"Empire State Building it is then." Jacen said with a quick grin at his dining companion. Even though he'd been forced to memorize the building's floor plans as part of basic NYPD training Jacen had actually only gone to the building once. The view was even more amazing than people described and he was already beginning to look forward to just how Kealey would reaction once they got to the top. What would be she feeling right at that moment as she dealt with only her own emotions? More than likely the expression on her face would be priceless and Jacen knew that he would enjoy seeing it.

Smiling slightly at that pleasant though he turned his attention back to his burger. He was hungry and because of that he was eating pretty fast but as he set his burger down yet against with about four bites taken out of it he saw that apparently someone else was just as hungry if not more so.

"Good?" Jacen asked with a grin after Kealey made a comment about things being holy. Not being a church going person he really couldn't identify what was holy but if she thought this burger was holy then he would most heartily agree. Taking a sip of his coke, Jacen's grin actually broadened when the young woman finally slowed down long enough to say something.

”I have no idea what just happened…but it was great…and I want more of it.”

Jacen was a good guy and for the most part he kept his mind out of the gutter. Sure there were certain people in his life that gave him moments when he could enjoy the gutter but for the most part Jacen was just a good guy. However, no matter how good he was he was still very much a guy and Kealey's comment did strange things to his mind. Obviously Kealey had been sheltered with a high set of moral standards but when she made comments like that... well...

"If a burger gave her that kind of response what in the world will happen the first time she gets laid?"

It was the sort of question that brought on emotions that would make Kealey blush and rush away. It was the sort of thought that made Jacen struggle to not let things progress into his wondering what kind of undergarments she wore or what she might look like sans clothes. Those were not good questions to be thinking about with such an innocent girl like Kealey but Jacen was still very much and man and she was most deffinately all woman!

”Alright.” Kealey said with a grin when Jacen agreed to a trip to the Empire State Building . It was like the hallmark of New York , and Kealey kind of bathed in her excitement at the fact that she was finally going to get to go there. ”The only time I tired to go up there, I freaked out a quarter of the way through the line. I can only imagine what the others in line thought. Besides, it’s going to be way more fun to not have to go up there alone.”

Obviously Jacen had noticed the way she attacked the hamburger and Kealey didn’t even try to hide her embarrassment at the way she’d ended up eating. He asked if it was good and she nodded her head, ”I guess I forgot how good food can make you feel… she pointed out, ”Sometimes I don’t even taste what I’m eating. Especially if I’m out in public. I’m sorry…” Kealey’s eyes dropped slightly, ”I’ve been noticing when I’m around you my regular emotions feel way exaggerated. Or maybe they’re not, but since there’s nothing muting them out, it just feels that way.”

Jacen had a funny look on his face, though and Kealey hoped that she hadn’t upset him with the way she’d attacked her food. She was still hungry though, so she picked up her burger and proceeded to take daintier bites of the second half, even putting it down from time to time as she ate. It still tasted just as good though, and she couldn’t help closing her eyes for a second and sighing happily after she finished.

Comfortable silence, there was definitely something to be said about it and as she sat there, Kealey looked at Jacen and found herself wondering, yet again, what he was feeling. Did the burger taste that good to him? Did he think she was ridiculous? Worse, was he taking pity on her by being here? A thought occurred to Kealey and she tilted her head as she looked at him. Those other guys had found her attractive; Jacen had said she was cute when she played with her pony tail… Kealey realized the path her mind had taken and that she was staring and immediately looked away, trying to find something else to think about or say. But she still wondered…

The waitress was back then, asking if they wanted anything else. Kealey shook her head and reached for her purse, digging around for her wallet while Jacen decided if he wanted anything. Kealey was ready to get out of there so she stopped thinking too much. Why did she care? It didn’t make any sense, and Kealey almost sighed as she finally found her wallet. She knew the feeling welling up inside her and she knew it well, confusion. Holding her wallet, Kealey looked up, wondering if Jacen had gotten anything else. Either way, the waitress sat the check down and walked away and Kealey dug through her wallet, counting out the right amount of money, still marvelling after all these months at how weird American cash was.

