Jack barely finished his talk with Kim, when his mother stepped in. Her face was worn with worry and he smiled just to reassure her.

"Are you alright, baby?" She blurted out and he almost cringed at her term of endearment. He guessed even at eighteen he still was a baby to her.

"Fine, fine... He knows about Kim now and he is not happy."

"Just how unhappy is he?" She asked warily and he sighed again.

"He got Kim fired from her job..." he was interrupted by his mom's loud gasp. "I know. That was low. He was also terribly rude to her in the restaurant." At his mom's questioning looks he added, "We dined at the Two Palms. Kim worked as a waiter there."

"I can't believe it. Chris is completely out of line. Is she mad at you?"

"Not really. Well, she is mad at father, not me. But, she also says that it may be for the better that she was fired. The work was hard and people could be nasty."

"She is kinder and more optimistic than most..." His mom added and his heart swelled at this praise of Kim. He often wondered how was it that Kim, even when he knew she was sad or upset, managed to bounce back with kindness and optimism that he so rarely felt. "Is that all that your father said to you? He left quite in a strop."

Jack debated telling mom anything about father's choice of punishment. It was ridiculous, but like all kids he did not want to be the source of the trouble between his parents. As if sensing his hesitation his mom nudged him, "Don't lie to me, baby."

"Fine. He also took away the new car and my allowance."

His mom's face sort of froze and she was thoughtful for a while. Then, "And what will you do now?"

Jack felt somehow that this was an important question to her and his answer would mean a lot to her. Not that it was a difficult for him. "Obviously I am not going to stop seeing her, mom. And I really don't care about that car. It was all about him anyway and it really made people pay too much attention to me."

She smiled then. Briliantly. And it was in that moment that Jack saw that his mom was much younger. She looked young and beautiful with that full smile on her face and he wondered why he hasn't seen it before.

"Don't worry about the money, baby. I will help. And the car..."

"I've got it mom. Remember? I am eighteen." He smiled at her confidently and she shook her head in response.

"You are still a baby to me and I am allowed to worry about you and to spoil you. And I will visit Kim at the GreenBean. Let her see that your other parent is not a fire-breathing dragon. I also will talk to your father about him picking on Kim, when his problem is with you." She kissed him and left, smile still lingering on her face.

Breakfast the next morning was tense and his mother kept shooting him curious and concerned glances. He didn't exactly hear their conversation, but he certainly heard raised voices well into the night. He wanted to reassure her, but his father's stoic presence killed any conversation at the root and he himself fell into the sullen silence. When his plate was relatively empty, he got up to leave and it was this moment that his father chose to speak.

"Leave the car keys on the counter, Jack. You won't be needing them from now on. After you come back from your tournament, if you need rides to school, I am sure your mother will take you."

So this was his tactic: make it difficult and embarrassing for him?

He only nodded in response and turned to talk to mom, "I am off to LA. Rudy is on the way. I'll call you when I am there." He waved at her and left the house with the spring in his step.


Kim didn't realize how much she would miss Jack. School was a drag and the usual glares from Lindsay and Donna did not help. Grace and Julie were a great company when they were around, but both of them had boyfriends. So even when they all sat together there were moments when the two couples would break off into their own worlds and Kim was stuck like a fifth wheel. After school though, she was able to pry Milton away from Julie long enough to discuss their ongoing search. Now that she didn't have to rush to the Two Palms right after the GreenBean, she could properly check the corporate filings for the shelters.

It was the third day of Jack's absence and she was at the coffeehouse with Mike enjoying the quiet afternoon. When the door opened, Kim was almost glad for a customer, but that feeling evaporated because in walked Mr. Christopher Brewer. He stopped in the middle of the shop looking around, with sharp and assessing eyes. Then his face turned to her and his gaze changed from sharp to determined.

Kim's stomach roiled uncomfortably. This was not good.

When he reached the counter, Mike quickly rattled off the standard greeting, "Welcome to GreenBean. What can I get you?"

"Small black coffee. Plain." Mike nodded silently, suddenly serious in the face of senior Brewer's stern face and tone.

"Dear, would you please join me for a cup?" He said addressing Kim and Mike's eyes widened. She looked around as if to demonstrate that she was at work and Mike, the traitor, quickly blurted out that it was OK, he'd deal with it himself.

Ingrained politeness forced her to smile in response, "Of course, Mr. Brewer. I'l bring your coffee to you as well."

She used the few moments it took to fix his cup and walk to the table he chose to center herself.

When she joined him she decided to let him lead the conversation. After all, he was the one who sought her out. She placed the cup in front of him and sat down across.

