Walk the Line [Harley]

[Justin Novak]

Justin certainly wasn't your average person, and he certainly didn't look like he was either. He was definitely far from any girl's perfect man. Though he certainly had some aspects of the "tall dark and handsome" going on, there was much about him that was just wrong as far as a dream man went. For the most part, he looked like he was constantly scowling as if he hated the world, and if he didn't look like he hated the world, then he looked like he wanted to kill himself. It was certainly not an inviting look. His whole overall appearance was just not appealing. Attractive, certainly, as far as physical features went... but as far as demeanor and his outlook on life... he was certainly anything but beautiful. He had all sorts of scars and other such flaws that he inflicted on himself by the lifestyle he had chosen, and he definitely had the look of a hardened criminal... of the ex-con he was.

With bad luck as a topic of discussion, I must say Justin was a professional on the subject. His whole life was essentially a story of bad luck. From abusive parents to jail time every which way he turned he was faced with more unfortunate events. It had gotten so bad that he had just plain old given up. What was the point in trying if he was just going to end up back where he started and seeming to move backwards with every step he took forwards. He felt like he was trying to walk against a powerful wind that only pushed him the opposite direction he was trying to get, and the process was exhausting. So he gave up on the fight and just let the wind push him where it wanted to.

Now he was in Montana, and every day was a fight for his survival. He wasn't even going to try to get a respectable job here. He was a street fighter now, and he wasn't turning back. He was good at it, so why should he do something different just to please the very people that had forced him into the original desperation that had driven him to the underground street fights? No... Justin Novak was done trying to be a "good guy." Like everyone had been telling him all his life, he was just street trash and would never be anything but. It was a cold hard fact of life... or so he had allowed himself to be mislead into believing.

Today had been just another ordinary day. Wander around aimlessly, run, workout... wait until dark fell so the fights could start. He had quickly risen to "fame" among his society. He was the William Thatcher of the street fighters... only instead of on a horse with a lance, it was on his feet in a ring that he was unbeatable. He took his fair share of hits and it wasn't always an easy win, but as of yet he hadn't lost a fight in several years, and he was planning on keeping it that way. Becoming immortal in the world of street fighting was his way of becoming more than just street trash.

After tonight's fight he was in-admittedly in quite a bit of pain... and for Justin there was only one cure for pain; alcohol. Sure he could get crude alcohol anywhere... but what he needed was the sort that was strong... that would practically knock someone out if they didn't have a high alcohol content tolerance, and there was only one place he knew he could get that. So he headed out, not really bothering to clean himself up before heading out. People were used to seeing him with blood and sweat streaking down his body... it was the tell tale sign of a street fighter, and he wasn't ashamed of it... besides, no one really cared what you looked like where he was going, all they wanted was a drink.

Of course, the place Justin was going was where he almost always ended up after a fight. The Blue Moon. Though the name hardly did the place justice, the bar served a good selection of alcohol, and if you had connections with people like Justin did there was nothing preventing you from getting whatever you wanted. Sure, Justin was only 19, but he was already a heavy drinker. He didn't get violent or anything like that when he'd had more than a few though. He was more in control of himself to let that happen... besides, his dad had been a violent alcoholic, and Justin had sworn he would never let himself be just like his dad. The guy was a worthless drunk who was incapable of anything but drinking. While Justin was an alcoholic, he was definitely capable of functioning without alcohol, and he could easily accomplish whatever he set his mind to. He was nothing like his dad.

When he got to the bar, he didn't even need to ask the bar tender for a drink... one look at him, and the guy knew what he was coming for. Justin was definitely a bit of a mess, most of the sweat had long since dried and was no longer evident, but the blood... despite drying... was still quite evident. No, he wasn't bleeding profusely, but it came hand in hand with being a street fighter that he would bleed regularly. Aside from the many bruises he was quite certain had already formed, his injuries included, though were not limited to, a good sized gash on his side over about the third rib on the left that had bled through his shirt, a decent cut on the side of his head, and a dislocated shoulder, which he'd put back in it's socket himself after the fight. He was always getting himself busted up pretty good in his fights... though half the time he let the other guy get to him on purpose to get bets going against him so his loyal following would make more money at the end of the fight and he in turn would get more from winning.

Only moments after taking his usual spot at the bar towards the end and out of the crowds, the bar keeper handed him a shot of something strong. Justin never bothered to ask what it was... the guy knew what he was doing, and Justin had known him for a long time. He always knew what intensity of alcohol Justin needed just by looking at him, there was no need for Justin to ask for something or what it was. He needed his alcohol fix, so he might as well just drink it and not ask questions. When he had downed the shot, he turned to face the rest of the bar's occupants, scanning the crowds for people he might know... one in particular who he was used to running into here, but really he just liked to get familiar with the people in the room... make sure there was no one there who he had made an enemy of. It was better to be safe than sorry.

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[Harley Davidson]

Cold tile on bare feet in fall when it was like 20 degrees outside was definitely what one would call a harsh wake up call. To Harley Davidson it was completely normal, in fact this particular morning it brought a smile to her face as she reached her palms toward the ceiling, stretching. She gracefully danced to the bathroom across the hall while Angie her precious calico weaved through her feet. Right on their heals was the more clumsy Doberman puppy who went by the name Toby. They were quite the trio, considering Harley was rarely at home, cats and dogs were never meant to co-exist, and they went everywhere together. It was about 4:50 am, yes I said am, it took her a total of ten minutes to change, throw her hair into a bun held up by a clip, slip into her waitress garments, and get the three of them in the car.

By 5:15 they were at the garage that she owned thanks to her father leaving it for her. I guess it would be a rather hard task to manage a repair shop from inside prison. Sure working hours weren’t till after her morning shift at the diner but she couldn’t very well take Toby and Angie to the diner now could she. So they got left at the garage all morning free to roam wherever they please. That’s the way Harley liked it… it made the garage seem more homey, family orientated and such. She made sure they had water and food then she was off to the diner making it there by 6:30. Today was just a typical day…and Harley was in an exceptionally good mood. Why you may ask… well you’ll just have to wait and see.

The diner was slow all morning… coffee, eggs, the occasional pancakes… nothing to it. The lunch hours weren’t much different besides the meals she was serving. It seemed to drag on for hours and by 1:00 her smile was fading, not gone but fading. After making houses with sugar packets and dancing with the mop to Elvis she finally got off at 1:30. She said her fair wells to Jack and Diane, her boss and co-worker, and headed back to the garage. One thing she loved about animals is they never talked back. They were always happy to see you… and Toby and Angie were no exception. As soon as she stuck the key into the lock she was greeted by claws clacking on the floor and nametags clanking together, followed by barking and meowing. It was nice knowing someone missed her; someone was waiting to see her. It gave her a warm feeling, not that she would ever admit to that.

