Disclaimer: I am not Uncle Rick and I do not own the rights to these characters. I just ship them immensely.

A/N 1: I like the idea of some sibling bonding, so why not? Ergo: this chapter is (mostly made up) Thalia and Jason sibling fluff

"Cafe Arabèl, please," Thalia instructed her cab driver as she slid into the back seat. Compared to most New York cabs, this one was actually clean and didn't smell that bad. It must have been newer.

She gazed out the window as the cabbie navigated the traffic and slushy roads with skill, and watched people with multiple bags slung around their arms or gripped tightly in their palms walking quickly up and down strips of high-end shops and boutiques. She didn't understand how so many people could be dedicated to shopping in cold weather like this.

A short drive later the cab parked along the snow-crusted curb a few buildings down from the new cafe. Thalia paid the driver and stepped out, sending a text to Jason as she did. Her black combat boots crunched the dirty snow on the sidewalk, and she pulled her jacket more closely around her body. She examined the crowd in front of the building, searching for a familiar blonde and a girl with brown hair beside him. The closer she got to the door, the more she realized just how much of a hot spot this cafe was becoming. Like, this place really rivaled Starbucks. Now, that was shocking.

"Thals!" She turned when a familiar voice piped up above the murmur of the crowd once she had gotten inside. She looked around and saw Jason waving his arm to get her attention. He and his girlfriend, Piper, were already seated in the rear, across from a window. She wove through the line until she reached them.

"Hey, guys. How are you, Piper? Do I need to teach my brother a lesson?" Thalia asked with a smile, ruffling Jason's hair as she walked around him to her seat across from both of them.

Piper laughed, and it was a musical sound. She was such a charming girl, and Thalia couldn't have hoped for better for her little brother. "He's been a good boy." She also ruffled Jason's hair with a soft smirk.

Jason grumbled and fixed his hair by messily running his hand through it, then promptly adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Well well, those are new. Getting old already?" Thalia teased him when she finally realized why he looked different-aside from being older. It had been at least a year since the last time they'd gotten together in person. Jason had been born shortly before their father had officially divorced their mother. He grew up without a father figure in his life, aside from fleeting relationships that their mother could hardly manage while also caring for two children and working odd jobs once her acting career plummeted. He had never had much appreciation for the man, and never quite understood how Thalia could be close to him after so many years of his lack of parenting and appearance.

Jason stuck out his tongue with a short "ha-ha". "They're not too new. I got them a few months after we met up last year." He was about to speak again, but a petite barista appeared and asked for their orders, holding a purple pen that matched her notepad and nail polish.

"I'll take an orange blossom herbal tea," Piper said, followed by Jason's request for a coffee with espresso. Thalia gazed over the menu, and decided on a Greek frappé, which she had never had before, nor heard of.

"Oh, and three plates of French toast," Jason added.

The barista smiled and assured them that their drinks would be out quickly before bounding away to the next table.

"So how's life treating you guys?" Thalia asked them, folding her hands in front of her and leaning into the table. Jason and Piper had both graduated from high school earlier in the year and had decided to take a year off to spend time together before Piper enrolled in acting school and Jason left for the military.

"It's been great. We went on a vacation to Peru a few weeks ago. The people were so friendly. And the food was amazing." Piper continued to give Thalia details of the trip, and Thalia couldn't help but laugh at her eagerness.

"Oh, and the weather was just gorgeous. You should have-Thalia, are you listening?" Piper had concluded her story now and Thalia stopped her people watching to look at her. She hadn't even realized when she had stopped paying attention.

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, I'm listening. Beautiful weather," Thalia said. She plastered a small smile to her face as Piper's manicured eyebrows raised in skepticism.

Piper turned her head and scanned the crowd. "Who are you looking for?"

"Nobody. I was just people watching. You know me. I do that." Thalia shrugged. In truth, she really wasn't sure what had caused her sudden shift of attention. She was saved from any more scrutiny by the arrival of their drinks and French toast. Thalia cut a piece from the toast and put it in her mouth, immediately savoring the taste. She shared a smile with Jason, and she knew he remembered as well. French toast was their favorite meal, the one their mother always prepared on their birthdays, regardless of whatever else was going on in their lives. He must have told Piper this as well, because she reached over and squeezed the hand of her boyfriend affectionately.

Thalia's phone buzzed and she checked the screen to find a text from her friend and coworker, Zoë. Zoë was a set designer as well, and she also had a background in Shakespearean literature. She was dedicated to their work, which had proven in several instances to be both good and bad.

"I hate to just grab a bite and run, but my coworker Zoë just got in town and we should start drafting set ideas for the production we just signed on for," Thalia said apologetically, reaching for her purse and removing a twenty dollar bill from her wallet. "Here, it's on me."

Jason, knowing better than to argue, took the bill with gratitude. In turn, Thalia hugged each of them before donning her coat, taking her Greek frappé, and exiting the cafe.

Thalia hailed a cab and arrived at the studio about a half hour later. Before she set her drink down, Zoë Nightshade appeared at her desk. "I really wish we could have had a few more days off. But work is work. Have you even thought about this yet?" she asked, holding up a thick script.

Thalia shook her head with a frown. "Nope. We'll have to haul butt to pull this one off. I can feel it," she said.

Zoë scowled, and her arms crossed over the light grey cardigan she wore. "Thals, I can't do this alone, you know." Uh oh, here she goes. While Zoë was a great friend, she was sometimes a little too loyal to her workload and schedules. Thalia and Zoë often got into arguments when Zoë was feeling pressed for time. They never lasted long, but Thalia tried to follow a strict schedule as a general rule to avoiding such conflicts.

Before Zoë could complain further, Thalia interrupted. "I know. I know. I just needed a few days to unwind, and I didn't have time in Los Angeles. I've got my coffee and my script, now. I'm ready to go." She smiled.

Zoë looked at her with mild disapproval for quite some time. "Fine. I'm about halfway done and I have some ideas here." She tapped her forehead with her pencil. "I'll start drafting things out while you catch up." She turned on her heel and walked off, her silver jewelry clinking together with each bounce of her step.

Thalia looked at the script on her desk. There had to be at least two hundred pages. Thank goodness for double spacing and wide fonts. She sat down with a groan and began to read.

"And if you finish by four, I'll buy you a coffee." Zoë's voice travelled from the hallway, the frustration gone from her tone.

"You're the best!" Thalia called after her.

[To be continued. I have several chapters in mind for this story, so we'll see where it goes!]

Please follow and review! This is my first published fic, so I'd love some feedback! Critiques are welcome, rudeness is not.

A/N 2: Look who else showed up! Man, it's a party, now! *ahem* Anyway, meet Zoë Nightshade, Thalia's coworker and friend. Or I guess we can say frenemy? She's a bit icy!