Family Portrait

[Jake Flannery]

It couldn't be this simple could it Jake thought to himself. As he walked onto the X-mansion grounds he was just a human amongst a flood of Mutants. Yet no one seemed to pay him an attention. Then again most of the mutants just looked like your average everyday kids. He was wearing gardener clothing for instead of stealing some kids ID to get in he decided on getting a job as a hired help. He had talked to the Gardner about giving him a job. Yet when he had mentioned his name the gardener Hired him on the spot. Maybe his cousin had some pull or something at the school Jake wasn't sure really it had been years since he had seen her.

Still she didn't know he was here yet. He wasn't sure if she would even notice him after all this time. He was raking the lawn but had stopped to watch some of the younger mutants just playing tether ball. Jake dropped his rake and sneaky like slipped himself to the back door of the mansion. He slipped in unnoticed at least he hoped. Now it was off to find his cousin where ever she may be.

[Maxine Flannery]

:: Max was busy multi-tasking. Literally. Fine tuning the Blackbird, tinkering with Danger room programs, reading the latest manga and playing with a bassline in her bedroom. Collective hunger pains took over though, so she rounded up the troops and pulled herself together. Literally. It was time for lunch ::

[Jake Flannery]

Jake kept wondering down the hall when a little kid popped out of a room startling Jake. The little kid stopped and stared wide eyed at Jake.

Kid: "Your not suppose to be in here."

Jake: "It's alright I'm looking for someone maybe you can help me?"

Kid: "I'm not suppose to talk to strangers."

Jake: "Names Jake see where not strangers anymore. You wouldn't happen to a Maxine Flannery would you?"

The kid giggled a bit when Jake said the name.

Kid: "Which one of her are you looking for?"

Jake: "Um anyone of them I guess?"

Kid: "Try the Cafeteria or Her room or the Basement. But you can't go in the basement."

Jake: "Why not the basement?"

The little kid scampered off down the halls at that moment just ignoring Jake. Jake had to laugh as the kids tail dang near took an end table as he ran. Now he had to guess where the cafeteria was this was to big of a place he thought to himself.

[Maxine Flannery]

:: Jake finally spotted her. Max's fashion sense hadn't changed. Deep purple velour pants, a firefly t-shirt, and a well-worn floppy hat on her head. She disappeared around a corner ::

[Jake Flannery]

Jake took off after her make sure not to run he didn't want to draw to much attention to himself. He slide up to the corner and put his back to the wall like he was James bond or something and peeked around. Just in time to see her round yet another corner. He noted as she rounded the corner she was lost in her own daydreams allot like normal. Even for a mutant she was stranger then most.

So this time he ran to catch her jumping right behind her putting his hands over her eye's so she couldn't see. Then leaned forward to whispered in her ear. He had a big grin on his face as he teased his cousin.

"Be quiet and no funny business. You follow my orders to the key you may live through this. Give me any cash or valuables you may have on you."

[Maxine Flannery]

:: Max recognized the voice, and went along with her Cousin's little game. She disguised her chuckle with a whimper ::

"Please don't hurt me, I.. I'll do anything you say!"

[Jake Flannery]

"I'm glad to see you quit cheating at this game Maxine. I tell you what since I won you have to buy me lunch."

Jake removed his hands from her eyes and let her turn around to see him in his gardener outfit. He had been a long time since he had seen his cousin and engulfed her in one big old hug.

"It's been a while cousin. Over Lunch maybe you can tell what you have been up too?"

[Maxine Flannery]

:: Max melted into the hug giddily, and looked up at him. She caught his hands in hers and swung them as she talked ::

"Wow, it has been a long time. I guess I'm not allowed to call you (beep) anymore, huh?"

[Jake Flannery]

"No, No your not allowed to call me that."

Jake smiled lightly it had been so long since someone had called him that. It was one of his older weirder nicknames he had been happy to get rid of. Then again just seeing Max made him think of that cruel name she gave him. Jake and max began walking in the direction of the cafeteria.

"So are you in charge around here yet Maxine?"

[Maxine Flannery]

:: She gave Jake sad puppy eyes ::

"No, that's still Ethan's job. I manage the tech end of things though. Exactly where I want to be."

[Jake Flannery]

Jake tried his best to ignore the sad puppy eye's but it was hard too.

"Fine you can call me that but only on Thursdays between the hours of Ten am and Two pm."

He gave her a slight smirk as he said that.

"As for your job here, you basically just blow allot of things up and say you fixed um right?"

He was trying to get a rise out of her now. He knew her uncanny ability to fix things and make new things but it didn't mean he couldn't poke fun at her.

[Maxine Flannery]

"Hey!" she cried in protest. "I've never blown stuff up!"