Foundations
By: pottersweetie

Author's Note: Because I'm an avid fan of fleshing out the minor character, a plot sprouted up in my mind surrounding the two-second character of Sophie. Thus, here is 'Foundations.' Set after Jumper, and going on from there. In Sophie's point of view. Enjoy, Read, Review!

Prologue

"Mom, who was that guy?"

She looks up at me from where she's started making coffee, her hands shaking slightly. With a smile slipping into place, she shakes her head and says, "No one."

I stare at her.

"Just a client," she amends.

What my mom does exactly- I don't even know.

Hopping onto one of the barstools at the island counter, I press, "What'd he want?"

"I just had to give him some documents," she says absently, seeming to be concentrating on the coffee-maker with renewed intensity. "Do you want some?" she gestures to the appliance as it whirs and gurgles into life.

I shake my head.

She stares at the pot as the brown liquid begins to drip and fall into it, as if her mind is elsewhere. I stare at her with my eyebrows knotted. There's got to be more to this guy than she's letting on. When she saw who was at the door, I saw how the realization clicked into place- how she froze a little bit. And then she asked me to go upstairs.

First of all, she never has people over for business. No one even calls the houseline if it concerns her work. And there was something about this guy anyway. Like she didn't expect to see him. And then he watched me as I walked up the stairs and down the hall, as if trying to figure out who I was or if I recognized him. Everything about it confuses and irks me.

"What was his name?" I ask.

Without thinking about it, and sounding as if she's in a trance, she says, "David."

David.

"David what?"

This seems to snap her into place, and she turns to look at me, putting an amused smile on her face, teasing, "Why are you so interested in my work all of a sudden?"

I shrug, "You just seem a little nervous."

She stops for a moment, smiling sympathetically now, "Soph- I'm sorry." Shaking her head, she says, "It's just work- it's a little stressful right now- not just concerning David, but in general."

Slowly, I nod, but I don't believe her.

Mom's work has always been mysterious and questionable. As long as I can remember, it's been a secret. If I ask about it- which I have- she just artfully dodges the question until I don't even think about it anymore. My friends ask, and sometimes their parents do, and I always have to lie and say she's in law or something. I mean, that's all I can come up with- I know she deals with FBI agents and police officers enough for it to be a half-truth. And usually, I don't really care all that much. I'm so used to it being a secret, that I just don't think about it anymore. But- this guy.... He's making me wonder, and he's unsettling my confidence.

"So, do you have any plans for tonight?" Mom asks, smiling as she gets a mug from the cabinet.

And just like that, we're off of the topic- though, I don't want to be.