The Bodyguard (Spinoff To Spider-Man Wrongfully Accused)

Getting To Know Each Other

The next day, Jake and Yelena went to a hardware store to get a copy of Jake's housekey made. They knew they would have to go to an auto store in order to make a copy of the key to Jake's car for Yelena to drive as well. When they were out in public, some people thought that Jake and Yelena were a married couple, but this was far from the case. After the copy of a key to Jake's car was made, he gave the two copied keys to Yelena and said, "alright then, here you go Yelena, these are for you. I'm trusting you with my car and my house." Yelena put the two keys in a key link and said, "I appreciate that Jake. We better get back to walk Fanny. You're welcome to accompany me while I walk her. This time, I drive." She got in the driver's seat while Jake got in the passenger seat and she drove all the way to Jake's house. Once they were in the parking lot outside Jake's house, he and Yelena got out of the car and wandered over to the front of the house, of course observing the environment beforehand. The coast was clear. Yelena unlocked the door and opened it. Her dog Fanny was the first one to greet Yelena and Jake. Yelena pet her dog and playfully asked, "are you ready to go on a walk girl?" Fanny wagged her tail and jumped excitedly to indicate that she wanted to go on a walk with Yelena.

Yelena put the leash on Fanny's collar, and the two went outside with Jake following. Jake was sure to shut the door and lock it. Fanny was curious to look around Queens, sniffing around every new thing she saw. "So Jake, I read from your file that you're working to get your veterinarian degree," said Yelena, wanting to start a casual conversation with Jake, "why do you want to get such a degree if you don't mind me asking?" Jake shyly rubbed his right arm and asked hesitantly, "you promise not to laugh at me if I tell you?" When she heard the hesitation in Jake's voice, Yelena was puzzled at this. Did people make fun of him for his career choice when he was younger? She gave a sympathetic look and promised, "I won't laugh at you, Jake." Her voice was gentle when she said that. Jake breathed in and said, "okay... The reason I'm working on getting my veterinarian degree is because I like horses. They're my favorite animals next to dogs and bears. To me, horses are magnificent creatures. They're incredibly intelligent, they often look beautiful, they can be gentle on occasion, and they can take you anywhere. I'm so fascinated with horses that I want a career taking care of them. I want to work at a ranch and be a horse groomer."

"Is a horse groomer like any other pet groomer?" Yelena asked. Of course she had read up about Jake's likes regarding horses, but she didn't know WHY he liked horses. "In a way yes," said Jake, "horse groomers usually feed horses and bathe them, take care of their manes and their stables. I'd basically like a career taking care of horses, which is why I'm getting my veterinarian degree." Yelena was quite interested knowing why Jake wanted to be a horse groomer. She smiled and asked, "Is that why you have that Black Beauty novel and its movie adaptation?" Jake nodded and explained, "I love that book. I also love the Paddington books and movies too. Those movies are my favorite."

"I was vaguely familiar with the books when I was a child," said Yelena, "but I had never really officially read them or watched the movies. I guess you could say I wasn't really interested." Jake gave a teasing smile and said, "then you're missing out. They're really good. On the surface, they might seem like generic kids films, but they're more than meets the eye." Yelena gave a sly smile and said, "I might give it a watch then. What else do you like to watch?" Jake thought a moment and then said, "Well I'm a big fan of Doctor Who and I also like the Broadchurch series."

"I'm also vaguely aware of what Doctor Who is, but what is Broadchurch about?" Yelena asked. "It's basically a British crime drama," said Jake, "two police detectives are trying to find out who murdered a child, and it's got a lot of drama to the stories. One could also say it's like a soap opera. Although it might be dark and grim at times, I got a feeling you might like it. And it features a lot of Doctor Who actors." Yelena smiled and said, "perhaps I would be interested in watching this show with you." She and Jake continued to walk her dog, and Jake offered, "since you'll be living with me and possibly eating dinner with me as well, how would you like to have a macaroni and cheese casserole? I was thinking of adding bacon and ground beef to this casserole." Yelena perked up and enthusiastically said, "I love macaroni and cheese! That sounds like a delicious dinner." Jake smiled at Yelena's enthusiasm and said, "alright it's settled then. Bacon burger mac and cheese for dinner. We got plenty of food supplies for that." Yelena smiled and said, "you know Jake, if I wasn't your bodyguard and I wasn't a Black Widow, I would gladly consider you a friend in a different life."

"We still can be," said Jake. "I'm glad we can be," said Yelena. And it was at this point, Jake started to realize that he had a crush on Yelena and liked her as possibly more than a friend. Whether she felt the same, Jake didn't know.