JCA Extended: Chapter Two
Lydia was typing some things on her computer when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called out.
"Hello, Miss McPeek" she heard a smooth British accent say.
Lydia looked up instantly and flushed at the sight of Valmont. "Oh! Uh, hi, Mr. Valmont sir."
Valmont smiled, slightly flushing as well. "I just wanted to make you aware that I'll be testing the alarm system so if you hear anything go off, do not be alarmed."
Lydia smiled. "Thank you for the warning! I don't think anyone here would wanna see me freak out, it's not a pretty picture." she said teasingly.
Valmont chuckled softly. "I suppose not! Well uh, I best be going, good day, Miss McPeek!" he said rather nervously.
Lydia stopped him before he left. "Hey wait a sec! Uh if you're not doing anything after work, would you like to have a cup of coffee with me?" she asked shyly.
Valmont's eyes grew in surprise. Lydia wanted to spend some time with him? "Uh...sure, a spot of coffee would be...uh... jolly good!" he stuttered.
Lydia smiled. "Great! I'll see you after work then" she replied with a wink. Valmont blushed a bright pink and left the office smiling.
"So you're saying you boys want to reform?" Captain Black asked the Ice Crew when he and Tag went to check on the security guarding them. Strikemaster Ice had told him about their desire to turn good.
"Yeah dawg" Ice replied, "There ain't nothin' cool about being here in prison. We want out!" DJ Fist nodded silently in agreement as usual.
Captain Black slimmed his eyes. "How do I know this isn't a plan for you to commit more crime and to escape Section 13?"
MC Cobra then spoke up. "We're for reals, yo! I promise we'll prove it to you!"
Captain Black sighed. "Alright then. It's only fair to give you a chance. I'll arrange a court date so that they can decide your probation. Whatever they decide, Agent Tag will be your supervisor."
"Yes, Captain" Tag stated.
Then, the two men left. Strikemaster Ice sat back down slightly irritated. "Yo it's like he don't trust us or something" he complained.
"We gotta build our trust with these guys" DJ Fist said quietly, "They haven't seen our good side so we gotta show 'em that we're legit!"
Lydia was waiting outside Valmont's office. "Man I can't believe I had the guts to ask Valmont to coffee!" she thought to herself.
Valmont finally came out and smiled. "I am ready when you are!" he exclaimed as he held out his arm. Lydia shyly took it and walked with him. They soon arrived at a nice coffee shop near the San Francisco Bay. The weather was perfect outside; a rainstorm had just passed so the sun was just starting to come back out and the aroma of the air was as fresh as the rain.
"Mmm this is delicious!" Lydia exclaimed as she sipped her coffee, "So Valmont, tell me about yourself." Valmont quickly grew nervous. If he told her about his criminal past, he would never win her heart! But she was so sweet so he felt he owed it to her.
"Well uh" he began, "I was born in Britian and came to America as an exchange student when I was 11 years old. I have been here ever since. After high school I went to college for a while until I realized how much I despised school and wanted to be rich again, since my host parents were jolly wealthy. I went to Sri Lanka and trained at the monastery there for a while. They wanted me to become a monk but I was only interested in becoming strong in the martial arts. I eventually left when I got the highest amount of training completed and came back to San Francisco. I became so power and money hungry that I decided to begin my own international crime syndicate, the Dark Hand. I recruited several people to help me, promising them wealth and prestige. For a while I was living large and was the most powerful villain in the world. Eventually though my criminal empire crumbled from too many expenses and I was living off the streets, committing petty crimes to try to regain my wealth. I ended up going to jail and breaking out perhaps a thousand times and decided to turn to the good side, since I was tired of the life I was living. I drove a bus for a while since it was the only job I could find but when I exposed another criminal trying to rob the major city bank, Section 13 was impressed and offered me a job with them. And that brings me to where I am today."
Valmont took a deep breath and anticipated Lydia's response. He had never disclosed so much to someone he didn't know well yet! But there was something about Lydia that was different...different than the women he had encountered in the past. He did, however, leave out the encounters he had with Shendu and dark magic since he was sure she would not believe him. Lydia gazed in surprise for a moment, taking in his story, and then smiled warmly.
"Wow. That...was an amazing story" she began, "Reforming is one of the most difficult things a criminal can do! My big brother is in the military and he's told me stories. Tag as well. I'm really proud of you for changing your life!" she ended.
Valmont stared in surprise. "You...you are not upset with me? I mean I almost took several people's lives and stole quite a bit from others and-" he began to rant.
