Title:  Jake & Chance &...
Author: Alf
 
A few notes on content.  I found I'm almost as bad with sex 
scenes as I am with action scenes. There is a bedroom scene 
contained within, but I doubt it'll offend (or, for that 
matter, tittilate) anyone who watches prime time TV.
 

Chance slammed the hood of the Jeep shut with a self-
satisfied smirk.  Several times in last few weeks, he
and Jake had tried to make some headway on the vehicles
waiting to be repaired.  Each time they had started,
however, something had interfered - emergency tows, a
few SwatKat missions, or each of them just getting
lazy.  But today, they'd been hard at work for the
last six hours, without so much as a break, and Chance
was getting surprised how quickly they were getting
through them.  He jumped into the Jeep and drove it
back into the lot, then hustled back into the garage.

"Next victim?" he roared.

Jake, who was slowly backing out a motorcycle he had
just finished tuning up, grinned.  "You're not gonna
believe it."

"What?"

Spreading his hands, Jake smiled.  "That's it."

Chance's eyes got wide.  "What?!  You don't mean - "

"I *do* mean.  We're done."

"Aw-right!" Chance yelled.

Jake accepted the high-five from his partner.  "I knew
we'd do it one day..."

"And today's the day."  A gleam appeared in Chance's eyes.
"Y'know what I think?"  Jake shook his head, and Chance
grinned.  "Whaddaya say to a li'l vacation?"

The shadow of a frown played on Jake's brow.  "I'm not
sure about *that*, buddy."

"Aw, c'mon!  We'll never get a better opportunity than
now!  We got a clear garage, the bad guys are leavin'
us alone..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," interrupted Jake, putting his hand
to his chin.  "That's kinda got me worried..."

"Worried?!"  Chance narrowed his eyes.  "You feelin' all
right?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Listen - we've been called out on two...no, three missions
the last month an' a half?  And all o' those're easy!
Heck, *Marc* coulda taken care of 'em.  One shot and poof -
down they went!"

"I know - that's just the problem."

Chance shook his head.  "You're losin' me - you sayin' you
*want* them to cause some casualties before we rub 'em
out?"

"No, no, no.  But doesn't that make you think?  What
do you think they're up to?"

Trying to play him off, Chance said, "Who cares?"

Jake looked stubborn.  "Me, and I'm asking you - what do
you think they're doing right now?  Right this second?"

"Heck, I dunno - nothin', I guess."

"Nothing?" echoed Jake.  "You think they're taking time
off?  Visiting the family?  Sunning themselves on some
beach somewhere?"

"C'mon, Jake, does it matter?"

"Yes!  As long as we're callin' ourselves guardians of the
city, this kinda stuff matters."

Chance sighed, then thought.  "Well, what do *you* think
they're up to?"

"I'm not sure, either - but it's probably something big...
and not very nice."

Rolling his eyes, Chance said, "Thanks, Jake.  Always
lookin' on the bright side o' stuff."

"Just trying to be practical."

"Look, usually we got monsters and baddies comin' out our
ears.  Now, when we finally don't, we can't relax a
little?"

"I didn't say we couldn't relax.  I just don't like the idea
of puttin' our guard down!"  Jake shook his head and took a
big breath.  "Jeez, buddy, aren't we supposed to be *happy*
right about now?"

Chance stood still for a second, then gave a lopsided grin.
"Yeah.  Sorry."

"Ditto."  They high-fived once more.  "So what's up for
the rest of the day?"

"Well, I promised Benny I'd whup his tail at pool, if you
wanna come kibitz."

"Nah, I'll pass - still gitta call the customers.  Plus
you know I'm still behind on my missiles."

"As always."

Jake gave a short laugh.  "Yeah, as always.  And now that
we're caught up, we may have time to paint the TurboKat."

"Bleah."

"I know, but God knows it needs it.  I'll take stock, you
go play.  Tell Benny hey."

*****

Chance took a large swig of his root beer, then wiped
his lips on his sleeve.  While watching Benny set up
his shot, he smiled to himself.  Dangit, he thought,
I deserve this.  We've worked our tails off for almost
three years now, and it's nice not to have somethin'
breathin' down our necks.  And if all this weren't
enough, Benny's not playing very good today.

Muffing another relatively easy shot, Benny grumbled
something rather impolite, then jerked his thumb over
his shoulder towards the table.  "All yours.  You'll
never get that eight ball in, though."

Chance chalked his cue, then bent down over the table,
scrutinizing the lie for a minute.

"You memorizing the table or something?" asked Benny,
grinning.

"Gimme a second," Chance said.  Finally, he picked up his
cue stick and tapped the far left corner.  "This one," he
announced.

"Not *this* shot," predicted Benny.

