'Happy Birthday' (Delaney, Robin)

[Lovely]

Name: Delaney McQuade Alias Del Age/DOB Feb 14, 1982 Anniversary: with Robin Nance POWERS: Genetic Construct Enhanced/Altered on a cellular level Intended to be a 'super soldier Teleportation, Telekinesis, Energy Osmosis/Displacement, Telepathy, Heightened Reflexes, Speed, & Strength, Rapid Healing, Enhanced Reproductive System Children: Rubian (Father - Stacey Dalton) Sullivan (Father - Linus Booker) Anabelle (Father - Calvin Furnace) Raven & Altagracia (Father - Basil Conrad) Played by: Lovely created: 2001 likeness used: Alyssa Milano

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PIC HERE Name: Robert Nance Alias Robert, Robin Age/DOBJanuary 27, 1972 Anniversary: with Delaney McQuade POWERS:Plasma emission vision, Precognition, Seeker Played by: Tripp created:2007 likeness used:Sean Bean

[Lovely]

August 24, 2007
a street in Boulder

Late August and hot even in the shade, Nance wore his weathered windbreaker, hanging his hands in the pockets for something to do as he sat on the bench, waiting. Whatever he'd been waiting for, he'd been there waiting for almost two hours, watching the crowds pass by, sending out a carefree whistle at a few of the prettier ones, even one of the boys who'd earned it and turned to smile brightly and roll his eyes at the 'creepy old man' on the bench. Nance didn't care about being called names, not the ones he agreed with anyway. He watched people and those who wanted to be watched earned a closer look, especially those with things other people couldn't see like he did. The new school had its specialized clientele and he was only cashing in a few favors for a friend, keeping an eye out for a few of those special sheep who might have lost their way. Little Bo Peep for a day... that was him, on the bench... in the shade at least, debating about taking a break to step into the ice cream shop.

Delaney had been drawn to the area about a month before but hadn't been out and about much during the day to explore. She'd kept herself in shadows and crept around in the later hours of the night, staying in her hide out when she wasn't getting supplies or scoping out one thing or another. In the past couple days she'd poked out in the daylight and today found her on this street near this ice cream shop, she was meandering, exploring, keeping a low profile. She'd already decided she didn't care for the weather but the atmosphere was rich. A broken city, with a small population, a bit of a modern day ghost town, a handful of struggling businesses, lots of fear and despair, and other mutants haunting the streets. The police were a joke, under staffed and under trained to deal with the slow ebb of mutants into the area. The underground was stirring and for a fugitive this was nearly a perfect place to hide in the open. This particular area seemed more crowded than most and she appeared nomal so she blended in, strolling down the walkway as if she was just another average girl out to enjoy the day.

Distracted from sweets by something else sweet in his sights, Nance took notice of a small gathering, trying to pinpoint which it was that had caught his attention. There was the flash in his mind briefly that she would be there, someone in that group, then the flash of a more distinct face... and other features that made his carved expression set into a slight smile. He chuckled to himself and relaxed, watching the group disperse and a couple of the individuals split off to their own distractions around the shops. It was her, the brunette who walked alone, window shopping and stopping at the ice cream shop before he stood up. Maybe he only thought he wanted ice cream because she did. Crazy guy on the bench following her into the shop reeked of stalker accusations, so he stayed put for now, watching the doorway to see if the boyfriend showed up to meet her.

Del's head tilted just slightly and her lips curved into a small smile, is that so? She didn't show that she'd picked up on the guy sitting on the bench, she appeared to just have thought about something pleasant. Her hips swayed a little more as she turned into the ice cream shop, now that she wasn't surrounded by other people he'd get quite the view of her backside went she went in. Teasing him would be a pleasant distraction for a short time, she was thinking of buying and ice cream cone 'for him'.

Del bought the cone and exited the shop, still pretending not to notice the man, but stopping in his line of sight to enjoy her cone. She let him watch her tongue lap over it with deliberate strokes to taunt him from a distance as if she just thought the cone was so delicious.

Checking his watch like any impatient man at a mall, he looked around, not finding a stitch of the person he appeared to be waiting for. He gave an exasperated sigh, standing and stretching casually to get his own cone, passing behind the girl and giving her a glance as if to say exactly what he thought about her display. His thoughts, along with his fantasies of wanting to be that cone in such loving care were kept to himself. Man, Nance, you're hard up to be thinking it at all at your age. He thought better of the ice cream too, though he checked his watch again and poked his head in the shop to adjust it to the time on the wall before ducking back out, staying a few steps behind the girl.

She picked up on some of his thoughts and it made her wonder how old he was, not that it really mattered to a woman like herself. It wasn't like she was really interested, was she? That thought had Del wondering about herself.. she was free in the world now, she could let him be the cone and more if she wanted to. That was an odd revelation and she smiled a little, giving it some deeper thought as she walked on, ignoring him a little as if she didn't know he was following her and she simply loved ice cream cones. Giving it another slow lick, she sighed, shrugged and tossed it into a garbage can as she passed it. She'd made sure he had gotten a good show out of it and continued on her way still pretending not to know he was following. Something in a shop window caught her attention and she stopped there to admire a pair of boots and let him catch up with her if he wanted to.

The girl turned a little as he was about to decide to head past her... he wasn't following her, after all, was he?... when she stopped and so did his lungs a moment as she heartlessly discarded the rest of the cone in the trash. Not that he had any reason to take it personally, but he still felt the cold shudder of the sudden rejection. Get a hold of yourself, he scoffed at himself, trying not to object loudly and recover the rest of the treat. He opted for a more subtle approach. He did almost pass, but decided to stop. She was playing him, wasn't she? Well even if she wasn't... "Someone should have you arrested for indecency in public," he murmured quietly behind her.

"Only if I actually did what I was just thinking about.." She smiled a little, stroking her finger over the window, tracing the knee high boots in it.

"Oh, but you did. What was more criminal is how you casually ended that relationship with your sweet with a toss in the dumpster... really symbolic, huh?" He looked at the window dressing and where her eyes seemed focused. The boots would look... well he had a really good idea how they look with her just like he'd made a pretty good picture in his mind with the ice cream that was just a fantasy, too. "Wish list? I know... your birthday, and you're just hoping your boyfriend picks up the catalog on the coffee table that's doggeared to exactly what you want him to pick up on the way home, right?"

She smiled, chuckling softly as her fingers seemed to stop tracing and stroked the window as if reaching through it to pet the boots she was admiring. "Not my birthday and I don't have a boyfriend.. I just think the boots would look fantastic on me... with your cuffs and nothing else.." Her tongue ran over her lips and she sighed dreamily, catching her lower lip in her teeth as it glistened from the swipe before.

His hands had stayed in the pockets of his worn tan jacket and he gave no impression of being anything but a bystander, except to those who knew cops and PIs, or those who had reason to stay away from them and treated everyone like one. He shrugged. "Cuffs? That's a really pretty picture, but what would I really be bringing you in for? Guilty of being too pretty in public isn't really a charge that would stand up," he chuckled. He didn't seem the type to blush or get flustered easily. He looked back at the window. "So, what if it was just the boots? That wasn't an offer just anyone would throw out there."

"Awww I could go steal them and make it interesting.." She chuckled and finally turned partly to let him see more than her reflection. "I'm not just anyone... The boots would still look smashing even without the cuffs... if you're sure you don't wanna play.. with them.."

"You don't want to steal them. And cause a scene and all that fuss and rigamarole? C'mon, it's a nice day. Why ruin it with a flagrant and unnecessary ... was that another offer?" His eyes narrowed, focusing on the girl and a little deeper. If his suspicions were spot-on, what he had on his hands was not only a mutated hottie, but one giving the come-on right back? "Say I am a cop.. you're not soliciting me or giving me the heads up that you're really going in there for a grab, are you? Just my luck..." He sighed and leaned against the brick beside the glass. He hadn't wanted to go in to the office today, but it was looking pretty likely now.

The way she smiled at him should have made it clear, that she was offering him one heck of a dessert, ice cream optional. "It all depends... on you.." She countered, watching him lean and giving him a good look over. Older than she was, smart, experienced, damn good looking... she'd been on her own awhile now. It wasn't like she busted out and went all uber sl*t.. she'd laid low, found her way here and well it was looking like now was a good time to do some 'shopping'.

"On me? Uh huhn. And what if I went with you just to make sure they're paid for? Not that they wouldn't be... I'm not accusing you of a crime you haven't committed, of course. What happens after you get them? Where are you headed? Party? Club? Slumber party with the girls in class?"

"Mmm close but not quite.. I was more thinking.. it depends on how badly you want to see them on me.. you could play the boyfriend and we can pretend it's my birthday.." She moved closer to him as she spoke, smiling in a way that promised she'd show them off from every angle he could imagine and maybe a few he hadn't yet. "Mmm no party, no club.. just you, me and those boots.."

