"What'cha workin' on?"

Hank glanced at Fern out of the corner of his eye. She was leaning forward from the back seat with her arm was slung over Moira's headrest. Her grey features were expectant and curious and the young man cleared his throat. "Uh, just some semantics."

"For what?" She tilted her head and blinked at him. "Your jet?"

"The combats suits, actually."

"Oh." Her shoulders slumped. Pretending to still be interested, Fern gave her tongue a quick pass over her teeth. "Were the measurements okay?"

"They were perfect. It seems Raven was very, uh, thorough." Hank nodded his approval, a small, ill contained smile tugging at the corner of his pursed mouth.

The younger woman squinted at him. Skin shimmering with confusion, she repeated, "Raven? But Moira was the one who took my measurements."

The driver blinked as both of them looked at her. Fern with a frown, Hank simply curious. Shaking her head, the accused huffed. "I most certainly did not."

Fern rolled her eyes at the denial. "I think I would remember who had their hands between my legs last night, MacTaggert."

"Well, they weren't mine." Moira chuckled. Her gaze returned to the road as she smirked. "Sorry to disappoint."

The brunette mutant went very quiet and very still. Her scales quivered, then spasmed. They shifted through shades of grey and twisted violently as she slammed back into her seat. As her shoulders hit the leather, she cursed, "The conniving little bitch."

Hank flinched, but the agent only rolled her eyes.

"I knew she just wanted to feel me up! Nobody pays that much attention to the crotch seam!" Hands raking through her black hair, her inhuman eyes were wide with alarm. Sharp teeth ground together, she kicked her feet up on each of their seats and crossed her arms.

"Inseam," Moira corrected casually. She shot the mutant beside her an amused glance. At his flushed features, her smile widened.

Fern barely heard her. "Who arranges their own apology?! You know who does that?!"

"Who does that, Fern?"

Eyes closed and covered with one hand, Hank shook his head. "Don't encourage her."

"I don't know!" The Ailey girl shrieked, her normally silvery voice shrill with exasperation. "I'm legitimately asking!"

"Maybe she thought it would be less awkward." Moira glanced at her in the rear view mirror.

Fern just scowled at her. Completely unimpressed with her answer, the girl just shook her head.

"Or maybe she's a conniving little bitch." The auburn haired woman shrugged in a way that was both passive and yet somehow still incredibly sarcastic. "I don't know, I haven't known her long either."

Hank bristled in the passenger seat. "She's not that bad."

"She used deceit to cop a feel!"

Annoyed, and a bit embarrassed, the young man pouted. "She was trying to get an apology out of you. There was no feel copping."

"There was absolutely feel copping!"

With a sigh, Moira shook her head.

Back at the mansion, Raven had got off to put their crap away whilst Alex and Sean were given the task of cleaning the pool.

"It couldn't hurt to brush up on swimming," Charles told them, shoving brooms and mops into the boys' hands. The Professor glanced over at Erik, who was sitting idly at the island looking woefully unimpressed. "Would it, Erik?"

"Hm."

"Besides, I'm sure Fern will appreciate the gesture," Charles continued. Either ignoring how Alex glared at him or Sean's less than thrilled frown or simply oblivious to it, his smile stayed in place. "And I know I certainly will."

The young men shared a look that spoke volumes of their discontent. It was a look that went unacknowledged. At least until they left the room, after which the look was mocked.

"Honestly, you would think you just sent them off to the front lines the way they go on."

Charles nodded his agreement. "Some manual labor will do them some good. Help them work out their...frustrations."

"So you've noticed Cassidy's little infatuation as well, hm?"

"I would hardly call it an- well, yes, I suppose that's exactly what it is." Charles tapped his fingers along the wooden counter of the island. Eying the man across from him with a hint of suspicion, he told him, "He seems to think you have a soft spot for her as well."

"What? Does he see me as competition?" A wicked smile crossed Erik's lips at the very idea of Cassidy thinking they were in the same league.

The shorter man frowned. "Let's just say he doesn't exactly see you in the best light."

Smug, Erik hummed. "How troubling."

