Lee had needed to do some ordering and work on the books that afternoon, but Tarin hadn't wanted to stay around the shop. So he had went home, saying he was going to go do some packing, while she stayed back to finish up working.

Lee really didn't know why Tarin felt the need to leave work early to pack, though. More often than not, she was up considerably later than he was at night, with absolutely nothing to do. Even though Tarin didn't think it was fair to leave most of the packing for her, Lee actually appreciated it, at least it was giving her something do do at night before she was able to go to bed.

But Tarin was already at home, and Lee had finally finished up everything at the shop that she couldn't put off till the next day, so she grabbed her purse and locked up. At least she would be able to re-energize a bit on the walk home; that was one of the horrible things about being in the shop when Tarin wasn't there, the best she could do was siphon from people passing on the street out front, and Lee was pretty sure that was getting to the edges of her range for siphoning. Needless to say, it ended up tiring her out.

Her four inch black heels clicking on the sidewalk and her black skirt swishing around her mid-thigh as she walked, Lee took a detour on her way home; her paperwork had taken considerably longer than she had expected it to, so when Tarin had called a while ago wondering where she was, Lee had told him that she would bring dinner with her so they could eat as soon as she got home.

Which really shouldn't take that much longer, since the restaurant she was planning to get tonight's take-out from was just up ahead, a few doors further down from the bar she was currently passing.

Meetings... they were the bane of Luke's existence. Ever since his announcement about the disbanding of the company board of directors and his status as a mutant, people had been treating him differently. Everyone was on edge as though he were out to fire everyone and only employ mutants. Couldn't they understand that he just wanted a business that would welcome everyone? Uncle Oliver was being his usual obnoxious self, making snide comments about how Luke was beginning to drive the company into the ground. Even Miss Langstan, who happened to be Luke's biggest supporter, was urging him to reassemble a board of directors to show that the company was where it needed to be.

Reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose to ward of the headache that was threatening to arrive full force, Luke walked down the sidewalk to try and work off some of his energy. Normally he would take a cab home but after everything today he just wanted to do something else.

Black dress shoes clacked softly against the sidewalk as the casual businessman turned down a sidewalk that led past several restaurants and two bars. His black pants were pressed, though the crease was going away from being worn all day and his burgundy tie was loosened with the top button of his navy blue dress shirt undone. Not being a big drinker the bars really held no interest for him but the aromas coming from some of the restaurants most certain did attract his attention.

"Maybe I should stop for a bite." Luke muttered as he slowed his pace. Raina had said she was going to be busy at the mansion and he didn't particular want to eat at home alone so why shouldn't he? At least in a restaurant there was the noise of other people talking. Lost in thought Luke failed to notice the woman approaching from the other direction that he had met on one previous occasion.

Today was a day meant to forget everything. Past, present, future. Then why the heck various images of the darkest part of his past were being played in front of his eyes? Alec sighed as he rotated the glass in a slow, steady motion. Whisky moved inside it following the same motion and he smiled. One move and now the glass was empty, only a few drops falling back inside. He put it back on the bar, a soft thud breaking the silence in his head. His head raised slightly and looked across the bar at the huge mirror. The face that greeted him there made him sick enough to want to puke and he turned his head with one sudden move.

He wasn’t alone. People were walking from side to side, laughter, talking, flirting, wherever he looked. Yes, certainly not one of the best places where to be when you were having a breakdown. His brown eyes searched for the bartender and as soon as he got his attention he motioned the boy to come to him. Alec reached for his wallet and by the time the bartender was there a few bills were on the counter. He wasn’t sure how much many he had put there but if he was to judge after the bartender’s face he’d say that more than enough.

Alec slid from the high chair and his balance was suddenly lost. Wow. Did he really drink that much? He tried to remember just how many drinks he had but numbers seemed to twist and dance a waltz inside his mind. Quite a few, he remarked as his hand was holding the chair for support, vision beginning to turn a bit blurry. Darn. How the heck was he supposed to get to the mansion in one piece driving like this? He shook his head slightly, trying to push his dizziness away and he finally let go of the chair.

