Cold War (closed)

[Ginny Campbell]

"No green stuff. It's Italian, Italian's don't do green. Unless it's, like, garlic or basil or something," Ginny explained with all the expertise of a college freshman who occasionally cooked with her parents.

She continued rifling through the cabinets and drawers, pulling out flatware and glasses while Mia clambered about the kitchen. "Thanks, Nikki." She followed him to the table, carefully placing knives and forks beside the plates her foster brother had set out. "Mind putting ice in the glasses?" She added, noting that the napkin holder only had one solitary napkin remaining. That gave her a nice excuse to bug the pantry.

"It's pasta with ricotta cheese and ground beef and tomato sauce and stuff. It is hot, but not spicy, and the only thing better than traditional lasagna is pumpkin lasagna. You can make it with zucchini, too, but...yeah. Just trust me, it's tasty." This brief lesson was given while rummaging through the pantry for napkins, rigging up several mics along the pantry walls. She'd never met anyone who didn't like lasagna; lasagna had become as much a staple of the American diet as hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza.

Footsteps and the thud of crutches in the hallway caused her to bag of remaining mics into her pocket, spinning around to greet her dad and Chase with a grin for the fact that they'd bugged the kitchen before the two men had joined them. Success! Now if only the rest of the house proved to be so easy they would be set.

"Oh.my.god, I'm starving here!" She announced, placing one hand on her hip. "I thought you guys forgot about us!"

She turned her head slightly to look over at her shorter friend. "Oh, dad. Mia has never had lasagna." She still couldn't quite believe that. Didn't they serve lasagna in Hammel's cafeteria at least occasionally? "I told her it was delicious, don't let me down."

[Mia Keystone]

”Pistachio ice cream,” Mia rebuked, but it was a half hearted argument. ”And anyway, garlic isn’t green. I know that,” she added with all the expertise of a high school student who lived on ramen and Reece cups.

Ricotta cheese meant nothing to Mia, but pumpkin and zucchini were death and Mia grimaced and shook her head in disgust. ”Gross,” she muttered, then laughed. Ginny would be used to Mia’s dislike for strange foodstuffs. Whenever the blonde girl was in town, they’d hang out at the food court and Ginny would always poke fun at Mia for refusing to try anything other then the plain rice and black bean beef, and even then she left all the vegetables.

Catching Nikki watching her climbing, she winked even as she slid down to lean against the table. Nothing kids liked more then a chance to climb things. Something to keep in mind should it turn out the smallest Campbell (yes he was a Campbell) was worth befriending/recruiting; she’d show him how to climb pretty much anything. It was easy if you had the right shoes.

Stuffing her own bugs deep into her pockets, Mia turned a tad slower then felt natural (too fast was always suspicious) when James and Chase finally showed up. She raised a hand in greeting, smiling crookedly. She’d threatened suggested to James she’d end up in his house four years ago and now here she was, all bright eyed and bushy tailed. They must be so damn thrilled to see her here. In their house. With their daughter.

”Hey, ah,” she faltered for a minute, not sure how to address her teachers, ”Campbell-Kilbourn incorporate,” she settled that, then rolled her eyes and Ginny and folded her arms. ”Big whoop, bet you’ve never had Chazuke, or even knew you can cook rice in green tea.” she shot back, then shrugged. ”Smells pretty good.” her eyes lit up as she grinned at James, ”Didn’t know you cooked, Dr C.”

[Nikolai Campbell]

"Okay,"Nikki agreed, setting about filling the glasses as he was asked. It seemed easy enough, and he certainly didn't mind. He got three done as he listened to Ginny explain the food to Mia. It was a little odd that she'd never tried it- it seemed so normal to him now. By his fourth one, he heard the footsteps, so he finished the glass he was holding and glanced back to see Chase and James enter the room. Instantly, the filled fourth glass was set down and he'd moved to stand in front of the pair.

