(OOC: Continued from What Happens After Fire & Pain?)

IC:
They hadn't been able to get out of the apartment fast enough. The awkwardness had seemed to last as long as they were in the apartment where Kealey had seen, well, more of Jacen than he had seen of her. In what seemed like record time they were both ready and out in the truck heading off to their first stop. The blond had tried to say that the clothing she had on would be good enough for what they needed to do but Jacen had refused to accept that. Taking her to the store he made her pick out a decent outfit while he selected some good quality boots. While not the most stylish things in the world they would make the most sense for someone that was going to be climbing through a ruined apartment.

Once the clothing was taken care it was through a drive through to grab a couple of breakfast biscuits and some drinks followed by a trip down to Immigration. After a few hours of paperwork and people asking silly questions, the were once again off and running. It was almost lunch time but Jacen thought it was probably best to push through looking over Kealey apartment before they stopped to eat again. If it was to much for her and she had a full stomach...

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jacen asked quietly as he pulled into a parking space about a block away from Kealey's building. With the police tape still up there would be no parking any closer but the fire marshall had cleared the building for residents to go back in as long as they were escorted by trained personnel. Thankfully, Jacen just happened to fill that bill. "It can wait until tomorrow if you need it to."

Getting out of Jacen’s apartment had become an absolutely singular goal once Jacen had put his clothes on and managed to convince Kealey that everything was really going to be okay. For a few minutes it had been really hard for her to think that anything could possibly be alright considering the fact that she’d just walked in on him completely unclothed. Thinking about it made that mental picture pop up again and Kealey shook her head. It was hours later.

It had been a productive morning. Jacen had insisted on getting her different clothes before they did anything else. She’d protested, but to absolutely no avail and now she had to admit that she was glad. The shoes were disappointing, but practical, and Kealey was comfortable in the shorts and snug tank top they’d procured…even if they were probably a little less than practical for digging through rubble.

Immigration had been a pain in the rear end, as had been the bank…but just like Jacen had said, everything had worked itself out. Or would. For the time being, until all her new stuff came in the mail, she was at the mercy of in-bank cash withdrawals.

They pulled into a parking spot, and Kealey could see the smoke from down the street. She stared at it, frowning slightly and wondering exactly how this was going to feel when it came right down to it. Fire and rubble weren’t necessarily things that Kealey dealt with well.

Jacen spoke, and she jumped, pulled from the mental conversation she was having with herself. Here it was, the opportunity to take an out and run away. Jacen said that it could wait until tomorrow. They’d already done a ton that day…

Kealey shook herself mentally and a slightly physical shudder followed, but she shook her head. ”I’m ready.” she said softly, hand already moving to open the door of the truck. This was the first step. ”If it can wait until tomorrow…then it can wait until the next day…and forever after that.” she said, turning and making eye contact for probably the first time since she’d seen him unclothed that morning. It was impossible to fight off the slight flush that crept into her face at that, but that feeling was better than the apprehension she felt at going to what was left of the building.

”Just don’t go to manly pieces if I get upset. ” she said, climbing out of the truck and smiling slightly as she leaned back in, ”You can make me feel better later.” she said, then shut the door. Maybe nonchalance was the way to handle everything after all. It was sure better than melodrama.

Jacen watched Kealey carefully as she opened the door of the truck and then slipped out. She had met his eyes for the first time since they had stared at each other in the bathroom which was definitely a good sign. From all appearance it did look like she was ready to face whatever they found inside.

"Well, if you need to feel better later, I'll be glad to help." Jacen replied with his own smile as he climbed out of his side of the truck and then closed the door. After fastening his badge on his belt so that it would be clearly visible, Jacen grabbed a knapsack out of the back of the truck that held plastic bags, gloves, and a couple of flash lights in case they needed them. "What would work for you? Maybe I can pick up some marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers and then we can make microwave s'mores. I'd offer to toast them over a fire but I don't think the fire marshall would be impressed with an open flame on my patio."

