Vanessa and Adrienne - Backdated to Tuesday Night

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

After returning from Chicago, Adrienne gets a visit from Vanessa to cheer her up.

"Do you think Santa will bring me a new nose for Christmas?" Adrienne mumbled when she opened the door to let Morgan into her suite. Except judging by the posture, the facial expression- especially the lips- and the eyes, it was Vanessa standing in front of her rather than Morgan. "I've been good this year, too, Vee! It's not fair!" The swelling hadn't gone down yet but the bruises were in full bloom, making her resemble a raccoon. At least the painkillers had kicked in.

Vanessa laughed at her friend, head shaking a bit. She leaned in and gave Adrienne a rather affectionate, but incredibly gentle, kiss to the tip of her nose. "No idea, love of my life, but I'll try to put in a good word for you with the pudgy man. He doesn't visit the brownstone since none of us have been good boys or girls, but I'm pretty sure he'll be stopping by the building next to ours." She giggled lightly and smiled, the look almost girlish.

A small red bag with the white cross of the Swiss flag was held up and waved in front of Adrienne's face. "I brought you sympathy chocolates. They specialize in champagne truffles they fly in from Switzerland that're handmade. And guess what's in the bag?" Another small laugh followed.

"Hopefully lingerie in your size?" Adrienne suggested with a smirk. She retreated to the couch."Though the painkillers seem to make me crave chocolate so I'm torn between having chocolate or you in Kinky Mrs. Claus lingerie..."

"Your boy toy might appreciate that one too much." Vanessa wasn't at all sure her own boy toy would be half as appreciative of her playing house in Claus outfits with Adrienne, though. Lex seemed the loyal sort even if he was still in boy toy territory. Vanessa folded herself up on the couch beside her friend and laid the bag full of truffles and chocolates in Adrienne's lap.

"He's not my boy toy," Adrienne replied, rolling her eyes. "I have no idea what he is. But speaking of boy toys, what have you been up to with Lex? I know you've been hanging out with him lately..." She dove into the bag of chocolates with enthusiasm, pulling a handful of truffles out and handing some to Vanessa.

The chocolates were pushed back into Adrienne's hand while Vanessa shook her head. "Those are for you. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate." She did lay her head on the other woman's shoulder, though. It was comfortable there and the cold weather always made Vanessa want to crawl under blankets with someone and curl up. "Lex and I are...figuring out where things are going to go. He doesn't really get the mimic thing. I mean, it makes sense. Different body, different mannerisms, different ways of speaking so different person, right? I feel so multiple personality disorder trying to explain it, though. I think he sort of gets it now, he just has to get used to it. And we're figuring out if he can. 'Cause nothing else can happen if he can't. I like being with him, though. He's...comfortable. Hmph, that's usually a bad word to describe someone, isn't it?"

"I know you aren't but I have to offer anyway," the brunette shrugged, gladly taking back the chocolates she had offered Vanessa."I think you might have used that word with Sam," Adrienne pondered, pausing to chew on a truffle. "But I think he's a bit... less comfortable than Sam? In a good way." In a 'not a choirboy' way, which Adrienne definitely thought was a good thing. "I'm sure he'll get used to it. I did, and I'm a stubborn bitch." She rested her head on Vanessa's for a moment before straightening up to return to her chocolates. "Chewing hurts my face."

"I am not melting those down to make you hot chocolate." There was even a little narrow-eyed look of indignance to go along with it. Teuscher chocolate was really good chocolate. Some of the best you could find, really. She wasn't going to go and ruin them by coking them down even if she wasn't fond of the confections.

With her warning glares subsiding, Vanessa refocused on the subject at hand. "I don't mean comfortable like easy. Sam was easy to be with. Lex isn't. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. It's just...no matter what Sam was always so accepting. He just swallowed everything down and smiled and was okay with it. And that, I don't know, didn't feel truthful to me after a while. He couldn't possibly have been okay with everything I've done, decisions I've made, that sort of thing. Lex I think can understand the shoot first, question second mentality I have better. I think I worry less that if he swallows something down and smiles that it won't be genuine. I think it got to the point where I didn't believe Sam was really that okay with everything, he was just saying he was. Maybe making himself be. Lex is comfortable in that way that you find people comfortable when you meet them for the first time and you immediately find a sort of rhythm between you."

