Chance took the mail from the carrier. Most of it was business related, but the one he had been waiting for was on top. "Jake! Your final grades are here!" He tore open the top and unfolded the paper, keeping his expression neutral as the copper-furred teenager leaped down the stairs. "Well?" Jake tried to snatch the letter. Chance held it out of his reach with a glare.

"Can I finish reading this first?"

Jake pouted, his tail swishing anxiously behind him. "Come on, Chance!" He finally whined after a few more seconds.

Maintaining a hard-to-read look, Chance finally relinquished the paper. He watched Jake's vibrant green eyes flit back and forth as he read, widening with excitement and relief. "I passed. I passed!"

Chance wasn't prepared for the over-unenthusiastic hug, his own eyes popping open when he suddenly had Jake in his arms. Just as quickly as it happened, it was over. Jake was darting up the stairs.

"Hey where are going? I could use some help down here!"

Jake called back something about calling Rita. Chance laughed. It was good to finally see the boy in good spirits. They all had plenty of reason to celebrate. Jake passed his summer school courses with flying colors. Even more notable, he was eight weeks into his probation and had passed every drug test.

Chance looked at the clock. It was almost one. He was taking Jake to finally have his braces removed at two, and then they both had an appointment to be fitted for tuxedos for the wedding, which was in four weeks.

It had been a whirlwind of a summer so far. Callie was busy all day with her deputy mayoral duties and then after with the wedding planning. Chance actually really enjoyed being involved in that. The only thing he hadn't had a say in was her dress. That was a surprise.

Jake had spent every waking hour, it seemed, hitting the books, making it his goal to ace his summer workload. On top of that, he had a summer reading list for Advanced English 3. Now that summer school was over, though, Chance was sure the boy was itching to get in the hangar and do some upgrades.

And suddenly, Chance realized, his life had become one hundred percent about everyone else. His gaze drifted to the Chief. It had been damaged in the destruction of the first garage, but he had found the wreckage. He sighed, his thoughts drifting to the calendar and when he would ever have time to fix it.

Jake came back downstairs, munching on an apple. He sat on the bottom step and watched Chance staring vacantly at the once magnificent motorbike. "I could help you fix it," he offered.

Chance snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "I know you could," then he sighed. "But our schedules are a little too crazy for that right now."

Jake locked eyes with him for a moment, reading the hint of sadness that Chance was pretty good at hiding. Wordlessly, he tossed the apple core across the garage and into the trashcan without really looking, offering a prideful smirk that made Chance chuckle. Then he went over to the bike, ghosting a paw over the dented frame. "You might not have the time," he huffed, "but as a law-abiding citizen, you can't make me work in the garage as an employee for more than a few hours, you know, my being a minor and all." He looked at Chance over his shoulder. "I could use a summer project."

"You have six weeks of summer left. I'm getting married in four, and you have summer reading, and football practice is starting soon… you really don't have time either." Chance huffed.

Jake's mind was already calculating what it would take to fix the Chief. "I'll make time."

Chance shook his head. "Well make time another day. Time to go, so kats can stop calling you 'brace face'."

Jake looked up in disgust. "No one has ever called me that." He followed Chance out into the bright sunlight.

"You know what would have been a great idea," Jake gingerly climbed into the hot interior of the SUV. "Adding an additional garage for the car."

Chance hissed when his paws touched the steering wheel. "You're a genius, Captain Hindsight!" He turned the air on full blast.

"I do what I can." Jake joked, pressing the button for the windows to lower until he could feel cold air.

**later**

"I'm not really a fan of the retainer," Jake huffed. "But at least I can take it out." He stuck the case in his pocket as they walked to the tuxedo shop, which was only a block from the orthodontist. Traffic this time of day just wasn't worth it. "So four weeks, huh?"

Chance shot Jake a look. He'd been awful chatty lately, but he wasn't complaining. It was a nice change. "Yep."

"Are you nervous?"

"No. Why?"

Jake shrugged. "Isn't everything supposed to change when you get married?"

"What's going to change? We've been living together for a while." Chance shrugged.

"That's true." Jake looked thoughtful as he pulled open the door to the shop. "I guess it's nothing like having a baby then. That will be the real change for you. I mean, with me, you got lucky. I was practically a teenager."

Chance shook his head. "First, just slow down your thought process. No one has said anything about kittens yet. And second, you were only nine. You might be inching up on sixteen, but…" Chance playfully grabbed Jake's cheek between his claws. "I still see that cute wittle nine year old face."

"Can I help you?" A tall, well dressed kat cleared his throat.

