Hi everyone!

I really appreciate all the kind words in regard to this story. It really keeps me motived as I continue to write this little story. For this chapter, I am hoping to give a little more backstory to Detective Jalen Shaw, to make him seem a little more real and human - if that makes sense. So, this chapter will focus on him a little, with some banter between him and Olivia towards the end ;)

Please, enjoy part three! xo

Someone New - Part Three

"Whaddup Uncle Baldy…I mean, Jalen."

Jalen rolled his eyes and let out a little laugh as his niece, Bailey, opened the passenger side door of his truck. He was parked outside of her apartment building on the Hudson campus to pick her up for an afternoon of grocery shopping and probably a late lunch or early dinner with her. He loved spending time with her and being a support to her, especially as he knew things had been difficult lately between her and his sister. That was a whole other can of worms that he sometimes didn't feel like dealing with, but he would continue to support her as best he could.

"One more bald joke and I'm cancelling this whole grocery trip." he joked, earning a laugh from Bailey as she put on her seatbelt. He then nudged her and reversed out of the parking spot, and before long they were back on the main road and headed further downtown to the organic grocery store that they both shopped at. Jalen figured he would kill two birds with one stone today; take his niece grocery shopping and do some grocery shopping himself.

They engaged in light conversation; Bailey talked about her classes and some projects she was working on, and a couple other assignments that were giving her some trouble right now but that she could figure out. Jalen loved hearing her talk about her assignments and other things that she was working on, as he was so proud of her and all that she had become thus far. Bailey was his only niece; born twenty years ago just two days after his twenty-sixth birthday. They had been two peas in a pod from the jump; Bailey always running to him with her problems or for comfort especially after her own father passed away from cancer; Jalen having become a father figure to her. He was on hand for father-daughter dances for Bailey, he was perhaps the loudest that cheered at both her middle and high school graduations. He showed up for every track meet and every soccer game she ever played in, apart from a couple that he had to miss due to work. He took senior portraits with her. He took pictures with her on her awards nights for sports. He was there for everything, and there was a deep connection and trust between the uncle and niece duo.

And it was also Jalen who had been the first person Bailey came to when she began questioning her sexuality in the tenth grade, and it was Jalen who she first came out to during her senior year of high school.

And it was Jalen who dealt with the fall out when her mother did not take that news well at all. And it was Jalen that still showed up for his niece, even when her mother was hardly showing up for her at all anymore simply due to the fact that Bailey was a lesbian.

Before long, they reached the grocery store and immediately headed inside. They wandered around and tossed items into the cart, though they were sure to keep their things separate as to not get anything mixed up. Of course once they reached the check out, Jalen swiped his card to pay for everything even though Bailey insisted on paying for her own. Jalen waved her off, telling her that he would always get her anything she needed, groceries included.

After the grocery store trip, the two realized that it was getting late in the afternoon, so they headed to the nearest sushi restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner. After ordering their drinks and their sushi to start, they were finally able to talk a little bit more.

"So missy, you know what I'm going to ask," Jalen tilted his head, especially as Bailey immediately rolled her eyes behind her black rimmed glasses; "You talked to your Mom?"

Bailey shook her head; "Tried to call her three days ago for her birthday, she sent me to voicemail and I left a voicemail, and she did not return my call."

Jalen shook his head in despair; that truly annoyed him, especially as he knew that his sister was just fine as he had spoken to her since her birthday. He hated that things were like this between his sister and her only child, the only connection to her late husband. It honestly broke his heart that she could be so cruel over something to small, especially after all they had been through. He'd surely had a many slightly heated discussion with his sister over the way she had been treating Bailey since Bailey came out, and it frustrated him that nothing had changed.

"Bails-'

"You don't have to make excuses for her or give me that sympathetic look, and you really don't even have to try and talk sense into her anymore…" Bailey paused to take a sip of her drink, then she continued speaking; "I don't care anymore, Uncle Jae; I really don't. It sucks, but the ball is in her court."

"I know kid, but I just feel sorry about this situation. You're a great kid, and you don't deserve this mistreatment." Jalen remarked.

Bailey shrugged and distracted herself with another sip of her drink. Clearly eager to change the subject, she then started speaking again; "I feel like we've been talking about me all afternoon so far. How are you? How's work?"

Jalen chuckled a little, but he knew not to push Bailey into talking about her mother any further. Instead, he simply shrugged while responding; "It's not too bad, just busy and draining; same old same old." He then paused for a second as their sushi was delivered to the table; they thanked their waitress before turning to each other.

