Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who read the first chapter, and to my one reviewer, SoccerGurl03! Please let me know what you think so far by reviewing or even PMing me; I'd love to know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, where you see this going, what you think of the characters, etc.

This chapter is more set-up, so it's also kinda slow, but I PROMISE the crap'll start hitting the fan next chapter. ;-) Thanks again!

Oh, and this chapter's title is from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse".

"So when can we go see the alien spaceship?"

Her Aunt Rachel paused mid-peel, potato in one hand, peeler in the other.

Alexis looked at her expectantly. Maybe while they were in the middle of making dinner wasn't the ideal time to ask, but when would be an appropriate time to request a ride to the alien spaceship hovering over the nearby metropolis?

"Did you parents say you could go?" her aunt asked slowly, resuming her peeling at a slower pace than before.

Alexis gave a theatrical sigh. "You know how my parents are. I haven't asked them yet. They'd probably say no if it was just me hopping on the train or something, but if you took me…you know, seeing as you're a responsible adult and all…"

Rachel chuckled at that. "I'm not sure your mother shares your opinion there. Besides, we're all having dinner together tonight," she said, waving her arm vaguely at the cluttered kitchen, "and tomorrow we're going to Six Flags. Don't you want to go to Six Flags?"

Good one, Alexis thought sarcastically. "I've been there so many times I could probably navigate the place with my eyes closed. Besides, I've kind of outgrown the amusement park thing. I get that Jamie probably wants to go, but Uncle Todd can take her, right?" Jamie was Uncle Todd's daughter from a previous marriage. She was nine years old and acted every bit of it. She'd been bouncing up and down when they'd arrived, "so happy!" to see her older cousins. Alexis' amusement at her excitement had worn out about an hour after they got there, when Jamie had tried to strong-arm her, the way only children can do, into playing house with her. She had wanted Alexis to be the dog.

Rachel gave her a shrewd look, and Alexis knew her aunt was going to make her work for this trip. It was one of the things Alexis liked about her aunt – she treated Alexis more like another adult than like a kid who just got in the way. "Why do you want me to take you? Why shouldn't I go to the park with my step-daughter?"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't," Alexis replied smoothly, "but you've got to want to see this yourself, too. I mean, come on! It's an alien spaceship! You're all about adventure and seizing the day and all that. Think of it as a father-daughter, aunt-niece day, if that makes you feel better."

Rachel shook her head. "If you're too old for the park, then so is Corey. I'll ask your Uncle Todd, but only if you invite Corey, and your parents approve."

Alexis wrinkled her nose at the deal. It was pretty much a given that Uncle Todd would acquiesce, after a bit of wheedling, of course. And it was also pretty much a given that Corey would want to come, and if an invitation were actually extended to him, there would be no way to deny him. And then there were her parents…

Sensing her hesitancy, her aunt added, "You survived a six-hour car ride with him getting here. A trip into the city won't kill anyone."

Making a face, Alexis nodded her agreement. The arrangement wasn't ideal, but she'd make do. She had to see that ship up close.

Alexis waited anxiously for dinner after that. She dutifully peeled potatoes, stirred pasta, and set the table as directed. Her aunt didn't trust her to do much more than that, and rightfully so. She had ruined too many meals in her own kitchen for her aunt to risk it here. She just didn't have the knack for cooking that her aunt did. As they were working, her grandparents shuffled in.

"Hi, Gram; hi, Pap," Alexis said as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Oh, hi, Alex!" her grandmother smiled, walking over and pulling her into a hug. "How are you? How's school?"

"School's going well; we're almost done for the year," Alexis said mildly. She doubted her grandmother remembered which grade she was in.

"That's good. Are you keeping your grades up?" her Gram made conversation.

"Yep," Alexis gritted out, forcing a smile on her face. "Should even make honor roll this marking period."

"Wonderful, I'm so proud of you," her grandmother said, smiling genuinely at her, oblivious to her granddaughter's sarcasm.

As her grandmother turned and started towards the dining room, Alexis smiled and waved briefly at her grandfather, who was fiddling with one of his hearing aids. No reason to even attempt to suffer through a conversation there – and it seemed her grandfather wasn't going to push it, either. He wasn't senile like his wife, but he was deaf enough to make any conversation a hardship.