It was at least an attempt at humor to try and make the situation easier for Kealey. Moving in front of her, Jacen took the lead as they ducked under the police tape. Pausing for a moment to let one of the officer's take down Kealey's name as well as Jacen's badge number, they continued on and headed up the stairs to find out what was left of her home. Jacen could already see the door up ahead. The whole he had busted through in order to give room for himself and Kealey to escape was all the splintered evidence he needed to prove exactly which place was hers.

"Slow and cautious Kealey." Jacen warned quietly, glancing back at her and giving her a stern but comforting look all at the same time. "Stay with me and don't run off anywhere."

Kealey looked over at Jacen as they made their way towards the building. ”S’mores?” she said, a slight frown drawing her eyebrows together. The ingredients sounded good, and apparently they could be made over a fire or in a microwave, but Kealey had never heard of such a thing.

”I’d be good with whatever…” she said, then snorted slightly at Jacen’s comment about an open flame on his patio. Number one, Kealey hadn’t even noticed that Jacen had a patio. Number two, ”If it’s heat you want…we could just come back over…here.” Kealey trailed off, most of the humor draining out of her voice as the building actually came into view. It seemed wrong to joke, actually seeing the place.

The windows were broken out of the shop below, probably by the fire department when they’d come to put out the flames on the inside. Most of the large items had been moved outside and there were people filtering in and out. Suddenly, Kealey’s bravado didn’t feel quite so…brave. Jacen had said he’d be there to help later, and Kealey had a feeling she might need it as they entered the building.

There weren’t lights, so it was good that they’d grabbed the flashlights out of the truck. Up the stairs they went, Kealey more and more horrified by the damage as they climbed. There were parts of the building that were completely off limits, and they looked blackened and dangerous. There were other parts, though, that looked at least partially spared.

Up to her door they went, and Kealey made a strangled little noise at the burnt state of the hall around the door. It looked like her side of the building had taken some serious damage…still. There was a chance that some things were okay.

Jacen spoke and Kealey stopped right where she was, waiting for Jacen to take the lead before they walked into the actual apartment. Wood was creaking and the floor crunched as they entered the unit and Kealey couldn’t help the horrified look off her face at how badly her place was messed up. Fire had taken out the back side, by the bathroom and Kealey could see the charred and water damaged remains of her closet from where they stood right inside the door. Apparently her clothes were not something she was going to be able to salvage. The wave of emotion at that was hard to hold back, and Kealey took a couple of deep breaths, swiping away tears with the palms of her hand before managing to compose herself enough to continue. They were, after all, only material possessions.

Slowly and carefully, like Jacen had said, Kealey moved into the apartment, kicking aside bits and pieces of burned rubble as she looked for a particular set of shelves and a particular picture. ”The picture was over here…” she said, softly. ”It wasn’t in a frame though…” she stopped talking as something crunched under the sole of her boot. Frowning slightly and looking at where they were in the apartment, Kealey crouched down, moving some of the rubble, then nearly squealing with delight as she unearthed her purse. It was scorched and ruined from the water but…she opened it and squealed again as she pulled out her completely intact wallet. ”Looks like I need to call the bank back!” she said, hope flaring as she tossed away the ruined purse.

Up she looked towards the ruin that was pretty much the closet and bathroom, then back at Jacen, ”I’m guessing that’s a no-go, zone.”

"Yes, S'mores. You've never heard of S'mores?" Jacen asked with raised eyebrow. He would that thought the graham cracker, marshmallow, chocolaty goodness was known world wide but of course he'd never considered that even if it was, it probably wasn't commonly served in a convent. Internally promising himself that he'd take Kealey out of the city and to a park where open fires were allowed so he could show her the wonder of a toasted marshmallow, Jacen fell silent. Now was not the time to think of beautiful, simplistic deserts. Now was not the time to think about fantasy cookouts. Now was the time to face the grim harsh realities of life.

