Chapter 11

Jake

When the morning came Jake was surprised to find that Sherry was not at his side. Instead it was Alistair who stared at him directly, unimpressed and bored looking. His tail swung left and right and Jake knew the cat was about to spring, the movement of his tail was a clear indicator that the cat eyed him as prey.

Before the cat could jump Jake stood. His muscles ached as he came to his feet and he stretched out and grabbed his pants off the floor before stalking off to find the petite blonde. The memories of Sherry couldn't escape his head no matter how hard he tried; she was just so comforting and so warm. It was a foreign feeling to him. It prompted anger in him when he realized that it was gone from him.

Upon entering the living room Jake saw her sitting on the couch staring intently at her laptop screen, her eyes were moving rapidly and there was a look of focus on her face. He just watched her, noticing how she bit her lip and drummed her fingers anxiously against the laptop.

"Hey," he greeted her hoarsely; she lifted her gaze to him and let out a sweet smile.

"Good afternoon," her eyes scanned his body humorously, "you are opposed to shirts aren't you?"

He smirked at her and trudged over to her side, falling onto the couch and throwing an arm over the top of it. "What are you reading?" He asked, he made a glance towards the computer but she closed the lid with a grin. The secrecy only made him more curious and now he turned a bit to stare at her directly as she beamed at him.

"It's a new mission. They're considering me for it. It involves this guy from Europe, I can't disclose his name to you but basically this is a high profile case. He's a bioterrorist and he's been supplying people with the BOWS. We've had our eye on him for quite a while but now it seems – more than ever – that he might just be in our grasp and they're looking for the right agent for the job. This is what I've been looking for my whole life Jake; this is what I've always wanted."

He stared at her with surprise, she seemed very eager for this mission. "Is it yours yet?"

"Not at all, they're sending it to a few of us and then we express our interest and they basically go through a system to see who is more equipped for the job."

He eyed her suspiciously, "why is this mission so important."

"Because this is what I've been waiting for all these years, the chance to take a big guy out – to make a significant contribution to the world by removing such a high target." Her eyes sparkled happily, "I'm going to get the mission I just know it. I'm so excited Jake!"

He wanted to discourage her, to tell her that it was madness, the thought of her going on another mission angered him, he could still remember how she hardly survived last time. The reminder darkened his face but he wiped it clean quickly. She had a heartbreaking smile on her face and he didn't want to discourage her, "I'm sure you'll get it too."

"I just need help with one thing; they want someone with a good hand to hand combat background so I'll have to find someone to train me, I don't want to leave any loose ends you know? I have to be perfect." She paused, "There is a training center down the street-"

"I'll do it," he said sharply, the thought of Sherry rolling around with other men made me feel ill, angry, and possessive. "I won't have someone teaching you how to fight like an idiot."

Her eyes narrowed, "you'll teach me?"

"Yes. Of course." He said easily and rolled his eyes, "I know how to fight Sherry."

"I know that Jake," playfully she crawled onto his lap and sat there, allowing him to embrace her gently and then pressing herself into him. His mild displays of affection made her ecstatic, "I watched you fight. But I'm just wondering if it's best for you to be my teacher, we can't be fooling around."

"I never fool around." He said seriously.

She rolled her eyes at his morose tone of voice and kissed his cheek. The heat of his skin so much cooler then it was last night. Last night it was hot and almost feverish, the reminder made her blush. "What do you want to do today?"

"I've got nothin' to do." He murmured softly, stroking her hair and amusing himself with one stray strand.

"Okay, hey I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go get something to eat? I have to go to work later -on tonight so-" her voice came to a sharp cut off as the phone rang. She looked to it with a frown and sighed and started to stand but Jake pulled her back down to his lap.

"Don't get it," he said huskily into her ear, kissing there gently. Sherry laughed and pushed gently away coming to a stand and bending for her phone at the opposite side of the room. Behind her Jake stood and went to the kitchen, hunting down some junk food surely.

Sherry glared at her phone with a look of anxiety resting on her face. Jeffs name blinked up at he and the phone kept vibrating in her hand, from the kitchen she heard Jake call to her, "will you pick it up already!"

She sighed and pressed talk, holding the phone to her ear for a few seconds and saying nothing she gathered up her courage. "Hello?"

"Sherry! Oh Sherry!" Jeff's voice was breathless it seemed and for a moment she grew worried ubt he interrupted anything she mgiht've said, "I'm so sorry – Sherry I lost it last night, I'm so sorry please forgive me for my rudeness." His tone was fervent and she could hear the sound of aching in his words, her stomach plunged.