"You gotta have faith."

"No, Chance, you gotta have talent!"  Benny laughed rather
scornfully.  "If you make this one, next three rounds are
on me."

"Get yer wallet out."  Chance took extra time to ready
the shot, and finally tapped the cue ball.  It struck
the eight ball, which caromed off of two of Benny's balls,
then crawled its way to the designated pocket, finally
dropping in.

"Woo-hoo!" yelped Chance, throwing his arms wide.  The tip
of his cue stick hit a glass sitting on a table, spilling
its remaining contents onto a female kat sitting there.

Chance froze, staring.  "Oh, crud, I'm sorry."  He expected
the woman would start screaming at him, and was surprised
when she instead just stared at her soaked dress, then
put her head in her hands and started crying.  Chance
looked over at Benny, who looked back and shrugged.

Pulling up a stool, Chance sat down next to her.  "Lady,
look, I'm sorry - really."  She continued to sit there with
her head in her hands.  Chance quickly glanced back up at
Benny with a confused look.  Hesitantly, he put his hand on
her shoulder.  She shrank from his touch initially, but
didn't pull away.  "Are...are you OK?"  The female kat
slowly nodded, but didn't take her hands off her face.
"Could...could I buy you another drink or somethin'?"

Finally, the she-kat moved her hands away from her face.
Wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist, she sniffed,
"You don't have to do that."

"No, it's cool.  Besides - Benny here's buyin', anyway."

Benny put a look of fake offense on his face.  "Hey, now!"

"You said next three rounds, compadre.  Cough up."  Chance
put on a small smile, then slowly held out his hand.
"Name's Chance.  Chance Furlong."

Shyly, she took his hand.  "Beverly Watson."

"Hey-a.  This's Benny Rodriguez."  Benny half-saluted.
"You sure you're OK?"

"Oh.  Yeah.  It wasn't...this," Beverly said, picking up
the glass.  "It...just has not been a good day."

Two kats walked up.  "You guys gonna yabber or play?"

Chance glanced at Benny, who shook his head.  "They way
I've been playing?  Forget it."

Chance nodded, grabbed the cue stick close to the tip, and
handed it to one of the kats standing in front of them.
"All yours."

"Thanks." They began setting up for their game.

"Whatcha drinkin'?" Benny asked Beverly.

"Gin and tonic."

"Regular for me," added Chance.

"Duh."  Benny went to the bar to get the drinks.

Chance and Beverly sat in uncomfortable silence for a bit,
watching the new pool players in order to avoid eye
contact.  Despite not looking directly at her, Chance
sized her up.  She was quite small - she only barely
reached his chin.  She was a tabby kat, and her dress
was that odd variety that was probably chosen to keep
her from standing out.  Due to its sheer plainness,
however, it probably had the opposite effect on most
kats.  She was also very quiet.  Chance, who was more used
to loud and boistrious she-kats, decided she wasn't his
type - but to be honest, he thought, since he had become
a SwatKat three years back, he wasn't sure he even *had*
a type any more - his girlfriends had been few, and
their relationships brief.

Finally, Chance said, "Um, sorry you're havin' such a
cruddy day."

Beverly looked startled.  "It's not your fault."

"Well, yeah, I know, but I'm actually having a really good
day - my first in a long time, y'know?"

"Well, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothin'.  But I feel all guilty having a great day when
yours is going so cruddy."

Beverly looked down at her lap.  "Now I'm messing up your
perfect day."

Chance shook his head.  "You're not messing it up."

Beverly glanced up for a second. "You...you sure?"

Grinning, he said, "Not at all."  Beverly ducked her head
and smiled a bit.  Chance went on.  "You wanna tell me
what's wrong with yer day?"  Her smile disappeared, and
Chance quickly added, "You don't hafta."

Sighing, Beverly said, "Oh...it's nothing, I guess.  I...
I was supposed to meet my boyfriend here."  Chance felt a
very small twinge at the word "boyfriend", but in the back
of his mind, waved it away.  Beverly went on.  "But he
didn't show up."

Chance tried to will himself into feeling more concern
than he actually did.  "Maybe he got held up somewhere.
Didja call him?"

Beverly shook her head, and looked close to tears.  "It
really doesn't matter."

"Whadaya mean?  Sure it matters."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Beverly said,
"He...he's not the most reliable guy..."  She tapered off,
and tried to smile.

Chance frowned.  "You thinkin' he stood ya up?"

Shrugging in an attempt to appear non-chalant, Beverly
said, "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Well, that ain't right."  Chance looked up as Benny came
back to the table clumsily carrying their drinks.
"Thanks.  Listen, what were you and your...boyfriend
gonna do?  Just get some drinks?"

"N-no, we were going to see a movie, have dinner, you
know..."

