Chapter Text
Universe: Jane By Design
Rating: PG-13 (swearing)
Characters: Jane Quimby, Eli Chandler
Tags: romance, fluff, fashion, m/f, high school, double life, donovan decker, continuation, conclusion
Deer in the headlights.
That’s what they called this moment, that instant when you’re so paralyzed by what you’re seeing that you can’t react. You can only stare, petrified, even your mind halted.
Jane was having that moment right now.
Things had been going so well, too. She’d succeeded in repairing the costumes for the play, she’d succeeded in tracking down Jeremy and enlisting him at the last possible second to save Donovan Decker, and though it felt like her personal life was falling apart, she’d been clinging to her career life as the one source of light to lead her forward.
Then came Gray and Eli, heading backstage to give compliments to the fashion director. And Jane didn’t know how to spin this one to save herself.
She could see the wheels turning in Gray, but she could tell Eli seemed to have gotten it. That made sense; he’d shown more interest in her in the last month than Gray had in the last half year. Hell, she’d admitted that she was keeping a secret, so he already knew she’d been lying about something.
Gray had had no idea.
Jane took that with a minuscule amount of pride. She’d managed to keep Gray totally in the dark about her truth despite the numerous close calls there’d been during her stint as Gray’s assistant.
A position she would likely not have by morning.
And...somehow...that was a relief. No, not relief; it was more like Jane felt almost nothing as she was confronted with this scenario. Apathy descended, and she found herself almost glad to be able to clear the air. As much as she’d loved working at Donovan Decker, she was just tired now.
Exhausted.
“Jane?” Gray prompted, a cold warning to her tone that Jane was very familiar with by now.
And though she was being stared down by this older and far more powerful woman, Jane lifted her chin. With apathy came freedom, she was discovering, and she capitalized on that.
Or...she meant to, anyway. She intended to lay it all out -- everything -- but Eli beat her to it.
“Surprise,” he interrupted, shifting to stand beside Jane and face Gray. “When Jane heard you were going to be attending this charity event,” he began, giving Jane insistent nods as he went, “she wanted to make sure that at least one thing was worth your time, so she was overseeing the costume department.”
When he gave her another telling nod, Jane agreed, “Oh -- yeah, exactly! And I was planning to just...keep back here and...not tell you,” she informed Gray, “but I guess I did too good of a job, because here I am! Haha...and here you are...”
Gray was visibly suspicious, but she worked out, “So you only wanted me to not be terribly bored.”
“Right!” Jane and Eli said in unison. They shared a glance; awkward, Jane looked away again.
“Hmm,” was Gray’s measured response. “This school -- Whitemarsh, is it?”
Now confused, Jane answered, “Yes?”
“Isn’t this the same school you interviewed a few months ago?”
“Yes -- good memory,” Jane approved with a positive gesture. Then, a little panicked, she tried, “This...was my school. So I just feel kind of attached. I spend a lot of time here,” she added in a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s...also kind of where I get a lot of my inspiration. The kids and their ‘wear who you are’ styles, you know. It’s just so...inspiring! With their -- th-their clothes and styles and stuff! That kind of--”
Eli nudged her with his elbow.
“...thing,” she finished quietly.
Gray afforded them both another suspicious look, then seemed to drop it. Loud and clear, she declared, “Well, you did a fantastic job. The play was hideous, but the costumes...were not. If only every major theater had a Donovan Decker stylist helping them, am I right?” she hinted.
“Completely,” Jane agreed, gesturing her.
“Absolutely,” Eli said at the same time.
They shared another awkward glance.
Accepting the rather blatant lie, Gray relented, saying, “Alright, well, it’s over now. We’re free,” she told the two of them. “Come along. I’ll see you both taken home.”
Jane and Eli were both scrambling to decline, speaking over one another.
“Oh, thanks, that’s so nice, but I live really close anyway--”
“I was actually thinking I’d stay here for a little while--”
“--but thanks for the offer, it’s very kind--”
“--just...hang out, you know, designer to designer, critique the clothing--”
“Whatever,” Gray interrupted them, waving her hand. “Don’t stay out too late, either of you. We have work in the morning. Eight o’clock sharp.” She barely waited for confirmations from them before striding off, headed back to her car.
