Author's Note: Hi, I'm back again. Well, after looking at the Chapter 29, I had just posted on the site, I looked at it, (and the original document) and decided that it was too long. So, I took all that stuff about Valerie's disastrous visit with Mace's family off here, now it's on Chapter 30. It wasn't so much work however, I hope you like the new change.

Oh, and again, I was shocked to see that Mrs. O'Malley's first name was really Linda, not Elise, as confirmed in a Yahoo! Group thread for this show. That was disheartening, since I already had a Linda in this story, and this site doesn't allow writers to go back and change names for this purpose. Sure signs of a casual fan, huh? Well, in event of me writing a sequel to this, I will be using the name Elise again if the need be.

Please read and review the newer version, and tell me if you like it better condensed.

Chapter 29

"Crooks invading the Royal Brass Modeling Agency!" Mr. Lancer cried as he was reading Valerie's report. "While you were on the job? I don't believe this! Valerie, you should consider yourself grateful you and your team weren't hurt!

It was the day after the disastrous photo shoots. Valerie had noticed Mr. Lancer was in his office, so she submitted her report in person. He lowered the paper and asked incredulously, "Do you have any idea what could bring this on?"

"Turbo Tu-Tone said something about attempting to bring back something for the Big Boss, I think," she answered. "Buttons McBoomBoom shut him up before he could say anything more, but I think he was going to say 'beautiful models.' I was somewhat relieved. At least Big Boss and his crew finally got the hint that I wasn't interested in them."

Mr. Lancer read the report further. "The green screen you were using for the backgrounds was damaged in the police shoot-out? That must've taken hours to repair! And what this about a related side project, that which obviously had nothing to do with the original assignment?" He put the paper down again. "Valerie, I'm glad you could find some way to occupy your time, but that was still a waste you encountered. And wasted time is wasted money. Of course, it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for that damn Big Boss. I'll have to have Edwin write to Mayor Davis, telling him to do something about this. I'm glad for the modeling agency's security system, but there has to be a way to keep those dastardly characters behind bars!"

"That'll happen when Mayor Davis grows some balls and quit being a pawn to all of that bastard's plans," Valerie replied. "And both you and I know that's not about to happen anytime soon."

"Well, I don't know what Jim Kirkland will think of the extra advertisements. You featured one of the C.O.P.S. in a series similar to the original. Sundown, is that one of those men you're dating?"

"That was absolutely Gerinna's idea, I swear!" Valerie said defensively. "When the C.O.P.S. arrived to make some arrests, it turns out Geri had a flirtation with Sundown before she and Stephen joined me. She wanted to know who the 'fine-looking gentleman in the cowboy hat and the silver badge' was. When I mentioned that Sundown was originally from Texas, she immediately got the idea that he'd be the perfect spokesman for the jeans. I was apprehensive at first, mainly because I feared what Bulletproof would say. Luckily, he seemed to accept the idea, and Sundown was willing to do it. Geri's busy developing those pictures, and the ones from the original assignment, as we speak. She'll probably get Sundown to put his signature on his ads when they're ready. I'm sure you and Mr. Kirkland will love it."

Mr. Lancer leaned in his chair a little bit, looking concerned. "I'm hoping Mr. Kirkland will accept this second set."

"I'll send him a letter explaining what happened, to go along with all eight ads." She cleared her throat loudly and grinned, now thinking of the Hidieku project. "So, how did everything go with those Hidieku car ads?"

Mr. Lancer had an indifferent look. "The good news is," he said, "the clients were very impressed with the magazine ad. Scott gave a good presentation on both the magazine and commercial versions. They were very attracted by the cover, said it gave them the same feeling as if they were touching the car, or something along those lines. They were ecstatic by the photographs of both exterior and interior. As for the written pitch, they commented that you have, 'a talent for pitching products," but they thought it was a bit too detailed."

"I had to get all the important parts," Valerie said. "And what about the commercial part?"

Mr. Lancer was frowning now. "Well, the clients seemed a bit turned off. Scott mentioned your decision to cast one of your other boyfriends from C.O.P.S., Highway, as well as your son, Jeremy. Before the commercial was even played, they commented that, 'casting a motorcycle expert in a car commercial is obscure.' They liked that you included all the important features, the same as your print ad, but when they saw Jeremy, they said he was, 'too ugly and weird to appear in a television commercial.'"

Valerie began to blubber, ready to cry. "How dare they say that about my own child!" she cried. "I should maybe show them that Neapolitan Ice Cream Puffs ad. That was one of my crowning achievements, you know! Or maybe that Shaken Baby Syndrome commercial for the Children's Hospital! Maybe once they see how wonderful and special he is, they'll take that comment back. That was rude and ignorant, and I'm going to write to them, telling them this."

"Still, this should encourage you to do auditions for commercial actors, rather than relying on just friends and family," Mr. Lancer advised. "You and Matt were able to do this with all the models for the Pretty and Plump project. I'd like to see that from you more often."

She nodded unhappily and got up to leave. Mr. Lancer called her just as she opened the door. He said, "Mr. Sussex left you an important memo yesterday, about the activities of next week."

She nodded and went to her office, where she found a single sheet of paper tacked in the middle of her bulletin board. It was indeed a message for her from Mr. Sussex, dated the day before. The subject line read: STAFF INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED. It read:

As you know, Valerie, we have just begun the important search for replacement employees. The part you and Cindy wrote in the "help wanted" ad, about showing tolerance and respect towards other workers' personal situations, proved to be necessary somewhat. Over the week, we received a healthy amount of regular mail and e-mail from people seeking employment in the required fields. Although no one stated their opinions on worker harassment or offer you sympathy in their cover letters, they assured us that they're easy to work with. More than thirty interviews have been scheduled between the period of September 29 to October 13.

You will understand that this hiring process will be part of our mission to crack down on worker intolerance and harassment, most of which you were the main target. These interviews won't be conducted like normal; we will be asking some questions about you and Jeremy, and showing them copies of the advertisements featuring him. If we find their opinions on this subject to be unacceptable, we will have to pass on them. Therefore, I would like to ask you to sit in with us during these interview processes.

I have approached Elise O'Malley about this matter during lunch, and she has agreed to tend to your project managing duties during the interviewing period. Hopefully, with teamwork in hiring decisions, we can replace the fired employees faster, and have both of you back to your work sooner. Please contact me as soon as you receive this.

c: Elise O'Malley

Valerie had already agreed to help with the interviews when she read that paragraph. She kept looking at Elise's name in the "copy" line. Valerie had dropped Jeremy off at the O'Malley house, to spend time with Brian. Maybe she'd retrieve her copy from her office and deliver it to her. And she'd planned to call Mr. Sussex when she got home.

After she hung up with Mr. Sussex, Valerie called Karen to tell of her new assignment.

"That's great news!" Karen replied. "I hope you can find a disciplinarian who can at least make some exceptions for special needs children. Someone who's less of a bitch."

"I'm sure we can find some," Valerie assured. "After all, normal parents like to think of sensible, non-psycho ways to discipline, right?"

Her sister laughed. "Non-psycho. I'm starting to see why the C.O.P.S. are so into you. Did anyone ever tell you how funny you can be?"