"Are you feeling okay today, Chase?"Niko questioned hopefully. Since Chase'd been injured, Niko'd seemed to ask that question every time he saw him, as though hearing Chase tell him it didn't hurt that badly would somehow mean it was healing, and that he would be okay after all. But, now it mattered less- Niko was certain that, with the help of Ginny and Mia, he was actually helping to ensure no one hurt any of them. Though they said it was a game, and though they said it was dangerous, Niko had convinced himself that he was doing something good for Chase and James both. Had he realized what he was taking part in may hurt them, he probably wouldn't have gone along with it. But he wasn't likely to figure that out.

Niko giggled at Mia's greeting. He'd never heard that- Campbell-Kilbourne Incorporate. He wasn't likely to ever call either of his fathers that, but it was funny anyway. Then, he giggled again when Mia said she didn't know James cooked. Of course he did, he was an amazing cook (at least in Niko's opinion) but Chase- well, Niko wasn't going to point it out. Maybe Mia'd figure it out. At any rate, he felt a bit better about Mia now, knowing she could be funny.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase glanced at his husband, not bothering to fight back the grin. “How often do you do that? Wake me up and ask me something?” He couldn’t remember a single instance that it had happened, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t. He leaned into James’ touch, relaxing a little. If he didn’t have his husband, his family, facing this would have been impossible. “I could be up and around more if you’d let me go off the medication.” Of course, this was another argument that sent them around in circles. James wouldn’t let him stop completely until the doctor said so, regardless of what Chase wanted. But at least he’d given in a tiny bit, letting Chase just take Tylenol if the pain wasn’t that bad.

He snuggled into his husband when he felt the arm around his back. Sometimes, though it had gone against his idea of atonement for the crime he’d inadvertently committed, he was glad he’d let the biomanipulator fix his ribs. It made moments like this possible. “I hope so. The last thing I want is Nikki learning to spy.” No, he did not want their son to pick up tricks from Mia. This was nice, the quiet moment with James. Both awake, both clear headed.

But everything had to end, and he was actually grateful when James handed him his crutches. “Thanks,” he offered as he tucked them into position. Thank God for having the upper body strength he did, otherwise this would have been a lot harder. He followed James out, slower, but at least he was moving easier. Nikki’s question made him pause, and he let go of one crutch, still keeping it tucked under his arm, to reach out and ruffle the boy’s hair. “Yeah, I am. Thanks Nikki.” He glanced up at Ginny’s announcement. “You’re impossible to forget about, Gin.” He managed an affectionate smile at his step-daughter before making his way into the kitchen. He didn’t even bother to address Mia’s greeting. Hey, just because she was Ginny’s friend didn’t mean he had to be nice.

[Dr. James Campbell]

"Chase, I hate to tell you this, but to some extent, all kids are spies. It's how they learn to be people." James smiled and hugged a little tighter, glad for the moment. He'd talked Chase into having a biomanipulator see to his ribs and concussion, but he'd not had any luck in convincing him to talk about what had happened, not since that first day. But that was exactly what had happened with him months earlier, and the blond man had put up with it. So James tried talking about other things, the kind of things that made Chase grin. "He's going to be watching us for a long time. So eat your salad tonight." And even if his husband didn't believe it right now, he was a good role model.

James knew his husband could manage on his own with the crutches. He wasn't trying to hover, but it was one of those things where trying wasn't going to help. So he stayed close as they went out into the living room, and only stopped watching him when Ginny started talking. "She's in for a treat then, and Gin, have I ever let you down with something like this?"

And Mia, as usual, made him shake his head. (Though this time he was grinning, despite Chase pointedly ignoring the visitor.) "I actually have had Chazuke, though I haven't tried making it myself. Too many picky eaters here." He pulled out Chase's chair for him, then headed into the kitchen to bring in dinner. "Ginny, put the salad out, please, and Nikki, finish the water." He put on a pair of quilted oven mitts and pulled the lasagna, then brought it out to the table. "Yes, Mia, I cook. My mother and grandmother taught me when I was young, and it's cathartic."

