Author's Notes: Hey all! :D I'm back with a new story thanks to the inspiration from sea-dilemma's "Shatter Me" :) She has been so kind as to let me link my story to hers AND beta for me! T.T TRULY an awesome person! :D
I fell in love with her story (YOU SHOULD SERIOUSLY READ AND REVIEW IT!) and was inspired to write this lovely piece of work :) I hope to update every week but we''ll see how that goes ;) I promise not to leave you all hangin' :)
Anywho, I hope you enjoy it as much as I love writing it :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, or its characters, all of which are owned by DC Comics/Cartoon Network.
It had to be today. Rain poured from the sky as the girl ran through the streets of New York City. It was supposed to be sunny, yet here she was, soaking wet from the rain. Passersby eyed her with amusement and pity; she was wearing a white sundress, after all. Never one for closed-toe shoes, she was also wearing light brown sandals. The phone in her purse buzzed as she arrived at her destination.
"Late again, Ms. Corrigan?" The Doorman asked as she attempted to ring out her short brown hair.
"I have an excuse this time, Rolando." He rolled his eyes as she fished for her phone in her purse. She opened it to an incoming phone call and nearly cringed at the name; she answered.
"I'm right outside, Mr. Reeves. The rain caught me off guard but I'm here now."
"You need to stop being late so much. I can't keep waiting for you to arrive. Hurry up. I have an urgent meeting to go to."
Hanging up, she sighed; hair clung to her face as she walked into the ice cold apartment complex. Ignoring the stares from just about every person in the lobby, she walked to the elevators leading to her employer's apartment. It took only seconds for the elevator doors to open and reveal a few men and women dressed in business suits exiting as she entered. Pressing the desired floor, she shivered as the doors brought a small breeze of cold air to her damp skin as they closed.
She waited patiently, listening to the classical music inside the elevator, until the doors opened again on the 11th floor.
"Juliet! It's about time, girl!" Gregory Reeves stopped in his tracks as he observed the young woman in her SOAKED white dress. She kept her arms crossed in front of her chest as she walked into the hall. "Lord, you're soaked… listen; there should be some spare clothes you left in the guest bedroom. Have the room service wash and dry your dress." He quickly led her through to the living room and to the guest room.
"Now, Alan needs to be picked up from school later than usual. He said he has some sort of club meeting going on, and I won't be home until 9:30; is that alright?" She nodded. "Good, I'll see you tonight, then." With a pat on her mid-back, he left.
Juliet blew out a puff of air as she heard the elevator open and close, signaling his departure; at least now she was out of the rain. Bending down, she unhooked a strap on each sandal and kicked them off. The carpet was surprisingly warm against her pruny feet. The dress, much like her damp hair, stuck to her skin and needed to be peeled off.
Her undergarments were slightly damp, and the cold air gave her goose-bumps as she hung the dress on the doorknob of the closet. Inside, she found an oversized t-shirt and her old faded jeans. Once changed, Juliet took the dress into the bathroom, wrung it out over the tub and hung it on a hanger. It should be dry by the time I leave anyway…
She glanced over to the clock on top of the mahogany dresser. 10:34 AM. Oh yea, definitely.
Walking around the penthouse, Juliet skimmed the chores she had to do before picking up Alan from school. Luckily, the 11 year old had persuaded his father to buy a stereo for the living room; a very fancy one. Switching it on, it began playing the last listened to radio station.
"Good grief, classical?" She mumbled and changed the radio to her saved station. I'm sure the classical drives Alan insane! She giggled to herself as the preferred music began playing; the rain continued to pour outside as she began her normal routine.
"I can see clearly now, the rain has gone!" She sang out loud and laughed.
Gregory drummed his fingers on his knees as his limo approached his office building. Being President of R&O Paper Company was becoming a more dangerous job than one would think; dealing with eco-terrorists was one thing, but drug dealers? That was a whole situation entirely; and this was a decision he seriously regretted making.
"Here we are, Sir." The driver broke him from his thoughts. How much deeper could he dig himself into such a business? Running a hand over his mouth, he exited the limo and jogged inside.
"Good Morning, Mr. Reeves." Gregory turned to Brenda, his receptionist and close friend.
