THERE'S NOTHING PAST THIS {Jon&Scarlet}

[JONATHAN WARNER BRASS]

Jon didn't have much of a problem with flying. He didn't love it, mostly because it involved hours of sitting down strapped to a chair surrounded by people, but at least with his new lifestyle he could settle in and just fall asleep. The trip through the airport in Seattle had been fairly painless, starting early in the morning. They made the first flight without much trouble, but the connection in Chicago was a little more frenzied. Most of the time Jon was occupied with making sure everything ran smoothly, making sure their bags made carry-on just fine, and getting them to the gate on time. Throughout most of it he kept Scarlet close, not wanting to get separated if they were boarding early, though here and there he opted to stay in various lines while she scouted out food.

By the time they were getting ready to land in the city outside of La Porte in their little plane with no more than a dozen seats, he was feeling wide-awake and more than a little anxious. The only thing that had kept him from discussing what this trip was likely to be like was the fact that they had people around them at all times, and it was more pleasant under the circumstances to just put on a head set and doze.

Finally they landed, and Jon led the way off the plane onto the tarmac. The airport buildings only had one or two terminals, as most of the flights were rather tiny. Their baggage was ready right away, and so was he with the number for a taxi. While they waited, he kept turning to her, looking as if he might say something, before he shut his mouth again, letting the silence linger into the night. With most of the complicated part of the trip over, he was left with his thoughts, something he was finding to be more of an annoyance than a relief. When their ride pulled up and he started loading their things, he didn't say much, now fully pre-occupied with replaying a certain scene in his head. Every time it felt like a lead weight dropped into his stomach, and every time he forced back the desire to really consider what was going on. No more than a week before they were due to set out, Scarlet had informed him that she was getting worried about the fact that she hadn't had her period in awhile. Of course he had panicked a little, but she had been quick to assure him that it wasn't anything to worry about...yet. She wasn't sure. And so he had pushed away all the questions, and pretended that things were absolutely normal. So maybe her appetite seemed a little more fierce these days- she was a runner after all, she needed to load on the carbs. Yeah, that was it.

He held the door open for Scarlet, sliding into the backseat to join her with an absent minded smile, checking his cellphone. It was getting close to midnight, but he knew his parents would still be up expecting them. That was one downside to being in a small town with few hotels. While it had been his intention to let Scarlet meet his family, he was also at their mercy for the next two nights while they stayed in the house.
"Excited?" He turned to her with a forced grin, battling his own reluctance. You're doing this for her, he reminded himself.

[SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER]

Scarlet didn't have any problems on the plane. Flying was something she was good with. It got her closer to the sun, which made her skin practically glow with the absorption of the rays that made their way through the little plane windows. Sometimes it looked like she was sucking the light right into her skin, the way the light always seemed to find her and happily energize the young girl. So, naturally, the closer she got, or the more exposed she was; the more energized she became. It was a bit strange how a little bit of sun made her so happy. But no one would argue with the fact that Scarlet being happy was best for anyone who didn't want to get stunned on the spot. Her wrath had become a bit more fierce since Jonathan had left the first time. So now whenever she was happy, her classmates took it as a blessing.

The whole pregnancy situation was the worst of her problems at the moment. She had told Jonathan about her concern, and assured him not to worry... But on the inside, she was scared to death. She knew it was probably true. No, she definitely felt the changes. No matter how hard she tried to make up excuses, she knew deep down that they weren't the cause of the feelings she was getting, the weight she was gaining, and the appetite... Not just for food. With that thought, she glanced to Jonathan, who was getting the bags loaded into the taxi. It was getting harder and harder to not tear his clothing off in public places. She bit her lip and smiled weakly when he opened the cab door for her, climbing in. It was getting super late, and all she wanted to do was sleep, so she could get up early and go for a run. Not to mention the flip-flops her stomach was doing at the thought of meeting his parents.

When he spoke, she laughed softly and took his hand, kissing his palm.
"Excited, terrified. You pick the emotion, and I probably am feeling it, somewhere along the line of thoughts going through my head." She laughed and rolled her eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm more tired than anything, but I'm too pumped up from the plane ride to really sleep... I'll probably need to burn it off on a run or something..." She yawned and let out the air in a sigh, closing her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with this? What did your parents even say when you told them you were coming?" She opened her eyes and blinked at him. What could someone who made sure that they wouldn't want him back have possibly said to make them allow a visit by not only him, but his girlfriend?

