"You Were in the Wrong Place at the Right Time"

[JJ Johnson]

Oh, JJ loved the new school year, loved and hated it. It meant that a whole new bunch of students got situated at the hellhole on top of the hill. JJ still didn't trust those idiots, especially since he'd heard that the Bellefonte twins had taken control. Those two might be hot, but they were both bitches as far as JJ was concerned. He could still remember what one of them had done to him. He'd sworn vengeance, and he'd get it... somehow.

For now, that meant patrolling the streets on the first weekend, looking for "troublemakers." By JJ's very loose definition, this meant any student who had the misfortune of being far enough away from the school. Normally JJ had to guess, which often meant bullying students until they did something. He'd heard that they were getting uniforms now or something. Make his job easier.

This time though, he'd hit the jackpot. Harver had mentioned looking down the block, probably making up another excuse to get some time away from JJ. That left JJ, still in full uniform alone. And he'd just seen a kid's power go off. He couldn't be entirely sure what they'd done, but it had sure as hell been noticeable.

God, he loved his job.

"Hey, you there! Freak kid!" he yelled, grinning as he started toward the kid, jogging slightly, letting his heavy belt and all the police paraphernalia jingle ominously. Oh, this was gonna be fuuuuun.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Now, being in control of the school wasn't all it was cracked up to. Sure, she enjoyed it to some degree, but some days, it was simply so darn boring and nothing happened. Today was one of those days. So, what else was there to do than go down into town for a small, and hopefully eventful road trip? After telling Elsa that she was taking her lunch break early and away from the academy, the telekinetic had gotten into her car and drove down towards the beautiful city of Kalispell.

Parking her car, the brunette got out and ran her fingers through her hair as she gazed around. The familiar voice she heard -- which could only be described as disgusting as the sound of nails being dragged down along a blackboard had her turning around. Her brown eyes travelled up and down the street until she finally found the source of the voice, which was none other than Detective Not-So-Genius, and well, he seemed to be heading towards one of her students -- who seemingly had been unlucky with their power.

Her student.

Furrowing her brows, Erika moved towards them, the corner of her lips tugging upwards into something of a snarl. "You do realize that by yelling and running towards him, you only draw more attention to the scene than what's needed?" she asked as she was within earshot.

Oh, how she hoped he recognized her...

[JJ Johnson]

"That's the point, you stupid---" began JJ before looking over. The girl looked kinda familiar but, JJ being JJ, he couldn't quite remember where he'd seen her before. He stopped and stared, wondering why he'd forgotten someone who looked that hot. Maybe she'd been one of the seemingly endless list of women that JJ had sworn some sort of revenge toward? There did seem to be a strangely high amount of those for some reason.

Oh well, didn't really matter: JJ still had the kid who'd just shown his powers. He'd caught up to him and now had a hand on the poor kid's shoulder. Looked to be in his young teens, which probably meant that he didn't have full control. Weird: JJ thought they didn't let them out till they had at least some control. New leadership must be slipping.

"And the kid was causing a scene... ma'am,' JJ ran his eyes over the girl, trying to place her as opposed to his normal appraisal. "It's my duty to make sure to stop troublemakers before they get too rowdy. You wouldn't want to get in the way of an office carrying out his duty, would you?" he raised his eyes to look at her. Why the hell did she look so damn familiar? "I'd hate to have to take you in too," yes, too, because JJ would totally take a kid in just to make them sweat in a cell till Bellefonte sent someone over.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Disappointed at the lack of, well, realization the man showed, Erika sighed. She almost felt like pouting and making a huge scene of the whole thing, but she decided against it, as the reason she had walked up here to begin with was to well, save her student from the god-awful police officer who actually seemed to think he was the very best that no one ever was.

Gazing at the kid, Erika offered him something of a smile; As if she was promising him she'd get him away from the big bad wolf. Which, she actually was going to try. Wasn't there some kind of rule she could pull a string at to take custody of the kid, rather than sending him down to the station first? God, she hoped so.

Well, if there wasn't, she could always just follow them.

"Get in the way? Oh no," she shook her head. "But, I'll let you know if I see one," she added quickly with a coy smirk. "And I don't know what regulations you're following, but I suppose it doesn't matter; I can take the troublemaker from here." Maybe it would have gone over smoother had she actually shown her academy official ID or something, but that was the least of her worries right now. She didn't want the poor kid having to deal with this moron of a police officer.

[JJ Johnson]

It took JJ a few seconds to realize that Erika was, in fact, referring to him. He frowned as that realization sank in, frowned and gave her a long, hard look, ready to start berating her. However, he soon found her continuing instead, talking about regulations and what have you, not to mention saying that she'd take over from there.

That last had him actually chuckling. "Look, obviously you're from the Academy or whatever," JJ was tempted to call it a "freak school," but he didn't quite want to use that language, "but you're not there now. See the uniform?" he gestured toward what he was wearing, "that means I'm a cop, and this kid," he jerked a head toward the offender, "is causing trouble. Looks like I'm probably going to have to take him in for possessing a dangerous weapon too, unless he's got a permit for that?"