"Well...if you wanna," Chance quickly interjected, hands
held up, "I think Benny 'n' me chould make good on that -
if you think us two can fill in for 'im."

"Wh-"  Beverly sat with her mouth half-open, not knowing
what to say.

Chance grinned, then turned to Benny.  "You up for a night
on the town?"

"Love to, amigo, but not all of us are caught up at work."

Shrugging, Chance turned back to Beverly.  "Well, it's
down to just me, I guess - but the offer's still good."

"I...don't know..."

"If you'd rather not, that's OK..."

"No, I do, it's just...well, Peter isn't..."  Beverly
waited for Chance to say something, but he didn't.
Finally, she said, "Well, Peter can look after himself for
one night, I guess."  She smiled up at Chance.

"That's th' way, Beverly!"

Beverly smiled larger.  "Just Bev."

*****

Laughing, Beverly opened the door to her apartment, and
Chance followed her in.  "You can't be serious!" she
giggled.

"Whadda ya mean?"

"No one with half a brain could've liked that movie."

"Oh, c'mon, it weren't *that* bad."

"Oh, please!  That guy couldn't act at all!  And even though
he was a real jerk, the girl falls in love with him anyway."

"Happens all the time."

"Does not."  Bev sat down in a chair, and waved Chance
towards the sofa.

"Well, it's a movie.  It don't have to be realistic."

Bev waved her hand.  "Ah, it was awful."

Chance glanced down at his feet.  "Well, sorry you had such
a rotten time."

Bev's voice softened considerably.  "I didn't say I had a
rotten time.  Not at all."

For a minute, neither Chance nor Beverly spoke.  Chance
just sat looking at Beverly with a silly grin on his face.
Finally, to break the silence, Beverly asked, "Would you
like something to drink?"

"Sure."  Bev started to get up, but Chance jumped up first.
"No, sit - I'll get 'em.  Where are they?"

"In the kitchen," Bev pointed.

"Oh.  Duh.  Whatcha want?" Chance asked, halfway thru the
kitchen door.

"Whatever."

"Um, all right.  One whatever comin' up."  He grinned again
and headed into the kitchen.

Bev leaned back in her chair, smiled, and shook her head.
This was going much faster than she was used to.  Usually
she met someone, talked with them in a friendly way for
several months, slowly getting to know them.  But this one
night with Chance was completely different.  All the rules
she had set for herself seemed to have been tossed out the
window.  Heck, Chance wasn't even someone she'd normally
date.  He was...well, he was a mechanic, for heaven's sake.
Honestly, though, he was proving to be a refreshing change
from the scholarly and businesskat types she normally dated.
She drew a deep breath and finally faced the question that
had been nagging at the back of her brain for the last hour
or so -  what if Chance wanted to spend the night?

She had only just begun considering the question when the
front door to her apartment opened.  In stepped a middle-
sized dark brown kat who seemed to be in constant motion.
He had loosened his tie but otherwise looked fresh from the
office.

"Hey, babe.  Sorry I couldn't make it - something came up.
Looks like the Fortinbras deal is back on."  He walked by
her chair, kissing her on the forehead.  He appeared not to
notice her shrinking from his touch.  "Hope you weren't too
lonely without me."  He grinned, then tossed himself on the
sofa.  "I'm starving - mind if I grab something outta your
fridge?"

"Um, Peter..."

He looked up at Bev.  "What?  What is it?"

Chance re-entered the room, holding two glasses of creme
soda.  "Jeez, I can't remember the last time I had..."
Spotting Peter sprawled on the sofa, Chance stopped for a
second, then quickly recovered himself.  "Heya," he said,
deciding to play it cool.

Peter jumped to his feet, glared at Chance, then back at
Bev.  "Who is this?"

Bev didn't - couldn't - answer, so Chance interceded.
"Chance.  Chance Furlong."  He put the glasses down and
walked over with his hand outstretched.  Peter knocked it
away with the back of his hand, and stormed over to Bev's
chair.  Bev looked up, scared but defiant.

"You two-timing..." he yelled.  "I leave you alone for
one night..."

Chance didn't want to hear anymore.  He hadn't known Bev
for all that long, but he liked her enough to keep this
sleazoid from yelling at her.  He grabbed Peter's shoulder
and wheeled him back around to face him.  "Listen, you...
Peter, right?  Lemme see if I got this right.  You left
Bev sitting at It'l Do waiting for you, right?"

Peter tried to free himself from Chance's grasp, but
failed.  "Something came up at work, you..."

"Where ya working where they ain't got no phones?" asked
Chance sarcastically.  "Or were you fresh outta dimes?"

"I was tied up with the guys..."

"And if I've got this right, this ain't the first time
this li'l scene's taken place."

