(= Author's Note: Here, at long last, is Chapter 13. Maybe there is something to that old superstition about 13 being an unlucky number. All I know is that this chapter had a lot of false starts. Finally, though, I have got a chapter that I am mostly happy with - and I think that you'll be happy with it too.

But, before we get to that, I do have some "thank you"s to distribute.

Kris Ice, kikyou, Strata and GoldAngel2 - Thank you for the reviews!!

Kris Ice - As always, thanks for the suggestions.

GoldAngel2 - Thank you for beta reading this chapter for me.

Okay, now that that's finished, on to Chapter 13 - enjoy! =)

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As Jet sat there on the couch, hair slightly damp and smelling more like strawberries than he would have liked, he decided that Cathy had been right about one thing - he definitely did feel better now that he was clean. Well, as clean as he could get without being able reach the tap to get fresh water . . .

Anyway, it seemed that Cathy had regained her high spirits as well. At least, she was smiling as she put on her coat and grabbed her purse. "I'm off to the store. I'll be back soon. Anything you want before I go?"

He shook his head and watched her turn and leave, thinking that he'd been doing that a lot lately. Watching her leave. It wasn't like he could go with her, probably wouldn't have wanted to go if he could, but he thought that he could get tired of waiting. Get tired? He was tired of waiting already!

Never said I had any patience, he thought as he crossed his arms. Sometimes he wondered what it'd be like to have patience - but never for very long because he didn't have the . . . patience. He closed his eyes briefly and gritted his teeth. Great, now he was making stupid jokes - what next?

After flipping through the channels on the TV and thumbing through the Reader's Digest that Cathy had been using to keep the coffee table level, he discovered that there was no help there. He was bored out of his mind. Jet was used to that; he just wasn't used to not being able to get up and find another place to be bored in. Usually, he'd hit the street and see where his feet would lead him.

That was how he'd met Jimmy(1). He remembered the day well. He'd been wandering around the city, his feet taking him to more of the old places he used to know, when he saw these two kids in an alley. A big brown haired boy (maybe fifteen or so) had a smaller blonde haired one (had to be younger than ten) backed against the wall. Jet couldn't tell what was happening but he could tell that whatever it was wasn't good.

In the past, before Black Ghost, he would have walked passed. Not because he didn't care but because it wasn't his business - besides, he'd had enough to worry about then without trying to play hero. Not that he wouldn't have helped if asked . . . but that never happened back then(2).

That day, he strode into the alley, slipping back into the role of gang leader, with an ease that would trouble him later, he approached the pair. He came close to the brown haired kid and grabbed his shoulder in a way that probably looked comradely from a distance but was anything but when he noticed that the blonde kid's jacket was ripped. He told the kid that he should consider getting lost and that it might be a good idea never to bother the boy again. Things could happen.

The kid, who was smarter than he looked, quickly realized that he was out of his league and had run out of that alley as if he was afraid that Jet might do something more serious than give him a talking to. Lucky for that kid that it wasn't the old days.

Jet had watched the kid go, perhaps feeling more satisfaction than he should for intimidating a fifteen-year-old. He'd been about to leave himself when he heard the other boy speak. "What's your name?"

He'd looked down at the boy and realized that he was the first person outside of the landlord who'd asked that question. He'd shrugged, seeing no reason not to tell the kid. "Jet. Who are you?"

"Jimmy." Then the kid did something that Jet hadn't expected at all. Without hesitation, the boy had wrapped his arms around Jet's waist. "Thank you, Jet!"

Something about that had really touched him. Maybe the fact that the kid had trusted him enough to put himself in the danger zone already. Or maybe the gratitude in the gesture - he'd done some heroic things since becoming a cyborg but he wasn't often thanked for it. Maybe it was just that soft spot for children he usually tried to hide poking through.

Either way, he'd decided right then that he'd keep an eye on this kid. At the very least, it'd give him something to do every day besides watch talk shows. So, he'd offered to walk Jimmy home and the kid had brought him to a little place called the Sweet Pot. That was when he'd met Cathy for the first time. That had been a less pleasant experience.

At the time, he couldn't understand why the woman had taken such an instant dislike to him. He didn't know what that other boy had intended to do with Jimmy, but it was very possible that he'd saved the kid's life. Of course, she hadn't really given him the chance to explain anything; once she'd seen the rip in Jimmy's jacket, she'd only been interested in laying blame.

Jet hadn't stuck around for much of that. He didn't like getting lectured when he'd done something wrong; he certainly wasn't going to stand for it when he'd done something right! So he'd left, thinking that maybe he should give both that woman and her son wide berth from now on. Of course, the next day he'd seen Jimmy again and hadn't had the heart to brush him off.

