Not So Plain Jane - Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Parker Matthews pushes his suit a little too far and gets way more than he bargained for.



It hadn't taken him more than a few phone calls to find her. One of the drawbacks of being the topic of all conversation was that it was very difficult to be unobstrusive, Matthews thought a bit nastily as he stepped into the hotel lobby, all but empty at this time of the morning. After a moment's thought, he headed for the hotel's cafe, getting a corner table and ordering a coffee.

He needed to put some additional thought into his approach here, he reflected. Discretion was paramount, at least for a few minutes. A phone call to get her down to the lobby? he wondered. Or perhaps he should just lurk, for now.

Lurking, it turned out, was a pretty profitable option. Jean had no problem eating Room Service for dinner, but there was something about getting up in the morning which she felt reqired leaving her room to seek out food and the papers. A few minuets after Matthews had settled in, Jean appeared in the cafe, settling at a table near the entrance after collecting a discarded Post. The waiter came by and coffee and pastries were aquired before she lost herself in the news.

This was just meant to be, Matthews thought, smiling tightly. Now, the only problem was that they were nominally in public. Then again - his appearance would surprise her. Possibly make her suspicious. One searching look on her part, and he'd have her. All he needed was eye contact.

Unaware that anything was amiss, Jean flipped through the paper. Most of the kids would probably not even be awake for another hour or so, plenty of time for a nice, lesiurly breakfast.

"Why, Doctor Grey," Matthews said pleasantly as he closed the distance between their two tables. "What a pleasant surprise."

Jean looked up, startled - she hadn't expected to see anyone she knew here. Particularly not someone who was clearly an old hat at the DC scene, and she had trouble, given his manner, believing that Matthews wasn't. Jean said, "Good morning," but her eyes narrowed as she watched him approach.

"I had arranged to meet an acquaintance here for breakfast," Matthews lied smoothly, "but I appear to have been stood up, sadly." He let his gaze roam around the cafe. "I don't see anyone who screams 'student'," he said with a friendly chuckle. "The chaperone is the earliest riser?"

"Isn't that always the way, though? Teenagers are not usually known as early risers." Although Jean's tone was even the warry look in her eye didn't leave as she watched him.

"Mmm. But we early risers get so much more accomplished, don't you think?" Matthews tilted his head, still smiling - and made eye contact.

Jean's mental defenses were nothing to sneeze at but, unlike Matthews, she was caught flatfooted. wary as she may have been, she was unprepared for the alien pressence slicing through her mind.

Tension crackled through the air between them for but a moment, although it seemed to last an age to jean as she felt the insidious wall of his mental voice locking away her control, her free will and the spark dimmed from her eyes.

Oh, what a fascinating mind she had. This had been so very much worth doing, Matthews thought, delighted by how effectively he had trapped her. She was a psi of some sort, obviously, and quite strong, but she'd also been entirely unaware of his powers.

"As I said," he said aloud, still smiling. "We early risers get so much accomplished."

Jean's mind was fully locked away, entirely under Matthews' control, so it came as a bit of a surprise when she spoke, her voice devoid of any affection. "Why yes, yes, we do." Green eyes blinked, the disturbing blankness replaced with a cold, knowing light that was more disturbing yet. The eyes took him in with a glance and it was Matthews' turn to feel an alien pressence slip through his mind.

With none of Jean's ethics it took the merest of moments before Jane knew all she needed to know. "Shaw's lacky?" she said dismissively. Standing, she smiled, and it was not a plesant smile. "That will do perfectly. Take me to him." She left no room for argument.

Matthews stared at her, unable to keep the shock off his face despite the fact that they were in public, that anyone in the cafe would be able to tell that something was badly wrong at this table. This couldn't be happening. This was impossible. She...

The alien presence shifted warningly in his mind. Not aggressively. Just making it clear that gaping at her was all well and good, but there needed to be following of her orders, and soon.

Jane sensed his aquiescence before he spoke and her smile shifted to one far less menacing. "Good," she said. "very good. and, if you do what I ask it will go very well for you. After all, you started this with certain... wants in mind, and if you please me, perhaps I can please you."

Matthew swallowed, getting up slowly. "Your students?" he asked, struggling to reassemble the pleasant mask he usually showed to the world. He didn't want to be drawing any additional attention. That would be bad. He had no idea what she might do. What she was.

"I," Jane said coldly, "am not a what. As for my precious students, they can go to hell for all i care. But perhaps you're right. at the very least, I don't want them looking for me." Opening her bag, Jane dumped a couple of dollars on the table then stood up. "Come. I'll leave a note at the front desk."





Cain, Kylun and David,

Something's come up and I'm not going back to the school. Good luck getting the kids back, and don't worry about me.

-J