Suddenly, Valerie's call waiting beeped, and she noticed Bowzer's name on the caller ID. "And speaking of which," she said, "can you hold on a minute? Looks like something of an emergency call." She clicked to take the call, and saw Bowzer's image on the screen.

"Valerie," he said. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing all right," she said. "So, did Bulletproof say whether your e-mail message worked on Chief Irons? I haven't heard from him since Monday."

"It didn't work, and they've already waited long enough," Bowzer replied. "I think they've already resumed the investigation. I've been hearing colleagues say that what I did to you several weekends ago was not like me. I've also heard Barricade say how I've reformed since the others spoke with me."

"Then they don't believe you should lose your badge either." She rolled her eyes, now believing that she was his last chance. "God, some of thee people! Shall I meet you at the main police headquarters tomorrow? I'll sacrifice my lunch hour."

"Please?" Bowzer pleaded. He paused, then, "Actually, the reason why I called was–"

"I think I can guess, and I was just on the other line with Karen. She shunned away that 'rebuilding our love' part of the e-mail I gave her. She wasn't bitchy about it, but I wish she'd give you another chance."

"I knew she would. So I was just informed that I have tomorrow off. You and your family won't be busy then, will you?"

"I'm definitely free. I've just finished my part of that Texas Pride assignment I had, when you guys arrested the crooks yet again. Monday, I guess I'll judge the final product of the ads with Mr. Lancer, then Tuesday, I'm sitting in as we interview candidates looking for jobs."

"Oh yeah, Blackbelt took that all around the headquarters as soon as Cindy told him. I know I've never gotten involved in what those people said about you, giving my opinions and comforting you and all, but I'm glad they all got fired. You're a wonderful mother, no matter what anyone says, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Valerie felt like she was glowing. "Thanks, Bowzer." She kissed her video screen.

"Anyway, I'll just get to the point," Bowzer said. "I'm cooking a very special dinner tomorrow, and I want you, your mother and your sisters to come. Just you ladies."

"I'm willing, but I don't know about them," Valerie answered. I really want to give this relationship another shot, but after what happened, they're so convinced that I can do better."

"Which is why I want them to come, too. I want them to know how much I love you, and that I am worthy of a woman who is as beautiful as you."

"Okay, how about this? I'm going to get back to Karen and tell her about you. Then, as soon as I have everyone's acceptance, I'll call you back."

"I'll be waiting, my dear." Valerie smiled and clicked the phone button, back to her sister.

"Valerie?" she called. "Valerie, what the hell took so long? I was about ready to hang up."

"Oh, that was Bowzer on the other line," Valerie said. "He invited me to his house for dinner, and he wants to see you, Rhonda and Mom, too."

"And you said yes?" Karen sighed harshly and rolled her eyes. "I really have nothing to say to him, Valerie. I'm sorry, but I'll never get past that sexual assault on you! It's really surprising that you still have feelings for him."

"He wants another chance to get back into your good book," Valerie told her. "And about that sexual assault, I'm going to help him clear that up on Monday. He needs to be cleared of those charges, desperately."

Valerie waited while Karen thought it over, making disapproving looks. "All right, I'll come. But only because I've decided that Bowzer can keep his employment with the C.O.P.S., and I'm obligated to support you helping him to get off."

"Well, you could've sounded less cynical," Valerie replied, "but thanks, anyway."

"So, I'll hang up with you and relay this to Rhonda," Karen said. "You can call Mom, and I'll call back around fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes is good. Talk to you later." Valerie hung up and quickly dialed her mother. When she answered, Valerie relayed her conversation with Bowzer, and the dinner invitation. Polly looked very displeased, and her daughter soon got that look, too, as if it was contagious.

"Oh, Mother, stop being bitter!" Valerie pleaded. "I was able to forgive Bowzer, and show an interest in repairing our relationship. The least you can do is support me."

"Valerie, my dear," Polly said, "being raped is not a 'forgive and forget' situation. You're letting your naïveté take over, just like you did when you were giving Tom all those endless chances. It's one thing to defend your parenting of Jeremy to your critics, but this is something else entirely. Can't you just tell him to leave you alone?"

"I guess I should also remind you that the e-mail Bowzer sent me did not convince Chief Stephen Irons one bit," Valerie replied. "You remember I told about that, right? Now he's depending on me to save his career. I think I owe him that. Karen has agreed to come to dinner at least to support this decision. Won't you come along, too?"

Polly paused, thinking about that last thing her daughter said. "All right, you convinced me with that last part about his career," she answered. "If he's shown any remorse – which I think he has, since you chose to forgive him – then I guess he can keep his badge and computer dog. But I think you can do better than him. After all, you still have Mace, Sundown, Barricade and Highway. And I don't think you could ever be a 'dog person.'"

Valerie chuckled a little. "Blitz's attack on Jeremy suddenly came back to you, didn't it?"

"If that mutt ripped his flesh off once, what makes me think it won't happen again?"

Valerie ignored that remark. "Thanks for agreeing to do this, Mom. I really appreciate this. I'll call Karen in a few minutes and tell her."

"Have her call me later tonight. It's been a couple of weeks since I last heard from her. I want to know what been going on with her."

"I will. Bye, Mom."

Valerie called Karen back five minutes later. When Karen's image appeared, she asked, "So, what did Rhonda say? Will she be having dinner at Bowzer's place with us?"

"Rhonda was reluctant, but she agreed to come," Karen said. "She wanted to know why you're so quick to accept his apology after what he did to you. She also questioned your decision to help him out of his legal problems, to help save his reputation. Seriously, you wouldn't have done any of this with Tom if he were still here."

"For starters," Valerie replied, "I practically raped him in order to get Jeremy, or so, that's what he'd still say. I'll have to call her later."

They talked about different things for a few minutes more, Valerie reminding Karen to call Polly as well. When they hung up again, she called Bowzer back.

"They've all agreed to come," she told him. "I think Mom and Rhonda especially have some things they'd like to discuss with you." Suddenly, she felt a tug, and saw Jeremy embracing her middle. She soon had a thought. "Oh, and would it be all right if Jeremy came along with us?"

Bowzer looked stunned, and she noted that it had suddenly come to him. "Oh, right!" he declared. "Of course I'd like to see Jeremy there. God, how I could have forgotten him?"

"Probably too many sleepless nights over your future with C.O.P.S., and winning my family over again," she suggested, giggling. Any woman would understand that, she thought.

"Seriously, Valerie," Rhonda said as Valerie was driving to Bowzer's house the next day, "I don't see why you would want to get him off the hook. I mean, the guy deserves to lose his career, as far as I'm concerned."

"Gee, Rhonda," Valerie replied, "you were never this bitter towards him when I first told you. I would've expected this kind of response from Karen, the way she responded. What the hell has Richard been telling you?"

"Valerie, do you really think a sexual abuser like him deserves to have some power of authority?"

Valerie sighed. "That's exactly the type of thing I don't want you to say when we're at his house. Especially not you, Mom. And in the event of Jeremy going up to hug him hello, you won't interfere, right?"

"Valerie, I intend to tell him exactly what I think when the time is right tonight," Polly responded. "And, remember, you have four others whom Jeremy bonded with better. I don't think he's going to miss Bowzer all that much."