[Ginny Campbell]

"Ok, fine, I have not had chaz....that. And no, I didn't know you could cook rice in tea, that is way weirder than pumpkin lasagna." Ginny informed Mia. Anything with pumpkin in it was delicious; tea-flavored rice, however, did not sound appetizing.

Her smile faltered a bit at Chase's good natured ribbing. This sucked. Why did he have to have such a charming facade? His friendliness made her feel guilty! But not for long; once she had concrete evidence she wouldn't have to pretend and she could feel justified in her current deception. "Point." She forced a smirk onto her face, "I am too awesome to forget about."

She snatched the bowl of salad off the counter, waving it in Mia's face. "Mmmm, delicious!" She teased, dancing around the kitchen table in search of a safe place to set the salad down. "Here, since I know you'll want it all to yourself, this can be your spot." She decided, depositing her burden in front of one of the place settings with a grin. "You can smother it in dressing if you need to."

Which reminded her that dressings needed to be set out as well, and so she darted to the fridge, tearing the door open. "Daaaaaaad. What dressings do we have???" She asked, as if that couldn't easily be discovered by looking at the condiments lining the shelves on the refrigerator door. "Anything else I need to get out while I'm in here? Do we need butter?"

[Mia Keystone]

”Point to the Doc! Vocab point too, for using cathartic in real life!” Mia grinned at James, then shot a loaded look at Chase as the jedi wife pointedly ignored her. It wasn’t automatically a sign that he was a wife(?) beater or a meta supremacy terrorist, but hey, it was a reason to glare at him. Her glare intensified when he made that remark about Ginny. Sure, the blonde might take it as a good natured jibe, but if he was dangerous, it could be a threat. Was Chase really threatening Ginny in front of James? Sharp eyes glanced at the doctor. No, he wasn’t looking upset or anything.

The sudden appearance of what appeared to be a possessed bowl of salad greens distracted her, and her look of careful calculation was replaced by one of complete and utter disgust. ”Get it away from me!” she cried and shook her head at Ginny. ”Cruel and unusual, Gee. Cruel and unusual,”. With an over exaggerated sniff the technopath turned her nose up and took the chair opposite the one tainted by vegetable germs. ”I will not. I am not a rabbit or a hamster and I will not eat like one!” Her eyes sought out Nikki, looking to gauge his reaction. Was he like any sane 9 year old and not a fan of the green matter? That would make him her ally.

While Ginny was off being a domestic goddess or whatever, Mia shrugged slightly in apology to James about her open dislike of salad, and for what she was about to do. Glancing around, Mia frowned slightly, not sure what to do with herself. ”So, you got mugged?” she finally just asked, looking back to Chase with raised eyebrows. ”Did you see who did it? Are you pressing charges?”

Chances where, he’d tell her to mind her own business, but by mentioning it now, chances where, he might bring it up later with James and then, well, two sneaky teenage girls would hear of it.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko smiled at Chase's answer, relieved. When James told him to finish the water, he promptly obeyed, getting the rest of the ice, then water for the five. While he did, the interactions between the other inhabitants didn't interest Nikki much until Mia began to complain about the salad. Nikki paused then, smiling as he listened. He may be young, but he certainly didn't vocalize his opinions the way Mia did. Well, not the negative ones. When Mia looked to him, his look of amusement changed to surprise and uncertainty. Ah-oh. She wasn't going to start ranting at him, was she? He didn't really love green things as a general rule, but he didn't want to cause any trouble for James or Chase by refusing it. He already refused milk- no need to fight them on something he could eat.

"Dad's salad is good."Niko offered helpfully before smiling."But maybe we can set your plate outside and see if any rabbits or hamsters come- like stray kitties." Yes. Because Nikki was just waiting for the chance to convince Chase and James that Milo needed more friends. He wasn't really expecting a hamster to show up, but he wouldn't mind if it did.

