Kate smiled at her brother, ruffling his hair. "You sure you don't want to say hello?"
Russell shook his head. "I love Nat, but I can't stay. I'm meant to be at work... oh crap!"
Kate snorted. "Alright. Thanks for the lift."
"See ya!"
And with that, her brother teleported out, leaving Kate standing outside Natalie's house by herself. She shrugged and then rang the bell.
Natalie
Natalie bounded over to the door. There were only three choices and she was really hoping it would be...
"Kate!" Natalie exclaimed, opening up the door wide.
Kate
Kate grinned and grabbed Natalie into a hug.
"Hey!"
Natalie
Natalie hugged Kate back tightly, then pulled away.
"Oh wow, you look amazing," she said. "And you weren't kidding about the tan either. Come on in!"
Kate
Kate laughed. "Thanks, you're looking pretty amazing yourself."
She followed Natalie inside.
"Oh, this place is beautiful."
Natalie
Natalie chuckled.
"Yes, well, that's my influence," she nodded, closing the door behind her. "Before I moved in, it was Tay and Ike living here. And c'mon, guys... they're so messy. Ike might claim he can clean fast with telekinesis, but I've yet to see him be motivated to actually do any cleaning."
Kate
Kate laughed.
"I guess it's different living out of home," she mused. "Although, I was the opposite. I was messy when I was living with Mom, and now that I'm on my own, I'm like super clean. I know, me a clean freak, whodathunk?"
Natalie
"Shocking," Natalie agreed.
She lead the way into the living room. Ezra was lying on his back on a mat on the floor and playing with toys that were dangling above him.
"And there's my Ezra."
Kate
"Awwww," Kate said, then looked at Natalie, grinning faintly.
"Apparently blonde plus brunette equals... red?"
Natalie
"I think there are some recessive genes involved," Natalie nodded. "Oh! We found out what his power is. I mean, we're going to keep it as quiet as possible but yeah. He has power borrowing. So if he starts speaking english while Tay's around, it's because he's borrowing Tay's Tongue."
Kate
"Oh!" Kate looked shocked.
"Um... should I... not be around him then?"
Natalie
Natalie paused, only now remembering what Kate's power was.
"Uhh..." she considered. "I don't know how close he has to be to be able to borrow it. Wow, I totally didn't think of that."
Kate
Kate nodded.
"Well, I guess... we just hope he stays happy? I could probably try and counteract it, I suppose..."
She paused, thinking about that.
Natalie
"Well, I think he's happy enough now anyway," Natalie replied, watching Ezra thoughtfully. "Still perhaps we should chat in the dining room instead, just to be on the safe side."
Kate
"Okie dokie."
Kate flipped her hair behind her shoulders and followed Natalie into the other room.
Natalie
Natalie entered the kitchen and getsured to the stools at the bench.
"Did you want a drink or something?" she asked.
Kate
Kate pulled a stool out and perched on it, crossing one leg over the other.
"Ummm, just water for me, thanks."
Natalie
Natalie poured two glasses of water.
"So," she said, pushing one of the glasses over. "How's things?"
Kate
Kate took a sip, thinking for a second.
"Same old, school, work, parties."
She smiled.
"What about you?"
Natalie
Natalie shrugged.
"Well, I won't say same old, because that would be a lie, seeing as how I'm married with a kid now," she grinned. "I'm still adjusting, methinks."
Kate
Kate laughed.
"It is quite a huge change."
Natalie
"Yeah," Natalie whole-heartedly agreed. "I spent my entire pregnancy with Mom and Dad because Tay was off touring, and then Ezra was born early, so Tay ended up missing his first two months. Finally moved in together in December."
Natalie shook her head.
"Crazy."
Kate
Kate grinned.
"Yeah, that's pretty insane. Can you believe how much we've grown up since school?"
Natalie
Natalie shook her head.
"Yeah, wow," she said. "I mean who would have thought you'd being doing so well at modelling, and I'd be married to Taylor Hanson? I mean seriously. We're doing pretty awesome."
Kate
"I know, it's sorta weird."
Kate grinned.
"I'm hardly in Newnan these days though, mainly coz I'm living on campus. It's so weird to be so close to home, but not be, at the same time."
Natalie
"Yeah," Natalie nodded.
She was about to continue when the door bell rang.
"Ahh, that's probably Zac. Or Ike. But more likely Zac," Natalie grinned, standing up. "I guess I'd better let him in. Tay's probably too absorbed in his music to even hear the door."
Kate
Kate smiled, and took another sip of her water.
"I'll wait here."
Natalie and Zac
"Okay," Natalie nodded.
She headed for the door, and as expected, Zac was there.
"Hey Nat."
"Hey Zac. How's things?"
"Eh, y'know," Zac shrugged.
Natalie gave him a sympathetic look.
"Oh, hey if you have a moment, my best friend Kate is here."
"Kate? Really?" Zac asked.
