1200

Steve slammed the patrol's door shut as he climbed out of the driver seat. His partner Jenkins got out of the passenger side, a shorter and reedier deputy. He almost always went to Becky's for lunch, for two reasons. Steve felt he had to support his own kind, and Jenkins was near-unbearably sweet on Becky Landon. The outdoor seating had a handful of people puffing on cigarettes.

He nodded and recognized the greetings from those who knew him, and answered those who asked about his father with short, clipped answers. The rocking bench held one old woman and Steve went to her. "I'll be along in a minute, Jenkins."

"Whatever you say, Hamrick."

As his fellow deputy went into to Becky's, Steve sat down on the bench. "Afternoon, Mrs. Winters."

The old woman chuckled. "And to yourself, Stephen. How's your father?"

Steve looked up at the sky for divine intervention. "He's well, that's all I can say. He's, well, the old bastard's himself, Mrs. Winters."

She laughed. "You're too much alike, is the problem. Becky has venison stew up."

"Now that sounds like an excellent lunch for a chilly day like this. I'll let the old man know you asked after him."

She picked up her knitting and went back to working her needles. "And you take care of yourself, Stephen."

Steve walked away from her. There weren't many people in town who believed the old tales, but he knew Mrs. Winters did. He pushed open the door as the bells clanged and at the end of the serving counter he saw Becky's body freeze for just a minute, an unbidden response before she registered the bell, notifying a customer. He did the same thing sometimes to sudden noises and Becky had only hung the bell a few weeks ago. "Mrs. Winters mentioned venison stew? I was hoping she had her story straight."

Becky laughed as she quickly glanced up and down him, a natural response to someone who oozed "future Alpha" the way Steve did. "Oh, I've got venison stew, brought the doe down myself early this morning. On my own even."

As she ladled a bowl, Steve raised one dark eyebrow. "You're a little young to be hunting alone, Becky."

"Oh, I am older then you think I am, Steve." Becky sighed as he walked away to join Jenkins with his burger and fries.

1200

Jamie came in and she was on the phone. "Debra that is not going to work. Nathan and Daniel both have soccer practice for his game this weekend." she pointed out with a sigh. "No Travis will be taking them. Debbie.. I have court at 3 I seriously doubt ill be out by 5 o'clock for a grand jury indictment. Look can we just pick another night? Please?" there was a sigh. "This weekend is out too, I'm being dragged away somewhere for my anniversary." okay so Jamie wanted to make her sister understand. "I know you are just over the state line. No I promise. Won't we see you for Christmas anyway?" she continued. "No.. I got stuck buying for Matt. Do you realize how hard he is to buy for? Oh shut up you got Tegan. Like the easiest child to buy for ever"

Debra was giving Jamie a headache. "No look I have to run. I need my lunch hour to look over depositions.
Nous allons trouver le temps de chasser . Je promets." (We will find time to drive out. I promise) she stated. "Au Revoir soeur" she stated as she hung up the phone. Sometimes she really wanted to strangle her sister. The joys of being the youngest in the group. They were going to be seeing the whole family over the Christmas holiday anyway. She sat down at a table and tossed her paperwork on the table in front of her. Lunch hour and she was still working.

Steve was stirring the stew to cool it as Jamie Oxford walked in. He sighed, staring for a minute. The bases in Rayton reminded him of old dreams. He was too old for it now, as he waved at her. "Afternoon, Commander. I recommend the stew myself today."

Jenkins was waving at Becky next to him and she smiled back while serving up chicken fried steak meals to a pair of old farmers in worn but clean overhauls. "You're pathetic."

"What, she likes me."

"You couldn't handle her, Jenkins." Steve started in on the stew and heard one of the farmers conversationally complaining to Becky.

"Swear to the Baby Jesus, this big, yella wolf was on my land last night. If I have a cow disappear, my rifle's comin' out and damn the game laws." He cut into the steak and smeared it around in the white gravy then popped it in his mouth. "Rebecca Landon, I swear, as good a little cook as you are, why ain't you married yet?"

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Horace." Becky pulled back her long, blonde hair and walked out from behind the counter to head for the table and smiled at Jamie. "Well, hello, what can I get ya, Mrs. Oxford?"