Niko looked away when Mia's attention left him. He went back to finishing his job of setting the glasses in front of the spaces with plates. As with last time, he paused when Mia spoke. He was behind her, walking to the table with a filled glass in his hand when she asked a question Nikki wouldn't ask himself. Nikki didn't like to talk about it, as if reminding Chase would only make it worse. But if she did, it'd be okay. Now with a thoughtful look, Nikki moved to Mia, offering her the glass he'd just filled.

"Here, Mia."he offered, his tone soft. He wasn't tall enough to reach over her, so he couldn't set it down for her. And, if he was watching Mia, Chase couldn't be watching him, or seeing just how badly he wanted to know more about the mugging. Not just what Mia asked, but everything. Anything that'd make it make sense, that'd explain it away. Anything he hadn't been told yet.

[Chase Campbell]

At the best of times, teenagers baffled him. The girls, especially. But this random point system they’d suddenly invented? He frowned a little as he sat down, propping the crutches up against the wall. They were such a pain in the ass. He still managed a smile at his step-daughter, though. “I know, Gin. You’re amazing.” And he meant it, too. He’d never thought he’d feel this way about kids, but he loved Ginny and Nikki.

Even more so when both of their kids seemed to gang up on Mia, regarding the salad. Honestly, Chase was with Nikki. Green things weren’t his favourite either, but if it would be setting an example, he’d tolerate them. Mia, on the other hand, didn’t seem so thrilled. “Nikki’s right, Mia. James does make good salad.” Actually, James made good everything. But Niko’s little fantasy distracted him. “Nikki, that’s not really a good idea... I don’t think Milo likes hamsters.” That was the last thing he wanted to have happen. A cute little animal for Milo to stalk and hunt.

Mia’s questions caught his attention, though. Of course she knew the unofficial story. Nosy brat. And in all honestly, though he should have been expecting the questions, they still caught him off guard. He glanced away, attempting to gather his thoughts. “Yes, Mia. I got mugged. And I don’t want to talk about it.” He shot a wary glance at Niko. “I don’t want to upset Nikki. Besides, the food’s hot and we should eat. It’s not table conversation.” He hoped that would be the end of it. But knowing Mia... probably not.

[Dr. James Campbell]

"That hardly counts as a point for me, Mia," James said, smiling. There really were reasons to like this girl. "What do you think the Doctor in my name is for?" He certainly wasn't a real doctor, but he had spent years studying for it, so he used the title daily.

"We have Balsamic, Ranch, and Sun-Dried Tomato. And we shouldn't need butter. There's enough on the garlic bread already." The casual observer might not have noticed that he not only listed the dressings in the same order that they stood in the fridge door, but they were also in alphabetical order. Of course. And though he briefly considered issuing the same threat Ginny and Nikki (and sometimes Chase) recieved--No desert unless you eat your vegetables--it was just easier not to argue with Mia.

"I think Milo would be happy with a hamster burger. You know that every time he gets out, he comes back with a mouse in his mouth." They tried to keep the cat an indoor cat, but he was adventurous and liked to escape. Fortunately, he always came back when he did. Not so fortunately, he would bring a mouse or a chipmunk back as a gift, presenting it to Chase or James with more pride than was deserved. "So Mia can eat her greens or not, but they're not going outside."

The recruiter had headed back to the oven to take out the garlic bread, but paused at Mia's questions. They had been purposefully vague about what had happened with Chase's injuries, same as they had been about his hands last year. Thankfully, Chase handled it, and James just bit the inside of his lip and brought the garlic bread to the table. "Chase is right. Ginny, would you like to say grace?" He quickly went back and closed the oven door, double-checking that it was off, before returning to the table and sliding into his seat next to Chase.

Grace was an irregular thing at their house. At least, it was only sometimes said aloud. James always said it to himself, and Chase had long-since gotten used to waiting for him to finish before starting to eat. But when company was over, they always said it aloud.

[Ginny Campbell]

Ginny shrugged at Mia's outburst. "Nikki's right, dad makes good salad. This isn't like the garbage you get out, this is fresh." She didn't expect Mia to listen to either of them, of course; the technopath was stubborn. She rarely did anything she didn't want to. In fact, rarely could probably be safely be changed to never; there were no instances Ginny could think of.