[JONATHAN WARNER BRASS]

He entwined the fingers of the hand she had picked up with her own, absently rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand.
"You're actually the thing that made it work." He laughed nervously, glancing over at her with the ghost of amusement in his eyes. "When I said I was coming back, and bringing my girlfriend, I think they were curious to know more about this 'mystery girl'. Curious enough to agree to let us stay a few days at least." He rolled his eyes, looking away to the dark windows. They were leaving one city behind for another in the distance that lit up the sky with a faint pink glow. It was hard to see anything else around them at the moment- he knew the road, though. It was mostly fields that edged the highway. They could have flown right in to La Porte, but it was easier to take a small commercial plane rather than get someone with their own two-passenger to accommodate them.

Trying to pass it off as just a little added conversation, he fixed his gaze on their hands.
"Did I ever tell you why things didn't work out the last time I came back? No?" He bit his lip, before grinning sheepishly, unable to look her in the eye as his face coloured. "I may have punched my dad. In the face." It sounded bad, but he didn't want it to come up when she got to the house and be taken completely by surprise- then again, she knew what he was like, so maybe she would have just taken it in stride. "He was okay though. Just pissed, so I came back to Seattle a little sooner than planned." He continued quickly, not wanting her to mistake that he had meant things to turn out that way in the first place. After that, he went back to watching the city limits draw closer, trees beginning to rear out of the darkness along with a few old farm houses. This reminded him of something.

"I hope you don't mind, but you're not going to get the full tour- my old bedroom was turned into an office when I first started living at Thaedeus, so every summer when I came home I just lived in the basement. But there's a room and a bathroom and everything, since it wasn't renovated too long ago." He was feeling the nervousness set in anew, worried that even if things went alright with his parents, this whole 'opening up the past' thing might put a strain on the newly healing relationship with Scarlet.

[SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER]

Scarlet's eyes went wide when Jonathan explained what he had done to make his parents so mad. He had punched his father?! She couldn't even imagine ever in a million years coming anywhere near close to harming her father; even though her father did some stupid things, she could never stay mad at him. And he wasn't even her real father. Ugh. The thought made her sick to think about, really. Whenever she truly realized she wasn't Jeremy's daughter, she got a plunging feeling in her stomach, like he could just up and leave at any time. Though she highly doubted it. As much as he still loved her mother and went to see her every once in a while, he could never, ever leave Scarlet alone. Thinking about the encounter her mother and father must have had over the years... Scarlet blinked in sudden realization.

It all suddenly made sense to her, why he kept going to visit her mother.
"I think I have a sibling." She announced suddenly, looking surprised, before looking up at him. "You punched him?" Her eyes went wide again, and she took a deep breath. Maybe she should have sprung the sibling thing after that. She was so scatter-brained lately.
"What did he do to make you punch him? If it's not as bad as it should be, I'm making you apologize." She crossed her arms across her chest and frowned at him, making her face as stern as possible. She was already getting that whole, "I'm-the-mother-you-listen-to-me," attitude. It was kind of adorable, and scary all at the same time. She harumphed and rubbed at her eyebrow, before laughing dryly at his comment about his room.

"Jonathan, we could sleep outside for all I care. As long as it's with you." She smiled weakly and kissed him on the cheek as she felt the car turn into a gravel road. "I assume we're almost there?"

[JONATHAN WARNER BRASS]

"Whoa, what?" He would have normally given way under her stern stare, or at least been provoked enough to give a response, but her sudden change of subject brought him completely to a halt. "Why do you say that?I thought...you know, that you haven't seen your mom in awhile. And your dad wasn't with anyone." He was grasping for an answer, feeling out of the loop. Maybe that was how Scarlet felt when he didn't share about his own family, he thought with a grimace.

Running a hand through his hair, shaking his head, he stalled while trying to justify his reasoning. When she asked about getting close he nodded. The road evened out to street lamps ahead. Most of the houses in the area were old red brick, or the kind of war-time blank siding deals. His own house was somewhere between the newer development on the east side of the city, and the downtown relics.

