As always, Broderick Wizard had one hand on his Blackberry and one hand on his nine-year-old son's shoulder.

Most parents attend their kid's football games, or science fairs or Student Council speeches. But the Wizards aren't like most families. They were Janus. You know, too cool for school?

That's why Broderick was walking down a hallway with expensive-looking furniture that looked like no one ever sat on them in Wolfmaw Records. The bizarre too-bright synthetic plants lined the wide hall and the dark red rugged floor strangely complemented the green plants well. One wall was covered top to bottom with modern-looking windows and if you looked out, you could see practically almost the entirety of LA, including the sacred Hollywood sign.

Well. Sacred for the Janus.

Instead of enjoying the scene, Broderick was escorting Jonah to his first contract deal meeting with one of the biggest music producers in the entire music industry.

Jonah had the voice of an angel and the musical talent of Mozart, which wasn't surprising, since he was related to the composer. The meeting was supposed to run quickly and smoothly, until Jonah stopped on his tracks and pulled Broderick's suit sleeve, his huge eyes slightly bending his 'rapper image'.

Broderick sighed and forced himself to put his Blackberry away. It vibrated his trousers and made it look like there were ants on his pants. Very important ants. He forced himself not to pick it up, looked down and patted Jonah's back.

"What is it now?"

Jonah looked up, biting his lower lip, furthur ruining his image. "What if those peeps don't dig me?"

Broderick smiled. He had taught Jonah the art of street slang well. "Of course they will."

"But… how do you know exactly?"

Broderick's smile faltered. He knew about the Cahills, even though he wasn't one of them. They were a tough bunch, and kids were trained as young to kill. But Jonah was still nine, with the maturity of a four-year-old. He didn't deserve to know all about five hundred years of murder and competition. As well as the true reasons why the Janus have such amazing talents. For now, he had to etch a lie. He hated lying. It felt too much like Vikram Kabra. "Well, kiddo, let's see. You're an amazing singer. You've got an awesome dad. You have the charisma. You can play almost every instrument known to man."

"But Mom's not here."

His mom was never here. Broderick has long been resigned to the fact that Cora might not care about her own son at all. "Well, your dad is. And what difference does it make if your mom's not here? You can surprise her when you've signed the contract. Now, can you be the best musician the world has ever seen?"

Jonah took his 'bling'-studded hat off and looked at the golden J on the front. "Yeah, I can."

"That's the spirit, little man. Now, fist-bump." Broderick lifted a fist, which Jonah bumped.

"Thanks! You're my homie!"

Broderick inwardly winced. Maybe Jonah needed to work on his gangsta slang a teensy bit more. But he gave his son a thumbs-up.

Just then, a wooden door to their right swung open, looking strangely out of place amongst steel architecture. A nerdy-looking guy with a clipboard stepped onto the hallway. He was dressed in a suit – with suspenders! – and a bowtie. His unruly red hair was slicked back with some sort of – what is that, grease? He had pimples and freckles and warts all over his face. Maybe not warts, but there are some outlandish pimples that really look like warts. His non-trendy glasses were perched on the edge of his thin long nose. Yech. Who let him in the music industry?

"Um… Mr. Wizard?"

Broderick perked up and put on his best I-am-here-for-business face, which sometimes looks as intimidating as a Tomas scowl if Broderick was motivated enough. And he was."Yes-"

"One Mr. Wizard right here, dawg!" Jonah drawled. "It's J-dog with rhymes so smooth, and that's the truth."

Nerdy Dude looked charmed. "Well kid, right this way. Cool hat."

Jonah beamed, adjusting his wide-brimmed hat. "'Preciate that, my homie."

Jonah walked into the room, giving his father a 'rock on' gesture with three fingers. Broderick was about to follow him when Nerdy Dude stopped him with a clipboard, "Sorry. The Man wants to see the talent personally."

Jonah turned around and for a second, looked scared about being left alone.

"I think you're mistaken. Tell "the Man" that I'm "the talent's" agent," Broderick said in a clipped voice, making quotes with this fingers. "And his dad. That must count for something."

Nerdy Dude shook his head. "No, I am not. Sorry, sir. The Wolfmaw runs a strict dictatorship. Either you wait in the living room, or I get booted out of the company." He shrugged indifferently. "I prefer the former."

In the end, Broderick was forced to wait in the waiting room. He was the only one there, but every other minute, he kept glancing at the wooden door. Jonah is the son of the leader of the Janus branch. The other branches would want to kidnap him and demand a ransom. Or a clue.

And Broderick wasn't even sure Cora would waste years of work for her own son.

Then, he felt the sofa give way slightly. The agent looked to the left and saw a beautiful woman. His wife.

Broderick wasn't sure what to say. Jonah's mother was seldom seen in public without paparazzi circling around her, or without the most convincing disguise made by the best Janus make-up artists. And even so, why would she even show up to show support for his son? "Cora?"

The dazzling lady looked annoyed. She was wearing an elegant long blue dress with recently manicured nails. Her hair tumbled down her head in long swishy waves as if they were melting from her beauty. But, her dark eyes looked on with slight malevolence, as if she had just had a run-in with a particularly nasty Cahill agent. "Well, obviously, Broderick. Now tell me, how's Jonah doing?"