He looked at the price tag and sighed again. He went through the list of possible misdemeanors and other crimes his own rap sheet would list, but didn't find 'buying shoes' a terminable offense, unless they were white and it was before Easter. Clear on all counts, your honor. He chuckled after a moment. "What the hell. Happy Birthday... and what name will I put on your card?"

"Make it something cute like baby..." She laughed softly, leaning in to kiss him lightly, a small teasing taste of what was to come, the kiss was gentle and sensual. One hand lightly running over his cheek as she pulled away. "I go by Del.. Delaney.. "

[Lovely]

"I go by slap me stupid and don't wake me cuz I'm enjoying this dream. Or just Robin for short," he said with pause. He couldn't help but lick his lip, smiling and tasting the bit of flavor left from her cone. "Thank you, Delaney. Why don't we go see how those boots look on, hm?" The tingle told him a few things more to confirm his suspicion - no ordinary kiss and she was no normal girl. He was a pawn in a strange game being played out before him. Being friendly was about as heinous as being pretty, though he could bring her in on assault... if he could admit he wasn't party to enjoying it and wanting to find out the rest of her game. Not yet - see what would happen.

"That's catchy.. " She teased about the name he'd given and smiled a little for the supposed nickname. Robin, hmm but he was no little bird, smart man, not easily played, he could be useful. More than a moment? "I say you might get to be the real thing if you keep it up.." She shifted around him, slowly wrapping herself around his waist, her smile teasing him more as she nodded toward the door of the store.

"If you only knew," he smirked. She was entangling him and he was letting her. As far as keeping up with anything, she was as much at fault, or credit, as he would be. "You're a horrible woman, Delaney, using me for a pair of boots like that. And not even weasling dinner and a movie too? What times are we in when they just cut to the chase and get what they want, huh? Okay... they say it's your birthday, baby. Let's get them wrapped up to go."

"I don't like movies and I'd rather you buy me breakfast.." She whispered warmly over his ear, nibbling lightly and and chuckling down his neck as she pulled away enough for them to be able to walk. "I'm not horrible.. I'm just direct. Why play those games when the ones we have in mind will be so much more enjoyable for us both?"

Robin glanced around the area. A plant? A scope? Maybe even a sniper or she was the dodge, the decoy and he was falling for it while the real crime was somewhere behind them. His senses didn't tell him much about any of it but the tingle in her touch did. Healer maybe, possibly a depriver.. hah, not that, definitely a giver if his mind-set was steering him right. She manipulated energy somehow, he could read that much, but the rest would need more observation... definitely - a lot more. Something she said made him wonder, too. "What -we- have in mind?"

She turned quickly to tell the sales associate her size and the pair she wanted, then let them go off to fetch her present. "Tell me you're not thinking up all sorts of schemes and possibilities?" She played the words on purpose, still smiling in a teasing manner and looking him over with a bit more appreciation.

"Always. It's what I do, isn't it? I mean, I have to think of it before they do and beat them to it, right? I could tell you yes, flat out, and you'd be happy, or I tell you no and you keep...," his hand went to his ear, scratching absently at the rest of the thought as the clerk came back with the box faster than expected. "Keep shopping today and you'll wear me out, honey. Can we go after this?

"I'm sorry honey.." She shook her head a little and shifted to lean it on his shoulder, playing it up a little for him and the clerk. "You know I can go for hours and I just wasn't thinking of how it would tire you out. Of course we can go home.. if you promise really hard to try not to think about work stuff and I'll try really hard to keep your mind on other things.. he's always thinking, gives me a headache.." She added for the clerk as if teasing Robin and rubbed his arm with an adoring smile. "I'm happy with just the boots, what about you?"

He chuckled... f*cking telepaths, he shook his head. He didn't mind so much, but he really needed to beef up his blocking more. He'd gotten pretty good, or so he'd thought. She distracted him enough already it seemed. "Just... the boots. Perfect," he smiled, agreeing to the rest of the story he may or may not get.

At the 'f*cking telepaths' he'd feel her hand tighten over his arm a little and her jaw clench slightly, so nice of him to say so. She let the reaction happen so it was natural and he wouldn't be even more suspicious of who or what she was. Not everyone could show zero reaction to something like that and she'd nearly done that, it would have been more of a give away for someone as smart as he was. "Shall we?" She flashed a smile for him and the clerk as they went to pay for the boots.

[Lovely]

Well that was established. She could get around the block he'd trained months to put in place. Now he wanted to know more about what he was dealing with. And she knew he wanted it. What that meant, Robin wasn't sure yet. If she was strong enough for that.. she'd hear him asking himself that question - either she'd tell him, or show him, or she wouldn't waste her time. She probably only wanted the boots and he wasn't buying them for the wife, sooo... "This card okay?" He slid the plastic from his wallet, looking at the signs on the register - any way to reverse the charges later would be helpful to know. It wasn't the store's fault he was a sucker for slinky brunettes who liked ice cream cones and dancer boots. Whose ever fault it was, he was going to rack in the nuts and beg for sense to be beaten into his own brain someday, but not today. The only way to find out the next piece of the puzzle was to place this one down the right way. The clerk had no problem taking his money and giving Delaney the bag. "Happy Birthday, hon. Can we go now?"

Delaney smiled sweetly as the clerk handed her the bag and she snuggled more closely to Robin as if totally adoring him and pleased to pieces over the gift he'd just gotten her. It wasn't all an act for the clerk or him, she really was happy about the boots and he'd intrigued her. "Of course we can. Thank you." She leaned to place a kiss on his lips, one that was only slightly inappropriate for public display, enough to let him know he hadn't lost her interest now that she had the boots and to make the clerk's eyes widen.

The kiss brought his hand to her neck, rubbing softly to appreciate the kiss a little longer. While she stayed close, the thoughts on his mind were evident. "What would you like for breakfast?" He asked quietly, putting his wallet away.

Her eyes smouldered just a bit and she realized why things had been so strict in the lab... let loose she was quite .. eager seemed to be the most appropriate word at the moment though several came to mind. It wasn't like she was crazed and had to have any man she met but this one had certainly triggered something, flipped a switch and she was turned on. "What do you have? I'm thinking breakfast in bed sounds like a grand idea."

He muttered a few things about syrup and sausage at her ear, while watching the clerk who couldn't hear them. His smile was devilish and the wink moreso before he kissed Del's cheek and turned to leave, sliding a hand down to find hers. Hopefully she wouldn't just try to vanish the moment they walked out the door.

Definitely on, she licked her lips and felt his hand wrap around hers, her fingers laced with his and they headed out the door. Once away from the eyes and ears of the clerk, Del let out a small laugh. "Relax I'm not going to vanish.. I'm not going anywhere but.. to your place, with you."

"If you want me to relax, you probably shouldn't kiss me like that, hm? My place... Why go to my place? Why not your place? You know bachelors are pigs, no place to sit, nothing in the fridge but beer...?"

Delaney sighed and looked down the street, her teeth chewing at her lower lip lightly. "Your place because I don't know yet if I can trust you enough to take you to mine. Fair enough?" She replied bringing her sharp gaze back to him, she desired him, was curious about him, felt she might be able to use him and maybe even was starting to simply like him, but that didn't change her past or her secrets and she didn't know yet if he'd be able to deal with it, turn away, or if he'd try to turn her in.

[Lovely]

"Dressing those nice gams in three hundred dollars worth of patent leather doesn't buy trust, huh? Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. I wasn't expecting company. And I might not be expecting that company to leave in too big a hurry, either. I confess, I'm a bit of a cullinary idiot, but I've got a friend putting me through therapy. He recommends I keep trying and I've actually graduated up to not quite burning toast... and I make a pretty good scrambled egg... even when it wasn't supposed to be. I was going to try stepping up to something fancy like... maybe grilled cheese and I need a critic to be honest and tell me how I'm doing. If you're up for that kind of breakfast in bed... you're on. Or I still have a few bucks to go to the coffee house later. Still on or have I scared you yet?" He rambled on and tried to keep the stream-of-thought going along with the thoughts in his head, not thinking too deeply or strongly on any one thing that could cause trouble. If she didn't trust him so much yet, he probably had reason to stack the guard up another notch.

"Trust is earned not bought." She stated quietly, simply with a shrug as she slid around in front of him. "The boots earn you my company and the possibility to learn more.. as much as we're both comfortable revealing to each other. It also earns you a deluxe breakfast if you want to make a run into a store quickly on the way or if you have more in your fridge than you claim. I can cook.. it's the one indulgence I was allowed growing up, because it could also be classed as training, learning, and development." She smiled a little, slowly shifting her hands to his waist to curl and rest there, stepping closer to him. "I like my toast not quite burnt.. You're only blocking me because I'm not digging.. and fear is something I'm not allowed to feel. So how about I ask you.. are we still on or have I scared you yet?"

