Why did everyone always come to the wrong conclusion? Honestly. Every single time. Not that there had been too many times, and Allison supposed everyone involved in the movie was likely to be used to costars getting into messes together considering how much magazines seemed to like screaming about it, but still. It was not impossible for coworkers to be on speaking terms and have nothing to do with each others'....

Okay, so sex life wasn't exactly the issue, but still, the assumption was that it was. Or Allison certainly hoped that was the assumption, anyway. Regardless, Allison was going to let Cafas correct them. She was sick of it. And since she apparently couldn't avoid the annoyance, she could at least spread it around. She did want to know how the guy had realized she was pregnant, though.

But instead of explaining, he hurried off--limping, for some reason; why did they send someone injured out to the gate?--and Allison had to watch him with narrow eyes and attempt not to frown too obviously. Really, what was wrong with him? It wasn't that difficult a question to answer.

The woman was still there, though, and Allison didn't have any reason to glare at her, so she cleared her expression back to a smile and turned away from the guy that was now yelling into the air. "Yeah, I'm Allison. And, um, thanks." Personally, Allison would be perfectly happy not to be within walls with someone who could stop her mutation from working, but refusing would lead to more questions than she wanted to answer. And anyway, it was a woman; that helped, even if she knew it didn't matter. She tried not to pay attention to that knowledge as she followed. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name?"

Woah. So that worked; He called for a Cafas, and one just fell out of the air to his feet; Well, not exactly; he fell around the corner, which Saph's sense picked up as a little thump, and then came around just in time to stop him from hobbling through the front door. Hey, Cafas was limping, too!

"I can tell... Hey, there's a girl here for you... And... Well..." He hobbled on over to Cafas, and looked about quickly, pulling him around the corner again to avoid prying ears. "Listen... Ive met her before, and... I was... I was the Judge. Something bad happened to her... I gotta know, how do you know this girl... Are you two...? Uhm... She's pregnant."

He had to know if Cafas was being a sneaking casanova, or if... if... that had really happened. Part of him was willing to pray it was the first answer. He glanced around the corner quickly; they were headed inside.

"They're on their way in to Gemma's office. I'm sorry I'm heaping this all on you right now, but I gotta know, man."

What in the F was Saph on about? A girl... The Judge.. Oh, pregnant! He knew that one! "Oh, Allison! You met her as the Judge? Something bad? Wait did you break up her rape?" He hadn't heard that part of the story, to his recollection. Had Saph asked a question though? He seemed to remember one.

Are we what?

...

Probably wants to know if you knocked her up.

"It's not my kid. Far out, first the magazines, now you? You know I have a boyfriend right? Honestly Saph, try to think more highly of me than that. After everything we've been through, honestly..." He shook his head and gave Saph a bit of a shove. Which of course did nothing.

"You never get used to that feeling..."

A thought occurred to Cafas in that moment. "She didn't... Recognise you, did she?" He hoped not, considering the company Allison kept. That would be bad for Saph, and ultimately all the X-men.

"Y-Yes. You... Okay, so you know about all of this? Jesus, why is she here?!" He tried to keep his voice down, stepping closer to Cafas, and further from the corner of the building.

"It's not my kid. Far out, first the magazines, now you? You know I have a boyfriend right? Honestly Saph, try to think more highly of me than that. After everything we've been through, honestly..."

"Well think about it, Cafas, what's the alternative? I'd wish being the child of a cheat on a kid before that any day... Jesus... I failed... If I'd got there sooner..." He turned and leaned against the building, feeling as if the air had been kicked out of him.

The shove and the cheeky comment made him feel a little better. "You should see me near Gemma... I feel like an old man hobbling around everywhere... Shit, maybe I am getting old... She didn't notice me... not without the mask... But... Aw, man, I acted like a freaking weirdo, man... I sat there and blurted out 'You're pregnant' like a drunken idiot, and nearly fell outa my face leaving Gemma's range... Holy hell, I've screwed thing up big time, Caf. If she makes me, I'm dead." He couldn't have that... Andrea was nearly back.

". . . How well do you know her? Would she keep shut if she found out who I was?"

How well DID he know Allison. Not that well he'd wager. "No idea why she's here, and the alternative is that some guy raped her and got her pregnant. Let's face it, if she'd wanted not to have it, the option is there."