"Lex is different comfortable," Adrienne agreed. The painkillers were making her extremely agreeable. And making focusing a little difficult. "Not less. Just different. Makes sense. I think he'd be okay with you shooting people. He's done some pretty scary things himself. I've seen them. Did you know that? But it's okay, as long as he gets to the point where he's comfortable with the personalities. Because all the personalities are my favourites. How come you won't make me hot chocolate? And how come you get a boy toy and I don't?"

"Your boy toy is defective, that's no my fault. We'll need to find you a better one." Vanessa grinned and then tilted her head so she could try to kiss Adrienne's cheek without lifting her head. All she managed was one on the woman's jaw. "I can make you hot chocolate but not with Teuscher chocolate since that is meant to be eaten." She reached into the bag, nudged the top off the box of champagne truffles and then raised it to Adrienne's lips. "Here, you, eat. And what do you mean you've seen the scary things Lex has done?"

"I saw some war scene with my powers when I read a book of his," she explained with her mouth full. "Battle scene thing. Then he told me about a time he shot a kid after a kid stabbed him. Maybe Kane is defective," she muttered glumly. "I get the going slow thing, not wanting to ruin our friendship, but it's a lot easier to accept that when you at least know you're his girlfriend because then at least you have the hope in your head of maybe getting to have sex one day. I'm not even his girlfriend. But we're still going out so I don't know if I can have sex with someone else or not. I want sex! Except not right now because my face hurts. Fucking Cammie," she pouted, eating another truffle.

"Stupid girl. Really can't stand that runt. And now I can't even offer you comfort cunnilingus." Vanessa started to grin, but the giggling took over before the expression could fully form. "Really should ditch the brat. She's a special level of messed up in the head, which is something coming from me, queen of defensive mechanisms come with entire bodies and lives!" She even made a little yay sound and a cheering gesture to go along with that.

Adrienne giggled at Vanessa's cheer, though she was beginning to wonder why Vanessa was still sitting with her instead of getting hot chocolate like she was supposed to be. "Old Me would have dropped her in a second, long before we ever got to this point," she replied. "I blame you and Kane for New Me. I trusted her." Her mood dropped along with her appetite and she put the chocolates on the coffee table. "I didn't even conceive that she could be lying to me, and I spent three decades perfecting the art of lying and seeing through lies. But I trusted her. And she fucking lied to me." That hurt, as much as the physical pain of the broken nose hurt. "My store manager didn't want me to hire her, you know? I had to beg. I wanted to give her a chance. To change, I guess. I gave her chances. And now I broke my nose." She let her forehead drop onto Vanessa's shoulder, blinking away tears. "I broke my nose 'cuz I trusted her."

"Not everyone deserves trust." Vanessa really thought she ought to break something of the brat's in return for her best friend's nose being broken but that was probably a bad idea. Mostly because she was sure she wouldn't stop at an eye for an eye injury and maybe progress toward something more hospitalizing. She'd punched Jean-Paul, she'd punched Adrienne and Vanessa had to wonder where Xavier's patience ended. She had to wonder where he drew the line and decided someone had to get their crap together or get the hell out because Cammie was obviously a danger to people around her. Even the ones that didn't mean her any harm.

Vanessa wrapped an arm around Adrienne and pulled her in close to her side. "I'm sorry your trust got you nothing but pain, love. Sometimes all people need is a chance to change, to prove they can and that they can be better. And sometimes they are rotten so far down that no kindness goes unpunished. I could use her for archery practice, if you want!" She might have sounded a bit too excited about that.

Adrienne had to think about that for a long moment, snuggling in gratefully against Vanessa's side. "Maybe not. She was hurt pretty badly by the Purifiers, I think making her bleed any more might lead to you getting arrested for manslaughter and I don't want you to find another bitch in prison... I like being your bitch," she smirked. "You can use the biker who punched me for archery practice, though, and a whole lot more than that as far as I'm concerned. I'm asking for Santa to bring him scabies for Christmas, though he probably already has that."

