Christmas 2017: Doreen

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Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
Nightscrawlearth Character: :icey :phoenix

Christmas 2017: Doreen

Post by Slarti »

<Doreen> Doreen snuggled against Shinobi's chest. "I hope Jess doesn't yell at us for me staying down here so much." She wrapped her tail around them to compensate for the blanket having ran away during their last bedroom event.

<Shinobi> "She's busy." He was unconcerned, and slowly petted her tail. So soft. "Beside that, what concern is it of hers? We're not hurting anything or anyone."

<Doreen> "Dunno she seemed really upset that it was you and me." Doreen ran her fingers slowly across his chest. "But I guess you're right."

<Shinobi> "She thinks I'm a bad influence." He grinned at her, toothily.

<Doreen> "Mmm you are. I like it." She giggled a little and pinched him playfully.

<Shinobi> "Good, because I do too." He growled at the pinch and rolled, flipping her onto her back. Shinobi grinned gown at her.

<Doreen> "Mmm hi up there." Doreen leaned up and kissed him. "I think you just like how easy I am." She gave him a smirk, slightly wondering what his plan was now.

<Shinobi> "Hi." He brushed his nose against hers, then kissed the smirk.

<Doreen> Doreen kissed him back. "What if you're too bad of an influence on me?" She slipped her arms around him so that she could hold onto him.

<Shinobi> "Impossible. I'm merely... inspirational." He pried her arms free and caught both wrists in one hand to pin them above her head.

<Doreen> "Maybe I'm worse than you then?" She squirmed a little.

<Shinobi> Shinobi smirked. "Hardly." He pressed his hips against her and moved down to kiss her neck.

<Doreen> Doreen let out a gasp when he got to her neck. "You don't know that. Maybe I'm into more interesting things then you."

<Shinobi> "I'm not into anything anymore," he mumbled, nipping her collarbone.

<Doreen> "You're into me aren't you?" She squirmed a little at his attention.

<Shinobi> "There is that, yeah." And in was sounding tempting again as he kissed his way down.

<Doreen> "Mmm where are you going." Doreen gasped again when he hit another sweet spot.

<Shinobi> He kissed the swell of her breast and looked up at her with a smug smile. "Where do you want me to go?"

<Doreen> "Now back up here." She pouted a little wanting another kiss. "Then maybe a little lower."

<Shinobi> "Bossy." He obliged, however, still holding her wrists tight when he settled on top of her for a kiss.

<Doreen> "Control freak." She kissed him back. "Maybe I want more attention than just you." Doreen smirked at him again.

<Shinobi> "I'm not interested in a threesome with my father, thank you."

<Doreen> Doreen just laughed at that. "Oh god no! Jess would definitely kill me for that."

<Shinobi> "Mmm." And from behind, Jessica still didn't look pregnant.

<Doreen> "I could always kidnap you and throw you a little party." She giggled.

<Shinobi> He pulled back to study her face with a smirk. "Is that so? I never took you for quite that adventurous."

<Doreen> "Mmm honey you have no idea." She grinned and pushed up so that she could nip his collar bone. "I ran into a friend and kinda wanted to have fun with her... but I didn't know if that would make you mad or not." Doreen frowned a little.

<Shinobi> A slow smile spread across his face. "Hardly." Shinobi cocked his head. "What sort of friend?"

<Doreen> "A girl I go to school with. Or well am supposed to go to school with." She nipped across his collar bone.

<Shinobi> "Ahhh, so another mutant?" He wondered what this one looked like.

<Doreen> "Well yeah, the only people I know are you and people from the school." She stuck her tongue out at him.

<Shinobi> He silenced her by catching the tongue with a kiss, while running through the tally of students he knew of at the school.

<Doreen> "Mmm hey." She smiled up at him. "Do you know any of the other students?"

<Shinobi> "No." He considered this. "Well, perhaps. There were some at the baby shower the perky blonde teacher threw for Jessica. A blonde, and a redhead." Well, two redheads, but one was Hope Stark.

<Doreen> "No she has black hair and is kinda pale but she's really cute." Doreen smiled and kissed him again.

<Shinobi> "Well... perhaps I could meet her then?" He smirked, considering this. "So... why would you think I would be mad?"

<Doreen> "Well from how Jess made it sound things like that aren't okay. The whole sleeping with multiple people and all that."

<Shinobi> Shinobi laughed. "Why limit your options?"

<Doreen> "Well I'm supposed to not be screwing around. Jess said it wasn't healthy and well it did kinda get me into trouble." Doreen frowned remembering when Jess had rescued her.

<Shinobi> "But you enjoy it." He rolled his hips against her to make his point, smirking.

<Doreen> "Well.... when guys aren't raping me." She cuddled up into him, her mood was completely killed.

<Shinobi> Shinobi rolled onto his side and gave her a startled look. "What?"

<Doreen> "Yeah... That's why Jess took me in." Doreen snuggled into him.

<Shinobi> "Oh." Unsure what else to say, he hesitated, then rested his arm around her again. "I'm sorry... I didn't know."

<Doreen> "I know, it's not your fault. It's not like I don't still like uhmm ya know." She gave him a coy grin. "It's just I don't want to be used."

<Shinobi> "Maybe then... just be more... selective?" Not that he supposed she was terribly selective when he'd started pursuing her, but that was beside the point.

<Doreen> "Well I think I picked you pretty well. At first I wasn't sure but you've gotten better." Doreen kissed his chin.

<Shinobi> She had no idea how wrong she was. "This is certainly... fun. Generally."

<Doreen> "Only generally?" She pouted.

<Shinobi> "When we're getting along, of course." He frowned to himself and kissed her forehead.

<Doreen> "Well yeah, we aren't going to be all sunshine and rainbows all the time." She kissed his chest.

<Shinobi> He flopped his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling, attempting to process.

<Doreen> "You okay Shinobi?" She kissed up to his neck slowly. "I'm not trying to like pressure you into anything."

<Shinobi> Eyes closed, he enjoyed the contact. "No?"

<Doreen> "What's wrong?" Doreen pulled the blankets up around them.

<Shinobi> "There's nothing wrong. You know this just... can't go anywhere. Not really."

<Doreen> Doreen scooted back a little and sat up. "Why?"

<Shinobi> "I'm a SHIELD prisoner out of prison for who knows how long... and not... the best..."

<Doreen> "You're nice to me." She bit her lip. "And I knew you were in trouble I just didn't know what kind."

<Shinobi> He cleared his throat. "I was part of the group who assassinated Madelyne Pryor and her running mate... at the Democratic presidential debate last year."

<Doreen> "I kinda heard about that." She snuggled up to him again. "I'm sure it wasn't that simple or they wouldn't have given you to Sebastian and Jessica to watch."

<Shinobi> "We were under control... most of us." He was more than a little surprised at her reaction, but slid his arm back around her.