As soon as they were out of sight, her aunt smacked her lightly on the arm. "What was that for?" Alexis said, indignant.

"You know what that was for. It's not her fault she forgets things."

Alexis snorted. "Not washing your hair when you get a shower is forgetting something. Not remembering that your granddaughter hasn't gotten below an A her entire life is senility."

"Humility is not your strong suit," her aunt muttered, turning back to wiping up the counter.

"Should it be?" she replied, plastering a cocky grin on her face.

Ignoring the question, her aunt pointed to a countertop. "Make yourself useful and take the bread out to the table."

"Yes, ma'am," she said, picking up the basket and walking out to the dining room. As she was setting it on the table, the door opened, revealing her Aunt Stacy and Uncle Peter and their two children, Jackie and Sara.

"Lexi!" Sara cried, running into her and giving her a big hug.

Laughing, Alexis hugged her back and ruffled her hair a bit. "Hey, twerp. How's it goin'?"

"I got a tattoo!" she said excitedly, pushing up her sleeve.

"A tattoo?" she said, eyebrows raised, looking up sharply at her Aunt Stacy.

"Henna," her aunt whispered.

"Ah."

"Look, Lexi! It's a butterfly!" Sara insisted, pushing her arm up so that Alexis could see it.

"That is really pretty, Sara," Alexis told her sincerely. It was cute and colorful, perfect for a kid's temporary tattoo. "Why don't you go show Aunt Rachel?" She pointed to the kitchen.

"OK!" Sara exclaimed, detaching from Alexis and bouncing into the kitchen.

Shaking her head at her cousin's endless enthusiasm, Alexis went about fixing some of the place settings, while her relatives put their things down and got comfortable. Walking back out to the kitchen, she grinned as she caught sight of Sara trying to use a footstool to climb up onto the counter. Her Aunt Rachel was doing something messy with the chicken, so her hands were occupied, and she gave Alexis a desperate look when she entered the room.

Alexis grabbed Sara around the waist, eliciting a squeal from the 6-year-old, and placed her back on the floor. "Whoa, there. Not on the counter, bud." Sara turned around and pouted at her in that adorable way only kids can, causing Alexis to laugh. "Nice try, but you're still not allowed to climb on the counters. Now go bug Jackie," she said, ushering her out of the kitchen.

Once she was safely on her way to finding her older sister, Alexis walked back towards Rachel who was still doing something mysterious to the chicken.

"Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes, if you want to go let everyone know," Rachel said, not taking her eyes off of what she was doing.

"Sure."

She made her way to her aunt and uncle's bedroom, where everyone had put their coats and purses and such. Sighing, she began sifting through the mound of belongings.

"Whatcha looking for?"

Alexis looked up to see Corey standing in the doorway.

"My purse, I need to take a pill."

Walking over to a chair in the corner, Corey lifted her purse up over the chair and into view. It had been hanging behind the chair, out of view.

"I put it there so it wouldn't get tossed in the pile," he said, nodding to the bed and handing it to her.

"Thanks," she said, taking the purse and fishing her pill bottle out. Once in a while her brother surprised her by not being the typical older brother jerk, and it was nice. It was only sometimes, and usually when no one else was around, like now, but she took what she could get.

"So I guess we're eating soon then?" he asked as she popped a pill into her mouth.

She dry swallowed the pill quickly and nodded. "In like fifteen minutes. I've been tasked with telling everyone."

Corey nodded but didn't move.

"What?" she asked flatly. He was still standing there, so he wanted something.

"Heard you were going to Boston tomorrow to see the spaceship."

Alexis sighed. News travels fast in this family. Pursing her lips together, she decided to bite the bullet. "You wanna come?"

Corey smirked at her. "Like you could stop me."

Alexis just sighed and shook her head.

The conversation with her parents she'd promised her aunt didn't actually happen. She approached her dad sitting on the couch in the living room during a commercial break. Corey and her Uncle Peter were there, but the point was that her mother wasn't. She could be…uptight.

"Hey, Dad?"

