Nodding in agreement, she added, "And if Happy does something you don't like, just say 'no' strongly and hit her lightly on the nose or behind. That will get the message across." She supposed she could train the little one when she watched her for him.

Jay nodded. "Okay, I'll remember that," he said. He finished eating his food quickly, then stood up and stretched. "It's already getting late. I think I should scram. You probably don't want to put up with me all day."

She shook her head, "I was the one that dragged you with me job hunting. Oh, I got the job at the community center. I tutor kids when they get out of school until evening." She stood and picked up her plate to take to the kitchen sink.

"I still don't know why you're sticking to me so much," Jay grumbled as he took his plate to the kitchen as well and placed it by the sink. "It's good you got the job though. I'm sure you'll do great with it. Anyway, I think I'm out of here," he said as he wandered to the pin where Kitten had put Happy. He picked up the dog a big awkwardly, but still managed to hold her well enough. He gave a little wave before heading out the door.

"Take care friend." She called to his retreating back. He wasn't an optimist, that was for sure. Turning, she went to start the dishes.

Jay went home and played with Happy for a little while before falling asleep exhausted. Today had definitely been a long day. He woke up with the sun again, though this time it had more to do with the wet nose of a dog in his face. He stretched and dumped Happy on the floor so he could go get some food for him and her. After that, he put a leash on her and decided to go people watching. He was determined to avoid Kitten for once, so he ended up at his favorite statue to sit on and started smoking a cigarette.

Stretching as she woke up, Kitten got up and dressed for the day. She left for her morning run, switching the route so that she could learn the neighborhood better. Upon return, she showered and ate breakfast. She went to the desk in her room where her laptop was. Opening it, she ran through her normal mail. Her parents wondering when she would come visit the farm. Friends from college curious if she could swing by on vacation sometime. Then she checked her secondary email. An encrypted website that didn't show up on her internet history. Here, she went through reports and intel from her law enforcement agency. The police headquarters that had set her up for this undercover work.

Checking the clock a little bit later, she figured she would go for a stroll before lunch. Working part time had its benefits. She headed outside with her purse slung over a shoulder. Might as well get snacks for tutoring and then for babysitting later on today. That is if she ran past a general store. As was her habit, she started chatting with her friendly smile those she met on the sidewalk or past in their yards.

It was just about lunch time when Happy started whining too much to be ignored. Jay's stomach too was grumbling. He sighed and hopped down from the statue and decided to make a quick stop by the convenience store for some food before he took Happy home to feed her. He walked the short distance to his usual store, dog in tow.

Armed with yet more friends, she headed to the convenience store. It was just a block from where she had ended up. The last lady she had been talking to was an a lady in her 40s. She used to be a cop until an injury put her on disability. Now she stayed home, venturing outside only when armed with a cane that helped her keep her balance. She had looked at Kitten suspiciously when she had claimed to be just from the countryside trying to settle into life. Kitten wasn't stupid. Every person who was a cop could see the small nuances in another that police academy marked their cadets with. Something in the posture that never quite left. Pushing such thoughts aside, she opened the door to the store armed with a load of snack ideas.

Jay was just in the middle of underpaying for a soda and a pile of beef jerky sticks when he heard the door open. The shop owner didn't care about the slight discrepancy in price of course. He knew Jay after all. Jay reached down to scratch Happy's ears as he gathered his things and stuffed them into his jacket pocket. Happy had been sitting happily at Jay feet despite dogs not being allowed inside. He only held the leash held lightly in his hand, so when the door flung open and Happy bolted, he wasn't able to stop her. He jumped after her only to see that Happy was running toward someone they knew.

"Kitten!" Jay exclaimed in surprise as she walked in.

She looked up surprised and crouched down to pet Happy behind the ears. "Hey Jay! Good to see you. Are you taking my advice and bonding with your pup?" She grinned at him over Happy's head as Happy tried to lick her face and neck.

Jay stayed by the counter. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of jerky and waved it by the ground. "Com'ere Happy," he called. Of course, in the presence of Kitten, she didn't listen. Jay groaned and walked over to grab Happy's leash before looking up at kitten.

"Why do we keep running into each other like this?"

She shrugged, "maybe it is fate?" Giving Happy a push towards Jay, she stood. "I'm getting snacks for the kids I tutor and babysit later. How about you?"

Just as Jay took Happy, two men in black with ski masks over their head pushed into the store and started waving guns.

"Get down! Everyone!" one shouted, looking incredibly serious with his gun trained right on Jay. The hell? Jay's mind was spinning as he dropped to his knees and held Happy protectively to his chest. These guys weren't pirate gangsters. Were they specifically pointing a guy at him because he was?

"Keep that dog still or I'll shoot it," the other man said as he moved to the cash register, demanding the shop keeper to give him all the money.

Kitten flattened on the floor. She ran through all the advice she had given others as a police officer. Don't be heroic. Let the robbery occur and call the cops afterwards. She was a cop though. Glancing at Jay and seeing his astonished face, she gritted her teeth. There had to be a way to ensure his survival. The gangster who wasn't getting the money was looking her over. Her reached down and grabbed her chin, forcing her face up so he could look at it better. "I think we should take more than money. This one is a good looker."

Jay's eyes snapped up to the guy leering at Kitten. "Oh hell you!" he snapped. "Touch her and I'll set my boss on your ass. You know this is pirate territory and what you'll get for robbing here!" He made no move though. He was no fighter, being slight and weak. And he was pretty sure if he moved slightly, Happy was going to run off and be a dead puppy before he even got to know her well.