"We were arguing about what I was going to do after school, how my life was going to go. It was a whole issue of university, getting a job, money, that sort of thing." He shrugged, looking annoyed. "Hey, in my defense he was baiting me, and I was already freaked out about how things would play out when I came back to Seattle." He waved a hand absently as the car started to slow.

They were pulling up in front of a reddish-brown brick cape cod affair. It was in keeping with the town's rustic charm, without being horribly outdated. There was a one and a half car garage connected to the right side of the house, with warm yellow lights spilling out of the front windows. Clearly someone was still awake at this time of night. Jon stared out of the car for a minute, before he seemed to push himself into action, getting out and beginning to help out Scarlet with their stuff. "This is it." He muttered darkly to her, pulling their bags out of the trunk until it was empty and the taxi drove off.

[SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER]

Scarlet took a deep breath and took up her bag onto her shoulder, motioning to the door.
"Well... It's your house. And you better apologize. It's your father. You may not have a chance someday, and you'll beat yourself up about it." She nodded slowly. The last time she had spoken to her mother, it was over the phone. Her mother had called to tell her that when Scarlet came home from school that winter, she wouldn't be there. She wouldn't ever be there again. Scarlet had told her good, and that she hated her anyway. Now she regretted not apologizing. Especially since she had the suspicion in her head that she had siblings by now, who would probably never know her unless she asked her father to introduce her. Like that would happen.

Sighing loudly, she followed Jonathan up to the door, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, feeling the scars, she frowned and quickly moved them back over, looking up at Jonathan as he knocked on the door gently, before taking his hand with her free one, squeezing tightly. Her lips found his cheek gently, and she pulled back and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.
"I love you. So... It'll be fine." She mumbled softly, squeezing his hand again before opening her eyes as the door opened, suddenly feeling like the scars on her face were a gaping wound and she was the most hideous creature in the world, althought she kept this all internal as she offered the person at the door a small smile, shifting her bag awkwardly on her shoulder.

[JONATHAN WARNER BRASS]

Jon mumbled something that could have been agreement, picking up the rest of the bags. He could see her point, but it was hard to think of a good way to go about it.

"I love you too," His smile was one-sided as she squeezed his hand. At least at the end of their little stop here, if things went south, then he'd still have her. He heard the lock slide in the door, and his jaw clenched, mentally preparing for this.

The door swung open to reveal a dark haired woman, her wavy brown hair almost as dark as Jon's. But she had bright blue eyes, wide and kind, done up with mascara as if she normally wore a business-like suit despite being a high-school teacher. But her face was anything but severe. She had a narrow nose, a pointed chin and a wide mouth that frowned at first before splitting into a smile, and more freckles than you could count.

"Hi..." Jon muttered to his mom, looking sheepish again, while a man peered around the corner of the hall that led away to the kitchen. His hair was gray, with just hints of dark blond peeking through where it wasn't balding on the very top of his head. Jon's mom forced him to set down his things, hugging her son tightly around the middle, her head barely brushing beneath his chin. If she had been smiling before, she was positively beaming at Scarlet, hesitating only a second before hugging her too.
"You must be Scarlet. It's so nice to have you here." She let out a deep breath, clapping her hands together just once. "Well, we should get you two settled in." She seemed nervous as well, but a career that had her standing in front of teenagers all day, trying to teach them something was enough to prepare anyone for awkward introductions. The man, presumably Jon's father, had come down the hallway, setting down a sandwich he had been putting together while in the kitchen. Jon pulled Scarlet in the doorway so they could close it behind them.

Another room split immediately off the first, and it was obvious from first impressions that the house wasn't spectacularly large. It was big enough for a family of four, however. A blue light spilled in from that first room, where the sound of a tv played quietly, and through there the darkened dining room was visible. It was clean, and fairly modern inside, with a neutral color scheme throughout most of the house, no sign of dated wall papers or odd antiques.

The man stepped forward, looking a little more lost than his wife. He wasn't quite as tall as Jon, and there was little resemblance except for the vague shape of their shoulders and something about the nose. He extended a hand to Scarlet with a kindly smile.
"Well, yeah, as you know, this is Scarlet Lancaster. Scarlet, these are my parents." Jon glanced down the hall, already knowing that this would be the only introduction. Mandy followed his gaze, her smile slipping noticeably, something apologetic in her expression as she turned back to the two of them.
"Paul would be here too, but he's out with friends for the weekend." She nodded slowly; it was apparent to Jon at least that it had all been arranged that way, but it was for the better, so he really had no complaints.