"Listen, musclehead, my relationship with Bev isn't your
concern."

"Yeah, well, I decided I kinda like her, and so I'm makin'
it my concern."  Chance finally released Peter, to his
relief.  He spun around to face Bev.

"Bev, kindly tell this...this freak to buzz off."

Bev stood up.  "No, Peter, I won't.  I'm tired of being
treated like...like an afterthought."

"Oh, come on, babe..."

"No, *you* come on.  I'm sick of it all."

"Bev, you can't mean that."

Chance put his hand back on Peter's shoulder.  "Sounds like
you blew your chance, bub."  He started to lead him to
the door, and his voice got almost kind.  "Listen, lemme
give you a bit of advice.  No, really.  I may not be the
swiftest plane in formation, as my partner likes to say,
but even *I* know how you gotta treat a girl.  And your way
ain't it."  They had reached the door.  Chance dropped his
hands to his sides.  "Look, I'm sorry."  And he actually
sounded like he was.  Peter stared at him for a spell, then
walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Chance looked at the closed door for a second, took a deep
breath, then hesitantly turned around.  He wasn't sure how
Bev had reacted to that.  Bev was standing still in the
middle of the living room, and Chance couldn't figure out
her expression.  After a pause that seemed like forever,
she reached over and picked up the two creme sodas that
Chance had poured.  She walked over and handed one to him,
and held up hers in a toast.  With a wry smile that was
also rather sad, she said, "To a new start?"

Chance grinned back, took the glass from her, and clinked
it against hers.  After taking a sip, he looked down at her.
She put her glass down, then unexpectedly, she put her arms
around Chance and hugged him tightly.  "Thank you," she
whispered.

"Hey, hey..." Chance said quietly.  He put his hand under
her chin, and tilted her head up to face him.  "Hey, there,
don't cry."

She shook her head slightly.  "I'm sorry."

Impulsively, Chance bent down and put his lips against hers.
A few seconds later, Bev put her arms back around him and
began kissing back with earnest.  Chance felt his hormones
kick into high gear.  It'd been ages since he'd slept with
someone - not since...Chance's brain immediately blocked the
rest of that thought.

They finally separated, and Bev looked up with a mischevious
grin.  "So...should we retire to the bedroom?"

Chance had an internal argument, with his upper half finally
winning.  "Nah, better not."

Bev looked surprised, and a bit hurt.  "Really?"

"Don't think I ain't tempted.  It's just..."  Chance closed
his eyes and shook his head.  "This is so dumb."

"What?"

"I don't wanna...'cause I *like* ya."

"Huh?"

"I know, I know.  But...it's like...I want to...to *know*
you before...aw, heck!"  Chance sat down with his head
hanging down for a second, then looked back up at Bev.
"You know, you make me wanna say 'yes' just so I won't
hafta explain."

"Well, *there's* a good reason."

"I'm kidding.  Look...Bev..." He had her sit next to him,
and he looked earnestly at her.  "You're a great gal.  And
I wanna...get to know you better, y'know?"  Bev nodded.
"'K, see, but I think if you 'n' me start off...humpin',
it might spoil things, y'know?"  Bev again nodded, but more
unsurely.  "So, let's...sorta save that.  Somethin' to look
forward to, right?"  She nodded, smiling.  Chance smiled
back, and let out his breath.  "Whew.  I ain't so good at
explainin' stuff."

"You were good at explaining that, Chance."

"Well, if you get it, I guess I did."  Chance stood up, and
helped Bev to her feet.  "I better get back.  You free for
lunch tomorrow?"

"If I can get away..."  Bev shook her head.  "Forget that.
I'll get away somehow."

"Heh.  Already got you slackin'."

Again, Bev hugged Chance unexpectedly.  "Thanks," she
whispered.

*****

Chance entered the garage quietly, and was surprised to see
Jake asleep on the couch, the TV quietly on.  He tried to
shut it off, but Jake suddenly opened his eyes.

"Sorry," said Chance.

"Mm.  S'OK,"  Jake sat up a bit stiffly and yawned.  "What
time is it?"

"Um...one."

"What's her name?"

"Bev," Chance answered without thinking, then suddenly shot
Jake a look.  Jake just grinned.  Chance growled, "I *hate*
it when you do that."

"You make it easy."  Jake jumped to his feet and tried to
get some circulation into his legs by walking around.
"Well, you came back the same night, so she must've said
'no'."

Chance busied himself with his jacket, and mumbled, "Nah,
*I* did."

Jake stopped.  "Wait a second.  Katsanova Chance turned
down an offer to spend the night with a she-kat?"

Angrily, Chance said, "Yeah, s'what's wrong with that?"

