[i](Collab between Tundra and Ruby)[/i]

To no surprise of her's, he was exactly where she thought he'd be; the library. His eyes scanning every spine on every book on every shelf, surprisng her with some of the titles he'd found. Unfortunately she hadn't come to Jack to talk books. 

Helena didn't want to talk about what she had come to talk to Jack about. But just looking at him in his sense of wonder made her smile. There were plenty of reasons not to smile right now, and more reasons to just smile anyway as her hands slipped into her pockets and her feet began to move.

"I don't know how we're staying here, but it's awfully pretty." She was too busy admiring the polished woodwork and the crown molding to look at him until she was right up next to him. And when she finally looked at him, she almost lost her smile. 

It was creepy, how much he reminded her of a certain boy from her past. "...c'mon, let me get you out of those clothes." Words spoken so nonchalantly, the grin on her lips were the only tell she'd been joking.

Sorta.

"I found a washer/drier room next to the kitchen. Interested in creeping rooms for clothes with me?" Helena even wiggled her brows and made it sound like the best time ever--mostly because it was anything but. In fact, it was more than a little weird.

Jack was just simply amazing of how awesome the library was. It was huge not only in the size of the actual room, but the amount of rows that that the shelves had were unbelievable. To make things even crazier, there was a second level full of books too. Jack was just in awe. He did have to admit it to himself. He was STOKED about living here. He's the biggest book nerd that anyone could possibly ever meet, so of course he is excited. 

Jack was lost in his awe, he didn't see Helena sneak up on him as she made a comment about how pretty the library was. And then she said something that made Jack instantly turn to the direction her voice was coming from. For an instant, and only for an instant, his face became all red, especially around the cheeks. Then, she said the rest of it. That made Jack sigh in relief as he caught onto the joke. Or at least, he would hope it was fully a joke. 

Jack didn't know what to expect from Helena. He hasn't gotten to know her as well as he knew he should have(by now). She's pretty much the leader, well if one doesn't count in Rob and X. That's why he was so surprised at the comment she made. Also, cause it's a known fact that her and Annalise are an item. Jack just isn't used to the American style of humor.

[b]"Yes, the washer. A good idea."[/b] Jack said still a bit embarrassed.

Knowing that his clothes were filfthy, Jack followed Helena to the washer/drier room to which he put his clothes in the washer. As he took them off piece-by-piece, it was no secret that it revealed Jack having a fit body. He was no bodybuilder, but he definitely did have an athletic body. After Jack was done there, he came across a closet not too far off from the washer/drier section, and it seemed to be the home to a closet that had clothes that seemed to fit Jack. So, Jack found some blue and white basketball shorts and a white tanktop. He also found some black slippers. 

[b]"This'll do for now.[/b] Jack said as he continued walking with Helena. [b]"So,, Helena, how are you feeling? Earlier you seemed a bit worse for ware."[/b]

"I'm feeling..." And then her voice trailed off into the safety of silence. "I don't know." Was the feeble extent of an attempt at communication that she could offer in the very moment, her eyes sneaking a quick, mostly innocent, glance at Jack as he changed. Helena was never one for lingering upon physical insecurities, doubtlessly biproducts of her independent streak and her stubborness. But even she hesitated a moment before she began to strip down to baby blue undergarments, deciding that Jack, or anyone, could have a look if they wanted.

Not that she was actually thinking about what Jack saw, didn't see, or thought about it in the exact moment. The Alabama native was pre-occupied until seeing an 'X' on the clean clothes helpfully kept in cupboard near the washer/drier.

"I think we found where they kept the X-Mansion gear."

[i]Kept[/i], the thought teased ghosts in the Mansion, [i]past tense.[/i]

The X-Men lost an entire team. Helena reminded herself of that she wiggled into a pair of matching basketball shorts--and promptly pulled on the waist band, tying it tight enough so that the shorts were only ALMOST falling off her ass. A sleeveless white shirt a number of sizes too big for her went on after, her boots and denim jacket sitting near the washer until her regular clothes were washed and dried. 

Helena busied her hands with filling the washer with detergent as she tried to think of a better answer for him; a detergent she noted was scent and perfume free when she put it up. After pushing a few buttons to bring the washing machine to full, rumbling, life Helena finally turned to Jack, and forced words from her pink lips. 

"I feel a little horrible." Her laughter followed the admission, an expression of emotion that probably put the conflict of her own heart into a much neater, nicer, frame than any words she could offer him. 

She'd just lost what accounted as a home of some sort or fashion. Helena had always known the ranch would be a temporary location, that their group was always much more transient than any of 'the kids' seemed to realize. 

She didn't even have the heart to tell Jack they likely weren't staying at the X-Mansion very long--Helena was emotionally exhausted. And, worse, she knew there were no rests other than what they had at the moment. 

So, yeah, it was a little emotionally exhaustive. "I can't believe we lost someone. And it's like he was never there at all; just erased by a Hellfire missle shot by a chicken-shit drone sent by even bigger chicken-shit men in uniforms and suits."

[i]Anger[/i]. Rage. That's what Helena wanted to feel...she was just too tired for it right now. So without rage to latch onto, Helena went into domestic girl mode; at least then she felt like she was still doing something for everyone else.

Starting with getting Jack washed and fed. "Cheese sandwich and orange juice sound good to you?"

Hearing Helena's response, Jack wasn't surprised at it. Given what had happened, it's pretty safe to assume that everyone feels horrible in some way, shape, or form. Jack tries to keep a smile on just for the pure fact that revealing his sadness wouldn't be good for anyone. Jack had to take it into account that the sort of home that he had for about a year or so was gone. It definitely hit him hard.

