alderwitch

"Now, Mike, I know you are thinking bad thoughts," Alex giggled as she backed slowly away from him, stumbling through the snow drifts, "What about a truce? King's X? Lunch time?"

And even for the guilty, prison is a very, very hard place. We don't rehabilitate, we punish and for that it is remarkabally and brutally effective. I'll try and keep my political leanings out but say I am sad to see one more thing added to the list of freedoms stripped away in prison, especially something so very harmless.

Psyche's soft cry of despair was almost buried under the crackling thunder of the beam that pierced Young Freedom's toughest member. For those that heard it, however, it was a wail of the utterly bereft as Mike vanished from her thoughts. Blinking the threat of tears that might cloud her vision away, Psyche forced herself to lift leaden hands as she stopped still on the trail. Alex whispered hoarsely with all the horror of any one who had heard of the Terminous Invasion, "Omega drones. He said that there are Omega Drones." Before Phalanx had dropped more than a half a dozen feet, she caught his body and whipped it back to the group on the ground so fast that it was little more than a gold and blue blur.

If you can't fly, alex will catch him with her perception tk. In the middle of her panic attack ;)

Dark Star was not the only hero able to extend his senses, although hers were soley visual. Phantom's eyes glowed white as she turned her face away from her companions to search visually for their quarry.

"That's why I haven't called earlier. We've been trying to decide that." Taylor forced a breath that she really didn't need. Drawing on the comforting solidarity of Jack's silent presence she soldiered on, "We're keeping him, but that means we can't let a lot of people know. Not only would the vampires be after the baby, and me, but there are hunters who would be just as focused on our demise. It could make the attack at the wedding pale in comparison if it got out of hand."

"More than a little crazy," Taylor said, a reluctant smile in her voice. She continued to play with Jack's hair as she added, "Jack thinks its time to circle the wagons. We are having a baby, so says the good doctor, but of course because it's us, it's complicated."

"And everyone says I'm the one who's sixteen going on forty-five. Don't be so serious, Mike. Of course its important to be ready. It isn't anything you wanna regret but there's a lot of steps between here and there to enjoy. It certainly isn't anything to fret over." She patted his large hand affectionately. Nibbling on her pizza crust, she shrugged and asked curiously, "Are you getting razzed about being a virgin? 'Cause its prolly guys covering their own insecurities, you know."

Taylor gave him a curious look at his sudden request but shrugged and agreed, "I should call Stesha. I haven't wanted to really talk to anyone until we'd set on a course of action. Anyone else you'd like to invite over?" Taylor added the last as she stood to dig in her pocket for the cell phone. Jack had a phone on his desk, of course, but thet was generally for work and not a number Stesha knew, or even really should know. She flipped the phone open and punched the number in before lifting it to her ear. As it rang, she rested her free hand gently on Jack's hair, her fingertips idly playing through the dark strands in casual carress.

"Well, of course," Alex said, as if that was a given. She blew out a puff of air in a huffy sigh, "But you still think you're pressuring me when you're not. If anything, I'm totally the temptress here." Alex wiggled her brows at him like the villian in some vaudvillian routine but ruined the effect somewhat with the grin she couldn't repress.

"Well, maybe not ten years," Alex giggled at his shifting expressions again. "But I'd rather you not feel guilty about whatever we do. I am more than capable of stopping things if I'm uncomfortable. Not to mention that you do have a direct line to my head." She pushed the reformed glass to him, nodding to the soda machine to indicate he should refill his drink.

In hindsight, she should have held onto his hands just a bit longer. With a sigh, she reached out to touch the shards of the glass. Under her fingertips, the fragments reassembled and fused back together. Once the cup was whole once more, Alex retrieved her hand. She watched him clumsily mop the spill, his cheeks flagged with red and smiled indulgently. Alex loved him so but she still couldn't help teasing him occasionally. His reactions were adorable and dear. She took pity on him, taking the towel from his hands before he could wear a hole in the table. "Of course," Alex replied with a gentle smile, "I mean, I am a telepath with a direct line to your brain. I know your love for me isn't chaste anymore and I don't want it to be. I'm not in any hurry to get to the 'big finale', but I also know that's something we're going to do together and when we do, it'll be wonderful too. If its next week or the next decade, it really doesn't matter, you know? I'm not in a rush but I'm not afraid of it either. I mean, I've always known it was going to be with you." A little frown pleated her brows as she paused to ask, "Does that make sense?"

Alex laughed as his face turned beet red and he began to stammer and backpedal. Her eyes twinkled as she caught his flailing hands, "Careful there, you'll go too far and make me concerned that you're not interested in me 'that way', despite this afternoon's evidence to the contrary." Once she was more certain a casual gesture on his behalf wouldn't splinter the table, she released his hands and returned to her meal with a delicate shrug and a sideways, teasing glance, "Maybe I like the idea of being your nightlight."

