Tone of Deceit

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 11 (Parental Consent)

Jade sat with her father at home watching the news on television. It served mainly as background noise since neither of them were truly interested in the politics of the day. Typically, they got their fill on one day of the week and then understood the rest of the week would just be rehashing what was already said.

It was a quiet evening, the living room was only lit up by the amber glow of the standing lamps beside the dark leather couch against the back of the wall. Two empty plates sat on the coffee table alongside half-drank glasses of water. Jade was laying against the left arm rest of the three-seater with her feet propped up on her father's legs.

They'd not heard from her mother that evening, but then, they'd given up on the possibility of that. Henry and Julia had been divorced since she was ten years old, but the woman had been gone at least a year before that. Over the years she'd call and talk to them, but she slowly began to back away once Henry stopped sending her money.

For tonight, there were more pressing matters on their mind than whether or not Julia would ever call them again. Or at least, on Jade's mind. Just as Cat was going to do, Jade wanted to get her father's okay on her working with the police on an investigation. There had to be consent from the parent-the only problem was they couldn't tell their parents anything major about the case.

This was more a fact regarding her father, and she understood that. He needed to continue being a donor for Hollywood Arts. She hated that he essentially had to waste that money, but there was no choice. If he backed out, it might raise suspicion with the suspects.

"So…" Henry's chest sank inwards and he turned his gaze towards Jade. "What is it you're going to be doing, exactly?" Jade peered down, gazing absently at her kneecaps. Her head turned towards the television where the newscaster was talking about some global politics. "You need me to sign something for the police, but why? You're not in some kind of trouble are you?"

"No, nothing like that." Jade looked back at him and drew out an exhale. "I'm going to be collaborating with them." Henry's eyebrow arched upwards and his lips separated for a moment before closing back together. Two lines formed along his forehead and his head tilted ever so slightly to the right. "I'm going to be assisting with an investigation."

"I assume you can't tell me what it is you're investigating or why they need a nearly seventeen year old girl to help collaborate with them."

"Yeah, there's only so much I can say because I can't risk throwing the investigation; but I can tell you it's an undercover assignment." Henry closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "What they're investigating, they need a teenager for."

"Since when have you taken such an interest in police work though?" He cracked a smile and there was a glimmer of pride in his eyes. She raised her shoulders and sat upright, throwing her feet towards the ground.

"Well I've always had a knack for investigating, and they're kind of impressed by that. I think so, anyway. But this investigation…" She furrowed her brow and clasped her hands together in her lap. "I mean, it affects my friends a little bit." Henry's eyebrows rose and he frowned. "So, if it affects them, it affects me. I feel like I need to be a part of it."

"Will you be put in any kind of danger?"

"No. They're going to have me under strict surveillance. I'm only going to be an observer, really." Henry stroked his chin and started to nod, appearing to understand. At least, Jade hoped that he was understanding. "I have to report anything I see, anything I hear, anything I find directly to the police officer overseeing me."

"And can I ask who the officer overseeing this investigation is?"

Henry knew who the Vegas were, and he was on good terms with David, so she hoped her father's concerns might be eased if he knew that information. Jade didn't think there was anything wrong with him knowing either. "I'm not sure whether or not I'm supposed to tell you, but I don't think you'd do anything with the information, so yeah…you know Mr. Vega." Henry smiled a bit and gave a brisk nod.

"Ah yes. He's leading this investigation?"

"Yes. So as you can tell, I'll be in pretty good hands." Henry leaned forward, his eyes fixated on the television screen. His hands pat together twice and fresh wrinkles seemed to pop up on his face. "You can trust the Vegas. They'll not let anything bad happen to me."

"It's a lot to ask." Henry turned his head towards her and she held her breath. The worry was clear from the quiver in his eyes and the creases forming around them and around his mouth. "You're all I've got left. My one and only child, being thrown into this…"

"It's all a part of growing up, right?"

He chuckled sadly and brought his hand up over his mouth and chin. "Yep." His shoulders rose and fell as he looked back the television. "Funny, I don't even know what it is you want to be when you finish school, I never thought police work would be one of those things." He dropped his hand and flashed a playful smirk. "Always thought it'd be psychology, maybe you'd follow in your old man's footsteps."

"Hey you never know." She had to admit, that was something she thought about doing. Granted, she always saw herself more as a teacher or going into research somehow. "I might go into a research oriented field. I might teach. I might become a counselor-you never know. The sky's the limit, you know."

"Hey, that's my line."

"Learned from the best." She folded her arms and looked towards the end table. The form in question was laying on the far right corner. Henry's gaze followed it and a heavy, hot breath of air left his lips.

"Just don't get reckless, Jade. Don't do anything to put yourself in danger, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"I'll do my best, Dad." She appreciated his concern, worrisome as it was. This was perhaps the first time he let all his worry and concern for her show so much, it was astonishing. Of course, it was sad to see as well because she could only imagine how he'd worry if he knew that every day she stepped foot in Hollywood Arts was a day her life was potentially at risk.

