Home Sweet Home (Phoebe)

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The drive back to the apartment building had been quite. Well outwardly, as far as Victor could tell Force had been quiet the whole drive. Lupin however had been very very talkative. Most of it though was Lupin telling Victor that he should be more careful about what he does. After all he was dazed due to a bomb blast... And he went ahead and fought the man. He should have played it safe. Victor's argument was that Lupin didn't seem to protest at the time. But he knew that Lupin was only trying to look out for him. Even if he did pick strange ways to do so.

As they entered the building and passed the receptionist Victor gave his hellos as he usually did when entering. "I'll come back down for my mail." He said as he passed by the lady who was usually sitting behind the desk.

She smiled at him. "I'll be waiting." She said suggestively.

Victor gave a slight nod and forced a slight grin. "Right." He muttered under his breath and then after he passed through the lobby he relaxed. He didn't really like that woman too much. He didn't really like how she would so often try to talk him into taking her to his room or going to her house. Needless to say he did his best to avoid her.

After the short ride up the elevator Victor stepped out onto the second floor. He led Force down the hall and when he got about half way down the hall he pulled out his key ring. He flipped through the keys he had. Car, office at the University, one from his uncle's shed, he didn't know why he still had it. His uncle was dead and the shed was a whole country away. Ah! apartment key.

He stopped at the door marked 277 he took his key and put it in the key hole and then turned it. He reached in and turned on the light. Revealing the place he called home.

From the door one could see a closet that held his jackets and hats to the right just inside the door. And a small 'hallway' leading past it with a bathroom at the end of it on the left. beyond that was the 'living room' and the 'kitchen' in reality they were both one room. The living room had a small couch, a small recliner, a coffee table(despite there being no coffee makers anywhere in the apartment), and a small tv dating from the early 2000s. The kitchen consisted of a decently sized refrigerator with a small freezer next to it. A small dish washer. four cupboards, and a small counter.

Past all that was his bed room. Which held a bed, and a clothes drawer that held his pants shirts and other clothing.

Despite not being the most impressive living place in the world. It was a well kept place. And it was his home.

He looked at Force and motioned with his right arm. Welcome home." He said. Or home for as long as she wanted it to be.

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The whole way back, Phoebe wasn't very inclined to talk. Mostly because accepting Victor's offer put her thoughts into a big muddle that's hard for her to figure out. Much of her is very relieved to know that she's found a nice person who can do so much more to help her than Cathy could, but on the other hand she still has plenty of doubts about this being a good idea. She listens in on Victor and Lupin's mind-chatter though, as their argument distracts her from all those thoughts.

While they enter the building, she walks very closely but passively next to Victor's side and keeps her gaze down to avoid attracting any attention to herself. She's had a lot of practice being the totally ignorable child following an adult around, to such a degree that it's quite likely that anyone they run into won't pay any particular attention to her. But though that makes her come across as shy and withdrawn, that doesn't mean that she doesn't pay very careful attention. To such a degree that once they're in the elevator she quietly mutters to herself, "That lady's thoughts are gross." There are certain... drawbacks to being able to read people's minds...

She's silent again while they head down the hallway, only abandoning her shy act once they're in the apartment. She doesn't respond immediately to his welcome, though she wanders just far enough down the short hall to take a glance around at the living area. While it may not seem like much to him, it's practically a palace compared to Cathy's alleyway and is even quite a bit larger than many of the places she stayed while working for the FBI - many of those were hardly more than a hotel room. She doesn't remark on that though, and her expression is rather passive when she turns back to Victor.

"Thank you," she says simply at first, hesitating before adding, "Um, if it's okay I'd like to wash up first. But... I kind of don't have anything else to wear. This is all I've got." She's also really hungry and tired, but she doesn't like the idea of wandering around this place in her current condition. She's more than a little bit filthy, and wouldn't want to spread that around. Besides, as uncomfortable as an empty belly is, so is dirt between your toes.

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When Force brought up washing off quickly he started to reply. Then he stopped when she mentioned that she didn't have a change of clothing. He had to think about that. He wished he had thought about it before hand. He looked towards his bed room thinking about what clothing he had on hand. He looked back to Force, he had a strong feeling that none of his clothes would fit her. He thought quickly about what he could do to fix that. he snapped his fingers when he got an idea. I think there's a lady down the hall a few doors that babysits every now and again." He said pointing over his left shoulder with his right hand. "She might have something?" He offered.

He then lowered his hand and shrugged slightly. "But as for washing off feel free. Right nob is hot water, left is cold." He said motioning to the bathroom. He quickly thought about what food he had.

