Donovan Residence
The top three floors of a five floor mansion on Fifth Avenue, the Donovan home is quite large. The outer walls are a beautiful white limestone with a wrought-iron gate blocking the entrance. The home has eleven large rooms and has wonderful details throughout including the original staircase, elevator to all floors, 11-foot high ceilings, hardwood floors, three wood burning fireplaces, a solarium with skylight and a great south facing terrace. There is a grand foyer on the main floor, a beautiful living room with three large windows overlooking Central Park. Other rooms include a formal dining room, powder room, a service kitchen and a staff room and bath. The next floor is the sleeping floor with 4 bedrooms and baths, including a spa like master bath. On the top floor there is a wonderful den that opens into a windowed eat in chef's kitchen that over looks the 400-square foot south facing terrace with views of the Empire State Building, a powder room and a solarium also looks out to the terrace. There are also two large storage rooms.
Characters
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| Siobhan Knight | Jenna Donovan |
Siobhan spent the afternoon fluctuating between uncharacteristically quiet and crazy intense. She showed off the cute new little sandals she bought (with her Platinum card) on her extended lunch, and then threw herself into teaching and paperwork the rest of the afternoon. She caught her mother sliding her a few curious and concerned looks and avoided getting trapped anywhere alone with Dawna Knight long enough to be questioned. Her earbuds had a home in her ears the moment they hit the car, and she sent a flurry of text messages to Jenna, to Preston, to Harper, and even a few to Chance and Quin. Just to have any excuse to not go there.
At home it was a quick shower, a quick brush through her hair and pulling it back in a ponytail and a quick wave off that she would be having dinner with Jenna. Free of the house, she breathes a sigh of relief and uses the walk to Jenna's to walk away the rest of the stress. If she glances over her shoulder every now and then, and jumps when two preteens on skateboards whisk past her, she laughs it off as nerves. A quick calming spell is cast before she gets to Jenna's, and then she's put the afternoon behind her. Not thinking about it.
"So, what's for dinner?" Siobhan asks once she's gained entry to the Donovan residence.
"Whatever you want," Jenna chirps from the kitchen. "Thai, Indian, Chinese, Pizza, Burgers… they all deliver." She was going to have the maid make them something, but she figured she could afford the splurge of takeout if she was careful and didn't eat too much.
"So yeah, I guess I'm a trampy slut now. Giving some guy my bra in the forest at the park."
Making her way to the kitchen, Siobhan goes right to the refrigerator. One bottle of Piere is grabbed, and twisted open as she nudges the door closed with her hip. "I feel like Pot Stickers and Hot n' sour soup." That's not news. If it's Chinese, Siobhan always feels like eating pot stickers and hot n' sour soup.
"Are you going to explain to me how you came to your new found trampiness or should I use my imagination?" Siobhan teases. "You know, I have a really good imagination."
Jenna laughs, and pulls out the folder of Chinese food menus. "Your choice. I don't know which one has the best hot n' sour soup. I do know which one has the lowest fat veggies and almonds though." Flipping through the folder, she slides a menu out and sets it on the counter.
"I was talking to Chance about the possibility of the whole water thing being me. So we went down to the lake, and I splashed him without splashing him."
Beat.
"Then I was reminding myself that we're only friends. Just friends, because I screwed up and he thinks I'm choosing him by default, and a rock dropped in the water in front of us and soaked us. He cast magic to dry our clothes, but I took the bra off while I was distracted and set it on his shoulder and I have no clue what possessed me to do it."
Looking at the menu, Siobhan nods her approval. "Chen Garden. That'll do." She flips open the menu, and scans the entrees, trying to figure out what else she wants to eat tonight. "They have that cute delivery guy, too." Yes, she's happily involved in a relationship, but that doesn't mean she's blind or dead.
Giggling she slides over and gives Jenna a light hip bump. "I'm so proud of you. Finally, all these years of training have paid off." It's definitely a tease because while Siobhan may have, er, lost a bra or two, she's never quite so boldly given one away. Not to a guy she wasn't dating, and the only guy she ever gave one to in a 'scandalous' manner was Jesse after a few too many beers and shots. And … she is not thinking about Jesse tonight.
"What did he do?"
"Get a chicken fried rice as well."
Taking down a few plates and napkins, she sets up a proper dinner 'table' at the island in the kitchen. Two wine glasses are taken down and will be used for their water or soda.
"He blushed, stammered, and folded it into his pocket." Jenna's cheeks heat up and she looks down at the napkin in her hand as she starts to fold it.
"I really like him, Shiv, but he's so intent on just being friends, and all I can think about is what it was like to wake up next to him."
While Jenna sets the 'table,' Siobhan places the order, chicken fried rice for Jenna, shrimp and garlic sauce for Siobhan along with her usual staples, though they'll both nibble from the other's meal anyway.
"Chance Harper, blushing and stammering. That's something I'd like to see," Siobhan remarks. The sorcerer always seems so composed and put together, but maybe that's because she's always keeping him on his toes, pushing his buttons and snarking at him. It's hard to get embarrassed when they're parrying wit.
"He kept it?" Siobhan laughs at that. "That has to mean something."
The witch rests her lower arms on the island and leans there. "You've got it bad." It's not said maliciously, there's a good deal of sympathy and understanding in those words. Siobhan has been there before. Very, very, very recently. For years.
"You either have to find a way to show him that he's not your Plan B, or … you have to be patient, and be his friend, and wait."
"Yeah, he kept it. What was he supposed to do? Leave it in a tree?" Jenna knows that he would've given it back to her if she asked for it, but she never asked. She also knows that he wouldn't have rejected it because he doesn't like to see her upset.
"How in the hell do I show him he's not my Plan B? I want to yell at Quin and blame him for this, but it's my fault. I should've said something to Chance when I spent the night, and I just couldn't."
Frowning, she picks out two pairs of porcelain chopsticks and sets them atop the plates. "Shiv, I'm not like you. What happens if, while I'm waiting, he finds someone else?"