"I think my glowy aura will keep my toes from being bruised." Alex said with a sigh as she waved her hands to generate the sparkly trail of her always on power. "It'd be nice if it wasn't quite so noticable, I have to say. Oh, well." She was hardly the most obvious Claremont student but occasionally the curious looks grew draining.

"Plus, it'd be fun and something we could do just us. I mean, its awesome having the friends we do and Claremont is a great place but I miss hanging out at home with just the two of us. Especially with the dorm rules about curfew and after hours," Alex complained mildly. She wasn't one to break rules, especially ones she understood but that didn't mean she approved of the separation.

"Ooooh, like ballroom?" Alex lit up at the thought. Of course, the idea of learning anything new usually brightenened her day but there was definately something appealing about the idea of waltzing around in Mike's arms. She blushed a little but grinned at him, "I think that's definately more my speed than trying to keep up with Zoe and Eddie."

"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard. You're the coordinated one of the two of us." Alex chuckled and shook her head at him enough to rustle her curls, "I'm far more likely to be clutzy and stomp on your feet or something."

Alex giggled, packing a light ball of snow between her mittened hands. She watched the boys run round and round for a second or two, her bright eyes watching the pattern with uncanny intelligence. "Hey, Mike! She lobbed the snowball at him just as he looked up, catching him by surprise. It pffd harmlessly against his shoulder but Alex thrust both hands up in the touchdown gesture and declared through her laughter, "There can be only one!"

"I love you too, Mike," Alex said softly, her hazel eyes warm as they met his accross the table. Her lips curved in a sweet smile and she ran her fingertips over his palms once more in a gentle caress before she pulled away to return to her meal. Alex's eyes twinkled as she pointed out, "Here's where you tell me not to be maudlin. Okay, rather than ten years, how about you tell me about what you wanna do for the end of the year dance?"

Taylor was shaken out of her appalled 'why is he not dead' expression Grim's off hand mention of getting smacked around by the question of 'smelling' Colt. She shook her head with a quick laugh and said wryly, "No, I certainly haven't. Nor, despite the glowing recomendation, do I have any intention of smelling him in the future. I'll take your word for it." She fiddled with the straw of her drink although she hadn't taken a sip of the juice yet. Her expression was still amused as she tacked on, "I think there's probably some code of conduct about sniffing your friend's significant others that I wouldn't want to cross."

Alex's troubled expression gave way to a bright smile that was not unlike the sun coming out from behind the clouds. "I know that. At least, my head does. Even with a direct line to your brain, I still have worries and doubts. I'm still human, after all. Despite vast, cosmic power." She threaded her fingers through his and glanced down to their linked hands. Her hands looked so fragile when cradled by his big, blunt tipped fingers. She splayed her fingertips out on his palms idly, tracing the faint webbing of the creases that criss-crossed his skin with a whisper light touch that almost tickled. "I can't help but plan and I can't help but fret occasionally when I play out scenarios in my big ol' brain. As unlikely as any of them might be they're still possible. Simply improbable."

Alex paused to take a sip of her soda. It was unlikely she was taking the time to think through her answer as the hazel eyes fixed on Mike's face were bright with an intelligence far older than the surrounding delicate features. "Sometimes, I'm not really sure I do. I know you so very well, Mike, as well as I know myself. I wonder, I think, sometimes if you had a choice, would you still choose me?" She fluttered her hands to forstall his interruption, "I know that you love me. I do. But I suppose that's why I wanted to not nudge you into anything because it was important to feel like you, you know, wanted me."

"Of course not," Alex deflected with a laugh before rounding on him, her expression pure mischeviousness as she neatly caught him in her verbal trap, "So, then, tell me your ten year plan. Where are we in ten years?"

Alex leaned into the fingertips that could pulp solid stone, her cheek all the more fragile for the comparison. She chided him gently, "Now, don't go all maudlin and 'great responsibility' on me. There's no cause to fall back into emo mode." Alex beamed at him to mitigate any of his disgruntlement, "'Sides, we have half of junior year and all of senior still to go."

Taylor returned the squeeze, smile still playing about her lips. She leaned forward to kiss him softly, her warm lips lingering against his before she pulled back. "Well, I'd say we've definately found something larger. All of the complications aside, you're going to be a father, Jack." It was both exhilarating and terrifying, really. In some ways, Taylor felt more comfortable with the supernatural end of the concerns. The idea of setting up a nursery and taking care of an infant - not as a doting aunt, but rather a responsible parent was more than a little daunting. Especially since this was a path she'd long assumed to be closed by her choices in life. "Its a little overwhelming, but I'm really alright. I have faith in us."