"Nothin', buddy.  I guess there's a first time for
everything.  Everything OK?"

Chance smiled.  "Yeah.  Better'n OK."

Jake stretched, then looked intently at Chance.  "Sounds
like an interesting night."

"Yep.  See what you miss?"

*****

Chance rinsed his face, then sat up, staring at himself in
the mirror.  He gave himself a smirk, turned off the light,
then began attempting to negotiate his way back to bed in
the dark.  He had almost made it, when his foot hit the
bedside table leg.  It didn't really hurt, but he quietly
yelped anyway.

"You OK?" asked Bev.

"Yeah.  Just bein' clumsy."  Chance lifted the covers and
slid underneath them.  "I always hate that part."

"What part?"

"Cleanin' up afterwards.  Not that it ain't worth it."
Chance grinned, and put his arms around Bev, who snuggled
backwards against him.

"I don't know - I always liked that part."

"Why's that?"

"I get to watch as the guy tries to get back to bed," Bev
said, laughing quietly.

"Oh.  Well, hope you enjoyed the show."

"Oh, I did."  Bev snuggled closer to Chance.

"Everything OK?" asked Chance.

Bev stopped and glanced behind her.  "What do you mean?"

"With me.  Was I OK?"

Laughing again, Bev said, "Are you asking if it was good
for me?"

Chance sheepishly said, "Well, most girls wouldn't tell ya."

"I'm not most girls.  And you were great.  You even waited
for me."

"Wasn't I s'posed to?"

"Yeah, but you'd be surprised.  Most guys wouldn't."

"Most guys are creeps."  Chance kissed the back of Bev's
head.  "Or idiots."

"Or both.  Well, don't worry about it.  You were great."
Bev added, laughing, "Just like Judy said you'd be."

"Huh?"

"Oh, Judy at work says that mechanics make the best lovers.
She said I should've jumped you the second I saw you."

"Hm.  Don't know how'd they'da taken that at It'd Do."  Both
Chance and Bev laughed.

"To be honest, Chance, I was wondering when you'd finally
make your move.  I was hoping nothing was wrong."

"Oh, nothin's wrong.  Not at all."  Chance went on,
slyly,  "I s'pose I could make up for lost time."

"Tomorrow?" asked Bev, just as slyly.

"Lotsa hours between now and tomorrow."  Chance moved his
arms down Bev's sides.  "Are ya up for it?"

"I could...be persuaded."

Chance slid up so that he was straddling Bev.  "Let the
persuasion begin."  Bending down, Chance planted a kiss on
Bev's lips.  Bev responded, putting her arms around Chance,
and slipping her tongue into Chance's mouth.  She drew
circles on Chance's back, then slid her hands lower, just
as a loud piercing sound penetrated the room.

Chance rose up on his hands and knees, looked upwards, and
gave a wordless roar.  He tossed the covers off of them both
and began to get dressed.

"Chance, what is it?"

"Emergency," said Chance shortly.  He tossed on his shirt,
and began turning his pants back right-side-out.

"What kind of emergency?"

Chance found his pager and turned it off.  "Dunno yet," he
said, truthfully enough.  He tossed on his pants, threading
his tail, then walked back over to the bed.  "I'll meet you
for lunch tomorrow, 'K?"  He kissed Bev tenderly, then
jumped out the door, before she could ask anything else.

*****

Razor was first out of the plane, and he began shucking off
his uniform, stifling a yawn.  "Well, that was hardly worth
it."

T-Bone sulked next to him.  "Tell me about it," he growled.

"Sorry to break up your date."  Jake put his ratty t-shirt
back on. "You *were* out with Bev, right?"

"I was with Bev, but we weren't out."  He plopped his helmet
onto its perch.

"Oh.  Wait a minute.  You don't mean you were..."  Jake
paused significantly.

"We finished, but we were startin' again."

"Jeez.  Sorry, Chance, had I known..."

"Nah, work first."  Chance held up his jeans.  "I'm gettin'
a little tired of takin' these off and puttin' 'em on again,
though."

"Chance, I could've taken care of that thing myself."

"Yeah, but you couldn'ta known that."  Chance tossed his
jeans over his shoulder and started walking back to his
room in his T-shirt and underwear.  Jake followed along.
"Besides, you remember last time what happened you ran
a mission by yerself."

"Oh, like I forgot."  Jake gave an internal shudder, then
thought for a second.  "You like her, don't you?"

"Duh."

"I mean...it's not like the others, is it?"

Chance stopped and thought.  "No.  No, it's not."  He looked
up at his partner.  "What're we gonna do?"

"Do?"

"I mean, I'll have to tell her."

"Tell her?  You mean..."  Jake tossed a thumb over his
shoulder at the TurboKat.

"Yeah."

