“Dude, like, chill out,” said Jo, taking on a very laid back accent, hands on either side of her, spread open, revealing that she was unarmed.  Bette, now out of the car, shaking hard, shaking the glass from her hair, stunned at the events that were unfolding.

            “Who are you?!?”

            “Married woman and her female date, man.  Seriously, nothing shady going on here, just… well… ok, she’s cheating..”

            “I am not!” exclaimed Bette, then realizing that Jo was making up something on the spot, “Ok, I am but he’s… cheating too….” 

            “Who are you?” he asked again, and Jo pointed to her jacket and pulled out a license. 

            “Jasmine Wade, like it says there, we didn’t do nothing wrong, but you just busted the fuck outta my car man!  I’m calling the cops,” said Jo, reaching into her jacket for her cell phone.  Turning it on, the man made to swing at her.

            Seeing the blow coming, Jo ducked, the man swung, sending him off balance as he did, Jo moved behind him, using her elbow to hit him in the back of the head, sending him crashing down onto the ground.  “Man, I was gonna give ya a break, but now I’m gonna handja ya ass on a rusted platter.”

            “You hit me!” he yelled.

            “Um, hello?  Golf club?” said Jo, picking it up and tossing it back across the street.  “Hows about you just go back to doing whatcha were doing?”

            The man got up, seeing the amber hue in his opponents eyes, his hands scrapped from landing on the pavement, brushing his hands on his pants and scurried back across the street.  Fear over taking him, not caring who they were anymore, as long as the woman didn’t hurt him.  Jo turned back to Bette, walking to her slowly, “You ok?”

            “Oh my god, that was a little more than I was bargaining for,” admitted Bette, forcing a laugh.

            “Hellva payment for a kiss, oui?”

            “Yes, your car…”

            “Ah, it’s ok, just a windshield.  I’ll have someone tow it later, how about calling us a cab and I’ll drop you off at home?” said Jo, tossing a look back over her shoulder, seeing the door of the office building swinging closed. 

            Bette nodded, disappointed that the evening was ending.  Jo used her cell to call someone, and Bette called a cab company on her own phone.  Still feeling protected since Jo did have a gun, Bette didn’t mind standing on the street corner in the dead of night.  Jo spoke on the phone, obviously to someone who worked for her.  Talking about her cover being blown.  Bette couldn’t catch the whole gist of the conversation, since Jo was walking around, pacing, on the side walk.

            Twenty minutes later, the cab arrived and they spent a comfortable ride in silence, the quiet bothering neither of them.  It was actually very soothing that you didn’t have to talk all the time, an could sit quietly without the pressure of keeping everything fresh.  They arrived at Bette’s house, the lights still lit in what Jo knew was the living room.  “Well, that was an interesting evening,” said Jo with a lopsided grin.

            “I’d invite you in, but I don’t want to wake Angelica,” said Bette, shuffling her feet on the broken sidewalk, seeing Tina’s car still in the driveway, which meant that Angelica had wanted to stay here the night.

            “Non, see, baby steps,” said Jo, having stepped out of the cab with Bette.  Jo mimicked small steps, and Bette laughed again.  “You have my number, and I’m sure you’re going to call…” smiled Jo, getting back into the cab and telling the driver to go, leaving the statement hanging. 

            Bette stood, watching the cab move away.  A broad smile on her lips, unsure just what the tomboy private eye did to her, but it certainly wasn’t like any other relationship she’d ever been in before.  And that, was a very good thing.