"Yes, and no I'm not. It was a test. Food I have and I'm not so bad as all that. You're willing to put up with the sty and the possibility of bad cooking, so you've earned a pretty good standing already. We'll split it, fifty-fifty, how's that? Of course, that's when we get around to worrying about it. Breakfast is a long way off." He didn't mind at all that she was walking so close. Definitely an energy person, but the flavor and variety hadn't shown itself so much yet. Controlled and controlled well... it was going to be an interesting evening and he was only planning on watching some of the game and working on wrapping up some reports.

"Oooo a test, clever.. I wonder what other things you might come up with to challenge me?" Her eyebrow arched a little partly more curious about him, partly teasing him. "I'm glad you're not scared off.. for the record you have also earned a good standing, but the things I'm not revealing are not small things and not the kind you discuss in the open."

"I can see that," he teased in return, glancing down at her outfit and giving her that same devilish grin he'd given the clerk. He wasn't so distracted from keeping a watch on the area around them... like she'd said, they were still in the open. With the influx of mutants in town, he'd been busy lately, finding patterns in town where they hung out, where they shopped, where small factions were already forming to rise up against them and cause trouble. Was it wrong of him to be looking forward to a small riot now and then just to keep things interesting? Busted, he realized, coughing a guilty laugh out for even daring to think that right then. "What can I say? I've got French and Irish blood... if I can't find a good fight, chances are I might start one."

She was enjoying listening to the thoughts that were 'rattling around' in his head as they kept moving and she was even smiling a bit, amused by his attitude. "A good fight now and then keeps you sharp and if it's for a cause or defence then all the more worth while. Believe me, I won't judge you badly for enjoying a scrap when you can find one. Maybe.. it makes me like you all the more?" She proposed with a glimmer in her eyes and her brow arched as if to say 'what if'.

"Does it now? Well we might have to dig one up later if we run out of other things to do, hm? I'm parked over here," he mentioned, looking around the street more now, heading toward the dark colored Honda that was like a dozen other Hondas along the same stretch, blending in and being unnoticed, hopefully like they were. There didn't seem to be anyone paying any attention to the lovey shoppers that he could sense. The car blipped to 'life' from the remote and he held out his hand for the bag, offering to put her boots in the trunk.

She laughed quietly. "That's a pretty big if.. I don't think it's likely we will run out of other things to do.." Del handed over the bag with the boots, as she casually let her gaze move over his car and around the general area. She was alert and aware and silently ripping into people's mind to find out what she needed. There was no one in the immediate vicinity that required her to take action or be more on guard than she normally would be.

[Lovely]

"Aww, you peeked," he said, chuckling a little as they moved to their sides of the car. She hadn't run.. why, he wondered. What did she see in him? Everything seemed normal about them except the thoughts in his mind and her slight movements, watching carefully, suspicious of her surroundings more than he was. He took his notes mentally and got in the car. At least they could talk there.

She smiled slightly as she heard him wondering what she saw in him and then thought about whether or not to tell him. Del got in the car without saying anything more, running her fingers lightly through her hair as any woman might though she didn't even glance at the mirrors to check how she looked. She'd been allowed to grow her hair long within the lab as they saw it as enhancing to her guise should she do undercover work and she'd let it grow longer in the time since she'd made it out. It hadn't been that long really, not compared to others who'd escaped years before. The lab had been taken out all the way to the underground levels this last time and that was when the majority of those held there had been freed or killed. "So ask." She told Robin in that quiet and simple manner she had.

"Ask..... what?" She confused him. He was starting the car and waiting for the traffic flow to clear, thinking about music on the radio that was probably too loud and too 'old' for her. He turned it down anyway and gave her a look. How old was she and should he just turn himself in now? Where exactly would she put a knife in that outfit to cut his throat and steal his money and his car? How could a small slip of slink ...and kink, considering the boots... like her manage to hide his body if she did? Why was he thinking she was that bad of a bad girl and not just one of the college kids out having some fun? Damnit, Nance, get out of your office and live a little for god's sake. She's asking, willing and you're...about to hit a car if you don't pay attention. The honk of the horn of the car that passed pulled him out of his rolling cyclone of pessimism enough to put the car back in park a moment. He flattened back against the seat and looked out the windshield. "Fine. Alright. If you really want to know you'll pluck it out of my skull anyway. We can talk in here, so say whatever you want, but what I want to know is... how'd I get so damned lucky?"

"You think you're lucky.. to have come across me? That's interesting, considering some of the other thoughts tumbling around up there." Del shifted on the seat so she was leaning and to the side a bit, facing him. "You're the one who noticed me.. followed me.. watched me eat that ice cream cone and who spoke up instead of just taking a good look and walking on by.. so you tell me.. how you got lucky? You saw something you wanted and you went for it.. I happen to like that. Not that I don't find you very attractive anyway, but I wasn't looking for something and I would have kept going if I hadn't turned at just the right moment to notice you noticing me. I suppose you could blame it on fate, right place at the right time.. meant to happen.. however you chose to look at it."

"You do...?" He'd heard a lot, but this was probably a first, since he'd been in the service anyway. "Fate and me have an interesting relationship. I won't say it's always good, but today, maybe I got a reprieve." He put the car back in gear and pulled out into a clear spot in traffic this time.

"I do.. and even more so, now that I have spent a little time with you. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't.... I would have still come home with you even if you didn't buy me those boots." She teased with a wicked smile, letting him drive rather than distracting him more.

"Hey, we can still return the boots, but... you know... that'll leave just the cuffs... which I may or may not have. That's not a whole left there for you, is it?" He glanced over briefly with another wicked smile emerging. "Damn, boy... what are you getting yourself into?" He asked that one out loud, shaking his head.

Del reached over to stroke her finger down his neck lightly, her smile playful and teasing. "We can return them tomorrow... you paid for them, I should at least try them on.. see how they look?" Her giggle was barely there though it shone in her eyes. "I am hoping you have something that will fit me, if not the cuffs.."

[Lovely]

"I'm sure I have... um... heh," he had an answer, several, but none of them were appropriate and all of them crass and.. man was he hopeless. He shook his head and tried to just watch the road, his neck bristling down to his seat with chills. "What about you? Do I have to return you tomorrow?"

She studied him for a long moment, holding back her answer as a few different ones came to mind. Her hand stayed on his shoulder, gently playing with his neck as she thought over the answer to his question. "Maybe." She finally told him, being honest about it. "I guess it depends on if you want to keep and if it's possible for me to stay.. there are reasons why you might not want to or be able to... keep me.. or even see me again."

His gnashed his teeth a little in the grin. "Just my luck. Only a loaner. Want to start telling me now? What's the rap? Petty theft? Selling?... Hustling?" He gave her a quick glance. She didn't seem criminal, not just by being paranoid and guilty of having an agile tongue. Maybe she wasn't just paranoid. Maybe she was one of the ones Stephen had gushed about, one of Dae's troop who'd lost her way.

"Maybe I don't want to tell you at all.. Maybe it's something bigger and much worse than what you're thinking. I don't know anyone named Stephen or Dae, though I might be interested in hearing more about them.. later." She let her fingers go still, just resting against his neck. Something about him said she could trust him but it wasn't in her nature to trust so easily or to open up to someone. She'd been out for a little over a year, the last attack on the lab setting the rest of those that were held there free. They'd scattered to the winds and gone into hiding and she'd been drawn here, so close to her former home. An orphanage in Denver was all she remembered from before the lab and the training, the lab had really been her home as twisted as it was.

"Well... I could ask you to show me..," he glanced at her again then the color drained from his face. Something else got his attention suddenly and he looked at the intersection ahead, searching it madly for something. "Hold onto something," he spat out, rolling his window down and looking to his side and the truck that wasn't stopping for the light, or wouldn't until it slammed into something... like them. Out his window a pinkish-grayish molten line arced out in front of the truck through the front tires, enough to throw the front end of the truck down under the weight of its engine and skid along the pavement. Momentum... shit... He gritted his teeth again and tried to steer clear.

She didn't grab onto anything but air and her focus, seeing what caused him to react the way he did and catching bits of his thoughts as her attention shifted from him to the oncoming truck. Her hands shifted down low near her waist and her eyes narrowed as the truck picked up speed, her hands moving slowly away from herself as she pushed the truck. She was using her tk but trying to do it discreetly to stop the truck before it hit them or anything else. If needed she would port them out of the way, but didn't plan on being forced to port the car. The truck actually lifted off the ground a few inches in order to stop it's momentum and then was set lightly back down, it was still, without crashing into anything.

The horns and screeches from the oncoming lanes and his own swerving were enough to confuse the situation although the truck 'hopping' off the road and landing again might have gotten someone's attention. Like the others avoiding the truck, he thrust his palm into the horn, letting it blare loudly as he wiggled around the disarrayed vehicles. "No, we're not stopping, but I have to make a call. My phone's in the glove box, if you don't mind, please?"

