Chapter 4

Pulling into the driveway of her childhood home, Laurie sighed and stepped out. Closing the door behind herself, she made her way up the porch. It was early afternoon and she knew her mother was still at work. Bending over and retrieving the spare key from under the welcome mat, she twisted the lock and forced the front door open.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the food her mother had prepared last night; Salmon casserole and fresh bread. She assumed her mother had hosted her book club the night before, considering she also smelled tea and the tang of overbearing perfume. Waving a paw in front of her face, she walked through the living room and toward the back door. Smiling when she spotted the hanger at the back of the yard, she raced out in to the grass, hopping along with her crutches. Cicadas screeched in the tall grass, flying away as she bounded closer.

Her father had been a war veteran and owned a good piece of land behind their home, complete with a runway and bunker. He used to fix Enforcer merchandise when he retired and the property was littered with pieces of various crafts. When he died, he wrote in his will that all of his belongings go to his daughter. In it he had placed his only set of keys. Her mother seemed unhappy of the idea, but it wasn't her decision.

Opening the hanger with one of the many keys, she sneezed as dust rushed from inside. The lights flickered on and illuminated the metal building throughout. She remembered playing in here as a kitten, her dad keeping a close eye on her. Stepping on the concrete floor and through dried puddles of oil, she walked toward the left side of the hall and spotted her reason for coming there. A giant, tan sheet covered her father's most prized possession; the M16-PH Sky Tiger. It looked a lot like the jet the Swat Kats used, except its design was thinner. It was chrome black with light red and orange stripes across its tail and base, making it look like a mighty wild cat. She had actually never seen it fly, but her father had been modifying it before he passed. She intended to finish what he had started.

"Well Dad, it's about time we finished restoring this old bird to its former glory." She said, glancing at the skylight high above.

Chance stared at the slip of paper in his hand, his eyes reading over her number over and over again, memorizing it. He then glanced at the company phone and slowly began to reach for it. Punching her number into the keypad, he gulped as he heard the other end of the line ring. After a few moments, it picked up and heard her answer.

"Hello?" she said, her perfect voice shimmering like a bell.

"Yeah, um … this is Chance, the kat from the junkyard. Um … I wanted to know if still wanted to get coffee." He said, not knowing what else to say.

She cleared her throat and looked at the clock. "I'm free, how about around 6pm at Coffee n' Claws across town?"

"That's good, well … see you there." He said.

"Bye." She said with a slight giggle in her voice.

The phone went dead and she raced off to her room having only an hour to get ready. After taking a quick shower, she blow dried her hair and wrapped it up in a bun. Deciding on a pair of faded blue jeans and a dark blue sweater, she dressed, picked out some jewelry and a pair of running shoes, since heels were out of the question at the moment. After applying a clear lip gloss and a thin layer of eyeliner, she snatched her wallet and keys.

As she headed down to the elevator, she saw she wasn't alone as it opened. One of the kats who shared her floor, Blake Tailor, was leaning up against the wall, his features dazed. Laurie had met him when she had moved and already hated him. He and his friends hung out near the gas station a few blocks away, getting high and drinking. She coughed when she smelled the air thick with the smell of catnip.

"Hey pretty thing, what do you say to you and I chilling at my place sometime?" he asked, struggling to stand straight.

"I'm gonna pass." She said icily as the elevator stopped at the car lot.

It took him a minute to realize what she said. "Bitch, you won't find anyone else like me!" he shouted.

She ignored him and unlocked her car. "Moron."

She drove down the boulevard to the edge of downtown Megakat City. The homeless pushed shopping carts and slept on park benches, covering themselves with newspapers. If Mayor Manx truly wanted to help, then why hadn't he tried to clean up the city like he promised during his campaign? She shook her head as the fancy sign for the coffee shop came into view.

The tom stood just outside the entrance, messing with his sleeves. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a whit muscle shirt, covered by a black leather jacket. She smiled at how handsome he looked. Parking up near the front, she popped a piece of gum in her mouth and made her way over.

He smiled and put his paws in his pockets. "Hi, you look great."

She could see his abs through the thin layer of his shirt. "So do you. Want to head in?"

He stepped around and opened the door for her, making the bell at the top of it tinkle. She smiled at him and was hit with the warm aromas of spices and sugars. As he followed behind, he couldn't help himself from staring at her butt and black tipped tail; it was adorable. He shook his head and cleared his throat.

"You okay?" Laurie asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, fine."

A she-kat behind the counter turned away from the cash register to assist them. "Can I help you both?"

"Yes, I'll take a Summer Cinnamon Chai with Hazelnut." Laurie said.

When she turned to Chance, he couldn't think of what to order; he had never been in here before, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He had to have been the one to suggest coffee when all he drank was the cheap stuff from the coffeepot at home. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't hear Laurie speak.

"Make that two." She said.

The girl nodded and bustled to the coffee machine. "It will be a few minutes."

They sat down at one of the booths together; her on one side, him on the other. After a few moments of silence, he tried to make conversation.

"So, what's the news on your leg?" he asked.

"There's not much to tell. The doctor said the caste could be removed in few weeks. I can wait to for it to be gone. I feel like I walking with a brick attached to my foot." She said.

"It's just good it wasn't anything worse." He said.

She laughed at his comment. "I'm not so sure about that."

"What's your story?" he asked as their coffees arrived.

"Now there's a lot of stuff to explain about that." She said, taking a sip of her steaming cup. "You might be here all night hearing about it."

"I don't care." He said.

"You're sure? It's kind of hard to explain." She warned.

He smiled at her and crossed his arms. "Try me."

A/N: This was one of my best chapters so far! Send me reviews! XD