He was still standing, he noticed with a bit of a smile. Okay, one step. His mind shouted in protest at the move but Alec continued to move, blinking several times to get a clear sight of what was going on. After bumping on several people, he had finally reached the door and the bodyguard greeted him with a mockingly grin. “What?” he asked clearly annoyed. Well, if drinks couldn’t make him forget then a fight should do the trick, right? However, the bodyguard smiled politely at his remark. “Have a good night sir.” he said, no trace of mocking in his voice. Alec gave him a dirty look as he continued his way across the small hallway managing to trip several times but fortunately all ended with him still standing. The wall which he was trying to grip for support ended and Alec pushed the bar door open and stumbled out.

No forgetting, no fights. What to do now? Head home, go to sleep and wait for the morning and the horrible hangover? It seemed a good idea. Until he saw her. High heels. Black skirt flowing around her. A classical beauty that seemed to have walked from a different age. Yes, she would make him forget. A nice romantic chat with this woman and all his pain should fail away. He stumbled, almost tripping a few times until he finally posted himself in front of this beauty, blocking her way. “Hello there, beautiful.” he said with a big goofy smile on his face. He certainly wasn’t aware just how ridiculous he was.

Thai. That was what Lee had decided was on the menu that night. They hadn't eaten at this Thai restaurant very often, but the few times that they had, both she and Tarin had really liked the food. It was a little more expensive, and a bit further away, than their normal Chinese, though, which probably explained why they didn't have it as often.

It was still a little early for the bar that she was walking past to be doing a lot of business, but as Lee was going over what she remembered of the menu in her head, a man stumbled out the bar door. Someone was definitely getting an early start that night, Lee couldn't help but think as she watched him stumbling around the sidewalk out of the corner of her eye.

But before she could actually get past the bar, the man stopped directly in front of her. Stopped and slurred at her.

It was true, she often didn't realize when men were flirting with her, especially when she was out at a bar, but even Lee wasn't this oblivious. And even if she wasn't a very happily married woman, nothing would have been happening here; Lee just wasn't that kind of woman, even if it was her powers that had made her that way.

"Why don't you just head home?" Lee suggested as she came to a stop out of arms reach of the drunk. "Or if you're really that lonely, go see if you can find someone back in the bar to keep you company."

Was that a little harsh? Maybe, but Lee did have dinner to buy, and a husband waiting for her at home, and she didn't really want to deal with some drunk creep out here on the street.

Thai, BBQ, Americana, and even a Mexican restaurant were in evidence as Luke tried to come to some sort of decision about where to eat. Tantalizing fragrances drifted from all of them but eventually his sense of smell would narrow the choice down to the one restaurant that seemed to be the best choice. Sure he might have to stand outside for a few minutes but that didn't particularly matter. It wasn't as though he needed to be anywhere.

As he focused on the scents, Luke couldn't help to notice the man that came stumbling out of the bar. He looked vaguely familiar but at the moment Luke couldn't quite place where he had seen him before. Watching the man somewhat curiously, Luke's sonar tracked him as he stepped away from the bar and then intercepted a young woman that was walking their direction. A quick sweep and Luke realized that not only had he seen the man before, but he had spoken to this particular woman at some length. Along with her husband.

Pivoting on his heel, Luke walked over to where the two individuals were facing off. The man with a somewhat silly, drunken grin on his face and Lee with a slightly annoyed look on hers. "Hello again Lee." Luke said loud enough to be heard over the noise from the nearby bar, "Everyone OK?"

Taking up a position standing near Lee, Luke turned his attention back to the man as he continued to try and place where he had seen him before and then it hit him. He had been at the pool party and as Luke remembered had been rather interested in the fact that Alexandra and Sam hadn't gotten together yet. "Alec?" The name finally sprang into his mind and out of his mouth before he could really think about it, "What are you doing out here?"

“Awwww…” Alec pouted at hearing the woman saying to beat it. If he weren’t drunk he probably would have left (hell, he wouldn’t have hit on a woman this way) but now, alcohol pinned his feet into the ground and he put on a goofy smile. “Oh, come on, I-”

Interruption. Yes, an interruption appeared. Alec made a step back to get a better look at him, booze was making his vision hazy. He saw the man was speaking with him; however he couldn’t understand what he was saying as he concentrated on seeing his face.

His eyes narrowed to the point they were only slits and he finally managed to get a clear glimpse at the intruder. He seemed familiar but his mind was unable to recall where he had seen this man before.

