Nessa was in a precarious position. She did not want to scare Juliette away for Booker’s sake, but she was looking to make her point clearly. Maybe she was an over-protective sister, but she was related to a great guy who often wore his heart on his sleeve where it could be promptly smacked to the ground by men and women who did not know how to care for another person. It upset her to see Booker hurt, and he was a world-renowned pathetic moper, so it was important for her to know he was not letting toxic people back in his life.

Juliette was taking her tongue lashing with strong eye contact, which was appreciated both for obvious reasons and because it showed she was not trying to hide anything. Even without telepathy, people who had secrets or moments of shame shied away from the eyes of their accusers. Juliette held firm, if not wobbly. She was a mutant, which Vanessa was aware of, and evidently, she needed an intake of energy to keep her running. A lamp flickered out for a moment nearby before coming back to life, and the woman across from her was suddenly looking more stable. Vanessa’s eyes moved from the lamp to her quickly, but she only replied with a nod to signify that she understood Jules was a mutant and had mutant needs.

There was plenty of interest in Juliette’s eyes. She was not used to things going as fast or as well as they had with Booker. That was good to know, and maybe even a little heartwarming. She also found Vanessa attractive, though not in a “I’d cheat on Booker with you” way, which was the right way to find her attractive. Mental flattery was always worth a point or two because it was honest. She also had very valid reasons for leaving her last boyfriend, and as Vanessa thought, she felt a lot of conflict about what happened with Booker and how she had to end things with the other guy, Sam.

She was honest. Everything she said matched up with everything in her head, and there was a genuine sincerity when she admitted how much she liked Booker.

The silent stare-down lasted a few moments longer than necessary, perhaps to let Juliette sweat out the verdict, but Vanesa’s expression softened into a smile. ”Okay. I believe you. I’d like to start off on the right foot from this point forward.” It was a genuine attempt to put Rebecca and Sam and any other qualifiers behind them. ”Though my ominous threats still stand. Hurting Booker would not be your brightest decision,” she added, fully embracing a more intentional mutation pun.

Vanessa glanced over her shoulder at the door to the kitchen, making sure Booker’s curly hair was not peeking around the corner eavesdropping. ”For what it’s worth,” she whispered, ”He really, really likes you, too.” With how emotionally expressive Booker could be, she was sure Jules already had that impression.

With the confrontation out of the way, Vanessa called over her shoulder, ”You can come back and return to your night with your unharmed girlfriend!”

Booker had agreed to clear out, but he wasn’t just going to spend the whole time doing the dishes. Not when his sister was on the warpath. He had hoped that his words had appealed to something human in her, something that would remind her that he was actively seeking a relationship with this woman and her intervention was certainly not necessary. If she were mad about the Rebecca thing, he got that and they could have a knockdown, drag out, bare knuckled fight if she wanted to. But right now, this night, she needed to breathe and remember that Booker and Juliette were still a small thing trying to get bigger. They joked around and got pissy at one another, but the last thing that either of them had ever done was try to actively hurt the other’s chances with a real relationship.

Booker had turned on the water and scrubbed the plates that he had been working with. He wanted to eavesdrop but, in the meantime, he actually should get these dishes cleaned off. The pots could soak overnight (the only things in this apartment that would probably be soaking now), but the plates were always better to get out of the way as soon as possible. Still, even as Booker diligently cleaned the plates of all stains and food, he couldn’t help but wonder – what was going on in there?

Nessa was mad, he got that, but exactly at what? And why did she want to talk to Juliette on her own? Sure, the way that they met may have not exactly been the best, but it wasn’t as if the two of them were actively carrying on an affair. It must as stung, though, to know go through what she went through with Rebecca, and to turn around and watch her brother engage in such behavior with another woman. He thought that it wasn’t exactly fair but they were all adults. They made their decisions and, so far, Booker was happy with those that had been made.

Picking the last of the dishes up, he carefully whipped them down before he set it back into the cupboard. But, he knew better than to just storm out of the kitchen like that. Instead Booker lowered the water, just a smidge, to make it sound like he was still working. As he did that, he carefully tiptoed over to the entrance to the kitchen and craned his ear to hopefully catch at least a snippet of what was going on out there.

The voices were muffled but it did sound like a serious pow-wow. Hands holding onto the edge, he tilted himself just a little closer, with hopes of hearing. As he did so, he started to catch small bits and pieces, those that sounded like they were closer to the end of the convo…

>> ”But I really, really like your brother. If there’s something that I can do to come off as less horrible, I’m willing to try it.”

He smiled. Not just any smile, though, but a big and pleasant smile at the words that Juliette spoke. She liked him. Like, really liked him. Booker breathed a small sigh of relief, resting his forehead against the edge the wall as he closed his eyes. Honestly it meant the world to him to know that after everything, even his sister, that she still liked him. However, he did perk up, wondering what Juliette could have possibly meant by coming off as less horrible? What was Nessa telling her?

He tried to crane closer but as he did, his toe stubbed against the wall and the man muffled his voice hopping back into the kitchen, cursing in a silent voice the very Hell that the heavens doth created. Limping, the librarian grumbled to himself, slowly feeling the pain die away; just in time too as the sweet, angelic, bullhorn that was his sister’s voice cut through the fog like a siren.

>> ”You can come back and return to your night with your unharmed girlfriend!”

Creeping back out from the kitchen, Booker awkwardly leaned his head out, peering at both Juliette and Nessa. Seeing that the both of them were unharmed, he let himself breathe again as he stepped out. ”Unharmed. Good.” he said with an encouraging smile. He as he returned to Juliette’s side, he carefully gave her a once over before he stepped in front of her, his back to his sister as he whispered under his breath. ”If you’re in danger blink twice…” he blinked twice as a demonstration. When Juliette didn’t do so, he nodded, leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before turning back to face his sister.

He eyed his sister closely. There were still some things that needed to be said, some air that needed to be cleared, but they could do that later. Instead he tilted his head down, a small smirk on his lips, as if to say “thank you” for being civil. Once that was done, though, he gestured towards her bedroom.