Jamie shook her head and dismissed Steve's use of her title. "I have a name Hamrick; have you ever TRIED using it" she was being slightly sarcastic as she took the table beside the two partners. "Ya know, Stew and Paperwork don't really mix" she chuckled as she pulled a case file off the top. She hadn't even had a chance to look at it before she was being greeted by the blonde.

"Good Afternoon Becky" she greeted her with a small but tired smile. Jamie tried to be nice to the people in the town but her temper and pyromancing abilities were no secret. She could not help that she had accidentally set a barn on fire when she was a teenager. Though the owner at the time, was understanding and didn't press charges. No one had been hurt.

"BLT with a side of Potato Salad and Water" she didn't even have to look at the menu. In fact, she hadn't even pulled one out. Jamie looked over her deposition once Becky had left. Jamie was not usually very talkative at lunch time to those who worked there. Mainly because she was pressed for time. She sighed as she looked to her paperwork. She honestly didn't feel like reading depositions. Finally, she closed the file and put it back on the stack. Her mind was not on her work.

He stirred his stew and laughed. "Come on, allow me to dream, Jamie." After all, if he'd done what he wanted in life, he'd have to call her 'ma'am.' He watched Becky take the order back to the kitchen of the cafe and took another spoonful of the stew.

"So what's up in JAG land?" Over by the bar, he could still hear the farmers complaining about the weather. And griping about the current ban on wolf hunting with the re-introduction of the red wolf.

The jingle bells rang again as a big man walked in. Steve's hand involuntarily tightened on the recovered wood table. His black hair and beard were both long but neat. Becky scrambled to take his order at the counter. Steve pushed his chair back in preparation as Jenkins whistled. "Damn, I always forget how big your old man is."

Becky kept her gaze lowered to the counter. "What can I get you, sir?"

"I smell the deer, you have any of it that's not stewed?" She quickly scrambled back to the kitchen as Eric walked to the table, Steve looked up and made full eye contact. Eric kept staring, not breaking his yellow eyes on his son's blue even as he spoke to the others. "Ronnie, Jamie, I hope your families are well."

"Surprised to see you in town, Dad." Steve spooned more stew.

"You do realize at 0400 there isn't much dreaming right Sergeant?" she smirked. Okay so she tended to retaliate on him. It drove her nuts when he called her commander so she sometimes would tease him in return. She watched him as she slid her file over.

"Depositions" she pointed at the stack. Her area was large and had little to do with what went on at in just Rayton and Winterley, though to be honest both of the towns were well behaved enough. Her jurisdiction of course was not exactly large but it wasn't exactly quiet either. One of her towns was usually full of drunken sailors, bar fights, and the like.

Jamie was clearly the only none wolf that was not afraid of the Alpha male as even the farmers were watching with expressions of worry on their face. When she was addressed Jamie responded politely. Military manners died hard. It wasn't to say she wasn't afraid to stand up to Steve's father, or put up with his crap; but he like anyone else in town grated respect. Being that she was not all chummy with the pack leader, she decided for a standard respectful greeting. "Thank you and hope you are also doing well Sir."

Right Depositions had her attention or should. She groaned when she realized someone used pink ink to write it out. Oh she was going to have their head.

"I've been awake on patrol at four in the morning more often than not." Steve kept at his stew as Becky rang her "order up" bell and Eric walked off.

"There's a family meeting tonight, Stephen."

Steve contemplated using his spoon to fling one of the stewed carrots at his father's back, that was far too childish. He didn't acknowledge the pack meeting, addressing Jamie instead. "Oh joy, but if people didn't do illegal stuff, we wouldn't have jobs."

He figured she probably had the recent statements when he and Jenkins had been called to a bar fight in Rayton. Jenkins dipped three fries at once in the pool of ketchup. "You gotta love Old Man Horace and posse taking about violating game laws right in front of us, Hamrick."

"They're just bellyaching, can't arrest them for complaining about the possibility about having their cows disappear, Jenkins." Steve watched as Eric deliberately sat at the bar next to them. Sure, nobody in here knew except Jamie from their childhood together, but Eric was known to have a bad temper around town. He looked at Jamie, he could only imagine that dealing with it after the perp was caught involved more paperwork than catching them.

