Here is part 3. Enjoy

On Saturday morning, 99 drove up to Max's apartment and park just a few building away so that he wouldn't think someone was casing his place. She figured he'd be running errands on his day off so when he came out she would follow him to wherever he was going. 99 sat in her car for about two hours when Max made his way out of the apartment building. She raised an eyebrow at the fact that his leg made a miraculous recovery from yesterday as he jumped into the front seat of his little red sports car. All her training in become a CONTROL agent would now come into play as she was about to tail him. Staying behind two car lengths, 99 followed Max to the local supermarket.

"Perfect" 99 said to herself "What better place to run into someone you want to run into than at the market." Max parked, grabbed a basket and went in. 99 was close behind being very careful not to be seen by him. While Max headed down the dairy isle picking up milk and eggs, 99 ducked down the next isle and waited for Max to come around the corner.

Standing in the magazine section, she picked up magazine and pretended to flip through it waiting for him to pass by her.

A deep voice spoke from behind her "Excuse me…"

99's heart jumped a few beats as she turned to see not Max but the store manager standing behind her.

"Young lady, this is not a library, you'll need to buy it if you want to read it" the manager said as he took the magazine from 99 and put it back on the rack.

"Oh I'm sorry, I was just…"

99 suddenly spotted Max rounding the corner to the can goods.

She nodded to the manager as she rushed off. Noticing that her basket was empty, she started to grab items off the shelf to make it look like she was shopping. Then Max made an unexpected turn to the produce isle. As she hurried to catch up with him, she turned the corner and bumped into a tower of grapefruit causing the display of perfectly stacked fruit to go spilling all over the floor. 99 growled through her teeth as she got down on her hands and knees to pick up the grapefruits. Noticing a pair of brown shoes next to her she followed the legs up to the store manager, his hands perched firmly on his hips.

"May I suggest that you go shop somewhere else?" implied the manager.

99 just shrugged then looked around to see that Max had just checked out and was leaving. Forgetting she had a basket of groceries in her possession, 99 raced out of the store with it and into the parking lot.

But before 99 could catch up to Max, the store manager was right behind her and grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Hold it right their Miss." Shouted the manager.

"You don't understand…" pleaded 99 as she struggled pointing to Max in the parking lot.

The manager interrupted her, "I understand perfectly, you were trying to get away without paying for these groceries."

"Ohhh no, I wasn't…" 99 denied, but was pulled back into store. Max unaware of what was happening got into his car and pulled out of the parking lot. 99 let out a huge sigh as she watched him drive off.

Later that evening a very downhearted 99 sat slumped on her couch. She didn't want to do anything except feel sorry for herself. She was even thinking of skipping the party after graduation Sunday night. Her heart wasn't in it.

34 stopped by 99's apartment after her date that evening and plopped herself down on the couch next to her. 34 just sat in silence with the same sorrowful face.

"By the looks of things, I'd say the date was a complete failure?" 99 said.

34 sighed, " He wasn't exactly prince charming and he talked so much. I barely got a word in"

"I take it there is no second date? Asked 99.

"Yeah, he just doesn't know it yet" replied 34.

"So how'd it go with you 'bumping' into agent 86 today? Is he all that you imagined him to be?"

99's head dropped, "I wouldn't know. I almost got arrested for shoplifting today."

"You almost what? Shrieked 34

"It was just a misunderstanding, I thought I could run into

him at the grocery store and well... I ran into the store manager from Hell instead."

99 told her friend the whole sorted mess after which 34 put her arm around her shoulder.

"I hate to keep mentioning this 99 but when are you going to give this up?" 34 asked, "I don't think it's in the cards for you two to hook up"

99 stared at the floor and then lifted her head to look at 34 "Seems that way doesn't it" she frowned.

"It could be worse, you could have gone out with my date tonight." joked 34.

"That bad huh?"

"Like I said, he talked all the time. And about stuff that I don't think he wasn't supposed to talk about either. If I were a KAOS agent, he'd be in big trouble."

"What kinda stuff did he tell you?" wondered 99.

"Well one thing he told me that there is this big mission coming up on Thursday to go after the KAOS kingpin Mr. Big. Very hush hush" 34 said.

"Boy, wouldn't you love to be on that case?" wished 99

"You bet. But they're putting their top agent on that one. I'll give you three guesses who that might be and the first two don't count"

99 began toying with the corner of the couch, picking off imaginary lint., "34…"

34 knew that tone and held her hand up, "Hold it, whenever you say '34' like that I know I am gonna be hit up for something"

"Am I that predictable?"

"Whatever it is…the answer is N. O." 34 firmly said.

"Oh come on 34. Just hear me out"

34 shook her head, "I helped you get into the school records. That fulfilled my quota of helping you this year"

99 got right to the point, "I need to get an appointment with the Chief on Monday"

34 looked puzzled, "And how am I supposed to help you with that?

"You are dating the Chief's assistant…" 99 said in a matter of fact tone.

"I are not! I had one date… no longer dating." 34 quickly pointed out.

99 faced her with a pitiful expression on her face, "I really need this favor 34"

"I don't understand why you need to meet with the Chi…. 34 stopped as her eyes widened, "Ohhhhh now I get it. I know what you want to do, you want to get on that mission with 86. 99 you know as well as I do that we'll have 3 months of courior service before we are assigned to a mission. Listen to me, they don't assign rookie agents to a big mission like that. The Chief will blow his cork if you even ask. And honestly 99, I don't get what you see in agent shoephone anyway. He's short, got big ears, a really annoying voice, also he's so full of himself and…and…" 34 stopped as she looked at 99 face.

"And… you're in love with him aren't you?"

99 gave a sweet, shyly hesitant smile.

34 closed her eyes and exhaled an exasperated sigh, "Alright alright. Its against my better judgement but…I'll get Larabee to pencil you in for an appointment with the Chief on Monday."

99 jumped up and hugged 34.

"If by some miracle the Chief does puts you on that mission and you hit it off with Agent 86, mind me asking what I'm getting out of all this?" asked 34.

"You get to be the Maid of Honor at my wedding" replied 99.

To be continued….