Author's note: Stats are up! Who's out there?! Write to meeeee. I need attention weeeep.

…..

Chapter 13:

…..

Jet and Lily spent the rest of their day discussing plans for the meet up with the other 00 Cyborgs. Jet had made contact with Doctor Gilmore again, to tell him that he wished for Lily to join them on their next adventure… or adventures. "You need not even ask, 002, 0014 is welcome to join us. The more help the better. More importantly, we are all family now." Jet smiled at his warm words. Finally, things were falling into place. He had been growing restless in New York and craved new missions. Now, he would have Lily by his side, and the thought of this helped him feel more grounded, like he had a purpose.

The confirmation of Lily joining the team led to some other issues to be dealt with.

- A replacement worker for her florist shop

- Someone to take care of the house left to her by Professor Ryan

Now, she did not really need someone in the house. It could simply be locked up. Lily thought of giving Dave the manager position in the store, but he was still just a student, like Alice. They were both capable people, but they had other commitments such as university study. She could not close the store and cut off their pay either. Lily sat back on the sofa pondering, absent mindedly running her finger along the top of her coffee cup. She had already posted an advert online; perhaps someone suitable would apply for the job. The only unsettling aspect was the short notice. As soon as Jet recovers, they would be off on their adventure, leaving only about a week to have everything sorted.

Jet was deep in thought also. He had proposed the idea of leaving to Lily, and now felt he had left her in an awkward position. Leaving for him was easy for he had no contract on his apartment or odd jobs. It was as simple as packing up and meeting the team. The only downside of leaving for him was having to say goodbye to Jimmy… 'Man, I will miss that kid…. I hope he and his mom will be alright… wait…..' Jet sat up straighter, an idea suddenly dawned on him.

"Lily! I know someone for your store! Cathy! Jimmy's mom." Lily looked over at Jet and raised an eyebrow. "Really? How so?" Jet put down his cup of coffee, grinning. "Well, I do know she works like a horse, had two or three jobs on the go. She is pretty much the manager of the coffee shop she works in. She also has a job in the Silvers' Hotel. Well, had a job. Guess whenever it reopens… Anyways, she is a single mom, very headstrong. Maybe she could be an option?" Lily thought for a moment. "Well, you seem to know her well. My only other option is interviewing strangers off the street, and to be honest I don't even have a clue how to interview someone for this job. I mean, I just fell into all this myself. It's a good option, Jet! Listen, why not invite her and Jimmy over for dinner this evening? We can broach the subject then." Lily grabbed her phone off the coffee table to dial Cathy. "Imma dial and hand it over to you, okay?" Jet nodded and took the phone from her. The dial tone only rang twice before Cathy picked up, "Hello?" Jet cleared his throat, "Hello, Cathy, it's Jet. How are you?" The tiniest gasp escaped Cathy. "Oh, Jet! Hi! Yeah, I am good thanks, how are you?" Jet nodded to himself, hating small talk. "I am good. Is there any chance you are free tonight? You and Jimmy? To come over to Lily's house for dinner." Jet waited out the pause on Cathy's side. "Umm, yes. That would be nice. Jimmy has been asking me a million times a day to see you. What time and what address?" Jet looked over at Lily, pointing to his wrist. Lily motioned back 7. "7, is that okay?" he asked. Lily had pulled out a piece of paper to scribble down the address and showed it to Jet. He then told Cathy the address. "Yeah, that's the street. The house with the roses outside it, number 53. Uh huh, okay! See you then!"