"It is quite good, your coffee." He said after a long pause to take a sip. "I can see why most of my family comes here." He looked at her with some weird interest, like Kai did at first. Like he could not believe that she could be interesting at all.

"The owner imports the best free trade coffee beans. It shows."

"Yes. But I suspect that the quality of beans is not the only attraction offered here." He paused again and Kim waited. "I underestimated you and overestimated my son. He is clearly too much of a teenager, riddled with hormones and unseemly wants, and you are much too clever in keeping him focused on you."

He stared at her coldly, interest gone and replaced with contempt. She almost shivered at the sight, but held her reactions to herself. "I am sure I don't understand you, Mr. Brewer. Jack and I are together, its true, but no one is exploiting anyone here."

"Please, my dear. I know how it is. He is young and has his needs, and you are clever and pretty. A bit of skin, a bit of flirting, and he fell for you. I am sure it is quite a feat for you." He looked appraisingly over her in a way that told her he wanted her to know that his pocket square alone was more expensive than her entire outfit. "You and your father live in the rented apartments, don't you?"

Kim was fuming and felt no need to respond to his rhetorical question.

"I know for a fact that you work three jobs..."

"Only two now, thanks to you." She bit out, anger slowly rising in her.

"Oh? How expedient... Well, here is the deal, my dear. I can easily get you fired from here too. I am sure you little charity would love a sizable donation and would necessarily get rid of you if I only say so." He said it all in a casual manner as if interfering with people's lives was everyday occurrence to him. It probably was.

"And the alternative?" She knew there had to be an alternative. Guys like him enjoyed the psychological manipulation the most. It gave them sense of superiority and cleverness.

"You can keep your jobs. I'll even arrange an internship with one my businesses contacts. They have an ongoing scholarship program for promising high school students. Once you are there it would be up to you to get the scholarship. All I ask from you is to break up with Jack. He is not responding well to the privilege removal... I imagine he thinks himself star-crossed in love." Here Mr. Brewer shook his head and looked vaguely disgusted. "So, what do you say, my dear?"

Kim was nearly speechless. Such extraordinary steps all to ensure his son did as he was told. She honestly could not imagine it had anything to do with her. Mr. Brewer was clearly not used to losing control of any situation or Jack in particular. It was very little to do with the actual relationship... They were barely eighteen and only really been together couple of months.

Her face must have shown some of her skepticism because Mr. Brewer started talking again.

"Please do not think that Jack is at all serious about you. He had plenty of flings before and most didn't last more than a few weeks. I believe what he is experiencing is the unfortunate and ill-timed teen rebellion against his parents and you are the pretext for all this. In fact, it is because of this misguided rebellion that he probably chose you... After all, you are hardly his usual type and certainly not of our circle." His tone was dismissive and mocking.

"Your presence here and the outlandish offer tell me otherwise." She said in response not hiding her arch tone and a raised brow.

He winced almost imperceptibly and his placid expression turned into a scowl. "I see where Jack's most unpleasant verbosity comes from. Let me give you an unsolicited advice: no one likes sarcastic people. It is just poor manners and mean understanding disguised as wit and humor. You are better off being thought a fool than proving it by talking."

His formality was almost grating and Kim, who he basically called uncouth cheap slut, wanted to tell him exactly where he could stuff his advice. Instead, she recalled her own Nana and her unwavering politeness.

"Your concern for my image is noted. I will, however, continue to live and act as my conscience compels me. I endeavor to act in way that brings me happiness and does not adversely affect others. In doing so, I will seek advice of people who are close to me..."*

Mr. Brewer had the most displeased expression on his face as if heard her unspoken 'go and fuck yourself' loud and clear. He made a sudden, involuntary start of indindignation, "You are quite the spitfire, aren't you? And defy me so openly... And unwisely... You come from a family on the brink of financial ruin! A family which, I might add, is curiously only made of you and your father. One has to wonder where the matriarch of such family would be... Yet she must be quite a character to raise such a conniving daughter, who with barely any connections of her own, strives for a scion of a wealthy family and keeps him distracted from his familial duties. If you think a pretty face and questionable charms would hold sway over Jack for long, you are gravely mistaken. He was born and raised in certain level of comfort and luxury, he could hardly go 'slumming' with some two-bit flirt seriously."

Kim dearly wished she had her handy hose with her, or at least her own cup of something to throw at the maddening man. She gathered her fraying control and breathed out slowly.

"I think you have insulted me in every possible way, including even my dead mother." Mr. Brewer winced a little and she was gratified to see that he was not entirely devoid of deportment. "I was willing to give you credit for maybe having Jack's best interests in mind, when you came here with your threats and offers. I now suspect that you don't know your own son at all. You would have known or trusted him to make those kind of decisions for himself."

