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Be the Serpent Under It: Desire

Third Month

Betty was frustrated. Three months in and she still wasn't where she wanted to be. She'd expected to have this over and done with by now. Hench had more willpower than she'd given him credit for. She might have even been impressed by him if not for the fact that this time she didn't want a guy to show such self-restraint.

Investigations had yielded nothing. She'd found no mention of Global Justice, there'd been no hint of anything illegal being done, and currently she was high and dry. The man ran a shady business, of that there was no doubt, but there was no indication whatsoever that it had crossed into the illegal in any way! She'd seen no sign of production of the bomb that had hit Global Justice either. At this point, she was seriously starting to doubt he'd had anything to do with it at all. Maybe a part of her was even hoping as much... No. None of that. She couldn't let herself lower her guard. Sharon had been so certain it was his... She was inclined to believe her old mentor. Hmm, maybe the surplus inventory... The weapons that had fallen out of fashion or that didn't work. Was it possible it was there? Or maybe it was being worked on in a lab and hadn't yet been okayed for production! She could infiltrate Hench's surplus easily enough, she figured, but his research facility was another matter, and that was where she probably wanted to be. Time to really start turning on the charm.

Things were starting to come to a standstill in her relationship with Jack. Getting stale, so to speak. She needed to boost it again. Her recreation slot would be the best bet. A hot tub, a pool, and no dress code? Honestly, the man had made it almost too easy. She checked the time. He was in a conference right now, she knew. The conference room just happened to overlook the hot tub and pool area. The meeting would be a stressful one. He'd been anxious about it for a week now. If he was stressed, he was vulnerable. Five minutes until she was off the clock. She spent the whole time just staring at it and wishing it would go faster.

The moment the minute hand hit twelve, she got up, clocked out, and headed for the employee lounge. She went immediately to the changing room and stripped down in a stall. She reached into her pool bag and pulled out her swimsuit. It was a one-piece, he liked a balance of tasteful and alluring she'd determine, but definitely didn't leave much up to the imagination either. She hoped it would please him. She really, really wanted it to... She started at the thought, blinking. She remembered her brother's words again and grimaced a little. She had to be careful. She couldn't let herself get in too deep. Hench was a charmer, of that there was no doubt, and far less lecherous and perverse than she'd assumed he would be. She had to confess she respected him for that. Via bugs, she'd overheard clients offering him deals any number of men she could have named would have snapped up in a heartbeat. The man had been offered harems in exchange for weapons and other devices, so clearly had connections to human traffickers. He'd shot down every one of those offers without hesitation, seemingly more interested in the money than anything else. Which might explain why it was taking so long to draw him in. Well, no more halfway measures. Now she was going all in.

She went out onto the deck, glad it was so late. Passed dark in fact. He'd wanted her there until the end of his conference so he could tie up a few things before she left for the day, but the conference had run much longer than he'd anticipated. The participants were about to take a break now, which meant he would come down to the employee lounge to de-stress. Yes, she knew his schedule forward and backward. She knew his habits, his quirks, the way he would handle any number of different situations... She had this.

She turned on the bubbles and the lights and slipped into the steaming water, leaning back and closing her eyes. She made a sound of pleasure. She could definitely get used to this. She heard the door to the lounge open. She glanced at her watch slash spy cam, which was receiving a feed from inside. Hench was there getting himself something to drink. Clearly, he was agitated about something. He finished fixing the drink and began to sip at it before making his way toward the balcony. She turned off the watch. The hot tub was just out of sight of the doors. He would have quite the surprise when he came out. Assuming he turned her way of course. She would make sure that he did.

KP

Jack pushed open the veranda doors, inwardly cursing his anger away. Not that it ever helped, but he really didn't know what else to do. He walked to the balcony and sighed deeply, leaning on the railing. He gratefully inhaled the night air then took a sip of the drink he'd fixed, thinking things over.

"Rough conference?" a voice asked from off to the side. He started and turned. His mouth dropped on seeing Betty in the hot tub watching him in amusement.

"Whoa," he said before catching his tongue. He bit it savagely, chastising himself for speaking.

"Whoa is good, I take it?" she said, smirking.

He blinked, decided he really had nothing to lose and didn't particularly care about the consequences, and smiled a bit in return, relaxing a little. She had that sort of calming effect on him, he'd noticed. "Whoa is very, very good," he replied.