From then on out life was blissful. She was doing what she really loved, working with cars. Even if they weren’t her own… there was just something about being under the hood that brought a smile to her divine features. Time just seemed to fly when she was working on bikes and cars even though she didn’t get much work. I guess there was just something about a female mechanic that didn’t exactly scream get you’re car fixed here. Some people just didn’t respect knowledge over gender. Not that it bothered her… she didn’t spread her business around… actually the only business she ever really got were the people who knew her father. No one who moved into town now knew she owned the repair shop… and most people who were friends with her didn’t even know she knew anything about cars. This was mostly because all her friends were guys and in their minds only guys knew stuff about cars. Meanwhile she just rolled her eyes and let it all blow over. She didn’t care what they believed or thought… and the less they knew about her the better.

The idea of everyone knowing everything, or anything for that matter, about her just wasn’t an idea she loved. Therefore, not many people knew anything about her. Even the guys she hung out with knew very little, the fact that she could hold as much liquor as they could and she liked sports that was about all they knew. She didn’t talk about herself and they usually never asked her personal questions due to the fact that they were guys and lets face it the only reason they ask any personal questions is because they know that’s what it’s going to take to get in your pants. It may be too much information but deep down we know its true, though there are exceptions to every gender “rule.” So I guess this leads us to the fact that the garage really wasn’t bringing in any cash… at all. But that’s why she worked at the diner as a waitress. Waitressing brought in enough money to feed the critters, pay for rent, and feed herself… well sort of. Diane usually fed her breakfast and lunch so she only had to feed herself dinner which she basically never did. Because lets face it if she fed herself dinner she wouldn’t be able to afford all the alcohol that she consumed at the bar at night.

Harley was a party all nighter, one bad mamajama, raging Cajon kind of girl who knew how to have a good time. A long day of work justly deserved a relaxing end of the day drink. Did it not? It was no wonder her apartment was tiny… not that she really needed it, as far as she was concerned she could just stay at the garage it had your basic kitchen set up and a bathroom along with a couch in the kitchen/lounge set up. Actually she wasn’t entirely sure why she had the apartment anyways but she figured it was because it would look bad if other people found out she was sleeping at her workplace and that was the last thing she wanted. Sympathy. She didn’t need none of the BS filled crap, she was doing just fine taking care of herself, if they didn’t know her whole living situation then everyone would think that she had a well paying job and a relatively decent life. And most people didn’t know her “situation” so they did think that she was well of… or at least decently well off.

Back to current time, Harley spent the rest of the day under a hood or with her hands on engine parts… with the occasional break to play with Toby and Angie although Angie slept most the time. All the information given is more then most people know about Harley. She’s a very mysterious type of person most people would say. No one ever knew exactly where she was or what she was doing and she liked it like that… she liked her life exactly the way it was, she was perfectly content. But after dark was when the real Harley Davidson really showed up. She locked up shop leaving Toby and Angie behind, where she was going they definitely could not follow. Of course she didn’t leave before cleaning herself up at least slightly… Cleaning was a very loose term for Harley. It usually just meant wiping off the grease, changing, and making sure she didn’t stink. After that it was out the door, down the alley and across the street. She knew all the secrets and short cuts of this town; it didn’t take long to figure out.

Across the street was The Blue Moon, the place you went if you wanted a really good drink. Though today was a very easy day, getting a drink was just the normal ritual and that were all her “friends” went anyways… though now days the number of her actual friends was dwindling to only a few. It was hard to keep friends when you had the habit of disappearing without a trace and not talking to them for weeks at a time. It never ceased to amaze her how sensitive some guys could actually be. Just because she didn’t tell you her whole life story and what she was doing every minute of her life didn’t mean that you weren’t friends anymore. She just wasn’t the type of person to get attached like that. Harley liked being independent and self-supporting. So, you were pretty lucky if she took five minutes out of her day to actually say hi. This was usually why the only friends that ever stuck around were guys, because they didn’t pry her for information on a day-to-day basis. Most of them didn’t care what she did or did not do.

Harley’s definition of “friends” was different then most peoples. Friends to her were people that she would spend time with… If she watched a game with you one time a year ago you were put into the category of friend… Because if she didn’t call you a friend you would just be an acquaintance and if that’s how she thought of those kinds of people then she would only have one friend, and one heck of a lot of acquaintances. As for that one friend… He too would probably just be an acquaintance if she hadn’t known him since she was a kid and have hung out with him several time a week which was like ten times more than any other “friend” of hers. Besides if she didn’t hang out with him who else would take care of him… he was kind of helpless… especially at around this hour… Though she wasn’t quite sure what Hour it actually was.

Though she wasn’t rich nor an heiress Harley could clean up pretty good. No makeup, piercing eyes, tight jeans, black flattering top, her dark hair flowing over her shoulders, and knee high high-heel boots was all she wrote. Or wore rather. She wasn’t slut though she could be found in short jean skirts but she was too much of a tomboy to be a slut. She knew she had an amazing body and she didn’t mind flaunting it but when it came down to her personality she was practically a guy… not in a weird way or anything. She found herself a good bar stool at a table and glanced up at the TV screen to see if there was anything interesting to watch before she ordered herself a beer to start off with. Her devilish smirk settled in on her face like it always did at this point. Not more than an hour later there was a few guys around her enjoying the soccer game that was going on. Harley wasn’t a huge soccer fan, though she did play it when she was in high school, but she watched it enthusiastically with the rest of the guys anyways.

Time ticked on and the guys came and went some buying her drinks, which she always appreciated cause it saved her money… money that she needed for rent… or other needs. It was still pretty early and she liked to start off slow, so in turn she had only had a few shots and 2 or 3 beers. Her eyes once again flickered around the bar before they stopped on one familiar shape. She tipped her head to the side partially to get a better view and partially in curiosity… you could tell a lot about a person without them ever saying a word to you and Harley was really could about reading people. She finished off the last of the beer in her glass and got up to walk over to the “tall dark and handsome” form downing a glass of who knows what. Before she got half way across the room he turned to scan the room and her smirk spread slightly. He had blood all over him along with cuts and bruises … it just made her shake her head… how many times would she have to clean him up. From the looks of him, though, she could tell it was going to be a long rest of the night… or morning… whichever it was.

[Justin Novak]

Ah Kalispell... it had no idea what it was in for when Justin was born. The world of street fighting there would take a turn for the better with him there. Guys like him brought a whole new dimension to the lifestyle. He was the sort of guy who wasn't just fighting because he could... he was the sort of guy who was fighting because he had to in order to survive. Because of that, it gave him more resolve to be better, more resolve to win, and as such brought a higher level of competition to the fight. He loved it, yes. The thrill, the challenge, the adrenaline... but it was mandatory to his survival, and that was the main reason he was a fighter.

