Monday, noonish, on the front steps

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Jamie's breath steamed in the cold December air as he sat on the front steps, one arm around Kitty's shoulders, alternately craning his neck to peer down the driveway and gazing fondly at his girlfiend. His parents had called from the gas station in Salem Center, and were due any minute.

"You have nothing to worry about, I promise," he murmured. "I told them all about you and they know I think you beat sliced bread hands down. It's like math. Me equals crazy about you, my parents equal crazy about me--what's that one called, the reflexive property? If A equals B, and B equals C?"

"The communitive property," she answered automatically. "And since when has having nothing to worry about kept me from worrying?" Really, the only thing keeping her from pacing about the porch was his arm around her shoulders.

"Well . . . never, okay, good point. My mom might want to give you a hug, she's a hug person. She won't mind if you say no, though."

"Hugs are good. Hugs aren't all sorts of things which are bad, and thus hugs are good." She was pretty aware she was babbling, she just couldn't stop.

Jamie leaned over and gave Kitty what he hoped was a reassuring kiss. "See? You'll get along great."

"Unless, of course, they decide that I'm really just not good enough. Or maybe they'll be upset about the whole Jewish thing. Or, you know, any one of another half dozen things about me." Kitty kept folding and unfolding her hands, trying not to look like she was worried and generally failing.

"I think you're good enough. Way more than good enough. And they listen to me about stuff like this. And my mom's roommate in college was Jewish and they talk all the time still. And if there's half a dozen other things, I don't know about them." He pulled her closer. "I'm deliriously in love with you and that's really the only thing that matters."

Letting her head settle onto his shoulder Kitty simply said, "I hope you're right."

"I am. You'll see."

The low rumble of a truck engine drifted up the driveway, heralding the arrival of a ten-year-old, weathered blue Ford pickup. It came to a stop near the stairs, and two people got out.

Jamie's father was short and stocky, a lifetime of farm work showing in his broad shoulders and weatherbeaten face; he had sandy hair, blue eyes partially obscured by rather incongruous-looking wire-framed glasses, and he stood, hands in the pockets of his worn jeans, as solidly as if he had taken root in the driveway.

Jamie's mother, on the other hand, seemed movement personified, taking in everything with a bright, curious stare, her long dark hair sweeping around her shoulders. Her hands were delicate, graceful, and constantly in motion. When she saw Jamie and Kitty, her smile left absolutely no doubt about the family resemblance.

Especially when compared to Jamie's answering grin as he stood up and led Kitty down the stairs, squeezing her hand in one last reassurance.

As the sound of the truck got closer Kitty got more and more tense, and she made a conscious effort to stay solid. Not allowed to run away from this, she thought to herself.

Mrs. Madrox's smile helped relieve some of the tension and she stood with Jamie, letting him lead her down to meet them.

"Oh my God you've gotten so tall!" Jamie's mother said as her son drew close enough to gather into a hug. Jamie rolled his eyes, dropping Kitty's hand long enough to return it, and receive a brief back-slapping embrace from his father, before stepping back.

"Mom, Dad," he said proudly--his mother's eyes lit up in hopeful anticipation-- "this is Kitty. Kitty, my mom and dad, Joanne and Daniel Madrox."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you at last! Call me Jo. Can I give you a hug, dear? Jamie's told us so much about you." Mrs. Madrox was all but bouncing on the balls of her feet in her excitement, and Jamie's father pushed his glasses up his nose with one blunt finger, offering his own slow smile.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Mrs... Jo." She can't help but smile at her energy. "Yes, of course you can."

As Jo swept Kitty up into a warm hug, Dan Madrox met his son's eyes and grinned. "You warned her about the hugging, right?"

Jamie snickered. "Yeah, just in time."

Jo stepped back and smacked her husband playfully on the shoulder before favoring Kitty and Jamie with another brilliant smile. "There's no harm in a hug. And we were so happy to hear Jamie'd met somebody nice."

Dan tugged a lock of Jo's hair fondly. "Bouncing off the walls, in fact. And calling half the family."

"Mom . . ."

"Well, it was important news."

They're such a complete switch from her own parents that it's a little overwhelming, but Kitty manages to keep up, barely. And she only blushes a little bit...

"Well, um, welcome to the Mansion," she says.

Dan nodded. "Thanks. Jamie, you know where I can put the truck, right? Reckon we shouldn't leave it out here on the driveway, and then there's the stuff to bring in."

"And no peeking in the luggage, James Arthur," Jo added mock-sternly. "Not at this time of year. You either, Kitty. And is Alison busy today? I'd rather like to see her once we've settled in."

"Yeah, the garage is right over--" Jamie blinked at his mother. "'Alison?'"

Jo assumed an innocent expression. "You didn't think you were the only person we ever talked to, did you, dear?"

Kitty couldn't help but smile. "Alison's around, and probably not that far away since she knows you're coming today."

"Wonderful. Jamie, could you show your father where the garage is while the three of us find the guest rooms? Professor Xavier told us to take any of the rooms in the tower, which sounds lovely."

Jamie grinned, and snapped his fingers, creating a dupe and drawing a gasp and another hug from his mother. "You didn't tell us you'd been working on your powers!"

"Yeah, well, this is new."

"Go on," Kitty said, waving the dupe off in the direction of the garage. "Let's go find a room, shall we?"

Jo maneuvered to put Jamie between the two of them, flashing Kitty a wink--which Jamie didn't see, because he was too busy finding Kitty's hand again; he smiled at her, and murmured "Told you."

"Yeah, you did," she whispers back, smiling at both of them.