She leaned back against her seat, watching the rest of the scene over her shoulder as they moved through the traffic that had swerved to avoid the truck. Without even thinking about it now, the glove box opened and his phone floated out, low enough that no one would see it hovering for him to grab. The glove box closed again as Del tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

He reached for it then noticed it wasn't in her hand. Another glance and the smile cracked the grimace. "Handy to have around. What kinda tricks do you do for fun? Um... don't... answer that. Not yet at least." He thumbed the speed-dial to an office and spoke to a girl called Liz, reporting the information about the intersection and hazard before hanging up. "Traffic report. I'll file something else later but only if they ask about the holes. You okay?"

"Is there a reason why I wouldn't be okay?" She asked, not sarcastic in the question but genuinely wondering what he thought might make her not alright at the moment. "So.. you are a cop? You've been keeping that morsel tucked in shadows and I didn't want to tear anything out..."

[Lovely]

"Nope," he admitted, free and clear. "Not a cop. Friends who are and some folks I hate who are, but not me. Doesn't mean I don't have cuffs.. and maybe a few other things that might fit."

"I see." She murmured quietly shifting in the seat to face him, smiling just slightly. "So, your going to make me ask you or pull it out of your head, huh?" She folded her arms, resting her head against the seat, watching him again. "Neat trick you pulled with the tires."

"Neat trick you pulled with the two-ton four-point dismount," he countered, giving her another glance and turning at a bent-up stop sign down a residential street with a few apartment buildings lined by hedges and plain white stones. "Okay, so maybe I have a few tricks of my own. Want to come inside and ante up?"

"Thank you, not my best work but it got the job done, I was trying to be discreet about it." She replied in turn, licking her lips and giving a slow nod of her head. I might be crazy for doing this, but I'm going for it, she thought to herself. "Sure.. what the hell, sometimes in life you have to take a chance, right?" She let out a sigh and grinned a little, looking slightly worried, she was and it was strange to her to care about how another person felt or what they thought of her. "I hope you really want to know..."

"Interesting word, 'hope'. Usually means there's some doubt and lack of confidence. I don't get that off of you," he explained, pulling into a lot in the middle of a group of older, splintery-wood covered brown-wash buildings and parked in space that looked like it might have been assigned once. "Yes. I really want to know, but once we get in there. One floor up, two doors down. Not worth trying to jump and too much trouble to climb up. I'll get your boots." He opened the door and was out like it was an every-day shopping trip they'd been on.

Of course he didn't know she wouldn't need to do either to get out if it turned that way, but soon enough she'd open up her bag of tricks to show him what was inside, at least enough for him to understand she was 'different'. More different than the average different and more dangerous, not just herself but what might try to come for her. Del watched him get out and followed, eyeing the lot and the buildings with what would seem to others a casual glance, he knew better already so she didn't try to hide it from him. She came around to the trunk, her intent was to 'catch him' for a moment. "I don't usually have doubt, but then again I haven't ever gotten personally involved before." Del leaned and reached to try to pull him into a kiss before they went up, just in case he didn't want to kiss her again later.

Robin should have been ashamed for what ran through his mind in that split second, but she caught him off guard and pleasantly so. The boots were dropped back in the trunk for the moment and he reached up to hold onto her, gently sinking his hands into her hair on each side. She'd see it all and he didn't care for a moment... that one brief moment... ~Shiiiiiiiiit~ he sighed in his thoughts with a smile in the kiss he didn't want to end just yet.

~Thank you~ She whispered quietly trying not to startle him as she gently pushed her thought into his head, wrapping her arms tighter and sinking into the kiss more deeply. What she saw from him made her smile and kiss him more passionately, she was very open to his ideas.

[Lovely]

She was strong enough to take whatever block he'd built up and kick it over with that little surprise. He could fight it, but why? What did he have to hide? Her biggest concern was that he was a cop? Or was it a hope that he'd dashed already? She didn't seem at all disappointed.. and neither was he. He pushed away but the reluctance was clear. Looking around the lot and the dusty windows he picked up the bag with her boots again. "Hope you're thirsty. I hate to drink alone and I really need one right now."

"Gee thanks.. I kiss you and you need a drink.. was it really that awful for you?" She chuckled, reaching for his hand as she teased him and leaning her shoulder against his lightly. "I really don't drink.. I've had alcohol but it's not an indulgence I was allowed so I never got a taste for it or picked it up since."

"Allowed...? Let me see your license. Please god tell me I'm not gonna hang for this," he sighed and teased. She was easily over 21, but how much, he wasn't sure. "Not a drink because of you. Because of me."

"Five years over twenty one." She gave his hand a small squeeze and pushed against his shoulder lightly. "Two, fourteen, eighty two. Is my date of birth.. I'm not that kind of trouble.." She pulled the ID she had from her back pocket and handed it to him, most people wouldn't know why it looked the way it did and might think it was fake or just from a state they didn't recognise.

The ID had her picture on it but a name that was different than the one she'd given him, the ID read Annia C McQuade.

"Forgery?" He grinned, fanning the card as he thought. Annia... Delaney... more to the story. "Fine. Great. You take ice in yours? I'm thinking a double... more ways than one right now. C'mon."

"It's not forged." She replied simply, in that way she had, reaching to take the ID back from him with a slight shrug. "Ice? Sure.. that's fine.. There were.. alot of rules where I lived, it was very strict." She explained further though still vague in the details.

"Mmhmm... of course it's not. Which makes the rest of the story more interesting already." He closed the trunk and started toward the building, putting his hand through the handle of the bag and into his pocket, the car blipping and arming itself as they walked off as he tapped the keychain. The glance he gave this time was tinted, sparked with a glow of pinkish gray. "Doesn't it?"

"Interesting is one way to put it." Del smiled back at him and leaned up to kiss him softly. "Stop making me kiss you." She chuckled quietly, teasing him and letting him know he had his own effect on her and it wasn't just a one sided thing.

[Lovely]

The stairs creaked and the hallway inside leaked light from under the neighboring doorways and a single spattered window that hadn't been cleaned on the outside in a few years. They passed two lonely fixtures sitting crooked on their faux-antiqued bases, lifeless and lightless on the walls of the long hallway. One of his neighbors was baking something sweet, filling the air with a caramel aroma and another neighbor had a pyramid of unread newspapers piled and waiting. People here minded their own it seemed - just the kind of place for a guy like Nance to do what he did best and not be bothered, or really even noticed. The two-keyed entry seemed pointless with the thin door the locks held in place and even moreso when the door opened to the sparsely furnished apartment beyond. He lived like a man who didn't stay in one place long, though the dust that lined the few items on the shelves said otherwise. "After you... Miss McQuade," he offered with a wink, letting her take her time to enter and observe whatever she felt she needed to before deciding on the level of safety... or lack of... she was entering.

She stayed at the doorway to the apartment looking around as if casually though of course she was seeing much more deeply than another might. She listened, not only to Nance but to the thoughts of people within the building. She was closing off though because her playful sentiment had been ignored or had no affect on him what so ever and she wasn't going to continue to waste her time opening up if it was useless and poimtless. "Miss McQuade? So it's all formal now.." She didn't make a move to enter his apartment, folding her arms gently and wondering if she'd gravely misjudged... maybe that was why she'd been kept away from contact like this with others.

Robin took a step in further with her boots and set the bag down to free his hands. "Nooo, formal means work. I'm off duty and so are you," he said, noting the wall that went up and doing his best to chip it back down. "I think, if you look a little closer... work is the furthest thing from my mind right now." What was on his mind was made quite clear as he held his hands out for hers and thought about taking that parking lot kiss up another level on the overstuffed couch in the corner.

Del regarded him, staying in the doorway for a little longer as she 'listened' to his thoughts. Her eyes drifted over him and lingered on his hands a moment before moving up to his eyes. "I see." She licked her lips lightly and smiled as she reached out to take his outstretched hands. She stepped into the apartment, using her foot to swing the door closed behind her, eyeing him and the couch as she came up close, almost against him.

The wall he'd put up himself was crumbling more now, too. Fewer people to keep out, less concentration, less circulation to his brain to help concentrate even if he did try right now... The distraction was so heavenly and unexpected, he didn't want to fight and keep her out. Robin pulled her closer. If this was going to be a one night stand, he was going to make every minute count. Hopefully he could convince himself that it was more than that, and maybe a second or fifth or tenth date... Get a hold of yourself, you old letch, he chuckled in his mind... no... get a hold of her and don't f*cking let go. If you catch an angel, hold on as long as you can! He didn't want to stop making her kiss him, rather he wanted to encourage her to do that again and again and more. The kiss offered to Delaney now was not formal, wasn't work and hell and gone from chaste, beginning where the kiss downstairs had left off. His hands were free and his mind wandering and soon his hands would be too if she let them.