"Why don't you join me? It might help you de-stress," she offered. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back. "The bubbles just, mmm, melt your cares away."

"The company doesn't hurt either," he flirted.

She opened her eyes, giving him a curious look. He wore this sort of smile on his lips. One she'd never seen before. She couldn't help but blush a little at it. "Come in," she said in an enticing voice, stretching out her hand to him. "Just for a while."

He was still for a moment before at last approaching. He knelt next to the hot tub and took her hand, holding it gently. He turned it almost curiously in his own, gently tracing the skin with a thumb. Again she felt herself flush. "I only wish I had the time," he answered. "I would take you up on that offer." Suddenly, and rather boldly, he lifted her hand and kissed it softly. She blushed even deeper, starting and feeling flustered. Quickly she averted her gaze from him and leaned back once more, closing her eyes.

"You're overworking yourself again," she said as he gently massaged her hand.

"I suppose," he admitted, shrugging.

She opened an eye, giving him a curious look. "You know that can be bad for your health, right?" she asked.

"Never been sick a day in my life," he boasted.

She looked at her hand, being kneaded in his, and quietly said, "That feels nice."

He smiled softly, and for a moment there was this gentleness in his eyes… Something else too. Something that made her stomach do uncomfortable little flips. He rose once more. "Enjoy yourself, Miss Director. The conference will hopefully end soon, but if it's not done by eight thirty, feel free to pack up and go home," he murmured. Betty checked her watch. It was eight now.

"We'll see," she answered, smiling up at him. He nodded and walked away. Betty watched after him and found herself suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about this whole situation again.

"Kill him."

Her jaw twitched a bit at the memory and she looked at a ring she wore on the ring finger of her right hand. The one he'd been massaging. She pressed a small button and out sprang a sharp point. A poisoned needle. She would do whatever was necessary. Nothing more. She set her jaw and retracted the needle before looking up at the main conference room. She needed to push harder. Time was of the essence. The pool was beneath the window. The window he would look out of at some point. When he did, she would be certain he saw her there. Oh how he'd see her...

She looked up at the window and saw him approaching it. Now! She slipped out of the hot tub and covered herself in a white satin swimsuit cover that glimmered in the moonlight. She looked down at the crystal clear pool and saw him freeze by the window in its reflection, his eyes fixed on her. She smirked to herself and gracefully swept down the stairs, approaching the swimming pool.

KP

He froze on seeing her down by the water, eyes widening. Her satin cover glistened in the moonbeams, and he found, to his chagrin, that he couldn't bring himself to look away. His lips slowly parted as she let the satin slip down her arms and pool around her feet, revealing her one-piece. He hadn't gotten a good look at it when she was under the bubbles of the hot tub. A good thing too, because then he would have taken her up on her invitation. He was hardly aware of the other men in the room speaking, his eyes focused solely on the woman below.

She slipped into the pool, and even from this height he could see her shiver at the sudden temperature change. He felt his mouth go dry. She dove under the water and began swimming. Her well-toned muscles showcased to the fullest. She moved with a sort of grace and power he'd never seen before, coming up and diving under again like some Olympic swimmer. She came up once more for air as she reached the opposite end of the pool, and wiped her grinning face free of water, brushing back her short hair in the process. She looked up at the window and met his eyes. He felt himself blush deeply and quickly turned away from the sight, forcing himself to focus again on the others in the room.

He was never more eager to get out of the conference hall than he was tonight. He went straight to his office, hoping she wouldn't be there. He wasn't sure he could take it if she was. He opened the door and froze. Luck wasn't with him, it seemed, because there she was, sitting at her desk with hair still damp. He mentally kicked himself back into gear and continued to his study. As his hand fell on the knob, though, she spoke up.

"You were watching, Jack," she said casually.

He froze, shivering at the sound of her voice, then turned to look back at her. He blinked then smirked, recovering. She was just a woman, he told himself. He was no stranger to those. "Miss Director, there's not a man on Earth who wouldn't have."

"If you thought that was alluring, next time I'll go in with less," she said.

"Betty, to go in with less you would have to be…" he trailed off, catching his breath as he caught on. He blushed deeply. "Oh," he finished.

She smirked in amusement. "I make you nervous," she noted.

He stared silently at her. "Very much," he soon confessed.

The response surprised her, and she stared at him quietly. He held her gaze right back. "Should I stop?" she finally asked.