Siobhan giggles at the imagery of Jenna's bra hanging from a tree in Central Park. "It would have made for some interesting reactions from passerbys if he did leave it in a tree." Beat. "Or good fluff for a squirrel nest." It wouldn't be the first bit of stray clothing found in Central Park, Siobhan knows. She found a bra at nine and watched her father turn different and interesting shades of red as he tried to find a reasonable explanation for it being there.
Twisting the cap on and off her bottle of water, Siobhan thinks about the question. "It's hard and it's scary. I never would have said anything to Harper. You know I didn't say anything to him that day we went to the roller disco? I was just going to suck it up and deal with the status quo because that's what I expected. I was so embarrassed that he could read my thoughts, and then so hurt when he told me about Jesse …" Biting her lip, Siobhan pauses and says very softly, "I halfway think he came clean just to stop me from going back to Jesse." Which she had been this close to doing.
"Maybe you tell him?" Siobhan suggests, pulling one of the wine glasses toward her. She pours water into it. "I know, you're going to say that you already told him, but tell him again. With you clothes on. Sit him down and tell him what you told me. That you think you screwed up because you didn't speak up before Quin came back home, that you were scared to tell him that night because you know he's not big into relationships like that." Easy for Siobhan to say when she was quite content holding her tongue.
"I think it says something that he didn't tell you that he wasn't interested. Maybe he really is just waiting a month or two to see if you're still interested."
"Oh god. My bright pink bra in a squirrel's nest? Can you imagine?" Jenna giggles at the thought, and then pouts a little. She knows Chance has a whole collection of things like that from other women, and she hopes hers goes in a different pile at the very least.
"You didn't have to. He can totally read your mind, which is cool and all, but puts him at an advantage that the rest of us don't have." Oh, sure. Jenna can make things move, or at least things around water… but she'd really like to know what's going on in Chance's head.
"I've told him. I've told him when I was dressed too. I've told him that exactly, but he probably thinks that I'm just telling him that." Wrinkling her nose she moves to one of the stools and perches on it. "I can wait. I mean, I've not dated in years, so it's not like I'm missing anything."
"Better than a leopard print one," Siobhan tosses back with a laugh. As far as she knows, Jenna doesn't have any leopard print undergarments, but Siobhan does. That she's never worn, that sit in the back of her underwear drawer and there they will remain.
"No I didn't have to, but if he hadn't been able to read minds? I still would have kept my mouth shut." Siobhan's not nearly as big at going for what she wants as people think she is. Not when it was something that important that could - and did - change everything.
"Then tell him again." Siobhan joins her friend at the island. "Or, if you really don't want to wait, the next time you stay over there and 'hang out' -" the witch pauses to put air quotes around the words, " - crawl into his lap, tell him in no uncertain terms that you chose him, and kiss him senseless to make sure he gets the message."
"Chance said I'd be making more of a statement with a wet white shirt with a red or black bra." Jenna clears her throat and blushes. "Then he mentioned something about a lack of a bra, and so mine came off." She's embarrassed that she did it, she really is. She doesn't think that actually helped matters either.
"I don't think it matters how many times I tell him, Shiv. Pres said I should get one of Harper's friends to ask me out, but I don't see how that'd help either."r Rolling her eyes at the air quotes, she says, "I really do just hang out. Saturday I took him for hotdogs and ice cream in the park. Normally, I just go over to watch movies or play video games." As in, she's not going over to hook up with him or anything of the sort. Just going over to get away from Sharper and give the pair some time together.
"Do you think that'd work? I mean honestly?"
"What did you expect him to do when you took it off, Jen? Cop a feel in the middle of Central Park?" That would probably have been a good tactical approach for plenty of guys, now that Siobhan thinks about it. Chance, however, for all that he's something of a playboy, she knows that he's not a sleaze.
"He was probably reciting baseball statistics in his head and picturing ugly wrinkled fat women in string bikinis." Jenna's naivete and innocence are sweet sometimes, though Siobhan has no idea how she's maintained such an air being around Siobhan and Preston for years. Rolling her eyes before her friend gets confused, the witch explains, "Blushing and stammering do not come from a guy who's not attracted. He's seen you half-naked. His mind went there." Other parts of his anatomy probably did, too.
"It might work," Siobhan shrugs. "Going out with one Harper's friends I mean. I don't know that it would convince him that you're serious, but it would make him consider how serious he is."
The witch sighs heavily. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm the one who wasted a year and a half on a cheating dickhead when I should have jumped Harper and made him see me."
"WHAT!?! Ohmigawd no. I wasn't expecting that at all." Jenna's cheeks blaze as she giggles at the absurdity of that. "I'm not as endowed as you, Shiv. I can get away without wearing a bra once in a while you know."
Beat.
"Yeah, probably. I don't think a girl's ever just handed him her bra before. Not like that. I think they get forgotten." Fidgeting, she rearranges the place settings again as busy work. Something to do.
"I don't know that it'd work. What if he decided I really wasn't serious about him, and it just ruins things more?"
Beat.
"Okay, I'll try that in a week or two. To give him some time."
"Hey, it's an approach I've seen tried before," Siobhan holds her hands up in defense, though she's giggling too. "You forget, I've gone to a lot more frat parties than you have." Drunk girls will do a lot of things for attention and to get laid.
She looks down at her chest and then gives a little shoulder shimmy with an impish grin. "I think I'd put out an eye if I went without a bra."
Beat.
"In the right bra, I might still put out an eye."
"Or, he steals them," Siobhan suggests. "Bras, panties. It's a trophy thing for guys, for some reason, I guess. Though I still point out to you that a guy you're not dating has possession of your bra, and my boyfriend doesn't have any of my undergarments." Siobhan gives Jenna a mock-scornful look. "Tramp."
She taps her nail against the side of her glass. "No one said that you ask them out. But, if some other guy happens to ask you out, and you say yes? What's the harm in that? You're Jenna. It's not like you're the sort who would shoot some poor guy down and bruise his ego."
"It's not an approach that I'd ever take though!" Jenna laughs at the shoulder shimmy and then sighs. "I mean, I don't hardly have breasts at all." She does, they're just not as generous as Siobhan's.
"I don't think he steals them. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to steal them. They likely give them to him or leave them behind." She just can't see Chance as the guy that would steal a girl's clothing when so many would likely gladly give it to him.
