"Hotdog, one of those giant pickles, and a uh--" She hesitated, but oh... she wanted it. It was worth the potential ridicule. "Big blue icee." That would be one big food item for each hand and a frigid and mouth dying-ly blue drink in the crook of her arm. Jacen forked over the cash and juggled the rest. Life was good.

***

The trip to find seats was more hazardous than she expected. Between juggling food and stepping over people who were much larger than herself, it took some grace and poise. Two things Lori severely lacked and therefore she tripped and spilt at least an eight of her blue wonder drink on the back of Jacen's trousers. Oops.

Once seated, Lori plopped her drink in the far arm rest and moved Jacen's to a mirrored position so that she could pull up the arm rest between the two of them. "Twice the space this way." She whispered over the sounds of explosions and giant robots. The popcorn fit nicely between their hips, the back of Lori's knee fit nicely over the top of one of Jacen's, and there was room for a pickle in one fist and a hot dog in the other. Oh. Maybe a pickle could improve the quality of a movie... the only way to find out was to chow down alternately between fists. The effect might have seemed a bit childish, but only because movie food only comes in novelty sizes.

"I didn't know you were a fan of vampires. I'm just learning all kinds of stuff about you today."[/color]

"Muh-mo." Lori chewed the last of that bite before re-attempting. "Oh no! You found my weakness! Sci-fi/fantasy just makes me happy, I mean... it's the closest thing to people like us." She shrugged. "Not that vampires actually exist, that's silly, but it'd be fun to think they could, you know?" Someone shushed her as the lights that Lori had thought were already as dim as possible, got even dimmer. She stuck a tongue out in the shush's general direction and went back to her two-fisted eating while the intro credits rolled. Wow. So much just to get the movie started.

***

Vampires and werewolves locked in an epic and classic sci-fi/fantasy struggle. In the movie's world, werewolves were more common though they were subjugated as protectors of the vampires. There was tension between the peoples, but more so there was tension between the abnormals and the humans. Of course some cow of a woman fell in love with a vampire and of course some dog of a werewolf fell in love with the girl. Lori found herself sipping her iccee nestled comfortably at Jacen's side wishing that the girl would grow a pair, kill both the boys, and take over the ruling vampire clan.

At least in the end, she sort of redeemed herself by dumping both their asses and accidentally dying. Oh but then they turned her into a vampire and she really did kick butt and the wolf boy did actually die. Hmmm. The movie was starting to redeem itself by the time it ended. Lori slurped the last dregs of blue sugar water contentedly.

His pants were cold and damp but it was worth it since Lori had taken the lead and made sure that they would be sitting close together. Maybe it meant nothing, but then again, maybe it meant that there was a chance for some sort of relationship to work out after all. A sly smile pulled at his lips as he watched Lori place a leg over one of his on the premise that it would help hold the bucket of popcorn in place. Of course it would... any normal adult would realize that they were just out to protect their salted with extra butter investment.

The start of the movie kept him from responding to her comment about vampires as everyone's voices died down amid shushes from various directions. It had been quite a while since Jacen had last been to a theater and he had definitely forgotten just how serious some people could be about their movies.

The hot dog had been practically inhaled and then Jacen had immediately turned his attention to the popcorn. While Lori seemed content to alternate between bites of hot dog and pickle, Jacen was more than ready to get into the buttery goodness that was currently acting like a chaperon that would keep them from getting to close. Hadn't Jacen heard about something like this from years ago? Back in history class or something like that. When families needed to have people of the opposite gender sleep in the same bed they would put up a board that split the bed in half and kept the man and woman from starting any hanky panky. Of course, if someone were truly determined they surely could have worked a way around the barrier but it was still an interesting piece of trivia.

***

Guns, explosions, fire, enhance strength, enhance speed, and at lest a few blatantly adult scenes that pushed the rating as far as allowed. Pretty much everything you found in a typical vampire movie was in this one. However, as interesting as the violence and romance combination may have been, Jacen was more interested in what was currently playing out off screen. After finishing his popcorn Jacen had moved the empty container down to the floor while he began to snacking on his candy bar. About half way through the movie he felt Lori beginning to snuggle up against him. Obviously there was only one thing to do in that situation, which meant that Jacen lifted his arm and laid it across the back of Lori's chair, gently gripping her shoulder as they both continued to watch the movie.

