Biting into her breakfast bagel, Natasha smiled as she walked down the main street in Coolsville City Central. It was only around ten in the morning, and already the street was clogged up with traffic. She had decided to walk to work, as to take a taxi would've taken longer in the traffic. The news station was only a twenty minute's walk from her flat anyway, so it wouldn't take long.

Just as she was about to take another bite from her bagel, she heard her name being called. Sighing, she turned, half-expecting another fan wanting her autograph. But instead she turned to see the one man she desired more than anything leaning out of his car window, smiling at her.

"Natasha?" he repeated, and she smirked.

"Why hello there, Detective; you've not come to take me in, have you?" she replied flirtatiously, coming to a stop just in front of the open window. He chuckled deeply, shaking his head.

"I was just wondering if you wanted a lift?" he explained, and she thought for a moment. She had a choice of spending twenty minutes walking in the fresh air, or thirty minutes inside a car with Fred Jones.

"That's very kind of you, Fred. I'll accept your offer," she smiled, walking round the front of the car and opening the passenger door. He smiled as she fastened her seatbelt, closing the door and getting comfortable in the seat; Daphne's seat.

"Where are you heading?" he asked, and she smirked.

"Work," she replied, and he nodded.

"So that's Coolsville News Corp, situated on the corner of Duke and Maple Street?" he said to himself, and she grinned.

"How do you know that?"

"It's my business to know that," he replied, and she smirked.

"Wow, stalker much?" He chuckled, pulling away from the sidewalk and out into the road.

"It's not being a stalker; your police file has everything I need to know about you in case you ever do something illegal," he explained, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Go on then, impress me with your knowledge," she instructed, and he grinned.

"Natasha Elizabeth Bellmont, twenty seven years of age; brought up in Miami, Florida," he listed, and she scoffed.

"Stop, you're scaring me," she joked, and he chuckled again. Oh, how she adored that chuckle.

"Sorry," he replied, suddenly noticing someone on the sidewalk beside them. Natasha was still laughing, only stopping when she realised that their speed had dropped to around ten miles an hour.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his stern face.

"That guy; he's skipped his parole. Radio me in some backup, I'm going after him," he explained bluntly before stopping the car completely. Pushing open the door, he stepped out just as the suspect turned around to see what was happening behind him.

"Gabriel Eldorado!" he shouted, and immediately Gabriel took off, running down a side alleyway. Fred groaned before beginning to give chase, turning into the alleyway and sprinting after the runner.

"There's no way I'm going back to jail, gringo!" Gabriel shouted, shoving a garbage can into Fred's path as he continued to run.

"Shit!" Fred cursed as a leftover pizza hit him square in the chest, splattering all over his trench coat. Quickly removing his coat, he chucked it behind him as he sprinted as fast as he could, "I WILL SHOOT!" he shouted, his voice becoming hoarse as he removed his gun from its holster. Gabriel didn't seem to care, as he continued to run away from his pursuer.

Warning shot... always give them a warning shot, Fred reminded himself, waiting for the right moment before shooting his pistol into the air. That did it.

Gabriel stopped immediately, his hands above his head.

"Alright, alright, gringo! Don't shoot!" he pleaded as Fred advanced, all the while pointing the pistol at him.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" he ordered sternly, sweat beginning to form on his forehead from running.

"Si, si! Just don't shoot!" he replied, keeping his hands above his head. Fred sighed and placed the gun back in its holster, which was now visible since he'd lost his coat.

"Gabriel Eldorado, you're under arrest for skipping parole and resisting arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," he explained, placing the Mexican's hands behind his back and handcuffing them tightly. Gabriel just nodded, not wanting to make the situation any worse than it already was.

Natasha watched carefully as the supposed criminal was driven away in a police van, back to prison once again. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Fred re-emerging from the alleyway, holding his stained trench coat in his hands.

"Aw... what happened?" she asked, concern in her voice as she walked over to him. He sighed deeply, turning the coat over in his hands as he did.

"When I was running after him he chucked a garbage can at me, which had a pizza in it," he explained, and her expression softened.

"Well, I could take it home and wash it, if you'd like?" she offered, but he shook his head quickly.

"No, it's alright. I'm sure Daphne wouldn't mind washing it," he replied, opening the door to the car and throwing the coat in the back seat before returning to Natasha.

"Well then... it was cool to finally see you in action. Proves that you're not all just big talk and tough looking," she teased, and he smirked.

"Yeah well... I am pretty tough," he replied, making her giggle. He turned, glancing at the road as the traffic began to move again. She watched him carefully, smiling as she saw his face change as he was thinking.

"Fred?" she said, causing his eyes to snap back to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I can walk from here; thanks for the lift," she explained, hoisting her handbag up onto her shoulder as she spoke. Fred nodded slowly, smiling gently.

"Well you better get going, you don't want to be late," he replied, patting her shoulder before turning back to his car. Opening the door, he sat down in the leather seat, leaving the door open so that he could say goodbye, "See you soon," he called, and she smirked.

"Not if I see you first," she replied, winking seductively as she turned to walk away, "Oh, and I'm still looking forward to our date," she added, and he smiled as he shut the car door, watching her walk away before starting the engine. Leaning back in the seat, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

He did like Natasha. She was certainly very pretty, and he enjoyed being around her. But he couldn't get past the feeling that he was almost 'cheating' on Daphne whenever he flirted with her, which didn't make much sense to him. Shaking his head sadly, he put his seatbelt on and put the car into gear, pulling out onto the road and turning in the direction of the police station. Thoughts of how he was going to catch this 'Red' were flowing through his mind. He used to be able to set traps to catch the bad guys; now the bad guy had trapped him in one...

Alright guys, another short chapter I know. But there's more coming soon, I promise. I'm aiming to have this finished before my birthday (September 7th). And just to reply to one of the reviewers, BBlvr, I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a week but I've been really busy with things going on in my life right now. I have to devote some time to real life. And just because I haven't updated in a week it doesn't mean I'm going to just leave this story and never ever finish it, because believe me I have big plans for this story. It's actually going to be a series, so no way is it over; not yet. Anyway, sorry if I've been a little mean, I'd love to hear what you like about each chapter in your review instead of saying that I haven't updated. That would mean a lot :)