<Doreen> "You're not a bad guy, or you wouldn't have tried to cheer me up whenever I got upset."

<Shinobi> Shinobi raised a brow at her assessment of his character, but didn't argue it. "Anyway... it's probably good we're just... casual. You know?"

<Doreen> "How about we see where it goes?" She gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

<Shinobi> "You go see your friend, and we'll see?" He smirked at the eyes.

<Doreen> "You just want me to bring another girl to have fun with." She grinned back and kissed his nose.

<Shinobi> "Mmm... girls only, at least if I'm involved in your fun."

<Doreen> "What if I want another guy?" She kissed down his chest.

<Shinobi> "Go for it." He crossed his arms behind his head.

<Doreen> "Hmm I think you're good enough for now. But I do like having fun with girls." She snuggled with him and kissed on him.

<Shinobi> "Good enough?" His tone was mock offended, but he was appreciative of her downward trend.

<Doreen> "Mmm for now." She teased him and kissed lower slowly.
Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
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Re: Christmas 2017: Doreen

Post by Slarti »

<Hope> Hope drummed her fingers on the counter at the Shaws' while the coffee brewed. She stared out the window for a while, lost in the still falling snow. It made her want vodka, of all things. She snorted and started looking for an acceptable coffee mug in the cabinet.

<Doreen> Doreen had been contemplating going down to see Shinobi, she had missed him, but she was still mad that he just left without saying anything. When she heard someone moving about in the kitchen she figured it was him and decided to go down, she could play it off as wanting to get some food.

<Hope> Careful not to wake anyone up, Hope selected her mug and closed the cabinet door. She set it down on the counter and leaned down to stare at the black liquid pooling into the pot. She made a slight face. Why were these things so slow?

<Doreen> Doreen got to the kitchen and noticed a girl standing there waiting on coffee. Mmm she's cute. Wait.... "Uhmm.... who are you?" She backed up to the steps contemplating yelling for Jessica.

<Hope> Hope's red hair flipped over her shoulder as she turned to look at... a girl? That was the biggest tail she'd ever seen! She slid a hand to her hip, sizing up the girl. "I could ask you the same thing." Wait hadn't Sebastian mentioned some stray that they had taken in. "I'm Hope."

<Doreen> Doreen chewed her lip. "I guess you're not a burglar, they don't usually make coffee." She moved into the kitchen and got a mug for herself. "So uhmm you're a friend?" She was still a little wary of the new girl.

<Hope> How the hell did this girl not know who she was? Had she not picked up a paper or turned on the news in the past year and a half? She laughed at Doreen. "Really? A burglar? Do you really not know who I am?"

<Doreen> "Uhmm a cute redhead that brews coffee to rescue us from the dreaded early morning?" Doreen shrugged a little.

<Hope> She snorted, finally pouring herself a cup of coffee now that the stupid machine had completed its task. "Hope Stark. Sebastian is my...." What was he? "Family."

<Doreen> "Oh I'm Doreen Green. Jessica kinda took me in." Doreen eyed her again. "Enough for me?" She gave her a warm smile.

<Hope> "Ahhh right, I heard about that." She poured some coffee into Doreen's cup. "My other dad is the president. Tony Stark." She made a slight face. "Yeah it's kind of... complicated." She set the pot back down into the maker and picked up her mug with both hands.

<Doreen> "I know complicated.... trust me." She thought about the situation she was in. "It's nice to meet you."

<Hope> "Yeah you too." Hope took a careful sip of her coffee. "So..." What were you supposed to say to the person your dad took in as a stray? "Um... need sugar? Or milk?"

<Doreen> "Neither. So uhmm I guess you're here for Sebastian. I think him and Jess are uhmm busy." She wrinkled up her nose not wanting to think about that.

<Hope> Hope raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll keep that in mind." Who did she think she was playing hostess to her?

<Doreen> "So... uhmm." Doreen took a sip of coffee. "I guess I'll go see if Shinobi is up?"

<Hope> "Oh hey, good idea. Tell him I'm here, would ya?"

<Doreen> "Sure." Doreen headed down to his dungeon. She didn't even knock, just opened the door. "You alive down here butt head?"

<Hope> Hope raised an eyebrow again at that. The hell was with this chick?

<Shinobi> There was suddenly light. Why was there light? Startled, his attempt to look up at the door ended with him rolling right off the bed, tangled in wires from his headphones, and with the tablet computer thumping to the floor.

<Hope> The noise got Hope's attention. She followed, wanting to know what was happening too.

<Doreen> Doreen just laughed a little. "You alive?" She went into his dungeon to see if she could help him.

<Shinobi> "Yeah? What?" It was Doreen, and thankfully not Jessica, although she would have knocked. Maybe she did knock? He was tangled up in the blankets from his bed now, and carefully sat up, untangling the cord of the headphones to get them from around his neck.

<Hope> "Shinobi!" Hope went on into the dungeon, pausing when she finally caught sight of him.

<Doreen> Doreen started to help get him out of the blankets. "Mmm well hi there sailor." She stared at the computer screen for a minute. “You knew I was upstairs right?" She just laughed a little.

<Shinobi> He then heard the second female voice, but it was too late. "Hey..."

<Hope> Maybe looking a bit longer than was appropriate, Hope kicked herself into gear. "When you are um... done? With that? I'll uh... be upstairs." She quickly tried to retreat up the stairs.

<Shinobi> "I think I'm done." Belatedly, he found a pillow to cover himself.

<Doreen> That just made her laugh more. "Looks like you had fun." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

<Hope> Hope made a b-line for the alcohol. She would need so much of that to erase what she just saw. And heard.

<Shinobi> "Not quite... enough... or quickly enough, apparently." He was still trying to sort himself out. "What's she doing here?"

<Hope> Locked! That son of a bitch. Maybe like father like son? She marched back down toward the dungeon.

<Doreen> "Dunno. I don't even know who she is.... She said she's family." Doreen found him some pants and brought them over to him. "I'm mad at you."

<Shinobi> "She's... sort of like my father's daughter..." He shook his head. "Mad? What did I do?" He snatched the pants, finally getting over his shock enough to scrape himself from the floor and put his tablet on the nightstand.

<Hope> "Shinobi," Hope called down into the dungeon, so not going much further down. "Please tell me you have scotch down there? Or well, anything really."

<Shinobi> He heard her voice again and dropped the headphones.

<Doreen> "He has wine." Doreen sighed. "You didn't tell me you were leaving." She kissed his cheek and went to get Hope some wine.

<Shinobi> "I didn't know I was leaving. There wasn't really much option." He picked up the headphones and put them on the tablet, then opened the door on the nightstand. There was half a bottle of purloined scotch in there and after a moment of debate he got it out.

<Hope> Wine? What was he, 40? "Wine? Seriously?" The punishment fit the crime. She sighed.