"We're supposed to be a team. It wouldn't hurt to show that your intentions with the Ailey girl are innocent." He waited a beat, perhaps waiting for some kind of denial, but only arched a brow at the man's chuckle.

Eyes a bit tight and smile wide, Erik asked, "And who says they are?"

"I know you have a certain degree of...attraction to physical mutations, but the girls here are too young to be fetishized."

"Raven's nearly your age and I was under the impression that Fern was a legal adult. Old enough to make her own decisions as it were."

"With a girl like that, the type of decisions she makes are always going to be skewed by the situation at hand, because she doesn't know better. Fern doesn't know anything about romantic relationship and it would be worrisome to see someone take advantage of that naivety for their own...personal gain," The Professor finished, voice a bit rough with annoyance and disgust. His blue eyes were sharp, angry, and his mouth a thin line.

"So what? She's off limits?"

"She's already made it perfectly clear she's not a fan."

Erik scoffed. With a roll of his eyes, he asked, "Did you give this speech to Cassidy too or am I special?"

"I did..." The Professor paused a moment before he clarified, "Tell him that it wouldn't be in Fern's best interest to rush anything, I mean."

"But you didn't forbid him like you are me?"

"I'm not forbidding anything. You're both adults, you're free to do as you please." Charles held a hand out between them. "So long as you know when to stop."

A brow rose at the man's stiff posture. "And when should I stop?"

Charles' gaze sharpened. "The moment she expresses any kind of discomfort, I expect you to respect her."

"She's not your sister, you know. You don't have to treat her like you would Raven-" Erik snapped his fingers. "Wait. She's not your sister either, now is she, Charles?"

"As long as they're living under my roof, they're my responsibility. This is supposed to be a safe place, Erik."

The taller man's eyes rolled before he kicked out of his seat. Peering down at the Brit with sharp eyes, he pulled his lips back in a sneer of a grin. "You'd think I'm some kind of villain, the way you go on."

"Of course not." Charles sighed as Erik brushed past him. As he left the kitchen, the Professor called after him, "I just want things to go smoothly!"

"For who?" The German shot back, but didn't bother to face him. Just continued on his way.

The ride back to New York took longer than expected. The trio had taken to stopping every hour or so to stretch their legs, but that had hardly put a dent in their travel time. No, they were late getting back because after some well-meaning peer pressure, Fern had crashed the town car into a ditch.

"I am so, so, so sorry!" The grey girl gushed. Her skin was a blur of black and white swirls as she fisted her hair. Her hat, veil, gloves and shoes had long since been discarded. Thrown into the backseat and ignored, which ironically is what had led to the crash. "I told you I couldn't drive!"

Moira chuckled with a wave of her hand. "It's fine. If anything you should be apologizing to Hank."

Fern spun around to where Hank had lifted the back bumper of the Lincoln and was casually pulling it out of the trench with his inhuman strength. He arched a brow at the lanky mutant's sudden appearance by his side, but merely shook his head at her obvious embarrassment.

"Oh, it's really no trouble at all." He grinned at her. To prove his point, he let a hand fall to his side. His remaining one continued to drag the car out of the ditch with ease, and Fern was glad to see that he hadn't so much as broke a sweat.

She nodded. Remembering how uncomfortable Hank was with his abilities, Fern decided to take a moment to boost the young scientist's confidence a bit. "I wish I had a useful mutation."

"Pardon?"

"Super strength," The girl clarified. Hopping onto the trunk, she used her toes to cling to the smooth metal. As she crouched down, she rested an elbow on her knee and continued, "All I can do is leave footprints everywhere and occasionally scare my mother." After a moment, she nodded with a hint of indignation in her expression and voice, "And I guess I can add makes your foot stick to the gas pedal and nearly kill all your friends to its drawbacks."

Hank beamed at her and kept his gaze on her face and not where her dress had ridden up around her thighs. With a hint of cockiness, he repeated, "We're friends?"

Fern glared at him. "I think you're missing the point."

"No one made you take your shoes off." He shrugged as they finally reached the roadside and set the car down.

Moira clapped. With a warm smile and a hint of a laugh in her voice, she praised, "Our hero!"

The young man blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I try."

Smirking at the two of them, Fern hopped off the back of the trunk. "Again, sorry."

