Christmas 2015: Jessica

[Svartfreja]

<@Bobby> This was far better than the movie. Snuggled under the blanket with Lorna, Bobby almost had her shirt off. It was entirely her fault really, for complaining that she was hot. He agreed, heartily.

<@Bobby> "We should have watched Gilligan's Island, for the proper motorboating theme," he chuckled.

<Lorna> "I don't know if I can keep a mood while watching Gilligan though...can you?" That seemed to be something of an accomplishment. Lorna chuckled, trying not to think about that as she leaned forward and mouthed at Bobby's neck. "Though that begs the question, Ginger or Mary Ann?"

<@Bobby> Mission accomplished and shirt covering Han's face, Bobby paused to think. "That's a hard question, babe, because Mary Ann? She's the girl next door and I have always liked those... but Ginger... nah, she's a redhead. Redheads are evil."

<@Bobby> With a happy moan, he ran his hands over her sides and urged her up. Brushing his nose against hers with a grin, he kissed her.

<Jessica> Jess was glad to be back home and able to go inside. The lights were nice until the dead body but the cold not so much. She let herself in, "Hello?" she called, hearing the tv she assumed there was someone in.

<Lorna> "It's one of the hard questions in life. I'm going to tell Rachel you've accused her of being evil though." Lorna teased before kissing him back, sliding into his lap and completely missing anything that wasn't Bobby related at the moment.

<@Bobby> "Rae knows she's evil," he mumbled, nipping at her lower lip as he spoke. A lapful of Lorna was exactly what he wanted, so he smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. That caused another happy groan deep in his throat.

<Jessica> Jess took off her coat, hat, scarf and gloves and hung them on the hook before moving towards the livingroom door.... Where she let out a startled yelp and covered her eyes, turning her back on the room. "Sorry!"

<Lorna> Lorna didn't jump much. That was the way of the giant baby bump, sudden movements weren't something one made anymore; this moving business took a lot of planning. "Hey Jess, just a minute." She looked up to Bobby, pouting horribly.

<@Bobby> Bobby's head hit the tribbles with a soft thud, but he quickly recovered and gave Lorna one more kiss - he could not resist that lip.

<Jessica> Today was just a day for seeing things she could have gone without seeing. "I'll just go and make some tea..."

<Lorna> "Later, yes?" She asked Bobby with a smirk, carefully rolling off of him and retrieving her shirt. "The tribbles may have to wait though, kinky things."

<@Bobby> "Yes and yes," Bobby said with a dirty grin, watching her awkward movement. D'awww... Getting up, he helped her with her shirt, helping himself to some feels and nuzzles along the way.

<Jessica> Jess remained in the kitchen where it was safe while she made her tea, giving them plenty of time.

<Lorna> "You're horrible." Lorna teased, giving him a little shove as she straightened her shirt and hair but stealing just as many feels and nuzzles as he did.

<@Bobby> He reminded her she liked it with another deep kiss, then smirked and turned her around to face the kitchen.

<Jessica> Jess chewed her lip, stirring her tea slowly, "Is it safe to come back in yet?"

<Lorna> "You're all clear, Jess." Lorna answered back, deciding that if she didn't get makeouts she at least got some food.

<Jessica> Jess picked up her tea and ran a hand through her hair as she headed back to the living room, "Sorry..." she said again.

<@Bobby> "It's okay, Jess. I told Dee about the, um, surprise body you told me about. We just didn't know you guys would make it back quite this fast." Bobby chuckled and flopped back onto the sofa, dropping the blanket over his lap. "Guess a corpse puts a damper on the fun."

<Lorna> "They have a tendency to." Lorna had to agree there. "Well, I'm sure the police will handle things well enough. At least it's not something we have to worry about...but yeah, finding something like that is...ugh." her nose wrinkled up some as she poured herself a bowl of cereal that was more chocolate bits than cereal.

<Jessica> "Yeah... it wasn't pleasant... and nor was what the police were saying about it." She took a seat, "But we didn't have to hang around too long after they arrived... it wasn't like we could tell them a lot..."

<@Bobby> "Why? What were they saying?" Bobby turned off the television and sat up, arm across the back of the sofa.

<Jessica> "They were talking to each other... Darren, Laura and I heard because of our powers.... this isn't the first body they've found like that... and there's human teethmarks in them..."

<Lorna> "..." Lorna put down her cereal bowl, a scowl on her face both at the news and the fact that she had just been put off such chocolatey cer...well, maybe not completely. The bowl found itself back in her hands. "That's a bit more Hannibal Lecter than I was expecting."

<Jessica> "Yeah... so that was a bit of a bad end to the night... before that it was perfectly pleasant but now all everyone's going to be thinking about is who that was and who ate them... and, speaking only for myself here, whether or not they were alive when that started."

<@Bobby> "Human... teethmarks?" Bobby made a face and moved closer to Jess. "Was this body, like... butchered? Or... um... nommed?"

<Lorna> "Well, they apparently didn't mention any other kinds of marks that'd be involved with...chopping?" Lorna made the motion with her hand and immediately regretted it.

<Jessica> "No signs of butchery... just... eating... like someone tore off the flesh... with their teeth...." She wrinkled her nose, deciding now was the time for a sip of fortifying tea.

<@Bobby> Bobby's hand went over his mouth of its own accord. "Um... ew."

<Lorna> "Yeah." Lorna agreed with Bobby sighing and taking a seat on one of their stools. "That pretty well covers it."

<Jessica> "Yeah..." she wrinkled her nose, "So that's a nice thing for people to have in their heads before they all go off to their families for Christmas..."

<@Bobby> "I hope nobody else saw it... I mean, our people seeing it is bad enough, but for regular people..."

<Jessica> "Well... we managed to keep everyone away from that body... but who knows who found the other ones?" She shrugged helplessly.

<Lorna> Lorna shuddered a bit at the thought. "I'm wondering now why this hasn't made the news yet. They must be keeping things pretty tightly under wraps."

<Jessica> "Well I'm not surpised... cannibalised corpses? In this city? With all the anti-mutant feeling? It's asking for trouble...." she shook her head, curling up in her seat. She was going to keep seeing that fleshless face every time she closed her eyes.

<@Bobby> "Mutant? You think that's what it was? I mean, people on their own are nuts, but if this was a feral?" He winced. Just the idea made him want to puke, bringing up memories from long ago.

<Jessica> "I don't know... I made a CHUDs joke, you'd have been proud.... but it could be anything... well... not an animal obviously... but anything humanoid...." She wrinkled her nose.

<Lorna> "Well...I hope it doesn't have anything to do with mutants. After all, the city is full of crazies enough to shake out someone that he just thought he'd catch himself some long pig.

<@Bobby> "This is true," he said to Lorna, then grinned at Jess. "CHUD! Very good." Looking back to Lorna, he nodded."We've raised her right."

<Jessica> Jess giggled a little and hid her blush behind her mug as she took another sip of tea, "I do try."

<Lorna> "So now we've passed the practice round this one can come out, right?" Lorna asked, poking gently at her stomach. "You hear that? You're free."

<@Bobby> Getting up, Bobby went to Lorna and slid an arm around her and rested his other hand on her belly. "Now we don't want you to come out until you're ready... but if you're ready, any time now is good!"

<Jessica> "Aaaand I'm going to go before you start expecting me to talk to the bump too..." She uncurled and got to her feet. "I have work in the morning and I've suffered enough for one day..."

<Lorna> "See you later then, Jess." Lorna snorted, waving. "And you should bond with her before she's out and can wail back."

<Jessica> Jess shook her head, wrinkling her nose a little, "I don't think so... it's not really... um... I shouldn't..." she picked up the pace towards the stairs.

<Lorna> "...I'm surprised that got her moving faster than walking in on us."

<@Bobby> "Makes me think you really should go into labor." He leant down to resume nibbling on her neck.

[Svartfreja]

Jess stifled a yawn as she wandered into the room with one of her favourite resident's breakfast. "Good morning, Artie." She smiled brightly, setting the tray down on the wheely table and taking it over to him at his window seat where he liked to eat. "How are you today?"

"Oh I'm fine," He assured her, returning the smile and inspecting the contents of his breakfast tray today. He picked out the fruit selection and slid it over to Jessica. "You seem tired."

"Hmm..." she took the fruit, this being a regular thing by now, "I am a little... had a bad night..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." he gave her a sympathetic look. "Want to talk about it?" He made a start on his breakfast, "It's a nice day for a walk."

She smiled a little, "Is that a hint? One thing at a time, Artie. Breakfast first. They'll hang me if you don't eat." She shook her head, having a bite or two of the fruit salad, "And I'm not sure it's fair to burden you with the horror of my yesterday or the crazy that goes on in my head."

"Oh... do they know you're crazy?" he nodded to the door.

She laughed, "Oh God, I hope not! They'd surely fire me."

He laughed too, "Well we wouldn't want that. I promise not to tell." he zipped his lips and put the key in his non-existant top pocket, giving it a pat.

"Thank you!" she gave him a grateful smile and giggled again, having another couple of bites. "But, in all seriousness, I don't think it's right to pile on all of my crazy life into yours..."

"Don't worry about that - it's boring as all hell in here. You're the highlight of my week!"

Jess blushed a little and laughed again, "Then I'm very sorry for you." She sighed, "You really want to know? Because, I should warn you, it sounds insane."

"Those are often the best kinds of stories," Artie replied with a smile and a nod. "It might do you some good to get it all out."

"Yeah... probably... okay then. But don't say I didn't warn you..."

[Time Passes]

"... So then she called me a whore on the internet where everyone can see which is somewhat worse than having her say it to my face and I'm not even allowed to be upset about it because she'll accuse me of being the victim again... and I don't even know what I'm supposed to have done still." Jess had finished the fruit salad some time ago, which was just as well because now she faceplanted into the table.

