Jamie, Kitty, and a bookshelf.

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On a break from studying for finals, Jamie and Kitty put together a care package for Paige.



Math on the bed. English on the couch. History in his chair. Assorted other subjects in assorted other corners of the room. Studying for all his finals at once was definitely the most efficient use of Jamie's time, but it was starting to make his brain tingle, and not in the fun ice-cream-headache way. He looked up from differentials and integrals to smile at Kitty, stretched out next to him on the bed. At least the scenery was nice.

"So how's yours going?" he asked. "I think I'm gonna do okay with the calculus, here."

Kitty scowled at her English notes. "Glad to hear it. My brain hurts. Is it just me or is Holden Caufield truly the most obnoxious character, ever? Which means you just know there's going to be an essay question asking me to defend him as the archtype of the..." she flipped back through her notes, "anti-hero protagonist. God above. Who wants an anti-hero for a protagonist?"

"Welcome to the darker, more cynical world we live in," Jamie replied wryly. "Also, be glad you're not being asked to write an essay about James Joyce. I am pretty sure he was actually insane, wrote down his hallucinations as they occurred, and ever since then, English teachers the world over have been covering for him." He grinned. "My dad says that's nuts, but I think he secretly agrees."

"Ms. Munroe and I had words on Joyce. Hers were along the lines of 'intellectually stimulating and character building' and mine were along the lines of 'brain melting and failing', and I think she's given up on teaching him to me. Which is a good, good thing in my book. How's the history going? I saw Nate was cackling about the horribleness of the final on the journals, I think..."

"Ah, he just does that to throw us off our game, I think. The wacky mutant brain takes care of remembering the dates, and the interpretations . . ." Jamie grimaced slightly. "Okay, that gets tricky. I don't know why I do some of the stuff I do, and I'm supposed to venture a guess about why people did things a thousand years ago? I'll pass, I'm sure, but it's not gonna be a fun one. I'm kinda hoping the wedding softened him up a little."

"It's a delusion. A nice delusion, but a delusion nonetheless. And remember, you're the one who pointed out Dr. Mctaggart threw him over for the research a week into being married." Kitty grinned at him before stretching out on the bed. "I don't want to do this anymore... Am tired of studying."

"Ooh, it would be just evil to get his revenge in the form of my exam." Jamie wrinkled his nose. "Right, more history review . . ." He grinned lazily as Kitty stretched. "But maybe later. I could go for a study break."

"Study break is good. Later. Yes. First... Hmm. No more English. Am tired of English. Am going to pretend I need to study for my math final. Poke me when you want a break." She grinned at him, closing her English notebook and reaching down to snag her math book off the floor.

Jamie nudged her affectionately with his foot and turned back to his own math. "You're the only person I know who does completely unnecessary studying to relax from all the other studying." He frowned slightly, behind the book. "Well . . . no, there's Paige, when she's feeling all right. You think maybe we should send her a care package with some homework? Stuck in the medlab without any textbooks, she's gotta be going n--feeling pretty lonely."

"I think a care package would be good," Kitty agreed, turning serious. "Maybe not homework, but a good book or four. You know, the fun, non-stressful kind. Think the Prof and Dr. Grey would let us send in a letter? Just, you know, 'we hope you're doing better and we miss you', or would that be pushing it?"

"We could ask. I mean, the worst they can do is say no, but I can't imagine how it'd hurt for her to know we're thinking about her." Jamie set his math book aside and propped himself up a little higher on his elbows. "I know I'd wanna know, if it was me down there."

"Agreed. I hate thinking that she thinks she's all alone." Kitty propped her chin on her fists, ignoring the book open in front of her.

"Well, she's not," Jamie said firmly. "And we are very smart people, so we'll figure out a way to make sure she knows that."

"You think she'd like Dogsbody?" one of the other Jamies, who had put his history notes down to scrutinize the bookshelves, chimed in. "Diana Wynne Jones tends to be fun, and that's one of my favorites . . ."

"I don't know anybody who doesn't like Diana Wynne Jones, so my guess would be yes. Have you got Howl's Moving Castle? My copy's in Chicago?" Kitty asked, twisting around to get a better look at the bookshelf. "Or maybe some space opera to go along with it? Space opera is high on the non-brain taxing qualities of entertainment."

"Second shelf from the top next to the Narnia books," Jamie shot a mock-offended look over his shoulder. "And do I have space opera? Do I have space opera? Please." All the dupes snickered, and the one next to the bookshelf tapped the top one. "I only have every single word Lois Bujold ever published. What should we start her off with, do you think?"

Kitty elebowed the Jamie-on-the-bed for snickering at her. "Which would be why I didn't ask if you had any, just if you thought we should send any along," she said, sticking out her tongue in the general direction of the bookshelf. "And we start with Cordelia's Honor, of course. Always start at the beginning, and Cordelia rocks."

"She does indeed rock," Jamie agreed, pulling his worn copy of Howl's and the thick Bujold compilation off the shelves. "Wanna see if we can figure out some interesting and not brain-melting nonfiction?" He grinned reminiscently. "I remember, one of the first times Paige and I ever went out riding, we were introducing Rahne to horses, and she said she hardly ever read fiction."

"Then we should definitely try," Kitty said, considering. "Mind, most of the non-fiction I read is text books or... well, advanced textbooks. I know she doesn't do physics much, but she might like the Feynman lectures..."

"Oh, I liked those. Little confusing in places, but, y'know, you could tell the guy loved his subject, and it made some of the stuff you and the Doc go on about a little less brain-breaking. Wouldn't be surprised if Paige gets more of a kick out of it." Jamie eyed the little stack of books they already had, mentally stacking the Feynman on top. "Think that'll keep her for a while? We ought to be able to send her more when they run out, if they let us give her these at all . . ."

"I'd say this is a good place to start, yeah." Kitty scotted closer to the Jamie-on-the-bed's side, snuggling in. "I hope it helps," she said softly.

Jamie wrapped an arm around Kitty's shoulders, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "I think it will. And if it doesn't, we'll figure out something that does. 'Impossible' is a word for people who aren't about to graduate from Mutant High."

"Of course, to graduate, first we have to pass our last couple finals..."

"We do," Jamie said mournfully. "So I guess I'd better save the distractions up for later, huh?"

"It would probably be best," Kitty agreed, pouting a little. "Well, later then..." She flashed him a smile before turning back to her notes.