A knocking at the door shook him from his reminiscences and he had a moment to wonder who it could be as he twisted around (carefully so as not to jar his leg) before the door opened. From his position, he could see very little of whomever it was, but he didn't have long to wait. A woman walked in and came close enough to the couch for Jet to see her clearly before she stopped, as if just noticing he was there.

She looked vaguely familiar but it only took Jet a couple of seconds to remember where he'd seen her before. She'd been there back at the hotel; she'd known where Cathy was. Now that she wasn't sooty or wild-eyed or frightened, she looked a bit different. More in control.

"Who are you?" She sounded suspicious and he couldn't blame her. If he found a stranger in his friend's apartment, he'd want to know what was up too. Probably worse to find a strange man in a woman's apartment though - he didn't even want to know what this woman thought of him at that moment.

Before he could answer, a blonde blur made its way to him. "Jet!" Before Jet could stop him (or at least tell him to be careful), Jimmy gave him a hug. Jet bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from cursing as the motion knocked his leg off the table. He forced a smile as he gave Jimmy's back an awkward pat. "Hi, kid."

Jimmy looked up at him, confused. "But what are you doing here?"

The woman spoke up, still sounding suspicious, "That's what I would like to know." She came closer, looking like she'd like to snatch Jimmy away from him. "And where is Cathy?"

"She's at the store," he answered, trying not to take her suspicion personally, "and she's letting me crash here for a few days."

She narrowed her eyes, obviously finding this last hard to believe. She glanced down at Jimmy who still hadn't moved and she seemed to come to a decision. "Jimmy, I know that you're tired, dear. Why don't you go to bed?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I want to see Mom."

"We'll wake you up when she comes home; you look beat, kid." And it was true; Jimmy looked on the verge of falling asleep anyway. "I'm sure your bed's more comfortable than my lap."

Jimmy frowned, "But -"

Jet smiled as he cut off his protest. "Besides, your Mom wouldn't be too happy with me if she came home and you looked like this."

That did it. Jimmy still didn't look happy but he nodded. "Okay." He moved away from Jet and yawned. "Goodnight, Jet. Goodnight, Auntie."

"Goodnight, dear." The woman's tone softened as he left the room. "Poor dear was up all night." She shook her head and turned her attention to Jet. "So you're Jet," She looked him over in a plainly disapproving fashion. "I thought Cathy didn't like you."

It wasn't a question and Jet wondered what Cathy had told this woman. But, first things first, if he was going to be getting dirty looks, he thought the least he was owed was the woman's name. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Mrs. Malley," she said haughtily. "And I would like to know what you're doing here, really."

Jet felt his temper begin to rise. He never liked being called a liar, especially not by people who'd just met him. Still, this was Cathy's friend and, while his patience was limited, he'd at least try to stay civil. "Cathy's letting me stay for a while."

Mrs. Malley cocked her head to the side and her frown deepened. Before he realized what she was up to, she grabbed his hair and dropped it like the strands had bit her. "Your hair is wet?"

"That's what happens when you take a bath," he said, letting his irritation show.

She brought her hand to her mouth, looking like she might be sick. "Oh God, Cathy," she breathed, "no wonder she wanted me to keep Jimmy! But why would she - I thought she hated you!"

Doing his best to ignore the twinge that her pronouncement had caused, he felt his brow crinkle in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She ignored him, looking away. "Why? She's still young and she's pretty; she could do so much better!" Mrs. Malley's voice grew softer and she seemed to be thinking out loud. "Is she trying to throw her life away - didn't she learn anything from the last time?"

Frowning, Jet repeated his question.

This time, she glared as she looked back to him, "Like you don't know!" Her eyes blazed and anger filled her face as the hand fell away from her mouth. "How dare you take advantage of that poor girl!"

"Take advant-" Jet stopped himself as he realized what she was getting at. His temper flared and he wasn't sure when he spoke whether he was more angry that this woman thought he'd do something like that or that she thought that Cathy would let someone do that to her.

And Cathy's friend or not, he saw no reason for him to sit idly by and let her accuse him of things. "Look, lady, I don't have to answer to you and whatever Cathy does is her own business!"

Mrs. Malley was sputtering and he continued before she had a chance to speak, "But, if you have to know, nothing happened. I hurt myself back at the hotel and she's putting me up for a while. That's all." He spoke tersely, not afraid to let her know that his patience had run out.

"Really?" She sounded unconvinced but Jet didn't care. He was done playing around with this woman.

"Really," he said as he crossed his arms.

She glared at him and he glared back. While there were no weapons involved, it was clearly a stand off. He smiled a nasty mental smile. Go ahead, try me - I can take whatever you dish out, lady.

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It was a fairly equal contest and they might have stood (and sat respectively) there all day, just glaring at each other, if Cathy hadn't chosen that moment to come home.

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(1) Everything about this meeting came out of my own head.

(2) As mentioned in "The Awakening"