When her friend asked about the mugging she paused, lifting her eyes expectantly at Chase. He and her father had revealed very little and while she didn't expect they would tell the truth in front of Mia, she was waiting for some discrepancy to appear. She was sure that she wasn't being told the whole story, and trying to juggle lies was difficult. They would slip up eventually and if she was lucky that slip up would allow her to confront Chase about her dad. Unfortunately, neither men were willing to explain beyond a curt reference to mugging. She stifled an irritated sigh and returned to her search of the refrigerator.


She snickered behind her hand at the idea of stray hamsters. "A hamster burger? What, Milo knows how to grill now?" She asked, snatching the Ranch out of the fridge. She began to ask what Mia wanted before remembering she wasn't eating the salad. The rest of her family would be, though, so she might as well just go ahead and get the other two dressings. "Or are you spoiling him that much?"


She plopped the bottles of dressing on the table, seating herself next to Mia. "Sure." She clasped her hands and bowed her head, not waiting to see if everyone else joined. Mia probably wouldn't, anyway. "Dear God," She began. It might not be the most eloquent beginning, but it wasn't as if she'd been asked to come up with something ahead of time, "Thank you for the opportunity to spend time with friends and family and thank you for good health and good luck and dad's lasagna. Amen."


She wasted no time in fixing her plate, passing the food to the other's at the table. "So...how was everyone's day today? You do anything other than be doped up?" She addressed that part to Chase, though with little hope he'd say anything worth following up on. She'd have to wait until he and her father were alone and hope they said something incriminating then.

[Mia Keystone]

It was like a rabbit in the headlights, the way Niko froze when she looked at him His answer made her raise an eyebrow; he was one of those ‘please everyone’ kids then. She looked away to grin at Campbell. ”I still hold to my theory that you’re a time lord, and that doctor is just some human version of your title,” she said primly, then rolled her eyes as Chase started with the brown nosing and baby talk. ”No such thing as a good salad, Mr Kilbourne, unless it’s seaweed,” Mia said dryly. That’s right, suck up to Ginny and don’t explain how the cat Mia had seen slinking around would disembowel a hamster and then eat it. He’s too young to understand the circle of life. It did move them all through despair and hope, and faith and love.

”Hey, I’m just asking out of student concern,” Mia said quickly, holding her hands up with mock defense. Noting Niko’s obvious attempt to hide his interest she took the water from him with a wink. ”We’re all pretty worried, sir, I mean if someone got the jump on you, what if we poor ickle students get attacked?” She couldn’t have kept the sarcasm out of her voice if she tired.

Then James took the words out of her mouth. Even if he did cartoonify the whole cat eating hamster thing. Sharing a seriously, you deal with this look with Ginny, she sat into her chair and was privately thankful no one tried to take her hand. That would have been way too Partridge Family. As it was, Mia just rolled her eyes and crossed her arm. Out of respect, she didn’t scoff out loud, or start questioning why two gay men were interested in a god who seemed pretty keen on condemning them for their lifestyle... no, because she liked Ginny, liked James and... well, did not wish death on Chase or Niko, she kept that to herself and only gave a tiny smirk as everyone opened their eyes.

”Your sister made me try on at least a million dresses,” Mia said quietly to Niko, so Ginny could talk to her dad...s. ”But that’s not even that much. Did you know that there are maybe ten million types of bugs in the world? They make up over half the total population.” Yeah, that’s right. He would eat greens but Mia had remembered what he did like. And she wanted to give Ginny a chance to say something possibly helpful. ”So if ants ever decided they wanted to like, run the world? They could. In days. Like that movie A Bugs Life, but without them being blue.”

Too far, Mia. Too. Far.

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko could only smile to convey acknowledgement when Mia winked. Chase, unfortunately, denied to comment because of him. Rather than argue, he took up a chair. It was better left alone.

