Not So Plain Jane - Innocuous Beginnings

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

At an evening cocktail party, Jean is much more the center of attention than she knows.



"Good God, is that Jean Grey?"

"Jesus, man, where have you been? You hadn't heard?"

"I heard she was dead."

"Yes, well, rumors of her death, apparently..."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Not in the slightest. She went missing on a camping trip and apparently suffered a head blow or something. Amnesia for years. Very Days of Our Lives."

"You're kidding."

"You really haven't heard this?"

"You know I don't follow the DC gossip."

"Man, this is not just gossip. If Edwards is sleeping with his interns is gossip. The return of Jean Grey was huge. Everyone was talking about it for weeks. Well, everyone except Herself. Just tossed herself back into her work like it was nothing."

"Right, but that's Dr. Grey for you."

"True enough."

---

The two men moved on into the crowd, unaware that they'd had an audience. Behind them, leaning against the wall, the man known as Parker Mathews kept his gaze fixed on the tall redhead across the room. Jean Grey.

---

Wine glass in hand, Parker Matthews made his way through the crowd towards Jean Grey, smiling pleasantly at the more attractive women he passed. It was reflex, nothing more; the only woman he was interested in was the redhead across the room. She was exquisite, and what he'd overheard about her only made her further intriguing.

"Yes, I know that, Chad, but you know better than to think this one is going to go down without a fight. We have no hope, but when has that ever stopped us?" Unaware that she had captured a new admirer and, normally, unconcerned even had she known, Jean continued her argument with the well dressed lobbyist opposite her.

"I quite agree," Matthews said with a smile when the lobbyist paused, briefly flustered. "Persistence is necessary, when you're swimming against the tide."

Jean turned, blinking at the new voice, but she smiled. "My point exactly, thank you. But I don't believe we've met. I'm Jean Grey."

"Parker Matthews," he said, offering her his hand. Ignoring Chad, of course. "And no, we haven't, Doctor Grey. I've certainly heard of you, of course."

At the moment, Jean didn't mind the slight to her companion - he had been being an ass - but the new comer's self assurance was worth noting. Taking his hand, she smiled. "A pleasure, I'm sure, although it puts you at the advantage. You work here in DC, I take it?"

A firm handshake, for a woman. He liked that. "I do some consulting work," Matthews said with another smile. "Behind the scenes is where I prefer to be, although I'll confess to a not-so-secret admiration for those of you who do your work in front of the cameras."

"This is DC, Mr. Mathews," Jean said with a smile. "Ask anyone. It's not that hard to get in front of the cameras. Just smile pretty and talk loudly."

"We all have our individual gifts," Matthews said, his eyes flickering over her and his smile lingering. Not a leer. Just appreciation.

The look was not missed, although Jean gave no outward reaction to it. Instead she turned the conversation on him. "So then, Mr. Mathews, what would you say your gifts include?"

"Oh, I listen well," Matthews said smoothly, the smile never vanishing. "I like to understand what drives the people I work with. What they want."

"And what does drive them? Or have you not learned it yet?" He was starting to remind her very strongly of a large number of her exes. Just the sort of smooth self confidence, and self love, she'd found so interesting in college. Of course, all of her exes had also been assholes. Jean wondered if that pattern would hold true.

"I hate to make generalizations. Motivations, goals... they're such individual things. I'd be fascinated, for example," Matthews said, "to hear your opinions on this latest piece of legislation in detail. Perhaps, lunch?"

"I'm afraid I'm busy tomorrow - have to show some students around before we head back to Westchester." There was a decided lack of 'perhaps some other time' in Jean's tone. She wasn't willing to come out and antagonize the man, but his manner quite put her off.

Matthews found himself rather taken aback by the finality in her tone. "Well," he said, rallying smoothly, "that is a pity."

"Yes," Jean managed to sound somewhat sincere. "And I'm afraid I must excuse myself. I've just seen one of the board of directors of the NHPO and I need to speak with him. Lovely meeting you."

Matthews smiled, a bit more tightly than he'd intended. "The pleasure was all mine, Doctor Grey," he said with a nod, and made sure that he was the first to turn away. His pride demanded that, at least.

His very loudly protesting pride. Keeping the smile on, he headed into the crowd, inwardly seething. He did not get brushed off like that. Not by anyone.