"Well I haven't exactly done a whole lot better than you at getting to the top of that particular building." Jacen said with a chuckle as Kealey shared her own experience with attempting to scale the Empire State Building, "I went up there one time but it's been a while."

Taking a bite of his burger Jacen once again savored the flavor as the conversation turned back to food. It made sense that Kealey's emotions would seem heightened since they were normally drowned out by those around her. Things that he took for granted, like knowing exactly how he felt about certain foods or certian situations, was something that Kealey was still learning. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, just like a child, whenever she was around Jacen and obviously that meant he would know what she was feeling and thinking almost before she did.

"The flavors of food can overwhelm even those of us that are used to dealing with just one set of emotions at a time." He responded after he finished chewing the two bites he had taken during her comments, "Things that may seem simple, like a hambruger or hotdog can often transport you back to a memory from an happier time in your past. It makes sense that you'd experience it even stronger since you're used to your emotions being kind of drowned out."

Settling into a comfortable silence Jacen focused on finishing up the last of his burger and fries. There were things left to do through the course of the day so obviously that meant there was no reason to waste time just sitting around a restaurant. Sure the food was good but you could only savor it so long before you had eaten everything in front of you.

"Can I get you two anything else?" The waitress asked politely as she walked over and set their bill down on the table.

"That'll do it for me, thanks." Jacen replied with a quick smile. Reaching into his back pocket he fished out his wallet and then pulled out the apropriate amount of bills to cover both the food as well as tip. It wasn't his style to 'go dutch' with a woman but before he could even say anything Kealey had already pulled out money and was laying it down on the table.

"Well, then I guess we're set to head off. I didn't drive with all the traffic so we'll have to take the subway and then walk over to the tower. Sound good?" Jacen asked as he gave the blond a quick smile while grabbing his jacket and then sliding out of the booth. Standing to his feet he shrugged on the jacket and then waited for Kealey to be ready.

***

The trip over to the Empire State building was uneventful, just the way Jacen and Kealey both wanted it. There were actually seats on the subway so that the two of them could sit together making it a sure thing that they wouldn't get separated on the crowded car. At the apropriate stop the two were able to slip through the crowd and then walk to the Empire State Building without even the slightest hassle. Things were going very smoothly and all Jacen could do was hope that it would continue.

The line that would give them to the express elevator up to the observation deck was a little bit shorter than usual , which was strange for a Sunday, but Jacen didn't really think about it as he and Kealey took their places in line.

"Excited?" Jacen asked with a grin as he looked over at his blond friend.

Kealey was grateful that Jacen was willing to be so understanding about her over the top reactions to the simplest things. It seemed like he really got it though, so Kealey relaxed. It was nice to stop worrying about what he was feeling, so Kealey did, and she told herself to just enjoy the day, and the company. It was rare that she had such carefree days, and this was an opportunity. The food was paid for, Jacen asked if she was ready to go and she nodded, rising from the booth and following him from the diner. ”I’ve never been on the subway…so it should be an adventure.” It was true, busses were bad enough and Kealey had seen the numbers of people who crammed themselves down into the underground tunnels. No way.

Everything was a new experience and Kealey tried to keep herself from looking like a strange foreigner or alien as she walked down the street, but the truth of the matter was that she’d never walked around in the city without being assaulted by so many conflicting emotions that it was everything she could do to remember where she was going. Let alone look at the scenery. How had she ever thought she was doing so well?

Part of Kealey, the rational part, wondered if all the time she was spending with Jacen was a good idea. It had been hard the last time. So hard. After the initial euphoria of the encounter and making a friend had worn off, Kealey had struggled with herself every day of the last week and a half wondering whether or not she should call. Was it going to get more difficult to go back to the way things really were every time she saw him? So she was frowning slightly as they walked down the stairs that led to the subway, not really paying attention until she heard the low roar of the crowd.