"God, I hope Jeremy didn't get that," Valerie muttered to herself.

They arrived at the house, and when they walked to the front door, Valerie instructed her family one last time, "Remember, nobody say anything rash." She rang the doorbell, and was immediately attracted when Bowzer answered. Dark blue dress shirt with black slacks.

"Wow, Bowzer, you look so handsome," she told him. "So sharp. You know I love it when men are willing to dress up for me." She kissed his lips three times sensually. He looked up for a moment to see her sisters behind her, wincing and whispering. Then, he looked down at Jeremy, the boy eager to hug him hello.

"Hey there, Jeremy," Bowzer said as he picked him up. "It's been so long since I've seen you." He gave him a hug bigger than Valerie kissed him. Jeremy's grandmother and aunts looked at this strangely, but they never bothered to take him from the K-9 expert's arms.

Bowzer showed the family to his living room, and said, "Dinner will be ready in half an hour." He decided to put Jeremy in a spare bedroom, away from his first conversation, and Blitz. He then retrieved five glasses and a bottle of champagne from his kitchen. Everyone except Valerie accepted grudgingly. She glared at them, ready to lecture about their rudeness, but then she caught a look at his expression, stating that he was expecting this.

Valerie got up to stand beside Bowzer, her arm around him as he began, "Ladies, you're all probably wondering why I invited you all here, and that's to ask for your forgiveness." Silence.

"I know you were all upset by what I did with Valerie here late last month," he continued, "and I understand that. I have come to regret just popping over to her house, scaring her at her door, and bringing her here against her will."

"You say that you regret it, and that's may be fine for you," Rhonda said. "Then why did you do it in the first place?"

"Rhonda, you don't know how desperate a man gets when there are others competing for the same woman's love," Bowzer answered. "And when that woman sees more of the competition than she does the man in question, how's he supposed to react?"

"Oh, let's see," Rhonda replied. "Maybe if you learned a thing or two about patience, you would perhaps call her the next afternoon, ask if she's not so busy, then invite her over to talk civil about it. You know you've done the wrong thing if your love starts comparing you to Edward Rochester in that book to outsiders."

"We don't see Valerie as just another Jane Eyre," Polly added. "You really took advantage of her sweet-natured attitude."

"And for that, I want you to know how sorry I am," Bowzer pleaded.

"You know, it really is my fault as well," Valerie said. "I think maybe I wouldn't have had this happen if I called you more often, Bowzer. I don't know, perhaps I should call men more often than when I'm just feeling lonely or bored."

"Now, Valerie, you really didn't do anything wrong in this," Polly insisted. "I may have taught you girls all about equality to men, but I know that it's still good etiquette for men to call women more often than the other way around."

"Mom, don't be so old-fashioned," Valerie said.

When dinner was ready, Valerie and her family found themselves eating in the living room. "I'm terribly sorry if there's not nearly enough room at my dining table," Bowzer apologized.

"Only two seats there?" Karen wondered. "Bowzer, did you date much before meeting my sister?"

"Karen!" Valerie cried.

"Now, now, that's an appropriate question," Bowzer assured his girlfriend, then turned to Karen. "Yes, I've had some relationships back when I was a K-9 officer in Chicago, before I'd joined C.O.P.S. Of course, I've always been faithful to my dogs as well, and the women weren't really dog lovers, and they couldn't adjust. I haven't had a relationship that lasted more than six months. Every woman I've dated was either allergic, or loved cats too much, or just got tired of competing with my canines for attention."

"Still," Valerie interrupted, annoyed, "a boyfriend's past love life is none of my business, unless I'm being harassed by one of them." She shuddered violently, thinking of Mace and Nightshade together.

"Well, Valerie's never been a dog person herself," Polly said. "Not since Jeremy was a baby, of course. And with his condition, I don't think that will ever change. Valerie's been afraid to let him be around large dogs, and pardon me for bringing up the dog attack from this summer, but I think that confirmed it."

"I think Jeremy's already gotten used to Blitz," Bowzer said. They all paused to see Jeremy petting the robotic dog's metal head. "He's usually a friendly dog, so long as you don't do anything to provoke him."

"Furthermore," Polly added, "I really don't think Jeremy can handle the responsibility of caring for a dog. I don't think he can even properly care for a hamster."

Bowzer swallowed his food, looking worried at her. "Gee, Mrs. Slamier, is there nothing I can say to prove my worthiness? Is there nothing I can do? I really do love your daughter, and care about her and her son… a lot."

"Do you even know what love and caring are?" Karen wanted to ask, but stopped herself by eating more meat and vegetables.

"Bowzer, I really don't think there is," Polly answered, regretfully. He sighed, almost ready to cry, and Valerie held him close for comfort.

Other than Jeremy's incoherent mumblings, nothing was said for the rest of the dinner. Everyone except Valerie refused a second serving. She and Bowzer went into the kitchen to eat this time. When he started his serving, Bowzer's hand went off his plate to touch Valerie's arm.

"Oh, Valerie," he said softly, "I'm starting to wish I'd acted a little more delicate when I asked you to come here that time. I wish I'd never forced you to have sex with me. I wish I could tell you sorry a thousand times, but I don't think it'll work now. I'm terrified that our relationship is doomed."

"You should've realized that I love you like I love the others," she replied. "But you understand that I also love my mother and sisters. I will still care for you, but if they make it final that I can't be with you, then I have to respect their wishes. I'll talk to them later on; perhaps I can tell them to let you down easy."

Suddenly, they saw Jeremy come into the kitchen, put his plate along the sink, stand in the far corner. Bowzer was about to ask him something when suddenly, they started to hear her sisters arguing in the living room. Valerie quickly shushed him so they could listen.

Meanwhile, Karen was telling Rhonda, "Listen, I seriously think we all need to back Valerie up in her decision to get Bowzer out of his legal trouble. Help her help him save his reputation."

"Yeah right, Karen," Rhonda retorted. "I really want a violent rapist patrolling Empire City streets, enforcing the law."

"It was only that one time, really, and only on Valerie," Karen reminded her. "You know, reading that e-mail of his that she gave me, I believe that he is sorry for what he did to her. Mind you, that doesn't mean he's coming back into her life. But that doesn't make it halfway liable for Bulletproof to kick him off the C.O.P.S. team. You think he's been doing this to every other woman he's seen since? Rhonda, it's not like Bowzer's a modern-day Jack the Ripper, who goes around killing women."

"Still, he's no better than those bastards who beat up Rodney King all those years ago. I thought those officers needed a career change then, and I think Bowzer needs one now. Men like him do not deserve to be carrying a badge and gun. Now, I think that he should be suspended from law enforcement for at least a year, and be made to do one thousand hours of community service. And when he's off suspension, Bulletproof should not allow him to be part of C.O.P.S. again. Bowzer and his little partner should serve whatever other precinct is willing to take him."

Now Karen was getting madder. "Oh, for crissake, Rhonda! How ironic that I was that cynical in the beginning!"

Then, Bowzer and Valerie heard Polly cry, "Girls, please!" Polly went to the kitchen and put her plate away, then she turned to the K-9 expert.

"Bowzer, there's one question I'd like to ask you," she said.