”Uhh, don’t forget your phone this time…” he said, before coyly throwing in a, ”…jerkface” That was said with a smile, though. It was all part of the sibling dance.

After saying her piece, there wasn’t much that Juliette could do other than stand and wait. It was up to Nessa to decide whether she liked her and whether she thought that the mutant was worthy of her brother’s affection. Juliette wasn’t actually sure how much pull she had in that area, but it worried her anyway.

Nessa really knew how to make a girl sweat, though. Juliette stood her ground, continuing to keep the eye contact that was made with her. She was holding her breath as she did so, unable to let it go and release the tension that had built up. It was terrifying under that infallible gaze. It was very difficult to know what she was thinking. Sometimes, as much as she knew the consequences, she wished that she had telepathy for moments like those.

>>”Okay. I believe you. I’d like to start off on the right foot from this point forward.”

With a release of tension, Juliette nodded gratefully. ”Thank you,” she replied, her voice revealing a little of the relief that she felt. While she hadn’t lied about anything that she’d just said, it was nice to know that she seemed trustworthy enough to believe and that she wouldn’t have to prove any of what she was saying. Since, well, the only other witness that she would be willing to bring in would be Rebecca...

If she was going to be dating Booker, then she would probably be going to see a lot of Nessa, so she was glad that they would be able to at least try to move past the hard feelings. There was still the issue of Becca, which would also have to be discussed when Juliette went home, but hopefully, they would be able to have a relationship in spite of that. It didn't sound like a great thing to have to deal with if her relationship with Booker got really serious. 

>>”Though my ominous threats still stand. Hurting Booker would not be your brightest decision,”

”I’ll keep that under advisement,” Juliette said. She had less than no intention of hurting Booker, but sometimes things were inevitable. A perfect example was the fact that she had no idea that she’d hurt him after their first kiss. That really hadn’t been something that she’d meant to do, but it had happened, and she’d needed to try to move past it. Unfortunately, the longer things went on, the more she realized that it wouldn’t be an option to do so. They had something real, and they needed to at least see where it took them.

Muffled sounds came from the kitchen, giving the impression that Booker had just stubbed his toe or something. With the situation somewhat cleared up, Juliette was able to give a slight grin at the situation, but only slight. She quickly hid it and faced Nessa again.

>>”For what it’s worth, he really, really likes you, too.”

That made her actually grin. She’d gotten the impression that it was a mutual infatuation deal, but hearing confirmation from someone on the outside made her feel pretty good about it. She lowered her head and tried to stop the smile from growing any larger.

Booker was called back into the room, so he peeked his head out to make sure that the situation was as okay as it sounded before he rejoined them. Juliette wasn’t sure exactly how much she’d overheard, but she knew that he’d at least overheard a little of it.

He stood at her side again and gave her a look over, apparently to make sure that she was unharmed. After being under the scrutinization of his sister and then under the careful eye of him, she felt a bit like a child being okayed by a couple of adults. It was a very, very strange experience. Especially for a date.

>>”If you’re in danger blink twice…”

She shook her head and smiled a little again. ”I’m fine, Booker,” she whispered back, making sure not to copy his eye movement. She was a little shaken up and weirded out, and her libido was definitely gone for now, but she was physically alright. Her fear of Nessa getting violent was unnecessary. She'd only lashed out with words. She closed her eyes as he kissed the top of her head, trying to save the feeling for later. Head kisses were probably the best part about being short.

After some (what Juliette assumed was) typical sibling ribbing, Nessa left the room, leaving Juliette and Booker alone again. A few minutes ago, Juliette would have considered that the best case scenario, but she’d left a little bit of weirdness in her wake. The brunette wasn’t entirely sure where the evening was going to go. Before Nessa had walked in, she'd known exactly what was going to happen next, but with her gone, she didn't know where that left them. She was pretty sure that it would be too strange to go back to what they were doing right away, though. Maybe a bit more wine was in order - a thought that worried her a little.

”I feel like I just got the ‘dad talk’,” Juliette said under her breath. Like she was a teenage boy taking a girl to prom, and an adult had felt the need to explain the exact boundaries to him before taking their daughter out. It was strange to think that Booker's younger sister was functioning as his psuedo-parental figure.

She was less than used to that kind of supervision or care for someone's dating life. Her mom had always been kind of hands off with that sort of thing. In fact, when Juliette had gone to prom, she was fairly certain that her mother had put a condom in her clutch.

His sister wasn’t a violent person, not unless it truly and most deeply deserved it. While he may have lied about how he was spending his evening, he doubted that it was enough to cause Nessa to actually hurt Juliette. There were no grounds for it. Yeah, maybe they dry humped a little too closely to her favorite part of the couch (her Gaming Throne, as she called it), but again, no need for things to get physical in anyway. Vaguely he wondered if there were some underlining issue but Booker wasn’t going to comment on it just yet. He was sure that, eventually, they could air this incident out.

Maybe over tea cakes. He’d make tea cakes.

Once he had returned, Booker peered down to the woman, inquiring after her health. He gave her a signal to use, just in case she wasn’t, but it seemed as if she were absolutely fine – physically at least.

>> ”I’m fine, Booker,”

She smiled. That made Booker smile in response. It wasn’t forced, it wasn’t tinged with sadness, maybe a little bit of nervousness but that was understandable. Once he was sure she was good, he leaned down to give her a small kiss on the forehead before he turned around, his hands in his pockets as he watched his sister. He didn’t catch everything that was said between the two of them but he had a feeling it was the usual spiel about being a good girl around him. Unfortunately he had a feeling that that was exactly the persona that Juliette was going to take on the rest of the evening.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. He’d definitely have to make sure to thank his sister for this later.

Reminding his sister to not forget her accursed cell phone this time, he capped his reminder with a patented Bookman title. It wasn’t really meant to show insult, but rather just to clarify that they were okay. Nessa and Booker constantly engaged in ribbing like this, back and forth, and it was a staple of their relationship.