Bailey took a quick bite of her sushi then spoke, "Are you taking care of yourself? Like, getting enough rest and eating and all that?"

Jalen let out a laugh as he looked across the table at her; "Last time I checked, I'm supposed to be looking after you; not the other way around."

"I just have to make sure my favorite and only uncle is surviving out there." Bailey gave him a smirk, one that made her look so cheeky and hilarious. Jalen rolled his eyes and shook his head at her while smiling.

"Well, I'm fine, I promise; drinking my water and all that." he teased before tucking into his own sushi rolls. Bailey nodded her head as she continued eating. She wouldn't ask too many questions, but she did get incredibly worried about her uncle sometimes especially knowing how dangerous his job could be.

"And how are you emotionally?" she wondered.

"I can manage, but the hard cases do still get to me. In fact, we had a tough one over this last week that finally went to trial, and it got to me, that's for sure…" he shrugged a little as he picked up another piece of sushi; "I promise I'm okay, though."

"Still don't regret switching from being a lawyer to being a cop?"

"Not at all."

Bailey then gave a cheeky smirk as she continued; "And have you met anyone yet?"

Jalen rolled his eyes as this was a frequent question from Bailey, as she was always harping on about wanting him to settle down and be happy with someone. He did briefly think about mentioning Olivia as for some reason, she was the first person that came to mind. However, what did he really have to admit? They were two friends who hung out, and who texted each other here and there and all that. There was nothing really to tell in that regard, and honestly, he wasn't sure if he was ready to even talk about her yet.

Again, what was there really to tell anyway?

"You know I work way too much to go out and meet people." he responded, giving her a look.

"That's always your excuse, isn't it?"

"I mean, having to break a date to go stand over a dead body is just not a good look." Jalen raised an eyebrow as he tried not to laugh.

Bailey giggled a little as she nodded in understanding before tucking into her food again. Conversation continued to flow easily between the uncle and niece duo. They talked a little more about Jalen's job, which in turn led to Bailey talking about her own career goals that she had for herself, and eventually the conversation switched to the duo talking more about Bailey's school assignments and plans for grad school and such. Jalen loved talking to her, loved hearing her talk about her passions. He was so incredibly proud of her, and he always hoped that she knew that he would stand by her no matter what path she ended up taking in her life.

They continued to enjoy their little late lunch/early dinner date, and eventually - after Jalen paid the bill - they had slipped back out into the early evening air. They slipped into Jalen's truck, and before long they were back on the road again, headed back towards Hudson University.

Within twenty minutes, they were back at the campus apartments and Jalen was helping Bailey take her groceries inside. He helped her put her groceries away, then after snagging a bottle of Smart water from her refrigerator, he and Bailey walked back outside together - a tradition at this point as Bailey always walked him back out to his car. Once outside and on the sidewalk, she turned and fell into his arms for a hug, and of course Jalen wrapped her up in a protective, fatherly embrace before kissing the top of her head.

"You call me if you need anything, okay? I mean it."

Bailey nodded her head before pulling back; "Promise I will…" she then squeezed his arm before pulling back; "And you be safe out there, please?"

"You got it, kiddo." Jalen then kissed her forehead before slipping into his truck, and after a quick wave to Bailey, he was headed out of the parking lot, headed back home.

It wasn't long before Jalen crossed the threshold into his spacious, midtown apartment, just as the sun was beginning to set over the city.

The apartment exuded a modern, bachelor-style vibe, showcasing both comfort and a touch of sophistication. The floors were a stunning dark vinyl flooring, and the walls were a cream color with a white border around the top; the walls adorned with various art, and framed copies of his degrees. The open-concept layout featured large windows that often allowed the space to be filled with natural light, and also offered sweeping views of the bustling city below. The living room space was anchored by a plush, dark colored sofa adorned with vibrant throw pillows, creating an inviting spot for relaxation. A sleek coffee table, scattered with a few random magazines and a copy of this morning's newspaper, teamed perfectly with the couch. He'd recently had his large flat screen mounted to the wall, and there were a few shelves underneath that held his game system and framed photos of his family and dear friends. The kitchen was equipped with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, including a breakfast bar counter where a couple bar stools sat.

His bedroom held a large bed dressed in crisp dark grey comforter and sheet set, with a folded cream-colored blanket at the end for extra coziness. A nightstand held a lamp and a few personal items and contained a locked drawer which is where he often kept his badge and service weapon. The en suite bathroom had a minimalist design, with vinyl flooring and granite counters and white cabinets and other fixtures. The walk-in shower was perfect for Jalen's height, and there was a deep tub in the corner of the vast bathroom.