He had been in Kalispell his whole life and was quite well established in his world. The grungy parts of the city were sectioned off... not geographically or by law... just because everyone knew who their allies were and who to stay away from. The street fighters had a small corner of the city that they had established themselves within. The boundaries of their territory was well known. Although they never used any weapon aside from a concealed switchblade perhaps, they were just as dangerous as any man with a gun. The gangs tended to stay away from their area because they knew they weren't welcome. Lifestyles always divided people like these. In the opinion of the street fighters, the gangs were morally wrong in every aspect of the word. In the gangs opinions the street fighters were pathetic excuses for criminals and weren't "worthy" of the title. They stayed away from each other as best they could.

All things considered, the street fighters' turf was possibly the safest place to be in the low income part of the city. Although they were fighters, they had a lot of understood rules. To be accepted into their society, they had to sort of have a bit of a moral compass. Rape and murder were completely unacceptable. Instigating a fight outside of the arena was highly frowned upon. There were all sorts of rules like that, which made their turf quite safe. It was almost like a sanctuary in hell... the only place you could get away from the danger of the gangs or mobs. No one would dare desecrate the street fighter's piece of ground... not unless they wanted to be killed or else wish they had been killed. They policed themselves, and I guarantee the only reason the cops ever came there was if they got a tip off about a street fight taking place and came to disperse and/or arrest the participants.

Tonight though, Justin wasn't in the mood for the "celebration" party after all the fights were over. Justin hadn't ever been one for much sophistication. He was born in the "slums" of the city where no one cared to go if they were in the higher class. He knew he was unwelcome in the high class areas, so he stayed away from them most of his life. For that reason, he really wasn't all that fond of the sophisticated people. It wasn't really that he disliked them... he just wasn't partial to them. They always looked down on people like him, but it was people like him that made him the way he was. He had been shunned his whole life just because he was a Novak. Since that was his only experience with sophisticated people, he just figured they were all the same and gave up on trying to be accepted by them.

The Blue Moon was possibly the least sophisticated place to get alcohol in town. It wasn't like an Irish Pub where people got into fights all the time. Sure, fights happened... it was a bar, of course they happened... but not all that often. But it certainly didn't require a suit and tie to get in. That was why Justin liked it. Here, everyone was just about the same. Some, like himself, were rougher than others, but most were just fairly average people who, like him, just wanted a beer or something to drink because they had a bad day, because they needed to relax, because they were hanging out with buddies, because they were alcoholics, or hell, even just because they could. Here, nobody had to have a certain reason for being here, they'd get their drink no matter what they looked like when they walked in the door.

It didn't take long for a slight motion to catch his eye moving towards him. He didn't turn towards her right away, he already knew who it was. Generally if a guy walked in along all beat up like Justin was, people would leave him alone... but there was one person who certainly wouldn't leave him alone if she saw him all busted up like he was right now. Harley Davidson... or Davis as he preferred to call her. She was the only person he'd met who wasn't afraid of his bad ass appearance, put off by his stubborn and standoffish personality, or determined to have sex with him because of the thrilling concept of doing so. No, Harley was different. HE wasn't really sure why she had been so interested in him and chose to tag along with him like she did. Sure, he saved her ass... but as far as his experience went, that wasn't something to produce insta-friends... but it had, and several years had passed now, and they were still pretty close. She knew all about him... and he knew... most about her. He was sure there were some things she hadn't told him, but he wasn't bothered by it. She was a girl... as much as girls liked to say they wanted to talk about everything, they had a hell of a lot more secrets than guys... it was a fact of life.

Finally, when she was quite close, he turned towards her casually and in such a way that clearly stated he knew she was coming and knew who was coming. Trying to sneak up on me again Davis? he asked with that casual yet mysterious and rough tone. Most people who heard him call her Davis were quite confused... Davis was anything but a girl name... but he certainly couldn't call her Harley... hell no, he never called anyone by their real name... and Davidson... well when she was hanging out around him he figured it would be best to keep her identity safe, since anyone who hated him could easily use her to get to him...so he shortened it to Davis... and Davis it probably always would be. It was random, yes, but that was just how he rolled.

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[Harley Davidson]

“Trying to sneak up on me again Davis?” Sneaking? She had cleaned him up and saved his rear end on countless times and he was accusing her of Sneaking? Jackass. Some times she wondered why she even bothered. I mean really what kind of thank you was this. Yet despite his response and accusation her smirk only grew. That was how their friendship worked though they teased each other… then went out and did what wasn’t mention… I guess you could say they were partners in crime…. Yeah that’s what you could call them…they antagonized each other and were at each other’s throats like brother and sister but when it came down to it they really were all the other one had. Well he was definitely all she had… I mean her dad was in prison her mom was in some institution and she was an only child… all she had was Justin, Toby, and Angie. Not to say she was all mushy about it. She preferred it that way… she didn’t go to him crying or admit her fears to him he was just the only person she felt herself around.

Harley wasn’t a mushy person at all. She wasn’t the lovey dovey I want to cuddle with you with candles and talk about our feelings and all that crap. Oh no not Harley, she was the down and dirty mess with me and I’ll mess your face up type of girls. She didn’t care what anyone thought about her and she was more than willing to be brutally honest. If you were being annoying she’ll tell you to shut up and stop being such a baby… she wasn’t very sympathetic… and I mean at all. Sure she had sympathy for animals and young children… they didn’t know any better so she’d feel bad for them. But if you were a grown adult complaining about work or a freaking broken nail she would role her eyes if not say something that can and has made a grown man cry.

Being a bitch wasn’t a constant state for Harley in fact she wasn’t mean per say. She just was sarcastic and harsh and if you couldn’t handle that then yeah it could come off as being bitch but who didn’t have a little bit of a bitch in them now days? It is a cruel world we live in and if you couldn’t hack it then you might as well not leave your house. Harley was fun to be around for the most part… well at least she thought so… she was either fun to be around or she was much hotter than she gave herself credit for Because there had to be a reason for all these guys hanging around her. Although I’m pretty sure in her case it was a little bit of both. Hanging out at the bar was what Harley considered fun… going out hanging out with people she didn’t exactly know well but knew well enough to be around, it was a good time for her. Plus the alcohol helped a little bit.