He surprised her with the intensity of the kiss and with the thoughts that spilled from his mind to her and she almost chuckled from them. ~I'm no angel.~ She whispered to him, her arms wrapping around him as if she had no intention of letting him go. She lost herself in his kiss for a long time, standing there and slowly twining her slinky form around him.

~That's even better then, isn't it? Angels don't know how to really have fun, but I can bet you do~ His thoughts weren't private enough to try to pretend he could keep them quiet and he had no reason to say them out loud considering she was already rebounding shots back directly in his head. Robin was no telepath himself, so his thoughts weren't leaving his skull except what she reached in and picked up like shiny pennies... or tarnished ones depending on the topic. Right now he was hoping to get her fingers a lot dirtier as he led her along the little trail of more dusty treasures and steamy images that swirled in his mind during their kiss. ~Walk this way~ he suggested as he began kicking away debris in their path to lead them to a soft landing on the couch.

There was something about him that was so mmm-mmm gooooooood! Del had always seen men as either team mates, brothers types, buddies, assignments, or enemies.. This strange, exciting, over powering, attraction to Robin was something new for her and she was enjoying every moment of it. She curled and stretched, and shifted around his form as he led her to the couch, her mouth was laying it's claim on him in deep kisses and occasional nibbles along his jaw and nips against his neck.

[Lovely]

September 7, 2007
11pm
Boulder

The woman who sat on this particular roof, was in her mid twenties with long rich brown hair that fell in waves over shoulders. Shoulders that were strong, toned and topped nicely defined arms that weren't overly bulky. A light breeze lifted tenrils of her hair now and then causing them to shift around and soften her face which otherwise held a stern expression. Her mouth turned in a slight pout and her eyes narrowed as she gazed out over the city.

This building had been abandoned a couple of years ago and had remained empty until one miss Delaney McQuade took up residency within it. The rooms she occupied in the floors below where she now sat, could hardly be described as living quarters. She changed nothing, other than adding a bed roll in one semi clean corner.

The edge of her thumb ran over her lower lip as if she was lost in thought, yet she was acutely aware of every sound and movement in close range of where she stared out into the night. She listened to the thoughts of people closeby, stretching and reaching, searching for one particular mind in the city. Now and then she'd pause and listen in on one or another amusing or disturbing train of thought and then continue on.


How can she not know who I am?

Elizabeth McQuade lay on the bed in her hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. She'd gone to Denver looking for her sister, tracked her down to the Baker institute and then hit a dead end. The woman on the phone had insisted she didn't know her, didn't even have a sister. And the things she'd said about their brother, the things that Elizabeth herself had read in the file that now lay beside her on the bed...

Beth walked her feet across the wall at the head of the bed, lost in thought. She had to see Annia, somehow. Even if she really didn't remember, even if everything she'd said was true, she had to see for herself. That was why as soon as the announcement had been made about the school re-opening she'd come to Boulder, though now that she was here she didn't know what to do.

I just hope she's alright. She thought then, remembering some of the stories she'd heard about the old school's distruction. If something had happened to Annia, she might never find out the truth.

As she moved her mind out to catch the others in the city, something caught her attention and she stopped, paused at one mind that was 'very interesting' beyond anything else she'd listened in on in quite some time. Her eyes narrowed to thin slits and her lip curled back in a silent snarl.

Could it really be and what was she on about? She'd find out soon enough as she grabbed ahold of Elizabeths mind, digging in a little more for information and trying to not so subtly direct her to think about where she was, maybe it was time for a cozy reunion...

She wouldn't even see me. Beth wasn't usually the type to dwell on things, but as she lay there she replayed the scene in her mind...calling the school, telling the woman who she was, and then the blowup that had followed. Even going to the gates and instead of meeting her sister being given a folder detailing all the atrocities her brother was responsible for.

She sniffed a bit, brushing at the tears that were spilling down her cheeks and dampening her hair. I just wanted to find her, to finally get some of my family back...

Aw how sickening and sweet.. "Wah wah sweetheart." She whispered the words to the air and more forcefully tried to direct Elizabeth to think about where she was, she didn't want to tear apart her mind for a detail. That mind might be useful later..

It seemed this woman was genuine but it had been many many years since she'd seen or spoken to.. or been allowed to think about her sisters. "Where are you?" She could try a blind port but.. oh hell she was good enough. She let go of the other woman's mind, somewhat, keeping enough contact to seek her out.

There was a slight movement of the air as she ported, there was another barely there corner of your eye sort of shimmer when she appeared in Elizabeth's hotel room.

"Helps if you look in the right place and for the right person."

Beth gasped in surprise, rolling off the far side of the bed and landing on her feet with an orb already formed and floating over her hand, ready to use in her defense if she had to.

"Annia?" It had been years, and they'd both changed, but she knew she would recognize her sister anywhere. Still, there was something hard in those eyes that made her wary.

Del smiled, seeming relaxed as she stood there with her hands at her sides, her cold eyes watching the other woman. "Hmm I suppose that is the question of the day, now isn't it?" She countered in a voice that was almost teasing, not nearly as harsh as might be expected with the way her eyes took in everything.

Beth frowned, trying to puzzle through what exactly was going on. "I thought you didn't want to talk to me." She said quietly, dark eyes watching her sister closely. "What's going on?" She had the sneaking suspicion that this had something to do with the way her thoughts had been going just before Annia's sudden, unexpected arrival. But had her thoughts drawn Annia, or had Annia made her thoughts go that direction? And for that matter since when was her sister a telepath?

"I've been locked away for the better part of the past twenty years.. not like I could really call or write and since I wasn't allowed to think about you it made it hard to reach out and touch someone.. Wouldn't exactly say I didn't want to, more like not allowed to." The retort was delivered somewhat coldly, a slight sarcastic tone to the words. "Since always.. it didn't surface until after I was inside and they started.. treatments.. You'd be amazed the gifts that can surface under extreme conditions or with just the right experimentation, though it's usually very painful and I don't reccomend kids try it at home.."

"Annia..." The orb disappeared as she released it, taking a step towards her sister with sympathy shining in her eyes. "God...what happened to you? Why...why did you say you didn't remember me?" That still hurt, at least a little.

Pity, god how she hated that. "Twenty or so years in a lab makes a person different than you might think they should be." She didn't move but didn't really make any gesture to welcome her sister closer. "I never said I didn't remember you."

"Yes, you did." What kind of game was she playing here? "I called the school and you said you didn't have a sister..." It hurt remembering, but she managed to hold the tears back, unwilling to cry in front of this hard, uncaring woman who claimed to be her sister. "You gave me that folder..." She gestured towards where it sat on the bed. "And sent me away. Why?"

"No I didn't. I haven't seen or spoken to you since the day they took us from that orphanage. I haven't been to any school and I never gave you.." She held out her hand and the folder lifted off the bed and floated into her grasp. ".. this folder." She flipped it open and began to glance over the contents, her eyebrow arching up at what she saw about their brother.

Elizabeth crossed her arms, watching Annia. "Well then, who the hell did?" She demanded. "She sure sounded exactly like you, and she had that." She pointed to the folder. "Do you have twin out there I don't know about?"

"Very good questions." She murmured closing the file and tossing it on the bed as she folded her arms across her middle. "We're identical." She motioned between herself and Elizabeth with a hint of a smile which slowly grew into more of a knowing grin and her head began to nod. "Of course.. a twin... she made it." Her voice was strangely soft as she realized someone who wasn't her, yet was her had been going around living a life for all these years. "Well it's been fun.. maybe we should do this again sometime. I have go see someone."

"Wait!" Beth's tone was exhasperated. "Can't you tell me what's going on? You know, I can read that much even if I'm not the telepath. You just figured out what this is all about. Don't you think I deserve to know too?"

The black Accord rolled stealthily up the turnpike, gliding its way casually past other black Accords and red ones and the occassional be-stickered SUV that crawled out on this stretch of road well after the malls had closed for the night. His car was like half the others and didn't stand out much except the slight variance into a dangerously higher speed that would catch the attention of his friends if not for his foresight to know exactly when he needed to slow down. Apparently his friends were busy tonight and he saw nothing to alarm him about alarming them to his lead-footed desire for a beer and bed. His current investigation wasn't yielding the results he wanted. His reports weren't coming out the way he wanted. His tapes and his laundry weren't coming out the way he wanted... because what he wanted, he didn't have. His distraction about that very 'thing' was contributing to his desire to be home. She'd left the boots behind, with him wondering what was in the future just outside the reach of what his premonitions would allow him to see. If she was out there, he was shit out of luck to find her except by chance.. unless she was looking for him or her boots. "Just a foolish old man, Nance," he sighed to himself, shutting off the radio to silence the song that was making his tired eyes sting that much more as he sped a little harder back to his apartment.

