For her part, Lee just kind of let Tarin ramble and he was immensely grateful for the fact. Sometimes when he was overwhelmed or nervous words just kind of seemed to flow. Especially when Lee was around. It was the opposite of how things generally went for Tarin and it had taken him a while to get used to it, but now it was almost cathartic to just say whatever it was that came to mind.

When Lee did eventually speak she suggested that maybe they could go visit Kevin that weekend at the Mansion?

Tarin nodded eagerly at the suggestion, with everything that had been going on they hadn’t seen Kevin as much as they had when he had first moved to the school, “I’m sure he’s gonna love the whole checking up on his work thing, but if you don’t think he would mind me tagging along I’d love to go.” the last thing Tarin wanted was to be an interloper, but he’d have been lying if he’d said he didn’t want to go.

”Wonder if he would have any interest in checking out the Met Cloisters while we are over there.”

Tarin had told her from the start, months earlier, that he normally wasn't much of a talker, that he kept everything close to his chest and didn't share a lot of thoughts or feelings with anyone. Yet, she had never experienced that with him. Almost from the moment the merge had ended, he had talked to her about his thoughts and even feelings when he was overwhelmed by something. Often, especially at first, sharing a lot more than he ever had planned or wanted to. Or had simply talked for the sake of talking so he could focus on that rather than his actual thoughts.

That's why it had been so surprising to Lee at first that he generally didn't share anything, or really talk to anyone at any point, outside of work.

But visiting Kevin, making a trip to the mansion, seemed to be a good distraction at the moment. And something that Tarin wanted to do. "He doesn't need to like it," Lee replied about Kevin's school work. "He may be living at the mansion, but I'm still his mother and he's still only 13. And I'm sure he'd love to see you."

Not that Lee thought Kevin would overtly show being happy that either of them were there, not if any other students were around.

When Tarin brought up the Met Cloisters, Lee smiled up at him. They had been talking about going there since their first 'official' date, and yet hadn't done it yet. "Honestly, I think it would be a toss up," Lee said after a moment's thought. "But you'll have to ask him about it. If I ask, he'll probably think I'm trying to take him on some kind of 'educational' outing, especially with checking on his school work."

Tarin laughed a little when Lee pointed out that it didn’t matter if Kevin liked her checking in on his homework habits or not. Lee was not to be trifled with, especially when it came to her parental responsibilities. As they walked, Tarin tried to decide if it would be considered high treason to give Kevin a heads up so he’d have a chance to correct any missteps before Lee was there to check. Loving to see him was

Probably. Tarin didn’t think he wanted to gamble and find out. ”Well, he’s smart enough, hopefully he’s been making good choices.”

As it was, they were making their way quickly towards the apartment and the subject of the Met Cloisters seemed as though it was going to be up to Kevin himself, though Lee seemed pleased with the idea. Tarin was honestly interested as well, he hadn’t ever gone there once he’d found it how different it was

“I think he’d like it well enough, but if he doesn’t want to go then we can just go on our own after we visit. Heck, we could even use it as an excuse for why we’re in the area so he doesn’t make a big deal out of us coming to visit.”

It was a foolproof plan in Tarin’s mind, though Lee was likely to say the subterfuge was unnecessary.

Taking a glance at his watch, Tarin noted the times. He still had plenty of it before that next appointment.

Generally speaking, and in the grand scheme of things, Kevin did tend to make good choices. But, he was also a teenaged boy, who had newly discovered mutant powers, really away from home for the first time. His trips to Texas on his own didn't really count because Lee knew that Josh and Adele kept him in line just as much as she did.

"That's true," Lee agreed. She had been surprised again and again over the last 6 months to a year by the young man her son had suddenly become. "But he's also got the chance to finish school the easy way and go to college or university if he wants. If he decided when he's finished high school that he doesn't want to continue, fine. But I'm not going to let him ruin his opportunity just because he has a bit of freedom now."

Because that was one thing Lee was going to insist on; no matter what he did, whether he ended up wanting to join the X-Men or not, he would have to have a way to support himself. And not simply jobs he hated because he needed a paycheque like she had been forced to have for so many years. Kevin wouldn't need to worry about money with what she had put away for him from his father, but he would be able to support himself.

"The way that you described it, I'm sure Kevin would enjoy it," Lee told Tarin. "The question is whether he thinks it would be interesting without being dragged there. But between the visit and the Cloisters, it sounds like we could probably make a whole day of it."

Tarin could absolutely understand Lee’s reasoning and he looked over at her as she explained why it mattered to her so much that Kevin do well.

“You don’t have to explain…” Tarin said, hoping he hadn’t made Lee feel like she needed to do so. “You’re absolutely right.” This was the easy way. Tarin knew how hard things had been for Lee and knew even better how hard things had been for himself when he’d been that age. Finishing school couldn’t be a priority when you were simply trying to survive.