<Doreen> "Oooh he found scotch score!" Doreen bounced a little. "Oh? I'll rethink being mad I guess."

<Shinobi> "The wine cellar is down here." Shinobi zipped his pants but missed the button and gave Doreen a confused look.

<Doreen> Doreen got the button for him. "I wish you would have said something. I missed you."

<Hope> "Is it safe to come down?" Hope questioned, making a face at the lovey dovey crap.

<Doreen> "He has pants on."

<Hope> Weighing Doreen's words, Hope went on down the rest of the steps, taking in the basement. "You have a lair..."

<Shinobi> "I do," he said to Hope, then gave Doreen yet another confused look. "I couldn't have said anything... I didn't know."

<Hope> Hope took the chance to glance over at the tablet screen, blinking a little. She quickly glanced back over at Doreen and Shinobi. "Do I even want to know?"

<Shinobi> "She calls it my dungeon," he said, indicating Doreen, and then noticing she was looking at his tablet. "Um..." Shinobi cleared his throat. "So, scotch?"

<Doreen> "Oh. Well that sucks..." Doreen frowned. "See pants." She played with his waistband.

<Hope> "Scotch. Yes. Your father locked me out of the liquor cabinet." She crossed her arms over her chest awkwardly. She had the distinct feeling she was in the middle of something.

<Doreen> "I know where they hide the key." Doreen grinned.

<Shinobi> Shinobi picked up the half-full bottle and gave it a slosh. "Why did he lock you out? And why are you here, anyway? I thought you were jetlagged." He smirked at Doreen. Of course she did.

<Hope> Hope just looked at him, swallowing as her heart-rate picked up. "I uh..." A glance at Doreen cut off the nerve she had left. "I should really probably just go."

<Doreen> Doreen bit her lip. "You okay?"

<Shinobi> Hope's expression was... off. Shinobi exchanged a glance with Doreen and moved closer to her. "Are you? Where's Sebastian? Should I get him?"

<Hope> "He's with Jess." And would absolutely kill her if they bothered him now. With great difficulty, she pasted on her best fake smile. "Of course I'm alright! I'll uh go grab some stuff. Surely he didn't hide the car keys too. Or the credit card." She started off toward the stairs.

<Doreen> "I can get some ice cream." She looked between the two.

<Shinobi> He wasn't fooled by that expression. "Go... get scotch?"

<Hope> "And maybe some food? A bunch of health junk here." She paused at the base of the stairs. "Unless he took my card." Would he have done that?

<Doreen> "I have lots of junk food stashed up stairs."

<Shinobi> "There you are then." He shrugged and smiled at Doreen. "If he took your card, and the key... I'm guessing it's for a reason." For her anyway, since he never extended the same courtesy to him.

<Hope> "You don't have to be nice to me. Either of you. I really don't deserve it." She looked back over at them both.

<Doreen> "That's what family does I think. Well I'm not family but he is." Doreen tried to give her a warm smile. "I'll get the food." She slipped past her to get junk food and ice cream.

<Shinobi> "We do have this." He sloshed the bottle again and moved closer.

<Hope> "Shinobi... I did something... really bad. Really bad." She looked up at his face, thinking it was a safer place to look than his chest.

<Shinobi> "I doubt it's as bad as my bad, if you recall." He cocked his head, watching her face, although after a moment he bent to catch her eyes.

<Hope> "No... but it's still pretty bad." She looked into his eyes, swallowing hard. "I kind of cheated on my boyfriend months ago. With someone I should have never, ever done that with regardless. And... he found out. So now everyone gets to know how horrible I am and what I did."

<Shinobi> He blinked. "That's it?"

<Hope> "This is a big deal ok!" Especially the who it was with.

<Shinobi> "You... cheated on a boyfriend. That's not... well, it's not a felony." He handed her the bottle. "Here, just... don't go out anywhere, if you're all freaked out."

<Hope> "I'm not all freaked out," she lied, taking the bottle. "It's a little more complicated than that, but yeah. And he'll be turning up here. I guarantee you. He'll come looking for me. So I guess... if that happens... just… stay down here?"

<Shinobi> "Your boyfriend? Here?" He laughed. "Actually, I would imagine my father would enjoy that." Was she frightened? After a moment, he forced himself to sober. “Nothing will happen to you... not here."

<Doreen> Doreen came down with lots of junk food and balanced a few bowls of ice cream. She figured that she could share with Shinobi.

<Shinobi> He spotted Doreen and moved to help her with the bowls. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

<Hope> Hope made herself smile as Doreen came back. She held on firmly to the bottle of scotch, looking down at it instead of them. Thank you, Shinobi. she pushed gently at his mind.

<Doreen> "Do you uhmm need more time alone." Doreen strained to get out. She missed Shinobi but she could wait.

<Shinobi> His head whipped up to stare at Hope in shock. "You're welcome? I... don't know?"

<Hope> "Shouldn't I be asking you two that question?" She asked with a slight laugh.

<Doreen> "Pfft he's not getting any until Shaw confirms he was kidnapped." She grinned.

<Hope> "He... was... kidnapped. And I really... don't think I wanted to know that." She made a face.

<Doreen> "I won't tell you what he gets as a treat then." She giggled a little as she went to the stairs.

<Shinobi> He watched her tail swish as she walked away, then looked at Hope with wide eyes.

<Hope> After Doreen was gone, Hope turned back to Shinobi. "Are you... dating the tiny fluffy girl!?" Hope smiled at him brightly. Oh this was golden! "That's adorable!"

<Shinobi> "I... don't know? There was a date, I think... but it's supposed to be... casual? Especially considering she asked me about bringing in another girl... possibly another guy." He made a face at that thought.

<Hope> Hope laughed and patted Shinobi on the top of his head. "Awwwww! You have a fluffy girl who wants threesomes... Isn't that like, every guy's fantasy right there?"

<Shinobi> "I don't know..." He pulled another face at the pat and straightened up so she couldn't reach the top of his head as easily. "You're not a telepath. Where did that come from?"

<Hope> She looked at him funny, dropping her hand carefully "From... a telepath."

<Shinobi> "No, really?" He snorted, then closed his eyes and screwed up his face to think at her. Are you still there?!

<Hope> Yes... She answered back softly, swallowing hard. She should have dropped the power. She should drop the power. From his surprise, she could guess who he didn't know was a telepath.

<Shinobi> Eyes popping open, he met hers. Interesting.

<Hope> I have a really far reach... She looked back into his eyes, stabling out the connection so that it wouldn't give him a headache.

<Shinobi> It felt... better now, and he drew in a surprised breath.

<Hope> She gave him a smile, sighing a little herself. You alright? Her fingers fumbled on the lid, trying to open it.

<Shinobi> Yeah. This is weird. He took the bottle and opened it for her, since it gave him another focus in this odd situation. So there are mutants everywhere...