Lydia stopped him and smiled again. "Of course not! Look, all that was the past, something we can't change and that doesn't matter anymore! What matters is the person you are right now, and you're quite amazing. I have great respect for people who work hard to change their lives for the better."
Valmont blushed red and smiled shyly. "Wow, she is truly a charming woman!" he thought to himself. "Thank you, Miss McPeek" he said out loud, "That means quite a bit to me."
Lydia smiled. "You're very welcome! I hope you and I can get to know each other more. And please, call me Lydia" she replied. Valmont smiled as he took her hand and kissed it gently. "As do I, Lydia."
"So that's the blood pathway of the heart!" Lydia exclaimed. Jade had come over after school one day to Lydia's office for biology homework help. "Wow! Thanks so much, Liddy" Jade said happily, "You make it sound so easy!"
Lydia laughed. "It's what I do, I guess!" She and Jade walked around Section 13 after homework was complete. Jackie and Viper were out on a date so it would be a while before he would come to pick her up.
"So you wanna become a secret agent huh?" Lydia asked.
Jade smiled. "Yep! Jackie said when I turn sixteen, I can start training! I'm gonna go out there and kick some butt!"
Lydia smiled. "Hey I believe in ya, kid, go after what you want! You're a feisty girl, just like my niece Cassie, and I like that! Who knows, maybe you can end up babysitting Agent Tag" she added playfully which made them both laugh.
Jade stopped instantly and stared at what was in front of her. The Ice Crew, attired in green probation suits instead of orange prison ones, were doing electrical work. The court had assigned them to six months of community service, doing engineering projects around Section 13 for starters. "Hey! What are you guys doing out of the slammer?" Jade exclaimed.
The three youths turned around and got angry when they saw Jade. "Why do you care, pipsqueak?" Ice shot back. "We're trying to be good, yo!" Cobra added, "We don't need your sass!"
Lydia frowned. "Guess there's a rivalry between them" she thought. Then, out loud, she asked, "Jade, who are they?"
Jade blushed, forgetting that Lydia was standing there, and the Ice Crew looked up shyly at the lovely woman before them. "Oh, uh, sorry Liddy, they're just three prisoners who were a pain in the butt in the past" she said somewhat rudely.
Ice was about to retort when DJ nudged him, giving him a "that's-enough-Ice" look.
Lydia frowned again. "I'm sure they have names, dear" she replied as she got down on the ground to their level. "I'm Lydia McPeek, the new fitess counselor here. What's your names?" The three boys drew back in surprise. She was being nice to them! That's a first for them from anyone in a while.
"Uh I'm Strikemaster Ice and this is my crew, DJ Fist and MC Cobra" Ice said, pointing out his other two friends.
"Nice to meet you guys!" Lydia exclaimed, "I think it's cool that you guys wanna be good! Let me know if you need anything, ok? My office is right over there". She smiled once more and then walked off with Jade.
The Ice Crew's eyes widened. "Whoa, she's nice yo!" Cobra said, "Why can't everyone treat us like that?"
"Sorry that happened back there, Liddy" Jade apologized when they walked away, "I just don't like them! They did a lot of bad things in the past."
Lydia smiled kindly. "It's alright, kiddo! And you know, the past is the past. Give them the chance to be good before judging them as something that they may not be anymore."
The Enforcers got out of the elevator of Section 13. Finn, Ratso, Chow, and Hak Foo decided to visit Section 13 and meet the new fitness director that had been greatly talked about.
"This place is sweet!" Chow exclaimed. "Yeah" Ratso replied, "I hear that every morning they serve donuts AND pancakes every morning now!"
The other three looked at him and laughed.
"You and food, Ratso" Finn chuckled. "Hey Captain Black, stop working so hard!" he called out.
Captain Black turned around and smiled. "Hey guys! Long time no see!" he stated as he shook their hands.
"We thought we would come and say hi" Chow said, "And meet this fitness person that everyone here has been telling us about."
"She's great!" Captain Black stated, "Follow me, I think she's still here!"
Lydia finished showing a client how to do some hamstring stretches to relax their lower back when the five walked in.
"Lydia I have some more people for you to meet!" Captain Black said.
"Oh wonderful!" Lydia said with a smile as the Enforcers walked in.
