Garrett stood tentatively outside of the medium shop.How many times had he wandered by, looking into the window or trying to peep through the blinds? He had felt bad for not coming sooner. He recalled flashes of the duo while he was recuperating from the night of the virus. He was glad they hadn't spoken then. His memory was still fuzzy about it. He had learned that things that did not surface in his mind were down in the murky depths for a reason, not to be trifled with.

Regardless, here he was. He had thought alot of the two of them, helping him when he was so low. It had really given him the boost of confidence he had needed to stay at the Mansion. Good thing, considering he was now training for the X-Men. Of course, he was a completely different Garrett now. He realized that he might never be the same again. He looked at his reflection in the shop window. He was the same person physically, but his eyes were different. Calm had come to him in the form of resolution.

He took a deep breath and opened the door. The place looked the same and yet different. It had been cleaned recently, perhaps? Not that they didn't tidy, but it seemed as if alot of cleaning had occurred. The familiar old smell of settled dust on books and items just was no longer present. There was also a new bookcase in the room. It was obvious for the same reason. They had done a fine job of trying to match the tone of the wood to the others, but it wasn't perfect, since it was new. Garrett walked the room and looked around, dressed in khaki pants and a blue long sleeved shirt, buttoned up and tucked in neatly.

Lee was in the back of the shop grabbing a coke. Alone. It wasn't that she didn't mind being in the shop alone, wasn't that she couldn't handle the business on her own (she was probably able to handle it better than Tarin could), but the fact was that she was alone in the shop. Again. It was just that since their date night that hadn't ended so well, Tarin had been more adamant than ever about not doing sessions, and at least in his mind the best way to do that was to simply not be in the shop. Not that he was ever really gone for long, but she was frequently left alone in the shop.

But they needed the money the shop brought in. No, Lee realized as she took a deep sip of her coke, that wasn't even true any more, not with that cheque Tarin had gotten and put in the bank. But he hadn't even mentioned closing the shop, so it needed to stay open.

And good thing too, since at that moment Lee heard the bell over the door. Downing the rest of her pop, Lee tossed the can into the garbage as she made her way back to the front of the shop, the four inch heels on her Mary Janes clicking on the wooden floor as she walked, her black skirt swirling a couple inches above her knees.

"Can I help you?" Lee asked when she saw the man standing over by the bookcase. And then the man turned and Lee blinked. "Garrett?" She asked, in a bit of surprise.

Sure, Garrett did still technically work there, but Lee hadn't actually seen the man since before the shop had been destroyed. Well, she'd seen him once, but it wasn't exactly for business. "Are you alright?

Browsing some of the book titles and finding a new translation of the I Ching, Garrett pulled it from the bookcase and began to scan it when he heard Lee's familiar voice. At the mention of his name, he turned, smiling, and approached her to greet her. She looked about the same. Not as worn down, though. Things had definitely changed in his absence for both of them. He stepped up to Lee and put his hands on the counter.

"Are you alright? " It was an interesting way to start a conversation. Expected and yet still intriguing. He had been gone for so long and they had surely seen him lying there under the DocProf's care." Can't complain. Sorry I was gone for so long. Things have been...interesting. I see the shop has been changed somewhat. Is that a new bookcase?" Garrett desperately needed to work things out with the couple. It was another step in the healing process. Pain caused growth. This was now a fact.

As she spoke his name, Lee saw Garrett turn with a smile on his face. Making her way around to the other side of the counter, Lee sat down on the stool and crossed her legs.

"Glad you're feeling better," Lee replied, though she couldn't quite manage a smile herself. Things had definitely been 'interesting' for her and Tarin as well while Garrett had been gone. And as if to emphasize that fact, Garrett had to go and ask about the book case.

One side of her mouth dropping in a bit of a frown, Lee's eyes turned toward the book case though she really wasn't seeing it. Instead, she was seeing the broken pieces of the old book case littered all over the shop floor.

"Uh, yeah," Lee finally answered, turning her gaze back to Garrett to try and rid herself of images of the destruction in the shop. "The old one kind of broke, so we had to replace it."

