Auld Lang Syne - Molly/Callie - The Princess & The Thorn (Backdated)

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Molly runs into Callie for the first time since Genosha.



Molly'd tried to be careful but sandwich making was serious business, especially when it came to peanut butter and jelly. Her fingers and much of the counter was covered with a mixture of purple and brown. She had managed to get some of it on the bread, though, which was good!

She used the knife like she was painting a picture and brushed the peanut butter onto the bread, though it stuck so peanut butter was sticking to the knife and the weight was making the bread peel off too. So she quickly tried to take it off with her finger, further adding to the mess.

It took several moments for Callie to notice that she had not stumbled upon an unoccupied kitchen, so engrossed was she in conversation with the viney plant she held nestled closely to her side. From the way her brow was knit tightly in concentration and how she pursed and bit on her bottom the longer the plant held her concentration, it was a very deep concentration indeed. So it was only after she placed the pot down upon the table and turned to open the communal fridge that she noticed the younger girl.

Callie froze upon seeing her. There was no reason to panic, the chloropath had to remind herself. Molly, that was the girl's name. They had shared a cell in Genosha. It was inevitable that the two girls would cross paths; the fact that this had not happened sooner what was so surprising.

"Hey Molly," she greeted the girl as she grappled with the little plastic straw attached to the juice pouch she had extracted from the refrigerator. "What are you up to?" Molly slowly glanced up, pausing mid dip of the butter knife into the jelly jar. She knew her. It was...she was with her in...back there. Where they were before. But she was good, though, now. Otherwise she wouldn't have been there. Right?

"Hi," Molly smiled. You had to be polite. Her mom said so.

She glanced down at her plate, which looked a bit like a finger painting on bread.

"Making a sandwich..Do....do you want some?"

"Oh." Callie's gaze settled on the sticky mess covering the counter. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not hungry at the moment." "Would you like me to pour you a glass of milk? To go with your PB&J. So you don't have to worry about Sticky Fingers getting everything, well, sticky."

Looking between the fridge and the counter, then back again, Molly fell silent for couple of moments before she finally nodded.

"Yes please."

Milk was good with sandwiches.

"So. Why aren't you with the other kids?" Contrary to her usual manner, Callie felt much better trying to make small talk with the younger girl as she fluttered about the kitchen, fetching the promised glass of milk. She couldn't quite tell if Molly was scared or uncomfortable, etc. with her presence, if so, she hoped that perhaps she could set Molly's mind at ease.

"Didn't the Professor treat you all to a ski holiday?"

Molly made a face, resting her chin in her hand with a deep frown.

"It was the worst tacos ever. Wademan and I had tacos...I got sick..." Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper after glancing around, "Throwed up and other stuff...Doctor Ghost and Wademan and Catseye took care of me. But they wanted to make sure I didn't get worse so I had ta stay here."

She had really really wanted to go.

"Why...did you not go?"

"Well I'm glad you're feeling much better." Callie flashed Molly a genuine smile (after all, being sick was something no one liked) as she set the tall glass of milk down. She glanced pointedly down at the mess of the two sticky substances on the kitchen counter then laughed. "And as for the skiing, I realize this makes me sound like a complete snob, but I grew up in Vermont so the New York slopes seem rather unimpressive in comparison."

"Tell you what though, if you want to experience some real skiing, I'll take you up to Vermont with me. And I'll make sure we stop by the Von Trapp Lodge. You know the family from 'The Sound of Music'? They settled in Vermont and now the grandchildren and great-grandchildren run a lodge up there."

"Thank you," Molly said, taking a drink of the milk, which wound up creating a mustache that she didn't notice to brush off.

"I never saw that movie...is it good?"

She felt a bit more comfortable with Callie. She seemed nice. Maybe she wasn't evil?

"My pleasure." Callie smiled and nodded. "It's one of my favorite films. Christopher Plummer was my first crush and Julie Andrews is just amazing."

She paused and eyed the mess once more. "Is there anything else I can get for you, Molly? A plate? Napkins?" Tilting her head, Molly glanced down at herself then bit her lip.

"Um...napkins please," she said. She thought she'd been doing good but maybe she was messier than she though.

"Julie Andrews sounds familiar."

