Another day, another dollar. We find Jack McCoy sweeping the back stairwell of his dorm and glancing, every once and a while, out the nearby window, at a group of girls playing frisbee outside. One, in particularly short, shorts catches his eye. A man walks up to her and puts his arm around her shoulders. Jack recognizes the man- it’s Paul! Jack grunts and then makes point not to look out the window any more.

“Leave it to Paul to ruin a perfectly good time.”

“Don’t let it get you too down, Jack.”

Jack jerks his head upward and sees Trent (last seen in ‘New Neighbors and Mr. Squirrel’) walking down, toward him.

“Hey, Trent.”

“G’day.”

“What do you think of Paul?”

“I think he’s an interesting guy. Tell ya what, though- he won’t be a guy much longer if he keeps ticking off that pretty lady that is always around your room.”

“Vicki?”

“She got red hair, blue eyes?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s the one.”

“Vicki is... somewhat of a mystery to me.”

Trent leans up against the railing, “How so?”

“Well... Wait, why do you care?”

“Curious. She’s cute.”

“Right. About as cute as a snapping turtle.”

“Interesting company she keeps, I’ll give you that.”

“Yeah... I dunno about her and Paul.”

“Nothing there.”

“Huh?”

“You’re wondering if she and Paul are a... ‘thing’.”

“Well, I-”

Trent cuts him off, “She and him are like sister and brother, I think.”

Jack runs a hand through his hair, “Doesn’t really matter.”

“Why not?”

Jack waves off his question and returns to sweeping, “I gotta get back to work.”

Trent rolls his eyes, “Just remember, Jack- if you don’t get her someone else will.”

“Boy, don’t you like fairy tales... Talk to you later.”

Trent slides past Jack and continues down the stairs. He doesn’t get too far, though.

“Hey Jack! You better come look at this!”

“What Trent? If Moore comes around and sees me talking to you he’ll bust my ass.”

“Just come down here.”

Jack sighs and heads after Trent, “What?”

Trent points to a corner of the stairwell.

“Ahh, crap!”

“I think it’s sweet.”

“You would.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Paul?”

“Oh, nothing dear.”

Vicki smacks him in the head once more.

“Ow! You someday, I’m going to have brain damage because of you!”

“Can’t damage what’s already broken.”

Trent pokes into the conversation, “What are we gonna do with it?”

Everyone turns to Jack.

“What? I’m supposed to know what to do about this?”

“Well, you did find the kitten,” Trent points out.

“No, you found it! I was just the poor slob who picked it up!”

“Possession is nine tenths of the law.”

“Funny.”

“Take it to the pound,” Paul puts in.

“No! Do that and they’ll kill it!”

“You’re something, you know that, Vick? You wanna be a big and bad lawyer but you get all weepy eyed over a dumb cat.”

“It’s called being concerned for those who can’t defend themselves. It’s called compassion. Try it sometime, Paul.”

Paul throws up his hands, “WOMEN!”

They go off to bicker. Jack sighs and looks at Trent.

“You’re gonna keep it, aren’t you?”

“Vicki and I have something in common- compassion for those who can’t defend themselves.”

“You’re pretty cool, ya know that, Jack?”

“Sure... I’m a cool guy who now has a cat, which is, by the way, not allowed in the dorms.”

“Live on the wild side, man.”

Jack smirks, “What are we gonna name it?”

“Well, first,” Trent takes the little black kitten from Jack and gives it a looking-over, “It is not an it- it’s a he.”

“Okay, so what are we gonna name him?”

“I dunno.”

Jack stares at the kitten. He stares back with his yellow eyes.

“How about Shit? As in what I will be in if anyone finds out I have him in our room.”

“Lovely,” Trent hands the animal back to Jack.

“Okay, I’m fresh out of ideas... You got any?”

Trent ponders for a moment and then his face lights up, “Ringo!”

Jack grins, “I knew from the moment I met you that you were a great and intelligent man.”

“Tell me something I didn’t know already.”