"I don't know… I have never felt about a guy the way I do about Chance. I think I'm honestly falling for him. Hard."
"Oh, you do too. You have an awesome body, boobs included. Be glad you're not sporting a set of Dolly Partons." Her brother never said he could use her bra to sling watermelons.
Sliding half off her stool, Siobhan gives her friend a tight, one-armed hug. "Then, just wait it out. I know it's hard, and it's easy for me to say, but maybe it's what you need to do. Just keep spending time with him and being friends with him, and let him know you're interested in little ways."
Beat.
"Did he say he wasn't interested or did he say that he needed to be sure that you were sure?"
"Please, you're not that large. Maybe cantaloupes." Jenna bites her lip, then giggles as she hugs her friend in return.
"I've been trying to do that. I invited him to the play. I don't even know when it's going to be open, but I told him as soon as I knew, I'd get him tickets for opening night. You and Harper will be coming too."
Beat.
"The latter. I mean, I'm pretty sure he's interested. Or… well he was before Quin came home anyhow."
"Good things come to those who wait, right?" Siobhan says, giving Jenna another squeeze.
"What does Quin coming home have to do with him being interested? Why would Quin suddenly having a girlfriend make him not interested?"
"Only if their names are Siobhan and Harper," Jenna replies with a grin.
"Well it doesn't make him not interested. I think it just makes him wary, that I want to be with him for the wrong reasons. You know, like Quin coming home with VegasGirl." Jenna refuses to call her Kay when Quin isn't around. "I'm really envious of what you and Harper have. I want that some day."
"And I believe that you'll find it someday. You're too awesome to not find the perfect guy to spend the rest of your life with," Siobhan says sincerely. She means it, too. She always figured that Jenna would find that guy before she did, if only because part of her believed Harper wasn't interested.
"We're going to have our kids grow up together, remember?"
"We are. If you know, I ever find that perfect guy." Jenna's fairly certain that she has, but things are complicated now. "It might take me eight years to find him too, you know. So I hope you aren't wanting children any time soon."
The phone rings, and she hops off the stool on the wall. Grinning as she answers it, she says, "Sure, Dale, send them up."
Hanging up the phone, she nods. "Food's here. You want to get it?" Grabbing cash from her purse, she hands it to Siobhan, and then blinks.
"Shiv, what the hell happened to your arm?"
Siobhan shakes her head and snickers. "I'm not even married yet, Jen, and I'm not going to start thinking about that seriously until we're both done with school. Then the time it takes to plan a proper wedding, we're looking at least another year or two after, and I'd like to enjoy married life before bringing kids into it." Yes, the witch has put a little too much thought into it, but she's still very flexible on her timeline. All that matters is that she's marrying Harper someday. When she's twenty-two or when she's thirty, makes her no difference.
"I'll be food girl," Siobhan agrees in a sing-song voice with an enthusiastic nod. "Don't you want to sneak a peek at the arms on the delivery -"
Startled, Siobhan glances down at the arm nearest to Jenna and she blanches inwardly. She hadn't noticed a bruise, and obviously no one else had either. "Nothing, it's no big deal." She waves the cash in hand, "I'm going to go pay for the food."
"Dawna's already got the entire thing planned, you realize. I'm sure she's been talking to mother about it." More likely Jenna's father, but they both know that. "I bet you'll be married as soon as Harper's done school and has a career underway." Which she believes will be sooner than they both think. The way they look at each other says it all.
"It's not nothing. It looks like someone grabbed you." Sighing, she lets it go while Shiv goes to pay for the food. "Okay, you do that. Then I want the deets."
Giving a dramatic eyeroll, Siobhan sighs. "Which is exactly why it will take a good year or two to come together. You know I've had my perfect wedding planned since middle school." Siobhan scrunches her nose. "I'm going to have to convince Mom that my ideas really are her ideas and perfect ones at that." She's in no rush. It'll happen when it happens.
There's a thought that tickles the back of her mind and Siobhan giggles. "Though it is almost like my father got his wish. A perfect little arranged marriage." Harper is already family, and she knows that both her parents approve.
Slipping off to get the food, Siobhan's thoughts go to where she doesn't want them to go. She's been trying to forget about her terrible afternoon encounter, but it's come back to haunt her.
The witch pays for the food and gives the cute delivery guy with very nice arms a nice tip and a beautific smile, and returns to the kitchen with the food. Setting the bag on the island, she rubs her arm subconsciously, wincing just a bit at the ache in the touch. She'll have to see about healing that up after they eat.
"You know, just because you're in love with Chance doesn't mean that you couldn't oogle the delivery guy."
"Yes, well perhaps you should start arguing with her now, because it'll take you two at least a year to agree on things." Jenna bites her lip as she grins. She doesn't have that much set in stone for her own wedding. She'd just like to incorporate a little bit of red into her dress. Not that she's got a wedding to plan, or even remotely close to her in the future. It'll be ages before she's got to worry about things like that.
"He got lucky is all. I'm sure he'll be happy with the two of you as long as he doesn't get any grandchildren too early."
Jenna waits quietly while Shiv takes care of the food, and then frowns when she comes back. "I never said I was in love with Chance! I just really like him."
Beat.
"Now, what happened to your arm?"
So much for distraction tactics.
Siobhan begins removing the food products from the bag, in their neat little cardboard and plastic containers. Opening the main dishes, serving spoons are placed inside. "Daddy is happy. He really likes Harper. You know he used to tease me about Harper until one day he just stopped." Beat. "I'm pretty sure he clued in that I really did like Harper."
Peeling the lid off the soup container, Siobhan uses the mini-ladel to add some to her bowl. She's avoiding Jenna's gaze, concentrated on the soup. "I ran into Jesse today. I had a long lunch and I wanted to head down to Chanel to see the new line, and I ran into him. We sort of argued and he grabbed me in the heat of the moment." She punctuates the explanation with a shrug, though on the inside her heart skips and there's that remembered panic from the surprise and intensity of the situation.
Forcing a smile, she reaches out and produces the special treat. "I got spring rolls."