Once she was out of sight, Jane looked up, tentative; Eli turned his gaze to her, shocked.
“You’re in high school?” he demanded.
“No!” she denied. Then, hedging, she corrected quietly, “Y...es...”
He ran his hand over his face, dumbfounded, and paced in a circle before coming back to her, laughing. “You’re serious? This was your big thing, the thing you were keeping from me?”
At a loss, she shrugged, offering, “Surprise? You’re...not younger than me!”
“Apparently!” he retorted, still overwhelmed.
And it hit her that everything had just changed. Eli knew -- he’d figured it out before she’d said a word, which was kind of impressive considering he was the first to do that -- and...in his eyes, she’d changed. She wasn’t the cool and mature 25-year-old he’d thought she was, a woman older than himself. She was, in fact, six years younger. A teenager, still almost a year away from adulthood.
Knowing all this...kind of hurt. She hadn’t realized she’d liked their former relationship so much until now -- that of him being the young prodigy and her the experienced designer. Whatever mystique she’d offered once was now void.
She’d liked being someone he looked up to.
Subdued, she muttered, “Sorry,” and started to retreat. She didn’t see his reaction as she dropped her gaze and shuffled around, but she didn’t need to. He’d covered for her (which was amazing by itself), but he’d received a heavy shock from this discovery. He was probably disappointed and betrayed.
She couldn’t blame him for either.
“Jane--” he started.
He was cut off by the fire alarm suddenly blaring to life, several screams heard from the building as numerous people were surprised by the noise. Then something collided with her, tearing a shriek from her, and she was flung off her feet. She was spun as she fell, landing on something warm and stiff but definitely softer than the hardwood flooring.
Shocked, she twisted around, spotting -- Billy?! -- as her cushion. He gave her a sheepish grin.
Whispering, she hissed, “What are you doing?! I told you to go with Zoe!”
“You needed help,” he returned, sounding offended. “That guy -- he’s from your work, right?”
“Yeah?” she answered.
“Well, he can’t know!” he reminded her. “I’m saving you.”
“Billy--” she started, a little angry with a headache blooming from all this stress and the alarms going off in the background.
Then, looking past her, he suddenly twisted, and she squeaked as she went from laying atop him to beside.
Eli’s voice cut in, saying, “Hey -- get off her!”
Oh, man. Eli looked pissed (kind of understandably, given the situation) and he dove down to haul Billy back. Knowing this was going to spiral into a fight very quickly, she struggled to get to her heeled feet before the crap could hit the fan.
Billy flailed as he was yanked to his feet and shoved Eli back, snapping, “Hey -- back off!”
“Back off?” Eli echoed with disbelief. Leaning in, he shouted, “You just jumped on--”
Jane inserted herself between them, introducing quickly, “Eli, Billy; Billy, Eli! Coworker, complicated best friend,” she hinted, patting Eli’s chest, then Billy’s. “Everybody knows everything, okay? Chill out, both of you.”
They looked each other over, then towards her, then back to one another. They both seemed to be getting it, understanding that they were both on the same level now.
And, finally, Eli shook himself, saying, “Fine, fine! But we have to get out. That’s the fire alarm.”
“A false alarm,” she corrected under her breath.
He paused in the midst of taking a step, checking, “What?”
Awkward, Billy explained, “I pulled the fire alarm to protect Jane. From you. There’s no fire.”
Eli looked irritated, to say the least. She gave him a wincing grin, apologizing, “Sorry...”
Then, clicking in, Billy glanced at her, asking, “Did you say ‘complicated best friend’?”
Oops. “Yes?” she offered meekly.
“What’s complicated about it?” he demanded, offended.
She was too tired for this. “I’ll explain later,” she told him, starting to push him forward. To Eli, she said, “We should still go out, at least. The fire department will be here soon.”
Clearly at a loss, he gestured her, agreeing, “Yeah. And then maybe we can...talk.”
She...really didn’t want to talk right now, but she gave him a quiet affirmative. And as they headed out, Zoe met Billy mid-stride and took his hand, still wearing the Cindy dress. As she whispered quickly to Billy, the two of them sharing some kind of information, Jane pined over the dress that had, unfortunately, never been hers.
