Hospitality

Trixie and Spud had been totally surprised to see Rose when they came in, and Rose summed up the story she'd told earlier, explaining everything. Rose could tell that Trixie didn't want her there and Spud looked a little apprehensive.

"So, tell us where you've been," Fu said conversationally.

The others looked at Rose, even Trixie, all seeming to be curious about her travels.

"Umm, well the first place I went wasn't really that special. It was this itty, bitty town in the Smokey Mountains, but I can't remember the name. I stopped there only to rest a couple of days and move on. One place I'll never set foot in again is Salem, Massachusetts. There are some witches there with a serious grudge. They took one look at my birthmark and wanted to slice it off as a souvenir. Apparently, they don't like dragons, but I didn't stick around long enough to ask why."

Rose shuddered at the memory.

"That's when I started using makeup to cover my birthmark," she said. "Along with other adjustments to camouflage myself. I dyed my hair, got colored contacts and went by different names. I tried to stay away from the Asian countries, because no amount of hair dye or makeup could hide me there. Paris was difficult because of most people spoke French, so I was lost most of the time. It was beautiful, and most of the people walked around like they were head-over-heels for somebody. London was a real education. Three weeks into my stay there and I find that the girl I was sharing an apartment with was a werewolf."

She felt a chill run down her spine.

"If I live to be a hundred I'll never forget that awful howl," she said. "The first time she changed in front of me, I actually screamed. Never in my life have I been more terrified. My Hunts staff was working then, but it was in my room and she would have had me before I managed to turn. She looked at me with those creepy yellow eyes and then dove out through the open window. Luckily for her we were on the bottom floor. The next morning I tiptoed to her room, Hunts staff at the ready. I found her on her bed, her clothes torn and covered in dirt from head to toe. I kicked her hard in the ribs and pointed my weapon at her throat. She was wide-awake and asked what was I doing. I remember I yelled at her till my throat hurt. Needless to say, she and I didn't remain roommates for long."

"Now you know how Jake felt," Trixie said icily.

Rose glared at her.

"Well I wasn't too thrilled about it either," she remarked. "Now, can we please move on with our lives? That was six years ago for Heaven's sake!"

Trixie just snorted and crossed her arms. She wasn't about to let her grudge go easily. Rose understood that she was simply looking out for Jake. They were best friends and it was only natural that she'd put little trust in the former Hunts Girl.

"So where do you plan on staying for the night?" Jake asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"Uh…well I don't really know," Rose admitted.

She'd been so distracted with hopes of seeing Jake that she'd overlooked sleeping arrangements. Jake shot her that lopsided smile.

"Well, I got just the place for you," he said.

Later that day, Jake brought her to his apartment. It was small, slightly cluttered and in desperate need of a cleaning. He smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about the mess," he apologized. "I get busy with other things and I don't have time to straighten the place up."

Rose smiled and shrugged.

"I understand," she said. "Besides, it's not that bad of a mess. Try having a werewolf share an apartment with you, and you'll really see a mess."

Jake laughed and Rose joined him. He loved the way her eyes shone when she laughed and the pretty way she smiled. Suddenly, his cell phone rang, bringing him out of his trance and back to reality. He answered it. Rose watched his face drop and contort into frustration.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute, Fu," he said and hung up.

He looked at Rose and found her smiling in understanding.

"Go ahead, " she said. "I'll just hang out here."

Jake ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"This is not exactly the way I pictured things," he said. "I'd hoped we could hang out and you know just…chill."

Rose chuckled and hugged him.

"I'll be right here when you get back," she reassured him. "Now go out there, kick some bad guy's butt and come home before I start to miss you."

Jake smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Crap!" Rose muttered. "Too late."

They both laughed and released each other.

"If you're not back my midnight, I'll hunt your scaly tail down and drag your butt home," Rose warned.

Jake grinned and said, "Sounds like a plan to me."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Oh, will you go on already?" she moaned, shoving him out of his own apartment.

He did leave, tossing a wink over his shoulder as he went. Rose shut the door and locked it.

"Crazy dragon," Rose muttered fondly.

She looked around at the messy apartment. Jake was gone and she didn't have anything else to do, so she grabbed a garbage bag and a broom. By the time he came back three hours later, the place didn't look like his. There wasn't a trace of dirt anywhere and everything looked spotless. The whole place smelled fresh and remarkably pleasing.

"Whoa, Jakey," Trixie commented in awe.

"You sure keep the place clean, dude," Spud added in awe.

"It wasn't me," Jake assured them, dumbstruck.

Lao Shi and Fu came in next and both were just as surprised as the trio.

"Rose?" Jake called.

"Be there in a minute!" Rose called back from another room.

"You guys smell something?" Fu asked.

They all sniffed, and smelled something that must've been food.

They heard Rose leave the other room and saw her walk in. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, but a few wisps had broken free. She smiled at them, pleased to see the surprised expressions on their faces. A buzzing noise came from the kitchen.

"That would be supper," she said as she hurried to the stove.

She slipped on an oven mitt and removed two medium sized pans from the oven. Carefully, she peeled back the tin foil and then grinned.

"Who wants some lasagna?" she asked.

The guys were all about to spring forward, but Trixie held them back.

"Hold up! I want to know why you did this," she demanded.

Rose just shrugged.

"I had to find something to do," she said and got out six plates.

"So even after the way we treated you, you'd still cook supper for us?" Trixie asked skeptically.

Rose looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"No, I wouldn't," she responded, getting out forks and a large spoon to serve with. "I did all of this to repay Jake for what he's doing for me."

She set the plates and the forks out on the table and went back for cups. She set them with the plates and sighed. They all watched her, curiously.

"He could've turned his back to me and told me to take a hike," she said, looking at them for the first time. "But he didn't. Instead, he offered me a place to stay, free of charge, no strings attached."

She looked at Jake and smiled. Trixie looked surprised and slightly sorry.

"Help me with the lasagna?" Rose asked Jake.

Jake smiled and went with her to the kitchen. She slipped oven mitts on and looked at him. He smiled at her proudly, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and picked up the pan. Jake transformed his hands into dragon ones, and picked up the other. They carried the pans to the table and sat them down. Rose pulled the oven mitts off and Jake transformed his hands into human form. They joined the others at the table and sat side by side. They all dug into the lasagna and found that Rose had also learned a little culinary skill while she was roaming around the world.

"Man, we need to let you cook more often," Spud said with a grin.

"What kind of tea was that?" Lao Shi asked.

"It's real popular in the South," Rose said. "Apparently that's the main drink. They all call it sweet tea."

Soon, Jake's friends, Lao Shi, and Fu Dog left for home, praising Rose's cooking as they went. Jake and Rose cleaned the kitchen up, saving the rest of the lasagna for leftovers.

(AN):

Thank you for the good reviews! I never expected such positive feedback from my first fan fic. I'll try to update often, but things are a little hectic for me, so be patient. Next chapter will be better.