A lot has been happening over the course of a week for Derek. Working with Xavia has been a real pleasure and running into one of her other assistants, Kendra aka Daydream, has been even better. He was preparing to move out of the Mansion, but promised himself that he wouldn't completely leave the the extraordinary institute. Derek has made too many friends and connections there that he wanted to keep strong  like Allegra, Kendra, and a few others that he was getting along with. 

Derek had called Xavia  ahead of time that he was coming over with a special treat for Delilah and honestly, he couldn't wait to see the look on the little sprout's face when she saw the basket of freshly baked double chocolate chip cookies.

After paying and getting out of the taxi, Derek made his way to the front door and rang the doorbell. They both had a lot to talk about.

Xavia had fallen asleep waiting for Derek to arrive, and Delilah was snuggled with her on the couch. It was Mishka, Xavia's mother who opened the door. Xavia looked like a much younger version of her. The old woman put her finger to her lips and gestured him in.

She pointed to the pair on the couch, smiling, then lead him toward the kitchen, speaking in hushed tones, "She not sleep in long time. Let her wake up on her own." Her accent was thicker, her r's rolling in that Eastern European way. "She tell me you comink, I make you food."

She gestured toward a bar stool, filled a bowl with goulash.... Not the americanized stuff, the REAL stuff with a rich tomato sauce, melt in your mouth chunks of beef, dumplings, green peppers, and onions. It had been seasoned with paprika, caraway seed, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. She had a vegetarian version too in case he wasn't into eating beef.

"You call me Mama," she said with authority.

When Xavia's mother opened the door, Derek smiled. He followed her instruction to be quiet and walked into the house. He mouthed a thank you before turning his head to look at Xavia and Delilah cuddled up on the couch. He wanted to aww, but decided against it.

"You didn't have to do that." Derek whispered to her. Now he knew where Xavia got her generosity from. "Thank you, though." He knew from living in the south and being a poor college student that you never turn down free food.

He sat down at the barstool and placed the basket of tasty cookies on the table and out of the way. Derek looked up at her and smiled kindly. "Thank you, Mama." There was a warmness in his heart that spread to the rest of his body. Picking up his spoon, he dipped it into the soup. Without hesitation, Derek tasted it.

An explosion of flavor conquered his tastebuds. The taste of authentic, home cooking was almost overwhelming. Without much words he continued to eat the soup.

"I do because I want." She smiled. Then Delilah came padding sleepily to her grandmother, scooped up and taken to the closest bathroom. Meanwhile, a sleepy Xavia came padding into the kitchen to open the fridge and get some water. The shorts she wore beneath her tank top revealed still healing blotches of red from spilled coffee.

"Hi, Derek." Her voice was husky for the moment. She took the pitcher from the front, grabbed a glass from the cupboard, set it down and filled it. She set the pitcher down and began to drink little sips, turning and leaning her hip against the counter.

"Glad to see you." Even if she didn't show it much with her being tired as a dog. She had not been at the Mansion in a few days, having woken up sick. She didn't look too bad now but she didn't look that well either.

Derek was already half way done with his bowl when he heard Delilah get up and run toward her grandmother. He knew that Xavia was sure to quickly follow behind.

"Hey, rose flower. How are you?" He asked, smiling brightly at her. Xavia had been sick and was out the entire week of school. Of course Kendra and himself proudly kept the place going.

Derek could tell that she was slowly recovering from being under the weather. "I'm happy to see you too. How are you feeling? I brought cookies over for Delilah when she finishes washing her hands." He smiled warmly at her. "...I'm glad you're finally gettin' some sleep, Xavia." He scooped a spoonful of soup into his mouth and swallowed. "Your mother is a saint."

"Been nice to sleep a little." She admitted. "Been rough. Not going to lie..." And she was about to reply to Derek about her saint of a mother, when that one came out of the bathroom, had Delilah go to the pile of pillows in one corner, went back into the bathroom and came rushing over to Xavia, rattling off quickly spoken Hungarian and waving around the pregnancy test that Xavia had taken before her nap.

Xavia kind of paled a little and took the test. She looked at it, then dropped her hand. It was like her fingers went numb, for the object soon clattered to the floor. Derek wpuld be able to see Mama was worried, not angry. The old woman picked up the thing and clutched it to her chest before slipping it into an apron pocket. Then she ladled a bowl of Goulash for Xavia. "Sit. Eat."

Xavia moved and sat heavily on a stool. She was far from hungry. She stared down at the bowl of food and was literally silent for a few minutes, and then finally said, "Yeah, she is wonderful. How are t'ings?"

Derek smiled sweetly at Xavia. He was waiting on her to continue when Delilah ran over with what looked to be a stick. Squinting, he saw that it was a pregnancy test. Derek's heart dropped. Was she...? No, maybe she was just making sure because her period was late. That happened to females sometimes. Right?

By the paleness of her face and the way she moved, he knew. Derek's eyes were large, but he didn't say anything. She was obviously either in mourning or just shocked. After he finished, he turned to look at her.