Jack holds the kitten up to his face, “Ringo it is.”

Vicki and Paul return. Vicki is still fuming and Paul is rubbing his head.

“Vicki, you’ve got some serious anger issues there.”

“Excuse me?”

“You solve all your problems by hitting people!”

“Oh no, Paul. I only hit you. You respond well to... Outside stimuli.”

Paul just glares at her then turns to Jack.

“So what you gonna do about it?”

“It is now Ringo.”

“You have got to be kidding me, Jack! Don’t tell me you’re a pansy, too.”

“No, just looking for some intelligent conversation in this room.”

“But I’m here!”

“Proving my point.”

Vicki snickers and Trent tries to pretend that he is coughing. Paul scowls at all of them.

“What happens is you get caught, Jack?”

“I’m not going to get caught... So long as certain people keep their mouths SHUT!”

“Fine, I won’t snitch on you.”

“How very kind of you.”

Vicki looms over him, “As if you had a choice.”

Unnoticed by everyone Ringo has found something very interesting about Jack’s unruly hair and starts batting at it with his paw. At first Jack is too busy listening to the argument to care but when Ringo’s paw lands on his cheek, Jack holds the kitten away from himself and eyes it.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Aww, now isn’t that adorable?” Paul swoons at seeing Jack and Ringo.

“I wonder if cats can be trained to kill,” Jack wonders aloud, glancing at Paul.

“That’d be a new one,” replies an unamused Paul.

“Killer pussies,” mumbles Trent. Everyone groans and Vicki smacks him in the head.

A few hours later, we find the whole crew (minus Paul) sitting in the living room, playing with the kitten. Vicki is still fuming a little from Paul’s callous attitude toward the creature.

“How could he be so heartless!”

“Vicki, it doesn’t matter- Ringo is staying.”

“I know, but-”

A knock at the door interrupts them. There is a mad scramble to hide Ringo. Jack ends up stuffing him down his shirt.

“Oh that’s really convincing!” hisses Vicki as she heads to the door.

“You got any better ideas?” Jack shoots back, “Hey, quit moving around down there!”

“Is that what they call it nowadays?”

Everyone starts at the strange voice now among them. Vicki is the first to relax.

“Kate! God, you scared us!”

The brown-haired, green-eyed woman sporting a men’s brown fedora, stares at the squirming bulge in Jack’s shirt, “Right.”

Jack turns red, “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Good. You had me worried.”

There is an awkward silence. Vicki finally takes the hint.

“Umm, guys, this is my roommate- Kathleen Schrader. Kathleen, this is Trent Cassidy and Jack McCoy.”

Kate still appears uneasy. Jack realizes the kitten is still in his shirt. He pulls it out.

“And this is Ringo.”

Kate laughs, “Oh God! Well, at least I know I’m not crazy.”

Jack smiles and puts Ringo down, “Kathleen-”

“Kate. You all can just call me Kate.”

“What’s up, Kate?”Vicki questions, tersely.

“Nothing. Just wondered where you were. I thought you might be here because you’re always talking about Paul.”

“Yeah, well, Paul is being an asshole tonight.”

“Oh... I just wondered where you were, that’s all.”

“Yeah, yeah...,” Vicki is distracted and walks out of the living room.

Kate opens her mouth, as if to say something, but decides not to and starts to leave.

“Hey, Kate you don’t have to go,” Jack spits out before he knows it.

She turns back, looking a little confused and waits for Jack to continue.

Jack swallows hard. He just seemed to keep getting himself into these situations, “I mean that... That... Oh, Hell, you understand English- you know what I said!”

Kate smiles for the first time since had entered the room. There is something more sincere and innocent about her smile as compared to Vicki, who always seemed to have a feeling of tension about her.

Trent picks up Jack’s tone of hospitality, “Come on and have a seat!”

She nervously does as told. Sitting there she reminds Jack of a mouse sitting in a cage while cats stalk around her.

“So... How do you know Vicki?”