There were more people in the subway station than Kealey had ever seen in person in one place and she instinctually moved closer to Jacen. It had been a good idea to avoid these places in the past, Kealey admitted, but it was thrilling now. Especially when the train roared into the station, bringing a cool wind with it that made Kealey laugh. She didn’t know how busy the trains usually were, but they were busy on this particular day and Kealey wondered if she was going to have to stand and hold onto the little handholds like she’d seen on movies for a moment before two seats opened up. Gratefully, she sat by Jacen and chatted as the train moved and people climbed on and off. Then it was time for them to go. Off the train they got, Kealey making sure she stayed close by Jacen as they threaded through the crowd and onto the street, then into the building.

The sheer size of the building was almost overwhelming and Kealey felt herself getting giddy as they went inside and got in the line. They were already further than she’d made it the time she’d come here on her own. Jacen smiled over at her and asked if she was excited and Kealey nodded her head, slightly embarrassed as she spoke, ”Probably more excited than I should be. Please don’t get weirded out if I go to pieces or something up there. I’ve read about normal people having strong reactions. There’s no telling what’s going to happen to me. What did you think the other time you came? What’s it like? Maybe I can kind of prepare myself or something.” Oh good, the line was moving, towards that little elevator that ended up croweded with people. Kealey shivered as she watched them pile in, it was subconscious, that many people in that small of an area.

From what she knew, her ability to feel people extended quite a ways, it got weaker with distance though. On the flip side, it was stronger with close proximity. She looked at Jacen again and smiled. It was a good thing he was there.

The line to access one of the four elevators moved along slowly but steadily. Other than the one express elevator off to the far left both of the others were normal elevators that stopped at various floors. Obviously it was the dream of everyone that wanted to get to the roof access to have an opportunity to use the express elevator but that rarely happened.

"It's like being on the top of New York City." Jacen replied with a smile to his blond friend, "On a clear day like this you'll be able to see almost all of the city just by walking around the observation deck. When you look up it's almost as if you could just reach out and touch the clouds."

They were probably two cars away from being able to get on the elevator when Jacen felt a firm jostle right in the middle of his back. Taking a quick step forward to keep from falling he looked back to see what in the world was going on. Apparently a college tour grip had just joined the que line. A very rowdy college tour group from the looks of it. In the middle of the croup was huddled a smaller group of people that appeared to be the brainiacs but all of the others looked like your typical athletes. Not necessarily dumb but a lot more given to rowdiness than their scholastically excelling classmates.

"Just stick close." Jacen said as he took a step closed to Kealey, "I wouldn't want to lose you in the crowd."

As soon as the words left Jacen's mouth the worst thing possible suddenly happened. All of the elevator doors, except for the express elevator opened at the same time. After the few people on those elevators made their way off the floodgates suddenly burst as the whole que line surged forward to board the cars.

He did his best... as the two were swept along in the surge Jacen tried to stay close to Kealey but it was a lost 'cause as the college group wedged themselves in any space they could find. "Kealey!" Jacen yelled as he was pushed into one elevator and she was pushed into the one right beside it, "Kealey!"

On top of New York City. That sounded amazing to Kealey, she stood in the line with Jacen, trying to imagine what that was going to be like and coming up what had to be super short. Besides the glimpse of the city she’d gotten through the clouds as her plane landed, the highest Kealey had ever been above the city was in the bell tower of the church she attended on a regular basis. It was a lovely view, but nothing compared to being above the city, in open air. This was going to be amazing.

”Touching the clouds?” she said, anticipation swelling inside of her as she thought about the possibility, knowing it was fancy but still eager to see how it turned out. The line was moving quickly too. Suddenly, business was picking up, as well.

The crowd that was starting to form was full of rowdy boys that really weren’t all that much younger than Kealey, but seemed to be acting like a troop of unruly children. There was much shoving and laughing and general rowdiness and Kealey once again said a little prayer of thanks that Jacen was with her. He moved closer and she closed the distance even more at the thought that they could get split up.
And then, it happened. All the doors to the elevators opened…and at the same time. Kealey had a belated sense of foreboding, and then it was like the whole world shifted at once. It was strange how so few people could be coming off the elevators, yet so many trying to crowd their way on at once.