There was obvious charring on all the walls and from the more intense burn pattern up near the next apartment it looked as though someone had spilled some furniture polish or alcohol that had helped accelerate the flame in that section. There wasn't enough for that to be the starting point but it still made the whole area look worse. Inwardly wincing, Jacen stepped into Kealey apartment and just looked at the damage that had been done.

Keeping a careful eye on the floorboards and walls, Jacen slowly made a circle of the room while Kealey began to look for her picture only to run across her purse. Smiling slightly at the happiness that momentarily entered her voice, Jacen kept his eyes focused on the floor ahead of each step as he tested to see exactly where the danger area began. "You might be able to go over to that area but I'd rather you didn't." Jacen said quietly as he eyes the floorboards near the closet and bathroom somewhat doubtfully. They were weakened from the combination of intense heat followed by intense moisture. It was the worst part of the room and he really didn't trust it to hold even Kealey's light weight.

Crouching down by a pile of ash and debris, Jacen pulled a glove out of his pack and then carefully brushes some of the various trash and objects away. For the most part it was just charred remains of furniture or plaster that had fallen in but in the middle was something that looked different. Eyeing it curiously Jacen picked up the object and slowly turned it around in his hand. It looked like it had originally been some sort of plastic or maybe vinyl with bits of glass or something. A decorative piece that had seen better day. Sighing Jacen went to drop it back down but then froze when he saw something in one of the corner. Lifting it he looked more closely and saw what seemed to a slightly burned corner sticking out from the middle of the lump. Without the slightest hesitation Jacen pulled out his pocket knife and began slowly cutting away at the edges until finally the knick knack, or formerly two knick knacks pulled apart. Contained within them was a photo that Jacen immediately knew had to be the one Kealey was looking for. It had a couple of water spots on the photo and two corners had been eaten away by flame and heat but for the most part it was in relatively good condition.

"Kealey." Jacen said as he stood back up and turned toward her while dropping the trash and holding the precious item carefully in his hand, "I think I might have found what you're looking for."

With her wallet in hand, Kealey suddenly felt better about everything. There was hope here, even in the ruins of what had been her life, there was hope. Jacen was moving around the apartment, apparently testing the floor and as Kealey moved around, she was careful to only walk in places where he’d already been.

Besides the wallet, Kealey’s search was coming up pretty unlucky. A couple of the books from the library had been spared the worst, and while they’d probably smell like smoke for the rest of their existence, they were salvageable and Kealey grabbed them to add to the small collection of things that had survived the flames and the water.

Jacen pointed out that she could possibly go over by the closet, but he preferred she didn’t, and Kealey sighed at her closet again. It didn’t look like anything had made it, anyway. ”I’ll stay here, then.” she said, moving to the edge of where Jacen had stopped moving to bend and dig through some of the debris to see if anything else had survived. The picture hadn’t been in anything, and had travelled in a journal from Ireland…with as much draft as water and fire made. It could have been anywhere, and it was just made out of paper.

She was just beginning to despair about ever finding the picture, when Jacen said the words that Kealey had been hoping to hear more than anything in the world. Rising slowly, and almost resisting the urge to actually hope that it was her picture, she turned.

As soon as she saw the picture in his hand, Kealey knew it was the one. There was only one picture it could be, because Kealey hadn’t had any other pictures. Glee exploding where despair had tried to take root, Kealey squealed and made her way as quickly across the room as humanly possible, launching herself at Jacen and squeezing him as tight as she could before releasing him and gently taking the picture from his hand. While nothing else so far had made her cry, as she looked at the only existing proof that her little family had ever been, the tears started to flow all over again.

”I really didn’t think we were going to find it…” Kealey said, wiping the offending wetness away as it spilled down her cheeks, accomplishing nothing more than smearing soot across her cheeks. ”Jacen King…whatever am I going to do with you? Constantly saving the day.” she sniffled again and looked towards the closet, ”If only you’d been here for my shoes…”

If Jacen could have gotten a picture of Kealey's face the moment he showed her the picture he would have saved it for the rest of his life. He couldn't think of any time when joy had been better personified than in Kealey at that moment. Sadly, a moment was all it would last for as she threw herself into his arms for a tight hug and then drew away to just take in the picture that she now clasped in her hand.