<Hope> Yeah, especially in big cities like this, "Thanks." She took the bottle, taking a swig. She closed her eyes, savoring the flavor. Whenever you want it cut off, just tell me. Or picture a door closing. Hope didn't use telepathy too often, so it was nice to have someone to practice with that wasn't a telepath.

<Shinobi> "No problem." He wriggled his fingers, asking for the bottle back. And you take on physical mutations as well? Shinobi projected an image of her with a fluffy tail and smirked.

<Hope> She shot him a look, some annoyance filtering over their link. I don't really like those, but yes, I take on the entire X-gene of the host. She passed him the bottle.

<Shinobi> He took a pull from the bottle, his eyes still on her. You don't like them?

<Hope> Lying with him in her head would be much more trouble than it was worth. She shook her head, keeping eye contact. No. I don't. Ferals are hard to control, so I usually only take them out with someone. But besides that... I stay away from powers that have physical attributes. Except Pietro's. The hair color isn't a big deal since it's temporary.

<Doreen> Doreen sat completely still on the stairs wondering what was going on. It was way too quiet. What heck are they doing.... Why can't she question him about me more.

<Shinobi> How interesting... you dislike physical mutations. Even among our own species there's bigotry. He took another swig of the scotch and handed it back.

<Hope> Clearly you have no problem with them, seeing as how you are fucking the squirrel girl. She didn't take the bottle from him this time.

<Shinobi> I think it's interesting. She's cute. And... ditsy. And I've never had a prejudice against our fellow mutants. Clearly somebody did, however. I'm guessing your boyfriend doesn't have a physical mutation then?

<Hope> I don't have a prejudice. I just don't want to look like that. She completely avoided all mention of Chris.

<Shinobi> Why not? It's cute. He shook the bottle.

<Hope> I don't think it's cute. She admitted, shifting her weight. Where had Doreen gone anyway?

<Shinobi> Well, it's not a fin, Ariel, but we can't all be a princess. He put the bottle on the step beside her and went to find a shirt.

<Hope> "I'm not a princess," she snapped, picking up the bottle and staring at it. My gift is to pick which powers I use. I don't like physical mutations for a lot of reasons. They hurt, a lot of the time... and sometimes itchy.

<Shinobi> "How convenient for you, to have the pick of the litter. Not everyone is so fortunate."

<Hope> "No, no they aren't. But I finally have some control over my life and I'm going to use it."

<Shinobi> That shut him up, and he pulled a tee over his head, taking a moment before he looked back at her.

<Hope> "Look... I know it looks so awesome. But I can't do much. As a kid... well I have shadows everywhere I go now. I can't go some places because people are always trying to kill me. Picking powers is sometimes the one thing I can control. So I do."

<Shinobi> Shinobi cleared his throat, attempted to meet her eyes, and failed. "I understand that..."

<Hope> Hope handed him his bottle of scotch back. "I know you do. I'm... out for awhile. So you can do... whatever it is you do with whatever she is to you."

<Shinobi> "You probably shouldn't leave, if your boyfriend is... questionable?" He took the bottle and frowned at it. "It is safe here. Especially for you."

<Hope> "I'll stay close," she promised. "I just... um. Need some air." When you are through.... you can push at my mind if it makes you feel better.

<Doreen> Doreen scampered up the stairs before she left to make sure she didn't get caught. Well that wasn't worth eavesdropping on.

<Shinobi> So I can find you? He smirked.

<Hope> She smirked back at him. As long as that telepath hasn't let the area... I'll keep the power active.

<Shinobi> Shinobi had his own ideas about this, so he nodded, once. "Enjoy your air then." Apparently he was going to enjoy some ice cream, perhaps with scotch.
Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
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Re: Christmas 2017: Doreen

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> "What happened to this coffee pot?" Sebastian rather suspected he knew, but it was possible one of the other household occupants had changed the settings. He tinkered with it, raising the lid to look inside as if the water were at fault.

<Hope> "It wasn't making coffee fast enough in this soberlation you have me in." Hope informed him, digging through the cabinets. This place sucked on food options.

<Shaw> "Sober is for the best right now, love." He looked over at her, then back to his coffee machine. "What did you do to it?" he asked suspiciously.

<Hope> "When you give me back the key to the liquor, I'll tell you." Hope told him with a glare. "It's not really good for anyone. You know that right?"

<Jessica> Jess felt much better after her epic nap and, after pulling on some clothes, she shuffled up the stairs to the sound of voices. "What's going on....?"

<Hope> "Your husband is an ass." Hope told her, slamming the cabinet.

<Shaw> "Well, that's a well known fact." He turned his attention to Jess and moved over to her to give her a kiss.

<Jessica> Jess blinked at her, looking between the two of them, "Um... why? What did he do?"

<Hope> "Keeping me and scotch apart. Nobody is amused." She ran her hand through her hair.

<Shaw> "I took away her scotch." He smirked.

<Jessica> "Ah... well... probably for the best? Why are you here? Not that it's not great... but..." she wrinkled her nose.

<Hope> Hope swallowed and shot Sebastian a look. Then went back to her hunt for contraband.

<Shaw> "Hope's going to be staying with us for a while." Sebastian slid his arms around Jess and rested his forehead against her. She had a fight with Nord... when she told him about the incident that occurred when my memory was altered. Tony is out of the country, and she shouldn't be alone.

<Jessica> Oh... she has the worst timing ever... She chewed her lip again, "Okay... but... where are we putting her?"

<Shaw> I know, I'm sorry, koibito. He kissed her temple and straightened up. "My workroom? I do have that sleeper sofa."

<Hope> "I won't be here long," she promised. Again. "Just.... as soon as Tony gets home I'll go to DC." She closed the cabinet. At least he didn't hide the liquor.

<Jessica> "Is that a good idea? All those tempting projects...?" She went to the kettle and flicked the switch. "Who's hungry?"

<Hope> "What tempting projects?" Hope asked, suddenly interested.

<Jessica> Jess just pointed at Hope because she was demonstrating her point.

<Shaw> "It's all right, I trust her..." He watched her from the side of his eye as he said this. "At least I think I do."

<Hope> "I work better with scotch," she pointed out.

<Jessica> "No one works better with scotch, that's the point... at least I thought that was the point of alcohol..." She opened the fridge and investigated the contents. "What shall we have for dinner?"

<Shaw> Sebastian tipped his head to the side, since he rather worked better with scotch as well.

<Hope> Hope just gave Jess a crazy look. "Yes. Yes they do."

<Shaw> "So, dinner... what would you like, Hope?"

<Hope> "Scotch. Scotch. And for dessert, some scotch with Splenda."

<Jessica> Jess wrinkled her nose, "Noooo that's not food."

<Hope> "Then I'm not hungry." She crossed her arms over her chest.

<Shaw> "Splenda?" He made a face. "That's... blasphemy."