"No. Gods no," he answered. "I've never had an employee quite like you before."

"You only like me because I'm so laid back you can flirt without shame," she said, smiling teasingly.

"It's a perk I can certainly live with, but that's not quite what I meant," he answered, winking at her. "Good night, Miss Director."

"Good night," she replied as he entered his office. As he disappeared, she let out a breath.

Fourth Month

"Join me," she cooed softly to him. He turned vaguely to her, obviously tired. The day had been long and rough. Disasters here, crises there, and chaos everywhere. He was vulnerable, he was desperate, and they both knew it. A part of her almost didn't want to do this... "Join me," she repeated, beckoning for him.

He pursed his lips then bowed his head, chuckling exhaustedly. "Okay," he finally relented.

She almost stopped breathing. She'd been at him for months now to do so! He left to change then returned, sliding into the hot tub across from her and wrapping his arms around himself looking exhausted. She tilted her head a bit in concern. A man had come today. Hench had clearly been uncomfortable in his presence. She'd never seen him like that before, so vulnerable and afraid... This surge of protection had torn through her unlike anything she'd ever experienced, so she'd planted herself right at his side and hadn't left it until the man was gone. It seemed Jack was still recovering from that visit.

"Not over there. Over here. Next to me," she said, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around them. He lifted his head to her and observed her for a moment in silence. "Please?" she said.

He pursed his lips, then sighed tiredly. "Betty..."

"No games this time. I promise," she said. He looked back at her once more, considered the offer, then finally took a chance and crossed over to sit next to her. She looked up at him in some concern, then leaned against his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his stomach gently. Not flirtily, not seductively, not like she was trying to gain anything. Just comfortingly. "Are you okay?" she asked. He was quiet. "It's fine if you don't want to talk, but I'm right here if you change your mind."

He was silent, an arm around her in turn. Gently he stroked the upper part of her arm with a finger. Putting her leisure slot at the end of the day had been the best business decision he'd ever made, he decided. He closed his eyes, willing the stress to melt away. With her so close, her breathing even and warm against his skin, he found it was fading faster than he'd ever thought possible after an encounter with... He hesitated a moment then sighed in frustration.

"He was my uncle," he said. Her grip on him tightened ever so slightly. "It's... complicated."

"I know how that feels," she quietly replied, grip relaxing once more.

"Not like this you don't," he somewhat darkly said.

"You'd be surprised," she said.

"Mmm," he murmured distractedly, gently rubbing her arm up and down.

The gesture was soothing, she thought as she smiled. In fact, she was really starting to enjoy it. She shouldn't be... The smile slowly fell. "You can hug me if you want," she said.

He let out a shaking breath and wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in her hair and holding her like she was a lifeline. It took her aback. She hadn't expected an embrace so desperate, and she started to feel a bit worried. How badly had his Uncle's visit shaken him? "Cinnamon," he noted, referencing the scent of her hair. "It suits you." She flushed a little, hating how those words made her feel. Gently he pushed her back and she looked up into his face. "Thank you," he said, voice sounding a little strained.

"What?" she asked, frowning in some confusion.

"For being there," he said, drawing a hand through his hair in a frazzled manner. "For planting yourself next to me and not just walking away. It means more to me than you could ever know."

She flinched a bit. "It was that bad, huh?" she asked quietly, letting him go and returning to wrapping her arms around her knees.

A sharp but strained bark of laughter escaped his lips, but he went into no further detail. "I'm meeting him tonight," he said.

"What? Jack..." she began.

"I have to," Jack cut off, not meeting her eyes. "But part of me wishes I could just stay here forever."

She stayed quiet, hating how those words made her feel. There was silence between them for a long moment. "Let me go with you," she said.

"No," he immediately said, vehemently shaking his head. "Not this time, Miss Director. Not to this."

"Talk to me," she pled. "Let me help you!"

"You can't, Betty," he said, sharply looking over at her.

She held his gaze, then hung her head, turning away miserably. "Is he going to hurt you?" she asked, sounding a little strained. She wasn't sure why that was the first question that came to her mind, but something just screamed the Uncle was bad business.

Jack was quiet and she hated that even more, looking quickly at him with her eye wide. He let out a breath. "Maybe," he said. "Not permanently, at the moment I'm too valuable to him, but it's not out of the realms of possibility."

"Then don't go!" she said, despising how alarmed she felt now.

