Author's Note: Hey, everyone, it's me, here with Chappie Three. Again, sorry for the long delay, but this chapter was such a challenge for me to write. I especially had a tough time with introducing Bulletproof and his men and women here. What do you do when – unlike what I did in my last fic, A Novel Dishonour – you're writing in the third person, and the POV character has just moved to Empire City, and knows next to nothing about the city's police affairs? I really had to spend time away from this piece to think about this one. I knew I wanted the "police picnic" setting for the introductions, however. I hope it turns out okay.

Also, for your interest, I brought Longarm O'Malley's son, Brian, into the plot – as one of two new friends that Jeremy makes in Empire City, totally unlike last time. I originally wanted to save him for next chapter, when Jeremy makes friends with Tyler (my own character) and he can introduce Jeremy to Brian. But I thought it would make more sense for Jeremy and Brian to meet and become friends here. (That's the tricky thing about writing outlines on paper before you start composing – during the composition process, you just MIGHT change your mind about something you originally wrote down.) Also, I decided to write Longarm's wife into the story and make her one of Valerie's co-workers. (Since I'm referring to many of the adults by their first names in the narration here, I decided to give her a name instead of referring to her as "Mrs. O'Malley" – I settled on "Elise;" I hope that's accurate for all you die-hard C.O.P.S. fans.) And, like last time, I created my own member of C.O.P.S. for this fic – Kevin "Blackbelt" Raines. Am I a genius or what… ROFLMAO!

Disclaimer:I don't own C.O.P.S. or any characters from the show; that would be DIC Animation studios, and the majorly talented creators and staff behind this cartoon serial, This would include "guest" characters Brian O'Malley and Mrs. O'Malley (Elise). My own characters are Valerie Boston and members of her family; Tyler Raines, and his brother and stepbrother, Jonathan and Mitchell, as well as his mother and stepfather, Cindy and Kevin "Blackbelt" Raines.

Disclaimer Note: In future chapters, I will be introducing Big Boss and ALL of his gang of crooks (some of whom also have eyes for Valerie, as this story's summary has hinted,) as well as a brief "guest" appearance by ace reporter Whitney Morgan, as "borrowed" characters. My own characters will include the bitchy "office gossip" Teresa Laird; Valerie, Cindy and Elise's bosses, Mr. Lancer and Mr. Sussex, as well as many of their other co-workers. I am only putting this note so I WON'T HAVE TO WRITE ANY MORE OF THESE DAMN DISCLAIMERS. I'm sorry, but this is getting very annoying for me. Well, enough yakking. Here's Chapter Three for reading and reviewing.

Chapter 3

Valerie and Jeremy landed at Empire City's King Empire International Airport. She was holding his hand rather tightly the whole way to the baggage claim. She always did this whenever they were in big airports and other large places. She worried about him wandering off and getting lost.

In the baggage claim area, she was greeted by a short elderly woman in her early seventies, with her blonde hair going white, wearing a floral print dress. Standing next to her was a woman in her mid-forties, with chocolate brunette hair, wearing glasses, and a lavender blouse and purple skirt that made her look like she was ready to go to work.

Jeremy could recognize them from a distance. "Grandma! Aunt Rhonda!" he called as he ran towards them.

Valerie rushed to catch her son. "Jeremy, wait up!" she called.

"Now, Valerie, you needn't tell your son to wait for you when he's so excited to see his Grandma," Polly said, grinning and hugging her grandson.

Valerie embraced both her mother and sister. "It's so wonderful to see you again," she said. She noticed her other sister, Karen, was absent. "I suppose Karen's enjoying herself on her two-week vacation in Brazil, basking on the beaches in the hot sun. Ms. I-Work-From-Home-And-Make-More-Money-In-A-Week-Than-You-Can-In-A-Year. She just kept yakking about it when I called her."

"Yeah, it pisses me off, too," Rhonda agreed. "But still, it's so good that you could move here to Empire City. Now you'll get to see us more often than just Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"Oh, come on, Rhonda," Valerie mused. "Tom may have been a blowhard, but he wasn't that controlling towards me." They went to the carousels to get hers and Jeremy's suitcases and boxes.

"Are you kidding, sis?" Rhonda objected. "Screaming at Mom, Karen and me like he did during family visits and over the phone? He sure knew how to ruin family get-togethers. I can't tell you how many times Richard and Bart got into fistfights with him over everything!"