The four stopped and stared in fascination of the beautiful woman in front of them. "Hi guys!" Lydia said enthusiastically, "I'm Lydia McPeek, the new fitness counselor here." The Enforcers shyly introduced themselves and tried not to stare at her. Emphasis on tried because her beauty was almost hypnotizing!
"Lydia I wanted to show you where you can do your fitness classes" Captain Black said, "Excuse us guys, we'll be back!" Lydia smiled warmly as she walked by, which made the Enforcers blush.
"I saw her first so I'm gonna ask her out" Finn said bravely after a moment of silence.
"Get real, Finn!" Chow exclaimed, "She should get to know us first and see which one of us she likes best!"
"I'm sure it will be me" Hak Foo added proudly, "My strength is enough to charm any woman!"
Tag laughed as he was randomly passing by and overheard their conversation. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, guys" he stated teasingly, "Liddy has had her eyes on Valmont, and I know for certain he's crazy about her!"
"Awww" they whined together.
Tag laughed. "Oh perhaps you can try to compete! Hah, imagine, competing for a girl against your former boss. That would make good reality TV!"
The next evening, Lydia was stretching in the Section 13 studio, the new home of her fitness classes. Her long hair was secured in a ponytail and her hair was held in place with a red folded- up bandana. She was wearing a white tank top, navy blue basketball shorts, and black sneakers. She was doing one trial class to see how many people would arrive. The more success she had, the more classes she would add. This class, which she called Tone Up, would feature both cardio and free weights to give her "students" a good full body workout.
"You're not gonna kick butt too hard, are you Liddy?" Lydia laughed as Tag walked in the room with his exercise attire.
"I'll try not to!" she replied.
Tag laughed in return and tried to pose like a male model. "What do you think, Liddy? Should I charm everyone with my defined pecs when I take my shirt off?"
Lydia laughed out loud. "Taggart McStone! If you take your shirt off you'll scare everyone with the muscles you don't have!" She laughed more when Tag pretended to look annoyed, and then laughed.
"Oh Liddy you're such a class act! If Larry were here you both would torture me!"
Soon enough, people started coming in. Lydia was excited to see how many people were showing up! Included in the mix were Captain Black, Valmont, the Enforcers, Jackie, Viper, Jade, Tohru, and even Uncle.
"Hey Valmont!" Lydia said with a giggle as she greeted her crush. "Hello Miss Lydia" he replied as he kissed her hand. He admired her outfit while she admired him in his black sleeveless top and black pants. "You look lovely" he stated confidently which made her blush. "Thanks! You don't look too bad yourself" she added with a wink, which made Valmont blush in return.
"Man I guess those two do like each other" Chow said to Finn as they observed the encounter.
Lydia went around and greeted everyone. "Hey Jade! Who are the newcomers you brought with ya?", referring to Tohru, Viper, and Uncle, whom she had not met yet.
"This is my Uncle" Jade began, "And this is his assistant Tohru. And this is Viper, Jackie's girlfriend!" Viper had not yet met Lydia since her day assignments for the past few weeks had been out of the office.
"Hi! I'm Lydia McPeek, the new fitness director, welcome!" Lydia greeted.
She looked at her watch. "Time to start!" she said enthusiastically. She ran to the back of the room and put on a microphone set so everyone could hear her. "Alright everyone, let's get started!" she stated happily. "Wow, this is a great turnout for the first time teaching a class here, I hope we have good attendance every time! Alright, uh let's crank some music and start by running around the room! Go!"
"That was a great class, Liddy!" Tag exclaimed after class as people were helping out away equipment.
"Thanks, Tag!" Lydia exclaimed.
"Yeah that was fun!" Jade added, "I think you got Uncle in shape already!" she laughed as they saw Uncle still panting.
"Aiyah, Uncle is too old to play with young people" he sighed.
Lydia chuckled. "You did great! The nice thing about exercise is that you can personalize it and make it enjoyable for you! Besides, exercise will keep your body from aging quickly and will make you feel good!"
Valmont walked up to her after she put some weights away. "Uh...Lydia...I...was wondering if...I uh...could take you out to dinner sometime." he stuttered nervously. He had been wanting to ask her out for a while and had finally worked up the courage to do so.
Lydia squealed on the inside. "Yes! Finally!" she screamed on the inside. On the outside, she managed to be cool and collected. "I would like that!" she replied sweetly.
Valmont smiled big. "Smashing! How about tomorrow night after work if you're not busy?"
"Okay! I can't wait" she said flirtatiously as she blew an air kiss towards him as she was leaving the room. Valmont blushed to no end and smiled daydreamingly.
