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Chapter 3 - Baby Steps

Out of all the times to be without a car, it would have to be this week. Naomi was regretting not getting a rental while her car was in the shop. Five days had passed and Naomi was almost at her wits end. Thanks to Dr. Viper's last attempted heist, her lab was partially damaged and was currently under construction. She only had a few minutes to retrieve some of her research and personal belongings before Megakat Construction roped it off from entry.

She ended up having to share an office with Dr. Michael Coon, a big, burly and notoriously snobby senior researcher who didn't care for the younger staff. He mostly glared at her and didn't say a word to her, which she was fine with. The less he had to say, the better.

Later that week, she also got sucked into being a teaching assistant at her alma mater, Eastern Megakat University. Dr. Tabitha Shorthair, an old professor of hers had visited the labs in hopes of her lending a paw to help him out. She had been one of her star pupils and before she could decline, her boss, Dr. Russia Blue, had done what she had coined "volunforced" her into it. Since she was temporarily evicted from her research lab, her boss he deemed the teaching assistant gig as a sort of "break" from work, since the task at hand was somewhat related to her job. Naomi was happy to be away if it meant to be as far away from Dr. Maine as possible, but it was definitely not in her plans to be assisting with and teaching one class session a week for three sections for advanced chemistry level 2 classes.

The moon was high in the sky and she finally reached her high-rise condo. Callie was very generous in picking her up from the university after clocking out hours before herself. After the elevator stopped on the 22nd floor, the two cousins bid aideu and Naomi shoved her key into the keyhole and shoved the door open before closing it with her foot, kicking off her high heels and relishing the comfort of not having to wear them anymore. She dumped her chinese take out, purse and her overstuffed briefcase on her kitchen table and let out a huge sigh. She had a big weekend ahead of her; she had the privilege of checking project research papers from her newfound pupils and also had to do some of her own research on her latest project. Rumors were going around that she was developing a specialty serum that could improve an engine's lifespan and speed and that it could change the engineering industry, but she wanted to keep it under wraps until her research was complete.

She covered her face in frustration just thinking about her to-do list. It was enough to prompt her to pour herself a glass of wine before eating her meal. As she walked back to the table, she glanced over at her office. A stack of books were stacked next to a pile of papers, a laptop and computer monitor and a locked tackle box. She took another sip of wine.

'This is going to be a long weekend…'

Jake and Chance just finished applying the last layer of tuxedo metallic clearcoat paint on Naomi's car. They were proud; the car looked showroom ready, as if nothing never happened to the car. They had long ago closed the shop for the day, taking in extra car hours earlier. The addition of the cars kept them busy all day, but they were proud that the majority of the work was almost done. Luckily for them, there were no emergencies that the SWAT Kats had to be called in for.

"I think that we've earned ourselves a can of milk, buddy." Chance said while cheesing at his reflection in the paint. Jake chuckled but didn't bother to look towards him from the other side of the car. "You always think that we've earned ourselves a can of milk Chance. The way you're going, we're going to end up as addicts."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Jake!" he replied. "Milk's good for the soul! Keeps ya sane."

"Whatever you say, buddy." Jake stored the paint gun and wiped his brow before looking around at their stock. "You're right, Chance. We've definitely earned us some milk. I'm beat!"

Something caught Jake's eye and he quickly extended his paw to to quickly catch the flying object. "Way ahead of you, buddy. I knew that you'd see it my way." he snickered.

Chance had beat him into opening his can and Jake quickly joined him. "So…" Chance said. "You gonna call your she-kat tonight and tell her to pick up her car or you gonna wait until the morning?"

Jake choked a bit while he drank his milk before glaring at him. "She's not my she-kat, Chance!"

"She would be if you asked her out."

Jake blushed. "I'm not asking her out!"

Chance finished the last sip of his can of milk. "And this is why you don't have a she-kat. Don't come to me complaining when Callie and I get together, seeing us all hugged up and stuff."

Jake looked away, still blushing. "You and your fun isn't any of my business, Chance. Love will come for me when the time is right."

"And it'd come sooner if you'd ask Naomi out." he retorted.

"I just can't ask her out now, even if I wanted to! I haven't seen her in years! She'll probably think I'm a creep! Wanting to get to know her all of a sudden and all!"

Chance patted Jake on his back. "Don't sweat it, buddy! I'll ask Callie out soon and I'll get her to set up a date with you and Naomi. Problem solved!" he said as he flashed his cheesy smile.

"Don't you dare play matchmaker with us! She might have a kat of her own!"

"What better way to find out by asking Callie?" he replied. "Or better yet: asking Naomi yourself!"

Jake stayed quiet for a moment. "Come on, Jake. It's not rocket science...and you're good at that stuff."

"And what does that mean, Chance?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Just ask the she-kat out!" he replied before leaving the room.

Jake sighed and walked to the office phone. He looked through Naomi's client file to find her phone number. The digital clock displayed 9:15 P.M. He looked at her number and sighed again. He found his heart was racing faster at the thought of calling her.

'Calm down, Jake. She's a client...another she-kat…' he thought. 'A smart and beautiful she-kat…'

He picked up the receiver to dial her number. He only hoped that she wouldn't be too angry with was he considered was a late phone call.

Naomi had just finished half of her take-out and watched an episode of a Japanese drama by the time Jake had called. The sound of her phone surprised her and she wondered who would be calling her. She reluctantly pulled herself away from her happy place and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hello Naomi. It's Jake, from the Salvage Yard. I hope that I'm not calling you too late."

Hearing Jake's voice made her blush a bit. She was happy that he wasn't around to see it or her in her loungewear.

"No, no, you're fine Jake." she replied. "What can I help you with?"

"I was calling to let you know that your car is finished. You can pick it up tomorrow morning.

"OH THANK GOD!" she quickly responded, shocking Jake on the other line, who thought that her outburst was uncharacteristic of her. Luckily for her, her found it to be amusing. Embarrassed by her outburst, she quickly composed herself. "I mean, thank goodness! It's perfect timing! You have no idea how hard my week was without it!" she complained. "I'll call a taxi in the morning so I can pick up my car. I would ask Callie, but I know how much she prefers to sleep in on the weekends…"

Jake paused for a moment. He felt like his voice had left him and although Chance's words and unsolicited advice annoyed him, he knew that he was right. Jake wasn't a bold kat to begin with. Asking her out took him out of his comfort zone. At that time, he wished that he could be more like Chance.

"I could pick you up and save you from paying taxi fare, if you like." he found himself blurting out. 'Did I really just say that?!'

Naomi was silent for a moment and worried Jake. 'I just creeped her out. I knew it!'

"Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to inconvenience you...I'm sure that you and Chance are very busy."

"No, no. We've actually caught up on most of our workload. Me taking a small break won't slow us down."

Naomi unconsciously started to twirl her hair in her slender hand. "If that's true, then I accept your kind offer. Thank you, Jake!"

Jake's heart felt light and he released a quiet sigh of relief. "Okay. Is 9 A.M. a good time?"

"Y-yes. That's perfectly fine. Thank you again."

"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow morning at 9. Have a good night."

"Good night." she said sweeter than she intended. Both ended the call with a blush on their faces. Soon, the two found themselves trying to plan out a casual outfit for the morning.