"I'll be alright," he promised.

"Take someone with you. Anyone! If not me then your men. A friend. Something!" she said. "You can't go alone. You need to come back!" She caught her breath at her own words, eyes widening a bit. "You-you need to come back," she numbly repeated. He was staring at her in open shock. She flushed deeply and scrambled to get out of the hot tub. Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

"Back out of this now. While you still have the will to."

"Kill him."

"Is it justice to let him walk away from this massacre?"

"He won't stop. He'll never stop!"

Tears threatened her eyes. No, this couldn't be happening right now. She couldn't choke right now! She couldn't lose her focus! Grabbing up her things, she frantically began to towel herself off and moved quickly back towards the lounge. He watched after her, visibly stunned. She cursed the lump in her throat. "Betty!" he called after her. She cursed again, desperately trying to ignore the call. She stormed into the changeroom, stripped down as tears began escaping her eyes, and quickly dressed again. Sniffing, she wiped her eyes and let out a slow, shaking breath, willing herself to get a grip.

"Come on, Betty, come on," she whispered to herself. She inhaled deeply, then let out another slow stream of air. She heard him in the lounge, but he didn't call to her again. She heard him go into the changeroom and took the opportunity to slip away. She went straight to the office as quickly as she could and packed up her things without even going around the other side of her desk. It was fine. Everything was fine. She was fine. She was-she was fine. Oh gods, she wasn't fine. She wasn't fine! She rested her hands on her desk with a soft gasp.

She heard the door open but didn't turn, focusing instead on composing herself. She knew he had stopped the moment he saw her. There was silence between them. "I'll come back," he finally said.

She scoffed. "In what condition, Jack?" she challenged, turning on him angrily.

He put on that confident smile of his and she could have slapped him. "Miss Director, you know me. I can talk my way out of anything."

"What did you even do that drew him out?!" she demanded.

He winced a bit, grimacing, then put on the grin again. "Not important," he replied. "What matters is I'm fixing it, okay?"

"By going alone?" she demanded. "I'm not an idiot, Jack. If he's the sort of man you of all people are scared of, then he's not one of your 'safe' clients. So what is he, huh? Mafia? Mob? Some godfather or something? That how you got into the habit of shady business?"

"Don't go there, Betty!" he immediately and testily shot.

She crossed her arms over herself and bit her tongue, looking towards the window. She was getting too reckless, she told herself. She needed to dial it back. He watched her quietly for a moment, eyes narrowed, then sighed and looked away from her in the opposite direction. "I'll take some of my men," he at last relented. She was quiet, rubbing her own arms. He looked at her again. "I'll come back," he promised again.

She let out a breath, closing her eyes. "How did we get here?" she asked quietly. He kept silent. She turned back to him and approached, pausing right at his side. "Have a good night, Mr. Hench," she said. "If you need me, call me." She walked out not waiting for him to answer.

KP

No sooner had she gotten into her car when her phone rang. She whipped it out without thinking. "Jack?" she asked hopefully.

"Madam Director?" the voice of one of her agents answered.

Her heart sank. "Agent, what it is?" she asked, closing her eyes and massaging the bridge of her nose.

"It was one of his, ma'am. No question about it," the agent answered.

"The bomb?" she asked, opening her eyes.

"Yes ma'am," he answered. She was quiet.

He is dangerous, he is highly unpredictable, and if you've opened this file with the intent of following up on anything that has to do with him, beware. You tread deadly waters. More than one agent has disappeared in them.

"There's nothing like it in his warehouse. That means it must be a prototype being developed in his research facility," she said, steeling herself in determination. "Do we know anything else?"

"Do you?" the agent replied.

She was quiet. "No," she finally admitted. For all her digging, she'd come up empty. "He hasn't even mentioned GJ, but his lips are starting to loosen. I'll keep working on him."

"Yes ma'am," the agent replied.

Betty hung up and looked towards HenchCo again. She pursed her lips, considering her next move, then turned on her car and drove it out of sight before doubling back and parking where it wouldn't be easily noticed. Soon after, Hench exited the building making for his vehicle. He climbed in then pulled out a phone, making a call. Soon he hung up and drove away. She narrowed her eyes. It was time to enter spy mode, she determined. If nothing else, following him tonight when he met with the Uncle might give her some insight into how he dealt with things. Starting her car, she began to tail him.