"Uh... no, wait, not Kate as in working with Frankie, Kate. This is another Kate," Natalie went on and considered. "Actually they have the same last name too. Well, no, this Kate is Tucker-Harris not just Tucker but that's not the point."
"Wait... you have two friends named Kate Tucker?"
"It's not really an uncommon name."
"Uh huh. Still odd."
"Well, anyway, this Kate is my best friend from high school. She was overseas when Tay and I got married, so yeah."
"Ahh. Okay. Lead on."
Natalie grinned at him and Zac followed her into the kitchen. At the bench was this cute girl.
"Kate, this is Zac. Zac, Kate."
Zac gave her a cheeky salute.
"Yo."
Kate
Kate turned around to look at Zac and Natalie and she saluted back, grinning.
"Hey cutie."
Natalie and Zac
"Hey adorable," Zac replied cheerfully.
Natalie rolled her eyes.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods? Visiting Nat?"
Kate
"Yeah, she was begging to see me," Kate joked, grinning at Natalie.
"Without me, honestly, she falls apart."
Natalie and Zac
Natalie chortled.
"More like the other way around," she teased.
"Well, y'know, who wouldn't want to beg to see you?" Zac grinned.
Kate
Kate nodded, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
"Well, it's true. I'm easy to love."
Natalie and Zac
Natalie looked between Kate and Zac with a pained expression. Maybe this was a bad idea.
"Anyone can see that," Zac replied. "I suspect, however, that you're not so easy to keep."
Kate
"Depends," Kate said teasingly. "On what you do to keep me interested."
She raised an eyebrow, in a playful challenge.
Natalie and Zac
Zac shrugged.
"What do you like? Pina Coladas? Getting caught in the rain? Making love at midnight in the dunes on the Cape?"
Natalie blinked. That sounded familiar.
Kate
Kate laughed and looked thoughtful.
"Actually, sand in my crotch is not what I had in mind," she replied, eyes twinkling mischieviously.
Natalie and Zac
Zac shrugged.
"Each to their own."
"Oh hell," Natalie said and touched Zac's neck, closing her eyes on concentration.
"What?" Zac asked, startled. "More... uhh... stuff?"
Natalie pulled away and narrowed her eyes at him.
"No... try to keep it that way."
"Hey, we're just having a little fun, eh Kate? A little harmless flirting never hurt no one."
Kate
Kate laughed.
"Sorry Nat."
Natalie and Zac
"This meeting was your idea, by the way," Zac nodded. "You should know better than to deliberately introduce me to a hot chick."
Natalie gave Zac a Look.
Kate
Kate fluttered her eyelashes at Zac again.
"And you should know better than to let me meet someone as cute as Zac."
Natalie
Natalie sighed.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time, I -" Natalie broke off at the sound of Ezra crying for attention. "I'd better check on him."
She started out of the kitchen, then paused and looked at them both suspiciously.
"Don't do anything... that I wouldn't want to know about you doing in the kitchen."
"Who? Me?" Zac asked innocently.
Natalie's eyes narrowed. Another wail from Ezra silenced whatever she was going to say and and left the room.
Kate
"We should do it right here," Kate joked.
She glanced out the window and noticed it was raining.
"Hmmm."
Zac
Zac laughed.
"That's odd," he said, seeing the rain. "It was nice and sunny when I arrived."
Kate
Kate glanced at Zac and then at the window, smiling faintly from their earlier conversation.
The rain started to ease off, with the sun shining through the clouds slightly.
She looked deep in concentration.
Zac
Zac looked between Kate and the rain curiously.
"Huh," he grunted.
Kate
"I have a feeling Ezra is... power borrowing?"
Kate was still watching the rain.
Zac
"Oh?" Zac asked, his curiousity peaked. "What's your power?"
He then wondered if Kate was alien or mutant. One question at a time.
Kate
"Empathic Weather Control," Kate said, then realised she'd probably have to explain a little more, seeing as how rare it was.
"Basically... the weather reflects my emotions."
Zac
"Huh cool," Zac replied. "Is that how you and Nat met? Because you had empathic powers? Or what that just coincidence?"
He shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I've got temperature manipulation."
Kate
Kate shook her head.
"Nah, we were just thrown together in a few classes and we got along."
She paused.
"Oh cool."
Zac
"Fair enough," Zac nodded.
He was quiet for a time, wondering what to say next.
Kate
Kate nodded, reaching for her glass of water while she thought of something else to say.
"So, what else do you do for fun?"
Natalie, Zac and Isaac
Natalie was patting Ezra on the back when the door bell rang a third time. She walked over to let Isaac in - the only other person she was expecting.
"Hey," Isaac greeted.
"Hey," Natalie replied. "Tay's in the music room, and Zac in is the kitchen with my friend Kate."
Natalie then went through the 'not that Kate, this is another Kate' spiel, to which Isaac raised his eyebrows and made a comment about coincidences.
