Pratt Household
Easingwold, North Yorkshire
Early Evening


Jason was best mates with Eddie. But he was also good friends with Quincy. So when it came to the normal things they used to do (like watching the kids on occasion so the couple could get out), well… Jason just kept it up. More now than right after it happened, of course. Had to give Eddie some time to calm down.

Now, though, with his own married life in shambles and little else to do but drink, work, and twiddle his thumbs, Jason was offering to watch the kids more than usual. He liked kids; his own came along now and again, when Fiona allowed him to. She was pretty well mannered about that, though; he didn’t have to beg for it, though she probably knew he would if she made him. It was his son after all.

And he felt horrible about what he’d done. Punishment well deserved, with no means to make up for it. It was the worst feeling of guilt; where you still want to do it, even when you know it’s wrong. So he stayed away from temptation. Rita had helped him with that… Shivering at the memory, Jason tugged at his jumper, his hands in the pockets. Something about expecting Miranda to turn into the older psychotic nut-job that was the reporter… well, he’d tried to explain it to her (Miranda).

It just meant he was left with more free time. And he thought he was handling it all very well! Tonight, though, he didn’t have Aidan. So after he got off work, had a refreshing shower and a cup of tea, he’d finally dressed and gone out. Quincy deserved a good night out, away from the kids. Just as much as any parent. Jason wasn’t going to discriminate just because she was his best mates ex-wife. Especially after the argument the two had gotten in recently.

If anything, it only made him more likely to go and see Quincy. He understood his mate was under extra stress, but honestly… he didn’t have to dwell on the drunken broom riding incident, did he? Reaching the front door of Quincy’s place, he knocked loudly, waiting patiently for it to open. His hands dug a little more in his hooded sweater, biting his lower lip while he stared absentmindedly down the road.

Much as though Quincy didn't want to go out and leave her kids, she had promised her younger cousin that they would spend some quality time together. She groaned internally at the thought of having to actually sit with Charlotte for more than twenty minutes without an escape route. Normally they played it safe with the occasional coffee date, or in the very least seeing a movie so they didn't actually have to speak to one another. Quincy, however, had stupidly suggested they should go out and get dinner sometime, and follow it up with a night of debauchery at a club. Little did she know that Charlotte would jump at the chance. No doubt she would want to try and out-do Quincy at everything, including throwing a bottle of wine down her neck and seeing who could eat their meals the quickest. Quincy rolled her eyes at the thought of her immature cousin as she finished drying her hair.

Charlotte was a beautiful girl, and would no doubt catch the attention of every man they saw tonight. Charlotte claimed that this would be Quincy's night, after everything that had happened in her relationship lately she deserved it. Yeah, right. First chance she got, Charlotte would be in the limelight. It was too late to back out now. Charlotte would have been pampering herself all day, to make sure she looked the best she possibly could.

Jason had very kindly offered to look after the kids, after Quincy had told him she'd agreed to go out with her cousin, but Eddie was working late, her parents were abroad and his parents were entertaining for the night. She could have almost kicked Jason for offering, considering he did it in front of Charlotte, who then jumped up and down ecstatically. But she knew that Jason was just trying to do what was right by her, and she was grateful for that.

So when the knock came at the front door half an hour before he was due to be there, she knew it would be him. What with the breakdown of his marriage, Jason hadn't had all that much to do lately. He was completely lost without a family to look after twentyfour-seven, and Quincy was actually rather glad to give him something different to do. Plus the kids hadn't seen him for ages, and they were all looking forward to seeing him - even Noah, who was going through his rebellious stage due to the lack of a father figure in his life. Quincy hoped Jason would find it easier with Aidan than she was finding it with her eldest son.

"One second!" She shouted down the stairs, knowing that her voice would travel through the old wooden front door. Goodness knew the draughts did! She quickly scooped her hair up into a ponytail and pulled a robe around herself, stuck her feet in her slippers and picked Charlie up off the bed. He'd been playing with her red lipstick, and had streaks of red across his face. "Oh, Charlie!" Quincy grumbled as she made her way towards the staircase. With her son balanced on her left hip, she went down the stairs as fast as she could. She stopped on the third from bottom step as she saw Natasha bent over, her hands lifting the letterbox open, and peering out with one eye scrunched closed and her little bottom sticking out.