“Alec? What are you doing here?”

Alec gave a slight snort at the man and his eyes returned to their normal size. “And who are you?” he asked making a step forward in the man’s direction. “Did dad sent you?” he asked tilting his head on the side, his voice now angry. “Cause you can tell the old bag of bones that I’m not coming back!” Alec gestured Luke to beat it then turned to the beauty and leaned closer. “Now, where were we?”

The man heard what she had said, the drunken disappointed look on his face told her that, but he wasn't listening to what she had said. Despite her words, he was still trying to convince her.

But then Lee felt someone else approaching, and her whole body stiffened up. Great...It was going to be one of those nights.

At least that's what Lee had thought, and started to prepare herself for, until she heard the voice. A voice that sounded familiar as he spoke. A voice that knew Lee's name.

Frowning, Lee glanced over quickly to see Luke Jacobs standing there near her, asking if everything was alright. "Oh, everything's just peachy," Lee said as she continued to glance back and forth between the two men. "Just getting ready to tell this guy to shove off."

Apparently not. Apparently, Luke knew this guy. Even if in his drunken state, the guy, Alec, he had called him, didn't know Luke.

Whatever. Lee had enough drama and stress to deal with in her life without adding in random drunks on the street. But then the drunk guy asked a question that simply made Lee's eyebrows raise. "We were nowhere," she told him simply. "I was in the middle of telling you to get lost."

Luke raised an eyebrow slightly at the emotion that was suddenly coming from Alec. Whatever the reason, it was obvious that he and his dad didn't get along. Of course the biggest problem was that Alec was not exactly being a model Mansion resident... at least not here in public.

"Sorry about this Lee." Luke apologized quietly as he focused his attention on the drunk man, "Some people don't know when to call it quits."

Stepping toward Alec, Luke reached out to try and grab one of the man's arms in a firm but gentle grip. "Alec, I have no clue what issues you have with your father but I can guarantee that neither myself or the young woman are involved. I barely know you for crying out loud. Why in the world do you think I know your father?"

Approaching a drunk man with this sort of action might have been a dumb decision but Luke wasn't particularly worried about the other man attacking him. Even if Alec was trained in combat, a drunk man attacking a sober man was never a good combination. Of course, that didn't give Luke the right to manhandle him but he'd do whatever was necessary to keep Lee from having to do things herself.

"Is Tarin still at the store or is he at home already?" Luke asked, trying to get some semblance of normalcy into the conversation, "I haven't seen either of you since the day in your shop."

It took him a while to realize what exactly he was doing and it was only when the man had spoken. How exactly did he manage to get Luke Jacobs with one of the ACE employees was still a mystery in his head. Alec blinked repeatedly, trying to focus on Luke. Hell, he blew it. Badly. Apparently he knew this woman and Luke was a Mansion resident as far as he knew. Hell, he might have well been an X-Man.

So there went his chances of becoming one of the team. Picking up on girls… well, women, in a drunken state it was probably the perfect image to describe the X-Men. If he would have been able… he would have slapped himself over the face.

Alec cursed his father in his mind over and over again as soon as the realization that he had ruined his life once again. It wasn’t his father who had poured booze into his mouth but it was his fault for the shameful memories he was trying to drown in alcohol.

“Luke.” His voice came out surprisingly weak and disappointed as he did everything in his power to look at least a bit sober. “I … took you for someone else.” No excuses, just the truth. He had already blown his chances and feeling sorry wasn’t going to make him jump back in time.

He turned to the woman he had began to harass moments earlier. His expression was full of regret, hitting on a random woman on the streets, no matter how beautiful they were, wasn’t something he did out of habit. “I’m sorry…” His mind struggled to remember the name Luke had said previously. “Lee.”

Alec took a step forward, his head slightly bent down, but his eyes still on Lee’s. “Hit me or something. I deserve it.” He wasn’t exactly sure what was causing him to act like this, but it might as well have been the alcohol, the regret and the disappointment.

Apparently Luke knew this man who had hit on her in the middle of the street, and he was apologizing for him. And then asking about where Tarin was, as if this was just some casual run in they were having. Well, it wasn't violent, it wasn't insanely crazy, so maybe it could be considered casual.