"Well, he never liked either of your husbands telling him how to raise Jeremy." Valerie started retrieving boxes with her name on it. Rhonda got Jeremy's boxes. "Come to think of it, he never liked anyone telling him how to raise Jeremy. Especially when he's convinced he's right, and 'the experts don't know dick.'" She looked down at the carousel and sighed, allowing more of her boxes to run right past her.

Rhonda patted her sister's shoulder. "Hey, he was too ignorant to see he needed to be told what to do. But thank God he's out of our lives now."

When they retrieved all of Valerie's belongings, she, Rhonda and Polly placed everything on three luggage carts. "Wow, you must have cleaned out your space and Jeremy's room to get all this," Rhonda commented.

"I had to," Valerie replied. "It was Tom's house, after all. I was convinced that he would confiscate anything of ours that we left behind there. That's the last thing I wanted."

When they left the airport, Rhonda said to Valerie, "I had Richard and the kids clean up the entire house. You'll be staying with us until we can find you a place to live. You can have the guest room, and Jeremy can share a room with Caleb."

"Thanks," Valerie replied, "and I hope you still have that list of places I want. We really need to go house shopping."

Rhonda and her family lived in a medium-sized townhouse on Ravenell Street, in the central north-eastern part of Empire City. When she and Polly arrived at her house, they helped Valerie unload the cars. At first, Polly attempted to take some boxes out of her car, but Valerie insisted she'd do it all herself.

"Mother, I don't want you hurting your back with all these heavy things," she told her.

"Valerie, I may be a senior woman, but I can assure you, I still have the bones of an active forty-year-old," Polly insisted. "There's more stuff in Rhonda's car. You can help her with that." She proceeded to take two boxes out of her car trunk, and into the house.

As Valerie was bringing in her suitcase, she saw her fifteen-year-old niece, Nicole, and twelve-year-old nephew, Caleb, rushing out of the house with Jeremy. She believed they were going to get more boxes. She called to them, "Nicole! Caleb! Make sure Jeremy doesn't bring in anything heavy, all right? I don't think he'll be able to handle it!"

"Yes, Aunt Valerie!" Nicole called in the distance.

When all of Jeremy's things were brought inside, Rhonda said to him, "Jeremy, in Caleb's closet are some dresser drawers for you to put your clothes in. I'll have Nicole and Caleb take them to your room and help you unpack, okay?"

"Okay, Aunt Rhonda," Jeremy replied.

In Caleb's bedroom, Jeremy was unpacking all of his underwear and socks in his bottom drawer. He helped Caleb put his shorts, pants and jeans in the drawers above. But he looked to his left, and noted all of Caleb's pants and jeans folded neatly and placed on a steel wire rack. To his left, he saw Caleb's good shirts and sweaters hung on hangers.

"Caleb," Jeremy asked, "do you… have… any more… hangers for my… school shirts?"

Caleb shook his head and replied, "No, Jeremy, I think Mom wants to see all your shirts in one of the top drawers. She'll freak if she sees your stuff mixed up with mine." Jeremy nodded at his word, and opened the very top drawer.

When all of his clothes were put away, Caleb and Jeremy saw Richard at the door. He was at least six feet tall, Jeremy noted, balding, with a thick brown moustache. He smiled at the boys and said, "Jeremy, after a flight like that, you must be hungry, aren't you?"

"Yes," Jeremy replied.

"Well, I ordered pizza for everyone," he grinned. "It should be here in thirty minutes." The boys cheered, jumping all over the room, then ran upstairs to their mothers and grandmother.

The following Tuesday, after the Memorial Day weekend, Valerie started her job at the Empire City branch of Lancer and Sussex. Between her job, and trying to find a school to register Jeremy in, there was little time for house-hunting. She and Rhonda had to do that on the weekends. And with only three weeks of school left before summer, Valerie had to leave her son with Polly. She felt guilty, as she regretted not looking for a school during her divorce proceedings. She wished she could have divided her time between Indiana and Empire City at that time. In fact, the only time she was in Empire City during the divorce was for three days in late April, for the job interview her old firm had arranged.

She'd resolved to devote whole lunch hours to finding a school for Jeremy.