She would have left but something tiny inside her told her to wait a moment, she sighed, confused by herself and wondering if she should blame the moment of question on Robin and his recent influence on her. Such a thought almost made her smile but then she looked over at her sister's expression. Somewhere a long time ago they had been connected with a bond that was somehow still there, even if faintly so on the side of the girl who'd spent years isolated in a lab. "It might not be safe for you to know. Don't go back to that school.. don't try to contact that woman. Is this where you'll be staying for awhile? I'll come back.." Why, why would she do that, why was she doing this?

As she stood there with Elizabeth, she reached out with her mind again, seeking the person she knew could help her find the answers that she needed. On his way home.. thinking of her? It was odd to have two people thinking of you and missing you when you were so used to being alone.

"I'll stay, but wait...I need a way to know if it's her or you." Beth frowned, puzzling that one out. "Is she a telepath too? I mean a password might not do much good but there has to be some way..." She didn't want her sister to leave, not so soon, but if she had to go then the next best thing was making sure she came back soon.

Her eyebrow arched. "Unless you're planning to go see her again or try to contact her, you won't need a password and you won't need to tell us apart." She thought it over and shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Delaney.. Del. That's what I call myself. If she's a telepath a password or an alias won't matter much if she picks it up from you."

"Right." Elizabeth sighed, realizing she already had a headache forming. "But...you'll come back, right?" It was so hard, letting her go again after so long. "I lost you once, I don't want to lose you again."

Did he even have beer? He wasn't sure if there was one or none as his mind strayed over ways to forget his distractions for a little while. One wasn't going to be enough for that anyway. Robin looked at the time. He had fifteen minutes to pull in and ring up if he was stopping by the store on his way home, or he'd have an hour before last-call to suck a few down at the corner bar full of the regular college 'inmates' who were getting a head-start with their mixology degrees. Happy frat brothers weren't the kind of people he wanted in his sights tonight. His sight was already filled with brunette and curves every time he blinked and the cold steering wheel was no substitute for the touch he swore he could still feel. Damnit, he was hooked - and she was... gone, for all he knew. At the first turn in town, he pulled up to get a few more bottles to hold onto, then headed back to the echo of the apartment.

"Just don't go 'moving' anytime soon.. actually even if you do I'll find you. Unless of course I'm dead. In that case I won't be back, otherwise I'll return." She took another look around the hotel room and nodded. "You might want to splash a little cool water on your face, your eyes are all red." Her tone was softer on the last but it wasn't like she hugged her or anything. With a slight parting smile she disappeared.

Cold water wasn't going to help Elizabeth much, at least not yet, mostly because the tears were falling again. With a sigh, she sat down on the bed, trying to think through everything that had happened. All she could do, really, was wait for her sister to contact her again.

She felt strange to leave her sister upset like she was but she wasn't quite ready to get into such emotions with the other woman. In time perhaps, she'd left the door open for her return and promised to do so, but right now she needed to see a man about a pair of boots... He was driving in his car, heading home, probably almost there when she popped into the passenger seat. "Miss me?" She asked softly, smiling softly over at him.

He jumped and nearly didn't stop in time to avoid the delivery truck at the light in front of him. He swore he had a glimpse, a sense of her nearby, but chalked it up to wishful thinking and unreliable and fatigued abilities. It had been years since he'd been surprised... and longer since it was by something as pleasant. "Good god, woman! Yes, but almost didn't miss the truck," he laughed.

"Well at least I know you're not just saying it to make me feel better." She teased with a laugh, she did feel better though, now that she was with him and away from the more distressing reunion with her sister. "I wouldn't have let you hit that truck." She murmured and leaned across the seat to kiss cheek, if not full on his mouth if he turned to allow it.

That he saw coming and obliged graciously, turning to accept her greeting with a head full of what-ifs and had-you-stayed playing in rapid succession for her. "Saying it to make me feel better," he whispered finally, convinced she wasn't a dream, but not convinced she was staying long. "I'm headed home. Can I keep you with me long enough to tell me... ?"

"... that I missed you? I'm not sure we have enough time for me to show you.." She murmured, nearly climbing into his lap, wanting to play out all the scenes he shared with her. "Your place sounds like a good idea.. mine is .. well nevermind about mine.."

"Back to the start?" He laughed and put the car in motion again. "My place, but not my time? Must be something else important you need to tell me. Or is that off limits, too?"

She sighed and scooted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his middle. "I live in an abandoned building across town. All of my belongings fit into a messenger bag. I'd take you there if you want."

"Well maybe I do," he considered. What waited for him at home besides reports he wasn't finishing tonight for clients who were already asleep anyway? He shifted into the half embrace as much as he could and still drive. "Why the hurry anyway? Just wanted to scare an old man to death, take his car... his beer?" He grinned, watching the road, but moving his hand from the shift to her knee. "Yes... I missed you. Those boots and I have had a lot to talk about while you've been gone though... but they don't say nearly as much as when you had them on."

"Fine." She said softly, her eyes staring out the windshield and her jaw working silently for a moment. "Park the car and we'll go.. stop calling yourself an old man. " She scolded him gently, shifting her legs to push her knee up under his hand and let it slide further up her leg. "I was looking for you.. missed you. Missed wearing those boots around you.. missed the feel of your hand on my leg. I missed the sound of your voice and your laugh. I think you did something to my brain when I was with you."

"Have a beer," he suggested, turning into the lot of dentist's office that wouldn't miss the space before sunrise. His hand didn't need much coaxing to stroll on its own for the moment before he let go to park and shut the car off. He turned now to take a better look at her and stroke her cheek. "What I did to your brain? Have you taken a good look up in mine?"

"I don't want a beer." She stated simply, lifting her head to gaze back at him. "Maybe somebody did something to both our brains?" She suggested with a slight tease as her expression softened and warmed for him. "What are we going to do with each other, brains filled with all these thoughts and things?"

He closed his eyes, not needing much encouragment to come up with ideas on how to deal with those thoughts and make them real and lasting. He chuckled as he tried to get his mind onto something else and failed. "I'm sure we'll come up with something," he said, shaking his head. He undid the seatbelt and reached for the bag in the back seat. "I'm taking these with me regardless while they're still cold. You might need to hose me down once we get to wherever home is for you."

"I don't have a home. I just have a place where I sometimes stay more often than anywhere else." She let him get the bag and get situated before reaching to take his hand. "Concentrate on standing so when we get there you don't fall on your ass." She grinned at him, locking the car doors and pulling his keys from the ignition for him. "One, two, three.." She ported them from the car to the run down building she lived in. "Watch your step.." She warned him of the debris that littered the floor and the fallen beams and partially crumbled interior walls around them.

You have a home, he thought off-hand while thinking of asses and falling.. not necessarily standing... wondering and considering how she might feel about the offer - which he realized was offered as soon as it was thought. Telepaths... damnit! "What?" The question was lost in a whirl of the absence of anything for a moment followed by a lean and stumble of lost balance and nearly-dropped beer as the absence became substance again and they were in a new place. His stomach jolted and tumbled a little as he settled into gravity again. "Oh. Right," he realized... standing was good. This place, was not. She didn't belong here.

She reached to help steady him and smiled a little, half in amusement at his stumbling and half at how she felt about what she'd heard in his thoughts. "Graceful." She teased once he was steady and leaned to brush a soft kiss to his lips. "Come on.." She carefully led him to the corner where her bed roll and bag were, it was cleaner than the rest but only by chance of how things had fallen and been damaged. "This is where I stay." She said without much feeling behind it, coldly stating the facts as they were. "I've just recieved a better offer though.. do you mind helping me move?" Her mouth twitched at a smile she was holding back as she looked to him from the side, letting him know what she thought of his offer which she'd heard in his thoughts. "That is if the landlord can get past his dislike of telepaths.. he's always cussing about them."

"Ignore the landlord. He's lost his mind over some girl and doesn't really mean what he says about them. He's really got nothing at all against them," he said, setting the bag down and reaching out to her. "Especially this one... though he'd kinda like to."

"That's too bad for him.. I mean I hope there is no cure.." Her smile shone out as she reached back and slid up against him, making sure he had quite a bit against her for the moment. "This one is quite fond of him.. maybe a little crazy about him.."

"Crazy... Nothing against crazy, either. Well... except..." She knew what buttons to push and exactly how, that was certain. "Thought she said she didn't have time to explain all that tonight though. What's on -your- mind, hm?"

"She doesn't." Her smile faded to a bit of a frown, true disappointment showing for a brief moment. "It's part of that long story I started to tell you last time.. and part running into someone's thoughts when I was looking for you tonight." Del looked to the bedroll and the bag and then back to him, though she'd made no attempt to move away from him yet. "Maybe we should go back to your... is it our place if I come stay there? It's.. home?" She was genuinely confused by that notion, when had she ever had a real home?

"You can 'port me and all that after just getting here?" He knew some about teleportation, but the energy and control, not to mention concentration he knew he didn't have... damn she was one impressive piece of work and he didn't mind her hearing that whistle of awe in his mind or out loud as the sound sailed through his teeth. "Our place. Your boots miss you, too. This doesn't seem like a good place to talk," he said, getting that palor again that a glimpse of something caught his attention that was 'imminent' but not yet in his sights. Could have just been another transient, or even just a cat out mousing.