”Learning good habits now will make things easier down the road for him anyway.” Though Kevin had always had a good example of that in Lee. It was obvious in the fact that Kevin was so good. Sure, he was a teenager and had all of the angst and silliness that went along with that…but that was how things were supposed to be. Teenagers were supposed to have the safety and the ability to make those silly mistakes, they were supposed to have the support to be angsty while they tried to figure out the world and where they belonged in it.

Tarin had told Lee about the cloisters on the other side, and he was honestly pretty excited to see the differences on this side. On one hand it was kind of sad that it wasn’t the same completely eclectic wild space that it was on the other side, but it was still cool that the Met had taken it over here and made it into something cool.

And they could make a day of it. “I’d really like that…” They’d be out of their normal stomping grounds, maybe that meant they could have a whole day without Lee having to worry about that adapted…whoever they were.

By now they were approaching the apartment and Tarin realized that Lee had done every bit as good a job of distracting him as he’d done several times over the last week distracting her from the more troubling thoughts they were dealing with.

”Want me to come up with you?” he asked, ready as always in case they entered the adapted field.

Tarin understood her thoughts about Kevin and school. Of course Tarin understood. He'd had the same issues with education that she'd had, only she had lasted a couple extra years in school than he had.

And making things easier for him. That was the main thing behind pretty much everything Lee did for and about Kevin. Not to provide him an easy life, but to prepare him so things would hopefully be easier and better for her than they had been for her and his father. "Hopefully he understands that before the typical 'hating your parents for ruining your life' phase sets in," Lee said, her tone at least partially joking. At least for Kevin, it would only be for normal teenage reasons. Nothing like how things had been for her.

Tarin liked the idea of making a whole day of the mansion visit and Met Cloisters. Lee smiled. It would be a good, normal distraction from everything else that was going on in their lives recently. "Maybe we could pack a picnic and everything," Lee suggested.

As they approached their building, Tarin asked if she wanted him to come up. Did she need him to? Definitely not, but that hadn't been exactly what he had asked. Plus, if Tarin didn't come upstairs, how was she supposed to figure out how he was doing once the distraction was done and have him cancel his appointments if needed? "Please."

“Oh, I’m certain that when he’s going through it he won’t.” Tarin said with another laugh. “I feel like that’s one of those things that you don’t really get until you’re older and you’re doing something and a puzzle piece clicks.” Tarin had left home too early to hit the phase Lee was talking about, but he’d definitely had a few of those moments over the years.

Tarin hadn’t stopped to think that maybe Lee hadn’t gotten to have a lot of those moments because her parents had been pretty awful when she’d been a teenager, and Tarin hoped that he wasn’t dredging up any bad memories.

A picnic at the cloisters? This day-trip the following weekend was shaping up to be excellent, Tarin decided. “We’ll have to see if they allow it in the gardens, or we could probably find somewhere else to eat. I really like that idea.”

Lee did want Tarin to go up to the apartment with her and that was honestly fine with him. It wasn’t like he had a lot to do to prep for his next session. It wasn’t anything big. He was still completely wrung out and didn’t really want to go back, but what if somehow the couple did mention him to the police. How would it look if he had refused to help them and then disappeared from the shop for the rest of the night, canceling his appointments.

He should go back. Even if it would suck.

”Sure thing.” he said when she asked so nicely and headed towards the building.

Tarin was sure that Kevin wouldn't realize it before or while he was going through his 'I hate my parents' stage. That was just great. Lee just hoped that it wouldn't last too long or be too severe. She didn't exactly have a great personal experience to judge from, after all.

Lee nodded when Tarin said they'd have to see if picnics were allowed in the gardens at the cloisters. It would be great if they were, but even if not and all else failed, they could have the picnic on the grounds at the mansion before heading to the cloisters.

At that point, it didn't take long to make the rest of the way to their building and in the front door. Lee hadn't realized how tense she had been as they walked until she breathed a sigh of relief once they were inside and her shoulders relaxed.

This whole thing with the adapted being outside the building was really getting bad. She was worrying about simply being outside the building now while she was with Tarin and without stepping into the field.

But Tarin had had Tony and Larry on watch for a week now. She just had to hope that between the four of them they would figure out who it was soon.

"Hold on a sec?" Lee asked as they were making their way through the lobby. "I just want to check the mail."

Normally Lee did this on an almost daily basis when she got home after working at the bar, but really hadn't been when Tarin had been escorting her. Pulling her keys out of her bag, Lee made her way over to the mailboxes and pulled out a small stack of envelopes. A moment later, the mailbox locked again, Lee turned back to Tarin. "Okay, lets head up."

As they entered the building Tarin maintained his new ritual of looking at every single face they passed, moving closer to Lee as they walked through the space where the field would usually begin if it was going to be there.

Lee didn’t tense up or grip his hand tighter or move into him more, so Tarin had to assume that the field wasn’t there. Tony and Larry weren’t there right now either. They probably would have stayed there if Tarin had instructed them to, but this wasn’t the normal coming and going time by a while. Despite the fact that they were spirits and time was strange for them, Tarin felt bad making them stay and watch 24/7.