That weekend, Rhonda and Valerie went on their first house-hunting tour. They started in a city suburb called Lillimat, where Karen lived. There were three available houses on the street where she lived, Turin Lane.

"Karen really wants you to live in this neighborhood," Rhonda said. "She feels it's very important for you to live close to the family."

"Well, that's nice, but don't tell me she persuaded you to discard all the other places I want," Valerie replied. She looked concerned about Karen's request. "I mean, she knows I'd be working long hours in my job sometimes, but I really don't want to be dependant on any of you."

They stopped at the first available house on the street, 181 Turin Lane. "Well, she and I talked about it," Rhonda explained, "and she said that she would look after Jeremy after school some days, and when you go on business trips. Believe me, sis, I was concerned about it, too. But she swears this has nothing to do with dependency, and she insists Jeremy's condition requires lots of care."

Yet, Valerie was amazed by what she saw in the house. She cooed at the small crystal chandelier hanging in the front hall, and saw the closet had instant access. "That's nice," she said. "I like a closet that doesn't have doors."

They went into the living room. The walls were painted a sea-breeze green. Valerie thought they gave a refreshing look to the house. The carpeting was as blue as the ocean. She noticed a brown wall unit that was also used as an entertainment center. She frowned at that. She said to Rhonda, "That color does not go with the rest of the place. I'll have to paint it a nice lime green." She saw three lighting fixtures on the east wall, painted white. She thought they looked like seashells.

"Wow!" Valerie exclaimed. "I feel like I'm in Atlantis."

"If you go with this house," Rhonda said, "I'll have Karen look into all new furniture to coordinate when she gets back." As they proceeded, "I still can't believe you left all your original stuff behind."

The living room had an archway to the dining room. The walls were painted white, and there were triangular tiles on the ceiling. "Triangles on the ceiling," Valerie remarked. "Who would have thought it?"

"It is a nice touch, isn't it?" her sister agreed.

The dining room was adjoined with the kitchen. The previous owners had left behind a stainless steel refrigerator and an oven. She noticed the walls in between the counters and cupboards and windows had tacky yellow wallpaper, with an even tackier floral print. She complained, "That needs to go. It's very 1960's, and it doesn't fit with the rest of the house."

She opened the refrigerator to see two boxes of baking soda, and a box of Swiss chocolates wrapped in plastic. Probably a welcoming offer to the new owners from the old, she thought, so she put it back unopened. She noticed an island behind her, which looked just like the counters. She found a pull-out wooden cutting board in between the oven and the sink. She looked at the drawers where the cookbooks usually get stored. They obviously took their microwave. Thankfully, she had hers boxed away before she moved.

Down the hallway, Rhonda showed Valerie a master bathroom, and three empty rooms, two of which were meant to be bedrooms. The bedrooms were at the end of the hall, Rhonda pointed out. They looked at the one to the right. It had red carpeting, and one medium-sized closet. Rhonda told her sister, "This room would be perfect for Jeremy. Dresser drawers and some small shelves would be enough to keep the simplicity. I don't see why he should have anything fancy in here, other than a radio and alarm clock."

"Still, it shouldn't be boring," Valerie said. "Maybe a colorful rainbow theme would be nice. Jeremy's always had an interest in art."

The bedroom across from it was bigger. The walls were painted purple, striped with two different shades. She thought the plum-colored carpeting looked beautiful. She also discovered a small bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet.

"And you should have this one," Rhonda told her. "This way, if Jeremy needs you for anything, you'll be just across the hall."

"I want this one anyway, it's so beautiful," Valerie replied. "Maybe I'll get violet pillows, mauve bed sheets, and a dark purple comforter to coordinate with the room."

"Don't be thinking ahead too far," Rhonda warned. "Someone else may snatch this from you."

They went downstairs to the basement. The first thing they saw was a large den with a built-in bar. Valerie was interested in the bar. Rhonda stated this was the recreation room and said, "With all the appropriate furnishings, and perhaps a stereo system, you can hold all your indoor parties in this room."

Adjoining the recreation room, Valerie saw a smaller bathroom, and an empty back room, with a bare concrete floor and walls. She never went into either one, but thought of converting the back room into a laundry room, and adding a large freezer.