"It's fine." Moira squeezed the girl's shoulders. "Now get in the back, it's time to go. I'm sure we've worried them enough."

By the time the trio made it back to the mansion, the sun had long since set. The human was the first through the door, with two exhausted kids trailing behind her. They muttered their goodnights and parted ways. Moira made a beeline to the closest bathroom and Hank to the kitchen while Fern locked the door. With a sigh, the young woman leaned her forehead against it for a moment. The brim of her hat bent with her neck. Her legs ached from being cramped in the backseat, but her breasts were feeling better. She guessed that was a plus. With a heavy sigh, she kicked off her boots, picked them up and straightened.

Half asleep, she went to go up the stairs when the faint sound of the television from the den stopped her. A familiar redhead sat in front of it, fiddling with one of the dials and Fern had to resist the urge to sigh at him.

Licking her teeth, she stepped into the room. Sean didn't notice her right away, so she cleared her throat. He didn't bother to look at her, so Fern forced herself to socialize. "Can't sleep?"

"Nope." He didn't tear his eyes away from the screen. It lit his freckled features up in the dark room, shining in his blue eyes and making him seem all the paler. "It's too quiet here."

Fern listened for a moment. She could hear Hank in the kitchen and people walking around upstairs. Having grown up in what was basically the woods, she supposed the mansion to be a rather lively place. Almost loud, but she could understand how it might be strange to him. With a shrug, she moved a little further into the room. "I guess if you're used to roommates it might be."

The boy's gaze shifted over to her. Her scales caught the light from the television. They gleamed, reflecting even the darkest shades of white. He seemed to consider something a moment before he sat back against the front of the couch. "Come sit with me."

A crooked grin pulled at the corner of Fern's mouth. Shifting her cowboy boots from one arm to the other, she arched a near invisible brow at him. "Now why would I do something like that?"

Her smile went unreturned. Instead the young man just blinked at her. "Because I'm scared and a little lonely and I know you are too."

Unable to argue with that, she moved to join him. Tossing her hat and boots onto the couch behind him, the grey girl dropped to the floor. She didn't want to hide from Sean. He had been good to her, accepting of her and she was through hiding her fondness for him. Life was too short to live behind a veil.

Sean threw an arm over her shoulders. She supposed he must be rather desperate for affection. Coming from a big family, there had probably been no escaping the physical aspect of it. The hugs and playful pinches and patronizing hair ruffles. Frankly the idea of multiple people having some kind of monopoly on touching her sounded like a layer Dante had missed, but she didn't see the harm in indulging him.

Tilting her head down to his shoulder, the girl stayed quiet as Sean sighed. His arm tightened around her. His head fell to rest on hers. It was a little smothering, but not unbearable. The way he thumbed at the glands on her bicep was a little distracting. The skin of them almost too sensitive to tease, even gently. Still, she kept quiet. It was nice, and if Sean needed someone to be nice to, Fern would oblige.

"Do you think we can do it?" His blue eyes searched her face. "Beat Shaw?"

Unable to lie when he seemed so sincere, Fern lifted a weak shoulder. "Probably not. Sometimes ya just gotta take a stand, ya know?"

Sean nodded. With a sigh, he set his brow against hers once more. His fingers found her hair. It was fine and smooth and he thumbed through it as he told her, "I'm sorry about your friend, Agent Sullivan."

"His name was Blake."

"I'm sorry about Blake," He corrected.

Fern leaned deeper into his arms. Burying her face in his neck, she ignored how her throat burned as she muttered, "I've never known anyone who's died before."

"I know it's hard." And he did. He could still remember losing Teresa when she was only a few months old. He could remember the strange hollow feeling and how cold everything seemed after burying someone you loved, but that would fade. Slowly but surely, the heart healed. The redhead pressed his lips to the girl's temple. "You'll be alright."

Unsure how to respond to the intimate touch, her lips pursed. Annoyed by the prospect of waiting and too tired to hide it, the girl huffed. "It doesn't feel like it." At the squeeze around her shoulder, her throat tightened further. Pulling her face from his neck, she admitted, "I haven't felt like this since I was a kid." Her shoulders rolled restlessly under his arm. Jaw tight, she let out a frustrated grunt. "So helpless and stupid."

