UBER Xena & Gabrielle set in modern day. The first fan-fic I ever wrote a LONG time ago (back in 2000 under Carrie Ryan. Yes, that is still me...) Hoping that by posting here, I will be able to complete it after too many years of life getting in the way! It's been a while so please, please PLEASE be kind in your reviews and I just may keep going. Rated M for later chapters.

Chapter One – I Will Never Be The Same

Blue eyes opened and scanned across the room, squinting at the light. Boxes of various sizes lay open and discarded haphazardly around the room. A glance to the right showed the time flashing on the digital clock; 4:27AM

"Damn" Jake sat up, grimacing at the kinks that were now ever so present in her neck and back. She hated when she fell asleep on the couch. She always woke up cranky and her muscles stayed tight for hours. She vaguely remembered sitting down sometime around 1:00 to take a break from unpacking. She had meant to go upstairs to bed shortly but, obviously, she crashed right where she was and now was going to have to go to work irritable.

"Great. What a way to start my first day on the job. 'Yes, it's nice to be working with you, Sir. Now, go screw yourself and stay the hell out of my way'"

She had just moved into a new house... in a new town... in a new state about a week earlier. Maybe she wasn't ready to start over yet but she needed to. She HAD to. Then again, she did have enough cash in her savings to go a few more months but…

"Oh Hell..." She reluctantly pulled herself off the couch and made her way up the stairs into her bedroom. She glanced at the bed, which looked SO inviting, and then to the clock on her night stand.

"Too late to get any real sleep now." She had more than enough time to get a good run and shower in before work. Her mind made up, she changed into a pair of running shorts and a dark gray sleeveless sweatshirt.

She started back down the stairs when she stopped and poked her head through the door of the bedroom across the hall from hers. She stood there quietly watching the child sleep. She looked so peaceful as long midnight black hair fanned across the pillow. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that these two were related. You could definitely see the family resemblance. Jake realized, and not for the first time while watching the child sleep, that she was the spitting image of...

"Ryan..."

She whispered his name softly; almost forcing a smile to touch her lips even though it never reached her eyes or her heart. She closed her eyes to the all too familiar ache before closing the door and heading down the stairs to start her day.

"Raven! Come On. You're gonna be late!" Jake had finished her run around the neighborhood, came back, showered and was getting breakfast together long before the child had even woke up.

"How come I have to go? I'd rather stay here with you" the child whined, emphatically dragging her feet as she made her way to the kitchen.

Jake smiled, watching the child as she placed her breakfast of cereal and toast on the table before her. Jake took a sip of her coffee as pale blue eyes, the same shade as her own, looked up at her hopefully until she saw "The Look". Jake couldn't help but grin at the pout that soon followed. If she didn't know any better...

She recalled her own protests to getting up and going to school as a child.

"Jacqueline Marie, you get your butt in here right this instant, young lady" her father would yell while trying to get them all out the door on time.

"Oh Dad..." She had a whine that could rival Raven's. As she did today, her father would cast her "The Look". He didn't yell very often but when he did, he meant business and you had BETTER listen!

Her mother had died when she was only four years old due to complications during childbirth. It was a sad day in the Steven's household, not only loosing a wife and mother but, also the child she carried; a little boy. After that, there had only been the three of them: Jake, her father and...

"So do I really have to go? Why?" The eight-year-old's question had snapped her out of her reverie.

Jake placed her now empty coffee mug under the sink faucet and rinsed it out before putting it in the drainer and nodding at Raven to do the same with her breakfast dishes. "Yes, you HAVE to go. I'm starting my new job today and don't need to be late worrying about your unmotivated little butt" She suddenly tackled the child, laughing the whole time while tickling her relentlessly.

"STOP, STOP! I'M GONNA PEE MY PANTS!"

"I don't care. They're not MY pants and I'm not the one wearing them." She resumed her assault on Raven trying to will the child's laughter to mend the break in her heart from earlier.