"I'm going to kill him," Jenna says when she feels that panic coming from her friend. Rushing toward Siobhan, she wraps her arms around her and gives her a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Shiv. I'm sorry he's an ass. You should call the cops and file a report."
Offering a smile, she forces the distractionary techniques to work. "I think everyone is just so happy for you. I know I am. I get to have the sister I always wanted."
Beat.
"Spring rolls! Ooh, gimme one."
Siobhan smiles at Jenna's forced enthusiasm, though it comes nowhere hear her eyes. "I knew you couldn't resist spring rolls."
Now that her mind has gone there, it's hard to get it back on track and the last thing Siobhan wants to do is dwell. She absently rubs her hand over her arm. It wasn't even the things that Jesse said; it was that moment when she thought that he might really and truly hurt her. More than a bruise on her arm.
Inwardly shaking her head, she spoons a healthy serving of white rice onto her plate. "Let's talk Operation Land Chance. When's the next time you're going to see him?"
Jenna giggles, and wiggles her nose. "You know me too well, bestie." She still thinks that Siobhan should call the cops on the creep, but she'll do the next best thing; talk to Harper about it.
"Did they put in the good plum sauce, or just the squeeze packet stuff?" Digging in one of the bags, she tries to find a little container of the homemade stuff that Chen Garden is known for.
"I don't know. We don't really have anything planned per se. I surprised him on Saturday. I suppose I could… drop by the firm on Wednesday with lunch, or a basket of something for him, but I don't want to push it."
"I asked for the good sauce," Siobhan says, watching her bestie dig in the bag.
"Nothing stopping you from doing that." Siobhan adds shrimp and sauce to the top of the rice. "I mean, you took Quin a huge candy basket at work when he missed the movies, right? I'm sure we can find some excuse for you to take Chance lunch. Tell him that it's an apology for getting him wet and you'll keep him dry this time."
She's quiet for a moment then, pushing the rice and shrimp and vegetables around on her plate with her chopsticks. "It wouldn't do any good to call the police. It would be his word against mine, and what could the cops really do about it? It's not like he's stalking me and came after me." At least Siobhan hopes he isn't.
Good sauce procurred, Jenna smiles. "Yay! Spring rolls are honestly better with this stuff than the squeeze packets." Not that she'll use the squeeze packets anyhow considering they've got plum sauce in the fridge, and she'd use that over the teeny portions any day.
"The difference is, Quin works at a nightclub. Chance works at a law firm. Maybe I should bring enough food for everyone?"
There's a bit of silence as she eats some of her rice, and then makes a face. "You need an alarm spell. One that will let you know when he's getting close or something. And if he comes after you again, put your phone on voice record. Then you'll have something to take to the cops. I swear I just want to tear his balls off and shove them up his ass for what he did, and what he's doing to you."
Siobhan doesn't give Jenna grief over her sauce choice. She prefers the special plum sauce over the mass produced and packaged stuff as well.
"Or, you could call Chance and tell him that you're taking him to lunch to make up for getting him wet. Then have him meet with a picnic or something." Beat. "Or bring enough food for everyone. Lawyers have to eat too."
Siobhan thoughtfully chews a bit of rice and shrimp. "It was a random encounter. I can't do an alarm spell anyway. His sister is taking dance again. What if he brings her or picks her up? Do you know how annoying that would get?"
"I think he just got mad because I told him that I'd moved on and he wasn't all that," Siobhan shrugs.
"See the first one would be me trying to get him out on a date. The second would just be friendly." Jenna's not sure what she wants to do. The first would likely be less embarrassing for him, but the second is a nice thing to do and she's well aware that busy people don't stop for lunch.
"It doesn't matter why he did it, Siobhan. He hurt you. I know you're going to get upset with me, but I am going to let Harper know." Chance too, likely. And Quin. Just so they can all be on the lookout for Jesse the Jerk.
"Flip a coin?" Siobhan teases. "We both know you want to get him on a date. If he accepts then you're one step closer."
As if there was anyway to not tell Harper. Siobhan's just glad that he isn't home right now, because the thoughts and memories would be there front and center. "I wasn't trying to explain his reasoning, I was just pointing out that it wasn't like he pounced on me from some dark corner or was lurking to drag me into some dark alley."
Beat.
"I doubt that he'll even talk to me if he does come by the studio, and I'm going to avoid him anyway." Siobhan really doesn't want anyone making a big fuss. Next time, if there is a next time, she'll use her 'witch fu' and take him down a peg.
"Maybe I'll take lunch in for the firm and suggest that we take ours outside if he can afford the time. That's the best of both worlds." And that way she doesn't have to make a decision. She'll just call ahead to ask the secretary how many people are in the office that day and get enough food for everyone.
"I know you weren't. I'm just saying that he's a jerk, and he's not going to let it go. I didn't tell you what Chance told me about him, did I? They used to share a dorm, and he'd tell his friends exactly what he was up to with you, and with every other girl that he was cheating on you with. Full details. I really want to kill him."
"Then we have to find you the perfect outfit to wear. Cute and flirty, but not too date-like." It'll be a very sweet gesture and earn Chance a few brownie points around the firm.
Siobhan takes a few spoonfuls of the soup, blowing it gently before eating. "You don't think he will? What's the point of harassing me when he can have any girl he wants? Evidently that's something he's good at."
The color drains from her face at Jenna's last words. It's been difficult enough holding her head high, and trying not to feel like an idiot for how Jesse disrespected her and played her for a fool. Hearing that tidbit just hits her like a punch in the gut. "Everyone knew?" Beat. "Chance knows?" Not that he knew Siobhan back then, but he knows her now and …
She stirs the soup in the bowl, not really seeing it, mortified and embarrassed.
"Yes, the outfit is going to need to be perfect. Enough to show everyone there that I'm interested in Chance, but not so over the top as to be frowned on at a law firm."
Jenna uses her chopsticks and eats a little more of the rice, before she opens up the container of good plum sauce for her surprise spring roll.