Mortified, Jake quickly brushed Chance off his face. "I'm not cute," he mumbled.

"We have one more stop," Chance said as they got in the car.

"Where?" Jake asked, flipping down the visor so he could look at his teeth in the vanity mirror.

Chance stared at him for a few seconds, pressing his lips together as he considered just how weird teenagers were. "The clinic."

"What? Why?" Jake practically whined. "You have a couple required vaccinations before the new school year, and mom wants to see that adorable smile."

"Can you not?" Jake glared.

"I can." Chance laughed. "And I will as much as possible."

Jake was Rita's last patient of the day, and then they were all going to meet Callie for dinner. "Oh let me see!"

Despite Jake's noteworthy agility and athleticism, there was no escaping the, apparently hereditary, grip that suddenly held his chin, forcing his jaws open. "Oh you are going to look great in the wedding pictures!" She tilted Jake's head back. "And prom too!" At that, Jake pried his face free from her paw, rubbing his chin and glaring. "Alright, let's get this over with. You just need two shots." Rita prepped his arm for the injections. "Did you get measured for your tuxedos?"

"Yes ma'am," Jake replied politely. "I think Chance is nervous, though."

"I'm not nervous," Chance replied when he mother shot him a look.

"It's the only reason I can think he would agree to having pink vests with the tux," Jake continued.

Rita laughed. "Callie's bridesmaid's dresses are pink. The groom's-Kats have to match."

"Besides," Chance shrugged. "It's just the vest, and you'll only have to wear it for a few hours."

Two shots later, and Rita was locking up the clinic. "So who is helping me cook dinner?"

"Jake is." Chance supplied.

"Wait… What?" Jake looked stricken.

"I'm going to pick up William. Relax. Ma won't let you poison us." Chance teased.

"I guess I'm riding with you then," Jake said to Rita.

William snuffed out his cigarette as Chance pulled up. "No need for that," he said as Chance started to get out. "I can manage."

"How are you doing, William?"

"Fit as ever," the old tom sighed as he buckled his seatbelt. "Likewise, I hope."

"You bet."

"And Jacob?"

Chance fought a smirk. William knew that Jake hated being called by his formal name. "Just got his braces off today and aced his summer classes. I'd say he's doing pretty well."

"Wonderful news. So he's in good spirits then. I wanted to make an offer."

Chance gave the senior a curious look. "What kind of offer?"

"I thought I'd wait until dinner, if that's okay."

Chance sighed. "Look, Jake doesn't like surprises. I'm not asking you to tell me what it is first, but it would go over better if you brought whatever it is up privately."

William made a 'huh' sound. "Well I suppose no one knows my grandson better than you."

"Hey that isn't my fault. Now I'm sorry he's been reluctant to engage you, but he is trying." Chance defended Jake. When he got to Rita's, he saw that Callie was already there. "Stupid traffic," he grumbled.

Dinner was oddly quiet, except for Callie and Rita gushing over the wedding details. Jake was usually quiet while he ate, but William usually intervened with some wild tale in hopes of capturing Jake's interest, and Chance usually was the one who took the bait. This time, however, William appeared anxious, and Chance was worried about whatever it was he wanted to ask Jake.

When dinner was done, and Jake had finished helping clear the table. The old kat made his move.

"Ah... Jacob, might I have a word with you?"

Jake looked around for Chance, but he wasn't nearby. "Uh…"

"Won't take but a minute. Just wanna ask you something."

Jake sighed and folded the dish towel back onto the counter. "Okay, I guess."

William fidgeted. "It's just that, well… What are you doing while Chance is on his honeymoon?"

Jake blinked. Chance and Callie were going to be gone for a week. "I guess I'll be here."

"Why don't you spend the week with me?"

Jake felt uneasy. "I don't know, I…"

"You would be within walking distance from the beach, and just about anywhere else."

He seemed… desperate.

Jake sighed again. "I have to ask Chance."

William nodded. "Sure. Go right ahead."

"And if he okays it, I have to run it by Furnell."

"Ah… Who?"

"Probation officer," Jake replied quietly.

"Right. Whatever you have to do."

"Jake, you ready to go?" Chance came into the kitchen.

"Yes," Jake replied and hastily left the kitchen.

Jake paced outside Chance's bedroom door, fist hovering inches from the white painted wood. He could hear them talking quietly inside and wondered if it was the right time to ask. The teen was about to just go back to bed when the door opened. "You planning on knocking or just standing here for an hour?" Chance smirked.

"Can we talk?" Jake looked up at his guardian.