Artie reached over and patted her head, "It seems to me that she has some problem with letting this previous job of yours go. The only thing I could suggest would be to just ignore her. You can apologise for doing nothing repeatedly and it'll achieve nothing except, apparently, to provoke her again."

"So... basically just stop trying?" She lifted her head enough to look at him. "I did everything she told me to do... and it didn't work... so I guess doing nothing can't make it worse..."

"Exactly. Apart from all of that, you're reasonably happy with the rest of your life, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Then take that win and run with it. You can't please everyone all of the time, Jessica. Just focus on pleasing yourself and the rest will fall into place. And no one has the right to tell you who you can and can't be friends with. That's a decision you should make for yourself. Move back into that building, ask for a room change if you don't want to share a room with her - I'm sure they'd understand. And then move on with your life. Make it a new year's resolution."

"Okay. I'll do that... thank you." She smiled, "I feel a bit better now."

"I told you so." he smiled back, "And if you do bump into her and she tries to provoke you. What are you going to do?"

"Ignore it?"

"Good girl." He glanced around the room, "Now what do you say to that walk?"

[Svartfreja]

<Bobby> Packing food was going to be harder, Bobby decided, so it would be easier to hit the store for all their favorites and keep the goods hidden. Clothes, especially for him, was no big deal.

<Bobby> In fact, his bag was already packed and on the tribbles, which may have been a little premature, but hey.

<@Jessica> Jess closed the door on the wind and let out a relieved sigh. That had been a hellish trip home. She took off her outer things and untangled herself from her scarf, "Bobby? You here?" she called as she did so.

<Bobby> "Yeah," he called from the kitchen after closing the cabinet. His mental list of comfort foods was almost complete. "And lucky you, I'm not naked."

<@Jessica> She laughed, running a hand through her hair now that her scarf was safely on the hook and heading for the kitchen. "Well that's certainly going to be less distracting given that I wanted to have a serious conversation. Well... mostly serious. Jokes are allowed." She hopped up onto the counter.

<Bobby> "Ohnoes, serious face!" Bobby grinned as she came into the kitchen and popped the cabinet back open. "Does this call for twinkies?"

<@Jessica> "Everything calls for twinkies." she affirmed, holding her hands out to catch one he was inevitably going to throw at her. "And tea... but I just sat down so it can wait."

<Bobby> He obliged and chucked her one, hopping up on the counter himself to peel open another. "So, what's up? ...it's not about last night, is it, because we tried to be quiet." His grin turned dirty. "Well, we sorta tried."

<@Jessica> She shook her head, carefully opening the twinkie, "No... well... maybe a little.... but not really..." She frowned, glancing up at him. "It's more just... general stuff... kind of..." she rolled her eyes at herself. "What I mean is... have I outstayed my welcome?"

<Bobby> Bobby paused to chew his bite before answering. "I wouldn't say that, because we do want to help you out, but eventually you should move back to the mansion. This isn't a permanent answer."

<@Jessica> "No, I know.... I just..." she gave a small shrug, "Feel like I'm in the way or something..." she picked at her twinkie, "I want to move back..."

<Bobby> "Well, maybe if the Hope situation is still an issue, you could just ask for a room change." Bobby picked at his own twinkie now, licking the creme off his finger. "Believe me, I know she's trying. And since I have to babysit her now, you'd have me lurking around that room too if you moved back in there."

<@Jessica> "But you can't be there all the time and you have a baby coming soon... and I can't keep asking other people to fight my battles for me because that's really not working out so well, is it?" She huffed and leaned against him a little, "I was thinking of asking for a room change... Artie suggested it earlier too... told me to stop thinking about making her happy because I'm just hurting myself."

<Bobby> "Well, yeah, I more meant that me being there might make it even worse, considering," Bobby said, looking up in confusion. "Artie?"

<@Jessica> "Yes. He was my breakfast appointment today." She nodded, "He's nice."

<Bobby> "Ahhh, one of your adopted grandparents." He grinned and gave her a squeeze before going back to his twinkie. "And yeah... it's not going to be so quiet around here pretty soon either with the baby."

<@Jessica> "Yeah... and that's a whole load of issues right there that I'm not equipped to deal with right at the moment... I realised that last night."

<Bobby> "Yeah." His look to her was more sympathetic now.

<@Jessica> "So..." she changed the subject again, "I thought, maybe... while everyone's away for the break... it'll be quieter up at the main building. Now would be the best time to go and try and get used to sleeping there again... there's just the whole roommate issue to overcome. I mean, she's not there now because she's off to spend the holiday with family... but when she comes back... I don't want to have yet another argument with her... because I don't have anywhere to go."

<Bobby> "Well, of course you do, babe... seriously though, if you're that stressed about Hope, just ask for a room change, because she isn't worth making yourself nuts." Bobby took another bite of his twinkie and thought about it. "But that's otherwise a good plan."

<@Jessica> "No one's worth making yourself nuts." Jess countered, "And it is a good plan. I'm proud of myself. I want to enjoy the holiday... and you and Lorna should have some time to yourselves before she has the baby... I don't want to get in the way and I've been here way longer than I thought I would..."

<Bobby> "Well, don't worry. You've been a perfectly good house guest and your creepy spider hasn't even eaten the tribbles." He slung an arm around her again for a quick squeeze. "You can talk to Dee or one of the other teachers you're comfortable with about changing rooms if you want. I mean, you can explain the problem and ask if the situation doesn't get better to change."

<Bobby> "They have plenty of rooms, believe me." He'd been checking some of them out.

<@Jessica> Jess wrapped her arms around him for a proper hug, "I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me... both of you. It's been really nice to feel part of a family for a while that isn't lying to me... So... thank you..."

<Bobby> "You're welcome, Jessy." He returned the hug. "That's the idea for Xavier's - one big dysfunctional mutant family."

<@Jessica> She smiled, "Well I'm glad I get to be part of it... and, just so you know, my dad used to call me that."

<Bobby> He snorted and let go of her with a smirk. "Well, thanks for being my practice kid then," he chuckled.

<@Jessica> She laughed and kissed his cheek, "You're welcome." she hopped off the counter, "You're going to be a great dad."

<Bobby> "Thank you," he said, more sincerely, and looked down to his twinkie to cover his slight blush. He was really going to be a dad. It was really happening, and he would get to be here for it. Life was good again. Bobby grinned and jumped down himself.

<@Jessica> She gave him a smile, moving to fill the kettle. "Got time for tea?"

<Bobby> "Oh, sure." He put on his best terrible accent. "There's always time for tea."

[Svartfreja]

A little bit after Jess' chat with Bobby and before Cecilia leaves for the holidays.


<@Jessica> Now that everything was back in its rightful place, Jess put her necklace back on (over the top of her clothes for a change) and the rings Kevin had given her for her birthday. She bopped the peacock spider bobble-butt affectionally and watched it dance before she headed out of her room with her spider plush and closed the door behind her. She was glad she could do this acclimatising thing in stages.

<@Jessica> Stage one complete, she now moved on to stage two... which was maybe the lesser of the two evils she had left to deal with so that worked out rather well. Hugging her plush to her chest with one arm, she raised her free hand to knock on the door in front of her and chewed her lip while she waited for the response.

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed. She was nearly done packing and was just going over her things one more time in case she missed anything before closing her suitcase. "It's open!" She said.

<@Jessica> Jess wasn't sure she'd be a welcome guest exactly buuuut.... She opened the door and poked her head inside. "Um... hi..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia just barely hid her flinch at the sight of Jessica. "Hi...is there something I can help you with?" Said Cecilia, eyes swerving about the room for the nearest heavy object with which to defend herself.

<@Jessica> "Nothing specific... I, um... I just wanted to let you know I've moved back into the building... just so you know to expect me to be in rooms sometimes... I didn't want to freak you out with suddenly appearing somewhere or whatever..." she chewed her lip some more, not missing Cee's sweep of the room.

<Cecilia> Cecilia gave Jessica a funny look. "We're not going to be roommates or anything right?" She asked. Penny had moved in with Max so now it was just her and Hisako...but still...

<@Jessica> She shook her head, "No... I'm still with Hope... for now anyway..." she frowned a little, "I just, you know... didn't want it to be a thing... I know I scared you before and I'm really sorry... I didn't mean it..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia frowned. How the fuck did you not mean to punch someone in the face and throw them down the stairs? How...no, she was not getting into this. Not again. "Well, you didn't have to tell me that. I would've figured it out eventually when I saw you walking around, besides I see you in class everyday. Why would I be worried?"

<@Jessica> "Well that's the thing... I haven't really been going to classes. I've barely been in the building since I got back... I just didn't want to surprise you or anything... I'm just... trying to be considerate..." She pulled a face, obviously she wasn't doing very well. She hugged her spider to her.

<Cecilia> Cecilia arched an eyebrow. "I think you overestimate my fear of you. The pheromones create more emotion than what really exists. No, I'm not afraid of you. A more accurate statement would be I'm angry with you," she said, neutrally.

<@Jessica> "I know they create more emotion than there is... I know how they work..." she frowned a little, "Why are you angry with me?"

<Cecilia> Cecilia gave Jess a look that screamed 'are you shitting me'? What the fuck was wrong with this girl? Did she...no. No she was NOT starting another fight. "I think you know," she said. "And if you don't know then you never will and I have neither the time nor the patience to explain it to you. I've already lost enough sleep to this conflict and honestly? I've had enough. I've washed my hands of this."

<Cecilia> She began putting some of her wrapped presents in her suitcase. "In any case. I'm not afraid of you. I know you're not going to attack me again. Now if that's all." She slammed her suitcase shut.

<@Jessica> Jess sighed, running a hand through her hair, "You're still angry with me for giving Fabian a teeny tiny zap?"