"Okay, Okay, I give! Uncle, Uncle!"

Jake stopped long enough to consider the child's plea for mercy. Then, remembering the "Uncle" comment, made her decision... "Hmmmmmm... Nope!" She tickled her one last time and sent her to get her things. "Come on, Squirt. Let's get going. I'll drop you off and pick you up this week."

"On the Harley?" Raven asked, her eyes pleading with Jake to give in. She loved riding the bike with Jake. It had belonged to Raven's father. He had bought it before Raven was born when he was a police officer in Chicago. It meant so much that she was allowed to ride with Jake. Only she and her Dad were lucky enough to share that special thrill with the tall woman. Raven couldn't really remember her father. He had been killed while on duty when she was only two years old.

"Not this morning, Squirt. We'll have to take the truck. I need my tools. Tonight after dinner. I promise. We'll go get ice cream or something."

"Really? COOL! Love you!" Raven threw her arms around Jake's neck.

Jake hugged her back while playfully slapping her on the rear end. "Love you, too. Now Scoot!"

They loaded up the 4Runner with Jake's tools and Raven's backpack. Within ten minutes, they pulled up in front of the school. Jake placed the truck in park and turned towards the passenger seat, suddenly nervous about being separated from the young girl in a new town. "Okay, you have your lunch money, right?"

"Yes..." Raven replied, rolling her eyes at Jake's sudden state of unease.

"Do you want me to come in with you?"

"No. I should be Okay. I think I can handle it"

"All right, then. I'll be here to pick you up at about 4:00. STAY HERE in the school until I get here, all right?"

"Okay" Raven hopped down out of the truck and headed into her new school.

Raven nervously walked down the school hall to her classroom. She glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand and then to the numbers on the door. Room 142. This was only the 2nd week of the new school year and she had already missed the first one because of the move from Chicago. She was a bit nervous and not quite sure what to expect when she stood in the doorway and lightly knocked on the door to get the teacher's attention.

Warm, green eyes looked up from the roll call book lying open on the desk while a slim hand gently pushed a stray lock of golden hair behind her ear. "Yes? Can I help you?" the teacher asked; her eyes smiling brightly at the child in the doorway.

"Yes, Ma'am. I think this is where I'm supposed to be."

The teacher's eyes got incredibly brighter. "Oh! Of course! You must be our new student! From Chicago, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am. My name is Raven Stevens."

The teacher got up from her desk and walked over to the child who, at the moment, looked a little like a deer caught in headlights. She smiled at the young girl which, immediately, put Raven at ease. "Well, Hello, Raven. It's very nice to meet you. Let me help you to your seat. I'll be your teacher this year. My name is Ms. Peters."

Jake had gotten home with Raven around 4:30 after picking her up from school. She unlocked the door and Raven ran in before her and up to her room. Jake tossed her keys onto the table by the door and bent over to take off her boots. She walked over to the couch and sat down, laying her head back and closing her eyes. Opening them again, she looked around the room, groaning at the disorder in front of her. "I am SO not in the mood for this shit" she said to no one in particular.

It had been a long, exhausting day. The first day on a new job always was. She had put up with the appreciative glances from all the guys on the crew. Since she was the only woman employed by the company, a few thought they could get away with their lewd comments about her body, surprised and not at all happy when she came back with some very crude remarks of her own. Standing at just about six feet, Jake had an air of confidence and grace when she walked. The fact that her body was better toned and stronger than at least half of the men on the crew, left more than one of them unnerved. Their condescending tones and pompous attitudes, as they offered to help, were dropped quickly once they realized that she could carry, on her own, what usually took 2 of them. It was definitely an interesting start.

Later after dinner, she took Raven out on the Harley for some ice cream. She loved riding. It was her greatest passion and one she only shared with Raven, in memory of the child's father, Ryan.