"Valerie and I overheard that whole argument, Mrs. Slamier," Bowzer replied. "I know what you want to ask me. Ma'am, in all my years of law enforcement, I have never acted in a psychotic manner like that. I promise you; I have never physically assaulted anyone while on duty, criminal or otherwise. The most violent I've ever gotten was when criminals tried to escape me, and I had to tackle them to the ground like a football player. And the only time I ever screamed at them was to tell them to quit resisting as I put them in handcuffs. Honestly, I would never do anything on the job that Bulletproof would frown upon." Bowzer then had a thought, and motioned for Polly to come closer.

"If that's what you're worried about," he said to her, "then I'd be a bit concerned about Valerie and Mace being together. He may seem nice and sweet towards your daughter and grandson. But when he's on the job, he's a really rough SOB. Not only is he a "let's-get-it-done-right-now" person, but he's also the hot-headed one of the group. If another team member, usually Barricade, isn't there to restrain him, he'll go hog wild. One time, I heard him cursing out like a drunken sailor to a group of punks who were carjacking. And on another case, I saw him punching out a young man breaking and entering a jeweler's. Unconscious, I might add. Mace may have this 'heart of gold,' per se, but he also likes to crack a few skulls whenever the mood strikes him. It must be the adrenaline getting to him. I'd ask him about that next time he sees you."

Polly nodded, seeming to believe him, then called for Jeremy to take back to the living room. Valerie took Bowzer's hand and whispered, "Nice, but I don't think that's going to get you off the hook."

They finished their meals shortly afterward, then she helped him with the dishes. In the middle of drying the plates, they saw Karen come into the kitchen, looking solemn. Her arms were folded as she approached the couple. They turned, and Valerie gave a blunt, yet curious, "What is it?"

Karen was focused on Bowzer, and said, "Bowzer, you may have noticed that I hadn't said much all throughout dinner. That was because since the previous incident here, I had nothing to say to you. But now, I would like to say that I wish you the best of luck in trying to revive your reputation as a police officer. I believe your apology towards Valerie was more than just empty words, but I still think you're going to need that with the big boys in the higher departments. I would think that you learned something from being suspended by Bulletproof that one time. And I also believe that Valerie still cares for you in a sense. But please don't misconstrue that as a blessing for you two to marry. After you sexually assaulted her, I don't think that you would make all that great a husband for her. However, if Valerie wants to help you get off on those charges, so she can still see you on the C.O.P.S. team, then I will lend my support. But seriously, as far as a romance is concerned, I think you should stay away from her afterwards."

Bowzer held out his hand, but Karen wouldn't take it. "Thank you," he said.

"And thank you for letting say what was on my mind." She went back into the living room.

Bowzer and Valerie returned to the dishes, Valerie grumbling silently. "You would think she'd at least say, 'Nice house you have' while she was at it," she told him.

They had put away all the plates, glasses and cutlery, and left the pots to soak in the sink. But just as they went to join her family, they saw Karen and Rhonda preparing to leave. Valerie looked appalled at this lack of manners.

"Sisters!" she cried. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry, Valerie," Rhonda said, "but I don't feel all that comfortable here, and I believe Karen summed up all that we have to say to Bowzer. We'll be waiting in the car." They left, and Valerie watched angrily as they walked to her car.

But before she could apologize, Bowzer said, "It's okay, Valerie. Something told me at the last minute that this was a bad idea. I kind of got the feeling I'd never win Karen's approval, the way she screamed at me at the headquarters that time."

"No need to explain yourself," Polly said. "You said all that you had to. I will be talking to those girls about their behavior when I get into that car. But I will agree with Karen on one thing, and that is you'll never make a worthy husband for Valerie."

Valerie and Bowzer were horrified when she said this, but then Polly placed her hands on his shoulders and said to him, "When Valerie called me that one day, and told me what you did to her, I was more than disgusted. I may have told you this before, but Valerie is my youngest daughter, and perhaps the most fragile of the three. I understand that you were begging to see her, and that you couldn't handle thoughts of what your colleagues might be doing with her. But you handled her entirely wrong, and you could have scared her away forever. I was there for her when Jeremy was declared mentally retarded through Tom's actions, and I was there every time Valerie tearfully brought me another story about Jeremy being spanked, by Tom or another person. What you did that night could've been demonstrated by Tom, minus all that sexual innuendo. And I'm sorry, but all the apologies you could give would not be enough for me or this family to accept you again."

She turned away to look all around the house. "I will say this, though; you do have a nice, inviting home, and the potential to be a good husband to someone special. But Valerie may not be that person. You may have very well blown it with her. However, that doesn't mean you deserve to be lonely; like I said, you have potential to be a good husband. Unfortunately, you'll have to go out and find that woman to take as your wife. I understand that you've learned your lesson, and that you won't hurt Valerie again, but I can't let her take that risk in her next marriage. She and Jeremy deserve a better husband and father than Tom ever could be, and right now, I think your competition would be able to do a better job than you could. Do you understand, Bowzer?"

Bowzer looked like he was ready to cry. "I think I do, ma'am."

"All that said, I will add my support to let Valerie help you get off with the law," Polly concluded. "Despite what you did, it's obvious that she still cares for you, and I believe you deserve to keep your badge, your guns, your uniform." She looked down at Blitz, panting happily at her. "And your dog."

"Thanks, ma'am," Bowzer replied.

"Thanks, Mom," Valerie added.

Somehow, Jeremy sensed that his grandmother would make him come with her, so he trotted up to Bowzer and gave him one last hug goodbye. "Goodbye,… Bowzer," he said. "You and… Blitz… have… been… pretty… good to me. I'm… sorry… things… have to… be… like… this."

"Hey, try not to be so sad, kid," Bowzer told him. "You know you can visit me and Blitz at the headquarters whenever you want to, right?" He let go of the boy to give him one final serious message. "Listen, now whomever your Mom ends up choosing, I want you to be on your best behavior for him. You promise?"

"I… promise," Jeremy said, then smiled.

"Bowzer, you know Jeremy always behaves himself whenever it can be helped," Polly said.

Jeremy and Bowzer hugged one last time, then Polly took the boy from the officer's arms. After they left, Valerie turned to Bowzer, hugged him, then kissed him on his cheek.

"I'm sorry we couldn't work out this romance, Valerie," he said.

"Bowzer, just remember that I will always care for you," she promised. "And you can take this whole thing as a lesson on how to treat the next woman you fall for. You deserve to be married. So sorry that it can't be me." She let go, then asked, "So, I'll see you at the Empire City Main Police Department at noon tomorrow, maybe a little later than that?"

"Please?" Bowzer replied. "I need you then more than ever."

"I'll be seeing you." She blew him a kiss as she walked out the front door.

He went to his window and watched her get into her car, backing out of his driveway. She drove off, out of his love life. It took only a few seconds to realize his loss. When he did, he turned away, and sobbed for much of the evening.

The next morning, Valerie was previewing the Texas Pride ads with Gerinna. They had just finished the versions with the younger models, now they were examining the ones they did with Sundown. Valerie had immediately decided she liked the ones with Sundown better.

"God, but I've never seen him look so sexy," she commented. "Oh, but if those pictures could move, it'd look as if he was exotic dancing. That shirtless thing was a great idea."