Sure, Trina told them she, as well as Cat and Robbie, were the least at risk; it still didn't mean risk wasn't there. Whoever the abductors were may not necessarily care who their parents were or about the consequences of their disappearance. Hell, the abductors could potentially find a way to work around it.

She could see it now in her own case. If she were taken by someone at the school, the staff there could reassure Henry that they were doing everything in their power to cooperate with the police and search for her. They could easily convince him that they were the good guys and there was nothing to fear. After all, criminals were not always idiots, especially not the more powerful they were.

Leaders in organized crime had to be intelligent, otherwise the gangs, cartels and mafias of the world would never last half as long as they did.

Henry reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a ballpoint pen while gently picking up the form. "Please promise me." He brought the pen down, hovering inches from the signature line. His eyes drifted towards her and his eyebrows came in together. "Promise me if you start to feel too much pressure, if you start feeling stressed out or worried, if it gets to be too much…you'll back out." Jade smiled gently and nodded.

"I promise. I'll try not to let you worry either." He smiled back and reached over, giving her knee a gentle pat and squeeze with his hand. She leaned into him, placing her head upon his shoulder. "I love you papa-bear. We've got each other always, no matter what."

"I love you too, cub." Henry signed the paper and closed his eyes. His chest expanded slowly and then retracted. "My little girl's growing up, taking on a lot of responsibility here."

"I will be fine."

"Still won't stop a father from worrying." She smiled at him and slowly took the sheet of paper into her lap. "I guess I'll go clean up the dishes. Get my mind onto something else." He pat his knees and then rose to his feet.

"You need any help in the kitchen?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you."

Jade understood, he needed to be left alone to his thoughts for a while. She got up from the couch and, leaving the television running, made her way to her bedroom. She set the form on the end table beside her bed and stared at it for what felt like the longest time.

That sheet of paper was heavy, much heavier now with the weight of all her father's trust, concerns, and fears. Now the weight of responsibility was added to it, her own responsibility.

Not just to herself or to her friends, but to her father and to the students at Hollywood Arts. To the staff-if there were any of them not suspected. She didn't know yet the details of the investigation, just how many suspected kidnappers there were, they had to give the forms to Trina first.

Still, for as brave as she felt, she was afraid. She didn't know fully what she was getting into, and that thought worried her more than anything.

Instictively, she pulled out her phone and dialed Cat's number. The girl answered after three rings. "How did it go?" Cat asked. Jade shut her eyes and a trembling breath fell from her lips.

"Dad said it was okay. He's really worried though, I know he's not one for depressing thoughts or concerns, but-"

"He's got to feel like he just signed his daughter away."

Jade grunted and her eyes flew open. "That's one way to put it, I guess." She paused, looking out the window at the full moon high in the sky. "What about you? Did everything go over well with your mom and dad?"

"Mom was very reluctant, and you know…being a lawyer, she tried to analyze every little thing." Jade whistled and turned her gaze towards the velvet purple bedsheets rolling off the side of her bed. "But she said it was okay in the long run, as long as I was careful. She understood I wasn't going to be able to tell her every little thing, because you know, she's an attorney so she gets it. She may have to distance herself from the case so she knows she wouldn't be able to be a prosecutor or anything."

"I imagine she could if you weren't that involved, but yeah, I can kind of see where conflict of interest may come in. I wonder how Robbie fared."

"Oh, I just got off the phone with him. He said his father was very adamant that he be as minimalist as possible." Jade nodded, figuring his dad would be the strictest of them all. "Apparently Mr. Shapiro still gave the okay that he help, but he wants Robbie involved as little as possible. It still sounds like a hard no from Mr. Shapiro, though."

"In other words you and I will be doing the legwork." It made sense that Robbie would likely be told no, as the son of the District Attorney really shouldn't get involved with an investigation that could potentially be a high profile case.

"Basically…I assume Beck and Andre will have gotten their family's okay. Somehow." She already knew Beck had, it wasn't difficult for him as it was for them though. Mr. Oliver cared about his son and didn't want to lose him, so Beck told him it was just for observation and he wouldn't actually be put in any danger. It didn't take much reassuring, but his father was half passed out and only half sober at the time.

That was a fact that could probably be best left alone when handing his form over to the Vegas. As for Andre, Jade was willing to bet there was no real conversation going on with his grandmother. He knew how to write her signature because a lot of important documents he had to do it for her because she could hardly sit through anything; so chances were very likely he'd be handing in a forgery.

Chances were also likely that Trina and her dad would be well aware of that, and it was also likely they'd have to tell him to sit out of the investigation. Or at the very least, he'd be doing a hell of a lot less than anybody else-if not nothing at all.

"Nothing left to do but get some rest and hand these over to the Vegas tomorrow then." Jade took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Let's hope for the best, whatever happens."

"Whatever happens, Jade, we're all in this together."

Decided to give you this chapter now. Seems everyone is clear, for the most part