She told Eli under her breath, “By the way -- that dress? That’s the one I was going to wear to our date. It got...repurposed. A case of mistaken costume display. It ended up getting altered just an hour before the date and I didn’t notice. Didn’t fit me anymore.”
He looked it over, then gave her a small smile. “It’s gorgeous,” he approved.
Disappointment filled her. Damn, but she’d loved that dress. And she couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice as she sighed, “Yeah...I know.”
At least Zoe looked amazing in it.
Outside, they found Gray still waiting, looking concerned. When she spotted Eli and Jane she came over, checking, “Is everyone alright? Where’s the fire?”
Billy wisely shuffled away with Zoe, keeping out of this.
A little worried she might be spotted, Jane led Gray and Eli aside by striding towards Gray’s car, explaining, “Ah -- we don’t know, we didn’t see it. Just, you know, got out. But, knowing teenagers, it was probably a prank,” she concluded. “So...nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, well, that’s good, then,” Gray commented. “I’d hate to see such fine costumes go up in flames.”
Gesturing Eli, Jane directed, “You should, um, just go with Gray, and I’ll--” she glanced back to where Billy was, “--catch a cab.”
“A fine idea,” Gray agreed. She turned, heading away.
Eli didn’t follow, giving Jane a steady look. “I think I’ll share that cab with Jane. Make sure she gets home alright,” he told Gray.
The older woman was clearly beyond caring, giving them a vague wave as she stepped into the back of her vehicle. As she was taken away, Jane gave Eli a stern look.
“Share a cab?” she echoed. With a gesture towards the direction Gray had gone, she added with irritation, “That was your chance to get out of here!”
Eli nodded, replying, “I would’ve, any other time. Right now, we need to talk.”
She made a sound of disgust. “I’m too tired to talk.”
“I’ll get you a coffee,” he returned, “but I need answers. I’m not letting you get in a wink until then.”
She glowered. “When’d you get so serious?” she complained. “What happened to fun, quirky Eli who keeps making jokes I don’t laugh at?”
“Fun, quirky Eli kind of had his heart broken,” he told her.
She winced, guilt descending. “Sorry,” she muttered for the umpteenth time. Then, rallying, she offered, “Okay -- fine. You pick the cab and the place and I will...try not to pass out.”
“Fantastic,” he murmured under his breath. He gestured them onwards, and with a glance back to check on Billy, she followed.
Billy was talking to a teacher, nodding, hands up. It was clear he was being questioned, and Zoe was defending him. He’d be fine, Jane realized. He didn’t need her to jump to his defense the way he’d jumped to hers.
He had Zoe now.
It was strangely difficult, doing this talk again -- harder than the other times she’d had to give it. Convincing Billy hadn’t been hard, really, and Kate had accepted it quite easily. Ben had been the daunting one, with Jane unsure if he’d see things her way. Ultimately she’d made her case well enough to keep living her double life.
Eli wouldn’t be so easy to convince, she could see. But, then, this was different than the other times. Eli was a coworker, someone who’d liked her -- once -- but barely knew her. And he’d been thrust into the middle of all this truth unceremoniously, without any way of softening the blow.
As they sat on opposite sides in a cafe booth, a steaming cup for each of them, she found it hard to breach the subject.
Eli did it for her, asking, “How old are you?”
Shrinking down a fraction, she answered, “Seventeen.”
He inclined his head, a muted reaction from what she could clearly see was a world-rocking revelation. He echoed, “Seventeen.”
She nodded.
“You were posing as someone eight years older,” he hinted.
“I know,” she muttered.
Looking like he’d had his mind blown, he leaned back, gazing out the window beside them. Dumbstruck, he said, “This whole time...I thought you were older than me. But--”
“Yeah, I know,” she cut in, starting to feel irritated. “Everyone’s always so disappointed in dumb Jane and her dumb scheme--”
Clicking back in, he gestured for her to wait, interrupting, “Wait, wait, wait -- who’s ‘everyone’? Who knows?”
“Billy, Ben, and my mom,” she answered easily. “And -- you, now.”
“Who’s Ben?” he checked.
“My brother,” she explained. Then, realizing Ben was back -- for good -- and probably wondering where she was, she reached for her phone...and realized she’d left her purse at the drama building.