"Actually," Gerinna said, "he looks more like he could be a model in one of those 'hot cops' calendars. Too bad all those and the fire fighter calendars have been released in stores. Sundown here would make those babies sell."

"So would Mace and Barricade, and probably Highway," Valerie told her. She kept staring at the blue jeans ad. "God, he looks so hot with that one foot on the block there. And I like how you combined the front and back shots evenly onto one page. This is exactly what Kirkland will be looking for."

"Do those jeans make his ass look fine, or what?" Gerinna commented.

For the "brown jeans" ad, Gerinna had the frontal shot of Sundown on top of the back shot; it looked like the white block had been removed. Valerie smiled with approval and said, "I like what you've done here. He looks a little sexier, posing lying down like that. But he looks like he's lying on air, especially on the top."

"The block was overlapping, so I had to remove it from both," Gerinna said. Just pick a spot on the white space, and that can be his floor that he's lying on."

Valerie was immediately attracted to the "black jeans" ad. She said, "I like Sundown's hairstyle in the front shot. That hat on his chest is going to drive girls wild, I know. Too bad we didn't make hold that from the side. The consumer will want to know what he looks like without his hat and showing his chest."

Gerinna glared at her a little. "Maybe you should've told me to give that instruction, Val!"

"I like the back shot on that one, though," Valerie added. "No doubt jeans stores across the country will want to use that one as one of those large cardboard cut-outs that they display in windows."

"That's true," Gerinna agreed.

But Valerie was horrified by the last ad. Gerinna had chosen Sundown's "spread legs" pose for the front shot. She couldn't have controlled what back shot to use; she knew Sundown was straddling the chair in all of them. But she pointed at the front shot and demanded, "Why didn't you go for the one with his boot on his knee?"

"I wanted to, but he looked like a bored male stripper waiting for his bus ride home," Gerinna answered. "Trust me, this is going to get a bigger response."

"But what if Mr. Kirkland gets turned off by that one? He might think that looks vulgar and disgusting!" Valerie thought of Bulletproof now. "What if Bulletproof sees this particular ad? If he doesn't slap Sundown with a suspension for indiscretion, he'll behead us both for making him indiscreet!"

"So I'll see what he thinks when I take these ads down to C.O.P.S. headquarters, and have Sundown sign them all." Gerinna grinned and patted her project leader's shoulder. "I think we have a spokesman in the making here, don't you think?"

Valerie never answered her question; she just went through all those ads again, and discovered they had the same headline: Texas Pride can make even a sheriff look sexy. Also, the Texas Pride logo was on the bottom right hand corner of each one. "Nice," she said. "I just hope this headline won't scandalize the Texas Police too much if they see it in magazines. I don't think I could come up with anything better."

"Scandalize Texas Police?" Gerinna repeated, then shook her head. "Why would it? Seriously, Val, you worry too much sometimes." She proceeded to take Sundown's ads to the headquarters. Valerie sighed, still skeptical, then went to her laptop to write her letter to Jim Kirkland.

An hour and a half later, after taking down the address, Valerie drove to the main police headquarters. She tried to remain confident, but was mostly sick with worry and fear. She knew this was the final step towards a court appearance, where Rex "Bowzer" Pointer could lose his badge, guns, even Blitz. That, she knew, she couldn't let happen. The whole drive, she kept telling herself, "You are a persuasive, caring individual. Although you can't love Bowzer anymore, you can save him from ruination."

She was surprised to see both Bowzer and Bulletproof standing outside the main building. Both were dressed in their working clothes. All she could do was hug Bowzer; she didn't feel enough love to kiss him. When she let go, she turned to Bulletproof and asked, "Bulletproof, what are you doing here? Did Irons ask for you to be here?"

"He did, in the reply that he sent about your e-mail," Bulletproof said.

Inside, Bulletproof led the now ex-couple to Chief Iron's office. The door was closed, so Valerie volunteered, knocked and called, "Chief Irons? It's Valerie Boston, with C.O.P.S."

She was startled by Chief Iron's booming voice coming from the hall. "Just the people I wanted to see," he said. "Come with me to the interrogation room."

As they followed, Valerie looked at both Bulletproof and Bowzer, confused, "Why do we have to go to the interrogation room? I know this concerns a crime, but I expected something more like a business meeting in his office."

In the interrogation room, they saw a single table with three chairs, two on one side. Valerie looked at Bowzer and they whispered, saw Irons sitting in the other chair. They took their respective seats, but when Valerie turned around, she noticed Bulletproof standing off to the side a few feet away.

"I take it Bulletproof's only going to talk when you'll need him," she said.

Irons ignored her and began the questioning. He looked at Valerie. "Now, Ms. Boston," he said, "I want you to explain what happened the night Rex 'Bowzer' Pointer took you to his house."

"It was like any other lazy Sunday," Valerie answered. "I was alone in the house all day, because at the time, my son was away with one of Bowzer's colleagues. The day before, I had an acceptance from a radio station, JEWEL-FM, for a radio commercial I did for them. As a side 'assignment,' they had me doing a play that they present for a radio theater show, or something, so I spent most of the day doing that. I was still working on it when I first saw Bowzer that evening."

"How did you first hear from Bowzer?" Irons asked.

"I heard the sound of rocks being thrown at my living room window," she said. "At first, I ignored it because I thought it was some bratty kids; they'd eventually go away. But the sound continued, so I got up to tell them off myself. I was shocked to see Bowzer and Blitz both standing on my lawn."

"How did you react towards him?"

"I had known him to show up at my house impromptu for a date, mainly because he thought I wasn't doing anything." She turned to Bowzer. "Is that right, Bowzer?" He nodded, and she turned back to Irons. "He looked like he was drenched in water. That was the shocking thing. I thought that if he was going to be on my lawn throwing rocks at my window, the least he could do was have a love serenade ready for me. But I thought he and Blitz were going to ruin my lawn, regardless. So when I asked what he was doing on my lawn, his response was to walk up to me and gave me this long, hard kiss. To say I was blown away would be an understatement.

"I can't remember exactly what he told me, but apparently, he was sick and tired of his colleagues hogging all my attention while he got the short end of the sticks, so to speak. The next thing I knew, he was putting me into his car."

"Didn't you ask where he was taking you?"

"I couldn't say anything until we got to the house. When we arrived, all I asked was why he had to drag me to his place, and couldn't we go out for coffee."

Irons turned to Bowzer. "What would possess you to do this?" he asked him.

Bowzer sighed, thinking of the night he claimed to have banged on Valerie's door and got no answer. "The day before, I was a little peeved to hear about Mace's date with Valerie – the movies, the nightclub. That was the one where he swore he saw Big Boss and Nightshade, and later, Turbo Tu-Tone and Rock Crusher. To make matters worse, I was there at the Electric Bullet, arresting the crooks who were harassing them. I was distraught when I first learned that Mace had been there with Valerie. At that point, I think I'd been seeing her the least. The only times we'd gone out, really, was when we were walking Blitz."

Valerie sighed with him. "I guess that might be my fault as well," she suggested. "At this time, he may have been a little swamped with his work, and yet, so was I. As well as projects in various sizes at my agency, I was also dealing with co-workers criticizing how I'm raising my son, and that added to the stress. There were nights that I wouldn't make or receive any calls to anyone, never mind the C.O.P.S., because I wanted to recuperate. I know that isn't any excuse for what he did, but still."