There were people moving all around her, and Kealey found herself moving with the flow of large bodied young men that were suddenly crowded in front and to the sides of her. Into the elevator they all went and Kealey was just trying to figure out how it was she was going to get next to Jacen when the doors started closing. Kealey looked around, then heard her name and saw Jacen outside the doors, right as they closed.

Kealey’s eyes widened as she found herself in an elevator full of strangers. Away from Jacen. ”I need out…” Kealey said, pushing her way to the front of the elevator and putting her hands on the doors.
”Aww, what’s the matter girlie…claustrophobic.” Kealey just squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the doors would open on their own. But they didn’t, then she felt the lurch that could only mean one thing. Going up.

It didn’t take long, and Kealey didn’t know exactly how far away from Jacen she had to be in order for his nullification to stop working, but stop, it did and Kealey was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she was in an elevator full of college aged men. There were a few other women, but they were simply full of disdain or the same thing as the men. Good God…was that all they knew how to feel. No apparently they knew how to be aggressive and angsty as well. Perfect.

Kealey’s heart slammed against her rib cage and suddenly the leather jacket that had been incredibly comfortable three minutes earlier was strangling her and she was nearly sweating. Don’t look at anyone…don’t look at anyone…don’t look at anyone… suddenly became her personal mantra as she kept her hands on the elevator door and her eyes squeezed shut. A hand from somewhere landed on her shoulder, ”Hey…are you oka…” [/b]

”Don’t touch me!” Kealey nearly shrieked, then gasped as the silence washed over her again. Scanning the crowded elevator that was now full of slightly worried faces, she looked for Jacen, but he was nowhere to be seen. Then the silence went away again and Kealey was tossed back into the ocean of male emotion. Kealey groaned and turned back to the elevator doors and squeezed her eyes shut, how many floors were there?

Back and forth it went, between the silence and the…not silence. Each time it was like having a bucket of ice water dumped on her head and by the time the elevator started to slow, she was shaking with all the feelings. All the male feelings. Kealey’s hands were tingling from the tight fists they’d been clenched into since the third floor and she was starting to wonder if maybe she should have let that guy who’d tried to see if she was okay proceed, he was pretty good looking after all. Kealey had noticed it when she’d turned around to scan the car for Jacen. NO. It was the feelings…just the feelings….

The doors opened and Kealey couldn’t help the slightly strangled cry of relief that tore from her throat as she practically ran from the elevator and found a corner to stand in. At least they weren’t so close. She could still feel all the feelings, but they weren’t so close. Her hands were still balled tight into fists at her sides, but at least they weren’t so close. Her face was flushed and she was shaking with all those emotions she was still trying to deal with, but at least they weren't so close. [/color]

This was a nightmare and Jacen could only imagine what Kealey had to be going through. As his elevator stopped at floor after floor he could only hope that she was surviving. Maybe she'd even been able to get off at the top floor already and sit off in a corner until he got there. Yeah... that was it. She was already safe and sound while waiting for him to arrive so they could continue their afternoon.

"Hey! Stop shoving!" One of the jocks complained as Jacen shoved his way through the crowd as soon as the doors opened up on the top floor. She was here somewhere and he had to find her! It didn't take a genius to figure out what kind of thougths she may have been subjected to with that many college guys around her. If Kealey hadn't been carrying around bad feelings about men before this point, she was almost certainly carrying them now!

Frantically searching the area his eyes fell on the blond woman over in the corner. Even from this distance he could see that she was shaking and it made him want to be sick. He had been the one that suggested coming here. He had been the one that had tempted fate by putting Kealey near a large group of people. It was his fault that she had been forced to deal with the situation.

"Kealey!" Jacen barked as he rushed over, getting to her in record time and blanketing her in the aura he knew surrounded his body. Without even thinking about it Jacen slipped his arms around the young woman and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry!" He murmured loud enough that she could hear but quiet enough that none of the others nearby would hear their conversation, "This is all my fault! I can't believe I let us get separated!"

Even as he was apologizing a part of Jacen's mind began to notice that he was currently holding a very attractive woman in his arm. Obviously she wasn't Lily but she was still beautiful and she had that innocent quality that most any man would find desirable. Suddenly realizing where his thoughts were headed, Jacen tried to reclaim control of his mind. Taking a small step back he released her from the hug and instead stood back just a little with his arms reaching out to gently grip her biceps. "Do we need to get out of here? Are you going to be OK?"