Don't laugh. Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh. Vanessa failed quite spectacularly at that attempt. "Oh, cupcake, your sense of justice is full of so much mercy. I really aspire to be more like you when I grow up. I never would have thought of scabies, which is really tragic. I'm overlooking all this amazing potential for revenge here!"

"But you said you haven't been a good girl," Adrienne pointed out, waggling an eyebrow at Vanessa from over her shoulder, "so I don't know if you could use Santa's magic to bring scabies to people, and I hope you can't bring it to them the traditional way, either. But maybe, if you ask me really nicely, I can ask Santa to curse some people for you. Because I've been good. Except I still got my nose broken! It's not fair!"

"No, no, I can only bring people syphilis and hepatitis the traditional way. I've really got to expand my repertoire." Vanessa waved a casual, dismissive sort of hand through the air as she said that. And then she cuddled in closer to Adrienne out of a gleeful sense of spite. "I'll get on that list of people you should ask Santa to curse for me. Can we give Cammie scabies?" There was an unmistakable hopeful note in her voice. "Y'know, for breaking your nose when you'd been so good."

"Well, apparently she used to shack up with one of the bikers I met, so chances are she's already got that," Adrienne answered. "We'll have to think of another gift from Santa for her." She frowned at Vanessa then, turning serious. "Cammie didn't break my nose, though. It was my fault. I was mouthing off to the bikers. You'd think I would have learned years ago not to mouth off to men. But I never learn, and then I get hit. I always deserve it," she explained ruefully, burrowing her face into her arm.

"You never deserve to be hit." The metamorph's voice was stern on the matter. Sure, she knew a fair few women who more than deserved to be hit. She thought Cammie deserved to be beaten bloody, personally. But she didn't think Adrienne ever deserved it. Especially not from that abusive asshole she'd been married to. Thank God he was dead or Vanessa would've been of a mind to get him out of the country and kill him herself.

Vanessa shifted where she sat, leg curling over Adrienne's lap and around her waist while both arms shifted to wrap around her. An affectionate kiss found itself pressed to the brunette's head. "I will happily maim, mutilate or kill every single last man who thinks he's got the right to lay a hand on you that hurts you. You got that? You never deserved to be hit in the past, you don't now and you never will." And she meant that. With every last bit of her being Vanessa meant it. The protective tone of her voice held a fierce edge.

Blinking away the tears that were threatening, Adrienne relaxed in Vanessa's arms and gave the blue woman a watery smile. "Thanks." She pawed at her eyes and shook her head at herself. "Now my nose is gonna run and it's not gonna be pretty," she chuckled. "But thanks. I tried to punch him back, and that's cuz of you, y'know. I got thrown out, but I bet I could have taken him. Next time," she smiled, toying with the ends of Vanessa's hair, "I'm just gonna have to take you with me when I go crime fighting and trying to solve mysteries in my Mystery Machine van."

Snorting, the blue woman shook her head. "Does that mean we need a talking dog? That Rahne girl would've been good for that. Pity all we have are catgirls. Maybe Catseye can be our Scooby stand in. Garrison can be Fred. You're Daphne. I'll be Velma. Maybe Amanda can be the other guy. What's his name? The one always hanging out with Scooby and stoned? Oh Shaggy! Yeah, she can be shaggy. And we'll solve crimes, get the bad guy and not get our asses hands to us. Much. Maybe."

Adrienne giggled at the mental image of Amanda as Shaggy before pouting at Vanessa, tugging playfully on her hair. "Wait, why do I have to be Daphne? I don't have glasses! Wait... which one is Daphne again? The cheerleader or the nerd?"

"The hot one we're all pretty sure is shagging Fred even though they carefully avoid ever making it too obvious where children can see. Or where Scooby is. Because Scooby's a pervert and would watch." Which she was pretty sure Catseye would too if she was feeling particularly cat-like that day. What was with cats always wanting to watch people get it on? They were worse than dogs.

