Betrayal! Jason Turns Madeline in? Untitled Babysitting Story (Yes That is the Real Name, Deal With it) chapter 8 by 2kfsk

Suddenly, Jason heard the doorbell chime.

*Crap!* Ms. Jones was back! If Jason were to make a decision, it would have to be now or never.

“*Jason*?” Ms. Jones called out languidly. “*Are you upstairs? Is Franky with you*?”

“Y-yeah!” Jason chirped. “Just finished putting her to bed. I, I have… um… something to tell you!” Jason closed his fist, made sure the shrink ray was safely stowed in his waistband, and slipped outside of Franky’s door into the nightlight-lit hallway, where he was met by Ms. Jones, patiently tapping her foot. “Hi, Ms. Jones.”

Ms. Jones skipped the pleasantries. “I am *incredibly* tired, so as long as Franky is alive, I am ready to get you your payment and go to sleep. What did you need to say to me?”

“Well, ah, um…” Jason pondered to himself. Was he really going to do this? Then, with a gulp, he realized this was the only way. “Well… we had… an intruder.”

And he held out his palm and opened it. Inside, scrambling desperately, was Madeline. The moment she caught sight of the colossal mom above her, she froze like a dear in headlights.

“Oh… my… *M-Madeline!?*”

Jason should’ve assumed Ms. Jones was familiar with her, but it was still jarring to know that this thief was apparently notorious around here. He continued, making sure to seed elements of his cover story into the explanation. “Found her in Franky’s room; she must’ve heard that Franky was sick and thought that was a time to make a move. Made her way through the window, somehow, and was rifling through your daughter’s things. When I saw her, I shot her…”

Jason paused to dig the shrink ray out of his jeans as Ms. Jones’ face turned to utter shock and fear. “With this.”

When Ms. Jones beheld the sci-fi trinket, her shock twisted to confusion.

Jason needed no invitation to infodump further. “It’s a shrink ray. It can shrink anything to a fraction of its size.” Any other time, Jason would’ve demonstrated the effects of the device in real time. Now, the proof was in the pudding; Madeline was evidence enough of its veracity.

Madeline was dumbstruck, and she looked to and from Jason trying to figure out what his game was. Was she still getting the twenty dollars?

“Can… can I see her?” Ms. Jones asked quietly.

Jason hesitated, then relented, and he dumped Madeline in Ms. Jones’ outstretched hands. She brought her eye as close as possible to the girl, and tugged at her limbs near to the limit. “Ow, ow, *ouch!!* Quit it, Ms. J!”

Ms. Jones rolled her eyes. “Well, you still have that cretin’s personality, at least. Jason,” she suddenly said with deathly seriousness. “Does anyone else know where she is aside from us?”

Without thinking, Jason blurted. “No, don’t think so. She came alone. Why?”

Ms. Jones looked at Madeline, stuck between her thumb and forefinger.

And in one solitary movement, she crushed the girl. Jason’s heart shrieked, and a single yelp was squeezed from Madeline’s lungs before they—and everything around them—collapsed into reddish goo.

“Whoa, *fuck!*” Jason exclaimed. Ms. Jones rubbed the remains of the girl between her fingers. “W-why… huh? Why did you… **huh?**”

The girl was mostly disincorporated, though it was clear Ms. Jones had underestimated how many Madeline bits would remain. She was hesitant to rub the chunky viscera on her dress, so Jason (seeing no easy way to make this any less awkward) ducked into the bathroom, returning with a short length of bath tissue. Ms. Jones took it wordlessly and wrapped the remains of Madeline into a clump, which she pocketed for the next garbage can she encountered. “I’ve been *fantasizing* about getting rid of that brat for years, now. How was I to know you’d place the opportunity to do so right at my doorstep?” The nightlight from below enhanced the manic glimmer in her eyes, though a part of Jason wondered if that was his imagination. Nevertheless, she continued speaking in measured tones. “Now, clearly, you mention none of this to anyone. Are we in agreement?”

Jason stammered. “I, ah, um, u-uh, well, um… sure, totally. Yep.”

“Lovely.” Ms. Jones placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. She took his other hand (the one with the shrink ray) into hers. “Rest assured, you’ll have quite the tip coming your way. As for *this…*”

Her dexterous fingers wrestled the ray from her grip with ease. Jason hadn’t even realized he’d been disarmed until the woman was examining the ray like a jeweler would an uncut diamond. “Can this shrink anyone? And anything?”

“Ummmm… yeah. Pretty much. Any discrete object and any smaller items immediately attached—like, clothes and piercings and stuff.”

“Can it grow stuff back?”

Jason nodded. “But no larger than the initial height. At least, that’s the way this model works. Can I, uh, have that back, please?”

Ms. Jones seemed disappointed, but she sighed and relinquished the weapon. “I’m asking because, well, Franky… she’s had this little fantasy for a while now. It’s weird, and I never thought there would be anyone I could explain it to… but she feels comfortable around you, and I’m realizing… I do too.”

Jason’s heart was going a mile a minute. “Whaaaaat are you saying…?”

“Jason. Would you mind shrinking my daughter?”

Jason’s head exploded. “I, ah, um, it’s… well, that’s—”

Ms. Jones shot her hands up conciliatorily. “It was only a request. You don’t *have* to say ‘yes’, or anything. I’d only assumed, since, well… you had one of these on *hand*… and since you’re a responsible adult, you can help make my darling Franky’s deepest wish come true. She’s always enjoyed roleplaying as being tiny. Sometimes as a fairy princess, other times as a wily field mouse, most recently as a ladybug. I thought she’d grow out of it, but I’m realizing she may resort to some drastic measures if we can’t find a release valve for all this pent up energy.”

She took Jason’s hand again, innocently. “I think you could be that release. I know it’s a lot of responsibility to keep safe someone so small, but try not to worry about that. If you’re careful, it won’t be much different than your regular babysitting routine.”

Jason was sincerely torn. The occasional playdate beneath Ms. Jones’ nose was one thing, but it felt incredibly exposing to engage in their antics with her full knowledge, even with her consent.

She must’ve noticed his confliction though, because suddenly she pleaded, “Look. Is money the issue? I’ll double—no, *triple* your current rate. I’m going on a business trip in the spring, and you are the only one I trust with this. What do you say?”

In truth, Jason was still thinking about the casualness with which she’d squeezed the life out of Madeline. But $45 per hour was difficult to pass up, especially when student loans were still a thing. Hell, after a week of babysitting, he’d have enough to cover the replacement fee in case his shrink ray were to ‘disappear’.

“Okay, okay… I… *might* agree. But, if you can help me with something… then I’ll definitely agree.”