<Cecilia> Well, not afraid was a bit of an overstatement. Confident she wouldn't attack her again was a more accurate statement and that was because she knew that Jess knew if she did, she'd be packing her bags within the hour.

<Cecilia> Cecilia felt a terrible urge to bash her face into her desk, repeatedly. "Yes to some extent," she said gritting her teeth. "I don't appreciate that and if it happens again you can bet Xavier will hear about it. But that's not what I was referring to."

<Cecilia> "What I am angry about is the fact that you punched me in the face for expressing an opinion you disliked and threw a vase at me," she said, just slightly irritably.

<@Jessica> "I didn't throw the vase at you. If I'd thrown it at you I'd have hit you." Jess decided to clear that one up right away. "And I'm sorry... I'm sorry I lost my temper and I'm sorry I was so irrational but you hit a nerve... and I wasn't really in the most stable place mentally back then... It's not an excuse, I know that.... but I can't take it back. All I can do is apologise and hope that's enough..."

<Cecilia> "Is that what you're doing then? Apologizing?" Said Cecilia. She didn't know what to make of this. In her opinion it was somewhat a case of too little, too late. And she really had to bite her tongue out at the vase comment. "And I don't think you should be throwing vases around, regardless of whether it's aimed at anyone. It's hostile," she remarked.

<Cecilia> God she just wanted to yell and rave and scream...but that had gotten her NOWHERE. And what's worse, she'd alienated almost everyone in the school by now. All this hate was doing was destroying her life and leaving those she directed it at intact. And she'd frankly had enough. Of herself, of her own silly temper tantrums and the isolation.

<Cecilia> Suddenly, the way she'd been living seemed very childish.

<@Jessica> "I know it's hostile... but I was pissed.... and it was a way to vent my frustration without putting another hole in a wall...." She heaved a sigh. "I really am sorry for how I reacted... and for messing up the first time I tried to apologise... I'm trying to be better..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed a little at that. Well, she was apologizing. Besides, who the fuck was she to keep punishing her? When she'd fucked up so badly so many times?

<Cecilia> "I appreciate the apology, Jess. And I'm sorry that I reacted the way I did as well," she said.

<Cecilia> "I hope you continue to work on your problems and I do hope things get better. I say that because I'm going through the same thing and I know what it's like."

<@Jessica> "Thank you... and it's okay.... we both said some things we probably shouldn't have said... and did things we regret... so maybe let's just put this behind us and start again after the holidays?" She offered a small smile. "It's still kind of a novelty to me to be with people... things keep surprising me and confusing me and it's a little overwhelming at times... but I'm doing much better now.... happier...."

<Cecilia> Cecilia frowned. "I...would like to put this behind us," she said carefully. "And I would like to start again, believe me, I would."

<Cecilia> A pained expression came over Cecilia's features. "But I also know myself, Jess," she said, sitting down on her bed. "And I know... that a fresh start isn't really possible. Not with me. I... one of my greatest flaws as a person is my inability to truly forgive people. That and well, hypocrisy..."

<Cecilia> "I'm still far too harsh to Ed and Clarice. Despite knowing their circumstances, despite knowing it wasn't their fault, despite them both apologizing to me... I'm just... not a good person. I think that's getting better. I'm trying my hardest to improve... but I still fuck things up a great deal..."

<Cecilia> "I think it's possible for us to co-exist and maybe even be friendly... but attempting to be friends again, at this time, would be unfair to you. So for now... perhaps we can just call it a day and we'll see how things go. Maybe over time... I will stop lashing out at all of you and be a better person. But until then, I'm not going to subject anyone to my abuse..."

<@Jessica> "Well... okay... maybe not so much a fresh start... there's no such thing as a clean slate anyway... Just.... with some understanding and maybe a bit of patience instead? I'm not expecting us to be best friends overnight... or maybe not at all... but I don't want to have all this.... stuff... hanging around..." She sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

<@Jessica> "So maybe if we agree to disagree about some things... and try to not bottle stuff up but not explode either if there's a problem... Would that help?"

<Cecilia> Cecilia nodded. "Yeah, I'd say that's a good start...And I have no fucking idea how I'm going to deal with anything if I can't either surpress it or just 'let it all go'," she admitted, laughing a bit bitterly. "That's sort of a conundrum..."

<Cecilia> "But I'll figure it out," said Cecilia. "I sorta have to."

<@Jessica> "Well... I hear talking about it is healthy..." she offered with a small smile, "Really... if I do something you don't like... then tell me... without yelling... and I'll explain myself and see what we can work out... Just, yeah... yelling... hyper sensitive ears... not a great combination..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "Obviously you have not met me. I am a terrible conversationalist, hence the bluntness. I'm also not big on heart-to-hearts outside of a few people... but if you do, then I'll try." She shook her head laughing. "I'm sorry to say if I have an opinion you'll probably hear it whether you like it or not... but that doesn't mean you have to agree with me. That's an entirely different matter."

<@Jessica> "Well... I might not and then again I might... after some discussion we might end up on the same page... I'm not completely against changing my opinions for a good reason." She ran a hand through her hair again, "Just.... I'm still probably going to zap people in fun... I swear it's not dangerous... It's exactly like getting a static shock and people get those all the time. I would never use my powers to hurt someone unless I had to."

<Cecilia> Cecilia's lips thinned a bit at that. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't do it to those I'm close to," was all she said to that. She could take that as she willed. "If only for my peace of mind. I have enough to worry about."

<Cecilia> She didn't remark on the fact that what she'd said wasn't exactly true, clearly doing that would just create another fight and anything that would be said then on would be circular.

<@Jessica> "I'll... bear that in mind..." she nodded, "I am sorry I messed up so much.... and I just wanted to get that cleared up... I'll go now..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia nodded. "You don't owe me anything, Jess... and I appreciate the apology. Don't be afraid in the future to say hello," she said, branching out a little. Well, why not? She should give her an in... "Have a nice holiday."

<@Jessica> She smiled, a little brighter this time, "Thanks... you too... I'll, um, see you around...." she gave kind of an awkward wave before turning towards the hall and reaching to pull the door closed behind her.

[Svartfreja]

<@Jessica> Having successfully moved back into the building, Jess was working on familiarising herself with all the sounds of the place. She wandered in to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and a sandwich before heading into the recroom - she could hear signs of life in there. "Hey..." she flopped onto the sofa beside Johnny, making sure to put her tea down where he couldn't reach it.

<Johnny> Johnny had no use for her tea because he had his own, although it'd likely gone cold by now. Not that cold tea was an issue for him. Tongue poking out and brow furrowed in concentration, he focused completely on his game as he finished up the match, intent on beating Eddie's best. Coming just short, he sunk back into the cushions with a sigh and glanced to Jess, "What's up?"

<@Jessica> "I am officially moved back into the mansion." She tucked her legs under her and took a bite of her sandwich, "And kind of surprised to see you here."

<Johnny> "Nice," he gave a grin, sitting back up to grab his cup and heat the contents. After a sip and slouching back down, he asked, "Why's that?"

<@Jessica> "Well... I would have thought you'd go home to your family... or maybe spend the holidays with Hope..." she gave a shrug.

<Johnny> "Yeah, I wasn't really allowed to go with Hope," he made a face, giving a small shrug, "Sue wasn't going to go, so I figured I may as well stick around."

<@Jessica> "Oh... won't your parents miss you?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

<Johnny> "Well, me, yeah..." he nodded. "They're still not too sure about Sue."

<@Jessica> "But you're still not going to go?" Jess frowned, people here had some very odd relationships with their parents.

<Johnny> "Nah," Johnny shook his head. "Not fair for Sue to be alone at Christmas, even with May around."

<@Jessica> "Ah... well I suppose that's fair enough..." Even if she still didn't quite get it. "So you're going to spend the holiday in front of the tv?"

<Johnny> Johnny considered the question, "...Probably."

<@Jessica> "That's so boring... you have no classes and you're not even going to leave the building? I was in a play today. A play. I've never been in a play in my life and they kept trying to set me up with their single grandsons and, in one very awkward situation, a single granddaughter. You need stories like that for when Hope comes back so she can be jealous of your good time."

<Johnny> "It's the holidays. I'm allowed to be lazy and not do anything," Johnny protested, snorting at the idea of her in a play, "I was the Phantom last year in the school play, however being in a play in addition to having dates thrown at you sounds a bit better than my experience."

<Johnny> "Also, Hope's hanging out with Tony Stark. It's hard to get better than that."

<@Jessica> "I'm not going to offer my opinion there because it'll probably come back to bite me in the ass.... but I still think you can do better than sitting on the sofa. I think we should do something. Celebrate all the fucks I do not give anymore."

<Johnny> He snorted, "Did you have anything specific in mind?"

<@Jessica> "Given it's the holidays I thought I'd get drunk... unless you have a better idea?"

<Johnny> "I'm always up to getting drunk, but how do you plan on doing that?"

<@Jessica> "I bribed Dr McCoy with twinkies."

<Johnny> "Ah," Johnny grinned, "So, I suppose we need booze."

<@Jessica> "Yes.... let me finish this and then we can fix that." She smiled, taking another bite of the sandwich. "But not on the sofa."

<Johnny> "Well, I assumed I'd have to move to fix that," he rolled his eyes, "And I have gone out since break began. Eddie and I went to Vito's, and I went to Starbucks with Hope before she left."

<@Jessica> She laughed, bumping him with her shoulder, "Well good, otherwise I'd have to assume you'd become the undead and were afraid of daylight."

<Johnny> "Blooooood," he demanded, likely in the worst accent ever.

<@Jessica> She laughed again and prodded him in the ribs, "You wouldn't be able to take me anyway."

<Johnny> "Pffft, I could just make you cold, and that'd be it."

