When We Were Young

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor had been back in the United States for less than a week.  He'd barely stuffed his meager worldly possessions into his modest room in the barracks located within the HDS facility before work started.  He was still going through the in-processing procedures, dotting i's and crossing t's on his paperwork, affording him amble time to get used to the time shift, as well as the new and improved Kalispell, Montana.  He hadn't known what to make of recent events, he'd largely opted to keep his status as a mutant under wraps, though in certain situations what was difficult to do.  Regardless, he understood idle hands wouldn't keep himself out of trouble so he opted to help out his new employers however he could.

The sun was shrouded by the gloomy clouds that loomed overhead.  A layer of snow had covered the grass and most surfaces that weren't cleared out for foot traffic lending the courtyard a serene, almost picturesque look.  Taylor stepped out of the administrative offices for Bellefonte and tucked his hands into his winter coat.  He hadn't seen her approaching.  His eyes had lowered for just a few seconds to eye the steps he was descending and when they'd lifted there she was.  Even from beneath her winter layers there was no mistaking the image of Lucy James .  Her every feature had been burned into his memory, etched into his subconscious like a picture in stone.  

Taylor wasn't prepared for the flood of emotion that surged within him upon laying eyes on her again.  The rush was so great it triggered his power causing the world around him to slow.  She was on her way somewhere, moving with the familiar graceful strides that often belied her dour, aggressive demeanor.  The wind caught a few stray strands of brown hair, blowing them across pale skin that seemed to almost shimmer against the snowy backdrop of the courtyard.  Taylor's head shook, attempting to brush off the vivid image as he altered his course to draw closer.

"You're the last person I thought would be sticking around this place."  Taylor said, his Irish accent thick from the last three years spent in his home country.

[Lucy James]

She didn't notice him at all until he spoke. But when he did it was is if the world around her - everything, stopped. Every movement, every sound, every feeling and sense just stopped existing and Lucy was left reeling inside her own mind where she was trying to make sense of the situation she suddenly found herself in. She'd been having just another regular, boring day - walking to class, doing her own thing, staying out of trouble...

And as she walked across the courtyard, the familiar voice from a past not too long ago made her stop mid-step. She moved her gaze to him and for a moment, she simply stood there. Staring. At a completely loss at words.

The Southerner had lost most of her drawl over the years, but there was still hints of it left - although not visible to those who didn't know when to listen. Opening her mouth to speak, she seemed to find no words and quickly shut it again. Instead, she let her power wander out and feel the familiarity of the Irish boy's powers; just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. At least some things hadn't changed, which meant that he hadn't gotten affected by the SPRITE.

And for the first time in a long time; Lucy James had no comeback.

She just started in obvious shock, her fingers turning white as they dug into the book pressed against her chest.

[Taylor McCarthy]

And there they stood, motionless as subtle flakes of snow began to gently fall around them. the breath that had caught in Taylor's throat finally escaped in a soft gasp, the steam billowing lazily from his lips and drifting up into the air. Things had changed, that was readily apparent. They were both different in their own small ways. She looked older, it was a subtle change to be sure but one Taylor noticed in an instant. There seemed to be less animosity, less anger and perhaps less pain hiding behind the vivid blue eyes that were locked upon him. He hadn't been exempt to change himself. He was thinner, leaner from the couple years spent in the military and he now sported a neatly trimmed beard. Still, he looked at Lucy with the same bright, mischievous gleam in his eyes that never seemed to waver.

"Hello, Lucy." The name itself hadn't passed through Taylor's lips in so long and yet it brought about a certain sense of comfort. Slowly he closed the gap between them, though he didn't dare venture too close. Even years ago when they had been something this had been awkward as neither of them, apparently, knew how to properly greet the other. The three years apart had done nothing to ease that tension. "If I had known you were still here I would've looked you up." He said, his tone low, even though he didn't know why. Surely Lucy had moved on and left whatever it was they had when they were in school behind.