<Jessica> "I'm ignoring it. Real sugar or get out," Jess threw Sebastian a grin, knowing full well that wasn't the part the bothered him.

<Hope> Frustrated, Hope just sighed. Maybe she had packed a bottle? She should check her bag.

<Shaw> Sebastian laughed. "Come on, Hope. Humor me."

<Jessica> "Dinner! What do you want? Answer now or you'll have to eat what I want to eat and I'm pregnant so...."

<Hope> "Fine. Pizza." Pizza sounded somewhat doable at least.

<Shaw> He looked at Jess, and even attempted a beseeching expression.

<Jessica> Jess sighed, closing the fridge, "Fiiiine... but I'm baking because otherwise I'll be bored."

<Shaw> "Excellent. Hope can help you."

<Hope> What was wrong with these people!? Hope just stared at him. "What?!"

<Jessica> "Oh! We can make brownies!" Jess moved remarkably quickly given her size to the cupboard with the baking ingredients.

<Shaw> "What?" He grinned. "I'll sort your accommodations, my dear."

<Hope> "I don't eat cooked brownies! And you are not leaving me alone to cook!" She rounded on Sebastian.

<Jessica> "Well we can make two lots and we'll only cook one - you can eat the other one."

<Shaw> "You aren't alone... you're with Jess." His smile just grew. "And I'll order the pizza. Meat?"

<Hope> Hope held the sides of her temples, trying to even out her breathing agian. "Stop being nice to me," she told them softly.

<Jessica> Jess paused, looking over her shoulder at Hope, "Uh... bad girl, go to your room?"

<Hope> Hope looked at her in the most bizarre way, then laughed.

<Shaw> Wondering if this was some bizarre new version of their 'dark and twisty' code, Sebastian just found his stash of carryout menus.

<Hope> Hope placed her hands down on the counter, looking down between them. "I don't deserve you guys being nice. Ok? That's all."

<Jessica> He knew what she liked on her pizza so she turned her attention back to the cupboards, "Want to put chocolate chips in them?" Hope was being silly so she decided to ignore that too.

<Hope> "Is that even a question?" Hope pointed out to Jess.

<Jessica> Jess took out the packet and set it on the counter with the other things, "I also want to make pastry... but I don't know what to put in it."

<Hope> "Rum." Hope offered with a grin.

<Jessica> Jess wrinkled her nose, "Pregnant."

<Hope> "It cooks off!" She protested, laughing.

<Shaw> Sebastian moved behind Hope and kissed the top of her head. "So, pizza with every meat, and perhaps you should put meat in the pastry as well." He strolled past to Jess and cocked his head. "I'll order a vegetable one for you and our... other guest."

<Jessica> "Thank you..." she leaned to press a kiss to his cheek, "Now get out of the way."

<Hope> Hope made a face. She didn't want to think about what Shinobi and that guest were doing.

<Jessica> "I can make a meat pie.... Oh!" She had an idea now, "It's Christmas, minced meat pies!"

<Hope> "Why does that sound disgusting?" Hope questioned, staying well away from all that cooking over there.

<Jessica> "Because you have no idea how amazing they are?" Jess started pulling down other things.

<Shaw> Pizza ordered, Sebastian slid his phone into his pocket and came back, sitting on the ledge to the side of the kitchen to watch them. "Have I had that before? As in, have you made that before?"

<Jessica> "Tiny pies with dried fruit inside, yes I have." Jess smiled at him.

<Shaw> Sebastian just nodded to this revelation, trying to pretend as if he remembered.

<Hope> Hope wanted nothing to do with that cooking.... but brownie batter was appealing. She cautiously approached the bowl, like it might explode on her, and picked it up to continue the process.

<Jessica> Jess started tossing aforementioned dried fruit into a bowl with some brown sugar and other nice smelling things.

<Shaw> Once she got the spices out, he did remember it. The potpourri pies. Oh dear. "I'll be right back." He started for the stairs to check his workroom for things Hope could potentially break.

<Hope> It didn't take Hope long to mix up the batter.... and sit on the counter, starting to eat it.

<Jessica> Jess was enjoying making the pies and the pastry, she went to the oven to start it heating up before she started to fill the pies.

<Christopher> Chris got in to the Tesla Roadster he was renting to test it out and texted Hope to see if she was ready for him to come get her for dinner. Well it's interesting enough for an electric car.

<Hope> Hope pulled out her phone, seeing Chris face pop up. She didn't even get to read it as the phone dropped from her hands onto the floor.

<Jessica> Jess looked over at Hope, frowning a little in concern, "You okay?"

<Hope> "Yeah um. Just slipped." She offered, carefully setting the bowl down on the counter beside her. did she want to read it? She stared at the phone on the floor. Where was Shinobi? She could make him read it! No, that was weird. She could read it. Totally. She swallowed and slid off the counter.

<Jessica> Jess watched her as a glob of the mixture she was filling the pies with dripped off her spoon and onto the floor with a satisfying splat.

<Hope> She picked it up, checking it for cracks. Satisfied it was in one piece, Hope scratched the back of her head. Realizing Jess was watching her, she slowly dropped her hand. With a few presses, she had the text pulled up.

<Jessica> Jess looked down at the pie filling that had narrowly missed her bare foot.

<Hope> "He... wants to know if I'm ready for dinner?" Hope glanced over to Jess, baffled.

<Jessica> "Tell him yes, you're having pizza and he can go get his own." She went to get some paper towels to wipe up the mixture from the floor.

<Shaw> Sebastian heard the exchange from upstairs and thundered down the steps. Jess was on the floor, and Hope was on her phone. "Nord?"

<Hope> Hope certainly wasn't saying that. She nodded at Sebastian in the doorway. "Who else? Drake?"

<Shaw> "Love, if you don't want to speak to him, you don't have to." He moved over to help Jess clean up her ... smelly fruit.

<Jessica> Jess let him take the paper towel and straightened up again, going back to filling the pies.

<Hope> She felt a rush of different emotions as she processed the text message. Was she ready for dinner? He hadn't even spoken to her since he had walked out and now he wanted dinner? Ut oh. Hope knew what that was code for.

<Hope> She ran her fingers through her hair, shaking slightly. What was she going to do? What was she supposed to do. She didn't know how to respond to that! "He's breaking up with me. He wants to go to dinner. That's what he's doing."

<Jessica> Jess chewed her lip, looking down at Sebastian before tracking back up to Hope.

<Christopher> Chris sent her another text that he wasn't mad at her he just wanted to talk and that he'd made reservations at her favorite place in boston. He started up the engine and took off remembering he didn't know where Sebastian and Jess lived.

<Hope> "Dinner at my favorite place... of course he isn't mad and just wants to talk. In public. Where I can't made a scene." Hope threw her phone to the other room. Nope! Not dealing with that. Nope!

<Shaw> Sebastian watched the phone sail past.

<Jessica> Jess watched the phone fly, "Uh... okay... well... I guess that's that..."

