Disclaimer: I do not own the Daria and its characters.

Jane's Tangle

Chapter 1

Anthony DeMartino stared despondently into the glass of eight-year-old scotch sitting in front of him. His head slumped in misery as he contemplated the events of that day. It had been his third week as acting principal of Lawndale High School, and the public education system had already been made a mockery of at his first board meeting for the term. His secretary had passed out drunk in front of Superintendant Judith Braden, who had irately declared that the meeting be held at a later date. This had been his fourth blunder in front of the Superintendant in a row, and she had not been impressed.

So here he was drinking his sorrows once again at the Liquid Dinner, the one place he sought solace during his teaching career. He didn't think he'd ever return to such an establishment since his promotion.

"You're just having a bad day," Deputy Principal Claire Defoe had insisted as they left his office for lunch that afternoon.

Anthony somehow doubted that. He considered that foul play was to blame, one of his students slipping his secretary a mickey perhaps, and he could guess the culprit in plain sight. He felt that there was something sly about the new Quarterback who had just recently joined the Lawndale Lions, young hot-shot Ethan Marks, despite there being no sufficient evidence to prove his involvement in his secretary's drunken stupor, or anything else that went against his character. Unlike QBs before him, Ethan Marks had a sharp mind underneath that metal helmet, along with a devil-may-care callousness towards his fellow classmates at Lawndale High. It had even been rumoured that he had been removed from his last school due to a drug-fuelled incident involving the sexual assault of a cheerleader.

He took another swig of his drink, the alcohol beginning to numb his senses.

Not far behind him, Jane Lane eyed the smartly dressed man sitting at the bar across the room, admiring his slender build, his jacket removed and shirt sleeves rolled up, as he leaned over the bar. Ever since she had accidently nailed her Historic Artefacts professor at the Boston Fine Arts Fall Benefit she had developed somewhat of a taste for mature men.

She had spent that Friday afternoon in what was, for her, not a usual way. No sooner than after she had left the airport she had met up with Trent to help him hunt down a new pick for his guitar. Tedious and time consuming if you asked her, but Trent was adamant in finding a pick that was just right, otherwise he wouldn't be inspired when writing lyrics.

She was tired, she was bored, and she was looking for some fun, maybe even somewhat dangerous fun.

She made her way stealthily towards the older man that had caught her eye.

It wasn't common form, her approaching sleazy old men in bars. She usually waited for them to approach her, but there was something intriguing about this guy that awakened her interest. Something dark and alluring. Handsome, slender, with a full head of salt and pepper hair that she could lose a hand in, and he certainly didn't come across as sleazy. Perhaps it was the three glasses of Sauvignon she had consumed earlier tweaking her perception.

She let her fingers run playfully along the gentleman's arm to get his attention.

Anthony's eyes raised, a little surprised to hear a young woman's voice.

"Hey Pappa Bear, you want some company tonight?" Jane asked in a low voice.

Anthony pushed his glass of scotch aside. I must be drunk.

"Don't you want to take me to some seedy hotel room . . ." She moved a little closer, the sharp scent of his cologne pricking her senses, and whispered into his ear. "Where we can do the nasty?"

The words escaped her mouth too quickly, and she hoped for the life of her that her chosen pickup line hadn't made him misconstrue her as a hooker.

The man looked up at her.

She staggered back, horrified. "Auggh, Mr. DeMartino? What are you doing here?"

"Miss. Lane?" he quipped, equally surprised to see her. "I should ask you the same thing." He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her, and realised that he hadn't seen her since her graduation, that making it years. She still appeared young, his reasoning telling him that she was possibly too young to be turning tricks.

"I just needed to get out," she told him, taking a seat next to him and ordering herself another glass of wine. "I'm home for old times' sake, just wanted to visit the old relics of my former life. You're the last person I planned on seeing though."

His head slumped in discouragement.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm kind of glad to see you, actually."

"So ah, when did you get back to Lawndale?"

They chatted about old times. She had told him about her life in Boston, the people, her current art projects, nights out, and the men. He told her about the challenges in his new job as Principal.

Anthony didn't know his former student quite as well as he thought he did.

"So how about you, are you seeing anyone special?" Jane wanted to know.

Anthony almost choked on his drink hearing those words. "Me? Na."

"Then let's get out of here," she said, feeling herself drowning in the silver-blue of his eyes.

She flirtatiously slid her fingers through his greying hair, a sense of mischief hindering behind a superficial innocent expression.
His eyes widened, astounded by her forthright advances. He had to admit, it had been a while since he had last received such attention from a beautiful young woman.

She leaned close to him and whispered something risqué into his ear.

He chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. "Oh sweetie, trust me I'd love to," he said. "But ah..."

"But what?"

He rested his arm on the bar, his eyes staring her up and down. There was no denying she was attractive, and if she hadn't been a former student, he would have bought her a drink, shared some harmless sweet-talk, and then taken her home with him.

"I'm your teacher, we can't."

"You were my teacher, but you're not anymore. You wouldn't get in any trouble. It's not like Miss. Li's around to ream your ass. She died, right?"

His eyes widened in disbelief. "I'm too old for you."

"No you're gorgeous. Anyways, I don't think age matters, you know, if two people get along. On the nights I couldn't sleep I used to think about you and . . ." She leaned closer to whisper in his ear once more.

Anthony couldn't help but laugh, more out of embarrassment than flattery. "You are artless!" He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Aww, you'd have to be drunk missy, to chase after an old guy like me."

He finished off the remainder of his scotch, and banged his empty glass on the bar, before the barman announced that it was near closing time.

They met a loud clap of thunder followed by a deluge of falling rain as they reached the door.

"You can't expect a young lady in my condition to travel home alone in this weather, can you? Chivalry's not dead."

His lips curled up in response to the eager twinkle in her eyes. After the day he had, he could do with a distraction to keep his mind off the meeting with the Superintendant, and his chance encounter with Jane could be enough to do that.

"Alright, we'll head back to my place," he relented, as they walked together towards the end of the curb. "On the condition that you keep your hands to yourself."

Jane sidled closely to him as he hailed a cab.

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