Exhaling a sigh, she holds her hand up. "I don't know what all was said, I didn't ask. I just know that Jesse is a braggart and a jackass." Biting her lip, she hops off the stool and just wraps her arms around her friend. "I don't know what Chance knows exactly. He didn't stay in the dorm long before moving in with Quin. He just knows that Jesse used to brag about having a hot girlfriend from Dalton." Actually Chance said a whole lot more but Jenna doesn't think her bestie wants to hear it.
"What was it your mom used to say? You've got to kiss a lot of toads before you find your frog? Jesse was just a wart on a toad, and Harper is the Prince Charming you get after kissing that frog."
"At least he said I was hot?" Siobhan tries to laugh and put a good spin on it. Really, though it is embarrassing. Humiliating. She knows that Jesse is the one in the wrong, but what does it say that she was the fool for so long?
"You're saying Harper is my reward for putting up with Jesse?" Siobhan asks with a faint smile. He is her Prince Charming, Jenna is right about that. "Maybe I should scrap my wedding plans and do a whole fairy tale princess theme instead."
"At least he said that," Jenna says quietly. She doesn't stop hugging her friend, but she does say, "You know, he's the one in the wrong, right? You saw what you wanted to see, and there's no reason to be embarrassed by that. If you remember, I dated Preston."
Not that Pres is an ass, just very obviously gay, even back then, but Jenna didn't want to see that.
"Pretty much. He's your Froggie Prince, and you and he can have a million froggie babies, and you'll finally be my sister."
Siobhan accepts the hug gratefully and wraps arms around the other young woman in return. "I know. He's the jackass but I still feel used. Stupid. Like I should have known better."
There's another faint laugh, this one less strained and more sincere. "Yes, you did date Pres, but he was a little in denial … or confusion too, so that helps."
"I think a million babies might be a bit much. Two. Three if I get twins on the first go round." As much as Siobhan does love her brother, she's always envied the relationship that Jenna and Harper have. If she wasn't a twin, she'll wish it for her children.
"Harper is going to be pissed that I didn't tell him right away. I just wanted to forget about it."
"Well you shouldn't. You couldn't have known. He was a charming snake." Jenna finally releases her friend and sighs.
"But it was so obvious when I look back on it. It's a wonder I didn't see it." Laughing, she nudges her bestie then gets back up on her stool. "It's possible, for twins. I mean, it runs in our family. What would you do if they weren't witches? I mean, what if the empath gene is stronger?"
Beat.
"Harper will get over it, if you explain it to him. I'll tell him, and just tell him I had to pry it out of you because you were hurt."
"I hope he gets his someday," Siobhan murmurs, sliding back up on her stool as well. The witch really doesn't wish ill on others, but she does want Jesse to get a taste of his own medicine. She hopes that karma does exist.
"It was pretty obvious," Siobhan laughs. She lifts a pot sticker with her chopsticks. "Jen, they're going to be my kids. Mine and Harper's. So long as they're healthy, I'm not going to care if they're little witches or little empaths. I'll be useless to them if they are empaths, but that's what they'll have their dad and Aunt Jenna for."
The witch takes time to bite and chew the pot sticker. She chases it with water. "Maybe I should be the one to tell him. I don't want him to think I was trying to hide it." Which she wasn't. Not really. Burying her face in the sand and forgetting, but not hiding.
"He'll get a penis disease that makes it rot off," Jenna says with a nod. She really believes that something like that will happen with Jesse. It would be total karma for him to get an STD that's incurable too.
Dipping a spring roll into the plum sauce, she takes a big bite of it. It takes a bit to chew and swallow it all before she grins. "You won't be useless to them. You'll be mommy. Besides, maybe you'll wind up with one of each, or oOoOh… one with both. I wonder if that's possible."
Beat.
"You can tell him if you want to. I'll be here though if you need moral support, okay?"
"I just want him to be used, humiliated and embarrassed," Siobhan says. Sure, an incurable STD would be justice, but public humiliation would give him a large, bitter taste of his own medicine.
Siobhan blinks and thinks about it, then shakes her head. "Empathic witches? I'm not sure that would be a good thing. Could you imagine it if I felt everything that everyone else feels and could make things explode and levitate magically when I'm upset or happy?"
Beat.
"We'd end up nailing everything down, and relying on solar energy."
She eats a bit of her soup and entree before sighing. "I don't want to tell him. I don't want to deal with it at all, but I'm going to have to, aren't I?"
"Y'know, we know two great guys who happen to go to Columbia… I'm sure they could get an embarrassing picture of Jesse, or possibly we could just make a poster about what a scuzz bucket he is and post it everywhere." Or, Jenna can just use whatever new ability is developing and make it look like he wet his pants. Which, she knows, is absolutely juvenile, but a 20-something pissing himself would definitely be humiliating.
"Well maybe that's something that's just part of you? I mean, does every witch go through that?"
Beat.
"Yeah, you're going to have to tell him. Because it's better if it comes from you than me."
"I wouldn't want to bother Quin or Chance with my little revenge fantasies," Siobhan sighs and shakes her head. The way she sees it, they have other more important things going on and Siobhan's annoyance of an ex-boyfriend isn't something to waste their time on, and she doubts that they'd care anyway.
Siobhan shrugs. "I don't know. I did have those weird freaky little things that would happen when I first started to really develop my witch powers. Brooke and Chance think that the stuff that happens now is all related to maybe me developing sorcerer powers."
Beat.
She stabs at her food. "Maybe I won't have to tell him. Maybe he'll just, you know, hear it." The witch waves a hand at her head to indicate what she means. She can't lie to Harper, not that she wants to or has tried, but he reads her thoughts very easily. Maybe she's just that easy to read, or that open to him, or whatever, but it's hard to keep him from knowing what she's thinking.
"Well you won't bother them then. I will." Though Jenna won't do anything that will get either of them kicked off their respective teams, they can at least tell Jesse to shut his big mouth. Quin's big enough that just glaring at Jesse the wrong way would shut him up.
"It could be. I mean, you're dad's a sorcerer right? So, what if you're the first witch-sorcerer hybrid or whatever, and then you had witch-sorcerer-telepath babies." That's a whole lot of power for one little person to possess. Biting her lip, she whispers, "Maybe we better give you pillows for walls, and definitely solar power."