There was a long silence during which they two of them sat across from each other, staring, neither willing to break the détente. Finally, Mr. Brewer sighed deeply.

"I now regret coming here with my more than generous offer. I am a man of my word, however. Decide quickly Ms. Crawford. Jack is coming back soon. I want to know your decision by then. If you persist in this defiance... Well then, I will know how to act. I will exert the full scale of my influence to ensure that you are kept apart. Duty is important to Jack. Family is important to Jack. His interest in you is transient. Think on that." He got up and left the shop with the same measured and sturdy grace that he entered it.

Kim sat there thinking, still shell-shocked about everything that just took place.


Rudy was driving and Jack used this opportunity to ask him about the sort of work Rudy thought Jack could do with lower belts. He asked was it necessary to have a black belt or a brown belt would do. Rudy looked at him suspiciously.

"You remember that fight at Phil's? And the blonde girl, who knocked Frank down?" At Rudy's nod he continued, "Well, Kim is a brown belt and she needs a job. You saw her fight, do you think she can work with the no-belts and white belts?"

"I suppose so. She would have the necessary level, but what about her work experience? Did she work teaching before? Or with kids?"

"I know she worked as a barista and she bussed tables. I am not sure about any other experience."

"Have her come in to talk. But, advance warning, I don't need someone full time, understand? Just couple of afternoons with kids after school."

"She is at school herself. It would be perfect for her." Jack thought of Rudy's schedule. "Why don't you have more permanent assistant sensei?"

"I would need to have more students, more classes for juniors, to justify that."

"And the best way to get more students is to have an aftercare program for the elementary school kids."

"And that means additional space, permits, licenses... You know, the business plan. I am not a businessman, Jack."

Jack sat silent again, mulling the situation in his mind. "You know I have been doing a lot of shadowing in my father's company. I know quite a bit about plans, rents, permits, licenses. I can help with that, if its the only thing holding you away from expansion..."

Rudy was thoughtful too and they both lapsed into silence.

Jack relaxed back and thought about Kim, dating her, all the mines, and his father's obstinate attitude.

He only worried about his father's apparent decision to resort to bullying Kim directly. He could honestly take the removal of privileges, as it were. The car was great, but he could live without it. While having a new and expensive car was nice, he was not prone to such flashiness. He did not need to impress anyone, especially not Kim. Besides, he had an alternative mode of transportation that he previously foregone, but now would have to use it.

The same applied to the decision to withhold allowance. He had his share of inheritance from grandpa and his prize money. More importantly, he was eighteen and he could access it all.

Kim, on the other hand, was much more vulnerable than him. She needed money and losing a paycheck was significant to her. Added to these issues with his father, was the harassment she received from Lindsay and Kai. Sometimes he wondered if she would think she was better of without him.

The thought of not being with her left him reeling. He could not imagine going back to they way he was before. He may have not analyzed himself too much, but he knew he was dissatisfied trying to live up to his father's standards. And yet at the time he did not quite see the way out or even saw the need for a way out. He so thoroughly embraced the idea of being a dutiful son and heir that he simply thought that the dissatisfaction was merely him being childish and wishing for fun in his life. What really was happening though was him slowly burying any normal reactions and desires to serve the imagined duty and obligations to the family and business.

But then came Kim, with her bright eyes, sharp tongue, golden hair and attitude to spare and he was lost. He now knew why he stuttered and stumbled around her so much. He literally forgot how to interact like a normal teen. And this wonderful girl took none of his crap and insisted on seeing the real him. He knew he changed the moment she ran into him. He just didn't realize how much.

He recalled vividly one afternoon at the Brewer Inc. It was after he started dating Kim and began playing his father's PA that he realized how often he snubbed the employees with his attitude. Kim told him once that they might appreciate an inside track into his father's mind. He didn't think much of it. But then he overheard one conversation in the warehouse. There was an accident with a forklift and one guy was trapped, but in order to free him, they had to break part of the forklift. He happened to be there and he just sort of smashed it with a sledgehammer. He still blushed remembering the whole scene.

When they freed the guy and everything was fine, Jack left to report the situation to his father. Everything was fine, except they needed to fix the forklift. That was when he overheard the warehouse manager talking to one of the shift foreman. It could have been worse, he said. That 'that miserable old man Brewer' could have been there, instead of the 'young one.' Worse, the old man could have sent his PA to check on the situation. Because he, the old Brewer, would not have bothered to get his hands dirty and the PA would have stopped to think about the equipment, afraid of the old man's reactions. So, it was better the 'young Brewer' was here. 'That boy had a good heart and a good head.'