She reached to cup his face in her hand, running her thumb over his cheek. "Grab the beer and I'll grab my stuff.. " The way she looked at him for that moment it seemed she was including him in what she thought of as hers. She didn't want to let go of him and her smile curved more deeply as the bag with the beer rose up to his level for him to take while her bedroll packed itself neatly up and the messenger bag floated out, gliding up her arm as she extended it and hooking itself over her shoulder. The bedroll followed a moment later to curl under the same arm. "You ready?" She at least attempted to give him a little warning this time.

He reached out for the bag, stunned, but protective of that bounty as much as the beautiful creature that had a hold of him. "Nnnnnooot so much for that. Full of surprises, tonight. The landlord doesn't mind that either, but a little warning is nice. My radar is on the fritz apparently. Let's go and see what else you've got for me, huh?"

"That might be the least of them." She warned and ported them from the building to the apartment he'd been living in and she now would share with him. She stayed right with him this time, though she didn't expect he'd stumble again.

He looked around, feeling that same somersault of his insides, though he wasn't sure how much of it was the company and and how much was the manner of travel. "Feel free to put whatever you want, wherever you want," he grinned, still holding on, giving her a wink.

She wanted to take him up on that but they had things to discuss first... oh how she wanted to throw him down and climb on top of him and ride until neither of them could move.. the image tumbled from her head and into his as her bedroll headed itself into the bedroom. The beer left his hands, two bottles coming out of the bag for them, the rest taking itself to the fridge, her bag set itself gently in a chair, and the two beers she'd left out, opened themselves and landed neatly down on the table by the couch. "We should probably get the business out of the way before we get distracted."

"I was getting down to business," he said in his straight manner of teasing. He sighed and forced himself to step back and walk to the couch, picking up his beer on the way down. "Sooner started, the quicker we get back to putting things right where they belong," he smiled as he took a sip of the long awaited drink.

"Well I could make your suffering more or less, depending on how you look at it." She shared an image of herself in his lap while they talked, though she wasn't sure how he'd feel about. Del followed him over to the couch and lifted her beer up to take a sip. "Last time I was here, I told you a bit about where I am from.. but as I recall we didn't do a great deal of talking."

"I'll suffer, it's okay," he chuckled. He wanted to know more about her and whatever this sudden reappearance was about, though he truly wanted it to be just because of him. He wasn't that foolish of a foolish ol... not-so-old man. "Here's close enough. We'll work up to easing my suffering after you tell me what's going on," he said, patting the couch next to himself, but still quite close.

"I did tell you I was looking for you tonight, didn't I?" She asked as she slid down beside him. "I was intending to see you.. be with you again before this came up." She wanted him to know that she was here because of him and not because of the other stuff. "When this came to my attention you were also the only person I trusted enough to tell and to ask for help... something I am definitely not used to or good at."

"Makes two of us," he agreed, taking another large sip and putting his beer in his other hand to put his arm around her. "Though I'm starting to trust you with my innermost thoughts," he teased. "Go on."

"I'm not sure I'm one of those people who can make it a good story so I'll just get right to the important parts." She took a sip of her beer and set it down, easing back into the circle of his arm. "While trolling through the thoughts of people in the city, looking for you and yours.. I happened across my sister. Quite unexpected, as I'm sure you can imagine, though what was more surprising is that she was thinking of me. She's been looking for me and had thought she found me at a school.. a school which has ever so recently reopened itself here in Boulder. She called the school when it was still located in the mountains and even went up there. She spoke to someone who claimed to be me, sounded like me and had no memory of her."

"Which you did she claim was the you who didn't know her? The one you told her you were, or the one on your license? Maybe I can help you more, Delaney if you start from the very beginning of where we stopped talking?"

She almost growled and sighed, curling her legs up on the couch and feeling vunerable for the first time in a very long time. "Alright." She agreed quietly, her bag shifted, the front flap unzipped and a picture lifted out of it to float over in front of Nance for him to take. "I was a little girl when I was taken into the labs I was.. seven I think. I don't remember a lot from my life before that.

This picture is the only thing I have from then, I had to steal it to get it back.. My brother, my sister, my twin sister and myself." She pointed each out in the faded and torn photo. "My sister had no gifts at the time and was determined to be normal, she was left behind. My brother, my twin, and I were taken and my twin and I were sent to 0304.. I was.. cloned right after getting there, it was one of the very first things they did to me and one of the least painful. They wanted a second me in case I failed on a mission or had to be disposed of."

He took a mouthful of his beer and set down the bottle, taking the hovering image from the air for a better look. "Your mission must have been okay, so far," he noted, looking over the image and starting to form a thought. Something clicked when she said 'brother' that hadn't before. "A clone of you... alright, so they're sick bastards, but what about your brother and sister?"

"My sister, was left in the orphanage and I suppose she ended up having a fairly normal life. My brother was shipped off somewhere else and from the file Elizabeth had.. well Jeremiah escaped and caused quite a bit of trouble. My twin endured the same fate as I did."

Click. As soon as the name was said out loud, his blood chilled. She wasn't her brother, nothing at all like the stories about him, at least, that much he knew. "Jeremiah McQuade... now I know where I'd heard the name before," he nodded, tossing the picture down to retrieve his beer. "You're a master of understatements. At least Elizabeth... must have been a good girl - no bells going off yet. Go on."

"Well we can forward through several years of torture, training, and experimentation to when I was fourteen. The first clone wasn't everything they wanted her to be, so they decided to try again and go about it a different way. I was forced to partner with two of the boys who were also held at the lab." She worded it as nicely as it could be for what they all went through. "I carried the offspring from that attempt and they were enhanced within the womb and taken from me immediately after I delivered them." She cleared her throat softly and paused for a moment before going on. "When I was sixteen I decided to try to escape. I took what I thought was the first clone with me, figuring I could use her for a decoy at least. I was recaptured. She wasn't... I believe she is who my sister spoke to at the school."

"Clever. If she was your decoy, how did she manage to escape and you didn't? Guess it doesn't matter. What happened is history and you're here with another you out there talking to your siblings without you." His mind tumbled through enough thoughts he didn't need to say too many out loud while he finished off the bottle in his hand. "I'm guessing you haven't met up with Jeremiah. If you haven't, don't. He's a smart man and he is out there. I don't believe a cell's been made that can hold him, or a charge against him that can ever stick, either. He's not why you're here."

"Maybe they wanted the original more than the copy that wasn't what they intended her to be... only it wasn't the clone I took with me, I think it was my twin. They'd tried to make her another me in more than looks. They tried to enhance both of us, causing more powers to emerge, they tried to give her my memories or as much as they could. I know it worked it part while we were in the lab together. It wasn't a complete copy but it was very close. I'd thought back then, it was the clone.. I didn't learn until much later that it wasn't. I think she retained her identity.. at least some of it, she's using her real name.. The name on my ID. It's not forged, just not exactly the truth. They tried to make us one person." She shook her head a little and her eyes narrowed. "I wonder if she ever came across Jerem.. makes me curious. You know? She claimed not to remember Elizabeth and not to have a sister.. which is what they'd tried to make me think too." She thought about what Nance said about her brother and it was almost like a dig, Jerem couldn't be held, but she could.. she was lesser, weaker.. that wouldn't do at all.

"Meeting up with my sister was accidental. At least running into her thoughts was. Porting into her hotel room was on purpose." Del chuckled softly and ran her thumb over her lower lip. "It doesn't seem to bother you much.. all this I'm telling you.. clones, kids, labs, forced partnering.. My brother the big bad Jerem. You're taking it all quite well."

"You teleported into my car while it was moving. I'm not exactly in a league to argue with that," He pointed out, reminding her his arm was still around her and he wasn't put off by what he was hearing. "You never got exactly a straight answer about me, either. No, I'm not a cop. I work with cops. Daily, at a percent. If I come up with nada, I come home with nada. I'm an investigator. I know people in high... and low places to help protect people like you and your sisters. The government's got their protection program... mutants do too. Does that mean I'm one of the good guys? Mmm... usually. Does it mean you can trust me with what you're telling me? Absolutely. Does it sound weird or unusual? Nope. Not to me. You forget... of all the people on the mall, I picked you out, remember? Do you need another beer as much as I do?"

She smiled a little, gazing over at him, reading him more deeply. "I'm not just someone you're helping though, I'm someone ..." She trailed off trying to define or say what she thought she was to him and not feeling like she should. "I only had a sip of that one. I don't need another. Thank you."

"Someone I'm trying to keep all to myself," he finished for her, realizing how comfortable this felt. Enough, that getting up for the next beer made him wonder how much of an ass she'd think he was if he asked her to do him the favor of... "You... wouldn't mind, would you? Since this is really nice like this? You're not just someone I'm helping. That just seems to come with the territory. What can I help you with? I mean.. what do you need me for when you can do all you do?"