Ryan was seven years older than Jake but age did not matter between the two. They were the best of friends and always together. Always, that is, until Ryan decided to move to Chicago. Chicago was a LONG way from Mayport, Florida where they grew up but he was able to transfer to the Chicago Police Department. He claimed he just wanted a change of scenery but, Jake was completely heart-broken. That is, until she had saved enough money to follow after him, much to her father's dismay. Jake couldn't stand to be separated from Ryan any longer than absolutely necessary so, once in Chicago, she joined the police academy to follow in his footsteps and excelled under his proud, watchful eye.

She'd lived in Chicago for all of a year when Raven was born. Ryan had been there for four years by this time and Jake could still remember the look of complete love and adoration on his face as he held his daughter for the first time.

"Ryan, you're not seriously considering naming that child, Raven, are you?"

"Hell Yeah…" he said as he proudly looked down into tiny blue eyes that mirrored his own. "Look at that head of hair! Look at how dark it is!"

"What're you going to do if it lightens?"

"Please... You're kidding, right? Look at mine. Hell, look at yours! That is NOT likely to happen"

Ryan, himself, was a virtual tower at the height of 6'4" with neatly cut black hair and piercing blue eyes. A strong angular face with a mustache and goatee that Jake LOVED to tease him about. He was without a doubt the most handsome man she'd ever known and dared anybody to debate that fact. She was so proud of him. Absolutely adored him.

Then, two short years later, her near perfect world came to a screeching halt when Ryan had been shot during a routine domestic violence call. She was on patrol at the time when the call came through for an officer down, with assistance and backup needed. She was about two miles away and responded as soon as she heard the address. A chill ran down her spine as she recognized the neighborhood on Ryan's beat. Her worst fear was confirmed when she pulled up at the scene and saw Ryan being put into the back of an ambulance, his shirt crimson with the blood from the gunshot wound.

She screamed his name and ran to his side. Once inside the back of the ambulance, he weakly grabbed her hand and looked at her with eyes that couldn't quite focus. Those blue eyes... Raven's eyes. Closing his eyes briefly at the pain he felt, he opened them a moment later and tried to focus on her. He pulled at the oxygen mask covering his powerful face, which looked so pale and childlike now. He began to cough once he'd removed it enough to talk to her.

"Ryan, leave that on! You need that until we can get you to the hospital. Dammit! What in the hell were you thinking? Why weren't you wearing your vest?" Bulletproof vests were a requirement and she couldn't figure out why he wouldn't be wearing his.

"Tracy… is she... safe?" He attempted to ask.

"Tracy? What does Tracy have to do with anything?"

Ryan seemed to be so frustrated as he tried to explain. "Had… to... give her my vest… Wanted… her safe. He's… after her."

Jake couldn't make much sense of what he was trying to tell her. "Who, Baby…? Ryan, who's after Tracy?"

"Anto….." A cough stopped the rest of his reply. It was getting harder for him to concentrate. 'Gotta stay focused…' He had to make sure he said everything he needed to before…

"Just hang on, Ryan! PLEASE! Just hang on." Jake pleaded with him as he coughed uncontrollably, seeming to lose more of his life's blood with each spasm that rocked his body. After the coughs subsided a bit, he managed a weak smile. "I knew you would come (cough) knew I had to wait…" he managed to get out as tears streamed down Jake's face.

"Shhhh... Lay still and be quiet. You're going to be fine, Ryan" Holding back her tears and fighting against the burning in her throat, she tried to convince and reassure him with a belief, she herself, did not possess.

"Raven... (cough) you have to take care... of my... Raven." He struggled for every pained breath he took into his body. Then, quietly... "Love...you, Jake..." before his eyes for the last time.

She didn't try to call his name. She didn't try to revive him. There was no point in it.

He was gone.

The one person she loved more than anybody in the world.

A wonderful, loving father.

Her best friend.

HER Ryan.

Her brother.

And for what she swore would be the last time... she cried as the shrill scream of the ambulance sirens cut through the night.