<@Jessica> "You'd have to be conscious to do that." she pointed out.

<Johnny> "I think I could manage before I'm unconscious," he argued, finishing off his tea.

<@Jessica> "I'd like to see you try. One good zap and you'd be taking a nice long nap... but I don't need my powers to knock your ass out."

<Johnny> "Well, you don't use yours, and I'll stick with my powers."

<@Jessica> "That's totally cheating." She raised a finger with a small charge sparking at the end of it, catching her tongue between her lips as she feigned trying to decide where to apply it.

<Johnny> "It's not if you don't need them."

<@Jessica> "It is if you still use yours. You could set me on fire! That wouldn't be very nice at all."

<Johnny> "Hey, I said I'd freeze you, not set you on fire."

<@Jessica> "So... if I got you in a sleeper hold you're telling me you wouldn't just resort to that to make me let go?" She raised an eyebrow.

<Johnny> "Well, I could just set myself on fire... which, technically, isn't setting you on fire."

<@Jessica> "But if I caught fire then you'd be setting me on fire... or it'd be your fault anyway." she put down her empty plate and picked up her tea.

<Johnny> Johnny shook his head, "Nope, you'd be setting yourself on fire by foolishly touching me while I'm on fire."

<@Jessica> "Pfft, nothing's ever your fault." she gave him a playful shove.

<Johnny> "I'm glad you're beginning to see how things work," he grinned, shoving back.

<@Jessica> ".... Ass." She muttered with a smirk.

[Svartfreja]

<@Jessica> Jess was beyond excited to go out in the snow and not get instantly sleepy. She couldn't stop grinning as she pulled her coat on. It was her first Christmas and it was going to be hard to top it, in her opinion.

<Kevin> "Calm down, look, you've got your arm stuck." He pulled the coat half off and pulled her arm out and put it back in the right way. "Silly. It's just snow, not a miracle." He grinned and kissed her forehead and pulled her hat down over her eyes.

<@Jessica> Jess squeaked and flailed as she was suddenly rendered blind, she fixed her hat and grinned at him again. "I can't help it! This is my first time... well first proper time." She pounced him for a hug.

<Kevin> "Hah." Kevin pushed her outside and opened his arms expansively. "Jessica, snow. Snow, Jessica. You'll love each other."

<@Jessica> "Woo!" Jess ran outside - running on snow was damned hard! She scooped some up and turned to throw it at Kevin.

<Kevin> Kevin laughed and landed the ultimate snowball right in her face. "Gotcha!"

<@Jessica> "Ack!" Jess shook her head to get rid of the snow, wiping her face with her gloved hands. "Cold!"

<Kevin> "Frozen rain, kinda the point." He grinned and bent to make another one.

<@Jessica> Jess ran for cover in case he got her again, ducking out of the way. "Can we build a snow man?" She asked as she made some ammunition of her own.

<Kevin> "Sure!"

<@Jessica> "Yay!" And with that, she popped back into view and pelted him with snowballs.

<Kevin> "Ack!" Kevin ducked and tossed snow back.

<@Jessica> "Bwahaha! Got you back!" She ran over to him and attempted to pull him down into the snow.

<Kevin> Kevin let himself fall, rolling onto his back. "Snow Angel time."

<@Jessica> She smiled, kissing him softly before rolling into the snow beside him. "I know how to do this one, but I was really drunk the last time..."

<Kevin> "Oh?"

<@Jessica> "Yeah... I was given one patch before to try out. For one day. And if I wanted more I'd have to talk to Dai. So I decided to try out alcohol. Went and got drunk with Bobby and then he made it snow for me because I didn't think I'd have the chance when winter came along."

<Kevin> "Sounds...fun." He frowned and sat up on his elbows, feeling a bit jealous.

<@Jessica> "It was fun... though I'd imagine if anyone else noticed the snow in the middle of summer it'd be weird." she looked over at him, "Are you okay?"

<Kevin> "Yep!" He grinned and lay back down.

<@Jessica> She rolled over and cuddled up beside him, kissing his cheek. "Good."

<Kevin> He kissed her back. "How much fun would it be to build a snow man and an igloo...and have some fun in it?"

<@Jessica> "Ooooh! So much fun!" She grinned, "Though I wouldn't have the first clue how to go about building an igloo." The rest of what he'd said sank in slowly. "Hmm... what kind of fun did you have in mind?"

<Kevin> "Well...we both are wearing patches. Could be fun to be had, you know?"

<@Jessica> She smiled again, wrapping her arms around him. "I would definitely be interested in that."

<Kevin> "Or we could build the snowman and go back inside."

<@Jessica> "Well if we're going to do it that way we could just go back inside and build the snowman later." She grinned and kissed him again.

<Kevin> "Sounds like a plan...but I kind of want to build one now." He stood up.

<@Jessica> "Okay." She got to her feet, hugging him again as she looked around. "Where shall we build our masterpiece?"

<Kevin> "Right here, so everyone can see it if they look out the window."

<@Jessica> "It'll be the most spectacular snowman." She kissed the end of his nose then went to gather some snow to start it off.

<Kevin> "Ok, start a small snowball then roll it until it gets big enough to be a base. Then pack snow underneath...and then we pile on the rest!"

<@Jessica> Jess nodded, following the instructions. Her fingers were getting a bit cold because her gloves were wet but it was still super fun! "How am I doing?"

<Kevin> "Really good!" He started packing the snow around a spot. "Okay, roll it over here, and we'll start packing it on."

<@Jessica> This much snow was heavy she was missing her enhanced strength that was for sure. She rolled the giant ball on over.

<Kevin> "Ok, let's roll a smaller one, and we stick it onto the base, and then we pack more snow onto it, and make a head too." Kevin grinned and started rolling a ball. "What kind of snowman shall we make? A traditonal one, or something more fun?"

<@Jessica> "Well... given that this is my first snowman I'm not completely sure on what a traditional one entails..." she smiled at him as they packed more snow around the base of the head so it didn't fall off.

<Kevin> "Well, usually a face...but there's this funny cartoon strip where this little kid does some really weird snowmen.

<@Jessica> She laughed a little, "Let's go with a traditional one for now. If we feel like building another one later we can think of something outlandish."

<Kevin> "Ok." Kevin went to gather up some sticks. "So, I was thinking, maybe we could make a fire in the fireplace, and put a rug down in front of it," he said as he came back. "Looking good. It's almost taller than you!"

<@Jessica> "That sounds like a good plan," she smiled, patting their snowman. "Almost!" she agreed.

<Kevin> Kevin stuck a couple sticks into it for arms, then wrapped his own around her waist. "I say we call this done. I'm cold and need some warming up."

<@Jessica> She giggled, sliding her arms around his neck first and pulling him close for a kiss. "Warming up sounds fun too."

<Kevin> "So...wanna go warm up right now?" He grinned.

<@Jessica> "Mmhmm. Verily." Yeah. This Christmas was going to be hard to top.

[Ult_Sm86]

January 2nd



News: The TV blared loudly as the news reports overtook the New Years Day festivities on channel 17. "This just in, a mall in the Yale region of Connecticut has been apparently attacked by thousands, and we mean thousands, of bugs! We go to our affiliate reporter Don Keballs to get more. Don?"

News: "Thanks Jan," Don said, touching the wrong ear and nearly eating the microphone. "The reports are swarming in, and we can't quite get a grip of what's going on here, all we know is there has been a sudden, severe, infestation at the New Haven Super mall. Many are afraid the mutant terrorist some called Apocalypse is preparing to return, as this is similar to one of the signs of his wrath in previous months."

Cecilia: Cecilia was passed out on the couch in the rec room, still struggling with the time change despite being back at the school for a few days. "Mmhm...no bugs..." she muttered, turning over and pulling the blanket over her head.

Jessica: "Not all bugs are bad." Jess commented from her spot on the ceiling where she was half reading a book and half watching the tv.

Johnny: "Yes. Yes, they are," Johnny argued from his chair, head rested against the back of it as he stared at the televsion. "Though, sharks were more exciting than this crap."

Jessica: Jess dug a penny out of her pocket and threw it at his head. "Spiders are your friend. They'd eat all the other bugs."


News: "It seems that the reports of various bugs that march on the mall property are not all the same. There appears to be bees, wasps, termites, ants, and God knows what else!" Don said to the camera. He looked a little scared. "And the closer we get to the mall, the more obvious this becomes an-oh! WHOA! Bill get it off! GET THEM OFF!"

Cecilia: Cecilia remained fast asleep on the couch. Dead to the world.

News: Don started dancing around, trying to shake something off or out of his pants, then the camera began to shake and another screaming voice could be heard. Suddenly the screen was covered in ants and went black. The news cut to Jan who sat in her chair, awkwardly. "... Well... thanks Don, we'll check in with you shortly."

Johnny: "Ack," Johnny swatted at the penny and heaved a sigh, "Too bad they cut back."

Jessica: "Maybe..." she frowned at the tv, "Do you think we should check that out? I mean... we know it's not Apocalypse... but that's still worrisome..."

Johnny: "And wake Cee up?" Johnny glanced between the girls, shaking his head, "Because I'm not touching that."

Jessica: "..." Jess sighed and gave Cee a very tiny zap on her ear, "Wakey wakey."

Cecilia: Cecilia leapt form her prone position into a fighting stance at the zap to the head, arms raised, sheilds up and ready for a fight. "I'M UP! WHAT'S WRONG?!" She shouted, glancing around wildly.

Johnny: "We're heading to the bug invested mall."

Jessica: "It'll be fun!" Jess dropped down from the ceiling, landing in a crouch.

Cecilia: Cecilia blinked, rubbing her ear. "Did you zap me?" She scowled, suddenly remembering why she didn't like Jess much. "I thought we had a talk about that."