Lydia looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled. "I look good!" she thought as she did a final check. Her hair flowed in luscious waves and she was wearing a sleeveless black dress with silver studs and silver gladiator sandals, accessorized with diamond jewelry and a glittery blue wristlet. Valmont had told her that he was going to take her to a nice restaurant so on her break, she ran home and got a nice outfit to wear. She walked towards Valmont's office when Tag walked by and smiled.
"Whoa Liddy! You're lookin' goooood!" he said while whistling playfully.
Lydia laughed. "Oh stop, Taggart!"
"Valmont taking you somewhere nice?" Tag asked.
"Yep" she replied, "Oh gosh Tag I am so nervous!"
Tag laughed. "You'll be fine! I'm happy for you, Liddy, have fun! And behave yourself" he added with a wink as he walked away.
Lydia laughed. "Oh Taggart!" she said to herself. She smiled more when Valmont walked out of his office and stared at her. Valmont was well-dressed with a black suit, blue shirt, and silver tie. She could tell he put on cologne, which made him even more attractive.
"Wow...you look very beautiful, Lydia" Valmont gushed as he kissed her hand.
Lydia blushed. "Aww thank you! You look great as well! Hah our outfits match, we couldn't have planned that better!" Valmont laughed when he realized she was right.
"Smashing! Let's get going" he stated. As they were walking, Valmont nervously but confidently took her hand into his. Lydia squealed in her mind as she intertwined her fingers with his. "So far, so good!" she thought happily.
"This is a lovely restaurant! And the food is wonderful!" Lydia exclaimed. Valmont had taken her to a nice Italian restaurant by the Bay. He had reserved an outside table with candlelights so that they could watch the sun set as they were eating. Lydia was enjoying fettucine alfredo with chicken while Valmont was feasting on a seafood ravioli.
"It's jolly good indeed!" Valmont replied. He took one hand into hers. "You look especially lovely in the candle light" he added romantically. Lydia could feel her heart rate accelerating. She liked Valmont so much! "You are so fortunate to look so wonderful for your age!" he added.
Lydia smiled. "Hey you're my age and look just as young! We're just awesome like that I guess" she joked which made Valmont chuckle. He was no doubt in love!
After dinner, Valmont took Lydia for a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge, which had been beautifully repaired after Drago destroyed it months prior. They stopped for a moment to watch the moonlight reflect off the water.
"Wow it's so beautiful outside!" Lydia exclaimed.
Valmont smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yes, you are" he said. Lydia squealed out loud.
"Aww!" she squealed as she gave him a hug. Valmont smiled big as he wrapped his strong arms around her. After a while, he grew nervous as he turned around and faced her. "I'm sure it's quite obvious by now but I like you tremendously, Lydia" he began, "You're the most incredible woman I've ever met!"
Lydia smiled huge. She had a feeling that he liked her but hearing him say it was just wow! "Aww I really like you too, Valmont. You're such a great guy!" she replied excitedly.
Valmont smiled bigger. She did like him! "Oh smashing!" he exclaimed, "And here I thought I would never have a chance with you" he ended rather quietly.
Lydia looked surprised."Aww why would you think that?"
"Well, I thought since I used to be a criminal you wouldn't want to be with me."
Lydia turned around and looked deeply into his turquoise blue eyes. "Valmont. You're a sweet, caring, guy who is more classy than anyone I've ever met! Not to mention you're SO handsome!" she squeaked, which made him laugh. "To be honest, I've had a crush on you since day one and I can't tell you how happy I am to have you in my life."
Valmont smiled huge and without really thinking about it, pulled her towards him, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips gently against hers. Lydia was shocked at first but smiled in complete ecstasy. "Oh wow!" Lydia thought excitedly. She then puckered her lips and kissed him in return. Valmont instantly blushed and loved the softness of her lips. The two kissed for a while under the moonlight. After their lips separated, the two looked at each other dreamily and hugged.
"Wow. That was amazing! You're a good kisser" Lydia said romantically. Valmont smiled as he tilted her chin towards her face and kissed her again. He was so starstruck by how in love he felt that he was speechless!
After their kiss, Valmont faced her again. "You're jolly special to me, Lydia McPeek. I was wondering if you...uh wanted to be my girlfriend." Lydia's eyes lit up in delight. Valmont wanted to date her!
Lydia squealed. "Yes! Oh I would love that!" Valmont laughed at her adorableness as the two kissed again.