Vincent left the secretary robot open and unfinished from the day before as he set about preparing the sensor grid. Rummaging through he found a dozen buoys that with a sensor attached to the top could be placed around the island and form the grid.

Searching for some sensors he didn’t notice the steadily growing damp patch above the secretary robot. He was just passing it when a drip fell down into the open circuits. The vague sent of lavender stopped him in his tracks, then he spotted the robot sparking.

“Oh no…” BOOM! The secretary robot exploded, covering his face and chest in soot. Dashing out of the lab in panic he ran straight into the wall in the hallway and fell on his but. “Ouch.”

Jade ran out of her room when she heard the explosion. She then saw how awfully funny vincent looked and began laughing hysterically.

"OH....*chuckle*....My *laugh*....God....*laugh*" Jade managed between roaring laughter.

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, pressing her head to the crook of his neck. Jade was still laughing, when her tail wagged back and forth.

"You look like a cartoon!" She exclaimed

Vincent tried to look hurt while hiding his own laughter. “Well thanks for the concern Jade, I could be seriously hurt.” In actually fact he’d only bruised his butt and his ego, but all the same a little concern wouldn’t go amiss.

Actually, he didn’t mind Jade’s laughter and it seemed to be infectious. He could only hold his indignant look a couple of seconds before dissolving into laughter and hugging her back.

"Seriously hurt my tail." Jade laughed, tail wagging back and forth as if to signify this. She grinned hugging him snuggly, body seeming to relax lightly in his arms.

She had never really realized it before...but she believed she may be getting a crush On vincent. Not only that she was getting a crush on a human. Oddly enough, Jade liked the idea of falling in love with him...but the only problem was, she didnt know if he would love her back.

Feeling Jade relaxing in his arms made his heart beat faster. The more he thought about her the more he realised that he was falling in love with her. He wanted very much to kiss her then, but couldn’t quite work up the courage to do so.

Instead he squeezed her a little tighter and said, “Ok, so maybe it’s only my ego that’s hurt but it’s quite a serious injury,” he said with an attempt at sounding serious, which failed when he laughed at the end of the sentence.

Jade laughed lightly, rolling her eyes at him. Her eyes narrowed as she attemtped to look around his body for 'injuries.'

"Oh really then maybe you should take off you shirt to make sure you dont have any injuries then." Jade replied, a sly grin on her face.

Now Jade's intent was to freak Vincent out and make him start blushing again....but that didnt mean she wanted him not to take his shirt off. The husky woman was a bit devilish at times but she had a tendancy to get what she wanted if she played her cards right.

Vincent’s eyes widened a she asked him to take off his shirt. “Umm… I fell on my butt… I don’t think my chest will…” he stammered, blushing profusely. He simultaneously hoped that Jade was kidding and that she wasn’t.

While no body builder, Vincent was in quite good shape, but even so, he wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of taking off his shirt in front of Jade.

Jade attempted to hold in her laughter before she exploded with it. She laughed and laughed for a full minute before catching her breath.

"Vincey Oh Vincey....I had to see you blush you are just so cute when you blush." Jade replied before realizing what she had said. She started blushing herself, eyes wideninng.

Vincent relaxed, and his blush lessened somewhat as she laughed, and he ended up laughing along with her. He stopped laughing when she said he was cute, but continued to smile. She thought he was cute, that was a defiant good thing.

Spotting that she was now blushing he retorted, “Look who’s blushing now little Miss Giggles!” he couldn’t help but laugh, not at her but with her.

Jade grinned at him, punching his shoudler playfully. She smiled, tail wagging back and forth rather dog like.

"So...you blushed first mr blushy head!" She replied, crossing her arms over her chest in a mock pout.

Vincent clutched his shoulder in mock agony. “Arh! I think you broke my shoulder,” he cried as he fell onto his back in a fit of laughter.

“I just point out you’re blushing and you break my shoulder, I’d hate to see what you’d do if I actually insulted you.” he said with a big grin.

Jade smirked at Vincent, holding her finger up, freezing it. She then pressed it to Vincents stomach. He would most likely feel the

"Well I would have to put thousands of Icicles the siize of my finger in your tender somach." the Husky woman replied with a small evil grin on her face.

She got up, brushing herself off and looked inside of her room. Her eyes widened when they fell upon a leaking bottle of lavander extract. She then looked over at Vincent and smiled nervously.

"Well..that would explain why you smell like Lavander..." She grinned shepishly

“Ahhh!” exclaimed Vincent as Jade prodded his stomach with her frozen finger, “That’s cold! I’ll make sure never to insult you then.” Getting up to see what she meant he looked at the spilt bottle.

“Oh go,” he said with a sigh of relief, “I was worried that my secretary robot had exploded for no reason. I’ll have to make sure to keep my machines closed up with you mixing things up here.”

“Speaking of my machines I’d best get back to work.” With a parting smile he headed back down to the lab to finish off the sensor grid, and close up all the machines.

*****

That night Vincent stood out on the beach in his favourite jacket. It was an old denim jacket, blue though slightly faded. He’d had it since college and was very attached to it. Looking out at the see he could just about see one of the sensor buoys he placed that afternoon.

A dozen of them surrounded the island and informed him of everything that moved within a two mile radius. If Fusionist ever found this island, Vincent was going to be sure that he had plenty of warning of an attack. Tomorrow he would work on building defences, but for now he just watched the surf crashing up onto the beach.

Jade had been walking around the beach that day, trying to realy get used to her surroundings. She found a nice little oasis she could go to practice her Ice abilities, in order to make sure she wouldnt loose control any time soon.

Jade smiled however, when she saw Vincent on the beach. She walked up to him in his denim garbed glory. She on the otherhand was wearing her brigh yellow sundress that cut off just above her knees. Her hair flowed in the sea breeze as she gazed at him before finally mustering up enough female gusto and ambience to walk up to him

"Hey Vincey." She said, tail wagging back and forth curiously.

Vincent turned to face Jade, his thoughts interrupted by the sound of her voice. “Hey Jade.” She looked stunning in the yellow dress, her hair flowing in the breeze. He didn’t think that he’d seen anything more beautiful in his life than her standing there.

“So what brings you out to the beach?” he asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking back out to the darkening sea. “Can’t have been the view,” he said with a small chuckle in the fading light.