Marie and Betsy: Breakfast of Champions

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After kidnapping Amanda for one of their regular pizza and movie night, Marie sneaks out in the morning to run across another brownstone resident.

Marie finished putting her hair up as she quietly closed the door to Amanda's room. Another pizza and a movie night had turned into a sleepover and she was trying not to wake the blond before she needed to be up for the bus run. Floating down the hall, she paused as she passed a door and sniffed. Then sniffed again. Looking concerned, she knocked on the door that the offending smell was coming from.

"Oh, come in," Betsy called from the kitchen. She pushed away strands of hair away from her face as she poked her head out from the frying pan, smiling. "I was about to have some breakfast. Care to join me?"

"Um," Marie said as she poked her head around the door, "Ah think you're burning whatever it is you're making." Taking another step into the room, her nose wrinkled slightly. "What are you trying to make?"

Betsy looked from Marie back toward the smoke emanating from the doorway. She disappeared back into the apartment. "Shit," Betsy cursed, her voice coming from the kitchen. "You wouldn't be opposed to bread and jam, would you?"

"Bread and jam sound..." Marie had been about to say 'Better than whatever that is on the stove' but decided at the last minute to say, "good" instead. "You're up early this morning."

Betsy tipped her head back out into the living room. She looked ruefully at Marie before nodding. "Since the New Year, I've been trying to find other means to occupy my time besides, you know, not being considered the unsociable one."

"Can Ah help?" Marie said, coming closer to the kitchen. "And that's an interesting resolution. Ah didn't even make any this year."

"No, that's quite all right," Betsy said from within the confines of her refrigerator. You'd probably make a better mess of this than I would and that's quite literally, saying something." She stood back up and smiled a beatific smile and carried the loaf of bread and jam toward the table. "If no resolutions then, what do you think the New Year holds for you? No more romps around the ring with your bra being held over your head, I hope?"

Marie's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a full minute before she followed Betsy to sit at the kitchen table. "How did you...you know, Ah don't think Ah want to know. Hopefully the New Year holds my underthings staying on unless Ah take them off...other than that? Good grades at school, successful missions, don't really think anything spectacular or more out of the ordinary than usual."

She imparted Marie a look of not to question the telepath and continued spreading jam onto bread. "Well, that's good." Betsy said with an impish grin. "I hate to see all those plans go down the drain without so much as a by your leave."

Taking a piece of bread, Marie began spreading jam on it. "And what does the New Year hold for you? Besides being less unsociable?" Taking a bite, she smiled at Betsy, very glad that they were eating the bread and jam instead of whatever had been left smoking in the kitchen.

Betsy smirked at the woman sitting across from her as she ate. Her expression remained thoughtful. "It's funny that you're not the only person to ask me that in the last few days. Though the attempts at being sociable are a new addition to my list, I realize that saying the rest might be off-putting. Let's simply just say that here's hoping the year is not filled with much suffering for all those concern. And if nothing else, let there always be jam."

"To jam," Marie said solemnly, holding up her bread in a mock toast before taking a bite, chewing and swallowing while she thought. "You know, Ah don't think there's a better wish for the upcoming year than that right there." She smiled hesitantly at the purple haired woman.

"You know, it's a wonder much of us aren't the religious type." Betsy said. "Times like these, one could always do with a little hope and faith." Finished with breakfast, Betsy stood, went toward the stovetop and grimaced. "Especially when I ever deem it fit to cook again. Remind me never to do this again." She peered curiously close to the pan and sniffed. "Ever."

"Hmm," was about all Marie could reply to the first part of Betsy's comment; but she was very adamant about the next part. "Ah do guarantee, if Ah ever see you cooking again, Ah'll stop you whatever it takes." She was barely able to hide the grimace on her face. "Ah think that'd be a world service."

"Then I'm sure this year will do without much suffering handed out on my part," Betsy said with a sigh. "Christmas was almost stressful."

"Oh? Stressful how?" Marie asked as she rose to clear her place. "Hopefully nothing too bad."

"Stuck in this madhouse without chance of escape," Betsy said with a smile. "Of course, pour some drink in the lot of us and we'll become a group of hippies."

"Ah just don't want to know how y'all managed to stay that trashed with very little alcohol sent in from the outside," Marie said with a raised eyebrow. "Not that Ah blame ya...can't think of many folk Ah could be stuck with for a week straight without going a little crazy."

"I...." Betsy started, laughed. "We didn't need much from the outside when we compiled our own private stashes. What I have in my apartment could keep London floating for a very jolly week. But that's neither here or there, we survived and that's all that matters not how. Mentally intact above all things."

"Then y'all are a step above and beyond the rest of us," Marie quipped. "But Ah'll keep in mind, the next time Ah'm sorely in need of a drink and can't find an open bar, come to Betsy's."

"Of course, we are," Betsy said calmly. "But just remember that this place is open to you when things get harried."

"Thanks," Marie said, slightly surprised. "Though you may want to run that past Remy first. Ah think his scowl deepens every time he sees me." Glancing at the clock, Marie grimaced herself. There was a paper at home waiting to be written. "Well, 'bout time for me to run. But we should do this again sometime. Except next time, Ah cook."

"Don't mind him, it's his natural state." Betsy waved off. "Besides, I haven't given up on at least making a decent omelette and now I'll have someone to have breakfast with."