. A/N: Sorry I didn't post yesterday. School is over for me, so I have no concept of time. I hope you all like the chapter!
Enjoy!
~Shay
I couldn't decide the best time to handle the situation with Victoria and Gail, and the issue had been bouncing around in my head for a while.
When Joe approached me for help in his class, I decided to go during Winter Break. It also happened to be the same day that the secret service stopped pestering Rachel.
Winter break was perfect. Almost 3 weeks of vacation and wasn't near any important dates that would have me stressing about Rachel. If I left now, I would miss too many classes to catch up, and if I left next month, then I would be cutting it close to Matt's death anniversary. I could vanish, come winter break, and nobody would come looking for me- it was perfect.
"I've already taught the girls about legends, but I want to show them a real one. So, will you do it?" Joe questioned, following me into the closet of magic and I nodded once more.
"I need to look the part. So, help me." I said instead of answering directly.
Joe looked like a gruff man, but he knew the difference between nylon, spandex and silk- which was more than I could say for most fashion designers.
Joe shifted through the clothing as I stripped down to my tank top and a pair of boxers that I had decided to wear on a whim that morning. It was a lucky happenstance, especially since I would have stripped to my underwear either way.
He did a double take once he handed me a fur-lined coat, and I grinned, happy I could still surprise him after all the years.
"I'm allergic to fox fur." I said, throwing it back.
I wasn't allergic to anything, but my cover was.
"Nice to see you still remember her." Joe laughed, and I turned to face him sharply.
"It's the first deep cover that nearly killed me, so I think I'll remember her forever." I retorted, spurring more laughter.
"Get out of here, Joseph." I demanded, playfully, when it became obvious that he wasn't going to do anything more than distant me with distant memories, and I even kicked him lightly as he walked out.
It took only a moment to open a familiar drawer and pull out the clothes I had asked Rachel for- as more of a reminder than actual clothes, but they fit perfectly.
There was only forty more minutes until Joe needed me in his class, but I still had so much work to do before I could fully become, Madam Verona.
Back when I was Madam Verona, I had to wear contacts to maintain the genie mystery, but my eyes had grown to the same shade from then. Patricia always joked that it was my eyes protesting against the amount of contacts I went through in that period of time.
Even though the deep cover had been over 10 years ago, my hand took the familiar path of covering my face with makeup. By the time I was finished, I was wearing every foundation known to man, blush, blue lipstick, blue eyeliner, and mascara. I couldn't demand much from the 90s.
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw myself in the mirror. Whoever had thought of that makeup palette for a genie, must have been recovering from a lab tested drug.
When it came time to adorn the jewelry, I hesitated. I didn't want to take my wedding ring off. I moved it from my left hand to my right hand, but I wasn't ready to remove it completely. I decided against taking it off, instead hiding it behind a bulky ring.
I looked in the mirror one more time, just to make sure that I was completely in character, and grabbed a long trench coat as well as a hat to hide myself as much as possible until I could reach to Cove-ops room. I didn't mind wearing the decade old ensemble, because I had the confidence (or ego) to feel beautiful, but Rachel would probably be upset if she found out that I was "un-killing" my legend.
That why I ended up taking as many passages as possible, for the sole purpose of evading Rachel's always present eye. It took me precisely what I had left of the 40 minutes to get to his class, and I walked out of the elevators as he was introducing me. Oh the knack of perfect timing, and its benefits.
"Ladies, as we've discussed, a Legend means more than the text book definition. A legend must know every part of her life and be able to answer any question possible in the exact right amount of time. Know your 3rd grade English teacher too quickly, and you've been made. Forget your high school GPA, and you've been made. Why is this?"
I could only hear the conversation, coming across the bridge as silent as possible, but I knew the elevator had given my location away to at least Joseph. I didn't see the girl who had decided to answer, but I heard the voice of Tina Walters.
"Remembering something minute is harder to anyone who hasn't had the information drilled into their heads just 24 hours before. So if you're under scrutiny, and can immediately recall an unimportant detail, then you will be made." She replied, sounding confident in her answer, and it was fairly decent, and I stepped into the room in time to see her self-satisfied smile.
"Yes. You also have your partners in a legend. In various circumstances, you have a partner who goes undercover with you, and you must trust your partner with your life. The file you each have on your desk is an example of what can go wrong, even when you do everything right. Madam Verona, for example."
Apparently Joe had counted on me being a minute and a half late to class, and had even made it seem planned because all of the girls had a look of awe as I stepped in.
"Have they read the files?" I asked, ignoring the girls completely as I stripped the coat and cap- throwing them both onto the chair behind Joe's desk.
"Let's hope so." Joe said, indicating that he had absolutely no hope in the Gallagher Girls, but I knew better.
"Well?" I asked them, and they all responded in unison.
"Yes, Ma'am."
This isn't a skills op lesson, I told myself struggling to not ask the girls why they called me ma'am.
"Tell her about the subject." Joe commanded, and the girls all raised their hands.
"Baxter, go."