After shooting back her own retort, Nessa disappeared into her room where Booker watched her rummage for a second before she walked back out, wriggling her phone in hand to show that she had it. Wordlessly, probably because it was too soon to continue their ribbing, Nessa left out the door and closed it behind her. At least she didn’t slam it.

Free from the oppressive air that Nessa had brought into the room, Booker felt himself deflate a little in relief as he slowly turned to check on Juliette. She was still standing, maybe a slight bit of disappointment on her face. For a moment Booker felt awfully bad about the way things had gone between her and his sister. With a sigh, he moved away, slipping over to the door and locking it once again. A glance through the peep hole, he stepped back, thought a moment, then grabbing a small end table that was near the door which he firmly planted in front of it. In all honesty, it couldn’t stop a rampaging squirrel if it wanted to, but the sentiment was there.

Awkwardly he rubbed the back of his neck as he rejoined Juliette.

>>”I feel like I just got the ‘dad talk’,”

Booker sighed, his head hanging a bit as he stepped up to her. It was probably not the most appropriate time but…”I mean…you were straddling me…” he shared with her a bright smile before he winced. ”…too soon?’ A click of his tongue and Booker stepped away. His voice grew a bit more sincere as he addressed her. ”I’m….really so sorry. She absolutely had no right to corner you like that, and especially with that tone.” he glanced to the door, almost as if he expected her to smash her way back in. ”But she means well.” His lips curled under his teeth in thought before he gave her sweet, sympathetic look. ”I could use drink. You?”

They were going to have to talk this out, and he was fine with that, but he’d rather they had calmed nerves before getting into the whole embarrassing situation.

The air that Nessa had left was a bit of a strange one. Before she’d come in, the room had been full of a certain kind of tension that only family members knew how to dispel. It was really too bad, though. Juliette had been enjoying herself, and she wasn’t sure if they would be able to get back to that place that night.

Still, there were things to be thankful for. Vanessa had believed her when she answered her questions, there was no violence involved, and she had left. As horrible as it sounded, she was glad that she had gone so that they could get on with things and get past the awkward discussion that would have to follow.

She didn’t know how much Booker knew about the situation, but she knew that he likely knew Rebecca. If he had known how close the two of them were, then perhaps he would have been more wary of her to begin with, since, as Nessa had so nicely put it, the cheating bug seemed to be spreading. She desperately hoped that he wouldn’t be weirded out by the fact that he was dating his sister’s ex’s roommate. Of all connections.

The house was clearly free of anyone else, but Booker still checked through the peep hole after Nessa left, making sure that she’d left the hallway before he moved a table in front of the door and rejoined her. Juliette gave him a smirk and shook her head at the antics. The table didn’t look like it would stop the wind from blowing the door open, much less a feisty sister.

She’d compared the situation to getting the ‘dad talk’, which seemed like an apt description. She’d been grilled after she was found in a compromising position with a member of someone’s family. Still, it felt a little weird. They were two consenting adults, and while Nessa did have valid business there, she just wished that she could have waited for a different time to hash it out. Or just not have forgotten her phone. That would have made the entire evening a whole lot easier.

>>”I mean…you were straddling me…”

Juliette turned very slowly and narrowed her eyes at Booker. ”Well if doing so is going to get that kind of a reaction each time, then maybe I won’t do it again,” she retorted, less annoyed by the comment than she sounded. It really wasn’t as if she was the only one participating. She had seen just how comfortable he had been with things.

With the signature Booker charm, he followed up his joke with a simple question of whether it was too soon. Juliette gave him a quick nod before continuing. ”Just a little bit.” It had made things slightly less weird, though. She had to give him that. Maybe, just maybe, they had a hope of getting things back to how they had been.

>>”I’m….really so sorry. She absolutely had no right to corner you like that, and especially with that tone. But she means well.”

Juliette sighed and didn’t say anything for a minute. While Nessa may have been slightly out of line discussing all that stuff now and taking stabs at her worthiness, she did have valid reasons to be worried. Juliette understood where she was coming from, and she couldn’t really blame her, even if she did just a little.

”She does have a reason or two to be worried,” Juliette admitted quietly, wishing that they could have had the conversation later or after. It was really too bad.

>>”I could use drink. You?”

She was done being afraid of drinking forever. It wasn’t the true demon. ”Yes, please,” she nodded gratefully. She ran her hands through her hair quickly and then sat back down on the couch while she waited. A drink or two would definitely make things easier.

When Booker came back into the room, she addressed what needed to be said. It wasn’t fair to make him guess. ”So I assume you know how everything went down with Rebecca and Vanessa?” she asked as a starting point. With the kind of relationship that they had, she wouldn’t be surprised if he did, but she needed to know how much he knew. It might have been the case where, like her, he hadn’t know any of the details until after the fact.

Okay, to maybe that wasn’t his best joke. No, it was damn near hilarious, but is certainly wasn’t the right time for it. Sadly it was Booker’s way. When things were intense or awkward, he always tried to calm things down with just a little hint of humor. It was his comedic timing that had been able to defuse a number of situations, most of which easily avoided fates that were far worse thanks to his intervention. This didn’t seem to be one of those times as the look that Juliette gave him was extremely telling, to say the least.

>> ”Well if doing so is going to get that kind of a reaction each time, then maybe I won’t do it again,”

”Whoa whoooa…” He said, actually a little scared that maybe she was serious (though not really)). ”I mean, let’s not get hasty or anything…” He was almost 89% sure that she was joking, but just in case he wanted to make it clear that that was no an option he actually wanted to go into effect.

He hoped that she wasn’t really mad at him but, truth be told, she had every right to be. However, even though the look that she gave him was just a little scathing, Juliette didn’t seem to be really mad with his behavior, but rather suppressed something that could have been a smile upon her lips. That was comforting to know. But he wouldn’t push his luck.