"Mary Poppins, The Queen in The Princess Diaries," Callie chattered on. She was trying to think of films that the younger girl may have seen. And after taking another glance at the mess, she opted to grab several sheets of paper towels and place them next to Molly instead. "You may want to dampen some of those too, to get the last bits of sticky on the counter. Oh, and she was the voice of the Queen in Shrek."

"Well," the chloropath began as she stepped back to survey the scene. "Sandwich, milk, napkins... Looks like you're all set." She flashed Molly a broad smile.

"Oh! I know of her. She seems really nice. Like my Grams was," Molly said, then nodded to the paper towels.

"Thank you," she said, grabbing a couple. She crept up to the sink, then stood on her tiptoes and turned on the water to get the towels wet.

Molly curled her nose at word 'coffee' as she finished cleaning up the counter. She didn't like coffee. It smelled good sometimes but it was too bitter, even if she added a lot of sugar and cream and stuff. She liked soda, and even tea when some of the adults made it for her.

"Now," Callie murmured to herself. She glanced back at the plant she had carried in, furrowed her brow and sighed. "Coffee grounds." Her eyes settled on Hank's magnificent coffee-machine. Most days, it was a godsend, supplying her with excellent espressos and lattes, but today it was a source of frustration.

"Coffee grounds, coffee grounds..." She examined the contraption closely, running her hands over the top and sides, searching for where the grounds were discarded. It was probably either right in front of her, so obvious she missed it, or located somewhere completely counterintuitive. She'd have to ask Lorna, goddess of the kitchen, next time they ran across one another. Until then, she'd go coffee ground-less and need to settle for the next best thing.

With a resigned sigh, Callie fished a travel mug out of one of the cabinets and set the coffee machine to fill it up. She'd just have to let it sit until it was useable.

"Did...you have a good Christmas?"

Her mom said it was good to be polite and make conversation...even if you didn't know the person that well and they might seem scary before. She was in the mansion and stuff and none of the X-People were saying anything. If she was evil she'd be trying to do evil things, right?

"Hmmm? Christmas?" Callie's eyes were trained on the coffee maker, watching the liquid pour out of it, hoping it would flow out faster. "Oh yes, Christmas was nice. Skyped with my father. Went up to visit some friends in Vermont for a few days." She was not yet ready to travel across the Atlantic again. He had offered to visit her, but she wasn't ready for that either; she still needed some time alone.

"How about you?"

Molly made a face. "I was sick so I threw up a lot and stayed in bed. But Wademan let me open presents! I got a hat. And my mom and dad sent me money. And I got some other stuff..."

She'd kinda forgot.

"It's no good you were sick," the older girl pouted to express her dissatisfaction with what Molly had gone through. Strangely, although the girl before her was a teenager, Callie found herself talking to her as if she were a small child Callie was babysitting. It wasn't intentional, it just felt like the best way to converse with the younger girl. "Being sick on Christmas is no fun. But you're better now." Hadn't they just had this conversation?

The drip was slowing down now, and Callie knew that meant the coffee was almost done brewing. She crossed back to where her plant sat, as moody as ever (despite her best efforts, it seemed to be withering, almost like it was depressed) and tucked it under her arm before returning to her previous spot to wait for the drips to cease.

"Did you get a chance to decorate the tree, at least?"

Taking a bite of her sandwich, Molly nodded. "Mmmfhmm..." she said, then blinked and swallowed before she started talking. Not good to talk with your mouth full.

"Mmmhmm...It was pink and....purple...and blue and gold and silver...." She didn't notice the plant yet, more focused on her sandwich and arranging the chips she'd put on her plate into a neat little pile that she called Barbeque Mountain.

"I'm glad I'm better now too...It...made me feel like...weak and stuff...."

She didn't like feeling like that.

"Awwww. You're not weak. You're super girl! Ah, finally!" The drips had stopped completely, or so Callie figured since it had been a few seconds and no liquid had been dispersed. She set the plant on the counter next to Molly in order to free her hands so she could grab the coffee tumbler and secure it's top.

Tilting her head, Molly eventually glanced up and saw the plant. She froze, staring at it for a couple of moments until she forced herself to look away, back up to Callie, then back to the plant. It seemed okay, just a little...droopy.

