Wow. I really fail at this updating thing. Horribly. Well, regardless here is an update.

While writing this, I listened to Fell in Love Without You by Motion City Soundtrack, Sound of Settling by Death Cab for Cutie, and Savior by Rise Against.

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"You know what, Kitty?" Rogue asked as she walked into the room. Kitty, who had been sitting on her bed looked up in confusion.

"What's up, Rogue?" Rogue sat down on a vanity seat, placing her hand on her chin, hair falling into her face.

"I'm really curious about this new cook, Quinn, isn't that her name?" Kitty nodded. She blew her hair out of her eyes and leaned back. "I heard her and Beast have a pretty gnarly argument a minute ago."

"Beast? Argue with someone? That's like the weirdest thing to think about." She flopped down on her stomach, kicking her heels in the air with thought. "Oooh, you don't think it's like some kinda lovers quarrel do you? Oh, the two of them would be soooo adorable." Rogue rolled her eyes.

"It didn't really sound like that, from what I heard. I didn't hear much, but it didn't sound even remotely affectionate 'ta me." Rogue turned an looked out the window. She saw the hulking form of Beast crossing the back part of the grounds. His head was up, like he was looking for someone.

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It was with a huff of frustration that he decided that Quinn was extremely good at not being found when she didn't want to. It was almost as if she could blot herself out of existence until she decided to communicate. It was most annoying.

He finally sat down on a bench after looking on the grounds for a good while. He went to her room, and she wasn't in there. Nor was she in the laundry room or library. It was chilly out side, he could still see his breath in front of him as he sat idly on the bench. His mind wandered back and forth, to the Quinn he knew as an awkward teenager, and the Quinn he knew now.

The Quinn he knew back then, was still there, he saw glimmers of it in the few times that they saw each other. She still chewed on her bottom lip and she still was a typical avoider when it came to her problems. When her parent fought, she would lock herself in her room and sneak a phone call to him when she knew they wouldn't need the phone. She said it was her sending up flare, to let him know that she was okay.

That reminded him. Had she still not contacted her parents after all this time? He hadn't talked to the O'hara's in decades. They accused him of causing harm to her, but the charges were almost instantly dropped when the police found that she had packed up and left. His own mother would at least love to know that she was alive and well. She treated Quinn like her own daughter, loved her like one, and was also extremely distraught over her running away. He would give her a call in the morning, most assuredly.

It was steadily getting chillier as the night wore on. It didn't effect him, except that he could feel the cold in his lungs as he sat on bench, still buried in thought.

"I'm sorry." It was soft, and almost inaudible to his own ears. He turned around and found Quinn shivering softly behind him. He was so trapped in his own stream of consciousness he hadn't even heard her walk up. He turned to stand up, but she motioned for him to stay where he was and joined him on the bench.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got angry with you. I don't know why I can't just pick up where we were." She was still shivering as she pulled her knees to her. She was just wearing jeans and a light flannel shirt, what she had been wearing when she stormed out of the kitchens.

"I must agree that I haven't been very forth coming with you either, but Quinn, I can promise you that I'm your friend and I still care for you as much as I did when we were kids. If there is anything you need. I'm here, I swear to it." He said as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Some cocoa." She said after a moment of silence. "I would love some cocoa right now." She said more soundly. She stood up and turned to face him. "I can make a mean cup of cocoa." She held a hand out to him. "Would you like to join me?" He smiled a toothy grin and took her hand for a moment. It was much larger than her long fingers, her fingers loosely wound around his as she looked at him expectantly. The wind was chilly and was causing her hair to blow around her shoulders wildly.

"I would love to."

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They swapped stories on the way to kitchens, and all the time while she melted chocolate and made large pot of cocoa.

"You mean you really lived in the trees?" Beast asked incredulously. She nodded as she poured two large mugs and handed him one.

"Yup. Sure did. After the after Mrs. Morgan in Memphis passed away, I decided to go North. Way North. I still hadn't found my answers in the South, and I hoped that I might find them up North. I hopped a Greyhound to Montana. While on the bus I met my first mutants, April and Willow. April was a mutant who could see a person's aura. She was an expert at reading them, and she plopped down next to me and straight up asked me what my power was. I was flabbergasted, but her and Willow treated me to pancakes and we talked the rest of the trip. Willow, wow, she was basically a tree-talker. She could make the trees sway and move to her will. In Montana, we found a huge forest, and she bent it to her will, making these fantastic tree houses.

"It was a safe haven for mutants, and we were happy there. I learned how to develop my powers to the fullest there, with April as my teacher. She even did these for me." Quinn leaned forward and showed him the back of her neck. Beast put his cocoa in one hand and moved to run a finger down the pattern along her neck. "They are actually tied into my mutant powers.."

"Do I smell Cocoa?" The door swung open and the two adults snapped apart. Kurt and Scott poked their heads into the kitchen. Quinn set her cup on the counter and reached up to grab more two more mugs. Beast motioned the two students inside.

"You do indeed, Kurt. In fact it is some of the best cocoa I have ever tasted. Do you mind if they join us, Quinn?" Beast asked even though he knew she would agree. She had already begun to pour them mugs too.

"Sure, there's plenty for you…" Then Jean, Amara, Rayne, and Evan poked their heads in, as well. "I can always make more!" She disappeared into the pantry. After a few minutes all the students had abandoned the idea of chairs and were sitting in a circle in the floor of the kitchen with Hank as Quinn passed out mugs.

"Wow, Ms. O'hara! This is some of the best cocoa I've ever had!" Rayne and Amara both told her as she refilled Hank and her's mug and joined them on the floor. "Why thank you, and call me Quinn," she said with a smile as she sat Indian style between Jean and Evan.

"I still cannot get over does cookies!" Kurt said as he rubbed his stomach. Quinn smiled another huge grin. Hank, who was sitting directly across from her, decided that he hadn't seen her smile this much since they were kids. Even in her teens, it was a rare occasion for her to smile this much.

"Well, I still have some extra dough in the freezer, I'll bake em' up tomorrow. For now, I need to get some idea on what you guys want for breakfast tomorrow." She listened to them bounce around ideas. Some of the students were health conscious and some needed very sustaining meals because of their mutant powers.

They all sat and talked in the circle until all the cocoa was gone. The students all dispersed to do homework and shower and Quinn turned to the large mountain of dishes in the sink. Hank was still standing behind her.

"You rinse and I load into the dishwasher?" He asked.

"Deal!" Quinn said as she began running water over the mugs and handing them to Hank. It went fast and soon all the dishes we done and she had even hung the apron that had fallen in the sink against a chair to dry. She set the dishwasher to run and gave a yawn.

"I think I'm going to head for bed. I'll take these out in the morning." She said as dried off her hands, patted the dishwasher, and headed out the door. Hank followed behind her and held the door open for both of them to pass.

She turned in the hallway, pushing her hair out of her face. She looked almost nervous.

"Is something bothering you?" Hank asked. She shook her head.

"No, I just wanted to say thank you." She said finally.

"Oh, for the dishes? That was no problem." She shook her head again.

"No, I wanted to thank you, for being there for me… Even when I didn't think I wanted you to be." Quinn said softly, still not looking at him.

"It's not problem Quinn," He placed a hand on her face and made her look at him, "Really, It's not. I'm so glad to have you back." He then reached forward and swallowed her into a hug. It lasted for a few seconds before they both said their goodnights and turned and headed in separate directions.