Usually though hanging out with guys didn’t last long… she either got word of one of the street fights getting bad and she’d go make sure Justin wasn’t getting himself killed. Or he would show up in worse case then this and she’d have to sow him back together. Or he’d show up and they’d go get themselves into trouble… Well okay lets face it there was rarely a moment in their lives when they weren’t in trouble. Obeying the law wasn’t exactly on either one of their to do lists. And listening to cops wasn’t part of their plan either. Both of them had a rather large distaste for the cops anyways… considering Justin was a street fighter and Harley… well you’d hate the cops too if they arrested both you and your father and were the reason you haven’t seen him since. Holding a grudge was on Harley’s list of talents… if you pissed her off you could bet she wouldn’t have anything to do with you…. Ever. Justin was an exception to that rule… mostly because he had never really pissed her off… annoyed severely yes but never pissed her off. I guess that’s one reason they got along so well.

There was many other reasons why they got along so well… if you could really say that. They had a brother sister type of relationship. They teased one another and got annoyed by each other but when it all was said and done they both had the others back no matter what. They met in the early years of high school after she had her mother admitted and what not. She was just walking minding her own business when a couple of punk guys thought they needed to take advantage of her, to say in nicer words what their intensions were. That’s when Justin stepped in saved her life… you know the whole knight in shining armor. She wasn’t impressed. She had seen far to much in her life and although she was extremely thankful she wasn’t very good at expressing it. After that they kept seeing each other at school… and well I guess you could say their friendship was initiated. Harley had known about Justin before that though. I mean they had lived in the same city their whole lives and lets face it Kalispell wasn’t very big. So she had seen and heard about him before… not that she paid much attention but after her dad got taken away and then her mom too… she didn’t see the harm in at least trying a little bit to make friends.

Few years down the road here they were the dynamic duo… quite the interesting pair. Getting into more trouble then anyone else would know what to do with… yet rarely ever getting caught… I say that loosely… they were just good at getting out of trouble rather than not getting caught at all. Justin was good at getting beat up… yes he always won the fights but I mean if you could see him it certainly wouldn’t look like he had won. I guess it was one of those “you should see the other guy” types of situations. Harley wasn’t into the street-fighting thing… Sure she supported him but she only went when she heard it was bad… or if she got a tip that the cops were in on it. Cops were always bad news in her mind and she always warned Justin if it involved them. Sure if she were the betting kind she’d bet in Justin’s favor only because she knew he was the best… she believed in him and that was that.

As for the name Davis that was just a nickname… one she had grown fond of over time. And now it was practically her first name… She even accidentally introduced herself as Davis once instead of Harley but she went by both. She looked him over keeping face though if you knew her well enough you’d be able to see the slight concern in her eye. “Some thanks that is… maybe this time I’ll just let you bleed to death.” She said sticking her tongue out at him at the end making a face. Sometimes her inner 5-year-old came out… actually it came out quiet often. She could be good at being mature and serious when she needed to be like when they were out breaking the law…. Er I mean doing secret stuff. But when she was out being herself acting casual she tended to be obnoxious like a 5-year-old little kid. Harley was so many things all in one it was nearly impossible to know absolutely everything about her. And that’s just how she liked it… she just had that mysterious but not air about her.

[Justin Novak]

Justin's mere 170 lbs looked like nothing in comparison to man standing on the other side of the ring from him. It was like a defensive lineman compared to an awkward freshman nerd when it came right down to it. The guy was huge. Probably nearly 7ft tall, and well over 200 lbs. Unfortunately, he was a lot more agile than Justin ever would have expected. The fight had been going for some time, and Justin was finding that he was a tad off his game tonight. He had already taken several nasty hits, was bleeding somewhat profusely from a knife wound to the side, and was quite certain he had a couple fractured ribs. But being Justin, he wasn't just going to back down from the fight. No, he was a fighter through and through, and giving up was not his forte at all. As far as he could remember, he had never lost a fight, and he didn't plan on starting any time soon.

The guy was a real cocky ass, and Justin was just was just waiting for the opportunity to jump in while the guy was distracted by his own vanity. That was one thing Justin didn't have when it came to fighting was vanity. He didn't rub victories in his opponents faces, he just beat the hell out of them and left. He was the silent champion of sorts. He didn't want big parties and all that jazz, he just fought because at the end of the day that was the best way he knew to release all his frustrations, of which he had a lot.

After nearly an hour in the ring, Justin was looking pretty worn and rather battered, but still not giving in. The other guy was pretty tired too, though not nearly as hurt as Justin was. He was starting to taunt Justin, which was having little to no effect on him whatsoever. He was used to taunting, he'd learned to block it out. But then... the guy decided to commit the worst crime of the underground street fighting world he possibly could have. How about that little girl of yours Novak?

[/s] he asked, his voice as condescending as he could make it, casting a glance over at Harley who had probably heard that Justin was on the verge of losing a fight and come to rescue him should she need to, after this fight is over and you're lying dead in the street I'm going to have my way with her, and there's nothing you can do about it.[/s] It was hardly visible, and Harley was probably the only one who would notice the change, but every muscle in Justin's tired body tensed, his eyes narrowed just slightly, he gritted his teeth together, but waited a full ten seconds, waiting... still waiting. He wasn't just fighting now. He was pissed, and as soon as he got the opportunity he was going to take this jackass down. No, he wasn't romantically involved with Harley... but she was the closest thing he had to family, and as many men had said in the past "you threaten her, you threaten me" was exactly how Justin felt about that. The guy could say all he wanted about Justin and it would have no effect, but the moment he brought Harley into it... he signed his death warrant.

The guy glanced towards his cheering fans, who thought what he'd said was the icing on the cake of this guy's victory, for the briefest second, and in that second Justin moved in for the kill with a suddenly renewed energy. A powerful uppercut to the jaw sent the guy reeling back into the crowd and sent people scattering out of the way. Before he could retaliate though a jab to the side of his head inhibited his ability to refocus, and a moment later with possibly more force than Justin had ever put behind any hit, he slammed his fist into the man's left ribs and heard the ever so satisfying crack of breaking bone. The man staggered and fell, the velocity of his immense weight pulling him down onto the ground, and cracking his skull against the hard paved street. Justin stood there in the silence, breathing heavily, coated with sweat and blood, a glare of hate locked on the unconscious man's body. The crowd was completely quiet, stunned and taken off guard bu the sudden retaliation on Justin's part. They had considered him as good as done for by that point. Needless to say, it took Harley a long time to get him fixed up after that fight, and even longer still to get his level of anger back down to the point that it was manageable. Yes... he did have some anger management issues, but he would never hurt her, and of every person in the world, she knew how to get him calmed down best.[/i]

Oh come on... this is not the worst condition you've seen me in. he said after rolling his eyes just slightly. If this amount of injury would make me bleed to death I'd have been dead a long time ago. Although most people would probably think that Justin was hurt pretty bad, in comparison to many of his previous conditions, this was no worse than a little bruising and a couple scratches. Some days it was so bad he wouldn't have been able to make it home were it not for Harley being there. When he was in the ring in the fight, he hardly ever realized how hurt he was. It was like he could block it out mentally and not feel it, but then when the fight was over, that block came down and he suddenly realized that he'd lost a lot of blood and was on the verge of passing out.