Now that they were alone, no sister around, no interruptions, he was now stuck having to explain all this to Juliette. She was such a sweet woman that to have her go through something like this was tragic in and of itself. Nessa had no right to jump down her throat the way that she did, no matter how angry she was at him. At least things ended peacefully enough so that, hopefully, they could discuss the matter civilly.

He winced at the tone that Juliette spoke to him with, mumbling that maybe it was a little too soon. She agreed.

>>”Just a little bit.”

Yeah, maybe it was time to introduce some alcohol to this equation. Booker wasn’t normally one to turn to the drinks to get him through his days, but right now he certainly could see the appeal of it. Of course he wouldn’t actually do something like that. Right now it was just an option that he was willing to look into for the night. If they were going to talk about heavy subjects, it was better to do it with just a little bit of alcohol in the system.

As Booker made his way back to the kitchen, he called out over his shoulder to ask if Juliette wanted a glass.

>>”Yes, please,”

He nodded, disappearing back into his place of exile. He hated that his sister had so much sway over him but, then again, he knew that it came from a place of love. If anyone had seen him at his lowest of lows, it was her and she always stood by him. She knew how to pick him up, how to dust him off, but she also knew when to be the over-protective little sister. He was grateful, but tonight it totally could have been handled differently. But he supposed that was a conversation he and Nessa would have later. In the meantime, drinks.

Booker returned from the kitchen, caring two glasses of wine, the same kind that he had served with dinner. After handing a glass over to Juliette, Booker snagged on of the bags of snacks that she had brought and took a seat next to her. Honestly he was missing the closeness that was happening before and cursed his sibling for her timing. He took a small, comforting sip of wine before setting it onto a nearby coffee table and just leaned against the couch, turning his body so that he was facing his date again. She looked like she had something to say but he wasn’t going to force it out of her, instead he just leaned, sipped, and waited.

When Juliette finally found her voice, Booker listened…

>> ”So I assume you know how everything went down with Rebecca and Vanessa?”

He tilted his head, eyeing her closely. ”Umm…yeah...” he replied. ”I mean, I helped Nessa through it as much as I could. Was pretty rough from what I saw.” He shrugged his shoulder. ”She liked her a lot and to be cheated on like that…well…that was a low blow.”

Truth was that Booker only knew the details that Nessa told him: Rebecca had an affair with her ex, and the culprit was some violinist named Agnes Nicholas. Booker had to admit that with a name like Agnes he had expected some weird May/December relationship that Rebecca had gotten herself ensnared in. Then he looked her up on Oggle and the man had to admit it, yeah, he totally got it. However, that was beside the point. The point now was why was Juliette bringing this up?

Just as she thought it would, her retort had made Booker backtrack and show his true feelings toward their earlier circumstance. She had threatened not to do it again, and he had revealed that he really didn’t want that to be the case. Juliette had figured as much. It wasn’t as if she had been forcing him into any of situation that he didn't want to be in.

”Don’t worry, I wouldn’t actually do that,” Juliette told him, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. She figured that it would be clear by that point, but just in case he was fretting, she made sure to tell him the truth. A snarky comment like that wouldn’t keep them apart forever. Just… until the awkwardness blew over.

Booker had offered more wine, which Juliette agreed to gratefully. At that point, something that dulled her senses sounded very good, and it was something likely make the rest of the evening a little less weird. She hated the fact that she was starting to rely on the effects of it just like Sam had, but she knew that she couldn’t just stay away from it forever. It wasn’t alcohol that was at fault anywhere - it was the way it was used. If she was careful not to become dependent on it, then there would be nothing wrong with occasionally using it to make an evening a bit easier. So long as it wasn’t every evening.

Soon enough, they were sitting back on the couch with wine and one of the bags of snacks that Juliette had brought. It was a good idea to bring it out at that point. Dinner had settled, and it made the talk less strange if they both had something to do with their hands. Veggie straws and rosé - they were the classiest of classy.

They were back on the couch together, meaning that they were close again, but not nearly as close as before. A part of Juliette wanted just to forget all the weirdness that had just happened and go back to the way things were, but she knew that it wasn't something that could just be swept under the rug. If they didn't talk about it now, then it would just make things worse until it was a discussion loaded with all kinds of worry and doubt. If they wanted to clear the air, then they had to do it now.

They had reached the topic of Rebecca, which Juliette hadn’t even realized was a topic that they had avoided. The redhead was one of her closest friends, and it had never occurred to her to check to see if she was dating the brother of one of her exes. It was such a strange coincidence, but it was a coincidence nonetheless. She didn’t know if she would have approached the situation differently if she had known, but now they did have to discuss it and what it meant.

Juliette had started off by seeing how much Booker knew. It seemed like the best way to go, considering the fact that Booker obviously didn’t know about the connection between the various women. She didn’t even know if he knew Rebecca at all. It could have been the case where he only knew about her through stories and angry mutterings. Either way, she figured that he would probably have a large grudge against her for hurting his sister.

>>”Umm…yeah… I mean, I helped Nessa through it as much as I could. Was pretty rough from what I saw. She liked her a lot and to be cheated on like that…well…that was a low blow.”

The brunette nodded. She loved Rebecca, but she’d always thought that she should have broken it off sooner with the mysterious Nessa. Her and Agnes belonged together, and she didn’t blame her for straying, but it wasn’t fair to string her along like that.

She sighed a little before saying anything else. ”Yeah, it was a tough situation. I… didn’t realize that ‘Nessa’ was your sister until I saw her just now.” She took another sip of her wine and set it down on the table before turning on the couch to face him better. ”Rebecca is one of my closest friends, actually. She was the one who let me stay with her when I had to move out of…” she trailed off and ran a hand through her hair as she thought of the mansion. ”Anyway, the point is that I think Nessa probably got a little scared that I was planning on doing what Rebecca did with you. I’m not, though. I want to get that straight right off the bat.”