"You can thank... whatever those were." Jacen said as he waved toward the hunks of material that had shielded the picture from the worst of it, "They protected your picture from being destroyed."

After pulling off his gloves Jacen moved a little closer to Kealey and then slipped his arm around her shoulder to give her a quick squeeze of his own. "I'm glad you found it Kealey. I know it meant a lot to you."

After releasing her, Jacen dug into his pack and pulled out a couple of plastic bags for Kealey to put her salvaged items in. "Yeah, I wasn't here for the shoes but on the positive side, I heard shopping for shoes is almost more fun than wearing them."

Where had he heard that from? It took a moment of thought but then he remember the raven haired secretary over in the finance department. She wasn't actually a police officer but instead was a civilian sub-contractor but at the time Jacen could have cared less. She looked really good in her professional knee length skirt and white dress skirt and had looked even better in the red number she'd worn on their date. Who would thought a secretary could be that wild?

Pushing the memory away Jacen returned to the present. No woman from his past could measure up to the woman that now stood beside him and even though there were pleasant memories from may of his encounters they weren't worth his time. "I can take a look in there just to see if any of the shoes survived." Jacen offered, slowly making his way over to the closet as soon as the words were out of his mouth. From the moment he stepped inside the space he knew that he'd been right. The floorboards felt extremely weak and Jacen knew he couldn't chance staying in this area very long.

Crouching down gingerly, Jacen's eyes swept over the closet. Most everything was a mess of burnt or wet cardboard along with scorches leather, vinyl, and felt. He was beginning to lose hope that anything could have survived when he saw a pile of boxes all on top of each other. The one second from the bottom seemed to have been saved from the damage and after some ginger moving, he was able to free the single box.

"You might have one here." Jacen said as he slowly backed out of the closet and then turned to hand the unopened box to Kealey, "It doesn't look like anything else even had a chance."

Kealey looked at the burnt corpses of whatever it was that had managed to shield her picture from the flames and the fire. She supposed she’d built up enough karma to warrant that, at least. ”I don’t care what they were…” she said, then leaned into Jacen as he gave her a squeeze. Taking the bags he offered, she dumped the things she’d already found into them and listened to what he had to say.

His comment about shoe shopping made her giggle and she nodded her head, ”That’s true…though I have to admit that I’m surprised to you say that. Do you know from personal experience or is it something you’ve learned from other damsels in distress that you’ve rescued?” she asked, then raised eyebrows in surprise as he said he’d check and see if an of her shoes had survived.

”Jacen…didn’t you say it wasn’t safe…” Kealey said, resisting the urge to hold onto him as he moved past her and into the area of the room he’d said wasn’t particularly safe. The floorboards were creaking and Kealey stayed where she stood, bouncing back and forth from foot to foot as she worried that the floor would cave in or something. All for the sake of a pair of shoes, and Jacen trying to do something else nice for her.

He pulled a box out of the burned rubble of her closet and Kealey had to surpres another squeal of delight as he backed out and turned around to hand it to her. From the decorations on the box, Kealey knew exactly what shoes they were even before she opened the lid. ”Oh Jacen…” she breathed as she moved the lid to reveal her favorite pair of ballet flats.

”Start thinking Mister…all this heroism deserves something.” she said, a broad smile spreading across her features again as she took a step closer, ”Your job is to come up with something I can do. I feel like I need to do something.”

Around the apartment Kealey looked, sighing at the state of the rest of the place, ”I think after all these good discoveries, all that’s left here is disappointment. Since I found my wallet, what do you say we grab something to eat, my treat?”

"I'm afraid I have to confess that I learned that bit of trivia from a woman I dated a while ago." Jacen responded somewhat ruefully as Kealey took the box from his hands. Why in the world he had shared something that a previous girlfriend, no, lover had told him was beyond him but the cat was out of the bag. Of course, Kealey already knew he had dated other people so that shouldn't phase her. Should it?