<Christopher> At the first stop he looked at his phone and frowned when she hadn't texted him back. 'Babe? You okay....? I need to know where Shaw lives so I can pick you up.'

<Shaw> Sebastian went and picked up the phone, thumbing across to read the message. His eyebrow quirked up. "He wants to know where I live."

<Hope> "I bet he does...." Hope swallowed hard.

<Jessica> "Do you want one of us to speak to him instead?"

<Shaw> "I'll do it." He frowned at the phone, then looked at Hope. "If you wish."

<Hope> "Oh like that's a good idea," Hope snapped, then quickly felt bad. "I'm sorry... no. I don't think either of you should." But she didn't want to either. Where was Doreen!?

<Shaw> "It's fine, Hope. Perhaps... if you think speaking to me would make things worse, he might prefer Jessica?"

<Hope> "No way am I sending your pregnant wife to fight my battles." Hope hopped off the counter, but leaned back against it.

<Shaw> "Well, I meant to call him..."

<Jessica> "Or you can let one of us text him the address so you can tell him to go away in person? ... But I can totally smack him for you if you want... or make him scream like a girl." Pheromones were fun.

<Hope> "I guess text him the address... I'll figure out something to say."

<Shaw> Sebastian frowned, but did as he was told, texting the boy nothing but the address and resisting the urge to add anything.

<Christopher> Chris got the address and plugged it into the GPS so he could find his way to the house. For a new car this is a pretty nice one. The next light he texted her that he'd be there in about fifteen to twenty minutes.

<Shaw> "Well, our pizza will arrive before he will. Twenty minutes at the most." Sebastian debated handing her back her phone, but it could face further abuse, so he leaned on the kitchen counter and set it beside him.

<Jessica> Time to get those pies in the oven! She put the lids on and slid the tray in.

<Hope> Hope didn't know what to do. She glanced between them, awkwardly. She shouldn't have come here. She moved to Jess once her hands were free and pulled her into a hug.

<Jessica> Jess resisted the urge to flail in alarm at the surprise hug and managed to return it, eying Sebastian over Hope's shoulder. What just happened?

<Shaw> He suppressed a laugh, but was still far too amused by Jess' expression. She called me dad earlier, love, so we'll chalk it up to extreme stress and forced sobriety.

<Hope> "I'm sorry," she told her softly. "For so much. I've been a terrible friend. I should fix that." She let Jess go.

<Jessica> Jess shook her head, "Don't worry about it, I've not been great either... all water under the bridge," she gave her a smile.

<Hope> Hope gave her a weak smile. "Can I?" she motioned to Jess' stomach.

<Shaw> He watched them with a faint smile.

<Jessica> Jess nodded, taking Hope's hand and placing it on the bump where Hope would feel the movement.

<Hope> She laughed through some tears, smiling softly. "That's so weird."

<Jessica> "Yep... and it's a pain sometimes when you're trying to sleep or not go to the bathroom every five minutes..." Plus funny things were happening with her powers.

<Shaw> "But it's also remarkable, really..." He smiled, trying not to think about how much time Jess spent in the bathroom.

<Christopher> Chris got to the place and frowned a little. He really didn't want to see Sebastian. He wanted to break his face all over the pavement but he could be the bigger man for Hope. Carefully, Chris parked the rented car and went to the door to knock.

<Hope> "Pizza!" The mood was broken by that knock.

<Jessica> Jess laughed, "I would race you to the door but... it's a struggle to get through doorways."

<Shaw> The proximity alarm beeped and he pulled his phone from his pocket and frowned at the security camera image. "No, I'm afraid not..."

<Hope> That news sobered Hope right back up. "Can I have scotch NOW?" She begged.

<Shaw> "Do you want to see him? Or shall I tell him no?"

<Jessica> Jess captured Hope's hand again. No one was having scotch.

<Hope> "No! Wait... Yes... I need to deal with this. I just..." She tried to breath evenly, holding onto the counter. "I'm good." She tied to extract herself from Jess so she could go to the door.

<Shaw> "All right." He could hear Widget downstairs, and flicked his phone to authorize him to open the door. "Do you want me to come with you?"

<Christopher> Chris waited at the door patiently. He adjusted his coat with a shiver it was cold outside. Please answer Hope...

<Jessica> Jess let her go but followed behind her, she was feeling protective - probably the mom hormones.

<Shinobi> Headphones on again, he thought he heard something from upstairs and looked at Doreen.

<Doreen> Doreen kissed his cheek and pulled his attention back to the screen. "You don't wanna go up there."

<Widget> The robot unlocked the door and opened it, burbling quietly at the man on the steps.

<Hope> Hope stopped where she could see the door, too scared to open it. Her future was on the other side of that door. The thought was overwhelming. As Widget opened it, fear flooded Hope.

<Christopher> Chris just stared at the robot. "What are you...."

<Jessica> Jess' anxiety levels went up with Hope's and she tried to stuff it back down again.

<Shaw> Both women were making him edgy, and Sebastian edged in front of Jess on the stairs, taking her hand.

<Widget> Cocking his head, he whistled and opened the door further, gesturing the man inside and running a quiet scan.

<Jessica> Jess gave Sebastian's hand a squeeze, I'm okay... I think...

<Christopher> Chris cautiously entered the foyer completely expecting a trap from Sebastian, maybe a drop floor that ended in a pool of acid.

<Hope> Hope's hands fidgeted as she stood there, trying to work up her nerve. She latched onto Shinobi's mind. His was comforting. Similar. Tell me I'm not a bad person. Please. Tell me I'm not. She stared at Chris, unable to move.

<Shaw> Sebastian reached the foyer first and turned to make sure Jess was well. He looked up at Hope, who seemed... frozen. Turning to Nord and squeezing Jess' hand, he cleared his throat. "Good evening, Mr. Nord."

<Christopher> "Shaw...." Chris had to force out. "Nice place." He squeezed his keys in his pocket to keep him from doing something stupid.

<Shinobi> It was very likely she was right, but he'd freed one ear to listen upstairs anyway. When he heard a voice in his head he let out a startled squeak.

<Jessica> Jess heard the noise downstairs and looked down at the floor before looking back up at Chris and moving a little closer to Hope.

<Shaw> "Thank you." Sebastian gave Nord a once-over. He did look... well, more normal than he'd ever seen, actually.

<Doreen> Doreen giggled and rolled her eyes at him. "You're so cute."

<Shinobi> I don't think you're a bad person... why would you think that? He sat up, wondering what was going on now. "Can you hear what's going on up there?"

<Christopher> Chris looked past the target of his own rage and saw his girlfriend. "Hey Hope." He gave her a small wave.

<Hope> Because she was. She shifted a little to look at him. "Chris." I just... needed to hear it.

<Doreen> "Someone named Nord is up there? And him and Sebastian are talkingish?" Doreen snuggled up to him she was kinda cold.

