It was summertime and the heathen were running amuck. At least that's the way it felt to Peter Caine as he tried to work at his desk in the sweltering heat. An unseasonably warm March and a too efficient, and broken, heating system had plunged the 101st into an oppressive 90 degree afternoon. To make matters perfectly worse, the city sponsored work/study program had begun and the precinct was crawling with eager young Crockett and Tubbs wannabes. Or maybe it was Mulder and Scully. Ponch and Jon? Whoever they were, they were making him crazy.

"Excuse me, Detective?" Peter suppressed a sigh and looked up. A petite, knockout blonde girl was standing by his desk.

*Okay, Pete ol' boy, never mind the packaging, never mind that she looks twenty five, young, high school, little girl, even* that was the clincher and he smiled naturally, thoughtfully turning down the wattage on the Caine charm. "Yes ma'am, Detective Peter Caine, at your service. What can I do for you?"
She smiled back, a nice smile, a smile tinged with speculation, an..older smile. "Could you point the way to Captain Simms' office. I need to report to her today."

"Oh, yeah?" Peter said lightly, " and what's your specialty, Miss..?."

"MacGuire, Jordan MacGuire, Vice."

He nodded. "Well, if you ever need backup.." he swung his chair over and clapped the red haired man at the next desk on the back, "TJ's your man. You need anything else, change for the soda machine, anything, just call me."

"Thomas Jefferson Kincaid, DONT call me TJ." the redhead offered and handshake and a smile to the now laughing girl and she curtsied in return, no mean feat in her crisp khakis and bright cotton camp shirt.
"Jordan MacGuire, and my friends call me Jordy. It was nice to meet you both." and she walked toward the door Peter had pointed out, grin on her face.

Peter and TJ watched her go, then caught each other and grinned wryly. "High school?" Kincaid asked.
"Oh yeah" Peter drawled, in his best Kermitesque manner, and they both turned back to work.

******

"Welcome to the 101st, Officer MacGuire." Captain Simms shook hands and waved her newest officer to a chair. Karen sat behind her desk, steepling her elegant hands on top of it. Jordan unconsciously sat up a little straighter, even though the captain's reserved manner was friendly. It was true, it seemed, what they said about Karen Simms, she really was the "Queen Mother." Elegant, regal, commanding, with an underlying warmth not everyone was perceptive enough to feel.

"I'm curious as to why you would transfer from Shaker Heights to a place like Chinatown, officer. Captain Reaves had nothing but praise for you in his recommendation."

"As you know captain, Shaker Heights is a wealthy, white collar community. I spent most of my time busting the wine shoppes that sold to eighteen year olds and escorting Daddy's darlings from their department store thrill shoplifting sprees. They don't really need someone like me there, but here? I've heard other cops refer to the 101st as a Fort Apache precinct." Her eyes sparkled and she grinned, "THAT"S what I'm looking for."

"A thrill seeker, is that it? I have no time for hot dogs, Officer MacGuire." the captains voice was cool, but Jordan's earnest answer was quick.

"No, ma'am, I'm not in it for thrills. I want to make a difference, and I'm a good cop. Is there a better place than Chinatown to prove it?"

Simms smiled at her new protege, pleased with her determination. MacGuire would never know it, but Karen had gone head to head with Commissioner Kincaid to push her transfer request through. Reaves had wanted to hang on to his most promising vice cop, but Jordan MacGuire reminded Simms of..herself. If the way had been more open when she joined the force. If there had BEEN women captains in the ranks, willing to mentor a young cop with fire in her belly. "I think you'll do well here, Officer. Vice is upstairs, you'll be partnering with Detective Reynard, who is on sick leave for another week recovering from a few broken ribs. Dept. Chief Tomlins will show you your desk. Get settled in, report to me tomorrow morning, got it?"

"Yes, captain."

"That will be all then. Good day, officer." Karen inclined her head in a nod toward the door and Jordan left.

******

Jordan was sitting across from her unknown partner's empty desk, eating her tuna sandwich and taking notes on a case file the detective had been working on before her injury. She suddenly felt the tickling shiver that told her someone was watching, and looked up to see Detective Caine from downstairs perched on the edge of the closest desk. He held out a candy bar. "Thanks, but my mom told me to never take candy from strangers" she told him, eyes laughing from under lashes with three layers of mascara on them.

"Trust me, I'm a cop" he shot back, tossing the Snickers onto her open files. "Your mother wont mind." He flashed a gorgeous grin, and she picked up the candy.

"Well, if you're REALLY a cop.." she tore open the wrapper, savouring the first bite of chocolate with her eyes closed.

"You didn't finish your sandwich" he pointed out, and she grinned back at him conspiratorially.
"Life's short, eat dessert first."

"They've really got you slaving away up here." Peter observed, trying to read her case file upside down.
"Well, I didn't come to the 101st to be some glorified secretary. I'll be working with Detective Reynard when she gets back from sick leave."