"Anyway," she went on. "I have to feed Ezra, but would you mind checking on them? I'm suddenly afraid to leave them alone but with Ezra's power sharing..."
"Say no more. Wait... why are you afrid to leave Zac and Kate alone?"
"Do you really want an answer to that question?"
Isaac considered Natalie for a moment.
"Like that is it?"
"Uh huh."
"I see. Well, Zac and I should be joining Tay in the music room anyway."
Natalie chuckled and Isaac made his way to the kitchen.
"Hey..."
"Hi Ikers!" Zac said cheerfully, his response to Kate about fun thing interupted. "This is Kate. Kate, this is Ike."
Kate
"Hey," Kate greeted, turning to smile at Isaac.
"Like he says, I'm Kate."
Isaac and Zac
"Nice to meet you," Isaac replied.
"We were just talking about fun stuff," Zac nodded.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, fun stuff is like, fun."
"That's probably why it's called fun stuff."
"You think so?"
"I do rather. Speaking of which... we should probably join Tay for a little band practice."
"Does it have to be a little band practice? Can't it be a big band practice?"
Kate
"That's ok, Nat and I have some toilet papering of houses to do."
Kate paused.
"Say, Zac, where do you live?"
Isaac and Zac
Zac laughed and Isaac's eyes twinkled with mischeif.
"Nat knows that address," Isaac said.
"Hey!" Zac objected.
Isaac grinned.
Kate
Kate giggled.
"Oh don't worry, Zac. Natalie and I will definitely not not toilet paper your house."
Isaac and Zac
Zac eyed Kate suspiciously.
"You've got something worse in mind, don't you? Nat knows where Ike lives too."
"Hey!" Isaac objected.
"How does it feel?"
"It's Mom and Dad's place too, y'know."
"Details, details."
Kate
"Oh, I could never do that to Ike," Kate said, keeping a straight face.
"I barely know him."
Isaac and Zac
"You barely know me either," Zac replied.
"But even though you only met today it feels like you've known each other forever," Isaac suggested with a smirk.
"Not helping."
Kate
"But I know less about Isaac than I know about you," Kate went on, still managing to not crack a smile.
"Mmmhmm."
Isaac and Zac
"I can change this," Zac said helpfully. "Ike's telekinetic. He likes sci-fi/fantasy movies and novels and has had an assortment of interesting girlfriends including a stalker and an alien hunter -"
"Zac -"
"He recently eloped with Nikki, who he'd been dating on and off for the past year and a half even though Tay and I kept telling him he was insane for getting back together with her -"
"Zac -"
"And the girlfriend he should have gotten married to was Myra, who died about three years ago -"
"Zac! Can it!" Isaac glared at him, telekinetically holding his mouth closed. "You have no idea when to shut your mouth!"
Zac cocked his head awkwardly and gave Isaac a look, then tried to overheat his fingers.
"Ow!" Isaac helped. "Hey! Stop trying to burn my fingers!"
Kate
Kate whistled softly.
"Awkward."
Isaac, Zac and Natalie
"Umm, what's going on in here?" Natalie asked, poking her head in.
She didn't actually want to step into the kitchen with Ezra, not with an empathic weather controller, a temperature manipulator and a telekinetic were in there. That was just asking for trouble.
"Zac!" Isaac bellowed and finally let go of Zac's jaw.
"Seriously," Zac complained, exercising his jaw. "You didn't need to hold so tight. That hurt."
"Yeah, well, I don't exactly appreciate personal historic events being aired in front of complete strangers," Isaac glared at him, then turned to Kate. "No offence or anything."
"Gee, and I didn't even get to the good stuff," Zac grinned.
"Uhh guys?" Natalie tried to cut in.
"Good stuff?" Isaac repeated. "Hmm, gee, I wonder what stories qualify as good stuff for you?"
"Guys!" Natalie practically shouted.
They looked at Natalie.
"Calm down, okay? Geez."
Kate
"Ummm yeah."
Kate tactfully took another large sip of water.
Isaac, Zac and Natalie
Isaac glared at Zac.
"I'll meet you in the music room. Where Taylor's waiting for us."
He left the kitchen muttering something about Zac and indiscresion. Zac chuckled.
"Zac?"
"Yes, Nat?"
"You are so weird."
"I also take things too far," Zac nodded enthusiastically. "It's a gift."
Kate
"Is it a gift that we can return?" Kate joked.
She turned to Natalie.
"So, we've got to get some toilet paper."
Natalie and Zac
"Yes," Natalie nodded.
"No," Zac replied. "No you can't return it. It's not your gift. Mwahaha. And on that note, I shall leave you gals to your evil toilet papering schemes."
He gave an elebaorate bow and departed.
Kate
"He's weird. I like it."
Kate turned to Natalie.
"Shall we?"
Natalie
Natalie chuckled.
"Yes, lets."