Of course, JJ was referring to being a mutant, which wasn't technically on the lawbooks. This wouldn't be the first time that JJ had used that little loophole to drag an unwilling mutant into a cell though. He looked back to the pretty brunette, dragging his eyes over her. "Though we might be able to work something out. You know: you scratch my back, I scratch yours." Though "backs" were about as far from the areas JJ was thinking of as could possibly be.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"That I am," she replied swiftly, her eyebrows shooting up. An amused smirk formed on her lips, "And no, you're right with that, but I am also responsible for whatever acts the students at the academy do, so if you really want anyone to blame; Here I am." She looked down at the kid; He looked absolutely terrified. She didn't blame him. Putting her hand on the child's shoulder, Erika looked back at the cop. Eyeing him up. 

"You're hardly a cop, you mean," she scoffed, "Look, Mr. Johnson, I know all about the ways you roam about," she waved her hand; And that was mostly thanks to a certain ex. "And we both know that it's not always as legal as it probably should have been."

Jerking the child a step backwards, Erika pursed her lips, "But I would understand if you would like to talk about this without an extra pair of eyes." She looked down at the kid again. Really, all she wanted to do was get the kid away. That was the main issue at hand right now. She could deal with this man far better without the child around. And yes, she completely ignored his 'scratching backs' comment.

He was disgusting, and it made her regret not doing anything about it before when she had had the chance; Of course, the potential dangers about stepping into these waters were not lost on her. She wasn't at the academy now, and didn't have that as a ground to help support her.

[JJ Johnson]

Responsible? So she was one of those monitor types? JJ looked her over again, noting that she looked pretty damn young for the job. Then again, he supposed that they didn't exactly have age requirements or anything, did they? Ah, why would he care? He also didn't care about her talking about how he was hardly a cop or whatever. They all said that; they said it, and then they handed over the protection money or begged him to look the other way.

"Babe, I'm not the one who should be worrying about 'illegal activities,'" and of course JJ did the air quotes, raising his hands into the air and smirking lasciviously. He looked to the kid, then to her, realizing that she seemed at least somewhat amendable toward talking things over with him.

And yes, the head that did most of JJ's thinking for him was thinking this was just a brilliant idea. However, JJ did have that sort of animal cunning that just sort of came to him, a sort of survival interest. "Yeah, sure, I guess we can talk. 'course, I'm gonna have to make sure the kid here don't go no place," JJ reached around, pulling out a pair of handcuffs and smirking. "You know, just so you're not trying to distract me so he can run away and nothing happened. Can't have one of your special little students running around and showing off their powers. They could get hurt."

It was abundantly clear that something out here could hurt the kid, yeah. It was just as clear that that something held the handcuffs and smirked.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Stepping in front of the kid the second the handcuffs were brought out, Erika scowled, "He'll behave," she said coolly, "I'll take full responsibility for his actions." There was no chance in hell she was going to let such a slimy eel handle any of her students. Not as long as she was present anyways. Looking at the kid over her shoulder, she nodded at him, gesturing and mouthing for him to go. Crossing her arms across her chest, she turned back towards the "cop" with a deadpan expression. "If I wanted to distract you, I'm sure I'd come up with easier ways to do that."

Clearly, there was only one thing that really interested this idiot. Really though, this guy made her uneasy in more ways than one. Mostly because of their previous interaction, and well, as much as she hoped he'd recognize her, part of her also wished that he wouldn't. Though, maybe that was a smart thing to do, in order for him to forget about the kid? It was worth a shot, right?

"I see that you haven't changed your ways much since the last time we met," she said, pursing her lips as she arrogantly pushed her jaw forward, eyeing him up and down as she looked for any kind of sign that he had any idea what she was talking about. "Still sniffing around the school like nobody's business?" she pressed, arching her eyebrow as she smirked.

[JJ Johnson]

JJ continued to scowl as the brunette insisted that the kid would behave. Technically they were all under orders to let the Academy handle mutant business if they sent an appropriate representative and all. They did have more preparation and training and what have you. But JJ knew all the loopholes to exploit, and he certainly intended to do his share of exploiting in this situation.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna--" he began, only to stop. So she did recognize him. JJ looked her over again, trying to remember where he'd seen her before. She mentioned his being around the school. "Hey, alumnae are allowed on campus any time," JJ pointed out, grinning, "and considering all the fun little changes the new headmistresses are putting it, it's worth showing up for the show. 'sides, you want to maintain a nice, healthy relationship with the local law, don't you?"

JJ nodded, swelling a little. 'Speaking of, I'm afraid I need to see some ID. Can't let an impressionable young man like that," he nodded toward the kid, "be put into just anybody's custody, now can I? You do got an ID on you, right? From the school you claim to be working for?" Preferably with a name so JJ could finally match that to the face.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Fun little changes? Oh boy, wasn't this guy just adorable? Really, who was stupid enough to let some scumbag like this into the police force? He was disgusting down to the core and Erika would have enjoyed getting her hands around his neck and watch the life disappear from his eyes. She wasn't going to, of course, as he was hardly worth the trouble, but she could always dream, right? "I'm not sure that preying on underaged students is considered healthy."