There were two more rooms in the basement, one with sky blue walls, and a bigger one with white walls. They went into the larger rooms first. "Here," Rhonda said, "Jeremy can use this room for homework and socializing. This was previously used as a child's bedroom, so we have a built in bookcase for all his books. Maybe with a nice desk in this area, too, this can become his space for reading, drawing and homework. And I also think maybe a television would be good for this room."

Rhonda told Valerie she could use the smaller room for a fitness area. "We'll have to talk to Karen about getting a treadmill, exercise bike, and other such equipment to furnish this properly," she said.

"Nice, but what about that other room upstairs?" Valerie asked.

"We also need to talk to Karen about obtaining a computer, printer and modem. I'm thinking maybe that can be your home office." Rhonda rolled her eyes. "Damn, but she sells every piece of furniture and equipment from that bloody home office of hers. Ikea has nothing on her! And you're making advancements in your advertising career. And here I am, still selling houses for a living! By the end of this year, you'll be making more money than me, you two. And I'm older than the both of you! It's not fucking fair, I tell you!"

Valerie rubbed Rhonda's shoulder. "Cheer up, sis. Both Karen and I know that you love your work." She stamped her foot and smiled. "Now gimme this house! I love how they arranged all the color schemes!"

"Slow down!" Rhonda griped. "You just can't take the first house you see. It's like dating. You have to see what else is out there before making a final decision." She took Valerie's arm and led her upstairs and out of the house. "Come, we have other places to look at."

Meanwhile, Jeremy was at the park, playing catch football with Caleb while Polly watched. With every throw, Caleb noticed that Jeremy was getting better at catching. But he could never throw it far enough for Caleb to catch it. He could only toss it halfway towards him. After fifteen throws, Jeremy called, "Hey, Caleb! You're… going to… have to come… closer. I can't throw… it as far… as a… normal… person."

Caleb walked halfway towards his cousin and picked up the football. He stood in that place and said, "Okay, let's just toss this back and forth."

Nearby, the Empire City police force was holding its annual picnic. Four boys had emerged from the picnic area, two boys with dark brown hair, a third with raven-colored hair, and the fourth with blond hair that looked like the color of a sunflower to Jeremy. The short brown-haired boy was holding a soccer ball. They looked at Caleb and Jeremy, and the boy with the ball called, "Hey, guys, want to play with us?"

Caleb and Jeremy stared at the darker-haired boys with interest. The tallest and shortest ones had the brown hair. The raven-haired boy looked like the "middle child" to Caleb and Jeremy. Each of these boys looked about a foot apart in height, they believed. The tall boy had to be a junior in high school, Caleb guessed. He certainly looked old enough for Nicole to date. The short boy looked to be around Jeremy's age, maybe a little older. The middle boy looked like he was graduating from middle school this year. And the blond boy was around the same height as the shortest boy. Still, Caleb and Jeremy were interested in playing with them.

"Sure," Caleb said, smiling. He looked at Polly. She smiled in approval. They walked over to the four boys, and Caleb introduced himself and Jeremy.

"I'm Tyler Raines," said the short boy. He pointed at the tall boy, then the middle boy. "These two are my big brother, Jonathan, and our stepbrother, Mitchell."

"I'm thirteen, Jonathan's fifteen and Tyler just turned eleven a month ago," Mitchell added, grinning.

The blond boy smiled at them and added, "I'm Brian O'Malley, Tyler's friend. I'm eleven, too."

Polly overheard this and went over to the boys. "Well, isn't that a coincidence?" she said, smiling. "Jeremy will be turning eleven this coming August." She immediately introduced herself, then looked at Tyler and Brian. "Jeremy didn't have very many friends when he was living in Indiana. Perhaps you three could be friends?"

"Grandma," Caleb said. "I don't think Aunt Valerie will like you pressuring Jeremy to make new friends like that. Boys like him are very shy."

"Nonsense," Polly replied. "Your Aunt Valerie told us Jeremy tried very hard to make friends. He wanted to so badly. They just thought he was too different, that's all."

Tyler and Brian were confused at first, but then Polly explained, "That blasted father of his shook Jeremy severely when he was a baby. He has learning problems that will last him a lifetime. He might even have to go to a special school here."

"Grandma!" Jeremy cried. "I could… have… told them… that!"

The younger boys looked quite sympathetic. Tyler put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder and said, "I'm so sorry, Jeremy. Your father is a stupid, evil man. That's probably why you're talking so slow, is it?"

