Author's note: I'm so very sorry this took so long but Jondy wouldn't speak to me. It was horrible! I felt so alone without her in my head. But I'm ok now, I went and kidnapped her and forced her to talk to me…plus I told her how libazeth was threatening the Jensen picture that I was using to lure the M/Lers to the dark side. Libazeth is mean when she wants her fanfic! But that's ok. For some reason this story is really hard to write and I can't figure out why…maybe because I'm depressed about DA getting cancelled. I also joined the fun world of dateless people on Monday after two and a half years of guaranteed dates. But that actually doesn't have me depressed so it's all good all the time. Herbal was just weird. Can you tell I got that whole write what you're thinking thing going on? Well, I'll stop now. Sorry once again that this took so long and that it's so short…I'm not too happy with it but me and Jondy are gonna talk about this and she'll be more co-operative.

Chapter 5: And the plot gets thinner

~*~

The angry boy, a bit too insane
icing over a secret pain
You know you don't belong
You're the first to fight, you're way too loud
You're the flash of light on a burial shroud
I know something's wrong
	~ Third eye blind, "Jumper"

~*~

It took Jondy a full ten minutes to give up on the whole waiting thing and begin on the whole amuse oneself thing. Three minutes to sit quietly like a good little transgenic, two to chip at her fingernail polish, and five to sing about a lovely bunch of coconuts, a man named Leroy Brown, and how Johnny could be good. Now she had the choice of singing more songs sitting on her butt in a very cold room or singing them while she was walking around the very cold building.

"Movement equals circulation, which equals a not so cold Jondy…let me think about that," she shrugged her shoulders slowly as she made a dash for the door into the outside world, or at least the door to the rest of Terminal City. "Interesting…very interesting."

She poked her head out and looked from left to right until she saw a small pale man with a gentle turtle like face hunched over a piece of metal with wires. She looked over his shoulder careful not to make any noise standing on her tiptoes to peer down at the mess of wires; she heard his soft curse and with a grin realized why. "You're putting the wires on backwards," she informed him quietly.

He jumped letting out a small high-pitched noise and turned around as she backed away quickly. A sweet smile spread her pink lips as she batted eyelashes at him. "Don't do that," he said shaking his head.

"Sorry," she lifted one shoulder and let it drop once again pulling her robe in tighter. "It's just you were doing it wrong and I thought I'd help," she pouted and batted her eyelashes once again.

"Oh," he looked down at the pliers in his hand before looking back up at her and blinking owlish eyes at her. "Thanks. I haven't gotten much sleep in the past couple nights trying to get stuff in order and it's been kind of hard to concentrate, you know how it is." He opened his mouth to go on but closed it sharply and gave her a small smile; "I'm Luke by the way."

She smiled and put her hand out, "I'm Jondy but you can call me J." She shook his hand firmly and bit her lip. "Do you know where I might be able to find that really hot transgenic guy who brought me in earlier?"

"Who…Alec?"

"Yeah," she flashed teeth, "how'd you know which hot transgenic guy I was talking about, there's got to be a lot of them?"

"He just came in from a rescue mission," he said with a grin that she couldn't help but think was adorable. He was the good intentioned nice guy that talked too much for his own good.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" She tossed blond hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes playfully. "So which way?"

He pointed a finger off to the right and towards the front of the building; "he should be up on the catwalk with Max. I think Logan is trying to get them to work on something for him."

"Oh," she looked towards the front with a raised eyebrow. "He sounds like a doll."

"He's ok for the most part…even though he's an ordinary." He smiled at her again and waved a dismissing hand through the air.

Jondy just shrugged and looked down at her robe, "whom should I talk to about getting clothes?"

"Alec has his nose in the whole trade thing, he's probably your best bet…though I think there's a room in the back with extras that might work until he gets you some real ones."

"You're a sweet heart," she exclaimed pecking him softly on the cheek before bouncing away, ignoring the many looks directed her way. Blue eyes lit up when she noticed the two figures standing up on the catwalk talking to a computer screen. One tall and slender with dirty blond hair leaning indolently against the railing with a cocked head and the other short and slender with dark brown hair being thrown over her shoulder periodically as she looked from the man to the screen. Licking her lips slowly she made her way over to them.

She smiled up at Mole when she passed by him and stopped next to Alec, waiting for him to notice her. It wasn't long for her to give up, their talk about Logan's obviously boring life finally getting to her, so she tugged gently on Alec's jacket.

When he turned to look at her a smiling tugging at his lips she smiled sweetly, "yes? Do you need something?" Her smile grew bigger as she shook her head 'yes.' "Well?"

"Panties," she informed him with a firm nod and fought back the laugh that bubbled in her throat as his face went completely blank for a second before he choked.

"What?" He coughed a couple times making sure to turn his face away from both Max and Logan.

"I need panties," she told him again and looked over at Max who was muffling laughter.

"Why are you telling me this?" His voice sounded strained as he looked down at her, the sudden thought running through his head that giving her clothes was the last thing he really wanted to do…unless he could take her out of them right afterwards.

"Well, I'm told you do that trade thang and, we-ell, I need clothes…" she waved her hands in the air for a second, "I mean, I don't have a real big problem with bein' nekie, seein' as how I'm all designed to be perfect. Not bein' ashamed of our bodies is probably the only good thing that Manticore did for us…"

"Uh huh," he nodded and blinked several times before shaking his head, trying hard to clear it. "Go on."

