Chapter 21

NOTE there is about ten to fifteen chapters left. Thought you should know.

When it did finally snow, Adam was enjoying the only moment's peace he'd had in days. Stretched out on his couch he flipped through the channels, paying them only half his attention.

The other half, was focused on News Years Eve. Yes, it was still over a week away, but having been lured into going out for a night on the town with Stella and Stella's new nameless flame, well, it unnerved him. Some how he'd been persuaded into it by big blue eyes and pleading stare.

Marcy.

"Please Beak, I'll make this as painless as possible I swear."

He hesitated, "I don't know Marce, I mean-"

"I know you've probably got plans but you don't have to stick around or anything! I mean, I ain't planning to."

"You-you're not?" Damn it, why had he blushed?!

She shook her head as her sister fiddled on his laptop behind them. "No, I mean, I hear the square is kick ass and everything, but, I don't know, I party with friends not countless strangers!"

He eyed her wearily as her blue eyes set on him, "please Adam?"

And she had him. Hook, line and-he jumped as a harsh knock sounded on his door. He cocked a brow as he made his way to the peephole, glancing through it, he quickly jerked the door open.

"How'd you find out where I live?!"

"Hiya, Adikins." Ella grinned, side stepping her way into his apartment. Why did the Allerdyces think it was okay to do that?! Referring both to the bizarre pet names and uninvited enterings of his home.

He blinked at her a moment, "seriously, how'd you even get here?"

"Cab," she shrugged pulling something from her pocket, "I swiped this from you earlier. I was kind of surprised you didn't notice." Tossing it to him nonchalantly she looked around the apartment. "Nice digs, dude."

"You stole my wallet?!" Adam shrieked.

"Borrowed, when you return something, its borrowing."

"Still, does Marcy know you're here?"

Ella chuckled nervously, "not exactly, but I couldn't tell her I mean, this was something I wanted to tell you one on one."

"Okay…" He shuffled uneasily as she spoke.

"It's totally a date, dude, I mean, I know you guys are trying the whole friends thing, but come on. It's never gonna work." Ella also had the particular talent of saying everything in one breathe. "'cause she's totally into you, and you know you feel the same. I can tell cause you're less twitchy around her…kind of, I mean, you still are, and she likes that, but its not the normal, ya know, fear twitchy."

"She likes my twitches?" He blushed, smiling slightly as she continued to inspect the room.

"Uh-huh, thinks they're cute, and that's a big thing, 'cause she doesn't use that word often."

He glanced at his watch, "we should get you home I mean-"

"At least think about what I said, okay, I mean, green flags or whatever."

"You mean green light?"

"Yeah!" She smiled, "totally, go for it, but right now you should get me home."

-

Marcy swung the door open as her sister went to enter. "You told me you were going to the store for milk!"

"I made a detour." Ella shrugged, ushering Adam in.

Marcy glared at her, "you didn't even get any milk, Fitz."

Ella smiled, "I have to go apply my eye liner. Excuse me."

She ducted out of the room as Adam took in the scenery. He'd never actually been in Marcy's apartment before. It was small, warm, and well, very Marcy. The walls were littered with pictures and doodles, quite a few drawn by a child, many of which seemed to contain unicorns. He smiled to himself as he inspected them closer. Crayon, definitely a kid's drawing.

"So, who's the artist?"

"Cara, she's my neighbor." Marcy smiled and indicated to a picture just to his right, "she'll be seven in June. She's going through a unicorn faze, I don't know why."

Adam continued to look over the pictures and paused when he came to one with the sisters. Marcy's arm swung over much younger Ella's shoulders, both rather dirty, but grinning broadly none the less. He smiled and kept going, noting the fact that Marcy was watching him, not even bothering to hide her stare.

Adam stopped when he got to a family photo. It wasn't professionally done. None of them seemed to care, the Ella and Marcy were sitting on the floor, Marcy biting her nails reading a book, whilst Ella seemed to be bickering god naturedly with a boy above her. He was very thin, and must have been quite tall as his legs stretched well past the sisters. But he too was grinning, but there was that hint of a smirk that lead Adam to believe it was an argument. Next to him was an older man, mid forties, dark hair, devious smirk as he whispered into what he supposed was Marcy's mother's ear. The girls seemed to take after him more then their mother. With his dark hair, and dancing blue eyes. The mother had Marcy's high cheek bones and pale skin and was speaking to another girl. This one didn't look quite so happy to be there, glaring into the camera. But she shared a lot of the other girls features, except the hair, she had blonde hair. The last person was a boy, who didn't seem to be paying much attention to any thing, looking somewhere off camera and smiling bemusedly. He too was pale, with dark hair, but his startling eyes were evident through the camera.

"Nice family." Adam commented, continuing to stare at the picture as Marcy leaned against the wall beside him.

"Thanks," Marcy pointed, to the blonde, "that's Kira, I don't see her much. That's Blair," she pointed to the boy at the end of the couch, "and that's Nikki, he's taller then he looks you know, six foot six. And like, ninety pounds." She chuckled.

"You must really miss them." Adam didn't look at her right away.

"I do. My mom is a total hippie, so's my dad, but you know, they're mine. "When I was nine he told me that Santa was really a slave driver who forced the elves to work in his sweatshop for less then minimum wage. Then my mom called him a liar and said Santa didn't pay them at all…So, what does your family usually do for the holidays?"

Ella could be heard singing the Killers from the bathroom, and Adam glanced in her direction as he answered, "you know, typical stuff."

"No, I really don't." Her eyes softened. "You don't really talk about it.

"You're family that is," she added, "why is that, sweetheart?"
Marcy placed a hand on his arm as he lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Don't," He pulled back from her. Rubbing the back of his neck, he smiled sheepishly at her as Ella reemerged from the bathroom.

"Whaddup?!" She chuckled, "god I love saying that. Thank you, for that gem by the way."

The young woman's blue eyes darted between the two, "everything alright?"

"Yeah," Marcy licked her lip, "fine, Fitz."

Sensing the tension, the girl was quick to change the subject. "So, headin' back to Arizona for Christmas, Ross?"

"Nah," Adam shook his head and tore his eyes from Marcy's questioning stare.

"So no plans then?" Ella pressed.

"Nope."

She grinned, "then you should spend it with us!"

"What?!" The lab rats chorused.

"Well," the teen tittered on one foot, "I mean, he's not doing anything and we're just heading to Puffs anyway."

Marcy grinned, "Good point. Whaddya say, Beak? Wanna spend Christmas with the Allerdyce clan?"