Beat
Toying with her food, she reaches into one of the containers and steals an almond with her chopsticks. "Maybe, but he'll probably prefer to verbally hear it coming from you. You may be thinking about it but that doesn't mean you want him to know."Logfile from NYC - Jenna.
"I really don't think they'd want to waste their time," Siobhan argues, seriously. It's not like Chance or Quin are so invested in the witch that her ex-boyfriend troubles would matter to them that much. Then again, if Jenna asked, maybe it would.
"It makes my head hurt thinking about it. Gawd, I never thought about that. My kids could like be the first generation X-Men." The witch grins and giggles. It's amusing because she isn't seriously thinking about kids yet, and it's a fun 'what if' game to play. "Or we could just go back to old days. Candles and water power. I'm good with water, and if I get tired, I'll just borrow you."
Siobhan grabs another pot sticker. "I think lots of things I don't want him to know and he doesn't always pretend not to know them." Yes, she's being petulant on general principle. She knows she's going to have to come clean to her boyfriend.
"I guess Quin and I better get our school started then," Jenna replies with a giggle. "When he started calling me Jean Grey, I mentioned that it would actually be nice to have a place for us to go to learn about what we are."
Beat.
"I think you might want to stay away from candles though. I mean, if you do what you do with electricity, can you imagine what someone coming into their powers could do with open flame?"
Sneaking another spring roll, she dips it in the plum sauce and sets it on her plate. "Shiv, you've got to tell him."
"Is Quin Professor Xavier?" Siobhan asks, joining in the joke. "Or haven't you found the professor yet?"
She bites the pot sticker, chews and swallows. "Maybe technology will advance by then and there will be some sort of new lighting that's magic proof. Or maybe there's a spell for that."
Beat.
"I'm going to tell him. I am. But he's not here right now and I'm not going to call him and bring it up on the phone."
"I think he is. After all it was his idea."
The spring roll isn't touched yet, though Jenna does drink some sparkling water from her wine glass. "Maybe. I'd just like a technology that could find other empaths so that I could talk to one." That wasn't her parents.
Speaking of parents, "Aren't your parents heading to the Hampton's this week?"
"We still have Quin's professor guy to talk to," Siobhan reminds Jenna. "He might know something. And my father has a contact. I told you about that. He deals with supernatural stuff and he might know something too."
<OOC> Siobhan says, "Ugh. Didn't reply to other part … hang on, I'll repose"
"We still have Quin's professor guy to talk to," Siobhan reminds Jenna. "He might know something. And my father has a contact. I told you about that. He deals with supernatural stuff and he might know something too."
"Yes, they're leaving Tuesday afternoon. I'm supposed to hold down the fort and be the responsible one and keep an eye on Chris."
"Chance has a contact too. He said we should go ahead and talk to the professor guy, and then he'll take me to his contact." Which, knowing how close the whole supernatural community seems to be in New York, could very well be the same contact as Shiv's father's.
"So… Chris is going to his girlfriend's on Friday, right? We are so having a party while your parents are gone. I work the early shift so I can help you set it up."
"Why am I not surprised that Chance has a contact?" After all, he knew his way around the Undercity far better than Siobhan did, and even knew to take them to Ansalem. She really should spend more time with the sorcerer and pick his brain.
"Yep," Siobhan nods and grabs a spring roll. She dips in plum sauce and sets it to the side of her plate. "How big of a party are we talking? Let's not Facebook or Twitter this and bring the NYPD down on us, okay?"
"You, me, Harper, Pres, Chance, Quin… and his girlfriend? Maybe a few of your friends from Juiliard, and a few of mine from Tisch?" Jenna shrugs her shoulders and grins. "As big as you want it to be. I can call Dylan's and have them send over a candy bar, and I'm sure Chance or Quin can take care of alcohol if you want to have some there."
Beat.
"You'll have the hot tub too, right? So we should tell people to bring suits if they want to?"
A bit more of the soup is eaten and Siobhan looks up innocently. "Mom said I should invite you or Harper to stay with me while they're gone." The witch waits while that sinks in, nibbling on her entree.
"I think we can do that. I'll have it catered too. Nothing fancy. Wings, cold cuts, sandwich meats."
Beat.
Siobhan grins wickedly, "Damn straight, we'll use the hot tub."
"Me or Harper?" Jenna squeaks at that and then grins. "So he'll be spending the week at your place?" Hopping off the stool, she dances around the island and does a pretend cheersquad routine.
"Maybe I can finally invite Chance over here for movies without being distracted by my two favorite lovebirds!"
Beat.
"That was overly excited of me, wasn't it?" Giggling, she rinses her plate in the sink and sets it in the dishwasher. "Tell you what, we should get a sundae bar too. I've heard they've got some pretty cool flavored vodkas that would make interesting floats…"
"Stop that!" Snagging an almond with her chopsticks, Siobhan flings it at Jenna. "I haven't invited Harper yet. For all you know, he might say no. Maybe he prefers sleeping in his own bed to mine."
Beat.
"We aren't that bad. When the three of us hang out together, all we do is cuddle." No making out, no over the top flirtiness. All right, yes there are more than a few stolen kisses when Jenna isn't in the room, but they do try to behave themselves.
"Sundae bar. Check. For flavored vodkas…"
"He'll say yes, because I'll pack him his bag and send him over to your place to protect you from Jesse." Ducking the chopsticks, she giggles. As the porcelain hits the floor, she bends down and picks them up, setting them in the sink. "No, you're not physically bad. It's the emotional stuff that I go to Chance's to get away from. I don't mind though, because I can hang out with people other than you. Pres offered to do a Broadway night with me too. Hit up the matinee of one show, the seven o'clock of another, then rush down the street to hit the nine before a late dinner." Which they used to do all the time, so it'll be fun to hit it up again.
"Vodka flavors for a sundae bar, you'll need chocolate and vanilla. Cookie dough? Orange, to make something that tastes like a creamsicle…"
"I doubt Jesse is going to show up on my doorstep." Siobhan wouldn't answer the door if he did.