Quincy laughed. "Come here." she said holding out her hand. The little girl grinned at her mother and latched onto the outstretched hand. As Quincy opened the door, Natasha buried herself into her mother's side, half hiding her face as though she was shy - which was certainly not the case. "Jason." She breathed with a smile. "You could have just let yourself in, you know." She chastised playfully, holding the door open for him.

Jason heard the voice, far off, calling him to be patient. Smirking slightly, he ran his hand over the longer than necessary stubble he’d forgotten to cut. With all his free time, you’d think that would be the first thing to fill his time. But when it came down to it, he just… forgot. Plus, he liked a little something to run his hand over. Especially with winter coming up around the corner; it would help keep his cheeks warm.

Then he heard the letterbox open, and he bent down slightly, his head tilted as he stared at the little girl. “Are you going to let me in, Tasha?” The little girl was adorable, looked a good bit like her mum, and had a personality to rival her parents. When it came down to it, he didn’t mind watching the kids. They always said and did the funniest things, and could keep you entertained for hours. The older they got, the less cute they became though. Noah was all right still, at least last time he’d seen the young man.

Then the letterbox closed and he stood back up. When the door opened, he glanced up from where he’d expected the little greeter to be to Quincy. Then he reminded himself that her parents had probably taught her not to open the door… and he grinned back at the younger woman. She looked good, and the kids hanging off her only added to the image.

“Jason… You could have just let yourself in, you know.”

His eyes lit up; they hadn’t had much reason to lately, so it felt good to actually smile, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “And let you finish getting ready? Come on, now.” Stepping up, he gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek before winking at Charlie and tapping his nose. “Looks like his dad.” Motioning to the lipstick, he smirked; the sad part was, he could see Eddie trying some on.

Then he looked down at Natasha as he closed the door behind him. “What-you’re shy now?” Laughing, he squatted next to her and reached out, tickling the little girl playfully before pulling back and rubbing her shoulder, finally standing up. Making a hand motion to her, he was offering to take Charlie. “Let’s see how heavy this big guy is now. What are you guys feeding him?” Accepting the little guy, Jason grinned at him and hoisted the wiggling guy up into the air before holding him against his side.

Turning his attention back to Quincy, he rested his free hand against her upper back, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. “Excited about going out then?” She was heading out with her annoyingly chipper gossip cousin, and Jason had rather enjoyed offering his assistance so she could go out with Charlotte. It was all in good fun...

“And let you finish getting ready? Come on, now.”

Quincy rolled her eyes. She wasn't that bad. She could be a lot worse, bearing in mind she tended to pull together a shower, her hair face and outfit in around thirty-five minutes. That was her record at the moment. Trying to beat that would just be madness. "Just because you're a woman when you're getting ready." She mumbled under breath, just loud enough for him to catch it.

Jason wrapped an arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, the way a brother would greet a sister - the same way he had greeted her for the last ten years. It felt completely comfortable and normal, and normality was what she needed at the moment. Someting - or rather someone - to brighten up the dull days that had been passing lately.

She gave a small laugh when Jason pointed out the lipstick on Charlie's face, and commented on the fact that he looked like his dad. "Yeah, well Eddie did always like experimenting." She paused and wrinkled her nose slightly as she looked at her son who was still holding the lipstick. "Poor kid doesn't stand a chance."

Natasha tugged at Quincy's robe and giggled as Jason crouched down to her level and tickled her. In fact, the little girl tugged so hard at the robe that Quincy had to grab at it and hold it closed. Handing Charlie over to Jason was the perfect antidote to the near-accident, and Quincy was now able to tie the robe even tighter to make sure it didn't open against her will.

“Let’s see how heavy this big guy is now. What are you guys feeding him?”

"Oh, you know." She started as she closed the door behind them, keeping the autumn draught outside rather than in. "Protein shakes, that sort of thing." She smiled as they made their way through to the living room, Jason's hand on her back and rubbing her shoulder gently. It felt nice. Until he asked if she was excited about going out. She rolled her eyes and groaned. "No, thank you very much!" She said, one eyebrow raised. Jason took great pleasure in knowing he had aided a completely awkward situation. She sighed. "Can't I just stay here? You know, tell her I've caught dragon pox or something?" Charlie, who was at the age where he was repeating random words just for the fun began to chant out "Pox" like it was a little song, his head bobbing from side to side with the rhythm of the word. Quincy chuckled and squeezed his chubby leg.