Into the lobby he and Lee went and Lee took a little detour to the mailboxes to check the mail, grab what was in the box and then she was back and ready to head upstairs.

Was today an elevator day? More and more often it was, but Tarin was already on edge and he didn’t want to risk getting himself any more worked up before he tried to head back to the shop. That in mind, he veered towards the stairs, mildly irritated that he felt the need to do so.

Soon enough though, Tarin was unlocking the door and they were heading into the apartment. It had felt odd the last few days to be here this early on a week day, but it was getting less unusual as more time passed.

“You good to go?” Tarin asked before he could get further into the apartment and change his mind.

Tarin had been doing so much better recently in terms of the elevator. More often than not, actually, they had been taking the elevator up and down.

That afternoon was not one of those days, Lee realized as Tarin veered them toward the stairs. Lee didn't question it, or even mention anything about it. She never did. She simply walked with Tarin to the stairwell and made her way up the stairs with him.

Once on their floor, Lee started opening the envelopes to see if there was anything urgent to deal with, only partially paying attention as Tarin unlocked the door. The first three were just bank and financial statements. She'd need to take a closer look and file them later, but nothing that had to be dealt with right away.

Before she was able to put the third statement back in its envelope, Tarin asked if she was good, now that she was safely in the apartment.

"I am," she replied as she looked up at Tarin, the statement still out and unfolded in her hand. "How much time before your next appointment?"

Lee was checking her mail as they made their way into the apartment and she seemed at least as relaxed as she had been at any point in the last week. That was good, Tarin thought. Lee had, of course, been right. Dealing with these things was much easier together.

They were in the apartment now and it just felt so good to be there. So comfortable and so safe. The shop didn’t feel that way today.

Lee was good to go though. She didn’t need anything. There really wasn’t any reason for Tarin to stay.

How long was there before the next appointment? ”Long enough that I don’t have to hurry back, but I probably should get going pretty soon.” he said, leaning against the closed door.

“Why?”

Lee nodded as Tarin gave her a vague answer about how long before his next appointment. 'Long enough' that he didn't have to rush. That didn't exactly help her, did it?

Setting her bag and the mail down on the table near the door, Lee turned back to Tarin as he asked her why to see him leaning against the door. He'd literally come into the apartment just barely enough to be able to close the door, hadn't he?

"Curious?" Lee said with a shrug. "I don't want you to have to sit there by yourself for too long before the client gets there."

That was true. The longer that Tarin was alone, the more likely he'd start thinking and spiralling again, and she wouldn't be there to ground him, or distract him. Though depending on how likely that was to happen, Lee was really hoping he would just agree to cancel the appointments.

Lee answered Tarin’s question pretty quickly and concisely. She was worried that if he left too soon he’d have to sit in the shop alone and wait for the customer. That was a possibility and Tarin wasn’t terribly eager to sit there by himself in the shop. It was weird how sometimes all of the memories and everything that had happened there seemed so very far away. Even when it was dark he was able to stay there, to be alone in the place where it had all happened.

Today was different though. Today it was impossible for Tarin to separate the shop from the place where all of those terrible things had happened. Checking his watch, Tarin sighed and let his head fall back against the door, ”A little over an hour.” he answered.

“I really should go back.” he said, glancing over at Lee. “It could look bad if I bail on the rest of the afternoon after that particular appointment…not that anyone is paying attention.”

Yet.

A little over an hour. That was a long time for Tarin to be on his own with the thoughts that were freshly in his mind again after that last session. Especially being alone in the shop.

Except that if someone thought to connect Tarin to what had happened in the spring, and realized who that last session had been with, it could look bad if he were to then cancel his other appointments.

"Good thing we have a week history of your girlfriend being too scared to go outside without you because of a case the police haven't solved in 14 years," Lee said, though her voice sounded less than certain. It was true, but Lee wasn't sure how well that would hold up if it came to that.

"I don't like the idea of you being alone there today," Lee finally admitted, her voice quiet.

Lee understood what Tarin was trying to say. She’d quickly been able to put two and two together because of course she had.

God it sucked to even be having this conversation. It sucked even more that the conversation had a reason to be had.

There was a week-long history of exactly what Lee said, but she didn’t even sound convinced by the story she came up with. If attention came his way, Tarin was certain would be more than easy enough for someone to connect the dots. The police were even less likely to be understanding than families, or pretty much anyone besides Lee.

This was another reason that Tarin tried desperately hard to never think about what had happened. Thinking about it too much made him feel like he was living on borrowed time.

Lee spoke again and Tarin’s eyes darted from where he’d been looking at the floor back to her face. After everything she’d seen and everything he’d said and done, he honestly couldn’t blame her for worrying.

“I don’t either.” he admitted, voice equally soft. “But you know I’d never…” he took a deep breath, ”I’d never get back into that headspace, right?”

That wasn’t what she was thinking right? Hopefully he’d been clear before. Hopefully she was just worried he’d be really upset or something.