"Madam Verona, Aged 23. Her cover was that she was moving to Italy after graduating from college in order to start a business career. She was a psychic on the side, garnering the attention of the very superstitious Mafia Boss, Caesar Russo. She quickly became an intricate part of his decision making, proving to be very useful and according to the report; she was his lover for a time being."
I waved my hand at Rebecca, stopping her and electing another girl to continue. I would have let her continue, but I felt like she would have gone farther into depth about that detail than I was comfortable with her saying or knowing.
"Madam Verona remained such power figure in his Mafia until such a time that her partner turned Russo against her in order to gain a higher payout. It was indicated in her partner's report that Madam Verona was killed trying to gain more information. However, her report was submitted three days after his declaring that she was deep-six and that her partner was a traitor."
I nodded along to Morrison's statement and mentally chose Cammie to go next, after I finished speaking.
"So I'm sure you've all gather by now that Madam Verona was my cover. I want you to tell me why he betrayed me, and how he succeeded in doing such which I had Caesar Russo practically wrapped around my finger. Cameron, go."
"The file says he sold you out in order to support his sick ex-wife back in the states, but all other avenues show that he was power hungry. His ex-wife was doing well financially and claimed that their split was definitely not amicable; he left in a storm of curses and death threats. Like Bex said before, Caesar Russo was seriously superstitious, so he believed you were a true psychic that could predict the future. Your partner convinced him that you were dangerous since your ability could lead the cops to arrest the whole organization."
It was Joe that cut Cammie off this time, and he motioned for me to take the backseat while he spoke.
"Ms. Solomon's only fault was that she was placed in a situation with an improperly vetted Agent who in turn, but her life in danger. The point of asking her here and having her dress like Madam Verona is to show you a real life legend. I want you to ask her questions, complete questions, and she will answer to the best of her ability. Mind you, this legend is 13 years old."
The girls came at me for the better part of an hour, staying past the time of normal dismissal to drill me on everything they could possibly think of but it was Elizabeth that came close to stumping me.
"Your Partner reported that you could possibly be pregnant at the time of the operation, but the CIA claimed to not have previous knowledge of a pregnancy before you entered into the op.. Were you pregnant before or after the operation? Also, if you became pregnant during the operation, is it correct to assume Mr. Russo was the father?"
Her question made me freeze as I scrambled for an answer in her question. I knew I couldn't wait too long because Joe would make it worse by trying to discretely save me, except nothing was discreet when it came to Gallagher Girls.
"I played the pregnancy card to my advantage. I was not actually pregnant, but having such a strong connection between, Russo and myself, would have allowed for a stronger bond- perhaps a bond that my partner wouldn't have been able to break. I faked such symptoms in front of my partner in hopes that he would report back to Russo that I was pregnant, before I did it."
I could tell from their faces that the girls bought the story, but Joe seemed surprised (although it was well hidden) at my logical reply. He was no less shocked than I was at myself. It hurt to pretend MJ wasn't real in that time, but not as much as it would have if the student population knew the real story.
'Class is 20 minutes over, ladies. I'm out." I laughed and waved, nodding to Joe briefly to tell him I was okay, but I pulled my phone out of my bra as I stepped into the hall from the elevator.
I typed quickly, knowing the girls wouldn't be far behind.
To Contact: Beauty and the Beast
Drinks? Dinner? Maybe a late night on the roof?
I didn't wait for a reply, stuffing the device back into its place as the elevators dinged again and the first group of girls flooded the hall.
"Ms. Solomon!" Macey yelled, and I stopped to wait for her to catch up to me but didn't spare her a glance as she fell into step beside me.
"Yes, Macey?" I asked, expecting her to give me an update, or ask for my knowledge.
"There's a boy. His name is Josh Abrams, and Cammie has a serious crush on him. She snuck out, not alone, and she's going to do it again as often as possible. "
I looked at Macey from the corner of my eye as the cell phone buzzed against my chest, and her eyes drifted to the noise quickly before flicking up to meet my gaze.
"I already knew about the boy, didn't know she was sneaking out but I assume you all helped her and will continue to help her. What do you want in return?
My reply was short, but I wanted to read the text, and needed to be as far away from anyone as possible to do so.
"I need help in P&E. I'm strong, and can hurt someone but I can't control it."
I wondered what this deal was like for Macey. I got information, but she had to tell me about her weaknesses. I wondered if she was as indifferent as she played, or if it was humiliating on some level. It brought my respect up for her, since I knew from personal experience the effect it had.
"Okay, meet me tonight in the Barn. Get caught and I had no part of this. I'll wait 15 minutes after 11, and then I'll leave."
She nodded her understanding and began to turn around to meet up with the rest of the cafeteria draft.
"Macey. Expect to get hurt… I won't go easy on you, but I'll be as careful as possible." I said softly, knowing very well she would have a few bruises, but I hoped my warning showed that I was sorry it would happen.
I stood in the spot, waiting for Macey to walk away, and I pulled out my phone when I was completely alone.
From Contact: Beauty and the Beast
Sorry, maybe some other time. I'm out of tone again, not sure when I'll be back.