Besides, he added, setting the shot glass down on the bar behind him, It's not like I'm incapable of taking care of myself. Okay so... maybe he wasn't all that great at taking care of himself, considering he'd decided against doing so before coming here... but if he had to he could get on without Harley's help. Yeah, so he might get some infection and not make it home half the time after his fights... but he would survive... maybe... if he was lucky. Alright... you're right... without Harley he would have been dead a long time ago... but he was Justin Novak, no way in hell would he ever admit to that. As much as he cared about Harley in a brother/sister sort of way, it would be far too conflicting with his character to admit that he needed her. He was a cocky street fighter... admitting he needed a girl to survive would be a huge blow to his ego... one he might not recover from for a long time.

He couldn't even remember all the times she'd helped him. Probably at least 30% of those times he'd passed out from blood loss, excruciating pain, exhaustion, or any number of combinations of all three. Yes, he was an incredibly tough guy... but even tough guys had a pain thresh hold, which, if crossed, would be too much for them to handle, and when you were a street fighter, where the only rule was "don't lose" crossing that line was not a difficult task. On the big fight nights, which were usually when there was some big drug bust going on at the other end of town so all the cops would be gone, everyone would have more than one fight, and if you just kept winning, you would just peek fighting, which made exhaustion an easy goal to reach. It was a tough world out there for guys like Justin, and we all know that the world can take down even the toughest of men.

Not long after Justin set the shot glass down, the bar tender whisked it away, refilled it, and had it back where he'd put it again in hardly a moment's time. Justin may not have been the wealthiest guy in the world, but he was a good paying customer... especially on fight nights... and on top of that he was the kind of guy you wanted to keep happy... if he got pissed there was no telling what he'd do. Of course, in more social settings like this one, Justin was normally a little more in control of himself... but you never know what might make him snap. It was better to play it safe than end up sorry when it involved Justin.[/center][/size]

[Harley Davidson]

Counting the nights she had saved his ass, would be nearly impossible. He fought nearly every night 7 nights a week, which usually resulted in her rescuing him at least 3 out of the 7 if not more. Street fights had a tendency of getting out of hand... or broken up by the cops and either way it went she wasn't going to let anything happen to him. He saved her from disgusting males with wicked intentions and she said him from a permanent jail cell or death, whichever one it was at the time. I'm pretty sure if she could afford school she'd probably go to college to be a nurse... or a doctor considering she practically did everything they did except minus the license. Sure it was illegal to do so but do you honestly see either of them having insurance... or for that matter... ever actually going to a hospital? I think not.

Sowing Justin back together wasn't the only thing illegal that she did. We're not talking downloading music off the internet either... I mean everyone does that. Harley already had a juvy record but that was back before she started hanging out with Justin in the first place. Hotwiring cars was like a secret talent of hers, one that nearly no one knows about. I guess she just has a weakness for fast cars with amazing engines... and when she sees one there basically isn't anything you can do to stop her from getting it. Cars were basically in her blood... she'd been around them since she was born. When she was little her dad taught her everything you needed to know to take it apart and put it back together... and she now held the fastest time for doing so.

After her dad went away, working on cars kind of stuck with her but she just did it on her own time... When she wasn't at the diner... or looking after Justin. Though, she was usually doing one of those... all the time. Working at the diner wasn't so hard but... it didn't pay all that well so that meant working a lot of hours to keep food on the table... But let’s not lie. Harley was well off... probably more so than well off. Working the diner wasn't her only source of income but she just let everybody think it was. I mean let’s face it would you go around telling everyone that you stole cars and swapped them out selling them and parts for money? No, I don't think so; she might as well just turn herself into the cops if she did that.
Sure this wasn’t the worst condition she had ever found him in… not even close actually. He could be such a… egotistical, arrogant, butthead sometimes and he just made her want to smack him. But when it all came down to it, he was all ways there to defend her, and therefore she was always there to fix him up and defend him. It was a win, win situation for both parties. He was right though, that amount of injury wouldn’t due him in. Oh no, it would have to be much worse… and even then it probably wouldn’t Justin was pretty much invincible… not really but it seemed like it most the time… it seemed like each time he showed up in front of her he was in worse condition then the time before. Worrying about Justin just came natural; it was the nurturing woman aspect that she inherited from… her mother she supposed. Harley wasn’t exactly the womanly, motherly type… so taking care of Justin was about as close as she got to that side. She would stand on the sidelines of the “ring” cringing and wincing as the fight went on in anticipation of the “clean up” job she would be doing afterwards. It was tiring… but that didn’t mean she would stop… she could be 80 and barely able to walk but she would always be there to clean up after him… he was the only family she had and he was like her little brother… just minus the little part…

It’s not like I’m incapable of taking care of myself Ha! Yeah right. She rolled her eyes and jabbed her finger at his injured ribs before retorting with. “Sure you’re not” He needed her just as much as Jelly needed peanut butter. As soon as he needed to stitch his right arm up he’d come crawling up to her begging her to clean him up. He may be strong and able to fight his way out of a situation but when it came to cooking... or sowing skin he had nothing on her. She on the other hand could survive without him… though life would not be nearly as interesting without him. Together they were invincible apart they were… well not so much. Having that sibling type of relationship helped their odds too. He protected her from perverts and she protected him from whores… even if he didn’t want her to. Harley wasn’t a big fan of him sleeping around… not to say she didn’t do it too but… she just got a little defensive she knew what kind of girls were out there… so she just crinkled up her nose in distaste and ignored it for the most part. Then later she’d let him know how she felt about the slutty girl he was with at the time.

Before she had time to add in her next comment about him not appreciating her… her phone beeped in her pocket. Normally she wouldn’t have bothered but she was kind of expecting this message and looking forward to it. Her smirk just broadened as she peered into the screen at the text, then she looked back at him. “You got any plans for tonight?” She said… then she looked over him again and gave him an over sympathetic pity look. “Or would you rather just take it easy tonight” she offered with a slight baby talk voice. Of course she was just teasing but if he did have plans or just wanted to go she would go on her own. Letting her eyes flicker over the shot glass that the bar tender set in front of him again she simply smiled. That was one thing she had in common, they were both major drinkers… for him the reason was obvious, I mean you would drink too if you wanted to numb the pain he practically inflicted on himself on a nightly basis. Harley just drank because she liked to and she could hold liquor like no other. She was no light weight. Next thing she knew the bar tender set another glass down but it was in front of her instead. She smiled at him before reaching over and downing it, while waiting for a response expectantly. Tonight could be an awfully big adventure.