"If behaving ourselves isn't helping, then I suppose we should stop with the restraint. Next time I'll just jump in his lap and shove my tongue down his throat." Siobhan carries her empty plate and bowl to the sink and gives her friend an impish grin. "Or maybe give him a little lap dance." She wouldn't, and they both know it. Not with Jenna present or with any kind of audience … though the lap dance idea does have some merit …
Clearing her throat, Siobhan asks, "How about whipped cream?"
"Yes, but you can use that as an excuse to have Harper there you know." Jenna rinses the plate and bowl as they're brought over, and then sets them in the dishwasher as well.
"I'll make sure to stock up on ones if you're planning on doing that."
Beat.
"Whipped cream? Well if you're going with that, then you may as well get cherry too. Banana if they have it? You could make a kick ass banana split drink."
Siobhan starts packaging up the leftover Chinese food. "Do you think I need an excuse?" She had been teasing about Harper not wanting to spend the week with her.
"Maybe I will," Siobhan laughs. "I'm not a trained exotic dancer, but I'm a dancer, I can improvise. It could be fun just to see the look on his face … " The witch does like getting a reaction from her boyfriend. "I promise not to subject you to it."
Beat.
"Ok, this party is starting to sound like a fun, good time. I'll have to remember to line up a cleaning service for Saturday morning, too. There's enough space that people can bring sleeping bags or air mattresses and crash too." If it's only a few people, it's not like it will be a huge deal. Her parent's bedroom will be off limits, unless she claims it, but it could be a huge slumber party.
"No, I don't think you need an excuse. Could you use one? Probably. Besides, it'll be a good way to make him feel needed and manly." Moving around the island again, she snags an almond from a box before Siobhan closes it up.
"What you do when you're with Harper is your business. Just don't do it in the middle of the living room and we're all good." Jenna can tease about getting ones and all, but watching her friend do a striptease for her brother? Really not high on her priority list.
"It will be loads of fun. A big party before we take off for the Hamptons. Chance is still coming as far as I know. Did you invite Quintin? Should we invite… her?"
"But he is needed and manly," Siobhan waggles her brows suggestively. Yes, she knows that those are implications her bestie really doesn't want to know or think about, and that's why she's teasing her that way.
"Oh, c'mon. I can give you a few lessons and pointers for when you decide to strip for Chance again." Siobhan bumps Jenna with her hip and then darts to the other side of the island before her friend can get revenge for the comment. She holds up a hand in defense, "Ok. That's it. I'm done. No more teasing you about Chance Harper." Siobhan isn't above telling the sorcerer to just buck up and go for it and stop being a wuss if he's interested in Jenna, though. Which she just might do.
"No, I didn't. I didn't want to until the two of you had talked, but I'll invite him tomorrow." Beat. "I guess we should. I mean, she is his girlfriend now."
"Then you should tell him that."
Jenna turns a bright shade of pink and reaches for the spray hose at the sink. Turning it on, she aims it at Siobhan and lightly sprays her. "I don't see that happening anyhow. I mean, I was wearing these underthings that Pres helped me pick out, and they were barely there at all, and he shot me down. Well not in a hurtful way, just in a 'maybe not yet' way." Which really is almost as bad, but she's trying to see the silver lining.
Sighing, she looks down. "Yeah, I guess we should. At least invite them both." Which means she'll be stuck in the Hamptons with three new couples, since Christian is likely bringing his girlfriend.
"I guess that just means Chance and I will have a lot of time on the tennis courts while the six of you make googlie eyes at one another."
Siobhan squeals and runs away from the spray hose, then turns a serious frown to her friend. "Do you think I need to?" The witch worries her lower lip with her teeth. "Tell Harper that he's needed and manly?"
"You said that he looked at least, which means you got his attention. Like we've been saying, he just needs to know he's not the rebound guy. Did you really want him to make a move on you if in the back of his mind he's wondering if it's a mistake because you're going to just move on?"
"Oh my gawd, we are not going to make googlie eyes at each other." There's plenty to do that doesn't involve making googlie eyes. "Well, Harper and I won't."
"I think that all guys like to be told that every once in a while." Beat. "But why are you taking anything I say seriously? I'm the girl who's never dated before." Jenna grins and then shrugs. It's true. She doesn't have much experience when it comes to these things.
"Like he pointed out, any heterosexual male in his twenties would have looked. It doesn't mean anything."
Beat.
"No. I don't want him to worry about that at all. It's why I'm not pushing anything, Shiv. I'll wait. I'm patient. If he winds up happily with someone else? I'll just become a nun."
Giggling again, she shakes her head. "Chris and his girlfriend will. I'm sure Quin and the VegasGirl are going to be all over one another. You and Harper will want to do coupley stuff too. I don't blame you."
"Because you know Harper," Siobhan points out. The twins are close, and though Siobhan has been friends with him for fifteen years, there are things she is still learning on a closer, more intimate basis now. Jenna might not have dated before, but she knows her brother better than anyone else.
She doesn't comment on the looking issue, but she rolls her eyes when Jenna gets to the part where she'll become a nun. "You will not. If he moves on and finds someone else, then you'll do the same. It just means that Chance isn't the right guy for you."
"We're also going to want to do stuff with our friends, you know? I don't expect that Harper and I will be hanging all over each other all the time." They do have separate interests and a few friends in the Hamptons that aren't in common.
"I do." That is the one person Jenna knows almost as well as she knows herself. There are still a few things that she doesn't quite get, simply because of the gender difference, but in most things she knows her brother well enough to tell Siobhan a few things.
"No it doesn't," she points out quietly. "You and Harper dated plenty before either of you admitted that you were right for each other. Even though the rest of the world could've told you that years ago." Jenna will gladly just wait, rather than wind up with her own JesseTheJerk.
"Yeah yeah, I know. I'm not complaining about basically being paired off with Chance due to circumstances. It's just not going to help my case at all."
"I always knew Harper was right for me," Siobhan scrunches her nose. "He's the one that took a while to convince." Privately Siobhan can admit it's better this way. They're different people now than they would have been five,or even one year ago. They know where they're going in life and what they want. Other than one another.
"It's not like you'll be throwing yourself at him."
Beat.
"It might. Maybe he'll pull his head out of his butt if he's spending so much time with you."