He kept quiet as Ginny said grace- he didn't mind if it was said or not. Since it mattered to James, Niko was mildly interested. For him, religion was little more than a comfort before bedtime. A routine of prayer from before he came to Hammel. After Ginny finished he went about making a plate as food was passed his way. When Mia asked about their day and mentioned Chase being doped up, Niko looked to her in confusion. Why was she being mean? Mia distracted him from that conversation.

"A million dresses?" Niko giggled at the idea. When the conversation turned to bugs, Niko stayed with it as though it were logical. His eyes widened when she said that ants would take over. That was scary.

"Are you friends with the bugs?" Niko questioned. He knew of students who communicated with bugs. Maybe Mia knew what she was saying because of conversations with the bugs themselves. "Do you think they want to take over? What if they're planning right now?" Perhaps it was foolish of him to fear. He could drown bugs if he needed to. And bugs didn't like snow, so he could scare them away if need be.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase flinched slightly at Mia’s retort, not even pausing to be amused by her theories. He knew all about them already. James was a time lord, and he... was a Jedi. Apparently. But her calling him ‘Mr. Kilbourne’ made him twitch. There was a reason he preferred his students to call him by name. He bit back an acidic comeback and managed to just give her a curt smile. “Just try it, Mia. It won’t kill you.”

It didn’t stop there, either. Why had they agreed to Ginny having Mia as a dinner guest? It was bad enough that they had to lie to the kids about the sources of both his and James’ injuries. But having Hammel’s nosiest student right there as well? He sighed. “The students are going to be fine. It had nothing to do with Hammel, all right? Besides, I doubt anyone could get the jump on you.” There, was that better? He was socializing now, instead of sulking.

Thankfully, Ginny provided a distraction. Even he had to smile at the mental image of the cat working the grill outside. Latching onto the new topic, he grinned at his step-daughter. “You know your dad spoils Milo. He’s the one always telling us not to feed him from the table, but he’s usually the one guilty of it.” He winked at his husband, because it wasn’t entirely true. But if he could expose James’ spoiling of the cat, he would.

He quieted down for grace, dropping his gaze to his lap as usual. It was something he’d gotten used to a long time ago, and didn’t mind. Ginny did a better job than he ever did, which was why he usually left it to James to handle. As the food was passed around, he was hoping for some peace, but with the girls around, he knew that wouldn’t last. He rolled his eyes at Ginny. “Not really. James won’t let me not take the medication, so I slept most of the day.” As soon as that was over, he’d be so much happier. “So I’m not the best person to ask.” Maybe the others could distract her.

[Dr. James Campbell]

James rolled his eyes dramatically at Mia's accusation of him being a time lord. He'd heard it often enough, since he did kind of see the resemblance between him and that actor. (He'd tried watching the show. It wasn't anything special, no matter what Rome said.) But the banter was nice; it more like a regular family dinner than anything they had done in a while. "I don't spoil him, and I don't feed him at the table. Sometimes in the kitchen, but never at the table." And as if he was summoned, the cat appeared and jumped up onto the back of the couch, watching them eat from across the room. Pretty soon, he'd be weaving his way under the chairs, meowing for scraps.

Ginny's grace was short and to the point, and James crossed himself after. He didn't mind that the rest didn't really join in; sometimes he wondered why he had managed to remain somewhat religious, despite everything. Part of it was that he was genuinely thankful for everyone's (comparative) good health. His family was together, Chase was healing, and Gabriel Underwood was dead. There was some comfort in knowing that the man who had attacked him would never be able to hurt his kids the same way.

"Chase, you have enough doctors telling you what to do already. I'm just reinforcing it." He knew his husband hated the feeling the painkillers gave him, but they were going to follow the doctors' instructions to the letter. "And I did some paperwork, which I doubt anyone cares about, and there's a potential recruit in Hawaii. Her parents are both Hammel alums, so it should be an easy trip. Stephen has already volunteered." The recruiters under him had all taken on bigger workloads since Mii's maternity leave had started, and with James home to look after Chase, they all deserved more of a break than they were going to get.