Irons looked a little confused. "So you, Bowzer, assaulted her because you two couldn't make any time to be with each other? This doesn't add up."

"Couple that with the 'spirit' of competition at my headquarters," Bowzer replied, "and you bet I'm going to get as desperate as I was."

Irons thought about that. "I suppose that could be probable. But now, I want to discuss the day that Mace told you about his date."

"I called at around seven-thirty that night," Bowzer said. "I wanted to talk about that date, and how maybe we should spend some more time together because of the others. I had been thinking about her a lot, but like she said, I was always out on assignments when she popped by the headquarters. I don't think I'd gotten any time off since that day I spent with her son, Jeremy. Anyway, I got her answering machine, and I'd left a message describing my feelings, and could she please call me back. Well, I didn't know where she was that night; I'd assumed she'd gone out grocery shopping. I'd called back at around nine, and she still wasn't home. Ditto for when I called again an hour later.

At that point, I was nearly begging to see her, so when I drove to her house, I saw her car there. I asked myself, 'How could her car be there, and nobody is home.' Mind you, I'd known about Jeremy's trip with Barricade. She'd left some lights on, so I rang her doorbell. I stood there for about seven minutes without an answer, so I rang again. I even peeped through the front door window, and no one was showing up. So I started to knock loudly every five minutes. After fifteen, not only did I get louder, but I was also screaming her name, screaming where are you? The whole neighborhood didn't hear me, but I attracted the attention of her next door neighbor, who told me that she'd seen her go out in a blue Sedan – Highway's car – accompanied by a man in a cowboy hat and tuxedo. Sundown, I was guessing!"

Irons turned to Valerie again. "Where were you when he came to your house that night?"

The memories returned to her, and she answered, "Highway and Sundown surprised me that day by taking me to the White Apple Palace, to hear some musical numbers. It started out wonderful, but then Big Boss and his minions also showed up there. They didn't give me any trouble after I told them off for the night. Oh, then there's the confrontation with my ex-husband's father and uncle, but they were thrown out soon enough. Other than that, Sundown and Highway showed me a wonderful time. I don't think I returned home until one in the morning." She turned to Bowzer a second time. "I got your message Bowzer, but I was too exhausted to call you back, and honestly, I'd figured you'd already gone to sleep. I was still recovering all the next day. I'm terribly sorry." She rolled her eyes. "Maybe we wouldn't be in this mess if I'd called you that day to begin with."

Irons asked Bowzer, "And the next day, the day that happened, did you go to the headquarters to hear Sundown and Highway boasting about that night?"

"Yes," he replied, "and that's when I really felt sickened. Of course, Sundown also threw in his 'tall in the saddle' attitude about how he and Highway 'courageously' stood up against Valerie's ex-in-laws. I desperately wanted to call her to ask her out that night, but Bulletproof said he and Commissioner Highwater had this 'no personal calls' policy at the headquarters."

Now, Irons was looking at Bulletproof, and he nodded. "It's true, Chief Irons," he told him. "I wasn't particularly happy the day Mainframe reported that Mace had called Valerie to ask for a date on lunch hour. I've always had this rule that telephones and computers were not to be used for trivial matters. I was not lecturous, but I did give Mace a firm reminder. Why would I let Bowzer do the same thing?"

"Fair enough," Irons said, then looked back at Bowzer. "Getting back to the night you allegedly assaulted Ms. Boston, we already got what happened up until you arrived at your house. Can you tell me what you said and did to her when you were inside?"

"Gee, Chief Irons," Bowzer replied, "all I said to her was that I couldn't deal with the competition for her hand anymore, and that I was tired of sitting idly by while my colleagues were, as she previously said, hogging all her attention. I asked her why this was going on, and told her this wasn't fair to me. It wasn't! I told her about how lonely I get! Valerie tried to reassure me that she loved me as much as she did the others. I wanted to believe her, but I couldn't, at least not then. After all, she couldn't possibly love me as much as the others if she was seeing them more often, and I told her so. So I told her that her decision was staring at her in the face. She told me that I was scaring her, and she looked scared, but the truth is I wasn't meaning to."

"And what did you say to her in the bedroom?"

"Basically the same thing, with a speech of how I had to have her. And if I forced her to do anything, it was merely to touch me as I held her."

"You also rammed your penis into me, and you wouldn't take it out until the next morning," Valerie reminded him. "You hurt me, Bowzer. Oh, and then you tried to kiss it to make it all better. Mind you, that kiss was wonderfully nice, now that I think of it. But it wasn't enough to take away the fear."

Chief Irons had been taking notes the entire conversation, and frowned as he wrote down Valerie's last part. "Not good, officer," he scowled.

"And I couldn't even talk to him the next morning," she added. "There was nothing I could say to him. I couldn't thank him for that night, but then again I didn't want to say it was over, or anything that might upset him. I actually believed when he said he was desperate to have me. Frankly, I didn't know what to think. I'd talked it over with a couple of friends of mine. In confidence, though; I didn't want any more gossip to get out all over the agency. Finally, when I contacted him, I said that maybe we should have some time apart. I didn't really want to break up with him."

Irons looked at Bulletproof a second time. "And how long was it before this got to the headquarters?" he asked him.

"Three, perhaps four days," Bulletproof answered, "when her sister, Karen, dropped by to see us. I could tell this had already leaked to the family, because she looked so angry. I was shocked to hear this coming from someone I'd only seen once before. At that point, he had already returned from yet another assignment; I could listen to Karen yelling at him, and throwing some gifts she had back at him. God, she could be heard all over the building. So, I waited until I was sure she'd left, then called him into my office. Bowzer practically confessed to what had happened, and we were with Highwater at Valerie's work the next day, remember?"

"Sir, I think I'd learned my lesson," Bowzer told him. "After I came back from my week's suspension, nobody would talk to me socially at the headquarters, only when we were working together on cases. Finally, I got this impromptu chat from Barricade, Mace, Sundown and Highway." He revealed everything his competition said to him about the incident, including Mace's bit about Nightshade. Valerie shuddered again.

"Nightshade!" she repeated. "That's a name I don't wish to hear anymore, Bowzer."

Irons looked over his notes again. "And you haven't touched another woman in that fashion since the incident?"

"I haven't even thought of anyone other than Valerie, sir," Bowzer said.

Chief Irons reviewed his notes from the beginning. When he was finished, he said, "Judging from what the three of you said to me, it seems that Bowzer has learned a very valuable lesson. Of course, from what I've learned about all this 'competition' within C.O.P.S. headquarters – and yes, Ms. Boston, I'm including your husband's shooting death in this – I would hardly say that you, Ms. Boston, can be classified as a 'victim.' Surely, you know that what has happened in the past month is exactly what can happen, when a woman as strikingly gorgeous as you dates more than one man at once, especially when they're all members of authority."

Valerie just sat motionless, not knowing how to respond.

"However," he continued, "I will take these notes and submit a report to Judge Davis – that's the mayor's twin brother – and see what he says. I'm glad that we could all settle this out of the courtroom."