Once Booker had been reassured that Straddling had been returned to the Juliette menu, the relief was apparent upon his features. Of course he was sure that she had probably been joking about the matter, truth was that on the off chance that she wasn’t, then he definitely needed to make peace. Before Nessa had interrupted, actually that was probably his favorite part of the evening (duh). Since the two of them met, there had been an attractive between Booker and Juliette, and that moment had been one that was clearly leading the matters that the two had been dancing around.

In essence, it was just pretty goddamn amazing. God, he could kill his sister for feeling the need to interrupt that. But, as lament-worthy as that was, it was in the past and right now he needed to concern himself with other matters; one of those being the procuring of alcohol.

Glasses in hand, Booker returned to Juliette’s side. The space between them on the couch was certainly a little bigger than it was before but, hey, it was understandable. The two of them had essentially been caught red-handed and there were still some flushed nerves that needed to be quelled before they could move past it. What would the rest of the night hold for them? Booker had absolutely no idea but he was just going to have to roll with this one to see where it went.

For now they needed to get past the discussion about his sister and what had happened between the two of them. Though he wasn’t going to pry, he wasn’t going to stop Juliette from talking either. He turned on the couch, facing the brunette as he sipped carefully at his wine. She was doing the same, trying to pluck up the courage to tell him…something. When she finally did, Booker was admittedly slightly confused as it wasn’t exactly the topic that he was expecting.

Nessa and Rebecca. Yeah, he knew what had happened there. Nessa was his sister and, to be honest, he was actually fairly friendly with Rebecca. They even went to that last con together, even after she and Nessa broke up. But why would Nessa be irritated with Juliette for that?

>> ”Yeah, it was a tough situation. I… didn’t realize that ‘Nessa’ was your sister until I saw her just now.”

He blinked. The pieces were starting to click into place. Actually he was quite annoyed that he didn’t make the connections before this moment and found himself wanting to jump out the window. Seriously, Booker?”

”Oh Jesus…” he said, letting his head lull back as he sighed at his own ignorance. ”Duh. X-Men. Of course you would know Rebecca.” He said, dropping his gaze back to her. ”And of course you would be friends. And of course you would know about the two of them and what happened and she would recognize you.’

He couldn’t have felt more stupid.

>>”Rebecca is one of my closest friends, actually. She was the one who let me stay with her when I had to move out of…Anyway, the point is that I think Nessa probably got a little scared that I was planning on doing what Rebecca did with you. I’m not, though. I want to get that straight right off the bat.”

He dipped his head down, shaking his head. God, no wonder Nessa flipped. As Juliette explained, though, filling in the gaps from the conversation that he hadn’t heard, he just found himself a little annoyed with his sister. Yeah, he got her being protective, especially after the last time he mentioned what he and Juliette did in the rotunda when she still had a boyfriend, but to act that suspicious of her was pretty crappy.

”Dammit Nessa…” he finally said, a little under his breath.

He set his glass down on a nearby table and, leaning back against the couch. He got it, the whole picture now. Nessa, because of what happened between her and Rebecca, was seemingly scrutinizing everyone that had anything to do with the redhead. Being protective was one thing, but being paranoid about anyone who had any association with your ex was a complete other story. Irritated somewhat by his sister’s actions (he had plenty of ammo now for when they discussed this matter later), Booker looked completely and utterly apologetic as he finally turned to meet Juliette again.

”Again, I’m…completely sorry that she did that to you. She really had no right, protectiveness or not.” A deep sigh and, carefully, Booker reached over, his hand finding her knee and giving it a small, gentle squeeze. ”And…for what’s it worth…I didn’t think you were going to do that to me.”

He didn’t. The connection the two of them had been feeling was far too much to ignore. Maybe Booker was a hopeless romantic, but he really did feel like there was something more there. So, he flopped to the side of the couch, burying his face into the cushion, letting off a tiny and half-hearted scream of frustration that was mostly muffled. He then peered out of the corner of his eye at her.

”So…I know we said this the first time we went out, but, seriously, if you wanted to run out the door screaming due to my insane family, feel free. I doubt I’d blame you at this point.” He then gestured to the bag of Veggie Sticks. ”But I’m keeping those. I don’t care what you say.”

As Juliette began to fill in the gaps, Booker’s eye lit up in recognition. Her relationship with Becca suddenly became more apparent and obvious than before, and he connected the dots. It hadn’t actually taken him long, but without a point in the right direction, Juliette knew how it could have taken a while to figure out. It was a smaller world than people often assumed, and it was usually harder to realize the fact that two people you knew knew each other than it was to have someone point it out for you.

”Exactly,” Juliette nodded slowly as he pointed out the connections aloud. She was almost bracing herself for a second scolding like the one that Vanessa had given her. She really wouldn’t blame him, either. The kiss in the rotunda shouldn’t have happened, and now she was giving them both even more reason to think that she ran around doing that sort of thing all the time. So, she did her best to set the record straight.

>>”Again, I’m…completely sorry that she did that to you. She really had no right, protectiveness or not. And…for what’s it worth…I didn’t think you were going to do that to me.”

To her surprise (and general delight), Booker didn’t look angry or ashamed of her. In fact, he looked apologetic and seemed to feel bad about his sister’s actions. It was more than Juliette had hoped for, in light of everything. ”You’re a good guy, Booker,” she smiled lightly and put her hand on his knee gratefully.

Booker was understanding, kind, and forgiving. Not to mention that the meal had been amazing, and he still looked so good in that shirt. It was sort of hard to believe that someone like him even existed in the first place and was single. He was…

He was screaming into the pillow?

Juliette had gotten a bit lost in thought, and when she checked back into the world of the not-dreaming, Booker had turned around and was making muffled noises into the pillow behind him. It looked like he was still feeling bad about the whole situation, even though she’d made her peace with it. She rolled her lips in but didn’t do anything, not wanting to interrupt him before he was finished.

>>”So…I know we said this the first time we went out, but, seriously, if you wanted to run out the door screaming due to my insane family, feel free. I doubt I’d blame you at this point. But I’m keeping those. I don’t care what you say.”