"Your place or mine?" Chance joked. Jake cast a glance into his room.

"Where's Callie?"

"Shower. She knows you're out here."

Jake sighed and went into their large room. He slid onto the plush, king size bed and pulled his knees up to his chin. Chance eased himself onto the dresser.

"What's up?"

"William invited me to spend the week with him while you two are gone."

Chance raised an eyebrow. "And you said…?"

"I said I would ask you."

"Do you want to?"

Jake made a face. "I don't know. I mean, it's next to the beach, so it would be more fun than staying at Rita's... But he just seemed desperate."

"Well," Chance exhaled. "He's been here for almost a year, Jake. Maybe it's a last effort to connect."

Jake hugged his knees tighter to his chest.

"Look, I know you're afraid to get close," Chance said quietly. "But, if it was me, I'd give it a shot. You can't live your life afraid of getting hurt. Like it or not, we're all going to die, and, as much as you try to hold yourself responsible, there's nothing you can do about it."

"It's not really that.." Jake sighed. "Okay, it's kind of that, but also…" He bit his lip.

Chance slid off the dresser and sat next to Jake. "Also what?"

Jake shivered and looked like he might cry for a second. Chance felt a strong pang of worry.

"Also what, Jake?" He repeated.

"He smokes, and I know he drinks. What if, you know…" Jake faltered. "What if I go over there and I can't…"

Chance fought the urge to finish Jake's sentence. Jake still struggled with admitting he's had an addiction. This was pretty big milestone if he could just get the words out. Then there it was, the first tear to break bad and dampen the thick reddish brown cheek fur.

Jake sucked in a huge breath. "What if I can't avoid the temptation?" He shuddered. "What if I screw up? What if I… relapse?"

Chance let out the breath he had been holding. Finally! He'd been waiting months for Jake to open up.

"That's a real possibility," Chance offered and prayed to God he wouldn't screw this up. "It kind of comes back down to that whole trust thing."

"Chance…

"I'm not talking about me. It was rough going at first, but I've watched you fight this pretty hard. I can say, without a doubt, one hundred percent, that I trust you. But you know who has, like, zero percent trust in you?"

Jake shook his head.

"You, Jake. I have no idea how the hell someone goes about earning their own trust back, but you got some work to do. And I feel like, if you don't take a risk here and there, you're going to be stuck living with all this doubt and fear, and that's probably more likely to send you spiraling back into that mess than anything else."

"Statistically, fifty to ninety percent of…"

"... Users relapse after rehab." Chance finished. "I took the class, too, buddy." He thought for a moment. "What's your IQ?"

Jake looked puzzled, "169."

"What are the odds of being that smart?"

Jake shrugged. "I dunno. Like one in 25,000 I think."

"So, when someone has a kitten, it's not, like a fifty to ninety percent chance the kid's gonna be a genius?"

Jake huffed out a laugh. "No."

"So, if you've already beaten the odds, marking yourself waay above average, why are you categorizing yourself into the majority?" Chance mentally gave himself a high five when he saw Jake's ears flick forward. It was a slight, but dead giveaway, that the teen had come to some kind of realization.

"I understand the why, Jake." Chance wrapped his arm around the teen's thin shoulders. "You have taken a beating over the last nine or ten month, but you're making one hell of a comeback, kid."

Jake huffed in disbelief.

"I know it doesn't seem like it to you, but everyone else can see the changes." Chance heard the water stop. He sighed. "I know you still have nightmares about Jason." Jake stiffened. "And I know you still believe it was your fault. I know that the guilt and the trauma from that whole situation will take a long time to fix, but you've made a lot of progress. You've opened up a lot more, not just here, but in counselling too. I mean, a few months ago, it was like pulling teeth to have a conversation with you. And early today you damn near talked my ear off. It was great!"

Jake chuckled.

"He's right, you know," Callie added, cautiously. "We've all seen a change. You're actually eating."

"Thank God for that, because I'm not the only one who was losing sleep over the thought that you were going to starve yourself to death." Chance added. He hugged Jake reassuringly. "It's your choice, Jake. You've got time to decide, but if the reason you decide not to go is because you're afraid you'll relapse, then you're letting the fear win."

"And if I do go and that's exactly what happens?"

Chance exhaled loudly. "You've already quoted the statistics, Jake. I'm well aware of the possibility, but, even if you don't go to William's apartment for a week, school starts a week or so after we get back. Just because Miranda is gone doesn't mean there won't be temptation there. At some point, you will have to face this, and when you do, if you cave, we'll deal with it."