The apartment was perfect for Jalen on his own, but sometimes he did wish he had someone to share it with.

As the night continued, he tidied up a little and had a shower, and after changing into some cozy sweatpants and a t-shirt, he flopped back onto the couch with the remote in hand as he decided that a Saturday night movie was needed. As the sun had set and now darkness blanketed the city, the apartment was now dark for the most part apart from the light on in the kitchen area and a tall floor lamp in the corner of the living room. While Jalen enjoyed these quiet moments, these quiet moments also allowed the time for him to think - which was either a good thing or a bad thing.

After the week he'd just had, it was probably a bad thing.

As the movie continued to play on the television, Jalen was less focused on that as his mind went back to the Kenneth Cartwright case; a man who had been consumed by anger and grief following years of microaggressions and having concerns dismissed; and it was the element of being dismissed by a doctor that led to the death of his wife and baby. Jalen was having a hard time not feeling guilty about that, despite everyone reminding him that he shouldn't feel guilty about what happened. But Jalen couldn't shake it; he had helped get that man convicted, when he probably should have insisted that the man get help instead of just sending him on his way.

Vincent had reminded him that Kenneth had acted on his rage, while Jalen had instead turned his rage into police work as he tried to do the right thing and change things. But Jalen still felt guilty about this whole thing, and he would probably continue to feel guilty for a while. He knew he hadn't put the gun in Kenneth's hand or told him to go shoot that doctor, but he might as well have - at least that's the way he saw it.

His phone buzzed, bringing him out of his thoughts. He grabbed the device from the table, expecting it to be work related since there never seemed to be a dull moment. However, he found himself surprised that it was Olivia. And yet, he was grateful that she was distracting him right now.

'Olivia B: 6:45pm - Just checking in! Did you go shopping with your niece? I hope it went well.'

Jalen thought it was incredibly sweet of Olivia to check in. He found himself smiling as he quickly responded, his fingers dancing across the screen of his phone.

'6:46pm - Hey! Yeah, I did and it was great. I got groceries for myself and for her, and then we had sushi for dinner. Successful evening and now I'm being lazy.'

He then focused his attention on the television, trying to focus on this movie and not so much on the guilt that had been plaguing him. He wondered if a lighthearted show would work, and so began flipping through some comedy shows on demand that he could possibly watch.

His phone buzzed again, and he wasted no time in picking it up to read the text.

'Olivia B: 6:47pm - Sushi? I'm jealous, I should take Noah for sushi lol. I'm glad the time spent with your niece was great and that the grocery trip was successful. We are being pretty lazy over here too; I was watching a documentary and Noah's playing his game, though I'm about to make him get off that thing and watch a movie with me lol.'

'6:47pm - You can never go wrong with sushi ;) and yeah, it was so great. I enjoy hanging out with her; she's like my kid!. And don't interrupt the kid's video game time, video games build character lol'

'Olivia B: 6:48pm - Aw that sounds so lovely! Sounds like you two are close! Ha whatever, I'll be interrupting immediately. It's some zombie game too, poisoning his mind lol'

'6:48pm - So what I'm hearing is that you will NOT be allowing Noah to play video games with me sometime?'

'Olivia B: 6:49pm - Absolutely not, you'll probably have him playing Call of Duty or something'

'6:49pm - I'll have you know that he would play NBA 2K or Madden with me, thank you dear Captain.'

'Olivia B: 6:50pm - Okay maybe I'll allow THAT. Lol I'm about to interrupt his video game shenanigan so we can watch a movie, but I'll check in with you later?'

Jalen smiled at her message and immediately responded; '6:50pm - Fair, its better than Call of Duty, you gotta admit lol. Enjoy movie night with your kid. Talk to you later!'

He then put his phone down and leaned back on the couch, letting out a deep sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. For a moment, Olivia had taken his mind off of the guilt that was nagging at him. He noticed that seemed to be a thing; talking to Olivia would take his mind off a lot of things that plagued him. Maybe it was because she was someone that understood the job and how these things could consume you, or maybe it was just because he liked talking to someone that was insightful, funny, and - to be frankly quite honest - very damn attractive.

He ran his hand down his face; "Get it together, Shaw."

He shouldn't think of Olivia like that. She was a superior officer; settled into her ways as she independently lived life and raised her kid. She wouldn't even blink twice in Jalen Shaw's direction.

Would she?

He didn't think so.

But maybe he wanted her to.

Maybe.

Another chapter has been completed. Please leave some reviews or comments and all that. Chapter four will come soon. Thank you guys so much, seriously. I appreciate you :)