Timelined after the fic Answers
<Shaw> At first, Sebastian didn't think much of it, and he didn't even notice the note. He'd completely missed it when he'd wandered to the kitchen and back to get a coffee refill. It was on the second refill when he looked at the clock.
<Shaw> Jessica had been gone for far too long for a walk, in his opinion, unless she had been distracted by shopping. When he stopped by the coffee table, he spotted it.
<Shaw> Immediately, he recognized the handwriting. "Oh, Jess..."
<Shaw> Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called her. No answer. Leaving a terse voice mail, he quickly made another call on his way out the door.
<Paige> Paige was sprawled out on her bed as she blew on the black glitter on a brand new iPhone case, trying to make sure it was set and dried and wouldn't flake off too badly. The clear coat would help with that. She jumped when she heard 'C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me,' coming out of her phone. She quickly got to it, answering with a happy smile. "Cookie!"
<Shaw> Too distracted to be annoyed by the nickname, he bit the edge of his lip as he looked down the short hall outside his door for clues. "Paige." Etiquette required he exchange pleasantries, but... "I don't suppose you or anyone at the school has heard from Jessica in the last few hours?"
<Paige> "Uhhhhh not me.... I don't know about anyone else. Why? Did you lose her?"
<Shaw> Unknowingly, Paige had struck on his worst fear and he braced himself with a hand against the wall by the door. "Very possibly."
<Paige> "Maybe she's playing hide and go seek?" Paige offered, hopefully.
<Shaw> Sebastian took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as he went back inside. "No, I don't believe so." He picked up the note and read it yet again. I think it's time we met face to face. Come alone. Now.
<Paige> "Well what do you mean then?" Paige sat up on the bed, running her fingers through her hair.
<Shaw> "Jessica has been receiving.... gifts, we'll say, for some time, from a mysterious benefactor. She's not received any help from the school with this problem, so I tried to assist her." He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She received a message from this benefactor today, asking her to meet him or her alone."
<Paige> Paige may not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but she knew that didn't sound good. She was on her feet, looking for shoes. "What can I do?"
<Shaw> "I'll see if I can trace her phone, but if you would, I would appreciate it if you could inform your staff that there may be a situation." Heading for the bathroom, he picked up the bottle of 'perfume' she'd received.
<Paige> "Yeah no problem! I'm headed to Xavier's office now."
<Shaw> "Thank you, Paige." Sebastian looked at her backpack, then after a moment's pause snatched it up one handed to drop onto the bed and unzip.
<Paige> "Sebastian... we'll find her. Okay?" Paige paused to offer him the words of support.
<Shaw> He sucked in a surprised, shaky breath. "Thank you, Paige." His voice sounded more strained than he liked, unfortunately.
<Paige> "You should stay there. See if she turns up. I'll see if we can get a patrol sent out. Or I can stay there and you can hunt."
<Shaw> That gave him a moment of pause, but he wasn't up to his usual level of innuendo. "We'll see what Dr. Xavier thinks, I suppose, but thank you. I appreciate the offer."
<Paige> "Just hang in there, Sebastian. We'll find her. We always do."
<Shaw> "Yes." That earned her a bitter, bitter laugh. "However, the condition she's found in gives me the most concern."
<Paige> "She can take care of herself... let's just count on that. She's an X-Man." Paige tried to stay cheerful for him. "Look... I'll talk to Xavier and come over. I'll pick up some things from the store. Just... hang tight. Keep your phone on you."
<Shaw> Surprised yet again, he stopped digging through her belongings. "Thank you. I... I do appreciate that."
<Paige> "That's what friends are for, Cookie. See you in a few!"