The big man was even more confused. Cora was a cold and heartless woman most of the time. Asking how her son was doing was really out of character. "Perfectly fine. He just left for a meeting with the boss."

Cora's eyes widened. "What? You left him alone? Do. You. Have. Any. Idea. What. Could. Happen?"

Broderick rolled his eyes. "Yes. I already looked up the man's background. His father was an inactive Janus agent. That is my boy there, after all. Which is why I came prepared with this." He reached into his jacket and flashed a dart gun at Cora. "But I do feel like a Lucian."

Cora's laugh was high-pitched and short. "Of course. But we Janus are too awesome to be mistaken for those uptight Lucians."

Broderick chuckled. The two dispersed into silence for a while.

"You know, Jonah is going to be famous. He told me himself," Cora stated.

"Yeah. That's what he said to me too," Broderick replied. "He is a Janus…"

"The coolest branch ever," Cora finished.

A pause, broken only by Cora's long nails tapping a rhythm on the metal chair. "You're worried."

Cora's back stiffened. "About?"

"Jonah. You've talked more about him in this conversation alone than in the whole week. Why? You don't think he'll make it in the entertainment business?"

"I know he'll make it in the entertainment business!" she hissed. "He's a Wizard, and on top of that, he's a Janus and one heck of a singer."

"Then why are you worried?"

"Who said anything about me being worried?"

"Cora-"

"And don't say that you know me, because that's possibly the most cliché line ever. I swear, it's like an overly emotional Ekat came up with that." She artistically shuddered.

"Is this about the Clue hunt?" Broderick asked, ignoring her mini-rant.

"Yes."

Broderick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's always about the Clue hunt with you. Jonah's only nine."

Cora shrugged her petite shoulders. "Well, I didn't say he should go on the hunt now. Maybe wait a couple years and see how he gets about being a Janus agent-"

"Maybe I want my kid to just be normal," Broderick interrupted.

Cora laughed again, this time mirthlessly. "Even if he's not going on the Clue hunt, he's still going to be a celebrity. Tell me what's normal about that."

Broderick shook his head. "At least he wants to be a musician. No kid wants to put his life on the line for some stupid prize."

Cora stood up, facing her husband angrily. "It's not just 'some stupid prize'. It's the chance to be the most powerful person on the world. The Janus has been looking for them for centuries now. I'm not going to say that I've wasted years of my own life searching for this. We are going to find all the Clues. Whatever the sacrifice."

"The sacrifice?" Broderick repeated, getting tense. "Do you have any idea how many people have died for them?"

Cora waved her hand dismissively. "They died nobly, I'm sure. We are born into this cause. Jonah's technically been involved with the Hunt five hundred years before he even existed. You, on the other hand, are married to this cause. No turning back, honey," she said, with an edge to her voice.

Broderick remained silent. His Blackberry vibrated again but he ignored it.

Sometimes, Broderick wondered if the Janus ruling the world was actually a good thing. The artistic branch had claimed that they would use the power to unite the whole world under the power of art. But greed was something different entirely.

Cora took his silence as submissive. She sat down again. "The reason I disagree with him becoming a celebrity is that his fans and work might get in the way of Clue hunting, which is why I'm counting on you to not make him an icon or anything. Maybe a small musician of small fame. Like Nashville country singers who never gets famous out of their state. I'm planning on telling him about to Clue hunt after his meeting-"

"WHAT? I repeat, he's still nine."

Cora sighed huffily. "Fine. Next month. But don't keep putting it off, Broderick. The time is already right. The sooner the better."

She stood up, grabbing her silver purse as if to leave.

"I just don't want my son to be a murderer."

Cora smirked. "You are such a pessimist."

She disappeared into an elevator, leaving Broderick alone in the waiting room, but not before opening sticking a heel through the elevator doors. Broderick couldn't help but notice a bit of red on the edge of her shoes, almost matching the color of the rug.

"Oh, and be sure to pick up some milk on your way home, because I might forget," she aid. " I'm going to visit that rogue Janus agent and give him a… surprise. Later, Brod." The elevator doors closed dramatically. It took a Janus to make epic exits.

My goodness, Broderick thought numbly. She's going to kill him.

The air dropped several degrees and Broderick collapsed on the metal chair. Lost in thought, He almost didn't notice when the door opened and Jonah tumbled out. "DAD! I got the freaking contract!" Broderick smiled and gave Jonah a noogie. "Did mom come?"

Broderick skipped a beat. "No," he said after a pause.

Escorting a high-spirited Jonah out of the building, Broderick suddenly remembered.

That's blood. That's blood on her shoes.

He felt sick. He gripped Jonah's hand tighter. He promised himself that Jonah won't become a murderer. He would delay Jonah knowing about the Clue-hunt as long as he could. He would let Jonah become the next biggest icon since Michael Jackson, just to irk Cora.

Oh yeah.

He wouldn't pick the milk up on the way home, just to further annoy her. Muahaha.

The manager sighed. Such was the life of Broderick Wizard.

Author's Note:

And done. This is actually my first good 39 Clues fanfic. My other one is stupid, don't look it up, or I might be fatally embarrassed.

I hung around the 39 Clues archive to get to know the fandom more, so I don't accidentally make a cliche before finding the contest.

Please flame or give me constructive criticism if I need it. I hope the characters aren't OOC, though Cora sounds like Isabel.

Thanks for reading!