"Yes," Jeremy answered. "I just… moved… here… with… my Mom. She just… divorced… my Dad."

But Brian was angrier at the fact that Jeremy was shaken. "Shaken as a baby," he repeated. "That's not a dad, that's a creep! I can't imagine my Dad doing that to me."

"Well, just so you know," Tyler responded, "my Dad just took off when I was very young, maybe around three years old. I barely remember him, although Jon did. He doesn't want anything to do with him, and neither does our Mom." He started to smile. "Then, when I was seven, Mom got remarried. Our stepdad's really cool. His name is Kevin Raines, but everyone calls him 'Blackbelt,' including Jon and me. He's part of this really cool team of officers, C.O.P.S."

"And you know what? So's my Dad, Longarm O'Malley!" Brian added, grinning.

"They're right over at the picnic with the rest of them," Tyler said. "Maybe later, we can take you to meet them."

"That'd be awesome," Caleb said. "That is, if our grandmother will let us."

Polly smiled and nodded. "Of course you can. Just keep an eye on Jeremy and make sure he stays with you."

The boys ran around with the soccer ball for half an hour. While they were playing, Tyler, Brian and Mitchell noticed Jeremy was trotting as he ran. He couldn't kick the ball very far as he was running. In order to kick it properly, Jeremy had to stop beforehand. Mitchell was whispering something to Tyler, and Tyler nudged him back disapprovingly, whispering, "Don't say that about him! Maybe he got that way because of the shaking."

Caleb stopped and asked them, "What? Is anyone saying stuff about Jeremy?"

"No, Caleb, it's nothing," Tyler answered. "Nothing at all, really." He turned and glared harshly at his stepbrother. Mitchell shook his head, feeling ashamed.

After fifteen minutes, Jeremy became extremely tired from all the running. He sat on the bench with Polly. Tyler and Brian felt very bad for him, and Caleb smiled at his sympathy. Mitchell was tempted to say something, but Jonathan stopped him.

When it was time, Caleb told Polly, "Grandma, Tyler and the guys want to take us to the picnic now. We'll be right back." He took Jeremy and ran to join them.

"Don't get lost!" she called.

At the picnic, they saw police officers gathered with their families, eating, drinking, laughing, playing games. Jeremy wanted to be happy with all this, but he couldn't. He couldn't bear the sight of all the police officer fathers acting close and loving to their sons, eating together, holding each other, having intimate conversations, playing games of catch. He started to think of his father, wishing he could have been more loving and intimate towards him, wondering why he mistreated him like he did. Tyler noticed Jeremy almost starting to cry, and brought him closer.

"Don't feel bad, Jeremy," he said. "Once you meet Bulletproof and Blackbelt and all the rest of them, you'll feel better, I promise."

"I've never… been around… a group of… policemen… before," Jeremy said. "I don't know… what to… say."

"Just say hello, stay calm and be yourself," Brian advised. "They'll like you in an instant, trust me."

Moments later, the boys stopped ten feet from three adjoining tables with fourteen people, all of them dressed casually – the men in t-shirts, dress shirts, blue jeans and khakis, the women in pastel-colored blouses and skirts. Jeremy had been looking around at all the people at the picnic. Everyone was dressed casually. He couldn't tell the police officers from their spouses. It was the same for this group he was staring at.

Soon, Tyler called out, "Mom! Blackbelt! Bulletproof! Everyone! Look who we found in the park!"

Everyone at the tables turned to the boys. As they walked closer, Jeremy smiled nervously at them all. He started on his left, and worked his way clockwise. There was one African-American man in sunglasses, in a white polo striped with pink, and bone khakis. Next to him was a man in an orange cap and glasses that seemed to cover half his face. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, and his muscles looked as if he had melons sticking up from his arms. Next to him were two men with black moustaches, one showing his dark brown hair, the other wearing a cowboy hat. The dark-haired man was wearing a red T-shirt with a black leather jacket. The man in the cowboy hat was wearing a white button-down silk shirt with long sleeves, and perhaps black jeans with cowboy boots. Though Jeremy couldn't see the bottom half of this man, he figured that all police officers who dressed like cowboys dressed in black jeans and boots when they were off duty.