The mentioning of losing Noel also hit Jack hard. [b]"If only we had gottn there sooner. Maybe we could have forseen this.."[/b] Jack, for some reason, blamed himself for Noel's death. The same thing will always be in the back and front of his mind. [i]If only..[/i] Yeah, if only they had gotten there a few minutes earlier, but Jack knew that he couldn't blame himself. It wouldn't help anyone. It wouldn't be the way that Noel would want him — and everyone else — to remember him by.

Jack got out of his train of thought to hear Helena ask him if a cheese sandwich and orange juice was good to eat to him. [b]"Yeah that's fine."[/b] 

"If we could have forseen this, we would have forseen this." Her tone wasn't flat; there was warmth in it, and a momentum to the bouncy energy within. The brown in her eyes brighter than it had been even just moments before. But the truth of her words were harder than iron.

 "Cheese sandwiches it is."
 
 It wasn't difficult. There was a four slice toaster; tip it on it's side and suddenly you had a mini-toast baking magic machine that would never let so much as a drip fall away from each slice of delicious white toast. 
 
 Helena checked, having tasted both the cheeses and the bread before using either. She wasn't surviving this day only to be brought low by food poisoning. The cheese was an especially sharp chedder, and seemed to work well as she pressed two slices together to create a sandwich; one plated for her, one plated for him. 
 
 The orange juice was cold, and pulp free, she learned from the container after pouring both glasses and returing it all to the double doored, stainless steel, fridge. 

As they sat down, Jack just stared at his sandwich. He was hungry, so loss of appetite wasn't the problem. He just couldn't get over the fact of losing Noel. He didn't want to feel sad, but he did..he does. Jack just doesn't know how to feel. He's sad, angry, he feels that he wants to kill the bastards that were responsible for the drones that destroyed his only home that he has known in recent years and killing one of his friends. Jack, at least, took a drink of his orange juice, but only little sips. As he did that, it could be seen that tears were flowing down his eyes. He didn't even notice it. 

There was no loss of appetite for Helena. Just over a few minutes after taking her seat in the breakfast nook, her grilled cheese was gone. The glass of OJ faired only just better; a little less than half left after her first, and only, drink to chase the grilled cheese. 

Satisfied, Helena took a paper towel from the wooden holder at the center of the table and was halfway done with wiping her lips when her eyes hit Jack, and froze. A short pause and Helena finished with the napkin, tossing it over her empty plate, her chair nudged a few times his way, leaning into him until he was finally looking at her.

She was nearly at his shoulder when his eyes finally hit Helena. A fact that left a laughing smile on her mouth, the fingertip of her index finger delicately wiping away Jack's tears.

"Maybe it's a little bit all of our faults. Maybe we all should've known...but I'm betting we all know, now. Whatever crazy train we're on, it's just as dangerous as X and Rob warned us it would be."

As she tossed the napkin and put away her plates in silence, it wasn't until she began to move over clothes from the insanely quick washer to the drier that she let slip what she really had resolved about the boy's death. 

"Maybe Noah's legacy is fewer of us die now, seeing just what stakes we're playing with. Like being in a 'cell' secretly training in the mountains of New Mexico wasn't our first tip." Words followed by a preciously short bark of bitter laughter.

Jack didn’t even notice he was crying until Helena wiped away his tears. That’s where he was aware of how bad and horrible he felt. Just to know that Noel wasn’t coming back hit him so hard, but then Jack heard what Helena said. He, as weird as it may sound, smiled at what she had to say. She was absolutely right. Rob and X did warn them all about the dangers. They did guarantee it would be all fun and game and that’s what Jack just now realized. By doing that, he was able to eat his grilled cheese. Bite after bite, he put it down, smiling in delight of its buttery cheesiness. Then he washed it down with the rest of his OJ. Now that he was able to focus on his food, he was feeling slightly better about things, but he still felt some type of way. However, he’s not letting that going to bring him down all the time.

When he heard Helena talk about Noel’s legacy, Jack smiled as he stood up to put his cup and plate over in the sink as he began to wash it. Thinking about what she said as he ran the water from the fosset into his cup and then to his plate, shaking them from any excess water respectively. He then put them in the dishwasher. 

[b]“Then it’s settled.”[/b] Jack said automatically deciding on something. He said it loud enough to where just about anyone within a reasonable distance would be able to hear him.[b] “I will make it my life goal to honor his memory and live on.”[/b] Jack said smiling at this new realization, and actually nodding his head as if he had to make a mental note of it as well.

Making his way over to the washer/dryer area, Jack stood near Helena, and he stretched which was also followed by a slight yawn. He probably didn’t realize how much time has really passed, but it seemed that he was getting on the sleepy side. Perhaps due to the events of today, [b]“So, where will we all be sleeping tonight?”[/b] Jack simply asked as he leaned against the washer, hands in pockets and head turned to Helena.

"You can go up to the boy's wing and find a room. Everything is clean. I can't wait to hear the story behind that. I'll leave your stuff on the drier after it's dry." She'd wait for her clothes to dry before going off. 

She even smiled as she wished him a good night's sleep as Jack walked off, waiting until he was good and truly gone before going into the little washing room, sliding close the little door behind her. 

When it hit her, it hit her like a bullet to the brain; the excessive force of the sadness crippling her, leaving her limbs trembling as she reached out to brush the light switch to off in order to let it all go, and sob in darkness.