There it was; her opportunity to get him back for his comment earlier. Juliette saw her opening for a slightly insensitive joke and, dammit, she took it.

Slowly, she took her hand back and set it in her lap as she turned forward to face the wall. With a sigh, she stood up after a minute, as if signalling that she was going to be leaving. She stood still for a second to make him sweat and then turned back around and pointed to the bag of veggie sticks. ”I want visitation rights,” she joked, keeping her face as straight as she could manage before she broke and her face was overtaken by a wide grin.

She flopped backward onto the couch, closer to Booker than she had been sitting before, and snaked her arm around the back of the couch. ”No, sorry. I’m a little harder to get rid of than that.” Wasn’t that the truth? She already had a track record of staying through tough relationships. ”I’m sorry if that ruins any dastardly plans to make me run for the hills.”

More than anything in that moment, Juliette wished that they could be like they were before Nessa came in, but she wasn’t sure if Booker was still thrown off his groove. She decided that it would be best to wait until they were definitely on the same page before she moved any closer than that.

He really did count himself as stupid for not realizing this before. Of course Juliette would know Rebecca. They were X-Men together and they both had personalities, that in Booker’s opinion, would have meshed pretty well. And, now that he thought of it, the last time he and Rebecca had hung out, she did mention briefly mention a friend of hers that she called “Jules”. It only made sense. However, for as much as Booker was annoyed with himself, really he didn’t need to be. Anyone would have missed that point, especially if there were no clues beforehand.

Despite all that, Booker still felt bad. He didn’t want to think that tonight was going to be a regular thing between her and his sister. Nessa was protective but she shouldn’t have done that. While she wasn’t here, he apologized on her behalf, as well as admitted that he didn’t think that Juliette was just trying to get in his pants for a few quick rolls in the hay. Booker was a hopeless romantic, yes, but he wasn’t stupid either.

Juliette seemed spurred on by his words. Her smile broaden as she watched him, taking his words in. Honestly he didn’t know what else he could say. The two of them had only started dating but Booker had faith that she wasn’t just with him for the sake of fun. Yes, they did kiss while she was already in a relationship, and yes, it did end not long before she popped back into his life seeking him out, but to him it didn’t seem as suspicious as all that. Sometimes what felt right, just felt right.

>> ”You’re a good guy, Booker,”

He grinned. It was a wide and honest grin. Every time she complimented him like that, it felt like angels singing in his ears. She certainly knew the exact thing to say at the exact time.

”Thank you…” he said with a sigh. He chewed on his lip a bit before he continued. ”Also…for the record…while I will always defend my sister, I won’t blindly hate on someone either.” He sighed. ”Rebecca and I are actually pretty good friends. We went to this last ComVention. That picture I showed you of me in costume? She was dressed as my counterpart, Atlantis Lass.” He took a second, sighing. It must have seemed strange, to still be friends with your siblings ex, especially when they cheated. But Booker was not one to judge too harshly. ”Honestly, I loved Rebecca and Nessa, but they couldn’t have stayed happy. Rebecca and Agnes, though…” he smiled. ”They seem like they could have had a shot.”

Of course Booker knew nothing of any illicit affairs that were still being carried on, only that Agnes and Rebecca had been exes whom cheated behind his sister’s back. While he didn’t care for the way they went about things, he was at least glad that it ended when it did. If it had been dragged on into a year? Two? That would have been decidedly more difficult to forgive. Booker loved and would defend his sister but when it came to love, well, sometimes you just needed to get out of the way. Nessa couldn’t see that now, but he hoped that, one day, she might.

Finally he just flopped onto the couch and buried his face into a pillow where he let out a soft scream of frustration. He still couldn’t believe the left turn this night had taken. It was going so well, everything was on point, and suddenly his sister had to burst into the room and knock everything to hell. Again, her intentions were appreciated but he was so pranking her, hard for this. Jokingly, he eyed his date and gestured towards the door. Again, he wouldn’t blame her if she wanted to flee into the night.

However, reality crashed over his head when he spied Juliette. She looked almost unsure now, sitting up, eyeing the couch and then the door. After a second she stood up, sighing as he turned to make her exit.

Booker looked up. The sadness on his face could not have been more apparent. As he watched Juliette stand, he sat up bit quicker than he meant to. His eyes fell upon her, the saddest and probably most pathetic sound of a whimper fell from his lips. Seriously? Was she seriously going to leave? Quickly his mind raced, wondering if there was something something that he could say to fix the situation, but, really, if she wanted to leave, he really couldn’t stop her.

He would have let her go, really, if that was what she wanted but suddenly he was actually fearful of another terrible thing – the possibility that his sister was right about something! But, as he watched Juliette move, it didn’t escape his attention that she stopped and gestured to the bag of open veggie straws sitting on the coffee table.

>> ”I want visitation rights,”

The grin on her face said it all. She was screwing with him. Booker clenched both fists at her in frustration before he collapsed back onto the couch, his head lulling from the sudden flood of relief that washed over his shoulders. She really did have him going there and quickly he started to plan some way, shape, or form to get her back.

Though also joking, Booker just shook his head as he narrowed his eyes. ”Oh, I don’t think so, Ms. Lawson,” he said firmly. ”Besides, possession is nine-tenths of the law. Those are so not leaving the premises.”

The air was lifting, getting clearer between them. Resting back on the couch, Booker turned as Juliette flopped on next to him. They still weren’t as close as they were before, but they were closer nonetheless. They seemed to smile a little easier again, despite the awkward that had just stormed its way through the front door.

>> ”No, sorry. I’m a little harder to get rid of than that…I’m sorry if that ruins any dastardly plans to make me run for the hills.”

He grinned again. Slowly he edged just a smidge closer to her. Honestly he didn’t know how she was feeling after the ordeal. However sex wasn’t moving him closer to her, rather it was just his want to be near her again. He wanted to get past the strange, past the weird, and back to that comfort that the two of them had found, even before they had flopped onto the couch together. Another smidge closer, he watched to see if she would do the same. He wasn’t going to cross any lines she wasn’t comfortable with him crossing, so he read her actions as best he could.