Jessica: "I thought it was the safest way to wake you up. Didn't want you to punch me in the face or something if I shook you... I like my face."

Johnny: "I thought we should leave you alone," Johnny commented as he stood, stretching.

Jessica: "She'll never get over the jet lag if we let her sleep all day. Better to stay active and awake til your normal bed time."

Cecilia: Cecilia grumbled and crossed her arms. "You said we're going to a mall? A big infested mall? I don't like shopping at the best of times, why would I go to one with bugs in it? Do I look like an exterminator?" She frowned at Jess. "And you are not my mother."

Johnny: "I can't say I like bugs or shopping either, but it has to be more exciting than sitting around here," Johnny shrugged.

Callie: Callie looked up from painting her nails. "Bugs are nasty, but if we can do some shopping while we're there, I'm in."

Jessica: "Oh stop whining," Jess rolled her eyes, "Come on, it's boring around here..."

News: The news clicked back to the reporter Jan. "New reports have come in that a young man, believed to be a mutant or a demon from hell, has caused this immediate bug infestation. Here's some footage from a cellphone of one of the people trapped inside:"

Cecilia: Cecilia clamped down her jaw to avoid syaing something she regretted. Just because she and Jess were not active enemies anymore didn't mean she really liked spending time with her or dealing with her personality- especially when jet lagged.

Pym: The news switched to a young man who was covered in ants and trying repeatedly to get people to stop "squishing" the insects or to stop "screaming". "They don't sting you if you leave them alo- hitting them is not leaving them alone!"

Callie: "I guess we should get our suits on." Callie blew on her nails and stood."The sooner the better..."

Jessica: Jess hurried to the stairs to go and do just that. Yay! Something to do!

Cecilia: "Mutant thing, right?" Remarked Cecilia, staring at the people running from swarms of bugs on the television and sighed. "X-Men: to the jet!" She said flatly, raising a fist ironically.

Pym: == After 10 minutes of uniform fussing and 15 minutes of aerial acrobatics trying to maneuver the Blackbird without parental supervision ==

Pym: Hank tried desperately to reason with the terrified patrons of the mall. "Wait, wait! I promise, I was just trying to help! Those guys were stealing from jewelry, I promise!" The elderly security guards chased down swarms of bees in the food court, swatting their batons at them, radio'ing in for SWAT help.

Cecilia: Cecilia eyed the swarms of bugs and created shield armor around herself. "I've become a glorified bee keeper," she muttered, wincing as she crushed bugs underfoot.

Jessica: "Oh don't kill them, it's not their fault..." Jess lifted into the air, "Let's go and look for the source..."

Pym: None of the local police had ever dealt with a "mutant emergency" and between not wanting to experience their first one and not wanting to screw it up, most of the squad cars were just parked in the lot, sectioning traffic away from the mall.

Cecilia: Cecilia eyed the carpet of bugs on the floor, undulating like a particularly disgusting wave. "Where the fuck do you suggest I step then?!" She exclaimed, frustrated. Who cared about a few stupid bugs?

Pym: Hank tried to communicate to one of the flying ants, clicking and squeaking at it. It flew away and came back with a popcorn kernel after a moment. "Okay, clearly I need to spend more time on the speaking bit."

Jessica: "On a forcefield? Can't you do that?"

Cecilia: "Not for long!" Said Cecilia, crushing more bugs as she stomped through the mall.

Cecilia: "Besides, I hate heights..." she grumbled. Goddamnit jet lag...

Jessica: Jess winced for the loss of bugs, wondering if her pheromones would work on them. "You wouldn't have to be that high up... only a couple of inches..."

Pym: Hank looked over the railing at the entrance and saw the X-Men walking in. Excited and overjoyed, he shrunk down and leapt from the ledge. The three story drop would have been more terrifying, but instead he gently floated like a leaf from a tree until one of the flying ants caught him.

Pym: Buzzing down to Cecilia, he got close to her ear and shouted: . "Oh, whoa hey! Please don't step on any of the Vespoidea! Not even the Formicidae or Anthrophila! I realize they're scary, but they won't hurt you if you leave them alone!"

Callie_: Callie rolled her eyes. "Let's find this guy and tell him to tell his little friends to stop causing a scene." She walked into the mall, crunching the bugs underfoot.

Cecilia: Cecilia just stomped on a few more bugs in response. She wasn't in the mood to take suggestions on how to use her powers.

Jessica: Jess paused, "Everyone shut up. I heard something."

Cecilia: "Heard what now?" She said, she couldn't hear shit over the damn buzzing.

Pym: "I said stop stepping on the ants! They're my friends!" He shouted again, the ant buzzing even closer to Cecilia's ear.

Jessica: "A voice," she pointed towards Cecilia's head, "From somewhere there."

Pym: "Yes! Me!, Oh for cripes sake." He hopped off the ant in midfall, regained his previous size, appearing nearly out of thin air beside Cecilia. "Stop stepping on the higher-ordered insects, please. They know not what they do."

Cecilia: Cecilia leapt back as a guy appeared out of seemingly nowhere. "Jesus Christ!" She yelped. "It's you doing this isn't it? Dude, what the fuck is up with your shit powers? Ants? Really?!"

Jessica: "I told you not to step on them." Jess hovered in the air, hands on her hips.

Pym: "Hey! They're not shit powers! I can communicate with them! ... I just am not that good at doing it yet..." He looked to the ground a little embarrassed. "I was trying to stop some dudes from jacking a Macy's."

Callie: "Well, of course they don't. They're bugs. They have no higher function. Call them off." She was so putting tight meshed screen on every entrance to her room. A guy who could get that small...

Cecilia: "Well, great job," she said, opening her arms. "You've created mass panic."

Jessica: "Did you manage to stop the guys?" Jess asked, a sympathetic look on her face.

Pym: "These bugs are higher ordered, the honey bee, in fact, is quite remarkable." He held his finger out and the bee buzzed over to him and landed on his finger. "I can try to call them off, but I'm not really sure how this many got here. I must've attracted some queens. I'm really sorry." He felt exasperated.

Cecilia: Cecilia was feeling pretty exasperated too. She was tired and not in the mood for this at all. "Don't worry about it now, it's already done. Just fix it!"

Pym: "I... think their pants got flooded with Bombus pratorum."

Pym: "If I could get to the security and get on the loudspeaker, I could reach them all at once." He offered. "That's where I was headed when I saw you guys. I think it's one floor up. I can get us up there if you'd like."

Jessica: Jess facepalmed, "So if they're still they're fine... if not we could have some serious problems...." She sighed.

Cecilia: Cecilia eyed an outdoor sports store. "It's that or we grab a shitload of RAID. Your call, buddy," she said to the ant-man.

Jessica: "Do not even think about it!" Jess couldn't believe her!

Pym: "Nah, the bumblebees won't do much to them. I think at worst, they have a new definition to a vibrating pants! Ha!" he laughed heartily at that. "Okay, well, I'm gonna head up there, I can shrink any of you down with me to join me on a quick bee-ride up to the office." He tried to ignore Cecilia. Boy was she mean...

Cecilia: "Relax! I was just kidding, Jesus!" Cecilia said to Jess, rolling her eyes. "Right, lead on," she said to the ant-man.

Jessica: "I can fly on my own, thanks," Jess assured him, pointing down to the fact her feet were not on the floor.

Pym: "Oh, thank you!" He said smiling to Jess. "Okay well... I will do my best to evacuate the mall of all insects!" He shrunk down, hopped on the bee, and buzzed up to the office. It was difficult to maneuver around the other bugs, but once he got there, he hopped off and landed in front of the microphone. Though it was remarkably bigger than him, the effect would be the same.

Cecilia: Cecilia brushed the ants off a bench and sat down. Might as well relax.

Jessica: Jess found a spot on a wall to adhere herself to and waited.

Pym: Hank tapped the microphone and cleared his throat. "Testing, one-two. One-two."

Cecilia: Cecilia lifted a finger that had an ant on it and held it to eye-level. "Sorry, buddy," she said quietly to it. "It's been an off-day."

Pym: Suddenly, from each of the loud speakers, a series of loud clicking and squeaking erupted, noisily filling the halls. All the bugs froze where they were and looked to the nearest loud speaker.

Jessica: Jess frowned at the nearest speaker too.

Pym: The insects buzzed and loomed ominously, then... with no warning, they all left through the nearest exit.

Cecilia: Cecilia yelped as an avalanche of bugs swarmed over her to the nearest exit. "SHIT!" She exclaimed, creating a dome around herself and cringing as the ants quickly carpeted it.

Callie: "Well, that was simple." She jumped up onto a nearby bench so they wouldn't crawl over her feet.

Jessica: Jess laughed at Cecilia's reaction, quite happy to have all the bugs swarming around her. It was nice.

Cecilia: This sorta reminded Cecilia of the seeker swarms in May's game...she even had the 'biotic fields' to complete the scene.

Pym: "YAY!" Hank shouted into the microphone.

Jessica: Jess winced at the yell and the resulting feedback from the microphone. "Ow..."

Cecilia: Cecilia dropped her field as soon she could see through most of it again. The ants were clear for the most part, no need to even use her armor. "Thank Christ..." she said. Now they just had to talk to this guy and extend their offer and they'd be outta here.

Pym: Hank returned to normal size and ran to the ledge, cheering at his success! "I'm an X-Man!" Suddenly from behind him, a series of guards threw him to the ground and cuffed him. "Hey! Wait! No!"

Cecilia: Cecilia walked up to the guards, shields raised. "You're not an X-Man yet, I haven't even extended the fucking offer yet!" She said. "Uh...look, this is a misunderstanding..." she said to guards.

Callie: "What do we do now?" Callie joined the others. "Just turn small and hide!" she shouted.