"Here, I can take those for you." Mike Brass' gruff voice cut in, and he picked up Scarlet's bags in one hand. The other he extended toward his son, hesitating, before clapping him on the shoulder, looking a little confused and cold, as if he wasn't sure what the protocol was for welcoming someone home after they had punched you in the face. Turning around he started off down the hall with Mandy's instructions on where to take the luggage, while his wife turned back to Scarlet and Jon.

He had taken hold of her hand again, rather tightly too, as his mom led the way to the kitchen.
"Now, I have the guest room all set up downstairs." She laughed, looking a little more relaxed while she delegated. "I was thinking you could stay on the couch, and Scarlet could have the room, since she's the guest-"

"We're good." Jon's voice cut across her's sharply; his face was set rather darkly, so she just shrugged, seeming to mentally backtrack, her smile fading just a little again. Jon looked away, pretending to study how the kitchen had changed since he'd last been there, knowing full well that he had just let his powers influence the room, and that his mom knew it too.
"Uh- alright then." She summoned her smile again, apparently as kind as before, though admittedly a bit more reserved, as Mike came stumping back up the stairs. "I expect you two are tired after traveling all day, so feel free to head down whenever you want. Or I could get you something to eat, and you can just watch some tv." She looked first at Jon, but he was apparently determined to look as stoney-faced as possible, so she turned her smile on Scarlet instead.

[SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER]

There wasn't much time to process everything. There was something about the way that Jonathan's mother said that her other son was away for the weekend that made Scarlet's bright face lose it's naturally sunny tint. That wasn't fair. She would have kept Jon in check, and she had been looking forward to meeting his brother. But if that was how it was going to be, she nodded slowly as she explained, before frowning and grabbing Jonathan's arm, looking up to him.
"That's cheating." She hissed in his ear when she felt the room darken slightly. To counter-act it, she smiled brightly and shook her head, looking appreciatively towards his mother, taking her hand gently. She could make people happy without even using her powers, so she just patted the woman's hand and grinned sweetly.
"Don't mind him. He's being grumpy because he hasn't eaten." She stepped on Jonathan's foot when he tried to protest, and laughed softly at his mother. No, she needed to make this work, so she would accommodate this woman's rules, since it was her home.

"Really, thank you for considering my privacy. I'm sure he'd be happy to sleep on the couch. Right, Jonathan?" She looked back at him, giving him a warning glare, before turning back to Mandy with a bright smile. No promises I won't pass out on the couch at some point, but I'll try to take myself to the basement to get my sleep done." She nodded and let go of Mandy's hand, before looking up to Mike. Jonathan needed to apologize. He seemed like the awkward type of man who didn't know what to do in any situation, let-alone get into a fight with his son. He probably felt guilty or something of the sort for even letting his son be tested on the way he was. They were probably carrying the blame. She looked up to Jonathan and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "what are you waiting for? apologize, or you won't get sex for a month." She let a frown appear on her face for a split second, before taking Mandy's hand again.
"I'd love it if you could show me to the kitchen." She gave the older woman a universal woman's "let's-get-out-of-this-hallway" look before letting Mandy lead her off to the kitchen, leaving Jonathan and his father alone in the hallway.

Once they were out of earshot of the boys, Scarlet glanced to Mandy.
"I'm making him apologize." She nodded firmly, crossing her arms across her chest in a matter-of-fact way.

[/quote]

[JONATHAN WARNER BRASS]

Jon cast a scowl Scarlet's way as she hissed in his ear, stepping on his foot as a reminder to behave. He straightened up slightly, feeling the reprimand quite sharply- and he had thought he was doing such a great job.

Mandy's whole face lit up when Scarlet took her hand, looking as if she might laugh as she watched her son interact with the girl, obviously bowing to her whims. She immediately got the hint, shepherding Scarlet away, much to Jon's dismay. He let her hand go, glaring after her the whole way, while Mike just rolled on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets.