"Jeff, it's alright. I forgive you. I'm sorry too-

"Please let me see you." He asked her with an urgency that struck her as dramatic, in the kitchen Jake stiffened – he had heard her say Jeff's name and now grew angry and stared at her as she stared out the windows and conversed with a trembling frame.

"Jeff, I don't know if that's the best idea."

"What do you mean? As in not today or not ever?"

"Not today," her voice was quiet and inside she felt a bit of pity, "I mean… I need a bit of time. Do you understand?"

"Yes, completely, please take your time I get it." Jeff's voice sounded relieved.

Jake watched with apprehension as Sherry spoke. He didn't know what they were talking about but he was not happy as he approached and heard the tremble in her tone and the negotiating tones. It bothered him that she was even bothering to spare her breath on that bastard, he had hurt her. Jake had seen the bruises on her hip and the anger flared once again.

"Jeff, I don't really have time to talk right now, I'm a little bit busy," she said to Jeff.

Jake didn't hear the response.

As he drew closer his breath became more labored. He lashed out and grabbed her phone from her. Sherry whirled in horror and stared at Jake as he forced the phone to his ear.

"How dare you call here?"

Silence greeted him and then he heard the voice, "Who is this?"

"You put your hands on Sherry and now you call begging for forgiveness?" The thought made Jake rage, the knowledge of it being real made him murderous. "I'll kill you if I see you around her again."

"Jake give me the phone!" Sherry exclaimed and launched for it. She snatched it from his hands quickly and hung up. He stood there glaring at the floor, his expression all anger and no logic. "Don't ever do that again!"

"He hit you."

"I know that Jake." She sighed heavily; she took his hands in hers and held them gently, trying to pry the fist open, "please just let me handle this." She smoothed his fingers out and watched how he forced himself to not clench them, "He didn't mean to hurt me –

"Don't do that," he commanded with a dominance that left her confused, "don't make excuses for him Sherry. He meant it – he wanted to hurt you for rejecting him. He's a coward and nothin' more." Jakes eyes finally met hers and he felt the sudden urge to protect her. She was so small, how could anyone hurt her? He allowed her to hold his hands instead of pulling her into the embrace she needed. "When are you goin' to see him. I want to be there."

The thought made her heart stutter. She could see it now, Jeff pulling her into a hug and Jake storming out from behind a door and lifting the man into the air by the neck. "It's Private Jake; I don't want you there-

"I'll be around, not there exactly. If he tries anything I want to be there to stop him, just in case."

"We didn't really get a chance to discuss where he and I would talk because you took the phone away," she reminded him pointedly, walking towards the couch and watching him as he ran a hand down his face like a stressed boss, "I'm just confused about what he's going to tell me."

"He's going to apologize and be all self-loathing Sherry," Jake snapped at her, "he's going to try to win you over with apologies and flowers, you just watch." As she sat there staring at him all wide-eyed he suddenly felt his anger lurch at her for her innocence, "and you'll probably drink it all in and melt at his feet-

"No, no Jake I won't," she said with an odd eagerness, coming to her feet and joining him again, her fingers sought his, "I don't want to be with him, I told you that."

"We'll see." He said gently, regretful as she looked up at him with all the sadness of the world. "What are we going to do today?"

"I think we should go to eat somewhere don't you think?" Her tone was friendly all of a sudden as if she were trying to erase his anger with her pleasantries.

"Sure, let's go."

Sherry

They sat in front of each other with eager eyes as the food was set in front of them. Jake ordered a burger and Sherry ordered a salad. He watched her eat with a disgusted look, his mouth was twisted in revulsion and she laughed.

"That is not food."

"It is!" She countered pathetically.

"Nice comeback," he retorted with a roll of his eyes, "Salads are not real."

She stared at him. "What?"

"If you take fruits and put them in a bowl, in their whole form, they're fruits in a bowl."

"Yes."

"If you dice them suddenly they are salad. Now," he chewed patiently as she watched him with an amused stare, "if you take bread, ham, lettuce, tomato, and cheese and dressing – it's a sandwich. Dice it, it is suddenly a salad."

"Yes."

"Its stupid," Jake Muller shrugged as if it was obvious, "it's completely stupid." His eyes searched hers and he saw that she was on the verge of breaking into a fit of laughter. "I'm completely serious."

"I know, that's why it's so damn funny!" She broke into a fit of laughter in the middle of the café. People stared at her with an annoyed look and Jake just shrugged and bit into the burger again, "Jake, that's really good, I'll have to keep that in mind. Would you like some of my sandwich?" She asked, offering him the salad.

He glared at her and sipped his coke. She laughed again.

"So, tell me," she said when she had taken back her salad bowl, "how's the job?"