Jessica: Jess crawled along the wall to the location of the kid and guards. "He was only trying to help it just got a bit out of hand..."

Cecilia: Well, a bit out of hand was an understatement, causing mass panic to try and stop a robbery wasn't the brighest move in Cecilia's opinion. Actually, it probably was more dangerous than the actual robbery. But hell, she didn't want the guy to go to prison for it.

Pym: "We're going to have to take him in for questioning. Under the Patriot Act, he's going to be detained and taken into custody for his terrorist act."

Jessica: "He's not a terrorist, he was trying to stop a robbery!" Jess dropped down from the wall to approach the officers.

Cecilia: Cecilia created a forcefield dome around the two guards, trapping them inside and leaving the kid outside of the dome. "Yeah, sorry...but I can't let that happen. I know you're just doing your jobs...but this is a man's life at stake."

Callie: "Terror, yes, terrorist - no. He was trying to help. Obviously his powers have to do with bugs. So he called a few too many."

Jessica: Jess internally facepalmed at Cecilia's actions. Yes. That was really going to help.

Pym: "Don't make us send you in as well!" one of the officers pointlessly threatened. "We're going to bring this boy in! This boy right here!" He pointed to where Hank had been.

Jessica: "You don't have to, we'll take care of it for you." Jess offered a smile... and some pheromones. "Less paperwork then. No one likes paperwork."

Pym: The cuffs were on the ground, Hank having seemingly disappeared. "BAH! Wheure'd hego!?" The bumbling guard shouted. Hank was currently a quarter of an inch high, somewhere near the cuffs on the floor of the mall.

Cecilia: Cecilia chuckled a little as the man tapped the dome as he gestured. Mall cops...she'd never liked mall cops.

Pym: The officers were going to protest but the pheromones got the best of him and he smiled. "Paper work stinks."

Jessica: "It does," Jess nodded, "So how about we take care of this for you and you go and get a nice hot cup of coffee? I'm sure you've earned it."

Cecilia: Cecilia felt distinctly uncomfortable. As much as she hated fear pheromones she disliked attraction pheromones even more. She wasn't a lesbian, she didn't have any feelings towards anyone in the room but the pheramones made her feel... attracted. Which just created a whole new level of wrong for her.

Pym: "Yeah... let's do that." They proceeded to both turn around and wander off and towards the Dunkin Donuts shop in the food court. Hank ran over to Jess and grew to his regular size. "Thank you!" He exclaimed.

Cecilia: Cecilia released her field so the men could get to the donut shop as quickly as possible.

Callie: "I'm gonna head back to the jet before I do anything indecent in public..." Callie loosened her tight collar and walked away.

Jessica: "You're welcome." Jess gave him a smile, "My name's Jessica. You are?" She offered her hand for a shake, managing to hide the wince at Callie's comment. "Sorry..." she called after her quietly.

Pym: "My name is Hank Pym, and while I am super appreciative of all of you, I really think we should get out of here before we get on the news. Last thing I want is my moms judging me on this one..."

Jessica: "No problem," she smiled, "Want to come back with us or can we drop you off somewhere?"

Pym: "Uhm... well honestly I'd like to go with you. You guys seem to have your stuff pretty together and obviously, if today is a testament of anything, I most certainly do not have my shit together."

Cecilia: "No shit," laughed Cecilia, offering a hand. "Facade, or Cecilia Reyes."

Jessica: She laughed a little, "Oh right yeah, I'm suppose to give my name as Arachne when I do these things..." oh well. She shrugged, "Too late now..."

Pym: "You girls have codenames and everything, that's really awesome! I've been following you all on the X-Men Fan Site! It's so awesome to meet you all!"

Jessica: "There's a fansite?" Dear God.

Cecilia: Cecilia winced. "Fan Site? Oh fuck me, there better not be some porny fan art of me on there!" She cried.

Pym: "Well, there's a lot of good ones. The CuteXGirls.com and CuteXGuys.com sites are two of the most popular."

Cecilia: Cecilia cringed even harder. "Oh God...please stop talking..."

Jessica: "Okay, that's enough of that...." Jess gestured them towards the doors, "Let's get out of here..."

Cecilia: "Yes, please, before I do something incredibly embarrassing," she said, fiddling with her collar and motioning for Hank to follow. Goddamn pheromones.

Jessica: "Sorry, sorry...." Jess apologized again, "It was just easier that way..."

Pym: Hank nodded and smiled. "No problem." He noticed all the girls seemed hot and bothered. Must've been the action. Happily, he followed them out and into the jet.

[Svartfreja]

Technically this is before Pym's recruit ¬.¬


<Jessica> Jess peered out of the window at the rain. Typical. Though, she supposed it wouldn't be very green if it didn't rain all the time... She fidgeted in her seat.

<Melati> "Well, here we are," Melati remarked, pulling off her seat belt. "Looks like the weather ain't getting better anytime soon, so we might as well get this over with."

<Jessica> "I don't like rain...." Jess grumbled a little, removing her own belt and pulling her coat on.

<Cecilia> Where the fuck was she? And what the fuck was she doing here? Cecilia glanced around the rainy street, trying to spot anyone she recognized among the people strolling past her. She had hauled ass here from Barcelona on a commercial flight to respond to 'urgent X-Men business' which she assumed meant some serious mutant shit was about to go down. But so far the only thing out of place she'd noticed was everyone's English. At least, she thought it was.

<David> "Holy shit. It looks like a clown exploded." David exclaimed as he got out of the car and stared at the buildings lining the street. "I'm expecting Gene Wilder to pop out and start singing."

<Jessica> "If that happens I'm getting straight back in the car." Jess decided, putting her hat on too and finally stepping out into the weather.

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed as she caught sight of Mel's scaly visage getting out of a car along with a tall dark haired woman who was probably Jessica and the new guy from Canada that really liked turtlenecks. "Oh thank Christ," she muttered, running up and waving. "Hey guys! Okay, I'm here, so what's the big emergency?"

<Jessica> "Apparently a recruitment thing..." Jess eyed the brightly painted buildings. They probably looked nice when the weather wasn't miserable.

<@Anna> The door of a building a little way up the street opened, the sounds of drunken singing filtering out onto the street and a man staggered out to the sounds of someone yelling 'Ah feck off, ya gobshite!'

<Melati> Melati turned her head, an eyebrow arching upwards. "I have forgotten where we're supposed to go, but I know I want to be over there," she pointed at the bar down the street.

<Jessica> "Well... maybe the over there will know where we're supposed to go?" Jess offered hopefully.

<Cecilia> Cecilia stared at the trio for a long minute. "That's your big emergency?! A recruitment mission?!" She exclaimed. "I could strangle all three of you! You mean to tell me that I just hauled ass all the way from Barcelona and missed out on one of my last few days of sunshine and fun to help out in a routine pick-up mission! Gawd, I hate you all so much right now!"

<Jessica> Jess held up her hands defensively, "I was not responsible for that message! Don't yell at me!"

<Melati> "Yeah yeah, I admit I should have read the briefing a little more thoroughly," Mel defended herself, holding out her hands. "The letters looked, like, really serious, so I thought 'why not bring some backup'? Well, try to see it from the good side. You're going to see a place you've never seen before, eh?"

<David> "And you didn't even get to ride the jet. Man, you got screwed on this one."

<Jessica> "Do you have a name we can ask for?" Jess decided to just start for the pub and hope.

<Cecilia> Cecilia grumbled a little in Spanish about vague messages and gingers and leprechauns. "...Yeah, I guess..." But dammit, sunshine! This place was wet and cold. "Let's just go in and get this over with. At least I'll get a drink out of this..."

<David> "Who knows, we might catch a leprechaun and steal it's sweet, sweet gold, too."

<Melati> "Anna... something-something," Melati replied, trying to find the note in one of her pockets. "Sounded local."

<Jessica> Jess pushed the door open, taking off her hat and running a hand through her hair. It was damn nice to be out of that rain. But holy hell it was busy. There was a group of musicians in one corner playing some kind of reel - people were up dancing and laughing or clapping along. Everyone seemed very happy and they all smiled at the strangers as they walked in.

<Cecilia> "Damn," said Cecilia looking around at the festivities. "Now I wish Fabian had come along. He'd probably enjoy this."

<Melati> "Hey, you get to be here with me; that's way better!" A big grin appeared on Mel's face as she took in the lively scene in front of her. The next moment she was off towards the bar and slapped her hand onto the counter. "Oi! I'll have one of whatever this place is famous for. It is famous for something, right?"

<@Anna> Anna was sat at a corner table with a group of others in the middle of a drinking competition which she successfully won and promptly fell off her chair with a loud 'Woop!' The guys either side of her laughed and went to help her up. "I told you I can still outdrink you!"

<Cecilia> Cecilia was actually warming up to Mel the more she loosened up. "I second that order!" She cried, slapping a handful of bills on the counter.

<Melati> She finally produced a piece of paper from the depth of her pocket. "Oh, and we're looking for one... Anna O'Keeffe?"

<Jessica> The bar tender looked the group over, decided they were over eighteen and poured them all whiskey. "Oh yeah? She's over there," he nodded to the corner, "Little the worse for wear by now," he laughed, taking the money for the drinks and going to get the change.

<Melati> "Thanks, mate." Melati smiled as she grabbed her glass, pulling a few bills from the pockets of her pants as she turned her head to look at the indicated table. "Really? Well, that was easy."

<Cecilia> Cecilia took in the woman who was currently falling on her face drunk amongst a crowd of men. "Isn't she a bit old to be a student?"

<Jessica> He returned with the change and called over, "Hey, Anna! Friends of yours?"

<@Anna> "Hmmmmm?" Anna turned in her seat and blinked at the collection of strangers at the bar. "I don't know. If they are I was drunk." She hopped up to her feet, staggered a little until one of her company righted her, then headed over to the bar.