"I could either get some left over's out for you or you could go through the fridge yourself." He said then he stopped and added. "Or I could try and cook something up for you?"

He gently closed the door trying to avoid a loud bang. Not because he was trying to be stealthy or secretive that much. But because with his enhanced sense of hearing it would sound much louder to him. "But if you don't mind I'd like to get my mail first.......... Unless.." He took a glace at his watch feeling a sense of dread form in his chest. "Forget it. That lady would still be there. And I'd rather avoid her." He said.

'I would prefer you avoid her as well.' Lupin said. 'I mean I would love nothing more then for you to-'

'Please don't Lupin.' Victor interrupted. But Lupin persisted.

'To be with a woman... But not a woman like her.' He finished. 'I'm interested in alot more then just that for you, pup.' Lupin added with what felt like a large warm mental smile. Victor couldn't help but wonder what that would look like on a wolf's face.

"Either way. I'll wait an hour or so before I get my mail. So I could cook something for you?" Victor said aloud bringing things back on topic.

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When he asks about his neighbor, Phoebe simply shrugs and says, "Maybe." She wouldn't know. Though she'd be quite happy to wear anything at all to avoid putting her dirty clothes back on when she's finished washing - that would kind of defeat the point. It's not like she has any cause to be picky. And when he comments about the knobs, her mouth upturns slightly as she comments, "I've used a bathroom before." She knows that he's just trying really hard to help and isn't used to the idea of having a young girl as a houseguest, so that strikes her as more amusing than insulting.

She gives up on trying to respond to each individual statement that he makes after that, but she can't help but also be amused by the conversation between Victor and Lupin. He'd probably be a bit disturbed if he knew that she knows exactly what they're talking about, but she doesn't comment on that. Instead she merely says, "I'll wear anything, and I'll eat anything. Okay?" If he'd asked her that question a few months ago she could have told him exactly what she wanted and might even have complained if she didn't get it. But if she's learned anything on the streets, it's that you take what you can get - gratefully. She doesn't even have a preference at the moment.

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"Well in that case I have a few t-shirts you can use." He said scratching the back of his head And then he felt a slight chuckle make its way out. "right. I figured that..... Sorta." He said with a slight grin.

For Victor having a girl over at any age was a first for him. Or in all reality Force was the first person aside from Lupin to see his home. So he didn't know much about being a host for having someone over. No matter what her gender or age was.

He rubbed his hands together and said. "You go ahead and rinse off and then I'll get you some clothes. Then if you haven't beaten me to it I'll get some food out for you?" He offered with a somewhat awkward tone.

He heard Lupin chuckling in his mind at the awkwardness Victor was feeling at the moment.

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When he comments about his t-shirts, Phoebe simply nods. There'd been a time when she would complain about wearing some guy's too-large t-shirt, but not now. She bets that it doesn't have any holes in it. And besides, for however long she decides to stay with him she doubts that she'll leave much - it's not like she has anywhere else to be - so it's not like anyone but Victor would see her in it.

She smiles when he mentions her beating him to it, and she remarks, "I'm a girl. I won't beat you." It may be a stereotype that women take a lot longer with their personal hygiene, but it's generally accurate. And just because she's a young one doesn't mean that she won't take her time and make sure she gets all the little details perfect. Especially given just how long it's been since she was actually clean - her long hair in particular is a mess and that will take some time to sort out even though it'll be totally worth it. So even though she's also eager for a solid meal, she's not about to rush that.

And, eager to get started on that, she starts heading for the bathroom, but then she pauses to look at Victor and add, "Oh, and thank you, Victor. This helps a lot." Offering a place to stay to a young girl hiding from everyone in spite of the fact that he barely knows her and doesn't even know why she's doing what she's doing? All without any sign (thus far) that he'll try to take matters into his own hands? She's not sure whether to call him crazy or to respect that, but either way she's quite grateful.

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Victor grinned abit at her comment about being a girl. "Ok then I'll try and have something for you." He said then crossed his arms. "I'll put the shirt right outside the door then?" He offered. He felt kinda strange, he had never had someone over before. And he had already made it clear to Lupin that he wasn't in any hurry to have a kid. Yet here he was, offering a kid a place to stay. Just the day before he wouldn't have thought that this is what he would be doing.

