Rayna knocked on the bathroom door. “Hurry up, Al! We’re going to be late!” she shouted.   “I’m almost done!” he shouted back. He was having trouble with his tie. Why he had allowed Rayna to talk him into going to a black-tie party at the club, he still wasn’t sure. Maybe it was because he still felt more than a little guilty about her kidnaping and poisoning by her former lover. She was not fully recovered yet- despite all the help from the Club, she was still stiff and brittle, in both body and temper, even after four weeks.   Two minutes later, Alden stepped out, impeccably dressed. Rayna looked impressive herself, despite her still missing patches of fur. Scooping up Oscar the kitty, he said simply, “Let’s go.”   A half-hour later, they arrived at the Club. As usual, the host, Ralph Dibbs, met them at the door. Handing them their bands, he told them to go to Hangar One, where the party was.   Entering the hangar, they found it dark and quiet. Oscar scrambled out of Rayna’s arms and ran off into the darkness. Rayna let him go. “What’s going on?” Alden said, confused.   “You think I don’t know what today is, Al?” Rayna said sweetly.   “It’s Halloween night. You said there’s a party here.” Alden said.   “There certainly is, big cat.” Then, all the lights in the hangar came on. There were tables set, and all sorts of people and fursons there. There was a large banner hanging from the rafters, which read, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALDEN!!”   “SURPRISE!” shouted the crowd.   Alden looked at Rayna. “How did you find out? I never tell anyone my birthday!” he said, slightly stunned.   “I have my ways, love.” she said with a smile.   People came up to Alden then, friends whom he hasn’t seen in years, and friends he saw regularly. They all had in common the knowledge of Alden’s stretchable and inflatable body, and the joy he has in stretching and inflating.   “You should write me more often, Allie.” said Janet Cheeser, an old friend from high school.   “You’ve lost weight, Janet.” he said, looking at her chubby frame. It once was quite round indeed.   “Yes, well...” Janet blushed. “I wanted to shed some of the weight after I last saw you, Allie...” She shut up as Alden hugged and kissed her. Rayna had no objection to that, nor to any of the women there who wanted him to do the same to them. After all, she engineered the party to begin with.   Hours passed as the party went on, everyone enjoying themselves. Around 11, Alden saw Rayna lookinhg anxiously at her watch. “Something wrong, Rayna?” he asked.   “Marissa. She said she would be here by now.”   “Marissa? I haven’t heard from her since shortly after she went to Washington! She’s going to be here?” Alden asked, totally surprised.   “Yes. She says she has a special surprise for you.   “Look out!” she yelled as she saw Sheila, the popper flick star, rolling their way. After she passed, Rayna continued.   “Enjoying yourself, Al?”   Alden noticed that Rayna was uncomfortable when she mentioned Marissa’s surprise. “What’s bothering you?”   “Maybe I need some more elasticizer.” she said quickly. Too quickly. Rayna headed off to the equipment table, leaving Alden at his table.   ‘Something’s up’ Alden thought, but let the matter lie. He was having fun, being with friends.   About 15 minutes later, there was a small commotion at the door. Looking over, he saw Marissa there, holding the hand of a rather sleepy-looking child. Making eye contact, Marissa smiled, then made her way over to where Alden sat. Rayna went over there too, as did many of the other people who were still there.   “It’s been a very long time, Alden.” Marissa said quietly.   “Very long. Who’s this?” he asked, looking at the child. She has a feline head and ears, but had chipmunk-patterned fur. Sleepily, the little girl looked up at him. He picked her up and sat her in his lap, where she snuggled.   “She’s my daughter, Anna. I knew I should have told you about her sooner, Al, but I didn’t want to disrupt your life because of my selfish want.” Marissa said quietly, head lowered.   A bad feeling came over Alden. “Who’s her father?” he asked slowly, not wanting to hear the answer, but in his heart knowing what it is.   “You are, Al.”   The silence in the hangar was so profound some people could hear others think. ‘Alden has a daughter? He didn’t know about her?’   Alden gently hugged Anna. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked.   “Al, I did not want to ruin your career. You’re happy being what you are, doing what you do. I left the Navy, but Naval Reactors hired me back as soon as Anna was born. Now, my income is high enough for me to raise her by myself. When she’s old enough, I will make arrangements for her to see you when you’re in port.   “She takes after us in more ways than one, Al.” Marissa said.   “How so?” he asked. By then, Anna had fallen asleep.   “She’s like us, a natural balloonie. She can stretch like you as well.”   “That’s good.” Alden said. “Does she like it?”   “Anna loves being a balloon. She knows she has to earn the privilege, so she stays on her best behavior.”   By this time, most of the casual acquaintances had quietly left, leaving only his closest friends at the party. “Does she know I’m her father?” he asked.   “Indeed she does. I’ve taught her carefully. She knows who you are, and she accepts why you’re not there. She wanted to see you, and when word got to me about your party, well, I had to bring her. I just wish my connecting flight wasn’t delayed so long. We should have been here three hours ago.”   “Peril Airways?” he asked, referring to Pilgrim Airlines, the commuter airline that served the city.   “Peril Airways- fly at your own peril.” Marissa laughed at the joke that waspopular on the base.   Nia came up close to them and looked at the sleeping girl. “She’s beautiful. Not surprising, considering her parents.” said the blue gargoyle.   “Yes, she is, Nia.   “How long are you planning on staying, Mare?” Alden asked.   “A week- Rayna wants us to stay with you.”   Alden looked at Rayna. “You knew about this, and didn’t tell me?”   Rayna nodded. “Yes. Marissa wanted me to keep it a secret from you.   “I’m going for more treatments this week. While I’m away, I don’t want you to get lonely. It’s all right, big cat. Marissa’s a good furson, and I want you to have some time with your daughter. I’m not too good with kids, and this problem I have makes me irritable.”   ‘Irritable is not the word for it.’ thought most of the people there, Alden included. The foam that Rayna was filled with had left a side effect of making her very disagreeable at times, like PMS that doesn’t go away. Everyone understands her difficulty, so they grit their teeth and ignore her outbursts of temper and rage. They all know that she doesn’t mean to lash out at them.   “So, I made arrangements to get out of the way. I don’t want to hurt the little girl in any way.” Rayna concluded.   “Thank you, Rayna. I hope the treatments will help.”   “I hope so, too.”   The party went on, though much quieter, in deference to the sleeping child. Everyone wanted to express their congratulations to Alden about his daughter. He was made to promise to bring Marissa and Anna over to the Club one day so they could all play with her, and she with them.   Late that night, after everyone was back home, Alden and Marissa sat on the patio. Rayna was in bed, and Anna was sleeping in the recliner. “I really wish you had told me about her. I’ve missed so much of her life.” he said.   “Al, you were still getting over Suzy. I wanted to wait until I was sure you were well again, able to help me look after her. If the baby was a boy. I would have let you know much sooner.”   “She’s beautiful, like you.”   “She is.” They sat quietly for a few minutes. “She’s getting to the age where she wants her daddy. She’s growing quickly.”   “Typical for a mixed breed. So, tell me about your life since you moved.” They talked quietly for an hour or so, careful not to wake the sleepers. Oscar cuddled next to Anna, purring gently. The child seemed to appreciate the kitty’s presence.