Her fists just wouldn’t unclench. In fact, Kealey figured she was doing a pretty good impression of a tetanus patient as she stood in a corner near the elevators and almost wished that she’d just put a pillow over her head and yelled in her apartment. She’d been thinking it while they were on the subway, and there it was again. This was a bad idea. Surely that experience wouldn’t have been as unbearable before she’d met Jacen, before she remembered what it was like to live like normal people lived. Unbidden tears sprang to her eyes and Kealey took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that it was going to be okay.

The quiet washed over her again and Kealey shuddered as she realized her own feelings were almost as muddled as they’d been in the group. Looking up, Kealey heard her name. She’d known Jacen was there as soon as the quiet had washed over her, but she hadn’t expected him to be so…concerned. Suddenly there were arms around her, and Kealey almost shoved him away, it was too much too soon. But then again, there was comfort offered and she took it, leaning into the hug and taking a deep, normal breath as the residual feelings started to fade and the shudders reduced themselves to a gentle trembling. This wasn’t some stranger trying to do anything funny, this was Jacen and he was trying to make her feel better.

He was apologizing. This was his fault? Jacen stepped back and Kealey almost followed him. She’d felt really safe in that hug. In fact, it made Kealey realize why normal people hugged so much. Jacen had stepped away though and was holding her arms, asking if she wanted to leave. Leave? Oh yeah, they were on the top of the Empire State Building . Kealey looked at Jacen for a few moments, still kind of staggered by what she’d been feeling in the elevator.

”This isn’t your fault.” She finally said, voice slightly rough from everything she was still feeling, avoiding eye contact at all costs, “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine for thinking I could get away from what I am so completely. I was all caught up in what was happening and I got careless.”

Kealey didn’t know what to do. Part of her still wanted to see the view, the child. The naïve, simple child was just interested in the view. It warred with the adult in her though, the adult that knew the people who’d been in the elevator would be out there. They’d seen everything, and she’d felt them too. It was embarrassing. They’d come all this way though…

“I still want to see it…” Kealey said a little pitifully, eyes fixed on her shoes, ”We came all this way…just…stay close.” Her own embarrassment she could handle. Everything else too, as long as it was hers, even the pain when she thought about how this wasn’t going to happen again. She was going to make sure of it.

As Kealey mader her decision, Jacen also made his. If she still wanted to see the view from the Empire State Building then by golly they were going to see it! Dropping his hands from Kealey's arms Jacen reached out and grabbed one of her hands, holding it gently but firmly. "This is part of who you are, true, but all of us need a break from who we are on occasion." Jacen said quietly as he took a step toward the door that led out to the observation deck while tugging gently on Kealey's hand, "And I am not letting you get away this time."

***

As the two made their way out onto the observation deck Jacen purposely steered away from the areas where the most people had gathered. Sure they might have been looking off at some of the most popular sights in the city but there was plenty to see from every part of the observation deck.

"Can you feel the building moving under your feet?" Jacen asked as he flashed a quick smile at Kealey, "They had to make the building so that it could sway in the breeze otherwise the top would just break off. That's probably one of the reasons I haven't come up here often. I prefer solid ground instead of something that I can feel moving."

Walking over to one corner of the observation deck, Jacen leaned up against the safety fencing and just stared out over the city. His hand had never released Kealey's and, until he knew she was over her shock and there was no thread of their being separated, he had no intention of doing so.

"Is it worse for you after being around me?" Jacen finally asked after just looking at the city for a few minutes, "Is it harder to go back after the silence?"

Almost as soon as Kealey had made her decision, told him that she wanted to stay and see the view, Jacen was releasing her arms, but not breaking the contact completely. Kealey knew that even if he let go of her hand, she’d still be okay, but after they’d gotten pushed apart so easily in the line, knowing that she was in physical contact with Jacen made things that much easier. Then they were going. Kealey almost resisted, kind of wanting to cling to the security of the elevator room for a few more moments, but the elevators were coming up again and there’d be more people on them. Just as bad. So outside they went.