"Chance, you gotta be kidding!  You only met her what -
three weeks ago?"

"Yeah, so?  You jealous?"

"No!"  Jake stopped and thought for a second.  "I mean,
yeah, of course I'm jealous.  I ain't found anybody for
years.  But that's not what I'm talking about.  You've
gotta be sure before you tell her."

"I'm sure."

"OK, then, *I've* gotta be sure before you tell her."

"Oh, really?  And how exactly is that gonna work?"

Jake threw his arms in the air.  "I dunno, Chance, but
maybe I could at least *meet* her before you let her on
everything."

Chance stopped short.  "What?"

Jake went on, trying to smile.  "Look, before you tell
her everything, the least you could do is bring her
home to meet your partner."

"You met her."

"Oh, right.  'Jake, this here's Bev' before you slip out to
dinner hardly counts as meeting."

Chance walked into his room, tossing his jeans towards the
closet.  He rubbed his face and sighed.  "You're right.  As
always."

"You...admitting I'm right?  Geez, she's changing you *good*!"
Jake and Chance laughed, and Jake went on.  "Listen, can she
come to dinner next week?"

Chance shrugged.  "Don't see why not."

"Cool.  I'll cook something good."

"What if we get buzzed while she's here?"

Jake suddenly frowned.  "Ooh.  Didn't think of that."  He
shrugged.  "All right, then.  We'll go out.  We'll meet
here first, though."

"Promise me you'll give her a fair shake."

Looking a bit hurt, Jake said, "C'mon, Chance, you know
better'n that."

"I know, I know."  Chance looked down at his feet.  "I just
want this to work, that's all."

*****

Jake stood uncomfortably, tugging occasionally at the collar
of his one good shirt.  Every minute or so, he unnecessarily
peeked out the window of the garage.

"She'll be here," asserted Chance for the fourth time.

"Yeah, but when?"

"I don't know.  But she'll be here."

A few seconds later, they heard a car roll up into the parking
lot.  Chance stole a glance out the window.  "That's her."
They stepped out of the garage into the fading sunlight.  Bev
stopped her car and rolled down the window, as Chance leaned
down to talk.

"Hey," said Bev.

"Hey backatcha.  You mind driving?  It'll be a tight squeeze in
the pick-up."

"No, that's fine.  Climb on in."

Chance held the seat up for Jake, who slid into the back seat.

"Bev, good to see you again," said Jake cordially.

"Likewise."  Bev gave Jake a smile, then turned her attention
back to Chance, who was situating himself in front.  "Where to?"

Jake offered, "Anyplace withuut a drive-thru window."

Bev smiled.  "How about Mexican?  There's that new place,
Sanchez's?"

"Fine by me."

Bev drove the short distance, and the three walked in,  There
was a wait, so they settled themselves in the bar.

Chance asked, "Usuals all around?"  Jake and Bev both nodded,
and Chance flagged down the waiter.  "One gin 'n' tonic, one
lemon soda.  You got Sheboygan Special?"

"Oh, yes."

"One of those, too."

The waiter nodded, and as he left, Bev turned to Jake.  "You
don't drink, either?"

"Not since New Year's a few years back."  Jake smiled and shook
his head.  "It took me an hour to figure out who owned the
apartment I woke up in, another hour to figure out where it was,
and three more hours to make it home."  Bev laughed, and Jake
went on.  "Since then, it's pretty much been lemon soda."

"Well, at least you figured out there was a problem.  There's a
kat I work with - Frank - and it looks like he'll be the last to
figure it out."

"Hittin' the bottle pretty heavy?" Chance asked.

"Yeah - and we're usually stuck picking up the slack.  Like we
don't have enough stuff to do each day."

They each accepted their drinks from the waiter, and Chance stood
up.  "Here's to Jake, the best friend a kat could have, and Bev,
best gal a kat could have."  They clinked glasses, and as they
took their first sip, they heard Chance's name called.

"Wow, quicker'n I thought.  After you two."

*****

"See ya tomorrow."  Chance kissed Bev, then stepped out of the car
next to Jake.  They watched her drive off, then Chance spun around
to look at Jake.

"So?"

Jake half-smiled, then unlocked the door to the garage.  "She's...
very nice."

"I told ya."

"Yeah."  Jake stepped in and headed towards the sofa.  Chance
stopped to lock the door, then sat across from Jake.

"And...?"

Jake's smile became crooked.  "Um...she's not really your type, is
she?"

Chance shook his head.  "Yeah, so what?"

"Um...maybe I should get to know her a little better."

"What?  Why you say that?"

Suddenly, Jake got serious.  "Chance, don't get me wrong.  She seems
great.  You're right - she's real nice."

Chance bared his teeth.  "There's a 'but' comin'."