Jet handed the phone back to Lily. "Great, that's settled then. What will we cook? Ohhh look at us. Power couple, already throwing out dinner invites!" she beamed at him and made her way over to the pantry to see what she had in stock. "Well, I am not too great at cooking, so I am not sure how much of a hand I can be," Jet responded sheepishly. Lily shrugged her shoulders. "Ah, no worries. Maybe pasta? Just something easy. Ouuu, I could whip some some cake too." Jet raised his brow at her, "Wow, you really are a domestic goddess, huh?" Lily laughed at his statement. "Nah, just got a few dishes up my sleeve. I rarely bake anymore because eating a cake by myself is a bit sad, as well as very unhealthy." She pulled out a pack of pasta and few other containers. "Looks like we are set. We got a few hours to go too. Mind if I take a nap? Feel like I have been running on empty." Jet stretched in his seat. "You know, that sounds like a great idea. Here?" he tapped on the sofa. Lily made her way over and pulled out a blanket from a basket beside the sofa. She reached again for her phone and set an alarm to ring in two hours. The two fell asleep quickly, curled up. No bad dreams disturbed their sleep this time.

….

At about 10 to 7, Lily was stirring the pasta sauce at the stove and Jet was making a mess putting an icing coat on the lemon cake at the table. The bolognaise was almost ready, filling the house with a delicious aroma. Lily turned away from the stove to see Jet with his fingers in his mouth. The icing was lopsided on the cake and falling onto the table. "Hey, don't ruin your appetite fillin' up on sugar!" she scolded him, holding up the wooden spoon. "Haha, you would give any Italian mother a run for her money, Lily!" Lily laughed, raising up her shoulders, gesturing her left hand to him, thumb and fingers touching, "Eh, Jet, you tryna ruin your appetite? Here I am slaving over a hot stove for nuttin'?!" Jet raised his hands in mock gesture as well, "Wha, I'm dying ova here! Did ya go to Roma for the freakin' pasta?!" Lily let out a roar of laughter, "Hey! There's your Italian side! Bellissimo!" Jet shook his head, laughing too. Turning down the heat on the stove, she started arranging the plates on the table. Lily then took the awkward looking cake away from Jet and put it on the counter. "I'll give you and E for effort, bud." Jet scowled at her and she stuck her tongue out at him.

A knock at the door caught their attention. "Must be them!" Lily pulled off her apron and made her way down the hallway. She opened the door to find Cathy and Jimmy, who bolted in past her. "Hello, Ms. Lily! Where is Jet can I see him?!" his words came out a mile a minute. "Hey, Jimmy! Of course, go down the hallway, the kitchen is at the end." Jimmy dashed in, still wearing his coat, calling out, "Thank you!" as he ran. Cathy stood, shaking her head. "I am sorry about that, you'd think we have never visited someone before. Thank you for having us, Lily." Lily smiled broadly up at her (everyone is taller than Lily hehe) "Thank you for coming on such short notice! Can I take your jacket?" Lily took her trench coat. She had only ever seen Cathy in her maid uniform and fluffy pink dressing gown. Tonight she was wearing a lilac blouse and dark grey pants with ankle boots and looked really lovely. She also gifted Lily a bottle of wine, which Lily thanked her for.

The two joined Jet and Jimmy in the kitchen. Jimmy had already climbed up on Jet's lap and was still giving him a hug, telling him how he's a hero. Jet waved awkwardly at Cathy, unable to free his arm properly under Jimmy's bear hug. Cathy smiled at the two. She then looked around the kitchen and living room in surprise. "Oh, Lily, your house is beautiful!" Lily smiled at her, "Thank you. It was left to me, so I cannot take credit for the design. Would you like a glass of water, wine? Both?" Cathy was still looking around in a daze, before she realized she had been asked a question. "Oh, yes, thank you. Um, both? If you are having wine too, that is." Lily took the bottle of white out of the fridge. "Oh, this is a wine household," Lily replied, working the cork out of the bottle, and pouring three glasses. "Jimmy, would you like some soda? Juice? Water?" Jimmy looked up at Lily and smiled, "Juice, please! I am not allowed soda…" he gave a side eye at Cathy. Everyone sat down to dinner, even though it took some convincing to get Jimmy off Jet's lap.