She let her head fall back, examining the ceiling. “I’m dead,” she commented.
Eli, concerned, asked, “How...are you dead? I covered for you with Gray,” he pointed out.
Reminded of that, she reached out, grabbing his hands. “Yes -- and about that, thank you, so, so much. But I kind of...left my phone with my purse...at the drama hall,” she hinted.
“And...that’s bad...because..?” he prompted.
That’s right -- Eli didn’t know this, either. In a rush, she explained, “I live with my brother Ben -- or I did before he went to go play major league baseball, but then he came back and found out I’d been living alone for the last two weeks and he’s kind of mad at me because he thought Mom was home and Mom thought he was home and I kind of lied to both of them so long story short, I’m not really allowed to just disappear on him and here I am, in a cafe, it’s almost ten, and I don’t have my phone so I can’t call him and tell him where I am.”
By the end Eli looked a little stunned. He replied, “Wow. You can say a lot in one breath.”
She offered a weak shrug, then said, “This is the part where I ask to borrow your phone for a minute.”
Sighing, he leaned back, his expression deadpanning. With a nod, he commented, “Of course. Why am I not surprised?” Even as he spoke, he shifted, clearly digging into his pocket.
“Because I’m predictable in how easily I screw up everything?” she murmured.
“That’s...you don’t screw up everything, Jane,” he told her as he handed the phone over.
“No,” she allowed, subdued, “just the important things.”
He didn’t seem to know what to say to that. As she dialed, he checked, “So I take it you’re calling Ben?”
She shook her head. “He just got a new phone, I don’t remember the number. But I remember Billy’s, so...” Number input, she lifted the phone to her ear.
Eli looked surprised. “You don’t know your brother’s number, but you know your complicated best friend’s?” he checked, doubtful.
“Look -- there’s a lot of phone numbers knocking around in here, thanks to Gray,” she told him, gesturing her head. “They don’t stick very well anymore.”
He made to reply, but she hushed him; Billy had just picked up.
He gave a confused, “Hello?”
“Billy, it’s me!” she declared.
“Jane?” he asked. “Where are you, whose phone are you using?”
“I’m with Eli,” she answered. “Listen, I left my purse at the drama club, my phone is in it, and I need you to grab it and let Ben know where I am and I’ll be home soon. Okay?”
Billy sounded alarmed. “Wait, you’re out with Eli? That guy you said had sex with another girl after the two of you had that date--”
“That’s really irrelevant right now,” she interrupted. “Can you just get my purse? I’m worried about it, okay?”
“Yeah -- no problem,” he returned sharply, “you know I’m at your disposal. You ring your little bell and I come running--”
Shaking herself, she demanded, “Wait, wait -- why do you sound so angry all of a sudden?”
“No reason, why would I be angry?” he spat.
Good question. “I don’t know -- I mean, you know, I’m the one whose life is super hard right now and it might all come crashing down by tomorrow while you’re off sipping daiquiris with your pretend-poor girlfriend--”
“You’re bringing Zoe into this?!” he snapped. “Classy, Jane. Real classy.”
Catching an awkward, impatient look from Eli, she hurried to finish, “Look, I just need you to get my purse before anyone else does. Can you do it or not?”
“Yeah, why not? I love being your personal slave.”
“If you’re going to be a dick about it then I’ll just go back myself, and if I get in trouble with Ben I’ll let him know that it’s because you decided to dump me in my hour of need--”
“The thirteen-thousandth hour of need, you mean,” he cut in, annoyed. “I can’t even have one night of just smooth sailing with you around!”
That...hurt. Her eyes stung as she replied quietly, “Remember that night you spent with Zoe, at my house, after throwing a party I couldn’t even attend? The party that ruined all of the play’s costumes, the party I didn’t even want to throw? Do you remember that? I remember being up all night, running around London, desperate to find someone who didn’t even want to be found, scared out of my mind that a lot of really talented, really...amazing people were going to end up getting fired. And then I couldn’t even rest cause as soon as I got back -- wrecked costumes, with only a few hours to fix them. I remember that like it was today.”
There was a long pause from the other end, and she could see Billy in her mind, wincing. She knew she’d just hit him where it hurt and, right then, didn’t care.