[Justin Novak]

Justin winced just slightly as Harley jabbed her finger into his injured ribs, sending a sharp pang of pain through him. Aside from wincing though... there was no reaction. Pain was possibly the most reliable thing out there... aside from Harley of course... and a jab like that to a fractured rib was definitely something he could handle... though it still did hurt. He hated the feeling of bone grinding against bone, or that ever so slight yet painful fluctuation of broken bone bending to pressure applied to it. It was definitely a horrible feeling... and Harley knew it... and if she was ever mad at him for some reason, while she was patching him up she had been known to take advantage of that, just by way of getting him back and/or reminding him that he did, in fact, need her to help him and he had damn well better appreciate that she always did.

He just shook his head at her response... arguing with her was pointless when she was right... and even though he wasn't about to admit that she was, he knew she was right in this case. He probably would've been killed a while ago if it wasn't for her preventing his death. And he did appreciate her and all she did for him. He knew she had long sense paid him back for preventing her from being raped by those guys, and that he again owed her a lot for what she'd done. Someday, he would find a way to repay her, though it didn't seem that the day was today. Harley was so good at everything she did, and was so stubborn and determined that it was nearly impossible to do things for her because she was just so damn good at doing them for herself. Someday though... he swore he was going to find a way to make up for it.

When she asked him if he had any plans, he glanced over in the direction of a particular very pretty red head he'd had his eye on tonight, debating whether or not whatever adventure Harley had in store was more worth his time than the girl was. Yes... he was shallow... what could he say? He was like that high school jock who would only sleep with cheerleaders... only he was a high school drop out street fighter who would only sleep with the most attractive women he could get his hands on... literally... though getting his hands on whatever girl he wanted was never a difficult task for him. I mean really... what girl wouldn't want to be with him. He was tall, dark, handsome, mysterious, strong... all those attractive qualities that women seemed to find impossible to resist.

Harley's condescending tone made the decision for him. He wasn't going to let her one up him tonight, oh hell no. Justin Novak didn't "take it easy"... unless of course she managed to force him to after he'd been nearly cut open like he was having open heart surgery, broke three ribs, fractured his wrist and may have suffered a slight concussion. He turned back towards the bar, took the shot, and downed it easily before turning back towards Harley, and nodding towards the door. "Lets go." he said, and without hesitating a moment, turned and headed for the door, knowing she was following. He didn't have a clue what they were going to do, but he knew it wasn't here. Far too many witnesses in a bar, their little escapades always required little to no witnesses.

Once outside, he dropped back and let Harley take the lead, considering she knew where they were going and he didn't. As soon as they came to a stop, he knew just exactly what she'd gotten him into. Harley was like a pathological thief when it came to beautiful cars like the one in front of him. It was like she couldn't help but want to steal it out from under the nose of whatever rich bastard owned the thing. It rather amused him... but at the same time, he knew cars were to her as street fighting was to him. He wasn't really into cars... but he'd help her steal one or whatever else she wanted him to do when she wanted to. It was the same way with his fighting. She didn't really like it, but she was always there to help him when he needed it, and supported him in his decision to constantly put his life on the line for the sake of the thrill.

All was going quiet well, and Justin was just sort of standing aside watching her work her magic, and keeping an eye out for anyone that might come their way. She was just starting the process of hot wiring the car, when Justin thought he heard the faint sound of a siren, and suddenly started paying more attention. Moments later, he saw the flashing red and blue lights, and knew someone had seen them... probably a neighbor looking through a darkened window where he couldn't see them. "Shit..." he muttered, moving back over to Harley, "Davis we gotta go. We've got company." he said, grasping her arm and pulling her away from the car. He really wasn't in the best condition for running right now, considering the injuries he'd sustained tonight, but he had a feeling he could manage to out run whoever came after them. He was very in shape... probably more so than most cops.

As always, when someone was onto them, they ran a few blocks together before breaking off from one another. It was always better to split up. Justin, knowing Harley probably couldn't run worth shit in those heels she was wearing slowed his pace just slightly and turned to cross the road, hoping to catch the attention of the police and give Harley a chance to get away so they would come after him. He was more likely to be able to get away from them tonight than she was. When it appeared that it was working and the police car's spotlight turned on him and illuminated him, he started running again at a 90 degree angle to where He broke off from Harley. The spotlight followed him, so he quickened his pace. Shortly after doing so, the spotlight disappeared, causing him to stop suddenly. He was about to turn around and go back, but just as he did so, a policeman appeared... only one. Damn... they were adapting finally. He couldn't go back now, so all he could do was ditch this cop and hope Harley managed to get away. If they both ended up in jail they'd never be able to get out.

It took some doing to lose the cop, but when he finally did, he turned and headed back in the other direction to see if he could find Harley. Unfortunately... he did. Just as he saw her, the policeman was pushing her into the back of a car, and the cop that had been chasing after him was just arriving back at the group and explaining that "the accomplice" had evaded him. They were in deep shit now. Justin knew they'd be able to prove Harley had done it... her finger prints were all over that car's wiring... and that meant he was going to have to come up with the money to get her out... it was going to take some time, but she could rest assured that he would get her out.

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Oh Kalispell... nothing ever exciting happened here... I mean really... in a town where your chief of police is a mere 22 years old it's gotta not be a very big crime town. False. Despite Kalispell's small town feel, there was a lot of crime. Everyone knew how to use a gun, and no one was afraid to in order to get what they wanted... they were just lucky that the majority of them had more conscience than that. So how did a 22 year old end up being chief of police? Sheer talent. Charlie Parker could hit any mark he aimed for, he could get a confession out of the worst of the criminals, he could settle any domestic dispute, he could work out a deal with any suspect... all while also being a full time single dad to two children. He was like superman without the ridiculous spandex suit and a sharp and professional policeman's uniform in its place.

Everyone knew who Charlie was. From parents whose kids went to school with his oldest, to the young women who dreamed of marrying him, to the people he'd cited and locked up, to co workers, to the people at the stable where the police horses were kept, there was hardly a soul in town who didn't know who Charlie Parker was... though about half the population knew him as "officer Charles Parker" instead of by his preferred title of just Charlie. His official title was much more endearing to women than Charlie was, and he'd been told a time or two by his co workers that there was a "we love Officer Parker" fan group on facebook on which there were regularly young women and teens posting things like "I love you" or "I would marry him" and other such things. He thought it was ridiculous... but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

There was no doubt about it, Charlie was the ideal man. He wasn't overly tall at only 5'10" but by no means lacking in height. He was also obviously very fit, considering his young age and his career choice. He was no body builder, but he was definitely in very good shape. His blue gray eyes always had that enthusiastic spark to them no matter what he was doing, and oh god, don't forget the tousled and curly dirty blond hair. Add in there the uniform. the two most beautiful and adorable children on the face of the earth, his award winning personality, and being single... Charlie was a dream man come to life.