"Well, well, well... lookie what we have here…" a strange voice shook her from her musings and she looked behind her for it's owner. She wasn't happy when she found him. She recognized him immediately as one of the guys from the construction crew, Tony. Two other men accompanied him but Jake did not recognize either one. Tony was a little taller than Jake with long brown hair, almost black in the light, cascading down his back. His eyes were a shade of brown that was anything but warm. He had a strong, muscular build and Jake thought he might actually have been somewhat attractive if he wasn't such an asshole. He seemed familiar to her somehow but she couldn't pinpoint why. "Heh, heh... Dyke on a bike."

She tightened up hearing this in front of her niece as Raven's arms tightened instinctively around her waist. She patted the child's hand to reassure her that everything would be all right. "Didn't your mama ever teach you that it was rude to use such language in front of women and children?" Jake answered just as even as possible, showing no signs of fear.

The three laughed at her, steadily moving closer until they were only a few feet away. Close enough for Jake to smell the alcohol they had obviously been drinking. "Women?" Tony laughed as if he was completely surprised that the term even came from Jake's lips. He looked to his right and spoke to his friend. "Hey Mike... you see any women here? Funny, you didn't resemble one too much today! You don't look so tough when you're not dressed like a man, though." He looked at her suggestively.

Jake had an uneasy feeling that she wouldn't be able to just walk away from this. She reached into her pocket for some cash to give to Raven. "Hey Squirt... you know I really liked that ice cream. What was it... cookie dough? Why don't you go back in and see if they have some that we can take home for later, Okay?" This said without her eyes ever leaving Tony's.

Raven looked back and forth between her aunt and the man standing now directly in front of her before taking the money, climbing off of the bike and heading towards Carvel. As soon as Raven was gone, the three men began to close in around her like wolves surrounding their prey. Jake paid special attention to the guy coming up on her left. The one she heard Tony address as "Mike". She could tell that he'd definitely had his share of spirits tonight, if for no other reason than the glazed look in his eyes. He walked with a drunken stagger and was carrying something, which looked like a pipe or a rod of some sort but, with the poor lighting on that side, Jake couldn't tell for sure.

The guy coming up on her right was a lot more sober than "twinkle-toes" on the left and looked to be about twice her size.

"Easy!" she thought to herself with a cocky air that she'd picked up from Ryan. She figured that handling these guys would not be a problem for her. "Okay, boys. You want to play with me? Let's play..." Jake drawled as she climbed off the bike.

Tony stepped back away from the bike where he had come to stand. He looked back and forth between his two buddies who were now excited by the fact that this woman would put up a fight. He looked back at her, taking in her strong, well formed jaw, down her neck where he could see her pulse point, the hollow of her throat and then... leather. He had noticed the leather jacket on her earlier and now wondered what treasures lay just beneath its surface. She took off the jacket and set it on the bike revealing strong, muscular shoulders, a well defined back and abs to die for. All were barely visible through the white of the tank top she was wearing.

"Hell guys...this ain't no woman. She's more like a freak of nature. I dunno, Jim; she could probably even kick YOUR ass." Tony spoke to the guy on his left. "Well? Don't just stand there! GET HER!" Tony shouted.

Mike swung the pipe at her head, which she immediately grabbed and stopped. Still holding on, she forced it back towards him, the pipe colliding with his head and rendering him unconscious as her booted foot came up and caught Jim in his chest, effectively knocking the wind out of him. He stumbled back and once he caught his breath, lunged at her again. "You BITCH!"

Jake caught him with a perfect roundhouse kick to his face, flinching as she heard the snap.

"Dambit...you bwoke by dose..."

"I'll break more than your nose if you don't stay down!"

He looked up at her as he dropped his hand away from what was left of his nose. He grinned at her and spit directly into her face, blood and a few teeth included.

