oh I knowa who this is!" Isabella clapped her withered paws together, beaming at the Bunny lying on the table.
 "Straga Nona?" Cassy asked, grinning wildly at seeing the old Ferret again. The black clad elder nodded. Cassy bounced over to her taking her in an exuberant hug. Isabella was laughing joyfully at Cassy's exuberance.
	"Guess what, Nona? I'm gonna have a baby!" Cassy crowed as the old Ferret placed her paw on Cassy's belly
 "That's ah wonderful-ah, Honny bonnay!" Isabella then turned her attention to Gwen.
	"Now then," she said, drawing herself up and fixing Gwen with a sternly measured gaze. "I know you…anda I'ma gonna helpa you—you did right by my Michael." her features softened. "Thank you, M'dear. I wanna you to know, thata BITCH who hurt my Mikey isa no more…" She spat on the ground. "There's ah much ‘ta be said fora family traditions, eh?"
	"Holy frickin shit!" Mike gasped with realization. Isabella spun around, her paw raised.
 "Keepa civil tongue ina you muzzle! Such language ina front ta the ladies Michael..." He wilted. "Sorry Gran...I just realized what that message from Uncle Carmine must have meant." 
"At'sa right. He's ah gooda boy..." she smiled.
"Now, let'sa see about helping your lady lova here," she said, shooing Cassy back to the table.
	"Lay downa honey." Cassy laid down upon the massage table, beaming at the elder Ferretti.
	"Justa relax. Trusta Nona..." She placed a paw over Cassy's eyes, and she was immediately in a deep sleep.. "Okay. Now you," indicating Gwen. "Watcha Close." She laid her paw over Cassy's scar and closed her eyes. Her paw sunk into Cassy's flesh. 
"Eh? Ah. There you are." She grumbled, and then removed her paw from Cassy's belly. The slightly mushroomed copper jacketed bullet between her fingers, and not a mark on Cassy.
	"Air you go." She dropped the slug into Gwen's paw. "Simple, no?" She smiled at the confused wonderment on Gwen's face. Gwen just nodded mutely.
"Now she make lotsa bambinos!" The elder Ferretti declared.
	"H—how did you do that?" Gwen asked...
	"Eh, no bigga thing.  Someday maybe I ah show you…K" Gwen just nodded amazed.
	"Now Michael, you takea good care o’ her." Isabella admonished with a wagging finger. "Si! Gratzi, Nona, gratzi!" Mike bowed, almost groveling before the elder Ferretti.
	I stepped up to the table to check over Cassy, and found her...healed. No trace of spinal damage. As I opened my eyes I saw Isabella Ferretti staring intently at me. From across the table.
	"Whatza matter, Mr. Fancy-pants magician? You thinka I not know whatta I'm doing, eh?" Her accusation was softened by a growing smile on her muzzle and a twinkle in her eyes. "No, Miss Isabella, it's just..." I paused. Isabella Ferretti grinned openly and held up a bony finger at me.
 "You justa checkin up ona me, eh? S’okay, she be fine, yeah?" she snapped her fingers and Cassy opened her eyes. 
"Yes, Ma'am. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Mike has told me a lot about you." Isabella reached over and patted my cheek,  
"You a good boy, you helpa my Mikey when he need it!" Then she turned to Kel.
	"As fora YOU, Miss Foxy," she winked.  "YOU gotta potential. Maybe wea talk later. I gotta be going...now you be ah good, Mikey." she gently cuffed him on the cheek. "Ciao."
And she walked out of the circle into the formless mists.
	"Um, Rick?" Cassy asked. "Are we done?" Gwen and I exchanged looks.
 "Yeah Cassy, we’re done, how do you feel?" Cassy moved a bit. "Well—I don't feel it there any more, I guess that means it's gone, right?" she looked at me expectantly. 
	"Yup, you're a hundred percent." I smiled at her reassuringly. She looked from Gwen on one side to me on the other, reached out hugging us. "Thanks guys!"  Her smile was just so radiant.
	"S’okay, Cassandra—let's go home." Gwen said, helping Cassy off the table.
	"Where's Nona?" the bunny asked looking around for the elderly ferret.
	"She had to go, Hunny Bunny." Mike said. "But I think we will be seeing her again."
Cassy and Mike embraced. "That was—" I started. "—unexpected." Gwen finished, examining the copper jacketed slug she held in her paw.
	"Now that will make one hell of a wedding present." I mused, looking at the forty five caliber slug in Gwen's paw.
#  #
We were sitting around in the Hot tub later, relaxing.
	"So, that was your Granny…I knew she was neat!" Cassy said.
	"Yup, that she was…uh IS… I don't know how we are going to explain this to the Docs" Mike held up the source of all their trouble. "I'm gonna get this gold-plated and made into a pendant for ya Honey Bunny, ta wear as a good luck charm."
As nine o'clock rolled around, Mike and Cassy bid their hosts a fond farewell, reminding us of the meeting at noon down at the courthouse tomorrow. And after seeing them off we sat round the table discussing the evening’s events...
	"That was definitely unexpected..." Kel started. "I didn't know they could do that. I tell ya, she damn near scared me to death, the way she just appeared like that."
	“Well, I guess she knew Mike needed her; we were in the right place for her to intercede, after all." I offered. "I've just never seen that level of healing before..."
	"Yeah, it reminded me of psychic surgery, the way she just reached in and plucked the bullet out like that." Gwen said.
	"At least she's on our side." Kel smiled. "I'd hate to think of her as an enemy."
	"On that, we are all in agreement." Gwen said, lifting her coffee cup in toast.
As Gwen was preparing for bed, I took Kel in a hug.
	"Kel, I want you to know, you did a great job tonight, and I know we haven't really discussed it—but I, uh...kinda like having you around. I know Gwen does, but..." I paused, and Kel looked at me a moment. "You don't think, that I'd…come between you two, do you?" she inquired. "Oh, NO—that's—that's not it at all." I stammered.  "I didn't want you to think that...uh, I didn't want you to worry about...what with Cassy uh, in her condition..."
=Bing!= It suddenly hit Kel what I was trying to so delicately say. She grinned.
	"Riick...This isn't about the SEX, is it?"  Damn! I thought.
	"Um, no—well, uh kind of...I—" She placed her fingers gently against my lips.
	"Gwen and I have discussed it, and there is No need for you to worry about getting my 	pregnant, you Can't, no matter how wonderfully hard you try, Believe me…"
I looked somewhat nonplussed, by her cavalier attitude—I'd plowed her pretty hard of late.
	"Well, uh...I don't Know Kel, We haven't been using anything to prevent it, so it got me to thinking..." She grinned, slowly shaking her head. 
"Rick, I have to admit you are a wonderful lover. Gwen's very lucky to have you and I'm damn grateful she's willing to share you with me. But, getting me accidentally knocked up is something you don't need to worry about. I love the feeling when you go off deep inside of me, but let me set your mind at ease...it's not you, you are a wonderfully virile male! It's me—I'm fixed; kits just aren't an option for me now, so you can plow me with impunity." Kel almost laughed at the shocked look on my face; that was the one thing I hadn't thought of. 
	"Besides love." Gwen said, sliding an arm around my hip. "She can pinch hit for me when the kits come along, and I get 'benched' from that wonderful activity during the third trimester—that is, if you don't mind, my beloved." Gwen cooed, nibbling my ear. I felt like I'd just been double teamed and blindsided. Looking between the two girls, I gave in gracefully.
 	"Okay, I surrender. You know best, love." And with that they dragged me off to bed.

#     #     #