Sean let his head fall back against the couch. As he stared up at the ceiling, he repeated, "Stupid?"

Fern was quiet a moment. She thought of Blake and Darwin and Angel. How she had laughed with them, how they had comforted her and she felt…lost, knowing they weren't coming back. That the boy sitting next to her might not come back. The thought made her skin twitch and her stomach ache. She had lost enough people in the last two days to last a life time and the thought of Sean, or anyone in the mansion, not coming back from whatever battle they were heading into, left her cold. "For letting them get close."

"That doesn't make you stupid, Fe, it makes you human."

"But we're not human." Raking her hand through her hair, she licked her teeth. With a shake of her head, she sighed. "I should've known better."

Sean sat up. His hand covered her knee and he gave it a squeeze. When she met his gaze with an unimpressed glare, he grinned. "You can't spend your life locked away, babe. It's not fair." At her puzzled head tilt, he carried on, "You shouldn't deny bums like me a chance to know someone as outta sight as you."

A small smile tugged at her thin lips. Her hands covered his and she shook her head. Large eyes warm, she told him, "You are so weird, Cassidy."

"Like, a good weird or…?" Sean raised his brows expectantly, but the younger woman just smirked fondly at him. A grinned tugged at his lips as he watched her skin, or scales, or whatever it was she had, swirl delicately under the glow of the television. "What? Seriously, finish your sentence, you're hurting my feelings."

One of her hands left his and she gave his cheek a gentle pinch. "The best weird."

His pale skin flushed under the scales of her palm. Dropping his gaze, he tried and failed to convey nonchalance. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She let her hand drop.

Voice low, Sean laced their fingers together on her knee. "Thanks for staying with me."

Shrugging, Fern suppressed a yawn. "Happy to."

In the dim light of the television, the young woman's eyes drooped. Sean thumbed through her hair a moment. Enjoying the affection he offered after a long, stressful day, she leaned into his touch with a demure smile. The ginger dropped his lips to her brow, the kiss brief but firm before he stood. "Come on, let's try and get some sleep."

A bit stupefied by his intimate touch, Fern did her best to shake off her shock. Taking the hand that was offered to her, she scoffed at him. "Don't you get forward with me, Cassidy."

"Hey!" He grinned and turned off the television. "What happened to you're the best?"

Fern grabbed her belongings. Planting the large brimmed hat back on her head, she offered him a bright, but crooked grin that flashed sharp white teeth. "Kind of weird. Still weird, Red."

Sean set a hand on her back and led her toward the door. Pouting, he told her, "I'll have you know any woman would be lucky to have me. I'm a total catch."

The brunette shook her head but couldn't help but agree with him.

"Aw," the boy cooed at her as they stepped into the light of the hall. He took her hand and forced her to spin for him, just like he had that morning. "Look at you, all fancy while I'm standin' here in my grubs."

"Your what?"

"You know…" he gestured to his baggy sweats. "My grubs."

The girl stared at him a long moment before shaking her head. "It's too late for your nonsense, Sean."

"It's not nonsense, it's slang. It's the language of the people, Fern." He took her hand and put it on his chest. "Come join the people."

She chuckled and shoved him back. "Go to bed."

The ginger boy offered her a saucy grin. "Is that an invitation?"

"Your own bed!" She tussled his hair affectionately, the pads on her fingertips skimming his scalp in a way that made him shudder. Fern didn't notice. "Get some sleep."

"Fine." He pulled her in for a hug. Voice soft, he dropped his head to hers (forcing the brim of her hat in the process), "I hope you feel better, Fe."

"Thanks. I hope you do too." She pulled back from him and gave his shoulders a squeeze. "It's gonna be okay. And if it's not and we die…we won't care. Because we'll be dead."

Sean's thin brows rose at her. "Wow, you are terrible at condolences."

"You should've heard my eulogy."

"Oh god."

She rolled her eyes at his dramatic wince. "Goodnight, Sean."

"Goodnight, Fern." He gave her hip a squeeze and pressed another kiss to her temple before they parted ways.

Shout out to the wonder Linda Ku for betaing this!