"Shiv? How did you know? I mean, was it some sort of feeling, or just you being stubborn and saying that he was right for you until it happened?" Jenna's only asking because everything is different with Chance. Even when she goes off into a babbling tangent, things are still really comfortable with him.
"I won't be, no. Just heading out to the ocean with him. Tennis. Things to keep us occupied when you guys do couple up. Maybe we can take a drive into Montauk. They do have some of the best seafood there."
Siobhan thinks about it. "It … felt … right." It's not really an answer and she knows it. Biting her lip, she reaches into the carry out bag, pulling out the handfull of fortune cookies. The plastic bag is has a thin layer of sauce on the inside, so it will be getting rinsed and going into the recycling.
"I was awkward around boys," Siobhan recalls. She knows Jenna doesn't believe it, because part of Siobhan's bravado developed as a front to hide how awkward she felt. It's the reason she joined the showchoir too. On the stage, front and center, forcing her to not turn into the turtle she wanted to be unless she was in the dance studio. "I always psyched myself up to talk to them, and worried about everything I said and did. It was never like that with Harper. I was always comfortable just being me. Like I knew he wouldn't judge."
A soft, wistful smile lifts her lips and her eyes dip down. Siobhan traces circles on the kitchen island with a finger. "When he would look at me? My heart would just leap and I'd get these butterflies in my belly, and I'd just get all tingly if he touched me… but I still always felt comfortable around him. Calm. I still do. He's soothing, Jenna. When I'm with him it just feels right like it's where I'm supposed to be. Even if I'm upset, it still feels so natural and comfortable."
Looking up, the witch gives a laugh and tosses her ponytail over her shoulder. She makes a face. "Yeah, I know. Schmoopy romantic dribble."
"Shiv?"
Jenna closes the dishwasher and bites her lip. She takes a wash cloth to the counter and begins to wipe it down.
"That is how I feel about Chance. Quin always made me nervous, like I was going to muck something up just by saying something, but from the moment we met Chance in the Undercity? I've been comfortable around him."
She continues with the counter, quietly for a few minutes, and then fidgets.
"That's why I'll just become a nun and wait. That is what I want. Even if I've got to just accept that we're going to be friends and nothing more? It's what I want. That comfort. I swear to god that just falling asleep with him on the couch, and waking up with him was the most comfortable thing in the world."
That's it. Siobhan decides at that moment that a certain sorcerer is going to be getting a wake up call where Jenna is concerned. He can hem and haw all he wants, but it really is time for him to either step up to the plate or go sit on the bench. Jenna probably won't like Siobhan talking to him, but it's for her bestie's own good.
Besides, the way she sees it? If Chance wasn't a little bit interested? He'd have told Jenna that out right. He just needs a little nudge in the right direction.
A subtle nudge.
"I know I keep saying it, but … be patient, Jenna. He will come around. Spending time together at the Hamptons might just be the perfect setting for him to realize that he's just denying himself the chance - " She can't help it, she giggles, " - to explore something awesome with an awesome girl."
"I am patient. I don't need to rush into something. Besides, he's not a relationship type guy right now. So I'm honestly good with just being friends." Jenna smiles softly, and then closes her eyes. "My schedule is going to be busy soon too. Classes are done until the end of the month, but after our week in the Hamptons, I've got choreography rehearsals to go to."
Beat.
"And work."
Opening her eyes, she giggles too, and then rolls her eyes. "How long have you been waiting to use that?"
"He might be, for you," Siobhan says with a wink.
She sobers again. "Most guys, when they hear that a girl likes them, if they're not interested, they run the other way. They may say 'we'll be friends,' but they run. Some do it really fast, but some are slow about it, but eventually they just aren't there any more. Chance hasn't gone anywhere Jenna. He has to at least be thinking about it."
Beat.
"Also, every time we get together? He does ask about you."
"Maybe, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I know who he is, and I don't want to change him. If he wants to change, then it's not going to be because I'm nagging him about it."
Beat.
"Chance isn't like that. He's very up front about things, and if he says he'll be friends with someone, he will be. Even if nothing else comes from it." It could be wishful thinking on her part, but Jenna's read his emotions. He really isn't the type to say one thing, and then run the other way.
"He does?"
"As if you're nagging him about it. He might just do it because you're you and he wants to be with you, did you ever think of that? I mean, he could be a playboy for the rest of his life, but I don't think he wants that."
Beat.
"But I'm not the empath, so …" Siobhan shrugs. "I could be totally wrong. Maybe his lifetime goal is to be the next Hugh Heffner."
Beat.
"Yes, he does." Siobhan pours the last of her water into her wine glass.
"I'm still not getting my hopes up," Jenna says quietly. If only because she really doesn't want to wind up doing the daydreamy thing only to have it crash down around her.
"He may not want to be a playboy for the rest of his life, but he's still young."
Beat.
"What does he ask?"
Siobhan shrugs, placing her bottle in the recycling bin hidden beneath the island. "Just how you're doing, if we're planning on hanging out or have any girl plans, that sort of thing."
"Oh, that? That's just friendly curiosity, Shiv." Jenna rinses the wash cloth, then washes her hands. Drying them on the towel under the sink, she exhales a sigh.
"You are going to have to help me pack for the Hamptons. Cute, sexy, and flirty clothing, but nothing that's too obvious okay?"
Siobhan doesn't think that's what it is at all. She's full of friendly curiosity and Chance didn't really start the Inquisition until after the whole Quintin-VegasGirl fiasco. If Siobhan had to guess, she'd think that Chance really had been standing back so Quintin could have a chance with Jenna, and once his roommate moved on, he saw it as the all clear.
She says none of that to Jenna, though.
"You got it. We may have to make an emergency shopping trip, too." The witch grins, "Cute, flirty and hot. Just enough to catch eyes and maybe remind Quintin what he's missing too." Because Siobhan knows that being checked out by a hot guy is a real ego boost.
"An emergency shopping trip? What do you need?"
Jenna rolls her eyes at her friend, and laughs. "You forget that I've seen Quintin's girlfriend. He's not missing much." She's good looking, and exotic, and probably a lot more experienced than Jenna is.
"But we can go for hot. Maybe a new bikini."