As for the ID comment, Erika smiled sweetly, "Can do," she said as she opened her purse, fishing for her school ID. Holding it up, she glanced at it before turning it around so that the "cop" could see it. "There, that should be proof enough that I'm more than capable of taking custody of the kid, hm?" She knew that it probably wasn't too wise of her to out her position at the school like this, but right now, the kid mattered more than what she did.

"As for the changes we made, that's purely for safety reasons and since some of us have a little class, I'll be sure to arrange it so that you will never, ever get a guest pass at the school ever again." Lowering her hand, Erika put the ID back into her purse. "Now, I highly suggest you let this kid go before things start getting really nasty."

[JJ Johnson]

"Preying? That's a pretty strong--" began JJ, only to stop as he finally beheld an ID. Sure enough, there was a name and, sure enough, JJ recognized it. All glee and mirth fell. Erika Bellefonte. She'd humiliated him once, and he definitely wanted to seek revenge. For that matter, he was seriously considering doing it right then and there. Her little telekinetic powers sure as hell wouldn't be enough to stop him from taking what he wanted.

She kept talking though, talking about her authority. Soon JJ let out a dark chuckling, raising a finger to point at her. "I thought I recognized you. You're the Bellefonte, eh? Big Headmistress?" JJ smiled a mirthless grin. "I don't think you can really keep away a concerned officer of the law, Miss Bellefonte. After all, public concern is up after the whole SPECTRE incident. Heard you got kidnapped there. Shame about that. Wouldn't want something to... happen to you, now would we?"

And the smile showed teeth.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

When he glanced at her ID, it was as if she could see the change in his stance and see how his brain slowly sunk into that 'aha' moment where he recognized her from back then. And when he started speaking, Erika realized that she had to keep her head cool and not let her emotions get the best of her.

"That I am," she said, arching her eyebrow as she looked at him with a deadpan, disinterested expression, as if she was already growing bored of the conversation. "You have no idea what I can or can't do. After all, the local law has very little to say about the way we run things at the school, and I don't know... I'm pretty sure your boss would be very interested to hear our side of the story." Pausing, Erika lifted her hand, resting it on her shoulder she tilted her head to the side. "Shame indeed, but you know what they say; What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Now," she said, with a dramatic pause, glancing around. "I believe I have the authority to take this kid away, and there's little you can say or do to stop me; Follow the rules and all that jazz," she said, smiling sweetly as she turned on her heel.

[JJ Johnson]

Man, did this bitch have a big head on her shoulders. JJ would just love to slap her around a bit, show her who was the boss. Shame that she was so pretty, 'cuz he'd definitely mess up that face by the time he was done with it. He settled for that feral grin of his.

"You know, that's funny," said JJ, looking down for a moment, "'cuz I kinda thought that we weren't at the school right now, which means that all your power and stuff doesn't really mean shit, doesn't it?" JJ looked around, then nodded. "Yeah, looks like we're not where you run things. In fact, we're where I happen to run things. Kinda weird how that works, isn't it?"

JJ chuckled again, his eyes locking with Erika's. "And I'm thinking that the kid's behavior is highly suspect. Looks like he's about to cause trouble. Gonna have to bring him in, book him and all that. Oh, and you can't interrupt or nothing, seeing as that would be obstructing justice," JJ looked at the kid now, that predatory grin directed right toward him. "That is," he raised his brows, looking back to Erika, "unless you wanted to work something out? I'm sure we could come to some sort of..." his eyes ran along Erika's body, "mutual agreement..."

Why yes, he was a slow learner. How astute of you to notice.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Not really," she said, shrugging. "We're still in charge of our students and collecting them," she said, gesturing towards the kid. "This is academy business, not... police business, and unless you have some actual proof, I'm going to bring him with me to the school, and if your supervisor have any issues with that, he or she can give me a call." Rolling her eyes, the brunette wanted to give the guy one over the face and hope that he'd pass out so she didn't have to deal with this idoticy.

That wasn't happening though. That much she knew.

And of course, he only went on and on. "That's not reason enough for you to bring him in. Unless he's actually done something -- which he hasn't, there's little you can do." Putting her hand on the kid's shoulder, Erika offered them something of a reassuring smile, completely ignoring the poor excuse for a police officer. "Consider this me interrupting," she said, quirking her eyebrow, "I'd be more than happy to talk to your supervisor about that, like I said, so tell him to give me a call, yeah?"

With that, the brunette turned around and started guiding the kid away -- unless of course, the police officer moron decided to stop her. "Unless of course you want me to file a complaint for sexual harassment against you? In which case, both me and the kid will go down to the police station right away, and we can meet you there, hm?"