Jacen could feel his grin widening as he watched Kealey's face light up all over again as she opened up the shoebox. Smileing... why in the world was he smiling so much when he was in the middle of so much destruction? It was a good question but at the same time it was a dumb question. He had made Kealey smile again, even after all she'd been through. Of course he was smiling too. It was then that she made her offer. For a short time, Jacen's smile was frozen in place as he stared at her and then as she turned to look around the rest of the area it really hit him what she's just said.

"Can I see you the way you saw me?" The thought sprang unbidden to Jacen's mind though he did manage to keep it from moving just as quickly out his mouth. Kealey wasn't just a tool or piece of art for him to look at, use, and then toss aside. She was something special and she deserved his respect. "Maybe I should just stumble in on her showering. That'd make us even."

"Uh, yeah. Lunch would be great. But are you sure I can't pay for it? I know you're going to have plenty of expenses replacing your wardrobe." Jacen responded, desparately trying to get his mind back on track as he guided Kealey toward the door. Suddenly it hit him exactly what he could ask Kealey for. For a few minutes he mulled it over, trying to decide if it really was the right question. Finally he decided it was.

"Actually there is one thing you can do for me." Jacen said after the two of them had climbed back into his pickup and he had started the engine. Leaving the vehicle in park, he swiveled in his seat to face Kealey. "Can you forgive my stupidity for stopping things between us and maybe give me a second chance to date you and just see what happens?"

Hmmm. He’d learned the bit of information about shoes from someone he’d dated in the past. Kealey laughed and shrugged, ”Well, whoever she was, knew what she was talking about. Shoe shopping is fun.” she commented, still hugging the shoebox to her chest as she smiled over at Jacen.

”These are my favorites though…it’s amazing that they made it through…and that you saved them." she said, still all grins. Which was…pretty amazing considering she was standing in the middle of carnage that was what was left of her apartment. She had gotten so much more back than she’d thought she would, though, how could she not be happy?

Jacen didn’t reply immediately when Kealey demanded that he come up with something she could do to at least partially make up for everything he was doing for her. Kealey didn’t push, though, he seemed to be thinking and she didn’t want to interrupt the thought process. Jacen asked if she wouldn’t let him pay and Kealey shook her head. ”You paid for my breakfast, and my clothes. You can let me foot the bill for lunch.” she said simply. Kealey wasn’t one of those girls to just freeload. Nope, she was going to do her best to chip in, even as she worked to rebuild everything she’d lost.

Out of the building they went, and Kealey noted that Jacen still seemed to be thinking as they climbed into the truck. Kealey was looking at her picture again and when he commented that there was one thing she could do for him she almost answered before she even heard what he said. ”Of cour…” The words froze on her lips as she heard the second part of what Jacen had said and she looked at him as he turned to face her in the truck.

He wanted a second chance to date her? Kealey thought about it for a minute, actually thought about it. That hadn’t been exactly the type of question she’d been expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. There were still the issues from before, but honestly, Kealey couldn’t remember a time in her life when she’d been as comfortable with someone as she was around Jacen. What could trying hurt? There was still the chance that things could end up badly, but wasn’t that a chance with everything? Again, Kealey thought, if you didn’t take chances because you were afraid of negative consequences, you never got to experience the positive ones, either.

”I think I can do that.” she said, a slow smile spreading across her face as she met Jacen's eyes, ”I like the sound of seeing what happens.”

Jacen watched as Kealey seemed to freeze as soon as his request was voiced. He had expected that she might not be the most ecstatic about his suggestion but it had never entered his mind that she might be speechless. It had been a bad idea even to say anything. Glancing away from Kealey, Jacen focused on the hood of his truck and the small car that was parked in front of them. Great, now he was responsible for the awkwardness of their not wanting to look in each others eyes.