<Christopher> "You ready? Or do you want me to push back our reservation?" He smiled a little more, it had only been a little while but he had missed her, more from only seeing her for a few minutes after her return from Alaska.

<Shaw> As fascinatingly awkward as this was, it would take all night at this rate. "Hope, whatever you want to do, we're here... for you." He gave Nord another glance.

<Hope> She stared at him. Really? Really!? She brought one finger up, then dropped it. "You don't talk to me and then you want to go to dinner? You can say whatever it is you need to say here."

<Jessica> Jess felt a flash of rage that wasn't her own, and her eyes narrowed a little at Chris. She was also varying degrees of anxious and there was something else she couldn't put her finger on.

<Shinobi> His heart rate picked up, for no reason he could tell. "I think I might puke..." Yet he tightened his arm around Doreen.

<Christopher> Chris swallowed a little. "I needed time to process." Chris wondered if he was allowed to move over to her or if Sebastian would stop him. "Can we talk in private then?"

<Hope> Hope had to cut the link to Shinobi. She couldn't maintain that and her emotions with no liquor in her system. "They both have enhanced hearing. Save yourself the trouble."

<Jessica> "In this house? Good luck with that." Jess almost laughed.

<Doreen> "You puke on me and I'll kill you. You have no idea how long it takes to get that out of fur." She didn't move though and started to rub his back.

<Shaw> I think I need a drink, he sent to Jess, wondering if he should shield himself from their link just for a while. Sebastian rested his hand on her belly.

<Jessica> Have one for me too.... She was trying not to hold on to the emotions she didn't recognise as her own but she was getting confused.

<Shinobi> As suddenly as the feeling came it was gone and he gasped. Still, he'd broken out in a cold sweat. "What the fuck was that?"

<Doreen> She gave him a concerned look. "Are you okay? Do you want me to get Jessica or your Dad?"

<Shinobi> That was the last thing he wanted, so he groaned and waved her away, flopping over to bury his face in the pillow.

<Doreen> She gave his back a gentle rub. "Water?"

<Hope> "I already know what you want. You didn't need to drive all the way over here just to do it!" Jess shouldn't be here. She turned to look at her. She couldn't ask her to leave her own house! This was a nightmare. Where was a teleporter?!

<Christopher> "Hope...I want to talk to my girlfriend and take her to dinner. That's it, no hidden messages or anything like that. I guess that is if you still want me."

<Jessica> Jess felt another flash of anger and frustration that didn't belong to her and she reached to put a hand on Hope's arm, deciding that she was the source.

<Hope> "Don't try to put this on me. Well. I guess it is on me." She jumped at the touch on her shoulder. "I'm a terrible girlfriend. We've always known this! You didn't want to date in the first place! I forced it on you, and now look where we are!?" She started to feel herself calm down. Which was nice.

<Shaw> Sebastian watched this exchange quietly.

<Christopher> It finally clicked in his head what she was thinking. "I'm not trying to break up with you Hope. I just don't want to talk about this in front of other people.” Especially not Sebastian but he kept that to himself. "If you were terrible you would have left me when I was a monster. You could have and I wouldn't have blamed you. I fucked up so massively I never expected you to stay with me.”

<Jessica> Her touch seemed to be having the desired effect and lessening the emotional turmoil in Hope and easing the stress on Jess, herself.

<Hope> "You left me. You weren't there for me at all." She told him, now in a much calmer voice.

<Jessica> "You know," Jess interjected, "You may have had your time to process but, maybe, Hope hasn't finished. Why don't you leave it for now and come back after the holidays..."

<Christopher> "I was a fucking idiot and I drove you away because I was too stupid to realize what I was doing.... Not even the shit they did to me makes up for not being there when you needed me." Chris mind flashed to the tortures that were all coming back to him.

<Hope> "Yeah. You're right." Hope took a step away from Jess, finally figuring that one out. She needed her own emotions. Not planted ones. "Our entire relationship has been one fight after another. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of fighting." She thought about what Jess said. "And maybe I just need time... for me. Without anyone telling me what I should think or feel!"

<Christopher> "Yeah...?" Chris frowned a little. "I can give you time Hope. I'm sorry I wasn't worth shit as a boyfriend."

<Shaw> Sebastian shifted his weight, arm sliding protectively around Jess. And perhaps a stint in AA, and some therapy. I wonder if I can get a two for one discount with Shinobi's therapist.

<Hope> "And how much time are you willing to give?" She wanted something to throw at him for that last part.

<Jessica> If you don't ask, you don't get.... Jess leaned in to him a little as she dropped her hand to her belly when Hope drew away.

<Shaw> I believe that's an excellent plan then. He turned toward Jess and kissed her cheek.

<Christopher> "Whatever you need. All I want is a chance to make you happy and if you need me to stay away I can do that." He was breaking inside but he wasn't going to let them know that, especially not Sebastian.

<Hope> She looked down at the stairs. Is that what she wanted? No. But was it what she needed? Most likely. She nodded. "Okay."

<Jessica> Jess watched Chris, wishing she was as good at reading body language as Viper. But maybe she didn't need that, she stared intently at him, trying to see if she could pick up any of his emotions like she seemed to have been doing with Sebastian lately, and now Hope.

<Christopher> "If you guys want my reservation I'm sure they'd let you add one more to the table." Chris swallowed and started towards the door. "Love you Hope." Chris let out as he stepped through the doorway, half hoping she wouldn't hear him.

<Hope> The problem with using Sebastian's power... was that she did. She sank down on the stairs, burying her face in her hand. You too she thought to herself.

<Shaw> And as the owner of the power, he certainly heard it and rolled his eyes. Wasn't this what he'd warned her about all along?

<Jessica> Jess was rather looking forward to pizza by now and she idly wondered where the delivery guy was. Maybe he'd sensed danger and hidden somewhere.

<Jessica> Threshold now clear and the heat draining from the house, Jess went to close the door behind their visitor.

<Hope> Hope headed for the liquor cabinet.

<Shaw> That was... interesting. Sebastian stopped Jess and leaned out to check for both Nord and the pizza man.

<Jessica> Yeah... for a multitude of reasons... Jess frowned at the outside world.

<Doreen> "I think Hope broke up with her boyfriend or some random man... I don't know."

<Shaw> Raising an eyebrow at Nord's car, he brightened immensely when he saw the pizza delivery man. "I'm not tipping him. He's late."

<Jessica> "I'm going to check on the pies... and Hope..." she turned back for the stairs.

<Shinobi> "Oh yeah?" Right now, he wasn't sure he cared, since he still felt ... weird. Jumpy. Upset?

<Doreen> She kissed his back as she rubbed it. "Yeah pretty sure."

