Third Floor Common Room - Monday Morning

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

Claire was in a great mood this morning. She felt like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders thanks to her conversation with Dinah last night. Plus there was the whole normal hormones thing.

And maybe thinking about Jon a little.

She was awake far earlier than she needed to be, so she headed down to the common room and found what she needed to bake some cookies. She put the radio on and might even be singing along a little.


[open as common rooms are!]

Comments

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

Claire turned and stared. A lot.

Cause, holy crap, Peter hadn't been kidding when he said there was someone who looked like him here.

Give her a moment, she's in shock.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

It had been a while since anyone had looked at Jess like that, and he turned around to see if maybe he'd missed something behind him. "Or I can go and leave all the cookies in your care?" he said uncertainly.

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry," Claire said, finally remembering her manners. "It's just... you must be Jess, right?"

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

It didn't matter how many times it happened - people knowing his name before they'd really met never got less creepy. "Yeah, I'm Jess," he said. "And you are...?"

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"Claire," she said. "And I, um... Peter is my uncle."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Are you from the future?" Jess asked, trying to figure out how that would work. "Or are you talking like, friend-of-the-family uncle?"

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"Really weird timeline discrepancy thing," Claire said. "He was a lot older at home. And he warned me that there was someone that looked like him, but I wasn't exactly prepared for it."

Yeah, she was babbling. "Cookie?"

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Uh, yeah, sure," he said, giving her a smile. "I didn't mean to freak you out, I'm sorry."

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"It's okay," she said, smiling back. "It's not your fault. And Peter did warn me."

She picked up her mixing bowl again, looking for anything to distract her. Of all the weird things she had seen, this was the most unsettling and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Or, okay, she could, but she really, really didn't want to think about it.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well I'm gonna hit him for not warning me," Jess said, thinking about the time he'd actually managed to punch Peter and he'd healed himself right back up. "For all the good it'll do, at least. He must be glad you're here, as much as he goes on about family and all."

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"There's no reason for you to hit him," Claire said, giving Jess an unpleasant look. "And actually, I think I was more happy to see him."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Everyone always seems happy to see him," Jess remarked. "Had you not seen him for a while at home?"

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"Uh, not exactly," Claire said, biting her bottom lip. "He and Nathan were... in an accident."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"He's all right though, isn't he? I mean, he's Peter," Jess said.

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

Claire shook her head. "The healing ability isn't failproof."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Jess said simply, letting that sink in. "I guess that kind of makes this especially weird, huh?"

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"Yes, but in a good way," she said.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Not in a way that makes it like I should leave you alone?" Jess asked.

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"No, definitely not," Claire said. "So tell me about you Jess. Do you have a crazy family like mine and Peter's?"

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Well, my mom's kind of crazy," Jess said with a shrug, not sure how much he wanted to talk about himself. "Does that count?"

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"Depends on what kind of crazy," Claire said. "Trying to take over the world crazy or breeding show dogs crazy."

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"Making jewelry to sell at Renaissance Faires crazy," Jess replied. It was better than doing drugs, but still, it was kind of out there.

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"That doesn't sound too crazy," Claire said.

[noboynextdoor.livejournal.com]

"She's crazy in other ways too," he said. "Though not as crazy as some of the people in the town I used to live in. They'd give this place a run for its money."

[wantstocheer.livejournal.com]

"Wow, that's kind of scary," Claire admitted.