KP

She watched from the shadows, sunk low in her car, as he met up with a group of his men. They talked amongst themselves before a limo pulled up and the entire group piled inside. The limo took off and she began tailing it again. She was taking a huge risk in doing so, but this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. She'd updated her agents on what she was doing so they would be poised and ready to go if need be. They were tracking her even now.

She followed Hench and his people all the way into Lowerton, keeping as far back as she could risk. They pulled up to a strip club and she frowned, sitting up straight. A prickle began running down her spine. She knew this place... Lips slowly parting, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

Hench and his men climbed out. He looked up at it, clearly unimpressed, and turned to his people, telling them something. They nodded and piled into the limo, which then drove out of sight. Somehow she doubted they'd gone far. Jack watched them leave, then entered the club. Betty weighed her options. If the meeting would take place inside, she needed to be present for it. That, though, would put her at risk of being identified by... well, certain other parties she had no desire to interact with. At all. Going in there masked and geared up in GJ uniform wasn't an option either though. Well, it was, but it ran a lot of risks in and of itself. She looked up at the roof. If there was a vent up there...

Setting her jaw, she grabbed her GJ uniform from the back along with a couple of weapons, then got out of the car and darted into the alley. Climbing quickly up a fire escape to the roof, she stripped down and changed into the uniform complete with a mask to make herself totally unidentifiable should anyone catch sight of her.

She looked around for a vent and crossed to it, slipping inside. She attached a grapple to the outside and lowered herself down before crouching and crawling carefully through. Once she was above the audience, she peered out and tried to catch sight of Jack. She saw him off to the side in the darkness, arms crossed as he searched for someone. One of the girls approached him and offered him what she assumed was a lap dance. He brushed her off without even a second thought. He was here for business, not pleasure. Still, seeing him in this place at all made her blood boil a bit. He started, seeming to spot someone, and held his ground. She searched for the source and saw the Uncle watching from a table. The man lifted a glass to Jack, and Jack approached him, not even looking at the stripper trying to perform for him.

Jack sat at the table with his Uncle and all his Uncle's people. Of which there was an unsettling number. The Uncle smiled pleasantly at his nephew and Betty flipped on her listening device to try and catch the conversation.

KP

"Greetings, nephew," the man said with some sort of southern drawl. Nevada maybe? Possibly a Great Basin boy.

"Uncle," Jack impersonally replied, expression cold.

"Relax, son. Have a drink. Enjoy the show," the Uncle said.

"I'd really rather not," he replied.

"Come on. Let your old Uncle treat you to a dance," the man said.

"No," Jack said flat out.

"Hmm... Hope you don't mind if I indulge then," the man said.

"I do," Jack replied.

The Uncle began tapping his fingers on the table in some measure of annoyance. Jack's jaw twitched ever so slightly. "This because of that girl of yours?" the man asked. Betty started. What girl?

"Girl?" Jack asked.

"Pretty little redhead who parked herself at your side during our little visit," the man said. Betty started, flushing. He meant her.

Jack ground his teeth ever so slightly. "She was my secretary. We're not in a relationship," he said.

"No? Huh..." the man said. Jack held his tongue. The Uncle eyed him up a moment longer, then raised a hand to gesture over a stripper. The girl approached, all smiles, and got on the pole. Jack didn't even look at her, eyes fixed on his Uncle, whose eyes were fixed on Jack right back. The only ones paying any attention to the girl were the Uncle's people. Jack and his relative, it seemed, saw no one but each other. "She'd suit you," the man soon said.

"I'm not here for conversation. I'm not here to have a good time. I'm here for business," Jack said. "So, let's get this over with."

"Now, now, nephew. No reason to be hostile. Why so rushed?" the man asked.

"I have other business to attend to, tonight," Jack replied.

"Hmm..." the Uncle said. He waved off the girl, slipping her enough money that her eyes widened in shock and she froze for a moment before scurrying away. "Very well." The man rose and Betty's eyes widened a bit. He was a big man. Tall and well-built. He'd aged gracefully. If Jack aged even half as well as his Uncle... She immediately started and stomped down that thought. "Let's take a drive, nephew," the man said.

"Let me guess? The docks? The warehouses?" Jack asked.

"The old bridge," the man said. Jack glared coldly at him. "Beautiful place, isn't it? Nice and quiet. Isolated... A good place to die."