"Me too," Valerie agreed. "Trust me, I've had some pretty bad experiences in courtrooms. And hopefully, this Judge Davis isn't as corrupt as what I've been hearing about Mayor Davis. I'd hate for Bowzer to lose his whole reputation over this."

"So would I, Valerie," Bulletproof put in.

She jotted down her work and home phone numbers and gave them to the chief. "Here, tell the judge he can reach me at home after six o'clock in the evening."

"I'd like to be the one to inform you," Irons replied. "But thanks, anyway."

Outside, Bulletproof turned to Valerie and said, "Your team member on the Texas Pride project, Gerinna, dropped by my headquarters with Sundown's ads a couple of hours ago. I was a little put off by the ads with him in the gray jeans. I thought it looked indiscreet that Sundown had his legs open like that, and that straddle with the back pose. I don't even know why she had him sign them all. I don't think it'd be a great idea for him to be a spokesman."

"She succeeded in persuading me, though," she said. "Maybe if you convinced him to put a share of the money towards a police widows fund?"

Valerie turned to Bowzer, hugged him one last time, kissed him on the cheek. She never said anything, as she knew that it was really over for them. She slowly walked to her car, driving back to the agency. She never bothered to stop for lunch.

Hours later, just as she was about to leave work that day, her office phone rang. She saw Chief Irons on the video screen.

"Ms. Boston, we just received word from Judge Davis," he said. "He's read the report, and agrees that you weren't much of a victim in this case. He also believes that Bowzer won't ever pull that kind of stunt again. However, he thinks that week's suspension was not enough. So he has decided to put Officer Bowzer on a paid suspension for thirty days, followed by one hundred fifty hours of community service."

"Thank you, sir," she replied. She spoke a few more moments before she hung up.

As she was leaving, she thought, Lord, I hope this doesn't hinder on Bowzer's intentions to find a long-term relationship. At least she knew Rhonda and Karen would be somewhat pleased.

Valerie spent the rest of the week helping Mr. Sussex with interviews. She mostly tuned out when he was asking candidates about things like qualifications, award-winning advertisements, "pick three words that best describe you."

She only started involving herself when Mr. Sussex started asking about personal views affecting the workplace, starting with politics. Valerie listened, but she never really talked with anyone about affairs in Washington D.C. She remembered only giving short answers about wars in faraway lands. Most of the candidates claimed they never talked about religion; some even said it was, "taboo at the parties that I host." Then, they got into Valerie's parenting, showing them the ads that featured Jeremy.

At first, it was the point where interviews began to go bad. While some applauded Valerie's decision to put Jeremy in the commercials – and they could see his purpose in the Shaken Baby Syndrome awareness ad – many criticized her decision to not discipline him harshly. Kathy Hollis, an auburn-haired woman of forty, told Valerie, "I'm sorry, Ms. Boston, but just because your son is differently-abled, and doesn't have the mobility of other children, doesn't mean you can't discipline him like other children."

"Not to be rude, Ms. Hollis," Valerie said, "but I've heard the yearbook answers of 'sense of normalcy,' and how they should be like other children, more times than I care to hear."

"That's just it," Kathy said. "These children are severely handicapped, but they're not so stupid that they can't learn right from wrong. They're actually smarter than people such as you like to think they are. Even children like Jeremy need to be able to fully predict the consequences of their actions. You need to trust him to do the right thing when nobody is around. A hard hand to the buttocks for serious wrongdoing can do a lot to keep him in line. And it can work, trust me.

"Before you ask, I have a nephew around Jeremy's age, also an SBS-ridden child, who is just as physically bad as him. My younger sister, his mother, is a single parent like you, Ms. Boston. She's had to scream at him, and spank and whip him until his buttocks were practically purple, but it taught him that he shouldn't be doing certain things."

Valerie didn't feel like laughing, and she didn't want to verbally assault Kathy, either, so she said to her, "Ms. Hollis, my late ex-husband did to Jeremy exactly what your sister does to her kid, even worse, and even the staff at his former school were putting up red flags, so to speak. Some even testified in my divorce, claiming they couldn't discipline him like the other children because of it. Now, I don't want to knock your sister as an unfit mother, but I'll bet she's the type who easily frustrates. That's not a good trait to have when you're raising special needs children. It takes patience to give them structure. Perhaps she could benefit from some special parenting classes." Then she thought, I'll also bet your sister did most of the shaking, the poor kid.

Kathy was offended, and she replied, "I'm going to tell her about you! If she could meet you, she'd tell you the same thing I said, and give you that same advice! She'd say you were mentally abusing your kid, being overly patient with him!"

"Thank you, Ms. Hollis," Mr. Sussex said. "We'll be in touch." Valerie waited until she was gone, then crossed her name off the candidate list.

Another candidate, Robert Scherdinger – aged forty-four with "salt and pepper" hair, dressed in a military-colored suit – tried to persuade Valerie that her doctors had the wrong views. He said, "Ms. Boston, I can guarantee that there's nothing wrong with beating a mentally retarded child as means for discipline. My sister is a nurse in a children's hospital in Salt Lake City, disability ward. She actually recommends spanking these children to their parents. I won't get into the normalcy part; you're probably already sick of hearing it, but she tells them, 'Don't be afraid to use corporal punishment whenever you feel the need to. It can help them learn right from wrong.' Many of these parents have responded, saying it actually works from them."

Before Valerie could respond, Robert gently took her hand. "Look, I'm sure that we can find some medical research studies that can back all this up. Or maybe you should just change pediatricians, Ms. Boston. The ones you have are obviously submitting to the government officials who are rejecting all this evidence."

This caused Valerie and Mr. Sussex to pass on him as well.

And then, there was an African-American woman in her mid-thirties named Darlene Vess-Jackson. Before the interview started, she introduced herself, "You may have heard of Baldwin P. Vess, Bulletproof from C.O.P.S. I just happen to be his sister." She focused on Valerie. "And you must be Valerie Boston. Bulletproof's told me quite a bit about you."

Everything was going normally in the interview until Mr. Sussex began talking about Valerie's cereal ad. Darlene stopped him and said, "Excuse me, but is this about Jeremy Boston, Valerie's son?"

"It is, actually," Mr. Sussex asked. "I take it you remember the Neapolitan Ice Cream Puffs ad?"

"I have some magazines that carry it," Darlene said. "Apparently, Bulletproof learned about it through some of his men, and he pointed that kid out to me."

She glared disapprovingly at Valerie. "I don't know if Bulletproof told you this, Ms. Boston, but when he showed me your son, I told him I thought he looked like a brat. And if he's as bratty as he looks, then it really shows what kind of a punk parent you are!"

Valerie widened her eyes in shock. "Excuse me!" she cried.

"You heard me!" Darlene spat. "You practically epitomize that term! From what I heard, you seem to use his disability syndrome as an excuse to spoil him rotten! Well, I'll have you know that our parents raised seven children, including Bulletproof and me. And they've used more than their hands to discipline us! They've beaten us with wire hangers, rolling pins, whips, belts, tree branches, wooden and metal utensils, whatever they could get their hands on, whenever we messed up! Hell, they've even physically put their feet in all our asses! If they told us we were bad, stupid and evil, then we were bad, stupid and evil. Now look at us! We've got a brother and a sister both in the Marines, and it certainly made Bulletproof and me the people we are today. You did look at my résumé, didn't you? And you bet your damn rights I use those same methods on my kids!"