***

When the lights finally came back on to light the theater, Jacen pulled back his arm somewhat regretfully. He had been enjoying the casualness of the moment since it was something he knew Lori didn't do often but now it was over. Picking up the empty popcorn bucket Jacen tossed his various trash item into it and then stood to his feet while giving Lori a quick smile.

"I was gonna ask you earlier but the movie went ahead and started. How do you know vampires don't exist? After all... maybe my abilities are really because I'm a vampire." Jacen asked with a grin and a slight waggle of his eyebrows, "And if you think back I expect you'll remember that I've paid special attention to your sensitive neck. That's gotta mean something doesn't it?"

"Psh. You're not a vampire." She offered him only skepticism as she crumpled her icee cup with a flex of her arms. The crushed cup went into the empty popcorn bucket. She needed floss after buttery goodness like that. "Perhaps they exist, but just because...!" Lori looked around and lowered her voice, "Just because I like certain things and you do too... doesn't mean you're a vampire."

"If you were a vampire, you'd be stealing charge or... something. You're not getting anything out of this." The popcorn and trash all went into the garbage receptacle outside the door. Lori really believed that. She had no idea why he kept forking over the dough and keeping her company and taking her to do things she didn't typically get to do. It was just the kinds of things she would do if she wanted something from him. But he didn't seem to want anything... yet. She eyed him suspiciously as they approached the exit. When would he finally fess up?

She made her excuse and disappeared to the restroom for a time. It was a law of nature: woman + end of movie = the urge. Had there not been a line, Lori probably would have finished sooner than Jacen. She certainly wasn't one to linger in a herd of primping women. Lori actually looked a bit hassled when she came out. Bleh. Nothing good in there.

"Not getting anything huh." Jacen said with a slight chuckle as he carried the trash out and tossed it into one of the garbage receptacles. "You might want to rethink that statement. If you're thinking that I have to be out to get something, then you should just put down 'sex' in that column. Last time I was in a locker room it was pretty clear that for most guys that's all we want."

Not bothering to wait for a response he headed over for the men's room. Sure there was a slight line but the nice things about being a guy was that the line always moved really fast. In what seemed like no time he was back out in the hallway, waiting for Lori to finally make her way out of the throng of woman that were, as usual, crowding around the bathroom entrance.

"So what's the plan now?" Jacen asked casually as he fell into step beside Lori and they headed for the theater exit, "Keep hanging out with the guy that just wants you for sex or do you dump him and go find someone that is either more or less attached."

It was an interesting way to phrase the question since Jacen deffinately didn't fall into that category. Sure he enjoyed the physical side of their relationship but he was also having fun digging into the depths that were Lori. This woman was a whole lot more than an attractive body. She was smart and had interested and talents that not just everyone knew about. So then the question became, was she thinking the same thing about him or was she ready to toss him to the curb like a piece of trash?

Lori had hand waved the sex comment. She already knew that. duh, but it didn't answer the burning questions of why he was dragging her through things he thought she would enjoy... he let her pick the movie, he cuddled but didn't try anything during the movie -- he hardly even leaned over to comment, he had specifically asked about things she couldn't do on her own... he was trying to get her to depend on him, but why? She was tearing her hair out over it. Could she even ask him?

Finally free of the confines of the gab-hole, Lori jammed her hands into her pockets. Jacen asked the question of the hour. What was the plan? Hell if she knew. "I thought you were the man with the plan. There anything you can't do on your own?" She shrugged her shoulders defensively. There was only one thing she could think of and it made her prickle wary of what he did or didn't want. He'd made it painfully obvious that it was on his mind, after all.

"Oh, you wound me, sir." Though it became obvious from her tone that she was not wounded. It was more a mix of sarcasm and... relief. Finally the snake reveals his true face. Finally the chink in the armor. "We could just hang out, I don't care, but if you want to get rid of me so fast, sure-- I'm gone." She swallowed. "Seems like a lot of investment without return, though." What a waste of a day. Not that she would mind following him home and doing all they'd done before and worse, but he was just toying with her now. She didn't like even an attempt to toy with her while she had been so painfully honest.

She turned with every intent to walk out of the theater and find a ride... somewhere. She had indigestion or something... stupid hot dog was making her chest burn from the inside out.