”Well…” he said with a knowing smile. His voice had lowered a bit so that only she could hear, despite the fact that they were the only ones in the room. ”…darn. I guess that means I’m just going to have to deal with you.” An impish smirk. In the background, the movie was still playing, something about woman being a wife, not a witch. ”I guess there are worse fates.”

Like she had planned, she had made Booker sad by pretending to leave. It was more than a little mean to do that, but the opportunity had been too good to waste. She knew full well that he would get her back for it (likely much worse, since he had a sister to practice on), but it was worth it in that moment. She would likely just hate her current self and her poor decisions later down the line.

She hadn’t been able to keep the joke going for long, since, well, she really didn’t want to go anywhere, and she didn’t think that she could walk much farther before wanting to turn around and join him again. Instead of making herself do that, she had turned around and given herself up with a smile.

Booker was able to then respond in kind, refusing her the visitation rights that she’d asked for. With a grin and a shake of her head, she’d simply sat back down and admitted the truth: she wasn’t going anywhere for a while. So long as he was okay with that, of course.

”Sounds like I’m going to have to stick around for these, anyway,” she pointed out as she took a veggie straw from the bag and popped it in her mouth. She gave him a grin and wrinkled her nose after swallowing and added, ”since you’re going to be keeping them here.”

>>”Well… darn. I guess that means I’m just going to have to deal with you.”

”Horrible. Absolutely horrible. Who would subject you to such a terrible thing?” Juliette teased as he moved even closer to her. She did not object. In fact, she did the same thing, moving her legs closer to his and using her foot to move down his calf. The closeness was addicting, just as it had been before.

Her hand had moved slightly from the end of the couch to the top of Booker’s head, where, distractedly, she pushed a stray piece of hair from his forehead. She kept it there rather than moving it after she was finished fixing the piece. Instead, she played with his hair lightly, watching the light change it from brown to honey as she ran her fingers through it gingerly.

>>”I guess there are worse fates.”

Juliette grinned at his joke. ”Like R.O.U.S.es and The Pit of Despair,” she pointed out, referencing the movie that was still playing in the background. ”I suppose that you could be mostly dead, too. It’d be awfully difficult for me to straddle you that way.”

The more they talked, the more comfortable they became again. It was almost seeming like the blip with Vanessa hadn’t happened, and they were back to where they were. Maybe even in a better place.

Yeah, he was so going to get her back for that. While he understood it was probably warranted, it was the opening salvo in the war that was to come. Maybe not as intense as it got between him and his sister, oh but somewhere, somehow, he was going to get Juliette back. Thankfully, for the both of them, right now they were distracted by other matters – such as the closeness the two were finding themselves engaging in once again; a closeness that had been sorely missed.

>> ”Sounds like I’m going to have to stick around for these, anyway…since you’re going to be keeping them here.”

It honestly felt good just talking with her. And if definitely felt like they were getting back to their original groove. Nessa had been a pretty nasty bump in that road but the two of them were quickly returning to a better state of being. The smiles were easier and their teasing jokes were a welcome return. It seemed that even the embarrassing intrusion of his sister wasn’t going to knock them off balance for too long. Whatever chemistry both Juliette and Booker had, well, it just continued to push through any of the strangeness that they should have felt.

He lamented, teasingly, that he was just going to have to deal with Juliette stubbornly staying. The allure of veggie straws was enough for him to have to deal with the annoyance that was the woman next to him. Of course he didn’t actually think that, the straws were okay, but the brunette, well, she had just a bit more substance that he was looking for.

>>”Horrible. Absolutely horrible. Who would subject you to such a terrible thing?”

Booker shrugged innocently, though his lips had pulled into the most charming of smiles. It was too easy to smile around her. ”I mean…a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.” he explained, edging just a little closer still. ”If that means I have to hold snacks hostage…then so be it.”

The two were pressing closer to one another again. He felt her foot as she grazed down the length of his calf and her hand found its way to his crop of light, sandy hair. As she toyed with a few strands that had managed to curl in front of his forehead, the man just grinned as he watched her. One of his hand had found a place upon her knee, where he gently moved up and down her thigh in a very gentle manner.

Yes, there were far worse fates than this, a point that he quickly informed her about. She agreed heartily.

>> ”Like R.O.U.S.es and The Pit of Despair…I suppose that you could be mostly dead, too. It’d be awfully difficult for me to straddle you that way.”

He just smiled. Momentarily he had forgotten that the movie was playing in the background but her comments had quickly reminded him. God, he could not have been more attracted to the woman right now. Even though they had suffered quite the embarrassment, it really did seem as if they had managed to get back into that space they were before they had been interrupted.

Shaking his head at her joke, Booker played off of it in the only way that he could. ”Well...” He said. He closed the gap between them, leaning forward and planting a small kiss on her eyebrow. ”…it’s a good thing…” Another kiss on her jaw. ”…that I have Miracle Max’s number..." A final kiss, this one placed upon the corner of her lips. Afterwards, he leaned back a little, giving smile as he watched her eyes. "...on speed dial.”

Surprisingly, it seemed that, indeed, their night had weathered the storm that was Vanessa Bookman; and Booker was all the happier for it.

Juliette felt impossibly comfortable in that position, with her hand in Booker’s hair, her leg suddenly intertwined with his, and her other hand having moved to rest on his knee. Really, as awkward as things may have been before, they had managed to move past it and proven that there had been no reason to worry. They had real chemistry and no amount of sister intervention was going to quell it.

They were back on the same page for just about everything, and he even seemed to enjoy her reference to the movie that they were ‘watching’. It was difficult to watch a tv screen when there was something much better going on, even if it was playing what was arguably the best movie ever. She would have felt bad about ignoring it if she wasn’t so entirely distracted.

>>”Well...”

He kissed her eyebrow. That was absolutely adorkable. Juliette smiled and closed her eyes as she did, keeping still so as not to ruin anything. Quietly, though, she let out a giggle.