<Shinobi> "That's nice." He groaned and buried his face in the pillow again.
Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
Nightscrawlearth Character: :icey :phoenix

Re: Christmas 2017: Doreen

Post by Slarti »

<Doreen> Doreen sat on her bed, book in hand, thumbing through the pages slowly. She was avoiding anywhere but her room and the dungeon after the craziness with Hope.

<Jessica> Jess ventured up to Doreen's room with the remainder of the brownies and mince pies and a couple of mugs of hot chocolate. She knocked on the door, already secure in the knowledge that Shinobi was downstairs.

<Doreen> "Coming." Doreen hopped up and moved to the door to open it. "Oh hi Jessica." She smiled.

<Jessica> Jess smiled back, lifting the tray, "I brought sweet things. Can I come in?"

<Doreen> "Yeah anytime, it's your house." Doreen took the tray from her to help. "How are you doing, Jessica? That was, uhmm, a little heated. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop I can just hear a lot...."

<Jessica> "I'm fine, we all are," She stepped inside and closed the door, "Hard not to hear something that's happening right above you, if anyone knows that it's me."

<Doreen> "Yeah. It bothered Shinobi I think. He was acting strange."

<Jessica> Jess made a mental note to check on Shinobi later. She took a seat on the end of Doreen's bed, "He'll be okay."

<Doreen> "Yeah I'm sure. He's a big boy." Doreen sat the tray on the nightstand and gave Jess one of the mugs.

<Jessica> Jess wrapped her hands around the mug, tugging at the corner of her lip with her teeth, "Yeah..." This was awkward. She wasn't sure how to say what she wanted to say without coming right out and saying it but that would hurt Doreen's feelings. Maybe she should have asked Sebastian to do this.

<Doreen> Doreen sipped at her hot chocolate and joined Jessica on the bed. "Mmm this is good."

<Jessica> "I'm glad you like it," she offered Doreen a smile, "And I'm glad you feel at home here... but, and please don't take this the wrong way... don't you think it's time you go back to the school now? I'm not trying to throw you out or anything just... we have a baby on the way and you have school... classes you're missing out on..."

<Doreen> "Yeah... I was talking to Shinobi about that. I'm sorry if I'm in your guys' hair too much." Doreen frowned. "I really really appreciate everything you and Sebastian have done for me. I don't really want to move back but I planned on going back after the break." She bit her lip, she hadn't told Shinobi that part.

<Jessica> "I understand that you don't want to... But it's better for you there. You need friends your own age... Sebastian and I are going to have our hands full with the baby and you won't get any sleep which won't do your studies any good."

<Doreen> "Mmmhm. I'll miss you guys though." She frowned, she really did like being around Jessica and Sebastian they were nice to her.

<Jessica> "It's not like you'll never see us - we visit the school all the time. I would have thought you'd be sick of us by now..."

<Doreen> "Pfft you guys are great. And...." She hid behind her mug. "I never really had a mother."

<Jessica> Jess blinked at her, not really sure how to take that. She wasn't that much older than the girl... "Doreen...."

<Doreen> "I know, you've just been taking care of me and you and Sebastian are married and it's yeah... I'll stop talking." She bit her lip. "I am going to miss all this."

<Jessica> "I don't know what to say... I'm flattered but... I'm not really qualified... I shouldn't take that role... I'm just trying to be a good friend..."

<Doreen> "Yes you are. You rescued me when you barely knew me. You took me in and let me stay here. You tried to teach me how to cook. And now you're bringing me sweets to try and make up for bad news." Doreen gave Jessica a warm smile. "You're the best."

<Jessica> "Thanks...." She returned the smile, "I'm glad I'm doing a good job... And soon I hope to bring the cooking lessons up to the school... first, though, I need a car... and less baby bump."

<Doreen> Doreen laughed a little. "And a babysitter." She carefully hugged Jessica. "Am I still allowed to, uhmm, come see Shinobi?" She knew that Jessica didn't approve of them but she liked him a lot.

<Jessica> "I suppose so... but you should call first... due date's only a month away so we might not be here... anything could happen."

<Doreen> "Mmhm. I can do that. I know you don't like us doing things... but I like him. And he's nice to me." Doreen sipped at her cocoa, trying to distract herself.

<Jessica> "I know... it's just... I brought you here because of what happened to you... and you were all for trying to improve your life and I'm worried about you because you just jumped into bed with the next person you met... you don't know anything about him, not really... and I don't know that it's good for either of you... not in the long run..."

<Doreen> "We went on an actual date... I'm trying Jess." She bit her lip and stared at her feet. Doreen was trying to think of how to defend them. "I know what he did.... he told me. But I know he's not a bad person."

<Jessica> "He's not a bad person, I'm not saying that... What I'm saying is that he's very lost... he doesn't know himself either. He needs time to find out who he is... and so do you... you can't do that in a relationship..."

<Doreen> "What if I don't want to do this alone...." Doreen didn't want to make Jessica mad but she didn't want to end things with Shinobi.

<Jessica> "Doreen... I know it's scary but you can't go through life always relying on other people. You have to learn how to look after yourself... because you never know when the rug will be pulled out from under your feet."

<Doreen> "I'm not relying on Shinobi. I enjoy spending time with him and he makes me happy. I think I make him happy too..."

<Jessica> "But you're tying yourselves to each other... don't you see that? You want this to work out so badly that you don't see it might not and you won't accept it when it happens... He's not ready for this... and neither are you."

<Doreen> "Actually he said we should just keep it casual for now. That's another reason I thought that I should go back to school. I told you I'd take things slower Jess. I'm just not too good at saying no to myself." She turned her face away, for once in her life being shy about sex.

<Jessica> "Then keep it casual... don't call it a relationship..." she reached to take Doreen's hand, "I think the space would be good for you both."

<Doreen> Doreen decided just to concede to Jessica because she knew she wasn't going to give up. "Yeah I've got a lot to make up for too, probably going to be pretty busy with make up work...."

<Jessica> "And you definitely don't want to be doing that with a screaming baby around," Jess pointed out.

<Doreen> "Pfft I bet you'll keep that baby too happy for it to cry." She gave Jessica another big smile. "I really really do appreciate everything you did for me."

<Jessica> "I know... and you're welcome. I'll still help when I can, you can ask for help whenever you need it."

<Doreen> "Pfft you'll have a baby to focus on. I think I'll be able to handle myself, maybe." Doreen finished her cocoa and set it down.

<Jessica> "Well, if there is anything... don't feel like you can't ask, that's all I'm saying." She gave her a smile, getting to her feet, "I'll leave you to.... whatever it is you're doing now..."

<Doreen> "Just a little reading. I like history and you guys have a pretty awesome library." She gave Jessica a small wave. "Thanks Jessica."

<Jessica> "Yeah we do, but I prefer fiction," she went to the door, "See you at breakfast."

<Doreen> "Mmhm I'll make sure not to make too many goo goo eyes at Shinobi." She teased Jessica a little. "Night."
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