"If you don't want," Jacen began before Kealey began to speak. Turning back to face her and meet her eyes he was surprised to see the smile on her face and even more surprised to hear her accepting his request. For a minute it was his turn to be speechless before slowly his own smile formed to return the one Kealey was already giving him.

"Thanks." He said while resisting the urge to lean over and give the young woman a kiss. Sure they had enjoyed a make out session on his couch the night before but that didn't mean he had special relationship privileges. Turning back around Jacen put the truck in gear and then pulled out of the parking space. He didn't even really know what to say now that the monumental decision had been made so instead he decided to go back to a safe topic. Food.

"If you're paying for lunch then you get to pick the place." Jacen said firmly even while his lips continued to curve up into a smile, "So where are we going? I have to admit that it's a little past my normal lunch time and I'm getting hungry."

He had thought she was going to say no, Kealey thought after the fact when Jacen was going about pulling out of the parking spot. Kealey couldn’t help but consider that interesting as she mulled it over. Was it usually something that people responded to without any thought? Even when there was history? He smiled though, and Kealey smiled back. "Any time." she said, clueless as to what exactly it was that a person said in this situation.

It was weird how things were working out. She'd just finished picking through the rubble that had been every material possession she owned and Kealey was smiling. It struck her as slightly odd that she'd be so giddy after the events of the last few days. Stranger still, she really felt that way. It wasn't masking the emotions, hiding behind other ones that were easier to deal with. Sure, when she thought about all the things she'd lost, it hurt...it hurt alot. That was representative of everything she'd done since she'd left Ireland, but honestly she’d thought she’d be some sort of emotional wreck.

That wasn’t the case though, and as Jacen made the comment that if she was paying for lunch, she got to pick, Kealey screwed up her face in thought and tried to come up with somewhere good. It took a few moments, but then she grinned. ”Let’s go back to that burger place. I want to see if that hamburger was really that good, or if it was symbolically delicious.”

It was quiet while they drove and Kealey watched out the windows, trying not to let her mind drift back to the situation with the apartment. There were things that could still be disconcerting about the situation, like the fact that the man who had done that was still out there, but Kealey forcibly pulled her mind away from thoughts like that. They’d found her wallet, and her shoes, and her picture. Kealey was still holding it in her hand, and she looked at it again.

”I wonder if they make fireproof frames…” she said softly as she looked down and smiled, ”My sister had red hair. I was always jealous, she was older.” she shook her head and laughed at memories, ”I used to think getting her hand-me-downs was the greatest thing ever.” Kealey realized she didn’t know if Jacen had siblings, he hadn’t ever mentioned any that she knew of.

”I can’t remember if you’ve ever said anything, do you have any siblings?” Kealey said, brows drawn together in thought, ”I know you said you’re from Florida…and you were on the swim team…but I can’t remember you mentioning brothers or sisters.” she finished, the thoughtful look fading into a grin.

"Burger place it is." Jacen said with a smile as he made a right turn at the first light and began to head for the appropriate location. The day he had met Kealey at the Corner Bistro had been the very first time she called him for any sort of help. She had needed to get a break from the emotions around her and she had been willing to turn to him for that break. Of course that day had also led up to their first kiss, with somewhat disastrous results, but for the most part it had been a good day.

As they drove, Kealey began to relate more stories about her family and her history. They were just little tidbits that for many people would seem unimportant but having lost his own family Jacen knew that those memories were more important than most anything else.

"I was an only child." Jacen replied with a slight smile as came to a stop at a red light, "And even though my parents spoiled me in some ways, like by keeping my favorite treats around the house, they also pushed me to keep my grades up and be active in the school. You should have seen me when I was fifteen. I was this overly thing, gawky kid that happened to have a gift for swimming. I was strong but my muscles hadn't filled in yet so I looked like a bean pole compared to the other slightly more muscular guys. I was classified as a geek for being good at school and a weirdo for being on the swim team. All the girls wanted to date guys on the football, baseball, or basketball squads. Not the swim team."