Becky came back with the sandwich, potato salad and a tall cold water. She set them down, carefully away from Jamie's paperwork with a smile. "And here you go, ma'am. I can't quite believe Mr. Hamrick's actually in town, can you?"

"He's rattling cages, Becky. 'Family meeting.'" He gave the words the appropriate finger quotes. Jenkins took another handful of fries. "I forget, how are the Landons and Hamricks related again?"

Steve and Becky looked at each other. Steve shrugged. "There's some inter-marriages somewhere in the family tree." 

It was technically true, though generations back when the Landon pack had immigrated to Winterley and found the Hamrick pack already on the territory. Becky added a straw. "Whenever you're ready, just cash out up at the register."

Jamie nodded. "You have a point Steve but WHY Jenkins did you make this suspect write in pink ink? WHY? I cannot even read what he wrote" She shuttled the paper in front of Steves partner as it wasn't very far across the other table. It wasn't like she NEEDED the depositions for court. Legally, she couldn't use them but knowing what was said in the confession was essential to her cases some of the time.

Jamie was trying to find if there was another copy of that anywhere that wasn't in pink. If only Jamie could start a fire under his behind. Not something she did literally, but sometimes she wished she could with Jenkins when he did stuff like that.

That was when she saw Becky set down her lunch and water. She tidied up the paperwork so that it wouldn't get messed up when she decided to eat. She smiled back at Becky. "Is that your daily gossip for the day Ms. Becky?" her town was lighthearted. Jamie was always nice to Becky but Jamie never understood the big fuss over the one person in town.

Jamie was going to eat her words as she saw a familiar face walk in. She could be wrong; but she was fairly certain the redhead had moved away. There was little boy she had by the hand. Jamie took a deep breathe and just went for her lunch. Victoria was the last person she wanted to see. This was going to be a mess.

"Steve don't let me do anything stupid" she muttered under her breathe as she finished a bite of her potato salad. Jamie was known to do really stupid things when she was upset. All of her logic went out the window and Jamie was very logical thinker most of the time. Unless she was acting out. They were beyond high school. They were grown adults now. But that didn't make the betrayal so many decades ago not sting still.

Steve laughed as Jenkins stuttered. "I swear, that was the only pen we had handy in the squad car."

Steve was about to respond, noting that it was once in a blue moon for Eric to come into town. When someone who was even more of a surprise to see. Years had passed but he knew. "Talk about the daily gossip. I don't think she's come back in, what, fifteen years?"

He nodded as he hunted the bowl for the last solid chunks. "Oh, I'll try. But I know better then to get between two she-wolves in a fight, Jamie."

He remembered the whole Oxford-Galacio debacle, on the sidelines as Jamie's friend after their meeting over a bear trap as children. One of the biggest scandals ever seen in the county, and he remembered his father pointing to the Mafia as clear evidence of the wolf's superiority over humans. Never mind the fact that Galacio's people back then had included Packfolk and witnesses disappearing by 'wild dog attacks.'

"I had no idea they'd come back to town. I'm presuming you didn't either?" Jenkins was just young enough to not remember except as stories told by older people in town but stared.

Jamie shot Jenkins and Steve both a look. "Do I have to buy you a bunch of pens to keep in the glove box?" she asked as she raised a brow.

Suddenly Jamie didn't feel hungry. She was playing with the rim of her water glass. The woman looked as if she had seen a ghost. "I never cared to do the math"

Jamie didn't want to cause a scene. "It's been long enough, it should be a moot point. Things happen for a reason; but having someone back stab like that just.. it was petty high school crap" she was trying to justify it but at the same time the entire town had kept what they knew from Jamie. It took Jamie 7 years to figure out that Victoria had been the other woman and most of the family AND the town knew the two had married.It hadn't been that Jamie was naive but everyone knew how sensitive Jamie had been about the matter. Even Travis hadn't wanted to tell Jamie.