"Hmm," Jack replied, chin resting on his balled hands. "More a one-on-one spot, I think."

"What did you have in mind? And be more creative than a dock or warehouse," the man said.

"Why? The atmosphere there is perfect," Jack replied, smiling coldly. "I know! A factory. Even better. All sorts of nefarious little devices you could make use of."

The man glared coldly at him. "If that's the way you wanna play this, so be it," the man finally replied.

"It's not a question of how I want to play it. It's a question of how you do," Jack said. For a moment they stared one another down. "You took my prototype," Jack finally breached. Betty caught her breath, eyes widening a bit. What? He couldn't mean... The bomb?

The Uncle was quiet. "You're valuable to me, Jack, and I'd hate to lose you, but if you ever act up again like you did all those months back, I'll cut my losses," he said.

"I'm not your asset anymore, Uncle. I don't play by your rules," Jack replied.

"You have more sense than that, nephew. You may not play by my rules anymore, but I expect your respect," the man said.

"Then show me the same," Jack replied.

"Respect is earned, not given," the man replied.

"I agree, and I gave it to you most of my life. Now you earn it," Jack replied. The Uncle's jaw twitched this time, his eyes sparking dangerously, and Betty held her breath. For a long moment, there was silence as Uncle and nephew glared each other down.

"Fine," the Uncle at last relented. "If that's how it is, that's how it is." He gestured for his men to get up. They did so, and he left with them, not speaking another word to his nephew. Jack sat frozen in place, expression dark. Rising angrily, he grabbed his things and made his way to the entrance, but paused at the bar. Probably to get a drink.

KP

Betty winced a bit and quickly slunk back out of the vent, coming out on the roof. Standing up, she went to the edge and peered over it in an attempt to catch sight of him exiting. What she saw instead caused her to gasp, a spike of alarm shooting through her. Across the street, she could see the Uncle and his men. The Uncle was talking to them, pointing to a dark van. They nodded and piled into it. The Uncle then went to his own personal vehicle and drove off. His men remained. A chill raced down her spine. Were they waiting for Jack? Would they really be so daring that they'd just snatch him right off the street?! She shrank down, whispering a curse under her breath. She had to warn him. Somehow. No, his men were nearby, right? They could handle protecting him! But if his Uncle's people just snatched him up, there was no guarantee his own would get there in time to do anything about it.

Just then she heard the door to the club open and caught her breath, looking over the edge. Her eyes widened. He was exiting the building while paging someone! Probably his people. No sooner had he stepped outside when the van squealed to life and tore towards him. He looked quickly up and over, eyes wide. She didn't think, just acted. Whipping out her pistol, she aimed and shot out a tire. The van screeched, losing control and sliding sideways. Quickly it recovered itself though and sped off without stopping. Jack gaped in disbelief, then looked around quickly for the source of his salvation. She ducked out of sight. Just in case.

Hearing another car roar to life, she dared to peek over the edge again. Hench's men were arriving on the scene. They came to a stop next to him. Jack asked them a question, probably about which of them had shot the bullet, but obviously, none of them had. Jack was clearly puzzled and looked around once more for whoever might have. She willed him to let it go.

"Spread out and find them," Jack ordered. "Every roof, every alley."

She groaned, rolling her eyes, then ran to her business clothes, picked them up, and quickly got back into the vent, sliding down. She crawled her way through until she was above the bathrooms then dropped down into them and stripped out of her GJ uniform, quickly getting into her business one. This was the last place she wanted to be, but it was also where she was most inconspicuous. She'd wait it out until he gave up the search, then make her way back home and call it a night. Tomorrow was a weekend. She had new information to look into and a research facility to infiltrate.

KP

Walking out of the bathroom, she turned and froze, catching her breath and paling. There, just down the hall, was a face she'd hoped never to see again. She tried to retreat into the bathroom, but just then he turned and spotted her. The man started, eyes widening, and she stiffened up. He stared a moment before turning to the person he'd been talking to and dismissing them. As soon as they were gone, he turned to her and approached. "Well, well, well. Betty. My how you've grown." She glared coldly at him. "What? No hello for your dear uncle?" he asked. His question was met by silence. "Come for a job, my dear?" he pressed.

"I have one," she answered flatly, crossing her arms.

The man snorted. "With who?" he asked.

"HenchCo," she replied promptly.