Pulling away from the stop light, Jacen made a left turn and began to travel the last few blocks that separated them from one of the best burgers in New York City. "Even back then I liked camping and being out in nature. I don't know how many nights I spent in a tent in our backyard or how many weekends I begged Mom and Dad to take me a few hours to the nearest wilderness camp ground."

There was a comfortable silence for a few moments as Jacen drove the last few minutes and then parked just down the street from their chosen destination. "So, what do you think my chances are for convincing you to go camping with me sometime?" Jacen asked with a grin as he walked around the truck to join Kealey on the sidewalk and then head over to the Bistro's front entrance, "Any interest at all?"

They were on their way to the burger place now, and after Kealey had finished talking about family, Jacen seemed comfortable doing the same. Kealey couldn’t help but smile at the mental picture he painted. It seemed pretty much like the classic white picket-fence family experience that everyone kind of wanted.

She had to smile even more at the image of Jacen as ungainly. It was kind of hard to imagine now. He’d definitely “filled out” as he put It, and Kealey would have wagered that any of the basketball, football, or baseball players would have thought twice before calling him a weirdo now. ”I never dealt with school politics. I couldn’t be around people at that time, they just tutored me individually.” Kealey explained, shrugging her shoulders. ”So I don’t know if I was good at any sports. It took me a long time to know if I was good at anything. You wouldn’t have believed me at that time either. If you think I was bad those couple of times we met up and I was in a bad way…you have no idea.”

Jacen went on to talk about being outside, loving the outdoors, and going camping, yet another thing that Kealey had never done. She’d loved being outside when she was a little girl, though, and even now she loved going to the park when it was nice out. They got to the restaurant and climbed out of their respective sides of the truck, then when Jacen joined Kealey on the sidewalk he asked what the chances were that she’d go camping with him sometime.

”I’ve never been…” Kealey said with a slight smile, ”So I can’t say that I have any kind of negative opinion of the activity.”

They walked the rest of the way down the street and into the burger place and Kealey turned to smile at Jacen, ”So…I’d say the chances were pretty good.” she said, thinking as they sat down in a booth on the other side of the restaurant from where they’d sat before, ”I bet it would be really quiet out in the wilderness, wouldn’t it?” she said after a moment, a slightly wistful look on her face at the thought of there being nobody around whose emotions she had to worry about overhearing.

A waitress approached then and asked what they wanted to drink, ”I’ll just have ice water…” Kealey said, then looked at Jacen, waiting for him to order.

"Ah the wonders of school politics. The tantalizing combination of excitement, angst, joy, hate, and lust." Jacen said with a chuckle as he pulled open the door and let Kealey lead the way into the restaurant. "It's quite a heady combination. You should see about visiting a high school some time just to try it." His tone was teasing, all at once acknowledging Kealey's mutant ability while still trying to keep the conversation light. Actually if she did ever decide to go hang out at the high school, or college, Jacen wanted to be nearby to see what happened. It would be interesting to be sure.

"It's really quiet out in the wilderness." Jacen said with a smile as he took a seat across the table from Kealey. "I'll just take water too." He spoke up after Kealey had ordered her beverage, "And actually I'm ready to order. I'll take a Bistro Burger with Onion Rings instead of fries."

Once Kealey had also placed her own order, Jacen once again focused his attention on the young woman. "I'll have to take you out camping sometime. I bet you'd like it. Away from the city lights you can see thousands of stars. We can hike a little, cook food over an open fire, and if you're lucky," He continued with a teasing tone entering his voice along with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, "Maybe I'll even show you one of the pools I occasionally skinny dip in."

Of course, there would be no need to remind Kealey that she had already seen all of Jacen. That meant that skinny dipping wouldn't be a shock to her eyes but instead would just be a pleasure for Jacen's. It was doubtful that she'd go along with it but if he could keep the idea in her mind then once they were off alone in the woods, well, without civilization to hold you back a lot of things were suddenly allowable.