<Melati> "Apparently we're not looking for a student, but someone to complement the teaching stuff," Melati remarked, before taking a sip from her glass. She watched the clearly inebriated woman. "And she's already on the way to become my favourite teacher."

<Jessica> Jess eyed the whiskey and gave it a sniff. Woah... Oh well she couldn't get drunk. She decided to try it.

<Cecilia> Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "She's no Lensherr..." Fuck it, she liked him, even if he was a hardass. She picked up her drink and inclined her head to the older woman. "Beunos dias, Ms. O'Keeffe."

<@Anna> "Hi," Anna gave them a slightly lopsided smile, "Yep I'm that person." she nodded, eyeing Melati, "Either I'm more drunk than I thought or you're actually green..."

<Melati> "Don't worry, you only have to worry once I start looking purple to you," Mel replied, flashing Anna a grin. "Name's Melati, or just Mel for short. And if we didn't stumble into the wrong bar and found someone with the exact same name as yours, I guess you went to our school once."

<@Anna> "Ooooh Xavier's? Awesome! More booze for my fellow weirdos!" Anna waved at the barman. "I think you've had enough!"

<@Anna> Anna raised an eyebrow, "Enough? Did you just use that word?" She looked over to her table, "I'm going to have selective deafness and help myself if you refuse." She decided.

<David> "If you give me the drinks for free, I'll hold her back for you." David called out to the barman.

<Melati> "Don't worry, I guess carrying her out is the least we can do," she announced, before turning back towards the smaller woman. "So, yeah, you graduated from that place, right?"

<@Anna> "Awwww look how cute! He thinks I'm going to use my hands!" Anna giggled, nodding to Melati's question. "Yeah, graduated, went to med. school for a bit then hopped on a plane to help poor people in really hot foreign places." She cheered when she got the requested booze.

<Jessica> Jess decided she was done with whiskey and turned her attention to the musicians instead.

<Cecilia> Cecilia eyed the woman. "Really? That's interesting because I wanna be a doctor too, trauma surgeon." Huh, so they might have something in common. Interesting. "Doctor's Without Borders?" She guessed. "Where did you work exactly? Sudan? Ethiopia?"

<Melati> "Hey, that sounds cool. I come from a really hot place, and I guess most people but me would consider it foreign." She herded the group towards a free table near the wall. "Hey, let's have a seat and some drinks, shall we?"

<Cecilia> "Same here," remarked Cecilia, sitting down. "I was born in Puerto Rico." She sipped her whiskey and leaned back in her seat. "Never liked the cold much."

<@Anna> "I was in South America for a while then Africa. I liked South America better, I can get by with the language there, French only gets you so far in Africa and Spanish gets you nowhere." Anna flopped into a seat, sloshing her latest pint all over her hand. ".... Damn what a waste."

<Jessica> Jess moved to the table with them after requesting something non-alcoholic (for which she received a raised eyebrow).

<Melati> "Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur," Melati announced. "That is, until I hang out with my dad, who's from the US, and kinda ended up in a college for mutants over there. So, yeah." She raised her glass, smiling at the others, then took another good swig.

<Cecilia> "Anyways," said Cecilia, figuring they should get down to business. "We're here to recruit you. At least, I think we are. That or we're here with a job offer since you're a graduate. I dunno, you'll have to ask Mel. I'm not in charge, I just got pulled out here from Barcelona on vague pretenses."

<@Anna> "I was born and raised here but my mam is Argentinian." She smiled, wiping her hand on her jeans. "Well I'd hope I don't have to go back to school... I can't have buggered it up that much the first time..."

<Jessica> "I think it's that we need new staff...." Jess hazarded, "People are getting better jobs."

<Melati> "Pretty much what she said," Mel tossed in, thumbing in Cecilia's direction. "And nah, unlike us, you got the fun part already over with, it seems. Apparently Xavier's is hiring, and the old students are on top of the list."

<@Anna> "Xavier wants to let me loose on the brains of impressionable college students?" Anna's eyebrows went up then she grinned, "Eeeeexcellent."

<Cecilia> "Wait we were having fun last semester?" Said Cecilia, snorting a bit into her glass. Well, she was sometimes...but she'd been bit crazy last semester. "Well you can try to teach us, but it's debatable how much will stick."

<@Anna> Anna laughed, "Your class can't be worse than mine was."

<Melati> "Well, I'd be all for it, for what it's worth," Mel commented, raising her glass to Anna again.

<Cecilia> "You don't know me that well yet," said Cecilia, smiling a hard smile.

<@Anna> "Don't worry, I can fix that." Anna grinned, clinking her glass to Mel's and sloshing more Guinness onto the table this time. She wiped it off onto the floor with her teke. "I've been thinking about setting up shop somewhere. Xavier's place sounds as good as any."

<Jessica> Jess dodged the spilled drink as it trickled off the edge of the table and glanced over to the bar. She wondered if the staff minded the mess Anna seemed to be deliberately making.

<Cecilia> Cecilia caught the movement from the telekinetic wave and frowned a little. She was somewhat wary of psychic powered mutants - especially mindreaders. "Mind if I ask what you can do?" Said Cecilia to Anna, not really caring if she minded or not.

<@Anna> "Oh sure!" Anna took a drink then set her glass down, "Mostly I'm a healer.... of other people. I can't heal myself." She frowned, that was still irritating. "And I go poof... well and there's teke obviously and some limited telepathy because I need it when I go poof or no one would know I was there. No mouth when I'm all gassy..." she gigglesnorted, "Gassy...."

<Melati> Melati leaned back in her seat and crossed her ankles underneath the table. "Well, I like her," she remarked. "So, you're interested then? Sure sounds like you could come in handy."

<Cecilia> Cecilia kept an eye on David as he went around the bar 'searching for leprechauns'...he was a strange one that was for sure and coming from her that was pretty rich. "We need all the damn help we can get that's for sure."

<Cecilia> Telepath, huh? Cecilia made a mental note never to daydream in this woman's class or in her presence, just in case.

<@Anna> "Well then it's good to know nothing much has changed." Anna grinned and winked.

<Melati> "What can I say, we just love trouble, and it obviously loves us right back," she said, holding out her hands.

<Cecilia> Cecilia shrugged, somewhat unsure of whether having former mutant 'freedom fighters' as students was a big change from the status quo of the school or not. "In any case there's never a dull moment. I'm sure you'll fit right in."

<Cecilia> "A lot's changed though, world's becoming a much harsher place...Well, I'm sure Xavier will fill you in on the details." Cecilia polished off her drink and set it down on the table like a gavel. "Far be it from me to deter you from taking the job. So, should I offer my congratulations and warmest welcome?" She said wryly.

<@Anna> "Hey I know what I'm getting into, trust me." She smiled, "I can handle it... so I will take that congratulations and welcome and drink to it!"

<Melati> "Right on," Melati exclaimed, revealing a grin. "And another mission accomplished. Now on to celebrate!" She raised her glass to all of them, using her free hand to signal for refills.

[Svartfreja]

Hope: Hope twirled a bit in the kitchen as she got her eggs, bacon, and toast cooking. Oh today was a glorious day for Hope Stark. She giggled... "Stark..." She sighed contently and warmed a cup of water in her hands for tea.

Jessica: Jess ran a hand through her hair as she made her way up from the DR towards the kitchen, still in her dance clothes. Having money was great and having the DR was fantastic because she could program in any partner she wanted. She paused in the doorway to the kitchen, more than a little surprised at who she found there. "Oh."

Hope: "Hey Jess. Good holiday?" Hope asked, passing her the cup she had made for herself and getting another one down to make her own cup.

Jessica: "I... um.... yes?" She blinked at the cup of tea in her hands. At least she could be sure that if it was poisoned she'd survive. "You?"

Hope: "Oh you have nooooooooooooo idea." Hope heated the second cup then slipped the tea bag into it to brew. "I got adopted. Well... not really... but Tony gave me his last name. Not really an adoption... but you get it."

Jessica: "Oh... so you're officially his daughter now? That's nice..." she gave her a small smile and went to sit down.

Hope: "Yeah. It really surprised me. Not as much as the hug I gave him surprised him though." She laughed and sat her tea down across from Jess, going back to her cooking. "Hungry? While I'm cooking? Promise it's semi edible..." she poked the eggs a bit. "Well the toast is edible."

Jessica: "Um... a little bit... I can help make it more edible if you want?" She sipped her tea. "I've been in the Danger Room all morning..."

Hope: "Dude, it's all yours." Hope retreated to the toaster to butter the toast. "I can handle toast. How many pieces do you want? And what on them?"

Jessica: "Um... if there's marmalade? And butter... just two is fine..." she chewed her lip, getting up to see to the bacon and eggs. She added more eggs for herself because she didn't eat bacon. After a few moments she paused and turned around, "I'm sorry... have I stepped into some alternate universe where you're not angry with me?"

Hope: Hope sighed and set the marmalade on the counter. "I haven't been angry with you for a while. Frustrated... but come on. We were best friends. We're supposed to get over that shit and move on."

Jessica: "That's what I was trying to do... this whole time..." she frowned a little, turning back to the pan to flip the bacon, "What took you so long?"

Hope: "I don't get over shit easily." Hope gave her a grin. "Well, and it doesn't hurt that things with Tony are going well... and with Johnny. You will NEVER believe what he told me."

Jessica: "Try me..." she plated up the food and carried it to the table, turning off the stove.

Hope: Hope joined her at the table with their prepared toast, setting it down gently before taking her own seat. "He told me he loved me."

Jessica: Jess blinked at her, "Really? Wow... you didn't punch him, right? Because that doesn't go well..."

Hope: "Why would I punch him?" Hope laughed at her, taking a bite of toast.