[Lucy James]

"Hey," the brunette breathed. She did nothing as he stepped closer - she didn't even freeze. Instead, she watched him curiously, her head tilting. She hadn't seen him for so long and he'd changed quite a lot. Not only in looks, but there was something about his aura that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was just that; that he'd grown older. More mature and perhaps a little more put-together. Whatever Taylor had spent the past 3-4 years doing, it had done him good.

She hoped.

"Well, it seems to be common for people to be surprised that I'm still around - or even alive," she shrugged. She didn't mind, she was simply stating facts. She couldn't really blame people. It seemed as if they thought she should have been dead by now, and had she continued down the road she once had, she probably would have been.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Underneath the more rigid posture and calm demeanor burned the same reckless nature Taylor had been born with. If anything his time in the military had only wrapped a glossy veneer of discipline and order around the chaos that seemed to define and follow him wherever he went. If he'd paused long enough to give it thought he supposed it would make sense. After all, that was largely the life of a soldier. Discipline and order drilled into one's head while harboring a certain chaotic entity to be held in check until it could be unleashed upon the enemy. The contradiction would have been enough to give him a headache.

It was a good thing Taylor wasn't the sharpest brick in the shed or he may have gotten distracted.

A thin smirk touched Taylor's lips as Lucy spoke. She may have looked slightly less aggressive and abrasive as he remembered but she retained her trademark self deprecating wit. "I wouldn't say I'm surprised." He replied with a faint shrug of his shoulders. He'd always suspected Lucy of being far stronger than people gave her credit for. She wasn't some lost, broken lamb in search of a savior. She may have been a little rough around the edge but that only added to her charm in a weird sort of way. At least no one had ever accused her of following the herd. "Are you, uh, still in school?" He asked, his eyes locked upon her. So jarring, still, was her presence he found it nearly impossible to look away.

[Lucy James]

Her exterior softened at his words; of course he wasn't surprised. If anyone in this world had ever thought highly of her - or rather, more of her than anyone else had, it was Taylor. He'd always given her a lot more credit than what she deserved. It was... Sort of nice, in a way. Having someone who believed in you that much.

To think she'd taken it for granted.

"I am," she replied with a nod. "I'm, uh, studying dance, drama and music, with a focus on dance." She added a shrug to her words. Dancing was what, essentially, had gotten her through the last few years. After Taylor had left, Lucy had taken a turn for the worse, and at some point, she'd just... Grown up, she supposed. "What are you doing back?"

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor hadn't expected to sense a certain relaxation coming from the young woman. Even when they were 'something' she had always remained so guarded and defensive. He didn't blame her in the slightest, it was simply how things were. It was almost alarming to see a sort of calm settle over Lucy. Alarming and yet oddly comforting that it seemed as though she continued to carry some remnants of the trust he had fought so hard to earn all those years ago. Through it all her answer had surprised him the most. He nodded, a hint of that goofy grin he couldn't shake even as he got older coming through. "Dance?" He repeated with a thoughtful nod. He knew of her passion before and would have been lying if he said he wasn't pleased to hear she'd dove back into it. "It's good to see you're doing something you enjoy." He said, keeping his answer simple on purpose.

The reply question was met with a bit of sheepishness creeping into his demeanor. As loud, boisterous and unapologetic as Taylor could be around most people, Lucy had always proved to be an exception to most everything. He ran a hand through his hair, pausing to rub at the back of his neck. "I joined the army when I left." Which even now just saying the words still felt like the craziest thing ever. "A few months ago I got an offer from Helios. So I left and... Here I am."

[Lucy James]

"Yeah," she replied sheepishly with a shrug. After all, it was the only thing she could see herself even doing. It wasn't exactly like Lucy was a scholar of sorts. She didn't pay much attention in class and hadn't done so in years. Dance was her release and she fully intended to do something she actually enjoyed.

The army? Somehow, she couldn't quite picture it. He was far too much of a rebel. Well.. He used to be, anyways. Had he really changed that much over the past three, four years? "I see," she replied, nodding slowly. She hadn't really expected to see him again and now that he was back... She wasn't sure what to make of it or what she was supposed to say. Or if she even was supposed to say anything at all. "Welcome back at any rate."

[Taylor McCarthy]

It was good to know some things never changed.