"Yeah, here it is.  Tell me about Frank."

"Frank?"  Chance stopped dead.  "Who's Frank?"

Jake shrugged.  "I dunno.  Some guy she works with."

"Heck, Jake, I dunno anything about him.  What does that matter?"

"Yeah, well, I know exactly one thing about him.  He's a drunk."

"Yeah, so?  What's that gotta do with anything?"

"Nothing.  That's just it.  Chance, Bev and I just met.  I shouldn't
know this."  Chance didn't say anything.  "And do you remember when
we talked about the news, and she told us about some friend of hers
who dated that news guy?  Remember what she said?"

"That he was no good in bed?"

"Well, yeah.  But before she said that, she said to us, 'Now don't
tell her I told you.'  Those words really *really* didn't sit well
with me."

"You mean you think she'll blab," Chance growled.

"I don't know, buddy.  Maybe she won't.  But we gotta be really
*really* sure about this before we head into this.  'Cause there's
no backing out once we're there."  Chance looked unconvinced, so
Jake went on.  "Look, buddy, think about it.  Twice tonight she
told me stuff she probably shouldn't've.  You - that makes
sense - I mean, she knows you pretty well.  But me?  She just *met*
me."

Chance waved that aside.  "She was nervous - meetin' you 'n' all."

"Yeah, maybe.  But she'll get nervous again sometime."  Jake leaned
closer to Chance, and jerked a thumb back at the hangar.  "Listen,
you know as well as I do that this has *got* to stay a secret.  We
let Marc in on it 'cause...well, 'cause he made us.  But we know
he can keep it quiet."

"Bev won't talk."

"Y'know, you're probably right.  She probably won't talk.  But I
need to know for sure."  Chance jumped up and headed out.  "Hey,
where you goin'?"

"Out."  Chance walked into the hangar and slammed the door shut.

*****

T-Bone, no matter how screwed up his brain got, never let it get
the better of his piloting skills.  He planted the TurboKat down
near the edge of Chooser's Cavern and shut down the engine.  He
unstrapped his helmet, but didn't move for a minute.  Finally,
he sighed and climbed out of the cockpit.

Leaning against the landing gear, he looked back towards MegaKat
City.  It was more or less a blur, a building or two jutting out
of the bright maze.

It's not fair, he thought, kicking the wheel with his heel.  It's
just not fair.  I finally meet somebody special, and Jake doesn't
like her.  Chance shook his head.  No, wait, he likes her, he just
doesn't think we can trust her.  Can *I* trust her?  Of course I
can.  Well, I'm pretty sure I can.

What if I can't trust her?  What if she blabs?  What then?  It all
comes out - Feral takes our plane away - we'll prolly go on trial
for something or other.  But I'd still have Bev...and Jake.  Or
will I?  Jake wouldn't get it.  He'd prolly never talk to me again.

She won't blab.  Not if I tell her right.  Not if she knows how
important it is. To us, and to the City.  And Jake's right.  I
don't have to tell her right away.  I'll give it some time, and
when we feel more comfortable together, then I'll tell her.  Then
she'll understand.

T-Bone jumped back into the cockpit, tossing his helmet back on.  He
smiled.  Jake better stop bein' right all the time.  He's startin' to
piss me off.

*****

Chance gave a small wave to April, the receptionist at Virine Real
Estate.

"Hey-a.  Bev in?"

April smiled.  "Yeah, unless she snuck out while I wasn't looking.
Got a lunch date?"

Chance smiled.  "Hope so, 'less she's too busy."

"She's always busy, but she'll make time for you.  Go on back."

"Thanks."  Chance wound his way around the cubicles, heading towards
the back of the office.  He could barely make out the top and back of
Bev's head sticking up past the partition, phone pressed up against
her ear.  As he got closer, he heard her talking.

"I'm pretty sure I'll have it ready by the end of the day.  No,
I think I'm headed out for lunch...yes, another lunch date...
yes, the mechanic."

Chance was about to say something when he heard himself being
referenced, so he just stood silently.

"Well, yeah, he's no Einstein, but he's nice...and cute...oh,
yeah, he's that, too.  Best ever...yes, better than Dirk."  Bev
laughed, then laughed harder.  "Trust me on this, Irma!  You know
I'm no liar.  Besides, I don't think I can get him to pose for any
photos...yeah...well...no, I wouldn't call it SERIOUS serious, but
you never know...look, I better hit a stopping point on this
listing or I'm screwed...yeah, I'll let you know...see you, Irma."
Bev hung up the phone, did a half-stretch, then started typing.
Chance stood silent for a minute, then cleared his throat.  Bev
spun around.