“Just because you’re a woman when you’re getting ready.”

Rolling his eyes as well, Jason let out a sigh. “Someone has to be.” He looked her over, nodding to himself; she looked good, as if she’d gotten enough sleep. Jason didn’t like seeing her stressed and overworked, as she often appeared at work. Then again, he was sure he wasn’t very presentable lately. Hard times came and went, though, and he was sure at some point things would start to look up.

“Yeah, well Eddie did always like experimenting… Poor kid doesn’t stand a chance.”

Jason mimicked her nose wrinkle at the image that her statement brought to his head. Eddie in lipstick, and then some. Not something he really wanted in his head… and the open ended lack of explanation gave too much to the imagination. He stopped his wandering curiosity and kept it in check. Whatever floated his best mates boat was something that needed to stay in the bay, far away from Jason’s eyeglass. An image of stirrups slipped in before he could properly shove it aside, a shiver running up his back. “At least he’s cute. That’ll help him.”

Then the robe was being tugged, and Jason’s curiosity couldn’t be tamed, his eyes taking in the near loss. He frowned slightly and forced himself to look away, watching Charlie a little more than he meant to. She was still with… no, she wasn’t with Eddie, but… he couldn’t… he shouldn’t… He was confused and settled for a finger tugging from the little man in his arm.

“Oh, you know… Protein shakes, that sort of thing.”

He finally stole a glance her way, grinning as he felt himself slip back into the comfort zone. Quincy was always beautiful, but she was still just Quincy. Safety. “Right through the sippy cup… I’m sure that tastes better than the food you’ve tried to feed him.” He followed beside her, letting her lead the way.

“No, thank you very much! Can’t I just stay here? You know, tell her I’ve caught dragon pox or something?”

Laughing at that, he pulled his hand away and shifted Charlie slightly, giving Quincy a knowing look. “As if she wouldn’t insist on coming over and taking care of you, if only for some extra gossip.” Not that Charlotte would necessarily take care of her, but… “I’m thinking it would just be easier to go out, have a little nice night, and come back.” He glanced from Charlie back to Quincy, amused by the little song. “Besides… tonight is ‘no mummy allowed.’ Right Tasha?”

Jason glanced towards the little girl, grinning at her. Then he realized he’d not seen the man of the house. “Where is Noah at? I come all the way here to see him and he hasn’t even been around to bug me?” Then he realized once again that Quincy was in her robe… and had somewhere to go. Pulling his gaze from the material, he looked to her face. “You should finish getting ready… want me to make a cup of tea before you go? Maybe add a little something extra…?”

“At least he’s cute. That’ll help him.”

Quincy couldn't help but grin in agreement. "Yeah, he is isn't he?" Charlie knew when people were talking about him, and he knew how to play up to it. His lips parted and spread into a huge grin that showed a couple of teeth coming through his bottom gums. He definitely took after his dad - he loved attention, but in a good way. So far, Charlie hadn't been the kind of kid to seek attention by being naughty - just by being irresistable.

As she grappled with her robe, Quincy caught Jason looking. He quickly averted his eyes, a small frown on his face. A slight blush crept into her cheeks as they came to the living room door. Jason's suggestion that she go and have a nice night out was met with a nudge of her elbow in the opposite arm to the one that supported Charlie. "Be quiet, you." She reprimanded him. Though he was right, claiming that she had dragonpox would not deter Charlotte from spending 'quality time' with her older cousin.

Jason asked where Noah was, and Quincy motioned to her son sitting cross-legged on the floor doing his homework. "Have you finished that yet, Noah?" Quincy asked her eldest son. He looked up and rolled his eyes before looking back down at his work. The kid was going through a serious attitude problem at the moment. "Well hurry up and finish it," she responded brightly as though he had answered her question with more than just an irritated look. "Uncle Jason wants to have some fun tonight."

“You should finish getting ready… want me to make a cup of tea before you go? Maybe add a little something extra…?”

She laughed. He was right, she was supposed to be meeting Charlotte in forty minutes at Signature. "Fine." she rolled her eyes, picked up a pair of freshly cleaned and dried, warm pyjamas off the radiator and threw them at Jason. "Put these on Charlie." she paused. "Please." she added as an afterthought, just as the toddler stifled a big yawn. She turned to Tasha and held out her hand, a smile lighting up her face. "Are you going to come and help mummy get ready?" The little girl almost squealed with delight, running forward and grabbing hold of her mum's hand - she loved playing dressy-ups with make-up and clothes, and helping her mother get ready was one of her favourite hobbies. It had led to many disaster scenes in the bedroom in the past.