"Definitely not me then." Adrienne made a face, but couldn't hold it for long before grinning. "Kane and I aren't shagging, and I don't think anyone thinks we are. If we went by people thinking I'm shagging someone, you would probably be Fred, Sassafrass." Her head was aching from the events of the day so she shifted on the couch until she was lying down, taking Vanessa with her. "I think I've gotta interrogate Kane's sister in Australia to figure out whether I'm ever going to shag him or not. Hey, so who was Velma shagging then? Shaggy?" Adrienne waggled her eyebrows and nipped at Vanessa's nose playfully. "You and Amanda, I like that."

Vanessa's nose wrinkled and she shifted a bit on the couch until she was laying comfortably with herself still wrapped around the other woman. "You missed the bit about me not getting involved with coworkers and the bit about how Lex and I are figuring things out, huh? And I think Shaggy and Scooby were having a weird, beastiality thing anyway. Velma wasn't fucking anyone. She was busy suffering from underappreciated smart girl syndrome. Tragic."

Adrienne poked Vanessa in the shoulder. "I said I liked the image, not that I expected you and Amanda to get married. And eew, Shaggy and Scooby. Wait, who's Scooby again? I'm having trouble keeping up with who's in the gang now," she pouted. Except the painkillers were very, very yummy. "Do you suffer from underappreciated smart girl syndrome? I appreciate you." She kissed Vanessa on the forehead but bumped her nose on the blue woman's cheek and cursed.

"Add you to the image and you can like it a lot more." Vanessa smirked because, well, that was a damn nice image really. Not that she kept herself busy by imagining her friends naked and writhing beneath her or anything. Well, actually, she had experienced Adrienne naked and writhing beneath her. And beneath her wearing Jake's body. Wow, their friendship was so fucked up. "Scooby is Catseye. That might need to be recast. Stick Kyle in instead maybe."

"Yeah well, add the whole Mystery Machine gang you made up and I'd like it even a lot more," Adrienne murmured, eyes closed. "There is a wolf boy, you know. For Scooby. Have you met him? Course I don't want him in my Mystery Machine party gang thing. Cuz he's my student. But the catgirl's into him. I think he's into her too," she informed her friend. She wouldn't normally gossip about her students, but she thought Vanessa might enjoy knowing that the catgirl and dogboy were an item. "So yeah I think you need to recast them both. Kyle might work."

"There is a wolfboy? So there used to be a wolfgirl. Now there's a wolfboy. There's a catgirl. And there's a feral. And a squirrel girl. And Logan. I'm pretty sure he qualifies somewhere in there. He growls enough anyway." Vanessa thought about that for a moment, then nodded in agreement with herself. "So Mystery Machine crew would be you, Garrison, Amanda, Kyle and me?"

"Uh... I forget. Yeah, I think so," the brunette mumbled. She was close to sleep but the fact that she and Vanessa were on her couch together sparked a coherent thought that she found herself saying without really thinking about it. "It's Christmas again. Did you ever think you would be here more than one Christmas? I have a present for you somewhere." She shifted a little, so her head was on Vanessa's arm, her eyes still closed. "It's a picture. I had a picture of you and your dad in my head from when I read the watch last year. Things never go away in my head when I read them. And I see you on his shoulders. It's nice. I never read nice things. And you don't have a real photo of that, so I got a sketch artist from the FBI to draw it when I described it to him. He used all black and white and grey. I put it in a silver frame. I got Nico and Cammie and Amara photo albums. And I can't figure out... when did I start caring about pictures and photos and... preserving memories and things like that?"

It was hard not to smile at the image. Vanessa had at least a half dozen memories of her like that, riding around on her dad's shoulders. It was hard for the smile not to turn bittersweet as well. She didn't think about her father much anymore. It was easier that way, really. But a pang of loss resounded inside of her whenever she did think of him. "Thank you." The words came out whispered and the woman kissed the brunette's forehead. "That's very sweet of you. And I think maybe you started caring about memories when you started having some that were worth holding onto for a change."

Adrienne thought Vanessa was probably right- she usually was when it came to figuring out things relating to feelings- and she smirked a little at the thought before putting on a frown, though she still didn't open her eyes. "Yeah, like the time you got arrested for trying to hotwire that car the night we went to that club," she giggled.

That earned Adrienne a sarcastic glare. "Yeah, like that."