>>”…it’s a good thing…”

Her jaw.

>>”…that I have Miracle Max’s number..."

Her lips.

>>"...on speed dial.”

Brown eyes blinked open to look at him as he leaned back. Her mouth was stuck in a wide grin as she watched him carefully. ”A very good thing. But, oh, what I wouldn’t give for a holocaust cloak,” she quoted. The quote was completely irrelevant, but she was on a roll and it had just entered her ears a second ago as the three heroes were working on storming the castle on the screen behind them.

Her hand moved from his knee to under his jaw, where she gently traced her fingers over to the back of his neck. Once she had settled on a place behind his head, she pulled him a little toward her so that she could meet his lips with hers. The situation felt right and appropriately familiar. They had moved past the weird and seemed to be reaching the place that they had been at before.

She pressed her lips enthusiastically to his, wanting to be closer still. She didn’t feel bad about pushing or making sure he was okay with the situation anymore. As far as she knew, they were on the same page, and toeing the line until one of them got annoyed seemed a little counterproductive. Instead, she traced her hand down his chest once again.

With her other arm, she moved the bag of veggie straws out of the way. There was no reason that they needed to be caught in the crosshairs.

The earlier embarrassment were completely gone. Booker didn’t feel awkward or annoyed at his sister in that moment, she didn’t even pop into his head. All that mattered to him, right now, was the woman who was sitting on the couch next to him. The woman with the soft giggle when he kissed her eyebrow, the small tilt of her head when he kissed her jaw, and widening smile when his lips met hers. When he sat back, watching her for her reaction, he immediately noted that smile, it was hard to miss. Just seeing it light up her features immediately lit up his own.

As her eyes blinked open, the two of them watched one another for a second before she uttered what was surely to be the epitome of all romance to ever be uttered.

>> ”A very good thing. But, oh, what I wouldn’t give for a holocaust cloak,”

He stopped. He blinked. He then couldn’t help but break into a small bit of laughter. Honestly, he knew what she was going for (kind of) but it still sounded so off the wall that he couldn’t help but chuckle at it. God this woman was a nerd and, you know what, he was absolutely fine with that. Even if she wasn’t into all the gaming and comic books that he was into, so long as they had this one movie to connect with, that was all he needed. It was arguably the greatest movie of all time.

’You’re so adorkable…” he said with a wide and genuine smile upon his lips. ”…so I’m going to let that one slide this time.”

It was amazing how easily the two had slipped back into the comfort they had felt with one another before and how the passions began to reignite. Each tender touch stoked the flames a bit higher, a bit stronger. Booker closed his eyes, smiling a bit as he felt Juliette’s hand rise, placed upon his shoulder and moving to the back of his neck. She urged him closer and he complied, his lips tenderly meeting with hers once more.

The seconds seemed to pass like minutes as they found themselves lost in the presence of one another yet again. Soft kisses gradually grew in intensity. Booker met Juliette’s fervor with equal enthusiasm. As she traced her hands down his chest, his own had curled around her waist, pulling her closer to him. At some point the veggie straws to tossed aside, rescued from being crushed to unceremonious tipped over. Free from the barrier of movie snacks, Booker pulled Juliette closer to him, one hand reaching up and moving through her locks of brunette hair.

The movie had been utterly drowned out at this point, no attention being diverted towards it in favor of other more important stimuli. A few words were caught here and there but nothing overtly attention grabbing. That is until the brave and daring Westley demanded the king to, ”Drop. Your. Sword.”

…Yeah that wasn’t happening this time.

It wasn’t long after that the duo found themselves stumbling across the apartment, lips locked together, clothing being removed, as they made their way towards the bedroom. Booker opened one door but after realizing it was Nessa’s room, he diverted (not until after he dropped his belt just inside her room) and redirected Juliette to his own room. As the television began to roll ending credits, along with a perfect song spilling from the living room speakers, Booker gently kicked his door closed.

***FTB***

The passion that Juliette had felt was returned equally by Booker, and before she knew it, they had crossed more lines than before. There was no more weirdness between them. In fact, there was hardly anything left between them at that point. Clothes were tossed aside; they were unnecessary barriers that needed to be removed.

It felt like they were both allowing themselves to be overcome by something that they’d clearly wanted for a while. Were they moving quickly? Juliette didn’t care. She was lost to the world.

The movie had been completely abandoned as the two of them stumbled across the apartment. The closing credits song began to roll as they found their way out of the incorrect room and into Booker’s bedroom. Down the hallway, there was a trail of clothing that had been left behind by the pair. He kicked the door shut, she clicked the light on, and the rest faded to black.

---

Juliette’s eyes opened slowly and she looked around, blinking the blur of sleep from them as she adjusted to her surroundings. A thin stream of light was coming in from the window behind her, which was her favourite way to be woken up, but as she looked up at the walls, she recognized that they looked very different than the ones she’d gotten used to seeing in the morning. There was also something hard and skin-like under her arm, making it move every few seconds. She was warm and had an unmistakable contented feeling in the pit of her stomach. She most definitely wasn’t in Rebecca’s apartment. She turned her head away from the pillow it had rested on to get a good look at what it was that she could feel under her hand.

A slow smile crept onto her lips as she watched the slow rise and fall of Booker’s breathing. She moved her head slightly to plant a gentle kiss on the tattoo on his arm and then rested her cheek gently against his skin. Yep, definitely not Rebecca’s apartment.

The two of them were tangled up in his comforter, cuddled together at a weird angle on his mattress. Juliette decided then and there that there were few things that would be better to wake up to. She stayed where she was, afraid of waking him before he did so naturally. She did, however, make small movements, one of them being to trace circles along his chest gently. It wasn’t intended to wake him, but it would decidedly not be the worst thing in the world if it did.

A gentle sigh left her lips as she lazily let her eyes open and close again. If the world ended in that moment, she wouldn’t argue. She was perfectly content right there.