The dinner conversation was mostly taken up with talks of Jet's leg, how he saved Cathy, how she scolded him (impersonation by Jet of course) and how the "doctor" told him "he will need an operation soon" to spare details of the cyborg anatomy from Jimmy. Lily spent time scoping out Cathy, instantly taking a liking to her. She seemed very strong and genuine. Cathy made pleasant conversation with Lily, asking where she grew up, what she studied, and how she knew Jet. She kept her answers fairly vague, although telling Cathy she grew up in the south and studied botany. Artfully, she told Cathy that she met Jet during a training exchange. They worked on a project together and had lost contact after the training. Soon, they will be working together again. Cathy nodded, knowingly.

After clearing the plates away, Lily offered to show Cathy around, giving a wink. Jimmy was busy telling Jet everything that had happened at school. Cathy caught on and followed Lily down the hallway, into another small living-room/study, which was filled with science books belonging to the late Professor Ryan. Lily motioned for Cathy to sit down. "Now, Cathy, I figure you may have some questions for me. I in turn, have a proposition for you," Lily explained, as she pushed out the door, giving them more privacy. Cathy raised her eyebrows, inquisitively. "Well, Lily, I figured you are a cyborg too, right?" asking a question she already knew the answer to. Lily nodded. "Are you and Jet going to be leaving the city soon?" she asked, a little hesitantly. Lily gave a little sigh, "Yes, we don't know for how long yet. We fear that the evil who created us may be up to other plans. We will join with the rest of the team to tackle some problems that have come up. Which brings me to a question for you, Cathy." She took a sip of her wine and continued. "I have a florist shop, which I am the owner and manager of. I need someone to replace me in my absence. I have only recently moved to New York and do not have close friends or family to replace me. My workforce is currently two students, who are wonderful, but cannot commit to a full time job. Would you consider taking a manager position at my store? Jet sang your praises with managing the coffee shop among other jobs." Lily finished and looked at Cathy hopefully. Cathy was stunned into silence.

"I know this is sudden, but so too is our leave from New York. I have a few days that I could train you in, and Alice and Dave who work there are very helpful. Would you consider it?" Cathy took a sip of her glass and smiled at Lily. "Honestly, I am in shock! Would I be able for it? It sounds great, I imagine the idea of working with plants and flowers would be a nice change of pace from what I already do. For how long would it be?" she asked, now sounding excited.

Lily thought for a moment. "Well, if all goes well for you, and I am sure it will, I guess it's an indefinite contract. I was thinking of hiring someone else anyways, before the move came up. I don't know when we will return, but that would not affect your job. You clearly have plenty of life experience, from what Jet told me, and at the end of the day, running a small business just comes down to common sense." Cathy smiled brightly at Lily. "Then I will take it! Thank you so much, this is so unexpected." Lily clinked her glass with Cathy. "Then let's start tomorrow, how about we meet there at 9am? I can introduce you to Alice and Dave, and you can shadow me for the day. Then we can talk finances and all that there. Thank you so much, Cathy. I did not want to have to resort to closing the place during my absence; you are really helping me out." Cathy blushed slightly and the two went back to the kitchen to Jet and Jimmy.

As soon as Lily skidded into the kitchen, Jet looked at her with a raised brow. "She said yes!" Lily announced. Jet smiled broadly. "Ah, yes! That is great!" Cathy giggled at their enthusiasm while Jimmy looked on, completely confused. "What's going on? Yes to what, mom?" Cathy settled herself down by Jimmy. "Well, Lily is giving me a job managing her florist shop. Won't that be nice? It's even closer to home than the coffee shop, so we'll see each other more," Cathy explained, ruffling his hair. Jimmy jumped up, and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Yay, mom! That is so great! Now we won't have to worry about the eviction anymore!" Jimmy giggled, squeezing her tightly. There was no way that Jet or Lily didn't hear that and Cathy hushed Jimmy, her face turning scarlet.