Eventually Jon's gaze found his father's face. The two just stood there for a moment, Jon because he didn't know what to say, and Mike because he didn't want to rush him, both of them knowing why they had been left out in the hall.
"So..." Jon rubbed the back of his neck, searching for some way to break the ice. "Look..." He let his hands drop to his sides. "I...I know I shouldn't have acted out that way, the last time I came home. I'm sorry." He spoke slowly. "I'm sorry we got into that whole fight, and I'm-uh-sorry for hitting you." For the second time that night his faced reddened with embarrassment and he looked to the floor. It all sounded very formal, though heartfelt despite the hesitation. He looked up again, this time a little more sharply, more like himself. "But I want things to work out, I really do. For my sake, and for Scarlet's." He nodded to the kitchen. "I want her to feel like part of the family- I'm doing this for her, just like I'm-"

Jon's voice faded out of earshot of the two women as they entered the kitchen. Mandy went right to the cupboards, pulling out a little teapot.
"Good for you- he needs that. They both do. Tea?" Out of the way of Jon, she looked so much more relaxed, a little less frenzied. She wasn't normally as jittery as she had been in the hallway. With the initial excitement of the arrival over, it was clear that the woman was more level headed than she first appeared. She was nice, to be sure, but being an educator for wily teens meant she had her fair share of good sense. Still, she felt the need to explain herself, voice growing quiet.

"I would have tried myself, but..." She shook her head, pursing her lips, eyes downcast. "Dealings with Jon have always been on the tense side. But I'm sure you know that." She gave another soft laugh, as a startled "What?" from Mike punctuated the pause. Mandy's brows shot up but she said nothing, setting about boiling water, her back turned to Scarlet. "So, visiting the family. That's got to be a pretty big milestone, huh?" She had the tone of every parent who had ever tried to glean secret information by acting 'buddy-buddy' with a kid. But she smiled encouragingly, leaning against the counter when she turned around again, forcing back a grin to no avail. "I don't mean to pry, but it's a pretty special occasion for us too." She looked giddy enough to giggle.

[SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER]

Scarlet grinned slightly as Mandy flitted about the kitchen, raising an eyebrow a bit. It was weird to talk to an older woman. She took a deep breath and stared at her, eyes bright, as if she already knew something.
"Things will be better for you three and Jonathan. I promise you that." She nodded wisely. Including Jonathan's brother in this situation only seemed fair. Even if they weren't on the greatest terms, they would be. They had to be... Scarlet longed for a family, and this was as close as she was probably going to even get in terms of a mother, so she wanted to make this work. Sighing softly, she ran her fingers through her hair and pushed her bangs back, forgetting about the scar on her face, leaving them tucked back out of her face. Without a word, she walked over to the cupboard and pulled a dish of sugar down, helping Mandy set up a couple of mugs for the tea, placing a teabag in each, before smiling at the older woman.

"It's a big deal for me, too." She mumbled quietly, poking at the dry teabag with a spoon, before looking up with a smile. "I was really excited to meet you. I knew you couldn't be as awkward in person. and I was right. Jonathan has a tendency to be a bit extreme." She rolled her eyes and laughed quickly, shaking her head a bit. "Sometimes it's a good thing. I mean, he's a hell of an archer." She nodded over and over, naming off things that Jonathan was wonderful at. When she looked at Mandy, she was giving her a surprised grin.
"Sorry." Scarlet said awkwardly, looking at the kettle as it started to boil a bit. "I tend to blabber when I'm given the chance." The girl let out a nervous laugh and ran her fingers along the eyebrow that was now just growing through the scar tissue. She blinked a bit and held her fingers to her scar with a dumbfounded look before groaning inside her head. Great. Now that she had given away the fact that she was some sort of freak too, she couldn't take it back.

"Archery." She stated loudly, with a voice-crack, trying to keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks to no success. "Archery is actually how Jonathan and I met. He was really broody, so I said hello. His... Er... Unfriendliness didn't really have any effect on me. I blabbered on to him a lot, too." She laughed awkwardly again and shrugged slightly, stopping Mandy from pouring the water.
"I'll get that." She smiled politely and poured two cups of tea, placing the kettle back on the counter.
"So don't worry about using the whole mum-prying-technique. Just ask me questions, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability." Scarlet grinned and put a spoonful of sugar into her tea, drinking it happily.
"Thank you for the tea, by the way."