And in that one statement Lori cut to the heart of the problem. She didn't care and he wanted her to care about something. Obviously he wasn't looking for her to throw herself at his feet and make some heart wrenching declaration but something... anything would have been better than what he was getting.

Moving quickly Jacen grabbed a firm hold of Lori's left bicep and steered her over to the edge of the hallway, away from where everyone else was walking. Pushing her back up against the wall Jacen placed a hand on either side of her waist to make sure she wasn't going anywhere and just stared into her eyes, the annoyance and possibly even a hint of anger quite obvious in his expression.

"If I wanted to get rid of you I wouldn't have let you spend the night at my house. I wouldn't have offered to take you sky diving and I would have asked you if you wanted to go to a movie. And the fact that you don't care is the whole problem!" He said forcefully but quietly enough that it wouldn't attract a whole lot of attention, "Just once I'd like to hear you say that you like spending time with me for something other than get your damn showers! I'm not asking for you to say we're going exclusive or anything. Hell, I'm not even asking you to promise not to f*ck any other guys but I'd like to hear that you enjoy spending time with me instead of just using me!"

It was a heated statement but Jacen wasn't going to let Lori walk away that easily. If she wanted out fine, whatever but she had to tell him to his face what she wanted... what she cared about and not just try to throw blame on his shoulders. "You look at me and all you can think of is that I must be using you for some reason because you know that's the only reason you're hanging out with me. If I didn't make it so you could shower and enjoy time in bed without electrocuting your partner you probably wouldn't ever come back!"

What do you do when you find out everything you think you know is wrong?

You blame it on indigestion.

When he grabbed her, she was all for slapping him. He was man-handling her in public! Maybe she liked that elsewhere, but not here. She set her jaw and looked every inch up to his face and... forgot whatever scathing remark had been sitting behind her teeth ready to hurt him.

He could have done any of those activities today with some end game in sight. He really could have! But... she didn't--she couldn't care. If she cared and he didn't... if she ever... it was weakness to rely on others. Weakness to have someone that could be used against you. Weakness to... let them... pin you up against a wall at a movie theater.

She wriggled a little pushing at his arms gently. "You're hur--" but he wasn't hurting her. He wasn't...

Damn this heart burn.

Her hands relaxed the slightest bit against his forearms. They... hadn't showered once today. How... why did... what... what did he want? Why didn't he want something? "Why don't you want something? You have to..." It was just a breath of a phrase, but it scared her. It went right from her brain to her lips without her permission!

Her hands were starting to tremble against his forearms and she couldn't do it. She couldn't meet those eyes. Instead, she looked at those hands bewildered. It was all quite bewildering. How could he in one breath, accuse her of not caring because she wanted something, but in the next breath say he didn't want anything... and he didn't care if she did whatever she damn-well-pleased... but implied that he cared? Did he care? What did it mean if he did?

All of a sudden she wished she were anywhere but there. It was pure and simple panic. Her brain and legs and everything wanted to shut down to protect herself.

Was it true? All that she wanted was showers right? Anything more was breaking rules, rules that kept her and her way of life in tact. "Why are you messing everything up?" Her words were pained. The problem was that no one broke the rules more than Jacen. He offered her everything she wanted, or should have wanted... but that wasn't it. That wasn't what he wanted her to want. Her head was spinning and with good reason. "Why can't you want something that I can give you?"

"Today... no showers... no se... I still..." She licked her lips. She could say she enjoyed sky diving. They had done that separately, kind of, and that meant she was still independent. "I enjoyed today."

As soon as Lori even suggested he was hurting her, Jacen moved his arms slightly to give her more room. He could be forceful and even demanding when need be but he wasn't out to hurt a woman. In fact the only time he'd even dream of hitting a woman was if it was to protect his own life or someone elses.

"How do you know you can't give me what I want?" Jacen asked quietly to Lori's statement. She wouldn't look at him. Was that a good sign or a bad sign? Did it mean she was embarassed that she wasn't being more forward with her feelings or did it mean she was upset because everything he had said was the truth? Why couldn't she just face him and say what she was thinking?! Damn it, why did everything have to be so hard? "I just want you to care about something. Even if that something isn't me at least care about something in life."

"I enjoyed today."