He knew Saph handled perceived failures poorly. They'd filled their fair share of recycling bins with bottles because of it. It came with the territory, when failure meant so much. He pulled Saph into a one armed bro hug. "You didn't fail man, she's alive isn't she? More than can be said for them."

"Couldn't tell you 'bout the last bit though. She's from the sanctuary for starters. I doubt she'll put it together though, and I'm not going to help her if I can help it." Cafas looked around them, made sure no one had gotten to close. They seemed like they were fine. "C'mon they'll be waiting for us."

A thought occurred to Cafas as he set off. "How do you keep Kealey off the scent? She seems to know everything, what with her empathy."

>>"Yeah, I'm Allison. And, um, thanks. I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name?"

"Gemma Taylor. Students call me Mama, or Miss T, or anything in-between" she smiled a bit. She had given up a long time ago to try and settle on one name; depending on all sorts of reasons, students preferred to make up their own minds about what they were going to call her. Face to face, or behind her back.

"So, Allison." there was really no good way of going about this, except for patience. Gemma walked the girl to her office that was more comfotable and inviting that any other office in the building. "Would you like anything to ear or drink?" she walked around the desk to open a cabinet. A guidance counselor's office was always well stocked.

"As I said, I am the schools guidance counselor. I work with the students, as well as the staff... and pretty much everyone else that needs help. I guess Saphirus will be back soon with Cafas, but I wanted to ask you, is there anything you would like to talk to me about in the meantime?"

Sometimes, girls wanted to talk to other girls, instead of men standing awkwardly around. That was completely understandable.

"Nice to meet you, Gemma." Using that name would have been really the only reasonable choice, anyway; this wasn't a formal enough situation for Miss Taylor, and Allison wasn't nearly young enough for any of the other options. The choice might have been a bit pointed as well as inevitable, though; Allison was very used to being treated as if she was younger than she actually was, and did not appreciate it, even if Gemma was being much subtler about it than normal.

The office was a bit more personalized than Allison had expected, but she supposed a private boarding school would allow that. Or whatever the Mansion was; she was pretty sure that Cafas wasn't a teacher or a student. Either way, she was distracted from looking around by Gemma's question. "Um." That required a few seconds to check with her stomach. And then to shove her stomach back down after its very emphatic answer. "No, thanks, I'm alright." And Allison was not entirely sure she would stay alright if she did eat anything. Drinking would probably be safe, but she didn't feel like risking it.

"Um... not really." Well. Allison hadn't thought Gemma would take mistaking her for a kid that far. If there was potential for information, though.... "Or. I am curious about how his mutation works?" Waving at the door probably wasn't necessary, but Allison did anyway.

"No idea why she's here, and the alternative is that some guy raped her and got her pregnant. Let's face it, if she'd wanted not to have it, the option is there."

"Dunno if the rock's too sharp or the hard place too hard... I dunno what I would do..."

Shit. The atmosphere got a little darker as he sat silently against the wall for a moment. Cafas pulled him out of it. He'd been through it too... Maybe even worse, with those cultists. That had been a mess no one could clean up. Even if he didn't show it well, he appreciated it.

"You didn't fail man, she's alive isn't she? More than can be said for them."

"Yeah... yeah."

"Couldn't tell you 'bout the last bit though. She's from the sanctuary for starters. I doubt she'll put it together though, and I'm not going to help her if I can help it. C'mon they'll be waiting for us."

"The sanctuary... Seems like bad news follows everyone who knows that place... Yeah, let's go. Don't want them to start wondering where I went off to."

"How do you keep Kealey off the scent? She seems to know everything, what with her empathy."

Saph's face went a little red at the thought. "Erm... Well... I dunno... I kinda avoid her like the plague if I can... If not, though... Don't laugh, man, this is for real... A guy experienced in the matter once told me... that.... Don't laugh. He said all you gotta do to get a female psychic or empath to leave you alone... Is... Well... stare at their chest and think about anything but their chest... A little... S... S'worked so far."

He blinked awkwardly a few times, shifted on his feet, and turned to hobble toward the front door. "Prolly... Prolly not a very good idea, actually."