The first thing that Kealey noticed as they walked out onto the observation deck was how much cooler it was than it had been on the ground. Kealey was glad for her jacket and hat. The people from the elevator were casting strange looks in her direction, and Kealey really didn’t blame them, so she ducked her head and did her best to ignore them as Jacen guided her…somewhere. Finally, they stopped and Kealey looked up, her free hand holding her hat to her head as the breeze picked up slightly.

The view. Kealey’s heart did a funny little jumping thing when she looked out over the city and her breath caught in her throat and Kealey forgot that Jacen was holding her hand. It really did feel like they were on top of the city. The cars moving down below really did look like ants and the buildings seemed to stretch as far as she could see. Awe. That’s what Kealey was feeling. Men had built all of this, and they really were standing on top of the world. It was almost too much for Kealey’s and she found herself getting almost emotional again. Jacen spoke and Kealey instinctively looked at her feet, then closed her eyes, a small smile curving her features as she really did feel the building sway.

”I can feel it sway.” she said, her smile widening, “Who knew you were such a plethora of knowledge about the cities monolith.” She said, relaxing just a little bit then looking back out at the city. Jacen pointed out that he preferred solid ground and Kealey actually laughed a little, “But didn’t you just say that if it didn’t move it would break off?”

After a few more moments of looking, Kealey figured that she’d never get tired of the view up here, or the breeze, even if it was strong enough that she finally gave up and pulled her hat off her head completely. She was still staring out over the city when Jacen spoke again, asking her if he made things worse.

Kealey was conflicted. What he said was true, but that wasn’t exactly the way she felt about it. A few minutes ago she was sure that this was something she’d never want to put herself through again. It was so sweet though....knowing that what was inside her actually belonged to her. She was still looking out over the city, but now she turned, tilting her head slightly as she looked at Jacen, brows drawn together as she struggled for wording.

”I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about this every day for the last week and a half.” she said, shaking her head slightly, ”Before I ran into you in that coffee shop, I’d completely resigned myself to the way life was…so yes. It’s hard, really hard to go back. I have…ways of dealing usually, only none of them seem to work as well when there’s that thought in the back of my mind. Knowing what relief really feels like.”

Kealey turned and looked out over the city, trying to memorize all the details of the view, just in case this opportunity never presented itself again. She knew she wouldn’t make it up here under usual circumstances. ”It’s worth it though.” she settled on with a slight shrug, ”For the rest of my life, even if I never see you again…I’m going to know when I get a hamburger at that diner that I like it. That it’s not the lady in the booth next to me enjoying hers…and when I look at a picture of this view and get a little teary eyed I’ll know it’s because it’s one of the most amazing things that I ever saw and that it moved me. Not because there’s a child having a temper tantrum somewhere near by.”

Kealey turned back to Jacen again and just looked at him for a few moments, ”It’s funny that you asked me that. I’ve been asking myself the same thing all day. Wondering if it was worth it. I didn’t know until right now.”

Jacen had to smile as he turned his gaze back over to the city that stretched out below them. Even after all that she'd gone through with trying to enjoy an experience like this she still thought it was worth it. It was a strange feeling knowing that his ability was both a help and a detriment to somone but at lease for Kealey she was able to see the positive instead of the negative side of things.

"I guess I hadn't really thought about how you must feel until we got separated at the elevators. Then it suddenly hit home that you were going from silence to being in the middle of a crowd of people with emotions that must be all over the spectrum." Jacen admitted after a moments thought, "I mean my ability doesn't even affect my life so there are times I just don't realize what other people have to deal with when facing their own situations."

It was amazing just how easy it was to thing for granted. Just because he had an easy time of things didn't mean that other mutants had the same easy time and they deserved some consideration for what they had to go through. Sure there were freaks out there that were out to kill as many people as they could, but mutants like Lily and Kealey were different. They tried to meld with society at least somewhat which meant that they were forced to try and controlt heir abilities in a way that Jacen never had. He still didn't know if it was even possible to control his abilities but every time he met someone like Kealey or Lily he had to wonder.

