Author's Note: This is my own interpretation, not comics/TV, on how Lady Jaye was recruited (well, okay, one of many interpretations!). As many of you know, she is usually the main character in my stories and I enjoy giving her a strong personality….please no flames! I twist the characters to fit my meandering thoughts and sometimes, they step out of their usual personas. So, bear with me and hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, yada yada yada.

Chapter 1:

"Uncle Clayton!" the woman said, springing up from her chair in the coffee shop to give the approaching man a big hug.

Smiling, Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy hugged the woman back. "It's good to see you, Alison. It's been, what, five years?"

She motioned for him to sit down when he released her. A server appeared at her side, and she ordered for both of them.

He nodded, impressed. "You still remember my order, then?"

She smiled and gave a wink. "In the lifetime I've known you, I've never known you to change it," she replied glibly.

The server returned with two coffees, one cream colored for her, the other, black, for him. She settled down in her chair, sipping her cup and sighing. "I miss this. Over in my part of the world, you can't get the good stuff, although I'm sure this place will find its way over there soon enough." She glanced up at the familiar green signage. "There's one on every corner here, so they must be running out of places to put them!"

They engaged in small talk for a bit, catching up on family, friends, and their lives.

"So, are you still with intelligence?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

She gave him a pointed look. "I was wondering when you'd get around to that. From what I hear, you're heading up a team of elite professionals to battle terrorists?"

He managed not to look surprised. "I see you've done your homework, then."

She sighed. "While I did enjoy receiving your phone call, I had to wonder at its timing. Your team is still pretty fresh, isn't it?"

He nodded, sipping his coffee, giving himself some time to put his words together. He shouldn't have been surprised. She was always an intelligent girl with a sharp insight. Sometimes, he wondered if her abilities including mind-reading. It was possible, he told himself. She was multi-talented in many areas, which made her a great covert agent, a skill his team was lacking.

He had also done his homework. He knew she had recently quit MI-6, the British equivalent to the CIA. His hope was that she would join his team, but he didn't want to force his hand. There was a reason she left MI-6, and he hoped it wouldn't sour her towards his offer.

She tilted her head at him, as if trying to read his thoughts. She gave a quick laugh and set her cup down, leaning forward.

"Okay, Clayton, out with it. You want something, just ask. The worse I can say is no, right?" She wrinkled her nose at him. "I can't read minds, but I can certainly read the expression on your face."

He wasn't so sure she was telling the truth about the mind-reading.

"So, why did you quit MI-6?" He knew she liked the direct approach.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "To the point. Okay, then. Well, let's just say I was tired and needed a break."

This time it was he who raised his eyebrows. "You're a workaholic. I don't buy that."

She shrugged her shoulders, not saying anything more. Let him think what he liked. She had always liked her "Uncle" Clayton….not really her blood uncle, but he was close enough to her family that she considered him that, more so than some of her blood relatives. While she'd like to think he had looked her up because he heard she was in town, unfortunately she knew better. He had an agenda.

"Listen," he said, setting his cup down this time and leaning forward towards her. "I need a favor. Since you are….between jobs….I wondered if you would consider doing some…" he paused, searching for the right word, "…consulting work for me."

"Consulting," she murmured, sitting back. "Would this be permanent, or short term?"

"However you'd like it to be. We could start short term, and if you decide to stay on, we could make it more permanent."

"Hmmm. What exactly would this entail?"

"You're right. The team is new, wet behind the ears. We could use your help in getting them a bit more prepared for covert missions. They are all specialists in their own field, hand-picked for this team by myself and the other founder. However, we noticed a definite lack of stealth in some of our missions. While we are slowly gelling together, everyone seems to stick with their specialty and frankly, stick out like a sore thumb on some of our missions. There are some other concerns I have as well that I'll discuss with you, if you choose to help me out."

She nodded her head, thinking. Did she really want to jump into something else right away? She had hoped for some time off, but then again, she was already bored….so why not? It could be fun, depending on what Clayton wanted her to do.

"So, what do you say, Allie? Would it be something you'd be interested in?"

She glanced around the coffee shop, knowing instinctively that he wouldn't go into more detail here.

"We'll see," she said, already making up her mind.