Taylor glanced away as a certain awkwardness settled over the both of them. It felt just like when they were younger and had no clue what to make of one another. They weren't anything, and yet something. Just trying to think about what all that had meant was enough to give Taylor a headache and he was at least certain Lucy had felt much the same. His mind raced in spite of his calm outer appearance. He attempted in vain to decipher how he was supposed to handle all this. Was she his ex-girlfriend? Had they just been friends? At this point Taylor didn't know whether he should hug or completely avoid the blue eyed girl.

One thing Taylor did catch was the flash of surprise that came with Lucy hearing what he'd been doing for the last three years. A thin smirk touched his features and he gave a shrug. She didn't have to voice her skepticism of how well he would handle being in a militaristic environment for him to sense it. It wasn't as if he flourished under the watchful eye of his superior officers anyway. "Yeah, it was rough there for a bit. But being in the private sector's a lot better."

Taylor then fell silent, the smirk melting away as the thoughts he'd tried to excise from his mind began to seep in. Again he averted his gaze, glancing down to the ground between them as his hands found their way into his jacket pockets. Every ounce of reason screamed at him to simply nod, say goodbye and move on. He knew Lucy represented a nebulous, trying chapter in his life that was best put behind him. That door had closed and he had an entire life ahead of him to experience. Unfortunately for Taylor he wasn't one to listen to reason, even if it came from his own mind.

"You want to get together for lunch or something some time?" He asked abruptly, lifting his gaze to Lucy now as he spoke. "Maybe catch up a bit?"

[Lucy James]

At least Taylor seemed happy. That was what really counted. They'd both grown into something similar to adults and seemed to be dealing with their demons their own ways. It was nice, in a way. She was glad he hadn't buckled under the pressure when she'd fought so hard not to do the same.

Once upon a time the two of them had been something akin to kindred spirits.

The sudden question had the brunette furrowing her brows. On one hand, it probably wasn't that good of an idea, getting mixed up in each other's lives again. They hadn't exactly been good for each other, but on the other, what harm could some catching up really do?

"Yeah, sure," she finally said after a long moment of silence. "I'd like that."

[Taylor McCarthy]

The silence brought with it a nervous tingling in Taylor's extremities. He couldn't explain it but the pressure he felt while awaiting Lucy's answer left him damn near out of breath. He didn't know what it was about seeing the blue eyed girl again after so long that had struck him so deeply but here he was, standing amidst the light snowfall of a Montana winter, trying not to stare at the young woman as she deliberated her answer.

"Yeah?" Taylor said, exhaling sharply even as he couldn't help a hint of that doofy grin of his from invading his features. This marked the first time he and Lucy had actually agreed to meet somewhere. Before, when they were both in school it was imply a matter of the both of them knowing where the other would be and occasionally making sure they were both there at the same time and before that they simply had a bad habit of running into each other. Sometimes literally. Either way Lucy's answer did absolutely nothing to answer any of the questions that had flooded Taylor's mind as he ended up all the more curious and lost as to what any of this meant.

"Yeah, uh, I have to get back to work." Taylor frowned a little at that even though he couldn't explain why the idea of leaving seemed to tug at his heartstrings. He always did have a bad habit of feeling instead of thinking. "But, uh..." His brow furrowed and he glanced down just long enough to gather his thoughts. "Maddie's Diner. Tomorrow. One o'clock?"

[Lucy James]

After a pause to clear her head, the brunette smiled. "Yeah," she repeated after him. She realized then what potential weight all of this held; what it could hold, but she decided not to linger on the thought. She wasn't going to go around wondering what could be, but instead, take each day as it came and leave it at that. She'd learned that thinking too much wasn't always the best course of action, even if it went against everything she'd once been.

She wanted to leave some things to fate.

"Okay." She felt no need to say anything else. Maybe it was because this all felt so alien, yet similar at the same time. It felt like they were going in circles, but taking a step in the right direction. It was confusing. But she wasn't going to linger. She offered him another smile before mouthing the word "bye", and with that, the brunette hugged her books closer to her chest and started walking away.