The only other time she had actually spoken to Mr. Jacobs, they had been discussing installing a panic door in the shop, after all.

"No, he's already at home," Lee replied, though she made sure to keep an eye on the drunk. "I was just grabbing some dinner for us on my way."

And, not only had Luke apologized, but now Alec was apologizing himself. That was much better. And, apparently, asking her to hit him or something because he apparently deserved it. With a slight rolling of her eyes, Lee shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint, but I only hit if I really have to," she told him. Or, if they really deserved it, she silently added, and Luke had interrupted before Alec had gotten to that point. "Not that it's acceptable. It's not."

Luke's sonar was monitoring Alec's facial features as he tired to figure out exactly what was going on with the other man. Obviously he didn't have a good relationship with his father but more than that, Alec seemed to be expecting his father to send someone to find him.

"You need coffee and you need to talk." Luke observed before turning his attention back to Lee. He was glad he had been able to step in before the other man had made even more of a fool of himself and before he had done anything that would not only tick off Lee but her husband as well. "Care for some company to walk you to the restaurant and home? Tarin might feel better if you had something positive to say about Alec and myself."

Luke wasn't really expecting Lee to take him up on the offer and that wasn't a particularly big deal. If she was ready to head off by herself then he was going to grab Alec, pour coffee into him, and find out what in the world was going on with this man. Sure, Luke wasn't any sort of leader in the X-Men or a teacher at the mansion but he cared about the people there and if there seemed to be some sort of possible thread in the future he needed to know about it.

Alec straightened up again as Lee told him that she wouldn’t hit him and sighed. “Really, I deserve it. And sorry again.” Taking in a really deep breath as nausea was starting to get a hold of him and the last thing he wanted was to throw up in front of them, he took a step to the side, careful not to trip or let the alcohol induced dizziness make him stumble again.

His eyes shifted to Luke and gave the man a slight nod. “Yeah, I probably do.” he answered. He was particularly referring to the coffee, talking wasn’t exactly what he needed and he wasn’t sure if any mutant would have liked to know why he didn’t have a good relationship with his father. And probably if any mutant did find out about what he did for a living before coming to the mansion, he’d be whether seriously mauled or dead before he could explain anything.

Alec turned back to Lee, vision turning slightly hazy as he did but it quickly returned to normal. “Luke is right. And it would really give me hopes that you can forgive my actions.” he spoke then paused, waiting to see if Lee would accept his and Luke’s company.

Alec really seemed to want her to hit him over what he'd done. Lee simply shook her head. "You need to never do anything like that again," Lee told him. "But that doesn't mean you deserve for me to hit you. I don't think you want me to actually hit you."

Then Luke asked, since he was going to be pouring coffee down the other guy's throat before long, if they could walk her to the restaurant and home first. As a way of hopefully giving her something a bit more positive to think about the whole situation.

"Well, the restaurant is just another couple doors down," Lee said slowly, then glanced at Alec with a hard look in her eyes before turning back toward Luke. "If he behaves himself, I guess you can come along while I'm waiting for the food, but then I really need to get home."

Waiting just a moment to see if they'd go along with her offer, Lee stepped around the two men and continued on her way to the Thai restaurant that had been her initial destination. Stepping inside, feeling behind her with her siphoning as she wondered whether the two men were following her, Lee stepped up to the counter and grabbed a menu so she could order.

Luke nodded his thanks and turned around to face Alec. Pausing for a moment to let Lee get a little bit ahead, Luke grabbed Alec by the arm to hold in back for a moment.

"Behave and act like a gentleman. I'm sure you've got your reasons for going out and getting drunk and I'm sure you've got stuff you want to forget. But this lady deserves your respect."

Once Alec seemed to understand, Luke released his hold and walked down the sidewalk after Lee. Since she was going into the Thai restaurant it actually made sense for Luke to place his own dinner order there. He'd been trying to decide which place he should eat it and so now it seemed as though Lee had made up his mind for him.

"Do they have any specialties I should know about Lee?" Luke asked the woman as he took his place in line right behind her. If there weren't any specials that sounded appetizing he'd just have to order what he knew to be standard Thai food since there was a slight problem with his trying to read the menu.

"There are times when my sonar really doesn't make up for my blindness." Luke admitted to himself, "Thankfully they're few and far between."