Codename: Kryptonite

Chapter Two

August 19, 2029

T minus 18 hours

The paper in front of him awaited his signature. He could almost laugh at the absurdity of it. How many times had he signed his name in his sixty-seven years? At least now, he signed the legal version of it.

A tentative knock on the door made him look up, but he was expecting her. "Come in, Kryptonite," he called softly. He smiled when her face appeared through the barely opened door. Gabriella Prince had been with him for five years now, since his inauguration. She'd been hand picked for his security team and quickly worked her way up the ranks. Now, she was the Special Agent in Charge of, well, him.

She looked so professional in her dark slacks and buttoned up suit jacket. Her dark shoes had very little heel to them, and he knew that was so that she could move quickly. He always got a secret little smile seeing her all buttoned down like this, because he knew what she was really like. They'd had many conversations over the years that she'd been with him. At first, he'd been surprised to find out that under that business suit and tidy little bun beat the heart of a rebel. She'd only shown him that side when they were alone. There was a certain amount of familiarity about their relationship that he knew wouldn't be acceptable to her superiors. And, honestly, he didn't care.

When he'd met her, there had been something familiar about her. He'd had no trouble trusting her. At first, he'd thought it was just that she reminded him so much of his daughter. They were the same age, but he soon learned that Gabriella wasn't anything like Stephanie. He had actually been the one to give her the code name Kryptonite. He was pretty sure that she didn't get the joke behind it, but the first time Davey had heard him call her that, his old friend had burst into laughter. Yeah, he was more than attracted to her, but he was an old man now. And, she was young enough to be his daughter.

He realized that he'd never seen her wear her hair down. It was always up in a serviceable ponytail or tidy bun. He didn't even know how long it really was. For just an instant, he felt a pang of jealousy toward his past self. That man would get to see her hair down at some point. He was sure of it. That younger version of himself that was far too arrogant for his own good, and so sure of his sexual prowess. That younger version of himself wouldn't have the guilt of chasing after a woman young enough to be his daughter or worries of ruining her career to stop him from doing his damnedest to seduce her. And, even at his age he still had enough arrogance in him to believe that the younger Jon would get the job done.

Gabriella smiled at him. At 67, he was still a handsome man. His light blue eyes still twinkled with merriment, and his smile could rival the sun. He still had a commanding presence, and seemed to take up all the space in a room, even at only 5' 10" with a small but muscular frame. His hair was no longer brown, but a beautiful silver and kept in a well trimmed but windswept style. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Have a seat, Gabbs," he told her, motioning toward the chair on the other side of his desk. He waited while she got comfortable, shifting slightly in the chair and crossing her legs. "I wanted to talk to you about this mission."

"I kinda figured," she nodded.

He smiled at her soft Texas drawl. "Since we have no way of knowing the exact day that you will be arriving in the past, I wanted to give you some important dates and other information that will help you get his attention." She nodded, and he went on to list several key events and when they happened so that she could use them as needed. He watched her intently as she committed every word he said to memory. She never needed to take notes. The guys under her command teased her about being a walking computer chip. In fact, her nickname with them was 'Chip'.