"...How am I? Jesus Christ," Derek whispered, "you're pregnant?!" he lightly hit her shoulder. "Fam, you're...right now, my life doesn't matter." He stood up from the stool and started to make her some tea. "How did it happen?"

Xavia stabbed her spoon into her bowl, sighing. "It could be fluke but test says I am." She dropped the spoon to the side of the bowl and got up from her stool, raking her fingers through her hair. "You do not want answer." She said in a low voice, closing her eyes against the sudden, hazy vision of her behind that bar, pressed against the cold brick. Oh god.

She tugged on her lower lip, looking a bit haunted. Then she felt her mother gently push her back to her abandoned stool. She knew not to embrace Xavia until she was ready. Mama knew the truth, Xavia had cried to her after it had happened.

Mama shook her head and went to tend to the sleepy Delilah.

"How are t'ings?" Asked the younger woman, "Please."

"Yeah, if this was the sixties. I doubt it's a fluke." Derek put water into the kettle and placed it on the stove top. He turned the eye on and turned his body to look at Xavia. He walked over to her and sighed. "...Is there something you're not tellin' me?" He asked in a whisper.

There was something in her eyes that told something went wrong. He wished he was a telepath. He watched how Mama guided her to sit again.

"...Things are fine," he sighed, "I've been working with the Haven and trying to keep myself from falling for every guy I see in there," Derek bit his lips. "I've also been helping with the greenhouse and classroom..." Derek leaned against the countertop. "I also applied for classes at NYU."

"What is to tell?" She asked. She took a bite of her food and chewed the way people did when not hungry, but her mother had gone through the trouble of making a batch of vegetarian goulash for her, complete with tvp in place of meat.

"That is fantastic! I am so happy for you!" And she meant it. Even if that meant he was moving into another place besides her house. She ate another bite of food and seemed to relax now. There was just something about her mother's cooking that could do that to a person.

Derek studied Xavia's face. Being modest about one's sex life was one thing, not wanting to talk about it was totally something else. He wasn't going to let this go. Xavia and her family had only shown him kindness and it wouldn't be right if he just dropped the subject. He would have to do something even if she didn't know about it.

"Thank you," Derek reached into the basket and pulled out two fresh cookies. "I told the flies if they left the cookies alone that I would let them have the crumbs later." He took a bite out of one of the cookies and offered the other to Xavia. "Kendra says 'hi'."

"Oh, you met Kendra. She is lovely!" And knew what happened since she had been there. But Xavia would remain tight lipped about it, should it be asked about again. She declined on the cookie since she did not eat sweets much, but said, "T'ank you."

She continued to eat the goulash until it was gone, and as she was about to get up, her mother came along and cleared dirty dishes. "Sit down. Bad enough you never tell me name of man who do to you what cause t'is. Why do you not do for you for once?!"

Xavia sighed, "Let it go, Mama."

Mama, after depositing the dishes in the sink turned around to look at Derek. "Tell her! She gets violated and still does not'ink. She no talk about it, she no sleep, she no even stay sitting to rest!"

"Mom!"

"She is! She's a real southern belle." Derek complimented. He and Kendra was really getting along. He wanted to invite her over to his apartment once he moved in and got settled. Derek shrugged and ate the cookie himself. Plus, he used eggs so they wouldn't be vegetarian anyways.

When Mama started talking, all Derek did was listen. He had decided to make rose and chamomile tea to help ease her nerves, but apparently she needed more than that.

"..Violated?" Derek froze. His eyes slid from Mama's to Xavia. So that's why she didn't want to talk about a man raped her and now she was carrying his child. "Dear, God." He slowly walked over to Xavia. "...Who? Who did this to you?" He asked. His shock was slowly turning to anger. The type of anger a lion has when one of his pride members gets attacked. "I swear I'll make him pay."

She cupped her hand over her face and gave a sigh. She pressed her lips together, staring at her mother for opening her mouth to Derek. She looked to Derek, then, and said in a very soft, very pointed voice, "I took care of him. Kendra was t'ere if you do not believe."

"My point! You no call police, you no ask for help from anyonwe. Never!" Her mother grumbled and started filling the sink with sudsy water.

Xavia closed her eyes. "It might not be his." And then she stood up and stormed off into the living room, snatching a pillow up and curling up with it. "Drop it. Please." She muttered under her breath.

"..." So Kendra knows too? Why was he last to know? Derek sighed and went back to the tea kettle and poured the hot water in. He then grabbed a bag of chamomile and dipped it in hot tea. He placed it in front of Xavia. "Let that cool down a bit before drinkin' it."

Derek decided not to chime in on what Mama was saying. This was clearly a conversation between mother and daughter.

"Xavia," Derek called softly. He followed her into the living room and sat down beside her. He placed a hand on her side. "...Okay. We don't have to talk about it." He whispered. "We can just...sit if you want."