Peter hid his amusement at her belligerent tone and smiled again. She was just as fierce as he had been at her age, and gung ho too. Miss Jordan MacGuire might be the one kid out of this bunch to make it to the academy, to become a real officer. Somehow, the thought made him happy. "Vice is lucky to have you, then." He told her sincerely. No harm in encouraging her.

"Caine, call on line four!" the shout came from the door and Peter grimaced, jumping off the desk.. "That's my cue, see you around, Jordan."
"Yeah, see you." she murmured absently, watching his decorative exit from the office. "Hmm. NICE BUTT..no ring..great grin.." she mused, licking a bit of melted chocolate from her finger, 'There could be possibilities here."

The possibilities failed to materialize as Det. Caine joked, teased and "checked in on" her over the next couple of weeks. He even kept her supplied with candy bars, but he refused to flirt with her, even when she started it. It annoyed her, and in no small measure because he flirted with every other woman in the building but the Captain. As she saw it , he had two good reasons for not flirting with Karen Simms. First: she was his superior and commanding officer, and, Second: she seemed to be leaning toward an understanding with the local computer geek. She'd SEEN Kermit's disk protector. She didn't speculate on what he'd use to protect a lady of whom he was fond, but it was a sure bet that Peter wasn't trying to find out. Jordan liked Kermit, though. He'd spent most of an afternoon untangling problems in her desk terminal, and then stayed to show her a ton of short cuts to use when accessing information. As a thank you, she had picked up a bag of green gummi bears and left them, anonymously, on his desk when he stepped away for a moment. He'd found out who the donor was, and a tiny frog magnet was on her desk upstairs a couple of days later. It was a private, never spoken of, game between herself and Kermit, an almost playful side of the solitary computer whiz that she felt lucky to share. So, even the precinct hermit liked her, and she couldn't get the resident Romeo to give her the time of day.

It was enough to make a sexy little blonde lose confidence in her charms. Almost.

Things couldn't go on like that forever, so Jordan gave up on the very appealing but dense Peter Caine and concentrated on her new job and her new partner. Maia Reynard was a sharp funny detective with years of experience under her stylish belt. Her attractive Eurasian features lent themselves to undercover work, and her large, tiptilted deep brown eyes seemingly saw everything at once. She and Jordan took to each other rapidly, Maia kindly refraining from calling her new partner "Rookie" or "Junior" as she learned the ropes at the 101st. Pretty, with a lush figure and delicate appearance, Jordan was a hit out on the streets. Not only were they busting the johns and dope dealing pimps, she was getting a chance to talk with the kids living out there. Remembering her own pampered upbringing as the adored only daughter in an affluent family of three kids, she wanted to cry when she saw fourteen year olds selling their only possession for a hot meal, a place to sleep or a hit off a crack pipe.

"Bull" Harrison fought his way into the station, handcuffs and all. The prostitute he'd assaulted and two of her sisters of the mattress crowded around, not too close, willing to press charges for the first time. Jordan was walking with them, offering encouragement and admiration for their courage when Peter saw her. Grabbing her by the bare upper arm, he pulled her aside and stared. A red "pleather" mini with a big brass zipper over spandex leggings and red high heeled boots, a transparent white tank top over a red satin bra. Her eyeliner was thick and black and her jewelry was flashy.

"What the hell are you doing? Jordan, you're trashing your whole future here, and if your mother ..why would you get involved with this scum..okay, let me think, we can keep this quiet.."

Angrily she pulled away. "Detective Caine, WHAT is your PROBLEM?" I'm working here, do you mind?"

"AS a matter of fact, I do mind!" He yelled, "When I see a kid with all of your advantages throwing it away, for a thrill? You're smart, gorgeous, you've got a real feel for police work, Jordie, you could be a real cop when you graduate, if you don't have a record." She stared, then burst out laughing. Why was she laughing? "and what is so damned funny?" he snapped.

Jordan clung to his arm, whooping, he considered hysteria, he considered slapping her, then quickly reconsidered as he saw her eyes. "You..you think... I'm a HOOKER?" she gasped out.."A teenage, high school, hooker?", her stomach muscles were cramping and she leaned over, and against his unamused self. Shaking her head, she managed to straighten up and pulled a long chain out of her shirt, a long chain that ended in a silver badge, with her name on it. Peter read it, unbelieving.

"Officer..Jordan MacGuire, you're a cop?"

"Yes, a real cop." she swiped at her streaming eyes and glanced over to where Maia waited with their ragtag crew. "I've got to go, Maia's making me do all the paperwork until my probie time with her is over. Talk to you later?"

"How about Delancy's? I'll buy you a drink, now that I know you're over twenty one. You are over twenty one, aren't you?"

"Maybe.. see you later, Peter." and beautiful, brassy, bold Jordan was on the case again as Peter stared after her, a pattern that would continue through their turbulent, affectionate relationship. He would come to admire the drive that would earn her gold badge in seven months at the 101st, and she would learn to love this wild child with a tender streak and a badge. And hopefully, grow with him as he discovered the makings of a Shaolin cop within himself.

the end

Back to serie's index      Back to Story index