Jessica: She gave a shrug, "I don't know - I punched Danny. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable reaction at the time..."

Hope: "Poor dude.. and no... I told him first. He just returned it this time." Hope laughed a little, taking a sip of her tea.

Jessica: "Oh so less of a surprise," she smiled, "That probably helps... also his timing probably didn't suck so hard.... which is surprising, given it's Johnny."

Hope: "I am the one with suck timing, at least the first time. So we finally got it right this time."

Jessica: "Well then... I'm happy for you..." she gave another smile. She spread the marmalade on one slice of toast, only buttering the other so she could have that with her eggs. "Seems like everything's picking up."

Hope: "Yeah? What's picked up for you?" Hope munched on a piece of bacon.

Jessica: "I bribed Dr McCoy with twinkies and got some patches for over Christmas so I built a snowman with Kevin... never done that before." She smiled, "And he had some patches too... so we took full advantage of that."

Hope: Hope gave Jess a mischevious smile. "Took full advantage huh? How was it?"

Jessica: "Worth the wait," she peered at Hope over the rim of her cup as she took another sip.

Hope: "Ha! Awesome." Hope sat back with her tea, still grinning. "Don't realy know Kevin all that well."

Jessica: "Well you should fix that. He's shy but really nice... much better for me than Danny ever was... he's always been better for me... I don't know why I was so scared." She shook her head, "Obviously I'm secretly a coward."

Hope: "I can't speak much on being a coward with relationships... but sure. I can talk to Kevin sometime. We're all supposed to be on the same team anyway. X-men and all that jazz. I still don't have a code name... I feel like I should."

Jessica: "They're going to let you do that? Stay on the team?" Having finished the eggs, she moved onto the toast with marmalade.

Hope: "Why wouldn't they?" Hope took another bite of her food as well.

Jessica: "Well he's all important government guy... and you're officially his baby now... kind of makes you a target, right?"

Hope: "Well not a lot of people know about me. I plan to keep it that way. But also why a code name might be useful."

Jessica: "Well with your name change.... good luck with that." She prodded her with her foot under the table. "Maybe you can ask for one... they could call you soulless ginger."

Hope: "There are a lot of those running around here." Hope prodded her back. "Would be confusing."

Jessica: "Yeah... and it's probably more fitting for Fabian anyway," she smirked a little. "And you couldn't get anything as nice as my codename."

Hope: Hope smirked back. "True. And any name that would go with my powers is lame. Who is going to be scared of a copy cat? Or a mimic? Now Messiah... that's a name I could get behind." She smirked even wider.

Jessica: Jess laughed, "Yeah but then your head would get so huge and we'd have to change it to lollipop or something..."

Hope: Hope laghed at her again. "I'd look good in anything."

Jessica: "That sounds like a challenge," Jess grinned.

Hope: "It is a fact, not a challenge." Hope finished her food, then gave Jess a smirk. "Fact."

Jessica: "Challenge accepted!" Jess finished the rest of her tea, "Danger roooooom!"

Hope: "You're on! After the dishes." Hope hurried to get those done. She had a contest to win.

[Svartfreja]

Jessica: Jess smiled to herself as she lay on her bed, she was happy because her holiday had been full of nice things and everything was still good. She glanced over at him, "I don't want school to start again..."

Kevin: "Really? I can't wait. I'm bored to death. I want something to do other than metal working and you. Wait. That came out wrong. I mean, I enjoy being with you. But I kind of miss the routine of school, you know?"

Jessica: She laughed, rolling onto her side and propping herself up on an elbow, "I'd hope you still enjoyed doing me or we might have a problem," she was more amused than she should be by that wording probably. "And I get it... but last semester was horrible... I keep thinking with classes starting again it'll fall back into that and I literally just fixed things with Hope today..."

Kevin: "All you have to do is watch out for the pattern, and break it, so it won't go back into being like that."

Jessica: "Yeah... I'm sure it's just me being paranoid..." She slid her arms around his waist and pulled him to her, "I can't help it..."

Kevin: "You can work on that too."

Kevin: "But I know you can do it." He turned over and ran his hand over her hip. "And I know that because you've already done it, you just have to maintain it." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

Jessica: "Maybe..." She cuddled him, "But the paranoia thing is hard... it's like some kind of conditioning... or maybe it's genetic..." she frowned, "Can crazy be genetic?" She realised asking these things probably made her sound crazy so she shook herself, "Never mind, not important. What's important is that you're here with me."

Kevin: "Right. So, you made up with Hope, huh? Is that why you were in such a good mood?"

Jessica: She nodded, "That and I spent nearly all day messing around in the danger room. It's so much fun in there." she gave him a grin, "I was dancing this morning then I found Hope in the kitchen when I went to eat something and we talked and then we spent the rest of the day trying on any ridiculous costumes we could think of."

Kevin: "Ah. Sounds like fun."

Jessica: "It was! She challenged me... I couldn't pass it up... she said she'd look good in anything."

Kevin: "And does she?" he asked without thinking, mind already going to very interesting places.

Jessica: "Well we disagreed on that. She said yes and I said no... and I definitely looked better than she did in some of the things." She nodded sagely, poking him in the ribs for his over interest.

Kevin: "I should definitely be the judge next time," he said grinning.

Jessica: She laughed and tickled him, "Noooo because then Johnny'll want to join in and he'll bring jello or pudding or something else he wants us to wrestle in."

Kevin: "I...would not be against that."

Jessica: "Uh-huh, I'll bet!" She laughed again, leaning to kiss him instead.

Kevin: "Mm-hmm." He kissed her, then pulled away. "Would you be really annoyed that I now want to go make jello right now?"

Jessica: "Only if you try to make me wear it." she poked the end of his nose.

Kevin: "Oh? We could put a tarp over the bed..." He got up before she could smack him.

Jessica: She laughed, "Oooh you're in trouble now!" She got up to chase him out of the room.

Kevin: "Oh, I'm so scared!" He pattered down the stairs. "Can you find my jeans?" He yelled up. "Or at least my underwear?"

Jessica: Jess grabbed her robe and his pants then hurried after him, tossing them at the back of his head. "You don't think it might be funny to streak through the rec room and scar some people?"

Kevin: "Absolutely not!"

Kevin: "I know there was grape jello. Do you have a preference?"

Jessica: "Awww but I doooo!" she laughed, coming up beside him and linking arms with him. "Nope." She kissed his cheek.

Kevin: "You better not." He frowned and held the kitchen door open for her.

Jessica: She giggled, moving into the kitchen and hopping up to sit on the table, swinging her legs. "Not even for a dare?"

Kevin: "No." He pulled out the box. "Can you put the kettle on? I need hot water."

Jessica: She pouted, sliding back off the table and going to the kettle, "I'm going to have to get you drunk enough that you change your mind one day... at least as far as I'm concerned. You don't have to do it but I think it'd be funny as hell." She grinned over her shoulder at him.

Kevin: "It's all fun until the patch wears off." He got a big bowl out and emptied the whole contents of the box into it.

Kevin: "So, what outfit did you like the most?"

Jessica: "On me or on Hope?" she leaned against the counter while she waited for the kettle.

Kevin: "Huh? On you. But I mean, if you want to tell me which suited her best..." He winked.

Jessica: She laughed, "You're terrible! What have I done to you?!" She shook her head, "And it's no fun to tell you. I'll just have to show you later."

Kevin: "As long as I can eat the jello too." He cocked his head at her. "Are you wearing anything under that robe?"

Jessica: Jess looked down at herself then back up at him, shaking her head slowly and grinning. "Nope..."

Kevin: "Hmm. While the jello sets, we could go back upstairs." He grinned and grabbed the whistling kettle. "I need a couple cups of cold water too - want to do that or stir this?"

Jessica: Jess looked between the sink and the bowl that was soon to be filled with lovely hot water. "Can I stir?"

Kevin: "Yup." Kevin handed her a large wooden spoon and went to get a measuring cup. "So what's your favorite thing about this holiday?"

Jessica: "You mean apart from all the time I've got to spend in bed with you?" she looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk as she stirred.

Kevin: "Yeah. Holidays aren't supposed to be about that. I like the fact that I got to spend it in a nice house with nice decorations with someone I love."

Jessica: "Well that's what I mean too... not so much the staying in bed all day part... but that's fun..." she smiled, though it faltered a little because of his use of the word that made her uncomfortable. "I liked spending all that time with you..."

Kevin: "Er..." He stood still. Had he just said that? "I er, meant I love spending time with you..."

Jessica: "I know what you meant..." She moved over to him, leaving the spoon in the bowl and wrapping her arms around him. "It's okay..."

Kevin: "Really? I didn't well, I did... Um."

Jessica: "I'm okay... I'm trying to stop being crazy...." she kissed his cheek softly, "And I know that I care about you... a lot... I just get stuck..."

Kevin: "Okay. As long as we're both not quite getting it right, I'm good." He kissed her, and then turned to the measuring cup. "We have to put the cold water in, and then we need to put it in the fridge and go upstairs to wait."

Jessica: "I definitely like the going upstairs to wait part." She smiled, moving to stir the jello again.

Kevin: "Me too. Okay, keep stirring and then I'll get the fridge." He poured the cold water in.

Jessica: Jess did as instructed, smiling at him as she did so. She was really happy so why spoil that with exploring her feelings and all the crazy that came with it? They had plenty of time for that nonsense. Right?

Kevin: "So... we put it in the fridge." Kevin closed the fridge and grinned. "And now..."

Jessica: "Now we can go back upstairs and kill some time the fun way! Race you!" she grinned back, then bolted for the door to the stairs.

Kevin: "Right behind you!" He ran after her.

[TechPrincess]

Omg that was adorable!

[Slarti]

D'awww, yeah, they're way too cute.

He needs one handy-dandy SHIELD inhibitor.