Valerie was getting emotional, but tried to remain calm. "Okay, I can safely assume that you and your husband never shook any of your children," she said.

"Perhaps you need to look at the Shaken Baby Syndrome awareness ad that featured both Valerie and Jeremy," Mr. Sussex added.

Darlene watched that commercial with particular interest, but it never fazed her. "So what?" she spat. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened with your husband. Bulletproof told me all about that shooting and all. But all that don't and shouldn't matter! In my opinion, that interview that inspired the commercial never should've happened. Lord, but I was so disappointed. Ms. Boston, when the doctors were telling you Jeremy could never learn like other kids, what was your gut telling you? What were your heart and soul telling you? Didn't they tell you to try and prove those doctors wrong, take matters into your own hands, and teach him yourself? Didn't they tell you, 'Oh, what do these people know? You can open up that can of whoop-ass whenever you feel he deserves it!'"

"Actually, that was Tom's heart and soul," Valerie corrected. "Mine told me to listen to the doctors, and take their advice. They are the experts, after all."

Darlene looked wide-eyed at Mr. Sussex. "Sir, what do you SEE in this woman? You're saying this is a professional project manager? A woman who can't and won't think for herself when it comes to her kid!" She glared at Valerie harder. "Listen, I am so glad that you and Bulletproof aren't having no romance, because no way in hell would you be welcome in our family!"

Valerie looked at her boss, and could tell he'd had enough, too. But he tried to be polite about it. So he said, "Look, Ms. Vess-Jackson, I didn't want to say this, because it might result in a lawsuit. But the purpose of these interviews is to see not only who has the best skills, work ethic and credentials, but also who can get along the best with Ms. Boston about her parenting. Now, it's okay if you don't agree with her skills, but Mr. Lancer and I believe she's doing a decent job, and any bad behavior of Jeremy's is beyond his control. She's never asked for advice, and doesn't take very kindly when it comes unsolicited. She's gotten plenty more upset when people criticize and fight with her, and discipline her son for her. We've dealt with this on all counts, and we had to fire five employees because of this. That's whom we're replacing."

"So, you're not going to hire me?" Darlene guessed.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Vess-Jackson."

Darlene snatched her résumé from Mr. Sussex's. "That's okay!" she snapped. "I'll find another agency in which the working parents can all form opinions of their own!" She walked away storming.

It wasn't until that Thursday afternoon that they finally found someone she could get along with, a woman of forty-three named Marilyn Hobbes. She was looking to replace Kim as project manager. Mr. Sussex had been impressed by her career-long record – a ninety-nine percent success rate, even when she'd been project manager at her old company in Vidmark, Arizona. Valerie was impressed when Marilyn revealed, "When I was project manager for two years, I'd involved my now twelve-year-old son in advertisements promoting such things as children's sports gear and drinks, and a new children's fun house and museum that had just opened in Sedona. My seven-year-old daughter has promoted a line of fashionable toddler gear in the past, and most recently, the Miami Misty dollhouse and Power Wheels convertible. Oh, but Bridget really loves her Miami Misty dolls!"

"Well, here at Lancer and Sussex, we like to encourage managers to put family members in projects whenever appropriate," Mr. Sussex assured her. "The only thing is that you don't make a habit of this all the time."

Marilyn was quite impressed by the second part of the interview. She felt horrid when Valerie told her about Tom, what he'd done to Jeremy, and the lasting effects on him. She replied, "Valerie, I am so glad you divorced your husband, though it should've happened two years ago, maybe three. That actually reminds me of one of my divorced brothers, Patrick." Valerie became even more interested in her.

When she saw Jeremy in the cereal ad, she said, "My, but Jeremy is such a cute little boy. I'll have to tell my Justin all about him. I think he'll need someone a little older to be his friend."

And after she saw the Shaken Baby Syndrome awareness ad, Mr. Sussex asked her, "Now, Ms. Hobbes, just this one question: do you think it's appropriate to spank, whip and beat a child like Jeremy for discipline?"

"Absolutely not!" Marilyn replied. "Now, you must know that I'm a spanking parent, as are several of my siblings. Although Justin hasn't needed a spanking in around four years, he certainly needed one when he was five, six and seven. I've only rarely spanked Bridget for acts of serious rudeness. And although none of us have ever shaken our children, we do have a retarded child in the family; around Jeremy's age, and just as bad as him. Patrick's ex-wife drank heavily and abused drugs during her pregnancy. As a result, their daughter was born two months premature with a severely underdeveloped brain. You try asking her, 'Corinne, what's ten plus ten? Can you tell us your ABC's?' She can't respond very well. Naturally, Patrick divorced his wife when Corinne was four, and one of our sisters looks after her while he works. But the whole family agrees that Corinne and others like her is where we draw the line!"

Valerie was immediately inspired by that story, and she whispered lowly to her boss, "I think I see a lot of potential in this woman."

When the interview ended, Valerie offered to show Marilyn out. "I'd like to get to know her better," she told Mr. Sussex.

He looked at his watch and appointment book. "It's almost time for afternoon break," he replied, "and the next interview is in forty-five minutes anyway. I guess you have some time to kill."

Valerie decided to use this time to freshen herself up. She took Marilyn to the ladies room, and when there, asked her, "Can you tell me a little more about yourself?"

Marilyn cleared her throat and said, "Well, I used to be married to a police officer for sixteen years, but he was killed on duty around nine months ago. Bridget seemed okay, but Justin was so upset, he cried up until after the funeral service. Thank God he doesn't use violence as an outlet for his grief. Me, I never had time to sit down and cry; I had two kids to raise. So I decided to throw myself into my work, demanding more assignments, often getting them done in a day, maybe two. I worked for the Vidmark branch of this company, and I was recommended to come here by my old boss."

Valerie put her lipstick away and applied a little more rouge. "What about your children? You say that your daughter likes to play with dolls, what about your son?"

"Justin loves airplanes and helicopters, anything that can fly," Marilyn replied. "Has been ever since he was a kid. He'd fly them all over the house, and even running all over the backyard, making airplane putting noises."

Valerie thought about Bullseye then, and that time he rejected her because he could never accept Jeremy. An idea formed, and she turned to look at Marilyn

"Look, I have an idea to you'd might want to hear," she said. "But before I reveal it, there's something you should know about me. You see, I have some special connections to this group of police, the C.O.P.S."

Marilyn looked confused. "I'm sorry, C.O.P.S.?"

"Central Organization of Police Specialists," Valerie told her. "Anyway, don't take this around the workplace, but I'm still in love with several members of that group. And there's a helicopter pilot among them, named Bullseye. I think you'll like him. He'll certainly get along with Justin if that kid likes flying so much. Has Justin always dreamed of becoming a pilot?"

"He realized that at around eight years old."

"Then those two will definitely bond," Valerie grinned. "So how about this – if we do decide to hire you, then one of these days, I'll take you down to C.O.P.S. headquarters and introduce you to Bullseye, okay?"

Marilyn grinned back. "That's a deal."

The women decided to go to the break room, so Valerie could introduce her new friend. She definitely wanted to persuade Mr. Sussex to hire Marilyn Hobbes now.