"The family doesn't speak to them. My last words to her were to tell her never to talk to me again" she stated. "At least she has enough sense to listen" she added. Jamie poked at her potato salad and realized if she didn't try and eat something that Becky would mention something. She forced a bit of food down as her mind reeled. Jamie was angry she focused through the window and caused a piece of paper in the parking lot to catch on fire. It quickly burnt up and cleaned up the parking lot in the process. The fire evident that she was wound up and looking for a reason to go off.

Jenkins focused on his burger. Steve drank at the broth of the stew. part of him regretting the fact that Becky had to completely bleed and cook the deer carcass before being able to serve it to humans. "Try to look at it with a sort of Zen attitude. 'A life well-lived is the best revenge.' She's stuck with him and you've got Travis and the kids."

Steve looked regretfully into the empty stew bowl, debating on more as Jenkins whacked the bottom of the ketchup bottle on the table to season the hamburger. He scooted his chair close enough to whisper between just the two of them. "If it helps, I can look up their new place in the police database and sit outside and howl all night, Jamie. Jenkins and I are off duty at six and we're not on duty at all tomorrow, I've got all night to be loud and annoying."

Jenkins gave the ketchup bottle one last whack and a big spout of ketchup splatted out to drown the patty. He gave it a look and then grabbed the fork.

Victoria was clearly not in the mood to deal with people. Though clearly her 5 year old had other ideas. The redhead was not fast enough to catch him as he darted under the two tables and ran under not only Jamie's table but also the two deputies. The Italian chided at the child. "Kevin. Come here. That is not appropriate" she stated as he came climbing out. The woman glared at the child who took a gulp. "Sorry Momma" he stated as he looked to the floor.

Victoria looked between the two tables. This was a very bad place for her to be. "My apologies for my son's behavior" she stated simply. It was better to be polite and have someone jump down your throat than to be rude and give them a real reason. Vicki's face had gone pale. She had no idea what else to do or say at this point.

Jamie couldn't help but laugh as Steve mentioned trying to look at it with a Zen attitude. "I feel bad for Travis; they were family. Travis put up with a lot of crap when the two of us married. But you are right the two clearly are cut from the same sour tree" she admitted. Jamie could still remember the black eye and busted lip Travis had gotten for telling Bobby about the engagement. Travis deep down wanted to fix things and Jamie was on his fence. Just because Travis wanted to make peace with them didn't mean that Jamie couldn't be civil. Then Steve mentioned howling outside all night and Jamie was laughing just as the young boy came darting under her feet.

Then Victoria spoke and Jamie stood up. "I suggest you take the brat and leave. I do not remember asking you to speak to me. I distinctly remember not wanting to hear from you" she stated firmly at her. Jamie was clearly ready to jump down Victoria's throat. The lawyer wouldn't start anything that could legally get her in trouble but there would be words to fly. Jamie waited for Victoria to back up before she broke the glare at the other woman.

"Still twenty years is a long time and a lot of water flowing under the bridge, Jamie." As the little boy ran the under two tables, Steve braced the table from being knocked over by the child.

He stood up, partly to give the little boy space and partly to at least show some politeness to Vicki. "That's okay; kids will be kids. I didn't know you were back in Winterley, Victoria." And it looked like the past was too raw for Jamie right now. He reached for her arm, seeking to try to settle her down and avoid a fight in the middle of the Patio Cafe. "Jamie, not worth it."

<<tag Jamison "Jamie" Oxford >>

Oh it was worth it alright to Jamie. Victoria on the other hand wasn't so sure what to think about the tone from anyone. Jamie least of all. Though Jamie seemed to hold back when Steve stepped in. Victoria took a step back as he son moved back towards her. "Yes, we are back in Winterley" she was being polite but not really trying to start any small talk. This was rather awkward to her. Victoria didn't do well in situations like this.

Well at least Steve wasn't being downright rude. Aside from much of anything she was at least thankful for that. Victoria had learned early from her father how to be submissive and polite at the same time. An art she had mastered and it hid her pain as long as no one looked into her eyes; which she was avoiding like the plague right now. Giving a half smile she moved past the group with a polite mannerism as she did so.

<Tag: Steve Hamrick>