Today was supposed to have been his day off... but as always when he was supposed to get time off, something went wrong, and he got that dreaded 2 a.m call. They had a fiery one with the personality of an Arabian horse... in other words, a woman scorned. Now, there was no way in hell Charlie was going to be able to find a babysitter on such short notice, so when morning rolled around and he donned his uniform, he gathered the sleeping baby girl with bright blue eyes and blond curls to match her dad's, and the wired 6 year old with the personality of a squirrel on caffeine, and headed out. Luckily, Chuck went to school for the first half of the day, so that was one load off his shoulders, but that still left Melody... which was easy enough to solve. First office he saw when he walked in the doors was going to have the one-year-old put in his care for the next however long it took for Charlie to get through with the interrogation process. Charlie didn't care if the guy was just getting off shift, if he had to come in on his day off to do what they couldn't, then they could look after his little girl for him.

After getting all of that lined out, he took the file of his "suspect" and headed into the interrogation room with calm and collected casual cool that he always had. He definitely wasn't one of those "in your face" cops, and his methods usually produced results faster than that did anyway. When he closed the door behind him and turned towards the girl, inadmittedly, the first thing he noticed was that she was definitely very attractive... but you'd never be able to tell he was thinking that. What a wonderful way to start off the day. he said with that uncannily cheery yet at the same time sarcastic tone. Personally I planned on spending the day with my kids, but apparently these idiots were afraid of you, and there went my day off. So why don't we just skip beating around the bush and get straight to your side of the story... get this all straightened out and save us both a lot of time and effort.

Of course, Charlie would never dream of being condescending or anything of that sort in the way he handled these things... he was just casual and patient. He could roll with anything any of his suspects handed him. Of course, Charlie had been debriefed on what they knew, which was, of course, that her finger prints were all over the car, the neighbor saw her and some guy messing with the car, and the guy had managed to evade capture... not a whole lot of detail there, though certainly enough to incarcerate her. It would definitely be easier if she just fessed up... that way they wouldn't have to go through the long, tiring, and rather dull process of interrogation... but Charlie didn't figure she'd be one to just spill. It was going to take a little more work than that, he could tell.

[Harley Davidson]

It wasn’t hard to get Justin to do whatever she wanted. One she could pull the “You owe me” card or two she could just make it seem like whatever else he could possibly have in mind was exceedingly lame and low key. Therefore she knew it wouldn’t take him long to decide between the red head and her… I mean not that he was choosing which sex appeal was higher… but he was choosing a more exciting night that aided to the decision… not to mention the crap she would give him when she was speeding down the road in the most gorgeous car she had seen today, right before she tore it apart and made a bunch of money off of it… Yeah okay so when we said money was tight that was kind of a lie… it was only tight in-between jobs all the other times it was flowing free and easy. The point being she knew he would choose her… and if he didn’t he better be prepared to have her finger in his ribs again.

She was right, as usual, and he chose well. After downing his shot and moving toward the door she grinned deviously and followed after him, even though she knew he had no clue where he was going. Once they were outside she naturally took the leading heading down the sidewalk with a dangerous grin on her face that anyone would know meant she was up to no good. Then again, Harley was always up to no good even when she was innocently just waiting on people. It was just how she was… she had a gift for always thinking ten steps ahead from where everyone else was. Too smart for her own good I guess you could say, but Harley had the whole world figured out by the time she was 10. She didn’t ask questions though, she just did what she knew how to do, which was basically everything. You try raising yourself and see how much you knew by the age of 20. She wasn’t a know it all but she was a smart ass and if she knew more about something than you did and you got into an argument about it with her, you could bet that she will take you down… nice and hard without the slightest bit of hesitation.

It didn’t take them long to get to where she was taking them… and it didn’t take Justin long to figure out where they were going… or what they were doing. He understood her passion for cars… and her obsession with having to have them. It was like a craving that she got. You know drug addicts had their drugs and whatnot, Alcoholic’s had their booze, Justin had his fighting, and well Harley had her cars. As soon as the car came into her line of sight her smile only broadened. Justin knew how this usually went… she brought him along and he stood watch while she worked her magic on the car. She’d been high jacking and hot wiring cars since she was 7… though in her defense she didn’t know that’s what they were doing. But now, several years later, she has become exceedingly talented at it. Smooth, fast, and quiet, being sure not to get caught… they were practically magicians by now. Managing to sneak up, swipe up, and get out without ever getting caught once… it would appear that that perfect record was meant to be tarnished this time around.

So here they were she was working her magic and he was standing watch… everything was going her way. Then suddenly it seemed to go south. She heard Justin curse almost quietly, that was probably because she wasn’t really paying that much attention anyways. Once she had a car in her sights it was really hard to get her attention. But then she saw him step closer to her in her peripheral vision, and by that time she knew someone had seen them and called the cops… she didn’t need him to say anything… but he did anyways… “Davis we gotta go. We’ve got company.” She dropped what she was doing with a heavy sigh and let him pull her away from what probably would have been the best job she would have ever pulled off.

Next thing she knew they were running from the cops… sadly that wasn’t the first time this happened to them… in fact they were pretty good at escaping by this point and had the route down to a T. This time was a little harder… first off Justin had just got out of a fight and she hadn’t even fixed him up yet, and second she was wearing heals… that was like a big no, no when she was high jacking a car… and she knew better than that. But she knew she could still run in heals… she could run in anything… running was a good skill of hers. She grinned over at Justin and giggled deviously right before they split up. Sure this was no laughing matter nor should she be happy, and she wasn’t, but she couldn’t help but to smile and laugh. Harley loved the chase, the adrenaline, the thrill, all of it, yeah running from the cops was risky but she was confident that she could always get out of it. A little too confident actually…

Splitting up like normal Justin broke off from the trail they were on and Harley did the same not once glancing over her shoulder to see if he was okay or if the cops were still on her tail. Justin was smart and it wasn’t as if this was his first time running from the cops so she wasn’t worried… well of course she was worried but she wasn’t going to risk herself getting caught that would be stupid and he would scold her for doing so later. Footsteps were catching up on her… ”Damnit” She cursed under her breath… the cops were getting smarter… shockingly she never thought they would but it would appear that they were adapting to her and Justin’s escape plan. One mistake was all it took. The tinniest glance to the side to see if there could possibly be a way to duck into the shadows and disappear…she did find that escape a narrow alley way and she slipped into it… only to be grabbed by an officer she didn’t see.

