Margot and Fred, along with their friends and the pastor, moved quickly down the pathway, towards the hired car waiting to take them back into Nottingham. Leo and Luke, except for an occasional shiver of fear, were perfectly still inside Fred's jacket.
Once the newlyweds were settled in the car heading towards the city, Fred, with a twinkle in his eye, took Margot's hand in his and said "Well Mrs. McLeod, I hadn't planned on choosing names for our children for ages yet, but what do you suggest we call this one?" Fred reached inside his jacket and pulled out Leopold. "Aren't you just a beautiful little boycat" Margo cooed softly, brushing his face against her cheek. Suddenly, Leo wasn't quite so scared anymore. This human smelled really nice, and her voice was soft and gentle. Before he could stop himself, his tongue popped out and he licked her nose. Hey, Mischief maker that's my wife you're kissing, laughed Fred. "Mischief sounds like the perfect name for thislittle boy" said Margo. Leo voiced his agreement by making a little squeaking sound.
When he heard that, Lukas began squirming wildly around in Fred's jacket, searching for a way out. He poked his head out between the top two buttons on the jacket, then squeezed himself as hard as he could through the gap. He tumbled and rolled, but managed to land with all four feet firmly under him and his claws, like straight pins, poking into Fred's leg, right through his trousers, Ouch, Fred yelped, then disentangling Lukas' claws from the fabric, laughed and said, well if the first one is Mischief, then this one is certainly Mayhem. And so, just as easy as that, they had the names by which they would be known for many years to come.
Fred MacLeod was a member of the RCAF stationed near Exeter in southwest England. He and Margot had met just 3 months earlier when Fred had taken weekend leave in Nottingham with several of his new English mates. He and his mates were attending a tea given to welcome the Canadian fighting squadron to Britain, by the ladies of Nottingham. Fred was balancing china teacup in one hand and a plate containing a dreadfully soggy egg salad sandwich in the other hand, all the while trying to carry on conversation with a councilman's wife, when he first noticed Margot. She was all the way across the garden, presiding over another table loaded with plates of similar tea sandwiches. He also noticed several other young officers were heading towards that same tea table. Thinking quicky, he downed his sandwich, and finished his lukewarm tea with one desparate gulp while marching purposely towards the prettist girl he had ever seen. The rest as they say, was history, and now Margo was his wife. He was sure he was the luckiest man in entire British Commonwealth.
It was a just a short drive into Nottingham, but for Fred and Margo, who knew Fred was leaving on the 6:00 train to meet his fighter squadron, it seemed impossible to believe that this would be the only time they would spend together for three months. Before they knew it, the day had flown past and they were standing on the platform watching the train pull into the station. Margo clung to Fred's arm, knowing that in a moment she would be just like thousands of other British wives, waving goodbye to her husband and wondering if she would ever see him again. However she was certain she was the only wife in England whose husband was smuggling a tiny black and silver tabby pointed kitten onto the train, while she snuggled his blue and cream brother in her purse.
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