A light bulb went on in Lily's head. "Um, Cathy? You know, I am leaving the house here, empty for at least a couple of months. Maybe longer. Why don't you stay here while myself and Jet are out of town?" Cathy looked like she would fall off her seat. "Whaaaat? Jet? You are leaving town?! No!" Jimmy howled. Cathy shushed him again, "Wait, Jimmy, we'll discuss that later. Let the grown-ups talk." She turned towards Lily, her face still glowing red. "Lily, you can't be serious!" Lily shrugged and smiled. "Why not? I was just gonna leave this place locked up. Are you renting your current apartment?" Cathy nodded shly. "Well then, move in here. There are two bedrooms, two studies, storage rooms, and all in all, it's pretty big for New York. All you have to worry about are the utilities while here, and as far as I know, most of them are paid up for the next couple of months. This way, it's safer for the house, rather than leaving it empty." Lily went on, trying to convince her.

Cathy wiped her eyes as tears were threatening to spill. "Oh Lily, you are being too kind…." Lily shook her head, "I am not, this deal is also for my benefit. Look, this house just fell into my possession. It's no more a home to me than New York is. Take it. I am giving you the job and house so I don't have to shut them down, you are the one being kind to me!" Jet looked from Cathy to Lily. He really appreciated her honesty in this moment, she was not putting on any act. He turned his attention to Cathy, who was now biting a fingernail. She looked down at her son. "Well, Jimmy, what do you think? You are the man of our family, would you like to live here for a while?" she asked, looking around the room. Jimmy's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding? I'd love to! It's super nice and big. Mom, you would be great at the flower shop. No more all night work!" he announced and threw up his arms. A smile spread over Cathy's lips and she looked back at Jet and Lily. "Thank you so much, for giving us this chance. I won't let you down." Jet leaned back in his chair, smiling at Cathy and then turning to Lily, "See, I told you it was a good idea!" Lily reached out and ruffled his hair, "I never doubted you, Firecracker! I think this calls for another glass, to celebrate," she announced, making her way back over to the fridge.

However, Jimmy still had some questions. "Jet, Ms. Lily, are you leaving the Bronx? When? Why?" he asked, looking up at Jet. He sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jimmy, I need to get my knee operated on. My good friend, who is a doctor, will do the surgery. Then I will stay with him and some other friends for a while, with Lily. We will leave in a few days. But it won't be forever, we will definitely come back to New York. And we can keep in touch while I am gone, don't worry." Jimmy listened carefully and sniffed back some tears. "Promise you'll call or write, okay Jet?" he asked determinedly. Jet patted his head. "For sure, buddy. I promise." He responded softly.

….

Lily went to see Cathy and Jimmy out sometime after 10pm. They confirmed again to meet at 9am tomorrow for Cathy's first day at the Sweet Pea. Saying goodnight, and another million thank yous, Lily shut the door behind them and made her way back to Jet. She joined him on the sofa, snuggling up to his side. "Well done, Lily. Looks like you sorted everything out." Lily smiled and kissed him softly, "All thanks to you, Jet. I just need to break the news to Alice and Dave tomorrow. Will your team arrive for you tomorrow sometime?" Jet nodded, "Yeah, probably tomorrow night." Lily yawned and stretched her legs. "How about we get an early night tonight then?" She said, as she stood up, reaching out a hand to help him up. "Sure, I am pretty beat too." And with that, they made their way down the hallway, Lily under his shoulder, supporting him, his arm wrapped around her protectively.

…

Author's note: Yuhhhhhhhhhhh, tying up lose ends! I feel like the story was quite slow, maybe some action will come up soon? Or drama? Or death and destruction? WHO KNOWS.

Love to all my viewers, readers, lurkers. KISSES FOR YOU. Drop an emoji or love letter in the review section. It costs nothing but makes my heart skip a beat! (seriously) XOXOX

Also, check out pics of Lily by searching cardboardcalla on deviantart!