“I’m just asking you to make sure Ben knows where I am,” she continued. “It’s not like I’m putting you on a flight across the world and telling you to find a needle in a haystack or don’t come back.”
At length, he replied, “I’ll get it. Just don’t stay out too long, or Ben’s gonna be on my ass about it.”
“Not a problem. Thanks -- bye,” she finished, ending the call and handing the phone back. But right now she couldn’t look at Eli; her gaze wandered, hiding the tears in her eyes as best she could.
She doubted he didn’t notice.
Hesitant, he ventured, “It just occurred to me that...this has probably been a lot harder on you than anyone else. Gray isn’t...an easy person to work for. She was always like that, really,” he chuckled, reminiscing. “When I was just...maybe six years old, she was already critiquing everything I drew. In crayon,” he hinted. “Teaching me all about fashion when I was still just learning basic math.”
That brought a little smile out of her. “I can see that, her standing over little kid Eli with a measuring tape and a red marker.”
Nodding, he agreed, “Not too far off from the reality. The point is,” he said, shifting to lean towards her, “Gray’s not...a gentle boss. And if you’re still in high school, then I can’t begin to guess what kind of stress you’re going through, having to deal with schoolwork and my aunt. I came here feeling...indignant, and betrayed, and...angry, and I couldn’t decide if I was going to tell Gray or not.”
Jane lifted her gaze to him, begging, “Don’t tell her, please. It’s...yeah, it’s hard, but I love this job. It’s my dream job. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel, all the time, just to be able to enter that building and see everything, let alone getting to be involved in all of it. Don’t tell her,” she repeated, taking his hand again and squeezing it. “I want this to last as long as it can.”
He seemed to be reading her deeply, picking apart her emotions. And, for once, she let everything be seen. She wanted him to know, in no uncertain terms, how much she loved this life...and everyone in it.
He relaxed back, pulling his hand out of hers, and asked, “Tell me...how you ended up with this job in the first place.”
Hedging, she did so, recounting how Birdie had mistaken Jane for another person, how Gray hadn’t given Jane enough time to correct the mistake, how she’d gone in for the internship because of creditors calling her house, and she just couldn’t turn down $34,000 a year. It had saved them, her and her brother.
“I’ve never regretted it, not for a second,” she told him.
He looked stunned. “This...this is illegal, you know that?” he checked, pointing vaguely in her direction.
“You’re not the first to tell me that,” she returned. “Or the second. Or the third,” she hinted. “But even if it goes sideways...you can’t put a price on this kind of experience. I wouldn’t trade the world for it.”
“What about your freedom?” he pointed out. “You could go to prison for this. Not juvie -- prison,” he told her.
A terrifying thought, she allowed. But she shrugged it off, waving her hand flippantly. “Oh, that won’t happen. Probably. I hope.”
“You hope,” he echoed.
She shrugged again. “A girl can dream, right?”
At that, he gave a strangled laugh, repeating, “A girl -- right. A teenager.” He shook his head.
Oops. She hadn’t meant to bring attention to that -- again. Trying for levity, she ventured, “Seriously, what else could go wrong? I’ve already had to clean up Gray’s house after a party that went crazy, had to create and alter two separate collections with minutes to go, had to take a supermodel to school after she blackmailed me, ran around the city looking for a lost lookbook, been rushed to Paris and London, got accused of corporate espionage, got sent after India more than once to spy on her, saved Gray’s job -- I think five times, now, most of which she never even knew about--”
Eli waved his hands, halting her monologue. “You have...really impressive lungs,” he cut in, “but I think the less I know, the better.”
Confused, she asked, “But didn’t you bring me here for answers? I specifically remember that part.”
“Answers to questions I ask,” he corrected, “not answers to questions I haven’t and probably never should, from the sound of it.”
She shut her mouth, biting her lips.
He took a slow breath then, lingering, and exhaled it with gentle nods. At length, he lifted his hands in surrender. “Alright,” he relented, “I won’t tell Gray. Promise.”
Feeling like she might cry, she reached out again, snagging his hands once more and holding tight. “Thank you, Eli.”
He looked torn, but he gave her a smile, nodding. “Eventually, you’re going to have to come clean. You know that, right, Jane?”
Shrugging a shoulder, she offered, “I know. I just...don’t want to lose this yet.”