"If you want her, take her, but I'm not helping," the first man said as he stuffed the money into a bag.

Kitten's eyes widened. Jay belonged to the pirate gang? It looked like tactics had changed. Tucking away Jay's information for later, she remembered the next step. If someone tries to take you anywhere, fight. With his attention momentarily distracted at Jay, she sprang up. Grabbing the robber's gun hand and twisting that arm tight behind him, she had it so if he managed to pull the trigger, he would be blowing his own brains out. He gasped and went down on one knee, a human shield between her and the robber behind the counter.

Jay's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when Kitten jumped up. "What are you doing-?!" he started, but just kinda trailed off, mouth hanging open as Kitten took control of the situation like a total boss. How the heck did she do that?

The second the robbers started to loose control of the situation, the first man bolted for the door. Obviously, he only cared about himself in this situation. He managed to get out the door since he moved while everyone was busy with his partner in crime. Jay being as impulsive as he normally was, dumped Happy on the floor and took after the escaping robber.

Seeing the other man bolt with Jay on his heels. She twisted the man's hand forcing him to drop the gun. She kicked it under the counter for the cops to get later. Grabbing a can from a nearby shelf, she hit him over the head. As he slumped down, she caught him and lowered him to the floor. The store owner grabbed a broom and stood watch over him. Happy shot out the momentarily open door and barked after Jay.

Kitten ran outside and scooped up Happy just as a car beside the curb blew up. With Happy protected against her chest. She took the full impact of the blast. Flying through the air with pieces of burning metal cutting across the back of her shoulder, she wondered at the lack of pain. Then she hit the side of a brick building and collapsed in a heap to the ground. Oh, there was the pain. Her vision blurred and as she wavered on the brink of unconsciousness, her grip on Happy tightened.

Jay wasn't sure why the fuck he was chasing this guy. What was he going to do if he caught up? Thankfully, the man just hopped in a car parked by the curb and let off a few shots in Jay's direction. They were ill aimed so they flew wide. He ducked behind the trash can just in case though. He heard the car start, silence, then suddenly the air exploded with noise. Jay covered his ears, cowering further behind the trashcan as shrapnel scrapped his arm and heat surely gave him an instant sunburn.

Long seconds passed before he realized the explosion had ended, it was just the sound that was continuing in his ears. He crawled out, dazed, trying to find something familiar. He spotted an arm and wide puppy eyes beneath it.

"Kitten!" he yelled. He heard himself like he was yelling underwater. "Kitten!" he yelled again as he crawled frantically toward her, the ringing slowly dissipating in his ears.

Over the roar in her head, she thought she heard her name. Forcing herself to focus on that and the soft fur of Happy in her arm, she opened her eyes. The world was spinning. Just how hard did she fly into that brick building? Focusing on Jay, she saw him crawling towards her. His face was so worried. She was surprised that he wasn't calling for Happy too. Coughing, pain spiked from her shoulder. She looked down in it's general direction and saw that her shirt was drenched in blood. Groaning she looked back up towards Jay, "Remind me... to not... bodyslam... brick... buildings. I'll lose." Jokes. Was that all she could say?

Jay nodded enthusiastically. A bit too enthusiastically. He felt like throwing up and the sight of blood wasn't helping. He never did like the look of it. He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled for the shop door. He could hear fine now, wait, of course he did since he heard Kitten's joke. He just didn't comprehend that at the time. He shook his head. He needed to stop being so scatter brained. Jay yelled into the shop, telling the owner to call for an ambulance or something. He wasn't entirely sure he knew what he was saying. He found himself sitting against a shelf as the owner spoke on his phone.

Hearing sirens in the distance, Kitten felt her head slowly starting to clear. In place of the light-headedness was more pain. Pain was a good thing. It let you know that you were alive. If you channeled it right, you could even fuel yourself to keep going. Happy was whimpering, trying to go after Jay. She let her go and Happy leapt towards the shop door. An fire truck pulled up. Several men rushed to get a hose out while a few others grabbed medical kits.

It was madness in the streets. By now, bystanders were poking around, trying to get a look. the police were keeping them back as the ambulance swept in and out with Kitten. Jay wasn't entirely sure on the time frame of it. At some point, Happy found her way into his arms and he hugged the terrified little puppy like he was the one that wanted to be comforted, not her. Then the police were around and someone wanted to take him to the hospital too. He didn't think he had any real injuries, he didn't think so. But then, he wasn't positive of anything. He ended up in the back of an ambulance anyway, annoyed and puppy-less. What horrid person had taken Happy from him? Finally he just resigned himself to it all and let his mind drift with thoughts.

Someone had robbed a store in his...no, pirate territory. It wasn't actually his. And then set off a bomb. It seemed like an awful botched attempt, but it still raised the same question in his mind. Was this a declaration of war?

Laying in the hospital, a police chief sat at the end of her bed. The door was locked with police stationed inside and out. The windows were shut. No one else was around. As far as he was concerned, her cover had been blown. She shook her head and went over again how that was impossible. "Listen, I have told everything. I've been debriefed. There is no way that the attack and bomb were to get rid of me." He shook his head slowly, "then what about you disarming one of the robbers? How are you going to explain that one?" She sighed and thought for a moment. Finally she said, "I could claim self defense classes before coming to live in the big bad city?" He sighed and shook his head. Finally he mentioned, "A witness said you had a puppy with you. We got her being taken care of for you back at your mom's place. You might want to go home for awhile. The farm would be a good place to rest up." Her eyes widened at the thought.