"Glad you're feeling better." Garrett innediately noticed that Lee's general buoyancy was deflated. Something had indeed happened recently. He couldn't tell what, though, especially having been out of the loop for so long. She seemed distracted, or even as if she was completely somewhere else in her thoughts. He hoped it wasn't too serious, whatever it was. He was apparently too chipper for the mood of the room. He wondered if he might do better by dropping his own facade and joining the melancholy.

Better still, his mention of the bookcase seemed to turn her barely neutral face into the beginnings of a frown. Idle chat was definitely the wrong way to go, it seemed. Better just to put things out and be done with it, rather than drag everything so far down with fake courtesy. Garrett rubbed his eyes, in frustration with himself more than anything else. He put his hands back down on the counter and looked Lee straight in the eyes.

" I'm sorry for whatever topic it is that I've stumbled into. It's hard to just resume our relationship, as shaky and new as it was anyway. Especially with all that has happened to me lately. I don't mean any disrespect or anything, but I really don't want any kind of vague pleasantries. Even moreso if they are an illusion. I guess I should ask what I have been avoiding as much as my avoidance of this conversation. Do I still work here?" He didn't really mean to come off harsh, but the red side of his brain put an edge on the old softie. It was a valid question, anyway, with Winter coming on. No time to be unemployed.

Apparently there was going to be no beating around the bush here Lee realized when Garrett came straight out and asked if he still had a job there at the shop. In all honesty, that was perfectly fine with Lee; she had had more than enough to worry about and deal with over the last how many weeks that she wasn't exactly in the mood to play games.

Did he still have a job there, though? Did they still need him? As far as she could tell, Lee had done a good job getting the stock back up after that disaster she had found Tarin in, and she still had the list of suggestions Garrett had initially given them for adding to the shop.

On the other hand, with how Tarin was acting recently, Lee had a feeling that the only reason the shop had even been opened most days was because of her. Tarin's reluctance, his seeming pulling away from the shop...Maybe they did still need Garrett.

"I don't recall firing you, so unless you're here to quit, I'd assume you still have your job," Lee replied, returning Garrett's look.

"But the book case," Lee said on a sigh, turning her eyes down to look at the counter between her and Garrett. "Just another couple of really bad days, and I just prefer to try not thinking about them when I can."

Yeah, cleaning up blood in the shop, or the apartment for that matter, always constituted at least one bad day, though normally more than a couple. It was just the level of bad day that changed.

"Just hope you don't have to see any of those bad days," Lee murmured as she looked back up at the man in front of her. "But welcome back."

"I don't recall firing you, so unless you're here to quit, I'd assume you still have your job." Well, that was a relief. Time to ease down a bit. Garrett's shoulders releaxed and he released his grip of the counter, choosing a less formidable and yet still strong stance a pace back from the counter."No, I don't want to quit. I need the cash, especially with the holidays around the corner. I like to get nice things for girlfriend, Maya. She's done so much for me recently,though, that I can probably never repay her." She had never done anything but be by his side, as he was for her. He loved her. Simple.

"But the book case," Lee said on a sigh, turning her eyes down to look at the counter between her and Garrett. "Just another couple of really bad days, and I just prefer to try not thinking about them when I can." The tone of her voice hinted at some sort of accident maybe? What could have happened in here that would have destroyed an entire bookcase, though? The shop seemed to be pretty relaxed, bordering on dull before. Whatever it was, it was clear to Garrett that unless he was specifically talked to about the incident, he would never bring it up. They seemed to have plenty of fish to fry without his own hook and line cast in to fish.

"Just hope you don't have to see any of those bad days," Lee murmured as she looked back up at the man in front of her. "But welcome back." He knew she was serious and knew also it was a bad time to laugh. Nonetheless, a smirk appeared of its own volition. A chuckle, low and slightly sinister, seemed to follow on its footsteps."Bad days? I think I might know something about that. Let's see." He began to pace back and forth in a slow, measured manner, part Garrett, part other." I got hit with some kind of dart filled with a strange virus. That wasn't so great. Right after, my mind was shattered and taken over by a suppressed part of my personality, leaving me as a passenger in my mind, rather than the driver. Also not so great. What else, what else.."