For several moments Jacen just stood there, looking at the blond as he tried to figure out what to do next. She had enjoyed today... great. Basically that meant she'd enjoyed sky diving and a movie but it didn't mean she'd necessarily enjoyed being with him. Why couldn't she skip this beating around the bush for once in her life and just be direct?

Lifting his right arm, Jacen cupped her face and slowly tilted her head up so that they were staring into each others eyes. "Lori, I enjoy being with you. I enjoy spending time with you no matter what we're doing because you're an interesting woman. I want to see where this might go and see whether anything else will develop but if you're not interested you need to say so right now." He said quietly, searching her expression for a sign of... something, "Your call. Stick around and see what a real relationship can be like or back off and go back to your own life."

He pulled her face up to angle toward his and her eyes stayed on his lips as he spoke. He made the careful palisade that she'd built sound silly. And the fact that he had to drag her face bodily up to look at him made her feel all the more foolish for trying to protect herself. Her eyes flicked to his and she felt the first prickle of blood flow around her hairline. Blush. She blushed and all those freckles she thought she'd grown out of stood out of her cheeks, her ears just hinting at pink.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't hit him, she couldn't walk away, she couldn't even protest when she most needed to. She wanted it. It was everything she hated and loved most, God, she wanted it.

He looked at her and she looked at him and only one thing came to mind. "Because you have hot dog breath." She blurted it out quick. Brain to lips. No filter. Her last line of defense. It was so not what she was expecting to come out of her own lips. The words were so ridiculous that it made her laugh. A small chuckle that quickly erupted into more. All that building tension was grateful for some release. She laughed and laughed and laughed until her ribs hurt and the ushers were asking them to leave. And then she laughed more because her ribs hurt and her hand was in Jacen's.

Jacen, the great neutralizer. He'd shut off every weapon she had excepting petty insults.

Completely out of breath, she only hoped he didn't think she was mocking him. "You are such an asshat if I had no interest in you, neither of us would be standing here." Exactly. One would be lying in a coma somewhere for sure. She drew him toward her once they were free of the exit doors. The space between them was almost nil and that made her feel better somewhat. She had to look up, which ruined the effect, but the strength of will was still present behind her eyes.

"I can't believe you have the gaul to tempt me with promises of flowers and planes and showers and ..." Her eyes stayed locked on his as she shook her head. "I was kicking myself for relying on you to even shower. I can do without showers and have for years. I could even have done with fewer and farther between rendezvous... God, I've been trying to get away from you from the first time I tried to brain you with a lightpole." Yeah, she admitted it. She was trying to knock him out to see if his field worked even while asleep. She had that answer now, though by much more pleasant means. It didn't matter. None of it mattered because she had nothing left. "I didn't used to give out my name, I didn't sleep over, and I certainly never liked anyone." Her tone swelled with accusation. He was the one messing everything up, not her. If he didn't want to hear it, he shouldn't have asked. She wasn't going to cry, that was foolishness. She had something twice as potent and just as bitter: cynicism.

"You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep and you can't promise me forever." Did that mean she wanted someone forever? Crap, she'd have to file that question away for later. "Hell, you can't promise me tomorrow... So what do you want from me Jacen? Shall I move in to your apartment? Go back to my jobs and my family...? Most of those don't exist anymore. Happily ever after doesn't happen." Unless, of course, he knew something she didn't. Lori didn't discount that he did, but he was going to have to explain it slowly and carefully for her to believe it.

For several moments Lori seemed lost as she searched for some kind of response. Out of nowhere she blurted out a few words that simply left him looking at her with raised eyebrow. That was the best she could do? With all of her mind working on the challenge the best she could do was comment about his breath? Then the laughter started. At first Jacen just watched but then he began to chuckle along with her. Ok... so her comments had been funny. A touch insulting maybe but still worth a good chuckle.

Finally the two were escorted outside by a couple of ushers. Off to the side of the entrance to the movie theater Jacen and Lori stood facing each other on the sidewalk. At some point Lori had grabbed his hand and for the moment she was refusing to let go.

"You were trying to brain me with the light pole?" Jacen asked, slightly surprised. Sure he had suspected at the time that she was out to get him but since that night he had never particularly thought about it. But since she brought it up...