When she thanks him he simply nods. And lets her go about her business. He went ahead and took his jacket off and hung it up. He then put the bag of camera remains down on the coffee table and then went to his room for a shirt. After a while he pulled out a shirt that was a dark blue color that said. 'I like Pi' on it. He grinned and wondered why he bought it. He then pulled out a few more shirts so Force could have a choice. He then walked over to the bathroom door and set them down. "I've got a few shirts here for you." He said through the door.

'What are you going to make for her?' Lupin asked.

'Well she wouldn't probably like something more then a sandwich.' He replied turning the tv on to the news. Sure enough they were talking about the bomb blast. He then turned his back to the tv and let it drone on in the background as he went through the kitchen looking for something that Force might like to eat. It occurred to him that he didn't know much about this girl. He had only met her once before, yet here he was letting her stay for as long as she'd like. He had to wonder if he was crazy... Then it dawned on him that maybe it had something to do with Lupin, imparting some kinda 'pack' instinct onto him. He didn't bother thinking about it though, at the moment he was looking for some food for Force.. And he might as well get something for himself too while he was at it.

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While Phoebe may be a kid, she's definitely not an ordinary one. In some ways she's more grown up than most adults, while in others she's practically a toddler. Her abilities have definitely had an influence on how she grew up, both directly and indirectly. And one of those effects makes it so that she's not at all bothered by the fact that she's suddenly in Victor's home in spite of the fact that she barely knows him. She knows far more about him already than he probably realizes, and knows that she can trust his motives.

"Okay," she says as she heads into the bathroom. And, as promised, she takes her time cleaning herself up. There isn't an inch of herself that isn't filthy, and consequently she makes sure to get every inch of herself clean again. She isn't even out of the shower yet when says that he's left some shirts by the door, and rather than shout over the sound of the spray her Okay, sounds in his head. It had been her habit to read Agent Stevens's thoughts pretty much all the time when they'd been together, and she finds herself picking that habit up again with Victor. Fortunately, she's learned to be unobtrusive about it and doesn't comment even when Victor is debating food choices. She wasn't lying when she said that she'd eat anything and really doesn't care.

Once she's out of the shower, she opens the bathroom door just wide enough to pull in the shirts in with her telekinesis, and then glances through them. She ends up picking the 'I like Pi' shirt, if only because she gets the joke. And it proves to be just long enough to cover what it has to, and that's all she really needs. She next takes the time to comb through her hair, carefully getting out the tangles. It's not as bad as it could have been, given that Cathy had a comb as was willing to share it, but it still takes some doing to get it all nicely smoothed again. She'd forgotten how nice it is to simply be clean.

And though she'd love to bask in that feeling, the only thing that could make it better would to be both clean and full at the same time. So she gathers up her clothes, using her telekinesis to do it so that she won't make her hands dirty again, she heads back out of the bathroom with her laundry drifting behind her in order to find Victor. "I'm done," she announces, and motions to them as she adds, "Oh, and these are going to need to be washed." Of course, she's forgotten that she never did tell Victor about her telekinesis, and didn't do anything with it that would tell him that she has it either.

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Victor was still going through the cabinets trying to find some form of food. Normally he was only making food for one, but now he was here with a little girl here with him. He gave up with looking through the cabinets and moved over to the refrigerator. After a few minutes he found a pizza. He pulled it out and looked it over to make sure it was safe to eat. It was and so he took the cheese pizza and set it on the counter.

As he moved to grab his only pizza pan Lupin spoke up. 'Is this really what your making for her?'

'Hey food is food.' Victor replied setting the pan on the counter. He then took the pizza out of its wrapper and set it down on the pan. he set his small oven to the necessary temperature and waited for it too heat up.

Victor heard Force enter the room and turned around to see her. He grinned at which shirt she picked out. Then he looked at the clothes she said that needed to be washed. He then saw them floating behind her. He simply stood where he was trying to get his mind around it. He hadn't expected to see that. Sure he knew she could read his mind, and he remembered that she said something about being able to float abit. But he didn't expected to see clothes floating. He assumed that it was her making the clothes float.

He stood there for a few seconds longer until the timer on the oven beeped alerting him to the fact that it was now time to put the pizza in. He put the pizza in the oven and then looked back at Force... Then the clothes.

'Are you going to say something?' Lupin asked. 'After all I'm sure to most people I'm much stranger then floating clothes.' He pointed out.

"Ok I'll get take them to the laundry room which is down stairs." Victor finally said blinking some. "I guess that lady's gone now." He added glancing at his watch.

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Even though she's reading his mind, it takes Phoebe a moment to realize why Victor is so surprised. While she's used to the idea of not using her telekinesis in public unless it's an emergency or something, she's extremely used to using it when she's somewhere more private. It's kind of like being born with a third arm, only much more useful - she's so used to using it that it isn't weird at all to her to just use it any time it's convenient, even though for some people seeing her use it causes double-takes and dropped jaws.