She released a laugh of her own as she wiped her face. "Wrong move". She swept his feet out from under him and as he hit the pavement, she jabbed two strong, slender fingers into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Jake stood, towering above him as she wiped her face once again. "Don't bother struggling. I just cut off the blood to that gray matter you like to call a brain. Hurts don't it?" She was having fun now.

She walked over to Tony and wiped her blood-stained hand on the front of his white shirt. "Just letting you know that he'll die if I don't release that pressure point." She saw the look of disbelief cross over his face before she turned to walk back into Carvel to get Raven. "Okay, suit yourself. Doesn't matter to me one way or the other" she called from over her shoulder.

"Wait!" Tony screamed after her.

She stopped and turned around to look at him. "Yes?"

He practically growled at her. God, how he just wanted to show this bitch that she wasn't as tough as she liked to think she was. But that would have to wait for some other time because of whatever shit she did to Jim. Not to mention, Mike was snoring his ass off right where she dropped him with that pipe. Frickin' unnatural bitch...

"Well, I'm waiting. I don't have all night and from the look on your friend's face, he doesn't either."

"Let him go from what ever shit you put on him."

Jake smoothly walked over and knelt down next to Jim. She released the pressure point and he immediately gasped for air, crawling over to practically hide behind Tony's legs.

Just then, Raven came walking out of the ice cream store with a police officer and another man following behind her. Jake knew the one guy. It was her boss, Jason.

"Get up, you worthless sack of shit... there's a cop coming" Tony scowled down at Jim. He reached down and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and forcefully hauled him to his feet before stalking over to Jake and looking her straight in the eye. "Don't EVEN think this is over, Bitch. It ain't. Not by a long shot."

"Oh Goody..." she answered, steeadily growing tired of this petty game. Especially now that Raven was coming closer. She could care less about the cop or her boss but, Raven was a different story. "I'm counting on it!" She said with the most sinister smile she could manage.

Raven ran up and threw her arms around her aunt's legs as Jake stood there with her arms on the child's shoulders, never breaking her stare with Tony.

"Is there a problem here?"

Tony immediately recognized the officer as Jason's brother, Steve. Half-brother actually. "Not a thing Officer Jameson. Just having a nice little chat with a new fellow employee. Nothing out of the ordinary"

Steve knew Tony Galdini and didn't like him one bit. He didn't trust him any further than he could throw him. He turned towards Jake with a questioning look in his eyes. "Ma'am is this true?"

Jake stared at Tony blankly as she answered. "Yes, Sir... just a nice friendly little chat. We were discussing the unfortunate circumstances of Jim's broken nose. You know, Tony, maybe you should take him to get that looked at. It looks kinda painful"

Raven giggled at this comment. Tony glared down at the young girl. Jake caught his gaze once again and, with her eyes, dared him to so much as even think about saying something to the child.

"I think you're right. It's so unfortunate how these things can happen." He let the threat hang between them for a moment before he couldn't stand it any longer and broke her gaze.

"Oh and Tony..." Steve called behind him causing him to stop and turn around to face the officer. "Don't forget to pick up your trash on the way out. You know how I hate litter." He motioned towards Mike, still snoring away where he landed near the bike; not a care in the world.

Tony and Jim picked Mike up and carried him away to Tony's car. As they pulled away, Tony spared one last long, hard look at Jake before driving off. Everyone watched until all they saw of his car were the tail lights.

Steve walked over to stand in front of Jake. "Hi. Sorry about that Ma'am. He's kind of an as-(noticing Raven looking at him) ah... an idiot."

"I agree. And it's Jake. I'm not a ma'am. This is Raven. How are you Mr. Peters?" Jake addressed her boss.

"I'm good, Jake but, PLEASE, Mr. Peters was my father. It's nice to meet you, Raven." He melodramatically shook the child's hand causing her to laugh and Jake to relax. "This is my brother Officer Steven B. Jameson..."