She didn't mind and even smiled a little as she used her tk to get the beer from the fridge in the kitchen while they stayed where they were. She kept her gaze fixed on him for a long moment and then answered simply. "This." Del leaned to rest her head on his chest, at the front of his shoulder and she closed her eyes. "I need you for this.."

The bottle floated easily to him even while her mind was onto to the next thing and she was curling up more warmly. He took the bottle and popped it open, thinking quietly. What did he need words for, anyway? He couldn't really say what he wanted that caught all of what he wanted to tell her or how he wanted to say it... how stunned and honored, awed, intrigued... there had to be a single word that fit and he wasn't finding it. He took another sip, thinking over what she'd said. The labs, the cloning and the school. "Sometimes you need to enter the snake pit to find the right snake," he said finally, looking at his bottle and trying to devise a plan of action. "She didn't know your sister and if she sees her mirror image, that's not going to go over well."

"I want to find out about the others.. the two I.. carried. I was able to interact in the lab with one of them, after a seperation period. I'd like to know if they made it." She was unsure herself how to express what she was feeling and thinking, it was so unusual for her to be able to do so. "You don't think I should approach Annia myself. How would you suggest I find out what is happening with her?"

"About knowing friends in ... places," he grinned. As far as he was aware, he didn't know anyone at the school personally, but someone he knew did. Someone who could do a little digging without raising too much suspicion. Then again, if her sister had found this 'other her'.... she'd gotten her information somehow. "One thing I can tell you, is if she's a clone of you, she's suspicious already."

"Because my sister tried to contact her and no one seems to remember me or just because I'm a paranoid person in your opinion?" She smiled and arched her eyebrow at him, teasing him and maybe challenging him a little. "Okay.. what about my sister.. we should probably talk to her and find out where and how she found out where the 'other me' was."

"Mmhmmm, and yes, you are, but it's good to be, especially considering your relatives. Do you want to talk to her right now or could I have just a few minutes of your time? You don't want me to suffer all night, do you?"

"Oh no.. I don't want you to suffer." She pouted and shifted to climb over him and in his lap, figuring now he wouldn't protest it like he had earlier for the sake of their conversation.

"I'm definitely going to need to keep you," Robin said, wondering how she felt about him calling himself a selfish bastard now instead of foolish and old. She was all over warm and inviting and he wasn't suffering long, stealing a kiss and hoping for more. From what he saw in his mind's eye, she wasn't going to deprive him of much, but.... being full of surprises, who knew for sure? She was the one on a time table and he kept the thoughts at the surface about her sisters. Maybe they wouldn't get too distracted... then again....

**********************************

They should have left an hour before, but he insisted and she wasn't exactly denying his request. Robin picked up her top from the floor as he retrieved his own and reluctantly slid it back on. For all his talk of being old, there was really not much to back up his claim if this strong physique he kept up with only the occassional pampering of a beer or two was any indication. That, and he'd kept up with her with few complaints.. except that they didn't have more time to continue "catching up" at the moment. He was chuckling quietly to himself as his fingers stumbled over buttons that didn't want to be redone. "It's for your own good you know..."

"Mmmmm I have heard it's quite a decent cardio workout.." She smiled up at him, taking her time at redressing and covering the curves and skin he seemed to like so much. All the while her eyes moved appreciatively over him, her head tipping to keep him in view as he redid buttons.

He glanced up to catch her taking him in. His head shook again. "They say the best benefit is from keeping a strict regimen, at least thirty minutes every day," he teased, glancing back again, wondering if 'every day' was still something she was willing to be or if she was considering popping away out of sight again, even after their very clear communication over this most recent 'working out'.

"I guess we'll have to make sure we find a way to work at least that much in everyday." She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and smiled up at him, she could hear him thinking and wondered how she might put his fears to rest. "Robin.." She started but didn't have the words to say what she felt, so she stood up and moved over to him. Her fingers brushed his face tenderly.

The shirt was buttoned, but to her he was still exposed and there was no block in the world powerful enough to change that. Robin didn't really want to and he grinned, not minding so much now that he was getting used to it. "We need to go. Although I wonder if she'd put out a missing person report on you... seeing as it would probably come to my desk. Ironic, huh? Found you."

Another few moments of finding her again and they weren't going anywhere all. "I guess we should go. She won't wait for ever and if Jeremiah has any idea about either of you, every minute is too long," Robin reminded her.

"I didn't exactly say when I would be back, only that I would. I don't see any need for worry that she's waiting on us. I highly doubt she put out a missing persons report. It's only been an hour, she'll probably be more surprised at how quickly I come back. I don't see how a few minutes now, makes any difference." She took a step back now and ran her hand over her hair to make sure the ponytail she'd just done was smooth. He obviously felt rushed enough to make two back to back comments about getting on their way, she didn't understand the urgency to go and why they had to go the second they finished redressing. "Fine then, if you're ready, We'll go now." She'd only tried to take a moment to reassure him about the bonds that were forming between them.

~Elizabeth.~ She reached out to her sister, at least trying to give her a warning before they arrived in her hotel room.

"Annia?" Not familiar with the idea of communicating telepathically, Elizabeth ended up just speaking out loud. She'd been sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing her wet hair with a towel when the 'call' came through. After a little time she'd taken her sister's advice and put a cool, damp rag on her eyes, following it up with a shower. She felt marginally better, but suddenly hearing from her sister came as a surprise.

~No.. Del.~ She chuckled a little, reminding her sister of the name, though she understood it was going to be confusing to some before they made things less confusing in the long run.

"Oh, right. Del." Beth cleared her throat, standing to go hang up the towel. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." She hadn't been sure she would hear from her sister at all, actually.

~I have a... friend who has some connections. I believe he may be able to help and he thinks we should come meet with you now, to discuss the situation... He's the only other person I trust.~ She kind of glossed it a little, trying to keep it brief at least until they were all together to try and sort it out.

Beth started towards the bed, hurriedly stuffing some random clothing items back into her suitcase. "Alright. Will you ah...be using the door, or the other?" She was still a bit freaked by the whole teleportation thing.

~The.. other.. is the best for myself and also least likely for me to be seen coming to see you. Safer that way, at least for now.~ She stood with her arms folded and regarded Nance, she'd just told her sister that he was the only other person she trusted. It was true but the other applied to her team and family from the lab, 'brothers and sisters' who she trusted with her life but had 'lost' since the escape. She did hope to find them again at some point.

"Whenever you're ready is fine." Beth stopped, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Calm down, take a breath...

More slowly now, she finished re-packing her suitcase and set it aside, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

~I'll let you know just before we port.~ Del turned her full attention back to Nance.

[tripp]

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[Lovely]

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[Lovely]

Oct 1, 2007
3am


It had taken some time to locate the persone he was looking for even when he got into Boulder itself. The place was filled with thoughts, worries, and mutants. Eventually Sully located her and he couldn't wait to see her, not even for his siblings.. He ported into the apartment, frowning when he realized everything was dark. He knew she was near, his feral nose had her scent, that of a male, and of recent breeding activity. He growled a little and moved into the kitchen area, he needed to wait to approach.. calm himself. He turned on a light and started poking around for food, finding a bowl and ceral.. there was even a little milk in the fridge. He sat down at the small table and began munching on the cereal while he waited.

Del woke with a start from a sound sleep, sitting up in the dark room even before any sound came from the other rooms of the apartment. She felt something she'd not had the pleasure of in a long time. She needed to catch her breath but her heart wouldn't stop racing.

Robin stirred uncomfortably as the warmth abruptly left his side. "What is it? Burglar? Stupid one, if so. Probably just a rat," he mumbled into the pillow before moving to find Del sitting up. He listened to the darkness as he pulled himself upward, reaching for the bat he kept under the bed's edge. "Bad dream? What is it?"

Del didn't say a word, she didn't even look at Nance when he spoke, it was like she didn't hear him. She regained control over her heart and her motions enough to toss the covers off her legs and get out of the bed. She took a step toward the door and stopped, grabbing whatever she could to cover herself. It happened to be one of Nance's shirts that she buttoned as she stepped into the still dark hall.

"Wha-... what are you doing?" He rasped out, trying to pull himself awake and pulll her back from whatever danger she'd heard. She'd sounded breathless a moment. Panicked? Del? He jumped after her as she headed into the hall to stop her. "What if it's not a rat, hm?" He lifted the bat and motioned that he should go ahead of her.

"It's not a rat." She replied simply, softly, still distracted though at least this time she seemed to hear him. Del nodded that he should go ahead of her and started slowly for the kitchen which is where the noise was coming from though she wasn't going very quickly and seemed to hide shyly behind Nance. She was nervous as much as excited for what or rather who she knew was there.