The man started. "Goodbye, Uncle. I came looking for Sheldon thinking he might have come to confront you about what you did - he's been talking about it you know - but I guess he has yet to work up the guts."

"Confront me yourself. Why hide behind your brother?" the man asked.

"I've come to peace with what you did," she coldly replied, arms crossed. "I let it go, I moved on. End of story. He isn't quite there yet."

She moved passed him, but suddenly he reached out, grabbing her arm. She turned sharply to the man, fire in her eyes. "You'd make far more on the pole than you ever could at HenchCo," he said.

"And all of it would be yours, so no thank you. You've taken enough from us," she replied calmly. She pulled her arm abruptly away, turned, and walked off.

He trailed behind her. "Betty," he called. She picked up the pace. "Betty!" he furiously shouted as she exited the back rooms and came out onto the main floor. She hoped he wouldn't make a scene. Ugh, she just wanted out of here. She gasped when suddenly he seized her arm roughly and turned her around, grabbing them both. "You answer me when I speak to you!" he shouted, shaking her.

She willed herself to keep her cool. "Let go," she said simply. The man scowled. "I'm not afraid of you anymore," she said.

"Witch!" he shouted furiously, striking her. She retaliated immediately, kneeing him right where it hurt and flipping him over the railing and onto a table below. He struck it with a shout, causing the patrons to scream in alarm, and sat up, shaking his head and scowling at her.

"Goodbye, Uncle," she repeated before storming angrily away, fists clenched.

"Betty!" the man angrily shouted. Doubtless he was pursuing her again, so she picked up the pace once more and ran for the main door.

She darted out onto the streets, making for her car, but felt the man seize her again, whipping her around. "Come here!" he shouted, wrestling to get her back inside.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, stomping on his foot and pulling away. He grabbed her once more, dragging her back with a shout.

"People, people, what's going on here?" a horrifyingly familiar voice asked, and she gasped, paling. Quickly she looked over along with her Uncle. There, standing near at hand with that smarmy perma-smirk plastered to his face, was Jack Hench!

"You've gotta be kidding me," she said in exasperation.

"Miss Director, I'm hurt," he replied.

"What are you doing at a strip club?!" she demanded of him. He started, smile vanishing, and looked suddenly flustered. "Are you kidding me right now? I thought you were meeting your Uncle! You were making such a big deal out of it I was starting to think you'd never come back, and now you're out here club hopping?! Not even club hopping! Strip club hopping! I swear to the gods, Jack, if I've been worrying myself sick over you for nothing...!" He started and she immediately bit her tongue. He was starting to smirk again. "Oh don't you give me that smirk! Strippers? Are you serious right now?!"

He had the decency to look a bit embarrassed at least before quickly regaining his composure. "This was where he wanted to meet. Believe me, it wasn't my call. Nothing happened!" he defended, though why he felt compelled to was beyond him.

"How do you know my niece?" her Uncle warily asked.

There was a beat and Betty winced a bit. "Your what now?" Jack asked, turning to the man.

"My niece! How do you know my niece?" the man demanded.

Jack gave her a look. She wouldn't meet his eyes. He turned back to the man. "She's my secretary," he answered.

The man scoffed, looking at her. "A secretary? Really Betty? That was the best you could do? You really would have made more on the pole." Jack started.

"Yeah? Well, you can't beat the benefits, that's for sure," she replied, jerking away from him and turning her back on her relative, crossing her arms. "Meet the CEO of HenchCo, Unc."

The man gave Jack a look. Jack frowned, immediately disliking it. "How much a premium does he pay for benefits of his own?" her Uncle asked.

"You're disgusting!" Betty snapped, storming away from them both and making for her car.

"Miss Director!" Jack called after her.

"I'll see you at work, Jack!" she agitatedly replied.

"I didn't lie about meeting my Uncle!" he immediately said.

She looked sharply back, eyes narrowed at him. The remark, though, had caught her interest. He was worried about what she thought of him. He was worried about what she'd perceived in his being here. She stared at him long and hard, then sighed, turning away. "We'll talk on Monday," she said, continuing to walk. In the reflection of her car, she saw him wince hard. Good. Let him sweat a bit. Hopefully, it would distract him from the 'coincidence' of running into her here. The less suspicion she raised, the better. The more distracted he was, the higher the chance he overlooked things that were suspicious. Thank goodness for her Uncle, she wryly noted to herself. Talk about mixed blessings.