He stopped and turned, a look of feigned surprise on his face as if the hokey lightbulb animation had occurred over his head." Oh, yes. I remember. Then my powers were amplified twentyfold while I was under the control of said personality and I got to watch helplessly as I tortured my friends with my own powers! Now that was definitely not a good day. Now I get looks of suspicion and fear from the kids at the Mansion, though I am doing my damnedest to get back on top of things!" He realized how loud he was getting. A throb of pain was shooting behind his left eye, so he closed his eyes and tried to relax as best he could.

" I'm sorry, Lee. I guess we all have things to get over. I was wondering , though. Were you in the Infirmary when I was? My mind was shaky at best at that time and my memory seems to be damaged as well." He listened, his eyes closed. He was breathing in slowly and deeply and exhaling in the same fashion, trying to bring himself back to his center.

Lee nodded at Garrett's explanation about why he needed the money. So that Maya girl who had ended up in the shop to tell her and Tarin that Garrett was sick was his girlfriend? Well, that explained not only why the woman had shown up in the first place, but also a couple of other things Lee had seen that day that hadn't been nearly as important at the time.

But then Garrett started going on about bad days, going on about how he had been stuck in his own mind, doing things to those he cared about without being able to stop it. Lee's eyes widened of their own accord as she watched the young man pacing back and forth in front of the counter. Some sort of virus had caused that kind of problem? Something that sounded oh so familiar to what had happened to Tarin on far too many occasions with him merging.

"I'm sorry, Garrett," Lee said softly, her voice a vast contrast to the volume that his had picked up as he had continued speaking. "I know it's hard to deal with things like that."

Lee took a breath as she lowered her eyes. She didn't know how Garrett would react to actually having a conversation about this rather than him just letting things out, but she knew that Tarin had trouble looking at her on the rare occasions that they actually talked about the merges. Though, that might also be because of what was normally happening to her during those merges...

"Yeah, we were there," Lee replied to Garrett's question about her being in the infirmary at the mansion. "Part of our whole bad day.

"Was Maya there when it happened? How are you two dealing?" Lee asked, her eyes rising to look at Garrett again. A moment after the words were out of her mouth, her eyes dropped again and she shook her head. "Sorry. Never mind. You don't have to answer that."

"I'm sorry, Garrett. I know it's hard to deal with things like that." The pain was ebbing and yet still remained, like ripples in his mind. Garrett continued to breathe, calming his nerves, literally. Surely she knew. He had seen them both in the Infirmary. Somehow he had. It was like looking through a smoke filled room at a scene on the other side."Yeah, we were there. Part of our whole bad day." Validation. Yes, the smoke cleared slightly. Tarin had been in bad shape. Garrett's eyes opened and he looked again at the bookcase.He closed them and thought of Tarin's wounds.

He opened them again, the pain slipping away with the smoke in his inner eyes. Lee's gaze was rising to meet his."Was Maya there when it happened? How are you two dealing?" Yes, Maya and many others. Too many. A moment after the words were out of her mouth, her eyes dropped again and she shook her head. "Sorry. Never mind. You don't have to answer that." Garrett smiled and walked up to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. " It's more than fine to ask, friend. You only ask because you care. As I came here to speak to you because I care for you and Tarin."

Garrett took a step back and put his hands in his pockets. He stared forward, where Lee's eyes would be, and spoke to that space whether her head rose or not. "Yes, Maya was there. She saved me. Saved me from myself, from that part of myself which still lurks like a snake, just below the surface. Once I recovered..well, physically, she saved my heart and soul with her love. So I understand what lies between you and Tarin now, even though I don't know you. I know it when I see you two look at each other, as that look passes now between Maya and I."

Lee jumped slightly when she felt Garrett's hand on her shoulder. She wasn't used to things like that; well, she was becoming more used to Tarin touching her again, but even with that, she still didn't really touch anyone else at all. So that, coupled with what they were talking about, caused Lee to be startled by what most would consider casual contact.

Looking up as Garrett took a step back again, Lee nodded as the man spoke. If his story hadn't sounded familiar before, it certainly was now. Maya being there for Garrett after everything happened, helping him through it all, just like she had been for Tarin time and time again. More times than Lee wanted to think about.

"I'm glad something so good happened out of that for you," Lee said, a bit of a smile on her face once more.

The smile faded and Lee took a breath before looking up at Garrett. "It does get better," she told him. "Well, not better, but easier to deal with. With time."