At the far edge of the table, sitting in lawn chairs, were a dirty blond-haired man and three women. The first woman had the same hair color as Brian. The second woman had lighter blonde hair, and the third had raven-colored hair. The blond man was wearing a light blue polo; his wife, a blouse with a rose and violet print. The other blonde woman was wearing a white T-shirt with a denim vest; and the raven haired woman, a purple T-shirt with the logo of some sports team that seemed unfamiliar to Jeremy. Next to the women was a slightly younger man with light brown hair, wearing a forest green polo with black stripes. He couldn't see what kinds of pants or skirts they were wearing.

On the right side of the big table sat a man in a black button-down shirt, and a baseball cap big enough to cover his hair. Next to him was a man with chocolate-colored hair, in a NASCAR T-shirt with a racer Jeremy couldn't identify embroidered on it. Next to him was a man with hair the color of wheat, in a plain white polo, black slacks and loafers. Jeremy thought this man looked the most handsome. Finally, there was a man with jet-black hair, blacker than Mitchell's almost, but he wore no moustache unlike the other dark-haired men. This man was dressed in a black T-shirt and white khaki shorts. Seated next to him in a lawn chair was a brunette woman, her hair down to her shoulders. She was wearing a blue short-sleeved silk blouse, a black skirt decorated with red and white swirl shapes, and white shoes.

As Jeremy was looking around at them all, Tyler was introducing them. "Jeremy, I'd like you to meet Bulletproof, Mace, Bowzer, and Sundown," he said. "And that's Longarm and his wife, Mrs. O'Malley. They're Brian's parents. Next to Mrs. O'Malley are Mainframe, Mirage and Hardtop. And on the right are Highway, Bullseye and Barricade." Tyler grinned. "And, saving the best for last, these are Mitchell's father, Blackbelt, and Jon's and my Mom. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Jeremy Boston and his cousin Caleb Shewfelt."

Longarm's wife, Elise, and the brunette woman, Cindy Raines, both became alert when they heard Tyler say Jeremy's name. "Jeremy Boston," Cindy repeated. "Is your mother named Valerie, by any chance?"

Jeremy nodded confidently. "Yes, she is," he answered. Brian, Tyler and Jonathan all looked at their mothers, shocked.

"Mom, how did you know?" Tyler asked.

"Jeremy's mother just started working with us at Lancer and Sussex," Cindy answered. She looked at Jeremy. "This whole week, all she ever talked about was you."

"She also talked obsessively about her divorce, and that stupid excuse of a man that she married," Elise added, sipping her iced tea. "I can tell it's going to take some time for her to recover."

Jeremy, Caleb, and the boys stayed in the picnic area for a half-hour. Cindy told them to stay where she, Elise and the C.O.P.S. could watch over them. They spent most of the time passing the soccer ball around. At one point, they even went for ice cream. While they were licking their ice cream, Jeremy began to ask about his new friends' relations with the Empire City police.

"Are… you guys… popular… with the… police here?" he asked.

Tyler nodded. "You bet!" he said. "Jon and I loved Blackbelt from the first time Mom brought him home to meet us. Once you get to know us, you'll see why. He's a karate master, been at it since he was only four years old. Can you believe that? That's how he got the name, a code name Bulletproof gave him. Anyway, he got us doing it almost instantly after we got to know him. We've learned some cool moves through him. He also volunteers a lot of his off-duty time. He's a sensei at the Boys and Girls Club not too far from where we live."

Jonathan grinned and added, "He's also involved in a lot of community services, including Children's Literacy Awareness, and various fundraisers for police charities, as well as the Big Brother program. I've been doing it with him since I was around ten, and Tyler started getting into it last year as well. Those are the best times we've spent with him as father and sons."

"It was because of him and Mom that Bulletproof and the others like us so much," Tyler said.

"That's nice," Jeremy grinned. "What can some… of the… other C.O.P.S.… do?"

Tyler grinned wider and said, "Glad you asked, because some of them have really cool ways of stopping crime." He stood up and pointed some of them out. "Longarm, for example, has this neat shooting power-cuff that extends… well, I don't know how long exactly. Ask him, and he'll show you how it works. Mainframe's a total whiz at computers. But Jon and Mitch are just as good as her; even she's impressed by what they know. Bowzer handles a robotic K-9 dog. Blitz is really friendly once you get used to him. And you should see how fast Highway goes on his motorbike. Sometimes he'll zip along much too fast–"

He was suddenly interrupted by a female voice calling Jeremy and Caleb's names. They turned to see Valerie, Rhonda and Polly coming towards them. Jeremy and Caleb ran to them, hugged them, then they brought them over to meet the other boys. Jeremy introduced Tyler and Brian and said, "These are my… new friends."