She was starting to talk to much. She had admitted that she liked him and maybe even cared about him a little. That was more than enough for now which meant that now it was time to stop talking and start taking action. If she thought he was full of it and wanted her to leave then he would just have to prove her wrong!

Moving forward suddenly Jacen wrapped his arms around Lori's waist and lifted her up onto her tiptoes while he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. This was the time to prove that whatever the two of them were feeling was real and there were definitely times when words were over rated. Tightening his hold on Lori ever so slightly, Jacen deepend the kiss and continued to draw the blond into the emotional stimulation.

"You're right." Jacen murmured quietly a few moments later when their mouths finally separated, "I can't promise you forever. I can't even tell you that I love you. Yet. But a chance to explore is all I'm asking for. If you want someone that can offer you forever I'm fine with it but give us a chance to see what's going on."

Pulling his head back just a touch more, Jacen smiled somewhat lazily at the young woman and quirked up one eyebrow in a questioning manner. "So how about it? Are you up for finding out where this goes?"

Jacen didn't sound too happy about the light pole bit. "I wanted to know if you would turn it off when uncon-" Oh, but it didn't seem to bother him that much because he scooped her up like a good blanket and melded her to the front of his body from knees up to lips. He caught her mid-word and she dropped the subject like it was hot. In fact, for a time her mind was blissfully empty of anything and everything.

He pulled tighter and tighter so that by the time their lips parted it wasn't just the kiss that left her breathless.

A chance to explore. To go where no man had ever gone before. It made her prickle. The problem was not the exploring. New territory could be fresh and exciting. Lori wouldn't back down from that challenge so soon. No, what bothered her were the logistics. Lori did not want Jacen to ever catch wind of the Sanctuary. If he walked in there, her secret prize was forfeit. Syn alone would string him up and... well, there was no telling what Abyss and company would do. She'd worked hard to forge that relationship, it would be a shame for one man to ruin it.

Not that he wasn't ruining plenty already, but that was moot. Lori was carving her own life, she could append the rules as she saw fit.

"So how about it? Are you up for finding out where this goes?"

"To infinity and beyond!" She threw her fist up into the air with the quote. Maybe she meant it, but really the quote timing had been too good to pass up. She grinned roguishly at him as a plan began to form. She could fix a lot of problems by staying in her Dad's trailer. Oh, no, not the kind of place you typically invite your friends to, but it was better than taking your boy home to a den of power-dependent mutants who would be personally insulted if another could cancel what they had.

And maybe she could let Mars visit once just to be fair... there was no point in holding him to a standard if she dropped off the face of the earth and didn't tell him where she went.

"So what now, Brain? Try to take over the world as usual?" She'd need to have more than her toes touching the ground for that, not that she was complaining about the view or anything.

Jacen smiled down at Lori in obvious amusement as she quoted a certain famous Disney character. Apparently she had come to a decision that made both of them happy. He hadn't really been sure what she would decide since she had a stubborn streak that was a mile wide but thankfully her emotions had overcome her stubbornness.

"Oh, I don't know." Jacen said with a smile before leaning down and giving Lori one more slow, lingering kiss. "Do you really think the world's a lofty enough goal?" He asked when he drew back again and finally let Lori back down so that she was standing on her whole foot instead of just her toes, "I say we shoot for the stars and aim for the whole universe. Sure, earthy might be a beginning but why stop there?"

Finally allowing Lori to escape from his arms, he claimed hold of one of her hands and then headed back toward the truck. "Should I tell her about the hospital test?" The thought suddenly sprang to his mind out of nowhere. He had been so busy most of the day that he hadn't really had much chance to think about but now wasn't the time for reflection either. And really, until he knew exactly what was going on there was nothing to tell. Right?

"I think I might be able to come up with one more activity for us this evening." Jacen said with a grin, "But it will all depend on one thing. Trust me?"

"Do you really think the world's a lofty enough goal? I say we shoot for the stars and aim for the whole universe. Sure, earthy might be a beginning but why stop there?"

"What? You want that much responsibility? Bleh." She gave him incredulous eyes and a pink tongue. "The world it's too much trouble. The only fun is only in the conquering." She shrugged. Stars were nice and all, but her ambition stopped after the strategy. Leading and politics gave her the heeby-jeebies. Jacen set her on her feet and she was at her full capacity for escaping or fighting if need be. No more apprehension about getting attacked from behind while macking in public.