"HALF-brother, Thank-you. I'm not claiming relation to you anymore than absolutely necessary." Raven giggled at the mock arguing between the two and soon Jake found it contagious as she too began to laugh as Steve extended his hand to her. "It's nice to meet you Jake. And you too, Raven. I must agree with your laugh at my HALF-brother here. I laugh at him too. But, honestly, can you blame me? I mean look at him! Wouldn't you?"

"Hey...! Whadaya mean`look at him'? Are you trying to insinuate that I'm as hideous looking as YOU?" Jason said with a grin that reached from one side of his face to the other. Actually, if truth be known, neither of them were lacking in the looks department, by any means.

Officer Steven B. Jameson. Five foot ten. Short dark brown hair and brown eyes. DARK brown eyes but, unlike Tony's, his were warm. Sun-tanned skin. He looked fairly young. Maybe… late twenties, early thirties. He had a northern accent. Jake could not be sure but she was thinking New Jersey, maybe.

Jason stood at around five foot nine with short light brown hair with the top highlighted blonde. His eyes were brown as well but not as dark as his brother's. He also differed from his brother in the fact that no accent was present. He had quite a muscular body for his compact frame and a very gentle and charming way about him that automatically made anyone around him feel comfortable.

At work, Jake noticed, as long as you did your job, you were all right. At first, however she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. She recalled their first meeting a week earlier.

She had found him in the foreman's trailer on this new site downtown. She had already spoken to him on the phone, securing her employment with his company, before she relocated herself and Raven from Chicago. He had sounded okay on the phone but as she neared the trailer door, she could hear his voice raised but no one else's. Obviously someone was getting a MAJOR ass chewing over the phone. As soon as she heard the slam of the phone, she knocked on the door. "Yeah... what is it?" was the reply.

She opened the door and stepped inside. "Mr. Peters?"

"Yes. And you are...?"

"I'm Jake Stevens. From Chicago. We spoke on the phone."

His eyes lit in recognition as he recalled their conversation. His demeanor shifted entirely. "Of course! Please, sit down. Can I get you some coffee?"

"No thanks. I'm fine" Jake answered politely.

"Yes you are" Jason thought to himself as he got up to fix himself a cup of coffee. He turned around to address her and found himself staring at her back as she took off her jacket and placed it on the back of the chair. He'd had his doubts after speaking to her on the phone about hiring a woman to work on his construction crew. Not because he didn't think a woman could do the work but more because he wondered how well a woman could handle herself with HIS crew. From the looks of the clearly defined muscles in this woman's back and shoulders through her t-shirt, she could take care of herself.

Jake looked around the trailer while her soon to be boss fixed his coffee. She noticed the blueprints and CAD drawings for the site they were building strewn across the room and tacked up on the walls. Everything was a virtual mess in the room. There were only two things in order in this office. One being a NY Knicks team poster, autographed and neatly framed, hanging on the wall. Not a spot of dust on it, unlike some other items in there. She could make out the old and fading scribbled signatures of several players from the early 2000's; Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Camby, Allan Houston, Charlie Ward and Patrick Ewing. Obviously a prized possession and easily pushing two decades old. The other spotless object was another picture frame with several pictures neatly organized underneath the glass. As she looked closer she could see a small, smiling toddler with light brown hair and sparkling green eyes grinning at the camera. She didn't look to be more than about two years old. She noticed several other photos as well. One of what she assumed to be the same child being held by an extremely happy young man with long blonde hair past his shoulders. The closer she looked the more she realized that it was Mr. Peters.

"Cute kid." She said to him as he sat back down behind his desk.

"Thanks! That's my daughter. She's two. The frame was a present from my ex-wife for my birthday a few months back. Do you have any kids, Ms. Stevens?"

"My niece moved here with me from Chicago." she answered as she cringed inwardly at the formal way he addressed her. He nodded and then took a sip of his coffee before he sat back in his chair. As he locked his fingers together, Jake noticed two tattoos. One on his right bicep, which appeared to be a music note and one around his right wrist, which she couldn't identify.