Valerie smiled, "New friends," she repeated. "That's wonderful, sweetie. I'm so happy for you."

Cindy and Elise saw Valerie with the boys, and acknowledged her. She saw them, became surprised, and took Jeremy and Caleb over to the tables. She said, "Girls! Fancy seeing you two at a police picnic!"

"Well, we're just here out of love and support for our husbands," Cindy laughed. She and Elise introduced their husbands first, then they went around the table for the other C.O.P.S., starting with Bulletproof.

Valerie shoved Cindy in a comical fashion. "You scoundrels," she said. "Why didn't you tell me you were married to police officers?"

"Well, gee, Valerie, maybe because you didn't ask?" Elise suggested, laughing.

But Valerie didn't hear her. She had turned back to Bulletproof and his male cohorts, and began flirting with them, including Longarm and Blackbelt. But these two didn't flirt back, and neither did Bulletproof, though the rest of them did. She barely cared about Mainframe and Mirage's uncomfortable and confused looks, as she flirted her way around the tables. She especially noted Mace without his glasses on, his brown eyes staring into her ocean blues. She was also interested in Bowzer and Sundown's dark, masculine complexions, and their facial hair. But she thought Sundown had the better-looking moustache.

Her hair swung around as she turned to Highway, Bullseye, Blackbelt and Barricade. She stared at all of their faces, and thought their features were the most handsome and heroic. She thought Barricade was the best-looking of them all; she was so attracted to his wheat-colored hair. She began to understand why Cindy married Blackbelt, and Elise married Longarm, so she tried to stop focusing on them. But she wondered about the others. No one else brought any significant others with them. As she flirted she tried to determine which of the others were single, widowed, divorced or separated.

As she went around the table around, she caught Sundown speaking lowly to Bowzer, "She's so pretty. Her husband was a damned fool to throw her away."

But neither Cindy nor Elise were amused by this. Elise pulled on Valerie's hair and made her stop flirting. She screamed in pain, grabbed her hair out of her co-worker's tight grip, and screamed, "Elise, dammit! That hurt!"

"What do you think you're doing?" she replied. "Did you perhaps forget that Blackbelt and Longarm were already married? To Cindy and me, respectably? Certainly glad neither of them flirted with you, or else your ass would've been hamburger!" Valerie looked at Cindy. She looked like she wanted to slap her. Hard.

"Sorry, girls," she replied, embarrassed. "I just didn't know this little team had such beautiful guys."

"Well, while you were off in your own fantasy world," Cindy said, "we were wondering about your house hunting today. You said you were going with your sister today. I assume you just finished. How did it go?"

"What?" Valerie asked, then Rhonda nudged her. "Oh yeah, the house hunting! Yeah, it went great." She proceeded to tell them about the one house she wanted on Turin Lane, as well as some others on that street, and in neighborhoods nearby.

Meanwhile, Caleb wrote down his address and phone number for Brian and Tyler. "Jeremy's staying with me and my family until Aunt Valerie settles in a new house," he told them. "Call us if you want to hang out." Jeremy and Caleb saw Rhonda and Polly motioning for them to come, so they did, saying so long to the new friends.

When Valerie had stopped talking, she noticed that her family had already left. She said, "Listen, you guys, it's been so much fun, but I have to go. My family's probably waiting for me in the parking lot. Cindy and Elise, if we can't get together tomorrow, see you at work on Monday."

"Wait!" Mace, Sundown and Barricade called at once before she left. They approached her, and Sundown said, "Can we call you sometime, Miss Valerie?"

She blushed and replied, "Sure. You can reach me at my sister's place until I find a new place to live." She wrote her name and Rhonda's phone number on three separate sheets of paper, and gave one to each man. Wordlessly, she grinned and rushed off to find her family.

So there's the chapter for you. Hope you enjoyed it; please review. Thank God I'm finished this difficult beginning and can now focus on the romantic aspects of the story. I already know who I'm fixing Valerie up with. I won't tell you who, but I'm planning to have her sleep with more than one member of C.O.P.S. See you in Chapter Four: )