She grinned, "Well, I wouldn't bother except its cold and I seem to be making some of the males a little…um…nervous." She rolled her eyes and shook her head despairingly.

"Alec will help you get some clothes, no worries," Max smiled at Jondy and nodded her head for Alec to start moving.

"Thanks ever so," Jondy smiled again before glancing at the small face of Logan peering at her from the screen. "I'm sorry for stealin' your boy, but all in a good cause!"

"Just as long as you bring him back," Max said through a tense smile trying not to look over at the screen as she said it.

"You and me should talk later," Jondy called over her shoulder as she made her way to follow Alec once again.

"You're not good at that whole sitting down thing, are ya?" Alec asked with a smirk.

"Well, I'm better at it when I'm not freezin' my assets off." She slipped a hand around his arm and grinned letting blue eyes go wide, "plus, you can't tell me you're not happy that I came and interrupted your little tete-a-tete."

He flashed perfect teeth framed by full pink lips pulled taut; "Ya got me there! If Logan said one more 'the fate of the free world rests on this' speech I was gonna have ta hurl."

"See my inability to stay put comes in handy sometimes…" she sighed and made puppy dog eyes up at him, "now can we get me some clothes?"

"About this whole clothes thing," he bit his lip as he looked down at her, "is it optional?"

"Is going around in clothes optional?" One eyebrow rose slowly, "you're gonna have ta explain tha' one, honey."

"No, is it optional going around in front of me with no clothes?"

Jondy opened her mouth to retort but thought better of it before shaking her head. "You are such a guy."

"Well, yes I am funny enough." He threw her a smile as he made his way once again to the back of the building.

"Is all your stuff in the back?" She didn't wait for his reply. "I swear, guys are such pigs sometimes…" she huffed crossing her arms over her chest.

He blinked at her a couple of times and shook his head choosing to ignore the last comment, "most of it is." He stopped by another door and fumbled with the handle. "This thing never works right, I keep meaning to ask Luke to fix it…" his words died away as Jondy kicked the door with the boll of her good foot absently and just smiled at him. "Or we could just get a new door."

"See now you're talkin'." She swept by him smiling as sweetly as possible her eyes going impossibly large and innocent. He just shook his head and followed her inside. "So where are the clothes?"

He nodded his head to indicate behind her and opened a cabinet, "you're gonna have to settle for some stuff being too big for the moment…we don't have too much going around." He looked up at her and had to remind himself to breathe again when electric blue eyes were turned on him. "I'll see what I can do about getting you some that actually fit."

"I would so appreciate that." She said waving her hands in the air absently and grinned while bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Here," he handed her a bundle of clothes and waved a hand over at another cabinet. "Undergarments are…over there. I'll leave you…to get dressed."

She laughed as he fumbled with the words and made his way out of the room closing the now cracked door behind him. Discarding all the bras she found she decided that she could go a day without one and started to get dressed.

Drawstring sweatpants and a large t-shirt over 'undergarments' the didn't quite fit proved to be the best that he could give her and she rolled her eyes as she looked down at herself. "Well, not the clothes you wanna go trying to get yourself a hottie in…but they'll do for now." She stuck her head out of the room to find Alec talking quietly to Joshua his lean shoulders hunched forward as he looked down at something. She smiled as she lunged at him throwing her arms around his neck and yelling, "shoes!"

He let out an inarticulate, "ah," as his arms went around her without any thought, pulling her body against his. He was staring down into her wide blue eyes for a long moment before he remembered why. "Shoes?" he asked with a smirk, one eyebrow rising slowly.

"Yes, the floor is cold." She informed him quietly, her tongue darting out to wet full lips.

"You just like to complain, don't you?"

A grin split her face; "I like complaining to you…it's fun." Plastering a mockery of innocence across her face she batted her eyelashes up at him, "I hope you don't mind."

The smirk turned into a real smile inch by inch, "no." He shook his head letting her go; "it's nice having someone around who doesn't act like the worlds about to end."

"You and Max seem to have this place under control." She turned to Joshua with a sweet smile, "don't they?"

"Y-yeah, this p-place under control." He beamed at her, playing nervously with a strand of hair.

She smiled and gave him a couple pats on the arm, "I hope you don't mind my monopolizing Alec's time or anything."

"Alec and Jay getting busy?" He bared his teeth in a canine grin putting a fist in the air for emphasis.

Jondy laughed her mouth hanging slightly open as she watched Alec's face turn a shade strangely like magenta. "Uh, not right now, buddy!" He smiled nervously at Jondy and leaned in to say something to Joshua. "Maybe you shouldn't ask that question anymore."

"Oh, sorry," he looked over at Jondy with large eyes, "sorry."

"It's ok, doggie-dog." She opened her mouth when a voice behind her suddenly caught her attention, one she swore she recognized. She turned slowly when a head of dark black hair caught her attention. Blue eyes narrowed as she took in the caramel skin of a Korean man, and then her mouth fell open and all she could do was point when he turned towards her. "You!"

Brown, almost black, eyes went wide, "oh shit."

"Oh shits right!"