"Oh!  Chance!  I didn't hear you creep up!  Can you wait a
second?  I've gotta finish this up real quick."  Chance half-
nodded, and Bev looked a bit concerned.  "You OK?"

"Um...yeah.  Listen, I gotta talk to ya."

Bev froze for a second, then saved her work on the computer.
She stood up and said, "I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

Chance sighed and ushered her to the door.  They got into
the truck, and Chance drove to the woods.  Chance threw the
truck in park, turned off the motor, then sat silently,
staring straight ahead.

"Chance, what is it?"

Chance looked over at her briefly, then back out the windshield.
"Um...I don't know how to say this."  He turned back to face
her.  "And I dunno.  Seems any way I put it, it's not gonna
work.  You're gonna hate me."

Bev got agitated.  "Chance, come on - what's the problem?"

"Bev...I think I love you."

Bev smiled a bit.  "That's a problem?"

"It's a huge problem..."  Chance hung his head.
"...because I don't think I can see you no more."  Bev
didn't say anything, so Chance went on.  "I...ya gotta
believe me, Bev, I can't bear to hurt ya, but I know
I'm gonna hurt you with this sooner or later..."

"Why?"  Bev spun around in her seat.  "Why can't we see
each other?"

Chance looked her square in the eye.  "I can't tell you
that."

"You can't...?  Come on, Chance - you can at *least* tell
me why!"

"No."  Chance sighed and put his head in his hands.  "I wish
to God I could tell ya, but I can't."

Bev slammed her fist against the dashboard.  "Why the *hell*
can't you tell me?"

"Bev, I'm tellin' ya, I can't tell you!"

"So what?  It's over?  Just like that?  'Sorry, Bev, don't
like the way it's turning out'?"

"That ain't it.  It's goin' better'n I ever hoped.  But it's
gotta stop."

A tear rolled down Bev's cheek.  "This how you get your jollies,
Chance?  Hurting girls?"

"Ya think I'm enjoyin' this?  Bev, you don't understand..."

"How *can* I understand?  Everything looks like it's going
great, and now you say it's over."

"Bev, I love you - really.  And I wish I could keep seein' you..."

"What is this - some sort of fear of commitment or something?
You fall in love with someone, then get scared and break up
with them?"

Chance sighed.  "Bev, it don't matter.  Any excuse'll do.  I'm
scared to get close, I'm a creep...whatever.  The fact is, we
can't see each other."  Chance looked out his window, avoiding
her gaze.  "Besides, it prolly wouldn'ta worked out.  We're too
different - you're this smart gal 'n I'm this dumb mechanic..."
Chance trailed off.

Bev wiped her eyes.  "You really believe that?"

Chance continued to look away.  "Not really.  You hate me, don't
ya?"

"Shouldn't I?"  Bev started picking at the dashboard with her claw.

Heaving another sigh, Chance sort of shuddered.  "Yeah, I guess."
He started the truck and backed out of the drive.  They drove
slowly in silence back downtown. Chance manuevered the truck in
front of her office complex, then threw it in park.  Turning to
face Bev, he gave her a very crooked smile.  "Take care of
y'r'self, 'K?"

Bev jumped out of the truck, closed the door, then spun around to
face him.  She looked as if she was about to speak, but then
suddenly ran into the building.

*****

Jake handed the kat a work order.  "We're pretty well caught up
here, so we should probably have the ready in tomorrow.  We'll call
you."  The kat thanked Jake, and left just as Chance walked in.
Jake glanced up.

"Geez, Chance, you OK?"

Chance took a very unsteady deep breath.  "Um, me 'n' Bev broke up."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I told her...I told her we couldn't see each other no more."

"Chance, why'd you do that?"  He waved Chance to the sofa.

"Cuz you were right."  Chance collapsed on the sofa, and rubbed his
face with his hands.  "She'd tell someone."

"We didn't know that.  You could've told her later - y'know, once
we were sure."

"And what?  Keep ditchin' her everytime DarkKat came to town?  That
ain't fair.  Not to her, anyway."

Jake sat next to Chance, and thought for a second.  "No.  No, I guess
it isn't."

"Looks like I'm stuck with you 'n' the plane."

Jake smiled a bit.  "Not much of a deal, huh?"

Chance rubbed his face again.  "See, Bev...but Bev and I...we had
somethin' goin'.  Somethin' I never had before.  I ain't ever gonna get
that back again, am I?"

"I dunno, buddy.  I just don't know."  Jake put his hand on Chance's
shoulder.  "Sorry.  You gonna be OK?"

"I was so close, Jake.  *This* close.  So she talks a lot.  That's no
problem with anyone else.  With us, that's the one thing that ain't
allowed."  Chance stood up, and violently kicked the edge of the sofa.
"Life sucks."  He stormed off to his room, with Jake staring after
him.