He did not think much of it then... Didn't Kim tell him that it was employees' right to take behind the back of their bosses? His father offered compensation and a commendation to everyone who was involved in the forklift incident, but it was Jack who went to check on the guy, and talked to others in the warehouse, and then the managers of divisions for reports. It was actually an office Christmas party that he realized it all. This old secretary from the Finance came up to him with her home made lemon squares and, after apologizing several times, offered them to Jack. Because Jack reminded her of her grandkids and he said he 'liked homemade sweets.' And the trapped guy had a gift for him. And the managers thanked him for the input. They acted like they knew Jack and liked him. Then the conversation in the warehouse came back, making more and more sense. Before he met Kim he was just as cold and implacable as his father and the employees may have obeyed him, they did not like him and did not want anything to do with him. Truthfully, he did not want to go back to being like that. To be a 'miserable young Brewer.'


Kim did not have the luxury to sit in quiet and think about Mr. Brewer and his offers and insult. This was the only paying job she had for now and she wanted to keep it. She went back behind the counter and threw herself into work, ignoring Mike and his questions about that 'silver fox.' If only he knew... Said silver fox was really an absolute bastard to her and, even though she fumed and worried, she also wanted to know what drove him to be this way. This, this, overreaction to her and the fact that she was dating his son was very surprising. It felt like with Kai: there had to be a reason for this coldness and studied control of Jack's life. Still, Kai only verbally sparred with her, because his real goal was Jack. Mr. Brewer was far more dangerous. If she understood everything correctly, he took away some of Jack's privileges. She thought of what those could be. Car? Money? Inheritance? Probably not that. As far as she knew, there were no other children besides Jack... And Jack did not abide him immediately.

Her heart swooped a little at the thought.

And then faltered. His dad was right. Jack grew up well-off and was probably used to the easy and monied life. Not that he was spoiled or materialistic, but it was different and difficult to adjust to having little money or limiting yourself to only the necessities. She could right a manual on that herself. Before her mom got sick and they spent everything fighting the illness, her family was a solid middle class. She had her choice of clothing and presents, her lessons and 'fun' money too. She did not have to worry about phone plans and college funds.

Their transition into what she called "genteel" poverty was gradual and she and her dad learned along the way how to adjust to having little money. She became the master of Sunday coupons and shopped only deeply discounted merchandize. She also worked. And saved. And took buses. And used pay-as-you-go plans. She scrounged up and counted pennies. It was exhausting and she was not sure Jack knew all that it entailed to being poor. She did not want him to know. Didn't want him to learn these hard lessons she had to learn.

And worst yet: she did not want to be the reason for his poor circumstances. How long before he resented and regretted his choice? How long before he decided that their relationship, young as it was, young as they themselves were, was not worth the breach in his family? Her thoughts traveled in circle, swinging wildly from triumphant 'we could be together despite all' to depressing 'he would hate me if he stays with me.'

She was at the cash machine when a new customer stepped in. She almost ducked under the counter hoping to avoid the coming conversation, because it was Kai - smirking and beaming.

"Kim, how are you today? Moping without your lover?"

"I am fine, thanks for asking. And you? Good? Cappuccino again?" She barely managed a shadow of a smile at him.

"You know me so well. How is the competition going for Jack? I, unfortunately, had to sit this one out..."

"He finished the first roster. He is confident he will make the rank." She answered while preparing the drink.

"Yes, yes. He is very serious about his ranks in karate. I told you karate, his father and business are the true rulers of his heart." Kai said casually and Kim almost dropped his cup at this unexpectedly well-timed jab from him.

"And what rules your heart? I imagine karate, since it is in your genetic make-up as a Brewer. What else? Some deep and dark secret or trauma that was left unhealed? Or something more run-of-the-mill: absent, disinterested parents? Or maybe overly involved parents?" She answered passing a cup to him.

His face twisted a little and he grabbed her wrist as he took his cup. "I like you, Kim. Really, I do. I think you are way too much fun for such a stick in the mud that is Jack. But I would watch your tongue if I were you. Not everyone is as lenient as me. Next time, it might be a wrong Brewer that you pissed off."

He let go of her hand and walked away, very much like his uncle did two hours earlier.

Just as Kim thought her day wad over, she saw that Lindsay was outside the coffee shop looking in and Kim nearly groaned in frustration. Would this day ever be over?

They stood like that for a moment - Kim at the counter and Lindsay outside the shop - and then Lindsay smiled a triumphant smile and walked away.

Kim was too tired to contemplated the reason behind the smirk. She was only glad that this long day of unpleasant visitors was over.

*This portion of the dialogue between Mr. Brewer and Kim is a inspired in part by the great Pride and Prejudice.