"So where else can we go that you would normally avoid?" Jacen finally asked with a grin as he tried to lighten the mood once again, "Anything in particular you want to try while we're hanging out?"

”All over the spectrum.” Kealey said, and an eyebrow rose slightly as she pulled her hand back from Jacen and toyed with the brim of her hat. ”At least in the elevator I was in…it was pretty much only one end of the spectrum.”

There were people everywhere and Kealey tilted her head and looked at them all in turn. They were looking out over the city, they were playing and teasing. There were couples, one couple was even kissing. The intensity of the action made Kealey blush, but for once she didn’t feel the residual feelings. She kept watching, it was so different when she didn’t feel like she was interloping. It didn’t feel like they were doing anything so wrong either. Kealey supposed that was because the feelings were really only meant to be for themselves, or each other, not her.

Jacen was talking again, explaining how his powers made it difficult for him to put himself in other peoples’ shoes and Kealey chuckled just a little bitterly, ”Trust me Jacen. Empathy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You do a really good job with what you’ve got anyway. Not everyone would let someone like me tag along with them. You’re one in a million, I guess. “

Silence again for a few minutes and Kealey spent the time staring at the city, wondering if there were people who were just here all the time. The breeze felt so good, and she closed her eyes again, just feeling it run through her hair.

What else did she want to do? He was still wanting her to choose things. Kealey laughed and shook her head, ”The only things I do are go to church and work. It’s easier that way.” she said, reaching up to put some of the loose hair that was blowing around in the breeze behind her ear. ”You saw how Earth shattering the hamburger was for me. I can hardly describe this. Why don’t you pick something ou?. It is your afternoon off after all. I wouldn’t mind tagging along for a while.”

Jacen was silent for a moment as he tried to think of something that would be interesting for Kealey. There were several bars and clubs that he went to on occasions but most of them would probably be rather shocking to a good Catholic girl like her. What was something else that he found interesting but that wasn't a touch on the risque side?

"OK then." Jacen finally said as a slow smile appeared on his face, "Follow me."

Seizing Kealey's hand just to make sure they wouldn't get separated, Jacen led the way back to the elevators. Apparently quite a few of the college students had seen enough of the scenery as well and although they didn't manage to separate Jacen and Kealey, they did fill the elevator enough that the two of them actually found themselves pressed up against one another with almost no room to spare. In one way it was nice while in another way it was a little uncomfortable but Jacen decided it was probably best not to comment.

"13 Fulton Street." Jacen ordered politely as he and Kealey climbed into a cab a few minutes later. "Do you like history at all?" He asked as he turned his attention back to his blond friend while the cab merged in with traffic and began to make its way through the city, "Or what about old sailing ships and seafaring type stuff?"

***

South Street Seaport was away from the typical modern tourist attractions of New York City and instead helped to show the history behind New York's origin as a thriving port town. Bumpy cobblestone streets led down to the old wooden docks that made up the seaport. Several old style sailing ships were docked here and open for tours. The wooden walkways were littered with people, not only tourists, but also live bands and street performers that did their best to make sure that everyone was having a good time.

"Along with everything you can see here, right over there," Jacen pointed out as the two disembarked from their cab, "is Pier 17. It's an old pier that was converted in kind of an eclectic mall. They've got several different kinds of restaurants as well as shops ranging from high end boutiques to fun touristy shops."

Scanning the crowd quickly, Jacen's grin widened slightly as the saw a small size statue of liberty standing on the wooden walkways. "Come on. You've got to see this."

Once again grabbing Kealey's hand, Jacen made his way over toward the statue and then stopped approximately ten to fifteen feet away. For a few minutes nothing was happening as people continued to walk past the statue without giving it the slightest glance. A few of the tourists walked up to the statue to get their picture taken and finally it happened. The man that was actually dressed and painted to look like a statue moved and snatched the baseball cap off of one of the men's head. Quickly placing it on the tip of his torch he held his arm back aloft, so quickly that by the time the tourists spun around he was once again frozen in place just like a statue.