As she pulled him toward the truck, Jacen revealed his final card to a highly raised eyebrow of Lori's. "I think I might be able to come up with one more activity for us this evening. But it will all depend on one thing. Trust me?"

Her response was automatic. "No, but let's do it anyway." Well, at least she was honest. For now. Lori waited for the doors to unlock and popped herself right down into the passenger seat without issue. She trusted him to an extent. His behavior was fairly predictable and he hadn't thrown many surprises her way. As long as he continued to operate within her defined parameters, Lori would be comfortable with really anything he proposed.

As the two of them climbed into the cab of the truck Jacen had to finally admit to himself that he was changing The idea that had popped into his mind as something to do with Lori was something that he never would have even considered a few months before. "Well I guess I'll just have to take what I can get." He said with a quick grin as he started the car. Once the vehicle was running, instead of putting it into gear Jacen reached over and picked up his cell phone. Dialing a number quickly he waited for a few minutes until he go an answer.

"Hey Rob, it's Jacen. Remember that Guerilla investigation you were working on four or five months ago? Yeah. I found an unmarked advertisement here on a corkboard at the local coffee shop and the number looks awfully familiar. Can you give me the Guerilla number so I can make sure whether this is them trying to get back into the market or not?"

For the next few moments Jacen was silent as he listened to the detective apparently tapping away at some computer keys as he looked for the correct information. Finally he was relaying the number while Jacen was quckly scribbling them down on a spare napkin he had pulled out of his truck's console.

"It's close but the last number's a 2 instead of 7. Sorry to bug you about that Rob."

A few moments later Jacen was disconnecting the call and then immediately redialing as he put the truck in reverse and finally backed out of his space. A few minutes later he was merging into traffic as a voice came over the phone.

"Are you open for setting up a jump for this evening?" Jacen asked as he moved back and forth from the street in front of him, to his mirrors, to Lori's face, and then back to the street again. "Your are? Any chance I can get my girlfriend and myself on the list? Yeah, I know the procedure. No last names. It'll be Jacen and Lori. Perfect. We'll meet you over there in about two hours."

Disconnected the phone Jacen slipped it back into his pocket as a sly smile touched his lips. "Well, we've got a little bit of time to kill. I think we need to see about getting a change of clothes for each of us though."

Lori sighed. "Always with the clothes. Geez, you have issues." Inside her head was humming. Gorillas? What the heck? There were no gorillas in America that she knew of, but rather than get her hopes up on something silly, Lori focused her attentions on the details.

The look on her face was classic Lori. The gears in her head turned so forcefully that they were practically audible.

The number he'd gotten was local. Something in town. He was getting the number from an investigator? So it was illegal. That could be fun or, Lori could run into some unsavory friends of hers... And a jump? He did say jumping right? Well her brain went buzzing straight toward their previous activity of the day: sky diving. But surely not... Surely. Lori glanced out the window and started.

"Wait-Hey. Stop here. I'll get us some clothes." Lori had the door open before the car was even completely stopped. "If I take more than 30 minutes..." She blinked. What? Come into the subway and look at the tracks? That was how she was going to double back to the Sanctuary. "...then you're allowed to start worrying."

She shut the door and disappeared down into the subway entrance. He'd know she had a stash of clothes, male and female, somewhere close, but there were enough different venues crammed around here that he would never guess she was taking the back entrance through the cathedral next to the Sanctuary. Or at least he'd better not.

18 minutes and 37 seconds later, an out of breath Lori came jogging out of the same subway entrance. She'd run the whole way, grabbed some of the comfortable clothes that were hers and hit the community stash for something Jacen-sized. She'd started to rummage through Mars' things, but well he was size HUGE. Jacen was a much more personable size and she she had to grab from the newby donation pile for that or risk another resident's wrath. Since they'd kicked out the humans, Lori had so much less in her accessible wardrobe.

She hopped in the car and hadn't even thought of changing while she had the chance until it was obviously too late. D'oh. "Here." She untangled the clothes and handed Jacen a pair of black slacks and a soft cotton undershirt in black. "Guessed your size. I think I did okay." She did guess on the small side, though, because tight shirts and pants were preferable to ones that would fall down.