"Oh, um, yeah I can do that," she says awkwardly, not knowing how she might be able to say that any better. She really should have remembered that he didn't know, but then again she already knew that he'll handle that bit of news well, and it would be annoying not using her telekinesis while staying with him, so there was no real reason to keep it a secret.

"I have telekinesis and telepathy," she explains more specifically, "I can move things and read minds. And I'm really good at it, so you don't need to worry about it, okay?" Because if anything, her least favorite reaction is when people think that she's scary. At least if they're people who shouldn't be scared of her - when bad guys are scared of her that's actually kind of fun. But really, it's just one of those things; Victor has a wolf in his head, and she can do a lot of stuff just by thinking about it. Odd, yes, but nothing to freak out about.

After saying that, she patiently waits for him to overcome his surprise - everyone does eventually, even if it takes a few moments. So as not to make it any worse, she holds the laundry in place now so that he doesn't get nervous about the fact that it's moving. He's not the first person she's had to explain it to, after all, even though more often anyone she met while working for the FBI would get a briefing first. Which is also why she doesn't set it down either - if she makes him take them out of the air instead of setting it all down somewhere it will help him get used to it faster.

Though when she looks back at the bundle she makes it shift slightly so that she can pull her doll out of the pocket of the hooded sweatshirt she'd been wearing. "My doll needs to be washed too," she comments quietly, "But be careful with her - she's kind of important to me." The doll is a bit ragged and worn, but then what kid's favorite, special toy isn't? But she won't repeat that warning for the rest of her clothes - they're just what she happened to be wearing when she left the FBI. And have seen so much hard use since then that they're starting to wear out, but to replace them she'd have had to steal something and she's not about to do something like that unless she absolutely has to.

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Victor stared at the clothes for a few seconds longer then tore his eyes away when he heard Force talk. When she said that he didn't need to worry about her power he shook his head. "No I'm not worried by it..... I just didn't expect it." The truth was. Even with a wolf entity sharing his body, it took alot to convince Victor of things. For example, he still didn't fully believe in magic, and for a long time he didn't believe in telepathy or the like. Until now.

He walked over to the floating clothes and waved his hands around them looking for wires. He knew he wouldn't find any... But he still looked. Then when he heard Force talking about her doll he looked at it and felt a warm feeling come over him. He looked at the doll and thought back to his childhood. He truly missed those days, of course many people probably did.

He gently took the doll in his hands and smiled softly then took the clothes. "Ok I'll go get to that if you don't mind." He said. Then he looked at the doll abit longer then asked. "Does she have a name?" Then he paused "Don't worry I'll be careful with her." He didn't know why he was saying this, or why he felt the way he did at the moment. But he had already said what he said. So he felt he should kept with it.

After a while he moved over to the door with the clothes under his arm and Force's doll gently held in his hand. Again he didn't know why he was holding the doll so gently. But he was. "I'll be back in a little bit. Feel free to check the pizza when you think its ready." He said then he stopped before he opened the door. "Are you ok with me going and cleaning them now?" He didn't mean to be babying her, Victor just honestly didn't know what he was supposed to do. So he went with what his gut told him to do.... And that was to act kind, and be understanding.

'You should have been a......... What's the word? Oh yes. Shrink.' Lupin commented. 'You have such a gentle way.' He added jokingly.

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When he starts looking for wires, Phoebe can't help but giggle a little. But no, the clothes really are just suspended in the air like that. He's not the first person to check, actually, but that doesn't mean that is isn't silly to think that it could all be some sort of illusion. She did hold up a bridge earlier today, after all, though she's guessing that Superman will get all the credit for the fact that it didn't fall. Which she doesn't mind in the least - she didn't do it for fame but to keep people from being hurt. In fact if anything she hopes that nobody else but Superman even knows that he had help.

The shift that Victor's mind takes as he looks at her doll causes her to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Just because she's a girl with a doll doesn't mean that she's had much of a childhood. In fact she thinks that Agent Stevens gave it to her so that she could have at least some semblance of one even if she didn't have much time for play among all the training she did. When he asks for the name, Phoebe smiles a bit sheepishly as she says, "Dolly. I wasn't very creative when I was little."

