The nature documentary was okay. Tarin nodded and tossed the remote a little ways away on the couch and settled in as Lee leaned her head against his shoulder. It was…a nature documentary and Tarin was starting to fear for the little polar bear cubs when Lee spoke.

When he’d suggested that her parents simply ignored all mutant related things, he hadn’t realized just how far it had gone. Lee’s younger two siblings had been told she was sick? They hadn’t even known that Lee was a mutant until much later…for Rachel it wasn’t until she’d been in college?

Tarin shook his head and sighed, baffled again by the fact that Lee had ever allowed her parents back into her life in any sense of the word. Every single thing about today’s interaction made sense, as did the fact that Lee was far more likely to call her ex-husband's mother for help than her own. ”I just don’t understand why.” Tarin said. His Mother hadn’t told the school for fear it would just make things worse, but his brothers and all of their family had known and done what they could.

”So Rachel didn’t even know until you reconnected later?” Tarin asked softly, grateful that they had reconnected, even if Rachel had ended up having some issues believing just how much Lee was capable of.

”You don’t talk much about your other brother. I’m guessing he was pretty young when you’d finally had enough and left?” Tarin asked, frustrated all over again at the damage Lee’s parents had wrought.

There really wasn't much else to say about trying to figure out why her parents had done what they had. Especially as everything that Lee had thought had changed about them, hadn't really changed. Her siphoning was just not as constantly obvious as it had been when she was younger, so they had been able to ignore it, pretend that it wasn't there.

"I'm not exactly sure when it was she found out," Lee admitted. "But to be honest, with how tonight went, it's possible that she didn't find most of it out until Robert was arranging for me to go stay with her in Toronto after I got out of the camp."

Then Tarin asked about Doug and Lee nodded, her head still resting on his shoulder. "Yeah, he was 10 I think," Lee said as she thought. "so I never really spent much time with him that I wasn't made to. Rachel's closer to me age wise, but growing up I was always closer to Robert." Which was exactly why it was so hard every time he was an asshole to her over the years.

Lee spoke and Tarin just shook his head again. They’d been full grown adults before Rachel had ever even known the truth about her sister. Lee’s parents hadn’t ever even explained why she had left. No, Tarin mentally corrected himself, they probably hadn’t even known why Lee had left.

Robert had been the one that Lee had been close to growing up, even if she and Rachel had been closer in age.

That thought made Tarin frown as they sat there. Just a few days after he’d ended up there Robert had shown up to watch hockey with Lee and they’d been at each other’s throats pretty much ever since. Almost always over him.

Tarin kept hoping that something would give and that if nothing else he and Robert could tolerate each other. Lee’s brother just couldn’t let go of his preconceived notions.

”I’m sorry things are bad with Robert. It seemed like you guys had a pretty good thing going before I butted in. ” he said and sighed. ”He’s a lot like your Mom. They don’t know when to stop…”

Lee lifted her head slightly to look up at Tarin. "It's not your fault at all," she said softly. "Things have been tense with him off and on with him pretty much since we reconnected. Including before I had even met Kevin's father. Though I don't think he was a fan of Blaine's, either."

Lee shook her head before leaning e43it back down on Tarin's shoulder. "After I got out of the camp, I stayed with him briefly. I didn't even make it a week before I was ready to leave with nowhere else to go. That's how I ended up in Toronto with Rachel, actually."

It definitely hadn't been great, though Lee didn't think there were any circumstances that could have been good at that point. But it was definitely better than having been out on the street again. And Lee probably wouldn't have gotten so close to Rachel when she had moved to Toronto with Kevin if it hadn't been for that time after the camp.

It wasn’t his fault at all. Tarin knew that in a specific sense, that was true. He hadn’t done anything to Robert to cause the man to dislike him. Not a single thing. In fact, things had been going very well until Robert had found out that Tarin was staying in the apartment.

Lee pointed out that things had been tense with Robert for a long time, since before she’d even met Kevin’s Dad and Robert also hadn’t liked Lee’s other boyfriend either.

There was definitely a theme here.

It was a moot point though and it didn’t matter in the current discussion. Besides, Lee had tried to stay with Robert after the camps and hadn’t made it a week before she’d had to leave for Toronto. The man was just insufferable.

”I wish things hadn’t been so hard for you.” Tarin said. He’d said it before, and he’d say it every time he had the chance, because it really wasn’t right. ”They never should have been. You’re the kind of person who deserves easy and it’s just bullshit that you’ve never had it.”

Lee straightened up again to look at Tarin, her head tilted to the side slightly. "What do you mean that I'm 'the kind of person' that deserves easy?" she asked. Because Lee knew she shouldn't have had things even close to as difficult as they had been in her life. But that didn't explain what Tarin had meant by that.

"Because no one deserves what we've been through," she continued softly. And while Lee may have been through more things that were complete crap and horrible, that didn't mean things for Tarin had been easier.