"Have you seen anything like that before?" Jacen asked softly with a slight twinkle in his eye, "Or have I managed to impress you again?"

It didn’t take long for Jacen to decide on a course of action and Kealey followed as he mad their way back towards the elevators. It was like she had much choice, because he’d snatched her hand again, but as they approached the cars and the crowd got more concentrated again, Kealey moved even closer and held on tight. There was not going to be a repeat performance of the trip up. The elevator was crowded too, and Kealey found herself very close to Jacen. Anyone else and it would have been incredibly awkward, sharing that much personal space as well as their emotions. Thanks to Jacen’s powers, she was oblivious though, and the ride down, uneventful. Needless to say, Kealey was relieved.

Out onto the street they went, and Kealey stood in the background as Jacen hailed a cab and gave the cabbie directions. Apparently he wasn’t going to tell her where they were going. Kealey just rolled with it, enjoying the experiences one by one as they happened. He did ask her about history and sea faring type things.

”I’m pretty well versed in history, though I have to admit to almost complete ignorance as far as American history is concerned. I’m learning more and more as I work in the library…but we pretty much just learned about the US as a red-headed step-child to Britain . As to the other, you haven’t let me down yet. I’m sure what we see will be interesting.”

The cab stopped, they exited, and Kealey just looked around with a smile on her face. It was hard to imagine that someplace like this existed in the bustling metropolitan sprawl that made up New York . It was almost like something from a book. There were old ships tethered to docks and Kealey could see people milling everywhere. They walked, and Kealey grinned at the cobblestones under her feet. The streets in her hometown had been something like this. Minus all the entertainment, of course.

Jacen commented on the area and Kealey’s eyes followed his pointing hand to what he described as an electric mall. ”Mall? Kealey said, ”You mean like…a clothes mall? she was always looking for new places to shop. Not that New York had anything that remotely passed for a lack of shopping areas, but still. The idea that there was somewhere she hadn’t found was exciting. Kealey thought about shopping for a moment, trying to pull up her own emotions on the subject and wasn’t surprised. Yup, she loved it.

Suddenly, Jacen was grabbing Kealey’s hand again and saying that she simply had to see something or another. Off they went towards what looked like a rather unremarkable replication of the Statue of Liberty. Kealey cast Jacen a questioning glance, then the tourists walked up to get their pictures taken with the statue. Kealey’s eyes widened and she laughed with delight as the statue reached out and grabbed one of the men’s hat. The man was shocked, even more so when he turned and saw it perched on the end of the “statue’s” torch.

Kealey laughed again as the man snatched it back and put it on his head, but apparently they’d gotten a great picture so there were no hard feelings for the rouse. Jacen asked if she’d seen something like that before and Kealey shook her head, still smiling at the spectacle as she turned to look at Jacen, blue eyes dancing ” I was every bit as oblivious as they were…and honestly I’m going to be more surprised when you stop impressing me. I think you’ve got a specific talent for it. ” Kealey said, smiling again as a teasing glint entered her eyes, "And trust me. I was raised to be very hard to impress."

The pure glee that sounded in Kealey's laughter was just amazing. Never before had Jacen met a woman that was so pure and innocent. Sure she had experienced some of the worst emotions around because of her feelings other peoples emotions but when she could shut off those other feelings and simply enjoy her own thoughts she was like a child. The whole world was a playground just waiting to be discovered.

"Well impressing the un-impressable is one of my specialties." Jacen replied with a grin as he began to lead Kealey away from the 'statue' and resume their walk along the wooden pier. The sound of an old style rag time band could be heard on the breeze along with the laughter and general good natured talking of the passerbyes. Just being with Kealey seemed to open Jacen's eyes to the wonder of all that was around him. Sure he had been here before but watching her reactions to the sights and sounds made everything seem a touch more magical than it had been before.

"As long as we keep walking this direction I think we can probably make a stop over in the Pier 17 Mall." Jacen said with a grin, finally going back to a subject that he had also noted seemed to make the young woman light up, "Since we just had lunch we probably won't do a meal but maybe I'll introduce you to the joys of a soft baked pretzel."