After the close call with the big disgusting guys and Justin rescuing her, he taught her a few tricks of self defense… and Harley was no weak link. She could hold her own and do quite a bit of damage if it was needed… I mean she wasn’t a violent person but if some guy was getting a little too fresh she would put him in his place. All that applied in this case. Her knee slammed into her “attackers” groin followed by her palm thrusting up his nose, then her fist in his gut. He moaned out in pain and hurled over cursing, that’s when she noticed the uniform… but before she could get around him and run she heard a click of a pistol behind her followed by the words “Don’t move…. Or I’ll shoot.” She froze and lifted her hands to her head… she knew the procedure. His cold hands roughly grabbed her wrist and shoved it into the uncomfortable metal handcuffs followed by her other hand. He fed her the usual “You have the right to remain silent” garbage and pushed her towards the car that pulled up to the entrance of the alley.

They shoved her into the backseat and made a bunch of smart ass comments about how a pretty girl like her shouldn’t be out so late and she simply rolled her eyes… They were lucky they had guns or she’d kick all their asses. Bunch of pansies probably just sat around all day eating doughnuts and drinking coffee, they’d probably start crying as soon as she put up a fight… like the poor guy who she embarrassed in the alley. It didn’t take them long to get to the station or for them to get her into the interrogating room but once in there it took Forever for someone to finally show up. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised they were probably trying to freak her out with the wait so she’d spill when they did come in… Yeah right like that was going to happen. If they thought she was going to spill anything they had another thing coming. She was no tattle tell and there was no way she was going to give them Justin’s name. She’d always put Justin before her and if that meant staying in jail for however long she had to… she would do it before giving them his name.

The officer that walked in seemed confident in himself… so she figured he was some sort of “leader” or something like that… figures. It was almost kind of flattering though, to think that they needed the top dog here to get her to crack… not that that was going to work either. She cocked her eyebrow when he started talking about his kids or whatever… please like she actually gave a damn. She was leaning back in the chumpy chair that they gave her to sit in. He finished up his little speech and her blank stare switched to a matter of fact smirk. “Well seeing how you have such important plans… I’ll save you the time… I’m not going to say anything… so just go check on your injured officer out there and go have a wonderful day with your children.” Harley wasn’t normally a bitch but for police officers she made she to treat them extra special, so in turn she made sure to mock his use of the word “wonderful.” She was not baby and spending a little hard time wasn’t going to get her to blab so they might as well just charge her and stick her in a cell to save themselves their time and effort.

[Charlie Parker]

Charlie hadn't always been the responsible person he was now. Oh no, it was quite the contrary. In his younger years, Charlie acted like a guy that was several years older than him... and that wasn't a good thing. He was an extremely smart guy, and went through his school work so quickly that he would get bored and cause disruptions in the class. So, to keep him busy, they just gave him twice as much work, and so he got through the grades twice as fast. He started high school at 14, and completed his freshman and sophomore year in one year, and completed his junior and senior year by the time he was 16, graduating with a class of a bunch of people two years older than him... and the top of the class. Charlie Parker was a wonder child when it came to academics... but he was also a parent's worst nightmare when it came to everything else.

Most people seemed to find it strange that such a small town like Kalispell would even have a mounted police force, but really it was a reasonable thing to have here. It was a horse town... everyone around here either had their own horse or else rode someone else's horse. Because of that, everyone knew the power horses had, and everyone respected that power, so naturally, when a man in a uniform on a horse showed up, people started behaving themselves more so than if just a cop on foot or in a car showed up. Although the mounted police force was rather small, comprised of only about eight or nine riders, they definitely had presence in Kalispell. There was always two of them on duty at all hours, occasionally patrolling together, but most often on opposite ends of town.

Charlie was the most well known of them because he worked so much. If someone called in sick, he was the one who took their shift for them, or if someone needed time off, Charlie took all the shifts they'd been assigned so they could take their vacation. Of course, he had a few reasons for doing this, and they were good reasons too. At first it had been his way of dealing with the final break up with his fiance when he told her that it wasn't working now, and since she had no respect for him and their family, it never was going to work, and called off their engagement permanently. He'd needed something to keep his mind off of it, and he figured exhausting himself with all these shifts was the best way to do it.

Now that it had been a year since the break up, his reasons were more financial. He had a house to pay for, a seven year old boy who probably could consume twice as much as a grown man and still be hungry because he was growing so quickly now, and the baby was now just over a year old, and she was growing too. On top of the financial reasons... he just loved the job. Ever since he was little he'd said he wanted to be a cop... and most people dismissed it, thinking that every little boy would say they wanted to be a cop someday... but Charlie was determined, both because he wanted to prove people wrong, and because he really did want to be a cop. Sure it was a hard job, and he barely had time for himself being in the job... he'd been shot once... and he'd lost his best friend and partner because of the job, and a lot of people hated him because of his job... but this was what he had wanted to do, and he still loved doing it. It was thrilling for him, and every guy wants to do something that will give them an adrenaline rush.

Harley's response to what Charlie said solicited no change in him. He expected her to be difficult, and with the number of people he'd worked with in his life, he was pretty sure she couldn't throw anything at him that he hadn't seen before. That wasn't to say that Charlie was treating her like "just another criminal." No, he knew that most people had a reason for doing what they did, and just because they broke the law didn't mean they were all the same. But even so... she probably wouldn't do anything here that would be anything different from what he had seen before. He'd had people freak out and attempt to attack him... which was never a good idea, since Charlie had started training at 16, graduated at 18, moved to New York City and was shot at 19, lost his horse and partner at 20, and had now been working in Kalispell for two years. He'd been in this field of work for 6 years, he was more than qualified enough to subdue a guy twice his size.

Instead of getting frustrated instantly or anything of that sort, he just kept up that seemingly carefree appearance, as if they were just having a casual conversation. I think we both know that's not how this works. He said, still with a vaguely chipper tone, They've already got enough to convict you, so you're not gaining anything by not saying anything. I'm sure they'd cut you a deal for his name though. he was figuring that Harley wasn't going to take that bait. He was just guessing, but she seemed like the sort who didn't have many close friends, but was very loyal to the ones she did have. As far as his "injured officer" went... Charlie could care less. The guy was an idiot, and so far none of the senior officers could figure out why the hell he'd been hired in the first place. Besides... a broken nose and a knee to the groin wasn't going to kill him... Charlie'd been shot and he was still alive... the other guy would live.

Now that we're both here, we're stuck with it, no matter how little either of us likes it. So until someone posts bail for you, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other for the next five to ten years. Yeah... it was kind of a lot of time just for attempted car theft...but if you were going to get caught trying to steal someone's car... the mayor's car was not a good choice. Of course, she probably hadn't known it was the mayor's car considering it was sitting outside a hotel while he was... well we won't go into why the mayor would be in a cheap hotel room in the middle of the night... but even so... the guy was going to be pressing charges, no doubt about it... and he had a lot of connections with the judge and other court officials. She was basically doomed.