Author's note: Thank you to CurbItKirby, NicoleR85, partygirl98, StarlitStar, babydops, NotMarge, and kmj1989 for your reviews! I must admit, Zoey's cats are based off mine. Instead of three black cats I have four, though. And they're all named after characters on The Vampire Diaries. Chapter sixteen is the big discussion. I had to break up this scene into two parts or it would've been ridiculously long, so please bear with me. I hope you enjoy it!

Prelude

I followed her inside the building into a small lobby that contained a set of stairs and an elevator. Zoey led me to the stairs, up to the very top. There was only one apartment per floor.

We didn't really speak, except for once when she looked over her shoulder with a worried look on her face.

"You move so quietly that I thought you weren't there anymore," she said, frowning thoughtfully.

"I'm light on my feet," I replied ironically. "Part of my mutation."

"I'm a little jealous," Zoey laughed. "I feel like I'm an elephant."

She had to only weigh a hundred pounds at the very most, so the idea of her being an elephant was silly.

I chuckled. "I didn't know elephants came in pygmy size," I joked, making her laugh again.

Finally, we reached the fourth floor landing.

"This is my place," she announced, opening the door. It wasn't even locked. "Come on in."

I followed her inside and quietly shut the door behind me while Zoey took off her sandals.

My stars and garters, I'm in a woman's apartment. Alone.

"Where are my babies?" she cooed.

Or not.

To my surprise, three pure black cats came scampering up. They first wrapped themselves around Zoey's ankles, but quickly turned their attention to me. One even stood on its hind legs to peer up at me better with its big golden eyes. The cat reached up with a paw to bat at my hand playfully.

"Sid, mind your manners," Zoey scolded. "I should've warned you, I'm sorry."

I shook my head and knelt down to give the felines the attention they were demanding so fiercely. They were purring so hard their bodies appeared to be shaking.

"What's your name, pretty?" I murmured, scratching one under the chin.

Her eyes closed in contentment. I could tell it was a female- it was smaller, more petite than the others.

"That's Lucie. This," Zoey said, gesturing to the largest cat. He was a little plump. "Is Sydney. And then this is Charlie."

"A Tale of Two Cities?" I guessed, now petting Charlie. He was long and lithe, like a panther.

"Yes," she agreed, smiling. Then she stood, holding Lucie, and walked further into the apartment. I followed. "This is my library, and here's the living room. Feel free to make yourself at home. How does chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes sound?"

"Sounds amazing," I replied honestly.

Zoey took a right turn into a small kitchen, past a little dining table. There was a sliding door past the table, leading onto a small patio.

"Can I look at your library?" I asked.

"I'd think less of you if you didn't," she teased, at which I chuckled.

Charlie and Sid trailed behind me as I backtracked to the room beside the kitchen. Except for the wall the doorway was set against, every vertical space was taken up by bookcases. Only half of them were filled. Zoey was planning on having an extensive library someday.

I wandered out of there after several minutes. There was a door propped open directly across from me. Zoey's scent was very concentrated in that room, the aroma carried to me by the disturbed air from the air conditioner. It had to be her bedroom.

The only thing I could see was a wall with pictures on it- the entryway to the room bent so the rest of the room was hidden from the doorway. I wondered what it looked like in there? I pictured her sleeping like an angel under a down comforter.

Covered in cats.

I hurried away from that room, wanting to look at the living room instead. The furniture looked comfortable and welcoming. In the corner the walls angled out into a Victorian-style sitting area. Zoey's desk was there, surrounded by windows. It seemed like an airy place to do work. I pictured her sitting and chewing away on her pen caps, like she did at the cafe.

Next to the sitting area was a fireplace, which had pictures on the mantle. Of course I gravitated towards them, curiosity driving me on.

Zoey's mother had been petite, like her children, and a dark-haired beauty with emerald green eyes. Mr. Dubois, on the other hand, had been a tall, tow-headed blonde.

There was a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Dubois as a young man and woman, freshly married and back from the war. Mr. Dubois looked like a model soldier in his uniform, the type you'd see in advertisements for war bonds. Another picture was of Mrs. Dubois alone, an old black-and-white photograph. She looked compelling and lovely, like a movie star.

Only one photograph showed the whole family- Zoey recognizable even as a baby thanks to her iridescent hair. The others showed Zoey and Chloe, with or without their father. There were some candid shots of Billy and Marceline with Zoey, and of course some pictures of Olivia- with Zoey and alone. Nicholas Grey was conspicuous in his absence.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

I jumped slightly, embarrassed for being caught snooping.

"Sorry!" Zoey said sheepishly, from right behind me.

"It's fine," I replied, shaking my head. "I thought you were a pygmy elephant?"

"I guess you were focused on the pictures," she said, stepping forward to stand next to me. A sad little smile came to her face as she looked at the photographs of her parents.

"I'm being intrusive. I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be. If I didn't want people to see them I wouldn't have the pictures out here, Hank," she said reassuringly.

I cast around for something to say. "Your parents were very happy together," I offered. "I can see it, even through the photographs."

Zoey smiled again, wistfully. "My father never remarried. He told me that you only love like that once in a lifetime. Nothing else is going to compare. I guess that's why he never bothered finding someone else."

"He had you and Chloe to love."

"That's very true," she agreed. "Now, would you like something to drink? I have water, milk, orange juice, Coke, and wine."

"I'll have a Coke, please."

"Coming right up."

I followed her back to the kitchen. Again, her cats acted as furry little satellites. When I tentatively sat on a bar stool, Lucie jumped in my lap and the other two jumped on the empty chair to watch me.

"Thank you," I said, as Zoey handed me a soda. "Are your cats always this... friendly?"

"Not really. They must like you," she replied. She began to prepare dinner- there was already a pot of potatoes on the stove.

"In Japanese culture they say 'a woman who owns a black cat will have many suitors,'" I offered after a moment.

Zoey snorted. "Well, in America owning three cats makes me a crazy cat lady. And black cats are even worse."

"You're not a crazy cat lady. The cut off for that is ten. So you're fine," I said cheerfully.

She laughed again.

This is going so well!

"Your thesis presentation is tomorrow?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, it is. I'm trying not to think about it or I'll get nervous."

"Oh. I was rather hoping you would tell me about your thesis," I said, suddenly deflated. "I've been watching you work on it for months now, but I have no idea what it's about."

"When you put it like that..."

So we talked about her research, and how nervous she was about her presentation the next day. Having been through it myself, I tried to ease her worries. After all, if a geek like myself could do it, she should have no problems. Zoey asked about my own research, so I described it to her.

By the time we sat down to dinner a bit of my shyness had evaporated. Zoey was as kind and intelligent as I suspected her to be.

She couldn't cook very well, though. The steak was chewy, the mashed potatoes bland, and the rolls burned on the bottom, though of course I said nothing.

I found her ineptitude in the kitchen endearing. So maybe I really was just a fool in love.

While we ate the conversation stayed away from my secret, though I did tell Zoey about Cuba, Magneto, and the formation of the X-Men and the Institute. I left out my personal relationship with Raven, though.

No need to air all of my dirty laundry at once.

I had enough of a bombshell to drop on her already. There was no need to bring the ex-girlfriend into it, too. I wasn't looking forward to telling Zoey about my feral alter ego, though I knew it had to be done. I could only hope that she would still be willing to speak to me afterwards, and not turn away in disgust like I feared she would.

But after the meal came what I dreaded so much. It was time to tell Zoey my secret.