Peeling his eyes away from the TV, he addressed her. "Hey, Alex, what's up?"

"Aunt Rachel's going to the city tomorrow and I want to go with her." Watching her father expectantly, she saw Corey roll his eyes at her stretching the story.

"Where in the city?" her father inquired suspiciously.

"Just…around," Alexis said hesitantly. She hadn't thought about that one. "Maybe to the mall?"

"Uh, huh," her dad deadpanned. "You want to go see that ship."

"I'm pleading the fifth."

He watched her for a few seconds. "You don't want to go to the park tomorrow?"

Alexis suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "Not really; I've been there so many times already." Feigning innocence, she added, "Corey wants to go to the city, too."

She felt more than saw the dirty look Corey gave her. The fact of the matter was, saying her older brother was going would put her father at ease. For some reason her father still thought of her as a child who needed constant supervision. Sometimes it seemed like everyone thought that. Corey was just angry because he didn't like pushing his luck with their parents – he swore he saw a car for himself in the near future. Alexis thought this was a pipe dream, but hope sprang eternal.

"Alright," her father acquiesced reluctantly, "but no running off on your own. Stay with your aunt and do what she tells you, when she tells you."

Alexis grinned, trying to ignore the implication that she was an unruly child. "Got it."

Turning to Corey, her father said half-jokingly, "Keep her out of trouble, OK?"

"I'll try," Corey laughed.

"Do or do not," Alexis told her brother sagely. "There is no try."

"Thanks, Yoda," he said without looking away from the TV.

"So what's on?" she said, turning to the TV, wondering what was keeping her brother from bantering with her.

"The news – they're doing a story on the ships," Corey answered.

"Awesome," she said half to herself, plopping down beside him.

The screen was split between a woman in a studio and a reporter in the field. The reporter was standing on a busy sidewalk, large buildings and the alien spaceship high in the background. It was far enough away to see most of it, even through the buildings, but close enough that Alexis was jealous.

"As residents and those working in the city are well aware, the ship has not moved since earlier this afternoon, around 1 o'clock, when it stopped over Anacostia Park near the Frederick Douglass Bridge," the reporter said, the ribbon across the bottom of the screen confirming his location in Washington, D.C. "While the initial reaction to the ship was alarm and in some cases panic, that has for the most part subsided, and the prevailing sentiment among the public right now is that of cautious curiosity. However, the government is taking all possible precautions in this situation; the president and other high government officials have been taken to an undisclosed location for an unknown period of time."

"Now let's talk about the government's involvement here," the woman back in the studio cut in. "You said that Homeland Security has been in contact with someone aboard the ship behind you. Do we know the reason for the arrival of these ships? Do we know yet if they pose any kind of threat?"

There was a slight pause as the woman's words transmitted to the reporter, and Alexis thought the room itself must be holding its breath, it was so quiet.

"We are in the earliest stages of communication, so very little definitive information is available at this time. However, public officials have said that so far these 'extraterrestrials'" the reporter looked like he still couldn't believe he was using that word on air, "have showed no signs of hostility and, although the ship's presence may be alarming to those on the ground, they have been nothing but cooperative in our attempts to communicate."

"Well, that is good to hear, and thank you, Harold," the woman in the studio said, the divided picture giving way to her image across the full screen. "We will be coming back to our field report later this evening, but for now we have our daily stock market analysis. The Dow Jones…"

Alexis stopped listening at the words "stock market", tuning the woman out and turning to her dad. "See? Nothing to worry about. They're friendly aliens. Like E.T."

"You better hope so," Corey interjected, "because if it turns out they're more like Alien than E.T., I am so outta there, and if you're not fast enough your ass is getting left behind."

"Language," her father said, most of his attention still on the TV.

Taking advantage of her dad's distracted state, Alexis flipped Corey off and quickly got up, addressing all of them, "Well, that's about it for me." Turning to Corey, she said as sweetly as she could, "Let me know if you change your mind."

"Not in a million years," he replied.

"Suit yourself. But we are going to the mall afterwards."

The look on her brother's face was priceless.

Edited to add solid line breaks where appropriate. Apparently the first upload failed to do this properly. *sigh*