Taking that in, he replied. “Okay. You can count on me. But,” he added sharply before she could start celebrating, “I want you to take better care of yourself in the meantime. No more all-nighters. Your priority needs to be graduation.”
Flippant, she waved a hand. “Oh, that’s no big deal. I’m a Junior, so I have a whole year before--”
The look on his face cut her off. He was stunned. And it hit her then that she’d just put into clarity just how young she was.
They’d made out. On the street. Him, and an underage girl.
Wincing, she offered, “No more all-nighters. I agree. I’ll even turn down the international flights from now on. Deal?”
He cleared his throat, nodded, inclined his head. “Deal. Now I think I should get you home.” He didn’t wait for her response, climbing out of the booth and offering her a hand.
Taking it, she slid out, twisted to stretch her back, and followed him from the cafe.
That was one more crisis averted. But, she knew, her luck wouldn’t last forever. One of these days something was going to come right at her and she wouldn’t be able to dodge it.
Glancing towards Eli, she felt a little more confident. Having someone inside Donovan Decker who knew her secret could lighten her load -- a lot -- and the fact that this made him the fifth person who knew calmed her even more. She wasn’t so naive as to believe she could keep this going until graduation, but she’d hang on for as long as she could.
Hopefully having Billy on the outside and Eli on the inside would be just enough to lessen her considerable load, too. Not that she liked the idea of using them, of course, she just really needed the help.
And, she amended as they got into a taxi, she might just be needing that help sooner rather than later. If Billy hadn’t made it to Ben yet...
On the bright side, she’d already decided what kind of headstone she wanted for her tomb.
Ben was awake and displeased when Jane arrived, and thanks to Eli insisting he meet her brother -- for context, he said -- Ben’s mood dropped further when she actually came in.
He heard the door first, and came around the corner with, “I’ve been informed you went to a cafe with a guy...named Eli,” he finished after a pause.
Jane gestured the male in question as he shut the door behind him. “Ben, this is Eli; Eli, Ben.”
Was it just her or was Ben standing taller than ever before as he strode over? He seemed to be stretching his neck up higher than it could go...as if he were trying to be the tallest person in the room, or trying to intimidate Eli...
There was maybe an inch of difference in their height, with Eli the clear winner -- not that he seemed to care. He tended to slouch anyway.
Ben strode right up to Eli, crossed his arms, and stared the other man down. “So,” he began.
Eli, hands in his pockets, didn’t look the least bit cowed. He offered his hand, introducing, “Eli Chandler.”
“Ben Quimby,” Ben replied, giving the appendage a much too firm shake. Ignoring Eli’s obvious discomfort, he demanded, “So I understand you took my little sister out for a date...and she never told me,” he added with a side-eye towards Jane.
Oh. Right. She hadn’t told him, had she?
Eli cleared his throat, awkward. “That...I did.” He glanced at her.
Giving Ben a wincing smile, she hedged, “W-well, I didn’t...think...you wanted to hear about that kind of stuff. And anyway nothing happened -- I mean, nothing big...that’s not what I mean,” she said to herself. “Let’s start over. My name is Jane and I have a bad habit of talking too much. I’m going to bed,” she muttered, shuffling by.
Ben caught her by the arm. “Not so fast,” he began, stern. “We still have a talk to get to.”
She huffed. “Does it have to be tonight? I haven’t slept since yesterday,” she hinted.
That worried him and he checked, “Yesterday? What have you been doing?”
“Well we had a crisis at work and Gray sent me on a plane to London and I was there all night and then today I had to fix the--”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa -- London?” he demanded.
She sighed. “Yeah, London. Tomorrow, okay, Ben? I’ll tell you everything. I just really need some sleep.”
Tossing a gesture towards Eli, Ben asked, “Then why’d you bring him?”
She also gestured Eli, answering, “He insisted. Talk, or...whatever. Good night.”
Ben sighed as she strode off, then called, “Your purse is on your nightstand. I checked, everything’s there.”
“Thanks!” she called back, all but drifting through her doorway. She barely had the cognizance to close the door and undress before falling into bed, too exhausted from the long day -- and all the emotional stresses therein -- to even bother grabbing pajamas as she normally would.
She just hoped the two boys in the living room played nice.