Kate gives him a strange look, “I’m her roommate.”

Jack turns red again, “Well, yeah, but...”

Trent cuts in to save Jack further humiliation, “How long have you known her?”

“Umm, not very long... I got roomed with her this year... And that’s all...”

“You too, huh?” Jack is trying to make the conversation a little more upbeat, “I got stuck with this joker, Paul, as my roommate. He blasts Ol’ Blue Eyes so loud I think people in Canada can hear it! Then I have this guy,” he jumps up and points to Trent, “Across the hall cooking up squirrels for dinner!”

“Hey! That was just the one time!”

“One time too many!”

“It wasn’t even my idea!”

“Who’s more foolish? The fool or the person who follows the fool?”

By now, Kate is laughing so hard her eyes are watering. Jack flops down in chair with a satisfied grin on his face.

“And then, there’s the stalker girl but we’re not even going there right now.”

She giggles some more and then wipes her eyes- she is feeling much more at ease, “Sounds like you lead very interesting life, Jack.”

“Sometimes I wish it was less interesting.”

Trent arches an eyebrow at Jack’s sudden comic nature. Before he can think further about it, Vicki comes storming out of Paul’s bedroom area and stomps out of the room. Kate, Trent, and Jack sit in silence, staring after her.

Kate sighs, “Well, alright then. I suppose I should go after her... But thanks for letting me hang out with you guys.”

“No problem. Any time.”

“Any time?”

“Yeah... Wait, you don’t hit, listen to Frank Sinatra, or eat squirrels do you?”

“No.”

“Any time!”

Kate giggles uncontrollably, “Oh, God, I feel like such an idiot giggling like this!”

“Hey, it’s fine by me! Better than just having me laughing at my own jokes.”

More giggling and then, “Hummm...”

“What?”

“Lemme try something...”

She walks over to Jack and plops the fedora on his head.

“Oh here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?”

“It looks better on you than it ever has on me. Besides, a good lawyer needs a good hat,” she turns and begins to leave but then stops for a moment, “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

“See ya.”

And she is gone. Trent and Jack remain in the living room.

“She’s cute.”

“Yea.”

“And she seems to like you.”

“Yea.”

“And you don’t mind that?”

“Nope.”

“She’s right about the hat, too.”

“Huh?”

“It does look better on you.”

“Heh...”

“So you like her?”

“I dunno... I’ve got homework to do.”

“Aww, come on, Jack!” Trent follows him back to his desk.

“I am a gentleman.”

“Right! And how about that act with being ‘Mr. Funny Man’ all of a sudden?”

“That’s how I act normally... It’s all of you who are abnormal.”

“Oh ya hurt me right here,” he puts his hand where his heart was.

“Uh huh.”

“Jack and Katie, sittn’ in a tree-”

Jack doesn’t say anything. He just glares at Trent.

“Okay, okay. Shesh, touche! I’ll show myself out.”

“Have fun.”

“Oh, I will!”

Jack smiles after Trent. He may be acting upset now but Jack knew it was a scam. He’d be back in less than an hour asking Jack if he wanted to get something to eat. Jack is starting to ponder where Paul might be when he feels something rub against his leg. He looks down and sees a fluff ball looking back.

“I almost forgot about you!” he reaches down and picks up Ringo and sets him on the desk, “How do ya like that?”

Ringo bats at an eraser and Jack chuckles. He rolls his eyes so that he can see the brim of the hat Kate gave him.

“Maybe I do look good with this on. What do you think, Ringo?”

Ringo ‘meows’- he’s hungry!

Jack takes the hint and grabs his wallet and jacket to go to the store. He puts Ringo in a box with some newspaper. Ringo looks disgusted.

“Hey, it’s the best I can do on short notice. You should have planned on dropping in at a more convenient time.”

Another ‘meow’. Jack shakes his head and starts for the door. Before he leaves, though, he stops and glances in the bathroom mirror. He grins at the reflection.

“So now I have a cat and a hat...”