"Hey, Brenda, how are you?" He walked over to her desk, almost sounding tired.
"I'm fine. I've got your mail, and there were only a few messages for you this morning. The junk ones I threw away." Junk mail being all the hate letters from protesters who stood outside his building on sunny days. Thank God for the rain.
"Thanks, Brenda. Is my 11:00 here yet?"
"Yes, Sir, he's waiting in your office right now."
"Good… good. Thank you; take my calls for the next hour, ok?" He was already walking towards the elevator as he spoke, not really listening for her confirmation as the doors closed behind him. Several other employees entered and exited the elevator as he ascended closer to his office, greeting him with the respect he and his partner had earned.
After a few stops, he was finally alone in the elevator. It wasn't long before he could walk out the elevator. His guest was right on time; he could see him through the glass windows surrounding the office. The other rooms and cubicles were empty as requested; whatever they said would be in private.
The man wore black slacks with a pair of dress shoes and a grey button-up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. As soon as Gregory opened the door, the man turned to face him. By God! He is so young!
His face was clean shaven, with pitch black hair combed back, although a few rebel strands in his face; he had piercing blue eyes and a frown etched on his face.
"So, Jason Todd, is it?" Gregory cleared his throat and walked over to shake his hand. The young man hesitated, but shook Gregory's hand with a firm grasp.
"Yes."
"You seem a bit young for the job I'm asking for."
"My age has nothing to do with my skills." The two stood quietly for a few seconds, sizing each other up, until Gregory sighed and threw his mail down on his desk. He was quietly contemplating. The boy came with high recommendation; what other choice was there? "I could leave. I do have better things to occupy my time if you believe I don't qualify."
"No! No… I am in need of your services-"
"Alright then, what is the job?" He cut in, frustration evident in his tone; Gregory sighed.
I could say it's just the eco-terrorists; he doesn't need to know about the REAL threat; anything to protect my only family.
"My son has been threatened. I need you to keep him safe."
Jason wasn't necessarily surprised; he'd heard about what had been going on with some of the protesters, aggression was to be expected- but threatening a child's life? Something just wasn't necessarily right with this man.
"Alright… What do you want me to do about it? Because it certainly won't be involving baby-sitting some kid."
"He already has a babysitter; whom is also involved and needs a bodyguard."
Jason crossed his arms, waiting for Gregory to continue. Gregory walked over to his window, which overlooked the city. "It's better to watch over them from a distance; you don't need to be involved, just watching closely. I don't want anything happening to either of them."
"Your son I can understand, but the baby-sitter? I don't need to be looking out for some-one who's probably on two different payrolls."
"She is actually my…ward, I suppose. I owed her father a debt, so she's in my care. You'll most likely meet her soon enough; she'll understand the situation better than my son." It was simple enough. Legit body-guard duties; he could do this. Besides, how bad could eco-terrorists be? After a long pause between the two, Jason spoke up.
"What's the pay?"
Gregory walked over to the desk and placed his briefcase on there. Opening it, he pulled out a stack of money.
"One thousand up front and 500 every week for as long as this lasts."
Jason caught the money as Greg tossed it to him. True, if he had gone to someone else, he'd get paid more, but what could he expect from a small company as this? Better this guy's money than Bruce Wayne's. Crossing his arms Jason sized the man up. Something was definitely off about this man.
"Hmm." He paused. "I'll take the job. Protect the boy and his nanny; that all?"
Gregory nodded. "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow." Gregory dug out a manila envelope and handed it to Jason. "Here, this has all of their information. You might have to get with Juliet for the time schedules. She'll be at the apartment around 7:00 AM." She'll be there?
"She doesn't live there?" Jason asked.
"No… she has her own apartment a couple of blocks from ours." He sat down at his desk.
"I thought she was your 'ward'." He almost sounded sarcastic, but Gregory ignored it.
"She is but… I can't stop her from growing up… she's 22 and chose to leave the nest, so to speak. All the information you need to know is in that folder."
"Gotcha. I'll be seeing you, then." Jason picked up his brown leather jacket and put it on. He walked out without another word, leaving the older man to his thoughts.
How had it come to this?