"It's fine, I'm on vacation but I'm going back in a few days. It's not difficult at all. But I'm thinkin' to get a new job. Maybe in a gym, I'll train and work there. I need a change of atmosphere."

He smiled, noticing that Jake had still not changed his horribly direct way of speaking, right to the point and blunt, he was more American than she was in that way. "Really, what do you want to do there?"

"I can train people. I have a background in Mixed Martial Arts." His tone was bored, as if there was simply no other job to look for, "everything sucks around here, I can't find one thing I'm genuinely interested in that isn't that."

"So go for it." Sherry smiled gently at him. She tossed her hair out of her face, "I can't wait for this mission Jake. It's going to be fantastic."

He said nothing to her and simply swallowed his food; she took no notice of his discomfort when it came to the subject of her mission. He did want her to be happy but he was well aware of the dangers that loomed with her job and the condition that she had returned in before.

Sherry paused for a moment in thought; she remembered that she wanted to discuss something with him. "Jake, I wanted to talk to you about last night."

She noticed his eyes narrow and she glanced down at her salad with anxious eyes. "What about it?"

"Please don't use that tone," her voice became gentle, she disliked the anxiety in his voice, the accusation it also held, "I just don't want there to be any mixed emotions." She looked up at him and noticed his eyes release their tension, his face became a bit calmer and still he held a guarded faced. "I just want to know if you are willing to try things out with me… you know. Dating." Her eyes were fixed on his and her teeth caught her bottom lip.

"Well its hardly fair when you bite your lips like that," he countered with a cocky raise of his eyebrow.

"Jake, I'm serious." She stressed.

He sighed and leaned forward, staring at his best friend with apprehension. "If I say yes what does that mean for us if things don't work out Sherry? Does that mean that we are no longer friends and that I don't hear from you ever again? You see why I'm unsure about this –

"I understand," she defended quickly,"I get it. I do. But, if we're just dating then that doesn't mean anything but dating. I don't want to rush this."

"I think it's a bit too late for that." He said to her. Instantly he regretted it when he saw the blush creep into her cheeks. Around them everything seem to disappear and the smell of coffee and hot chocolate disappeared as they intently focused on one another, "how do we date when we've already done what we've doe and you've already said what you said."

She knew he was referring to her confession of love and their sex sessions. She swallowed uneasily, "I just think that maybe if we try things out…" Sherry didn't know what else to say, she was at a loss for words.

There was a bit of silence before she felt his hand under her chin, tilting her face up quickly. He took his hand back when her eyes were on his face and he let out what she could see was the smallest smile he could manage, "you really want to do this?"

She nodded at him carefully, "but only if you want to."

"I want to." He proclaimed softly and leaned back again, "our first official date is tomorrow night. Eight o'clock, don't be late."

She beamed at him with a gracious grin. "I won't be."

Jake

He didn't know what to do when he got home. There was so much excitement and thrill running through his system, everything he had just experienced had once seemed unfathomable. Why would she ever date someone so damaged and cruel like himself. But there she had been, Sherry Birkin, proclaiming her love for him and telling him that she would want to date him.

He didn't know what to even make of it; no one had ever said that to him, he had never really thought it would happen. He was standoffish and women generally found his behavior repulsive but alluring only for the sex they thought he could offer them.

This was amazing.

He collapsed on his couch with a ghost grin. Everything was really falling into place, he would take her out tomorrow night, somewhere very nice, and then he would wine and dine her, take her back to her apartment and let her go like a gentlemen, he could do that.

He called his mother around 7:00 and spoke to her of the events that had transpired after he left.

She was severely disappointed in her son, which she made no secret of, but was delighted to hear that Sherry and him had taken a step towards finalizing what she believed would be their relationship.

"Mom, no one is talking about relationships on a boyfriend-girlfriend level!"

"Oh Jake, but she's so kind to you, and you know you can hardly stand it when she brings some other fellow around." Her mom held an odd humor to her voice.

"That's not true." He lied.

"You're lying." She knew. "Jake, take her to an Italian place, Italian places are the tastiest."

"Thanks mom," he smirked.

"And put on deodorant! Wear something nice! Not those horrible boots you call shoes. They look like leather shocks!"

"They do not," he defended with a smirk, "you just don't like them."

"That's right! You must dress like a proper gentleman. Anyway, Jake I need to go to the doctors tomorrow to get this cough checked so I must let you go now. Goodnight son, rest well and have fun."

"Night mom, I love you." He reminded her kindly.

"I love you more." She smiled.

He hung up and headed for his bedroom in need of dreams to distract his excitement.

Review please? SO FINALLY Jake has consented to them dating - so now things will get even more interesting as this boy tries to figure out the ways ins and outs of dating.