But the discomfort only lasts until he takes the clothes and starts talking about washing them immediately. "Yeah, I can handle that," she replies when he asks if she's okay with him leaving. She did spend the last couple of months taking care of herself, after all. Granted, she didn't do the best job in the world, but she's alive and well anyway. Making sure a pizza doesn't burn should not be a problem. In fact she takes a seat in the chair closest to the oven to be sure of it.

Though they're speaking out loud, she never does stop reading people's thoughts when she's talking to them so she easily catches Lupin's comment. Smirking to herself she comments, "No, Lupin, I think that the word you were looking for is 'daddy'." He's not the only one who can tell a joke at Victor's expense, though she's not completely joking.

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Victor was about to open the door when he heard her comment that the word Lupin was looking for was daddy. He paused and slowly turned back around to Force. His left eyebrow was high and his had a slightly shocked look on his face. 'Daddy?' He mentally asked anyone who was listening.

He slowly turned around then opened the door up. he really didn't ever expect that word to be used to describe him. t least not this soon in his life. He walked out the door and softly closed the door behind him. 'Daddy?' He mentally repeated.

He walked down to the elevator repeating the word over again in his head. 'She was talking about me right?' He asked Lupin.

'Yes she was.' Lupin answered.

He was so drawn up in contemplating that he didn't even notice the woman was waiting for him. He managed to make it past her without being noticed. And he managed to get the clothes started and get his mail. But when he made it back to the clothes and Forces doll the woman was standing there.

'Hi there.' She asked.

"Look I'm busy at the moment. Maybe later?" He said. Though what he meant was 'please go away.'

Sadly he had to put up with the woman for the rest of the time in the laundry room.

When he made it back to the room he walked in and looked at Force. "I took care of your doll, and your clothes are cleaner." He said. Then he gave her an questioning look and asked. "Daddy?"

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When she sees Victor stop short and look back, Phoebe simply grins at him as if to confirm that yes, she said that. But she doesn't comment further either mentally or out loud as he leaves to take care of the laundry. And, not feeling the need to monitor him the entire time that he's at it, she stops reading his mind once he's out of the apartment.

Instead her attention turns to the cooking pizza. And that actually proves to be a rather difficult task since she's so hungry that she's tempted to pull it out before she's done. But she has a remarkable level of self-control for her age and resists - it will be a lot better, not to mention safer from a food sanitation standpoint, if she waits. Still, she wishes that she'd thought to ask Victor for a small snack of some sort to eat during the wait. But eventually her patience is rewarded when she peeks in the oven to see that it's that lovely golden brown color that means that it's done.

If she weren't herself, she might have the problem of not knowing where anything in the kitchen is. However, this is an everyday situation where her telekinesis comes in handy. Opening the oven, she uses her power to lift the hot pizza out without burning herself. Then... oh yeah! Better turn off the oven! She's short enough that it would have been a big reach, but turning the knob with her power is easy. And so is cutting the pizza without having to figure out where Victor keeps the proper utensil for that. The only thing she has to search for is a plate since she doesn't want to spend the whole time she's eating also holding up the pizza. Let's see, probably in one of the cabinets... Fortunately, it's a small kitchen so there's only so many options. And once again, her telekinesis saves her from a big reach to get one.

By the time Victor returns she's sitting at the table enjoying her third piece. She's not sure how much of the pizza he wanted, but she knows that she's got to be a lot hungrier than he is. When he asks her that one word question, she giggles. He must have been thinking about that the entire time he was gone! "Yep!" she answers, and informs him that, "You'd make a good daddy." Well, sure, he'd have a lot to learn first. And he'd need a girl. But he has the right sort of personality for the job - gentle, caring... She wonders if her daddy is like that, whomever he may be. "Thanks for taking care of that," she adds, "And for the pizza." Words can not describe how good it feels to be full! Well, almost full... she takes another bite of the slice in her hand. Mmm!

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Victor let Force take her clothes back, as well as Dolly. He then looked around and sniffed the air. Sure enough the pizza was ready. He took his shoes off and laid them by the door as he listened to Force.

He had never been told that he would make a good father before... Or at least he didn't remember ever hearing someone call him that before. But with everything that had happened it was possible he had forgotten. "That's just a new comment when it comes to me." He said with an amused grin. "Seeing as I have trouble talking to women." He said with a distracted tone to his voice.

He walked over to the pizza and took a slice. Might as well eat it now before it was all gone. He mused. 'And your welcome." He said with a smile as he chewed the bit of pizza in his mouth and swallowed.

"So.......... How are you?" He asked awkwardly. He wasn't sure what he should be saying at this moment.

'Was that ok?' He asked Lupin. Lupin simply shrugged mentally.