Hesitantly, she took another bite of her sandwich, then chewed it slowly, continuing the pattern of staring at the plant, then back to Callie.

"Sometimes you gotta tap it with your hand...I saw Wademan do it..."

"Hit it with my hand?" Callie shot her a befuddled look.

"The coffee machine...?" Molly said. "Sometimes it doesn't wanna work unless you tap it."

"Oh. No." Callie glanced down at the tumbler. "It's filled up. I just need to wait for it to cool down so I can feed it to Planty over here."

"Plants drink coffee?" Molly said, blinking in confusion.

Callie nodded and smiled. "Well coffee grounds are the best, really, but coffee contains nitrates and other compounds that are beneficial to plants. Ivy in particular likes coffee so I'm going to try it on her. And move her to my room. I think she just needs a little company; she seems depressed." With a slight frown, Callie began to pet the leaves of the plant with her finger and coaxed the vine to slowly wrap around her finger and up toward her hand.

"Sometimes plants do better too if you talk to them," she continued. "The greenhouse is a little lonely in that respect, I guess. I hope between the caffeine fix and the moving her to a more social environment will help her prosper again." Callie paused in thought then added, "Maybe she got into a fight with another plant."

Molly didn't say anything, her attention focused completely on the plant wrapped around Callie's hand. It reminded her of something else...A tree...that wasn't a tree....and a thorn....And....pain...

The vine continued to grow, weaving itself into the spaces between Callie's fingers, as the chloropath watched intently. Her head tilted to one side and her brow furrowed in a mixture of concentration and concern. With head shakes, deepening frowns, clicks of disapproval and many sighs, it was obvious that the young woman was deep in conversation with the potted ivy. A conversation, judging by Callie's minute changes in facial expression and body language, that upset her quite a bit.

"I don't know what to do," she confessed to the plant. "You're perfectly healthy. Perhaps that snowfall inside the greenhouse left you with the winter blues?" Sigh. "I just don't know."

Molly's breathing quickened and she grabbed her own hand, drawing it close to her chest. She felt hot. No....she remembered feeling hot. She slowly backed up, forgetting that there was a wall behind her and bumped into it, knocking the mounted clock to the ground with a huge clatter.

She froze, staring down at the clock, then back up to Callie.

"Molly?" The sound of the clock hitting the floor jolted Callie's attention back to Molly. The vines began to quickly shrink and unravel as she inched toward the younger girl.

"Molly? Are you all right? Can you hear me?" She reached out with her now free hand, and let it gently rest on Molly's upper arm. "It's okay," her voice as soothing as she could make it, "It's just a clock. We can hang it back up. Don't worry."

The young woman's hand on her arm made Molly flinch and she blinked rapidly, letting out a gasp as she quickly looked down at Callie's hand, expecting something to be there, but didn't see anything. She stared at Callie a moment, then swallowed.

"I'm sorry...I...." She's not evil. She's not evil. She's not evil. She's not evil.

"I was surprised."

"You sure? You look a little pale." What on earth could have surprised Molly this much?

Molly nodded, then crouched down and picked up the clock. It wasn't broken anywhere. That was good.

"I'll get a stool," she said quietly.

"Leave it." Callie was worried of the younger girl falling off the stool, given her current state. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and began tapping away. "I'm texting Fred, telling him what happened. It'll give him a reason to leave the garage. For a few minutes at least."

"Why don't you go ahead and take your sandwich and go watch some tv?" Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much; she was trying to convince Molly that everything was fine. But judging from the looks of her, Molly was anything but fine, and at the very least she needed to sit down and recover herself. And if whatever had surprised her was still in the kitchen, then it was the last place Callie thought Molly should be. "I'll clean up. Fred will come and put the clock back. And everything will be back to normal.

"Okay?"

Molly kept her attention on the clock for a little while, then finally nodded and put the clock on the counter.

"O...okay, thank you," she said.

It took her another few moments to actually start walking again and she picked up the plate and her glass. As she passed by she paused to glance up at Callie. Be polite. She's not evil.

"Bye," she said, disappearing into the other room.

"Bye." The word was spoken to an empty room as Callie was left alone. She made a mental note to try and check in with Molly later.

But for now, she would turn her attention to the mess left behind.