"Look Ms. Stevens..." he began but was cut off.

"Please call me Jake."

"Okay. Jake. You see, Jake, I've only hired one woman to work for me before. She lasted all of three days and she wasn't even on the crew. She worked in the office here. Things get said around here that sound pretty harsh and aren't always very polite."

Jake didn't need long to come up with her reply. "Listen here, Mr. Peters, I worked for a construction company for the last five and a half years in Chicago. I've heard every snide remark that could possibly be made and I guarantee you that some of the things I heard there are FAR worse than anything your crew could say here in Norfolk. I'm still here so, obviously, I handled it just fine."

After a moment's pause to consider what she had just said, Jason asked "Can you dish it out as well as you can take it?"

Jake stood up and placed her hands on his desk before leaning over and looking him straight in the eyes. "Lets just say that I know when to be quiet but, I also know when to bite back" They both remained right where they were. Neither willing to break the eye contact and give up first.

Jason paused for a moment and was the first to break the silence. "Well, okay then. Can you start on Monday?"

Jake backed off and they both visibly relaxed. "Yes, sir. Absolutely"

"Bring your own tools and I'll see you Monday morning at 8AM. I'm assuming you still have to take care of some things with your niece. The following week, though, be here by 7AM. Welcome aboard." He held out his hand to her which she grasped in a firm handshake.

"Thank-you, Sir" she replied before putting on her jacket and walking out the door.

Raven's coughing brought her away from her memories. She looked down at the child in concern until she noticed that she was only coughing from laughing too hard at Jason and Steve who were still bickering like a couple of teenagers. The more she watched the more she realized that they were doing this because Raven was laughing at them. Jake was curious and decided to break up this little party. "Ahem... Excuse me for interrupting but why were you two with my niece?"

They both turned to look at her when Raven answered. "I saw the policeman in the ice-cream store when you told me to go and get some more cookie dough. So I told him that there were some bad men out here looking at you funny. He was worried and wanted to get out here but, I told him that you could beat `em all up without even breathing hard. And by the time we got out here, I guess you had `cause one was breathing funny and one was snoring and umph..." Jake covered Raven's mouth with her hand which caused Jason and Steve to chuckle.

"Okay, Squirt, I think I've got the picture now and I'm sure the nice policeman does too."

This caused Steve to grin at her. "Don't worry. I didn't hear or see a thing. I'm just glad you obviously know how to take care of yourself. I've known that guy for a couple of years now and he's NOT good news."

Jake met his eyes with a look that told him she meant what she was saying. "Neither am I. At least for him if he gets in my way."

Jason looked at her and shook his head before saying anything. As soon as she noticed him, he spoke. "I guess you proved your point."

Jake shifted from one foot to the other and placed one hand on her hip. She was momentarily confused as to what "point" she had just made. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Jason let her wonder for a moment before he walked past her and clamped a hand down on her shoulder. The only reason Jake didn't deck him on the spot, was because she saw it coming. And there was a cop standing there watching her who just so happened to be his brother. And he was her boss...okay so there were a few reasons.

"When you told me you knew when to bite back." His eyes sparkled as he smiled at her. She grinned back. "Goodnight, Jake. I'll see you at work in the morning." Jason then grabbed Raven's hand and kissed the back of it causing the child to giggle at him. "And a good night to you Ms. Raven. Fair thee well" Jason then grabbed Steve by the front of his uniform shirt and started to pull him back towards the ice-cream shop. "Come on flat-foot...there's some chocolate chip calling my name."

Jake started the bike and handed Raven her helmet. She started to ride away when a question popped into her head and she pulled around in front of the two men before they made it all the way to the door. "Officer Jameson, I just have one question..."

Steve looked at Jason and then at her. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Since when is the norm ice-cream? I thought cops did donuts!"

Steve's jaw dropped slightly as Jason practically doubled over laughing before Jake grinned at them both and drove off into the night.

That's it for chapter one. Please review!