"But I have had some things that have been easy," she said, giving Tarin a small smile. Then she unwrapped a hand from around her still untouched coffee mug and reached out for Tarin's hand.

”You’re good Lee.” Tarin said without hesitation as she sat back to look at him, ”And I know you hate to hear it, but it’s like I said earlier…you’re the kind of person who does things because they need to be done.”

Nobody deserved what they’d been through? Lee was right. Nobody deserved any of that, some people had deserved it even less. ”I didn’t do a thing though Lee. I just hid. Every step of the way you’ve tried.” He wasn’t going to argue about this or turn it around to make it about him, but there wasn’t a direct parallel no matter how hard she wanted to make it one.

Lee took a hand off the mug and reached for one of his and it was warm when he entwined their fingers. Some things had been easy? Even with everything that had happened since he’d fallen ass first into her life?

”I’m very lucky Lee.” he said, ”I hope you know I know that.”

Lee turned slightly on the couch so she could look at Tarin easier and shook her head slightly. "Only because I was able to be that person," Lee said quietly. "Twenty years ago, I worked so I would have coffee and a safe place to spend at most 9 hours a night. Then I would go out and try to be invisible so people wouldn't know what my powers were doing while I got enough energy to be able to work. That was my life. I didn't have friends. I didn't help people if it wasn't my job. During the Registration Act, I was scared to even go outside.

"And when I say I was scared, Tarin," Lee continued in a whisper. Then paused for a couple moments, biting her lip before continuing. "I seriously considered staying home all the time. With just the minimal energy from neighbours and when he wasn't at the shop. If I had had to deal with SUPER instead of just the year of the act, I would have never stopped hiding to be able to do any of the things that make you think I'm so good."

Lee knew what Tarin was talking about when he said he was lucky. That night in the park. "I'm lucky I found you too," Lee whispered, squeezing his hand.

Lee spoke and Tarin listened to her explain how she had survived 20 years ago. She had gone to work so she had somewhere to be. She had walked the streets and tried to stay invisible. She hadn’t had friends. She hadn’t had gone out of her way to help people. She’d been scared to go outside.

Tarin regretted pushing Lee now and as she explained how scared she was, how she’d just considered staying home all the time, and how much worse it would have been if SUPER had been there.

”I don’t think, I know.” he said, but he didn’t argue her points. Tarin hadn’t been there, he hadn’t seen how scared Lee had been. It was next to impossible for Tarin to believe that Lee hadn’t done things then too, but as he had no way to confirm that fact.

Lee went on to say that she was lucky too and Tarin had a feeling that she knew exactly what he had meant when he’d said the words a few minutes before. Lee squeezed his hand and Tarin squeezed her hand back. It was so hard to believe that any of that had anything to do with luck for anyone but him that Tarin closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head.

”It’s always going to be their loss.”

Maybe she was as innate good as Tarin seemed to believe that she was. The thing was, he seemed to believe that she would do those good things no matter what.

And honestly, Lee didn't think she would.She couldn't remember doing anything like that 20 years ago. Not even on a much smaller scale than the things in the folder. Really, her sole focus had simply been to survive. To get through each day and still be able to get up the next day. Food had been important, but coffee more so. And as horrible as it had been, Lee had gone without food at times so she could have the coffee she needed to drag herself out of bed and outside in the mornings.

She wasn't going to argue it, though. She'd told Tarin what life had been like then for her, that life likely would have continued like that for her if she had had to hide from SUPER.

Yet, Tarin still said that he knew she was good. A good person. Did good. Simply because it was the right thing to do.

"It’s always going to be their loss.”

Lee sighed as she moved to lean against Tarin again. "Yeah, but I wish it all wasn't going to be so hard for Kevin."

Tarin had a distinct feeling that Lee was simply not pushing back because she didn’t want to argue.

Well, good.

It didn’t matter if Lee had laid low for all those years. It didn’t matter if she truly believed that she would have kept laying low in a world where SUPER loomed. It wasn’t that Tarin didn’t believe her. Of course he believed her The thing was…none of that had happened.

Lee had been here, she’d had the opportunity to be more and do more and she had. The potential had been there the whole time and Lee had realized it over and over again. From his perspective that meant she was good, had always been good, would always be good.

He didn’t say any of that though.

Lee shifted a bit and Tarin slipped his arm around her as she leaned into him.

”Me too.” he said with a sigh. They’d both said it multiple times, things were better. That didn’t mean that people wouldn’t show themselves to be disappointing.

”He’ll always know he has a place, and people though.” and that was more than nothing.

That was true that Kevin would always have a place and people he could depend on. Herself, obviously. And no matter how old Kevin got, he would always have a safe place to go, whether he needed it emotionally or physically.

But Kevin also had Rachel, Josh, Adele, all of whom Lee believed would be there for Kevin completely with no questions asked.

There really wasn't much to say, though. Finally taking a sip of her coffee, which was by now only just warm, Lee leaned against Tarin as she watched the documentary on the TV.