The Ballad of the Police and the Snake Pit: Respect the Queen

Caroline pulled her curly hair into a half-up-half-down style and topped it off with an elegant navy blue Bow that matched her skirt, Floppy Bow tie, and her sapphire necklace. Caroline buttoned the top button of her gray cardigan so it was buttoned but still showed her white button-up shirt. She then pulled up her white socks since they were rolling down. Then, she looked back at herself. Caroline made sure her firearm was in a reachable place through the ripped left pocket in her skirt, gently brushing the handle of the gun with the tips of her fingers. She needed the gun if, things got rocky. Caroline plopped down on the couch and curled into her husband's chest.

" I'm gonna miss you, Brodie...." She whispered.

Brodie sighed as he looked at his sweet wife. " And I'm going to miss you too..when will you be back?" He asked her softly.

" I don't know, maybe around Labor day?" She hummed as she saw her husband gently running his fingers through her curls.

" Well, I'll have Bernice keep an Eye on you since she's in the area, I don't need to have something happening to you..." He told her as he bounced his foot on the carpet

Some time passed and it was time for the first part of Operation: Hognose to begin.

Caroline and a social worker soon went to the front door of Jack ' Kingsnake' Kingston's house and knocked on the door. A tall, well-toned, dark-haired man;

" If you're hear to sell me something or talk religion, go away!" He shouted from the inside.

" We aren't,sir." the social worker answered.

Jack looked through the peephole, " I don't want your damn girl scout cookies, kid." He growled.

"Sir, please open the door, this is Child Protective services." The social worker sighed.

Jack answered the door with a concerned look on his face, hoping he wasn't in trouble.

" Hello Mr.Kingston, I'm Elizabeth Abbot, with Child Protective Services..." The social worker spoke as Caroline zoned out looking at the man she was going to be living with for a few months.

He had a scar on his face from the Vietnam War which he fought in, and he had a bit of a beard going on, he looked good, he had a few tattoos but not many,

She soon tuned in as she looked at the inside of the house, " Hey Kid? What's your name?" Jack asked.-

"Warren, Caroline Warren sir." She answered softly hoping to come off as shy as she looked into his Grey-Green Eyes.

"Well Miss Caroline, I guess I'm your guardian for now, how old are you? 13?14?" He asked her again as he let her in the house.

She looked around, there were holes in the walls, but other than that it was a nice house.

"I'm 16, sir." Caroline lied, she was 26 but her short stature and the fact she never developed much made her look like a teenager, instead of someone who was in their mid-twenties.

Jack soon brought her in and had her sit down on the brown leather couch, " So how did I become your legal guardian again?" He asked her,

" You and my Father were friends when you were both in the Army, and now I have no Family left you get to take care of me until someone adopts me or until I'm legally an adult." Caroline explained,

"So who did you belong to?" Jack asked

"What?" Caroline said

"Who were your parents?" Jack asked her again

Her father had fought in Vietnam With him so she didn't have to lie here," Jim Warren and Lydia Warren" Caroline told him

Jack's face lit up, " You're Jim's Daughter?! Oh My Word, did he ever tell you about some of the funniest stuff he did in Military Training?" He chuckled.

Caroline sighed and nodded her head as she cracked a smile.

" Alrighty, I guess I'll show you to your room and, Tonight I guess we have to go down to the docks since leaving you alone for too long could be considered child endangerment.." Jack told her,

"Why on earth would we need to go to there?" Caroline Chuckled, knowing why already but wanting to play dumb.

"Well, My 'friends' and I hang out there a lot but, sometimes we'll go to one of our houses and have dinner and discuss some things we might need to." He explained then, He sighed " But, they're more like Family, Sweet Caroline but we have radios and Code names, Like Mine's Kingsnake .. and if they let you one day yours can be...how about Hognose?" He told her as Caroline nodded.

"Of course, you would have to be older..we could get in trouble if we let a minor in our 'group'." He told her.

"Oh? Y'all can't be that bad, can you?" Caroline hummed softly as she twirled her hair in her fingers,

"You have No idea, Miss Caroline." Jack sighed, there was a look of fear in his eyes, one she had seen in her father's eyes when he spoke of the war he was in.