Quincy began to head out of the door, but stopped and turned her head slightly to look back over her shoulder. "You know as well as I do the only reason Charlotte wants to go out with me is so that she can look better than me." she grinned before heading out of the door and up the stairs. "And don't forget my tea!" She called from the top of the stairs, before disappearing into the bedroom.

“Have you finished that yet, Noah?”

Jason blinked in surprise; Noah was being very quiet. No wonder he hadn’t heard him… Grinning at the look the young boy gave his mum, Jason poked Charlie gently in the stomach. Nodding at her statement, he walked near Noah, nudging him with his foot. “I was thinking ice cream and a game of wizard chess… if you think you can handle it.” The only thing that made chess worthwhile was watching the pieces beat themselves into dust.

“Fine.”

He didn’t catch the pajamas and made a face as they landed on his arm, grabbing them before they fell onto the floor. “Sure, Quince.” Then he put the warm pajamas over the toddlers head and grinned. “You’re going down for the count early tonight, I see.” Jason glanced briefly towards Quincy and Natasha, watching them momentarily while Charlie reached up and pulled the pajamas off his head. Then he had to divert his gaze again as he made a slight dive for the dropped pajamas.

“You know as well as I do the only reason Charlotte wants to go out with me is so that she can look better than me.”

Eyebrows rose and he laughed. “Hasn’t worked yet… But it’s nice she keeps trying.”Hearing her last parting comment, he chuckled. Finally looking back at Charlie, he grinned at the boy and moved over to the couch, sitting down with him. A few moments later, accompanied with a grunt or two, and the little boy was changed and ready. Picking up the clothes, he set the little tyke down.

“Noah… watch your brother and I’ll help you with some of that?” Leaving the boy in charge of the little squirt, Jason dropped the dirty clothes near the washing machine before settling into the kitchen, filling up the kettle with fresh water. Stifling a yawn, he leaned against the counter, rubbing his eyes. Perhaps his day had been longer than he'd realized...

A few minutes later and he had a couple of hot cups of tea. After adding what needed to be (sugar for his), Jason moved to the stairs, not really thinking about where Quincy was. Natasha was in there with her, right? For some reason he just assumed she'd be presentable. A few moments later and he knocked against the bedroom door, pushing it open with his elbow before stepping in. “Hot tea, coming through.”

Natasha had succeeded in applying a full face of make-up to both her mother and herself. It was hilarious to watch the concentration on the little girl's face as she applied the blusher and eyeshadow with the precision of a goat, her little tongue jutting out one side of her mouth. Quincy wiped the make-up off her face as Natasha curled up on the big double bed and cuddled into the robe that smelled like Quincy's vanilla perfume.

Quincy sat at the dresser in her underwear, applying a fresh layer of more expertly applied make-up. The little girl fell asleep, and Quincy smiled at the reflection of her baby girl in the mirror as she snored softly. She didn't hear Jason until he was at the door stating he had hot teas in his hands. Quincy's eyes widened as he kicked the door gently with his foot, her eyes shooting to where Natasha had snuggled up with her robe. She jumped up frantically searching for something to cover up her white underwear (she felt less than angelic at that moment in time) but there was nothing within close reach, and her own motherly instinct told her not to wake her sleeping child.

Instead she had to be content with holding her hands over her bra and pants - not that they were making any difference at all. She would have called out for him to wait a moment, if her voice hadn't suddenly bailed on her, and if Jason wasn't already in the room. Instead, she just stood there, a sheepish grin and a mighty red blush across her cheeks.

For some insane reason, Jason hadn’t waited outside the door. He hadn’t stood there, grasping the cups, until he’d made sure Quincy was presentable. And now, standing in the bedroom with the hot mugs in his hands… he kind of wished he had. Not that the sight wasn’t nice, because it was (and he was having a hard time pulling his gaze away), but because now it was a bit awkward. Why did it have to be awkward?!

His mouth opened, closed, and partially opened again. Eddie was an idiot. Why that had to be the first thing that came to mind… who knows. But then Jason hastily set the cups down and put a hand over his eyes, letting out a groan. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” He sounded a bit like Charlie, chanting a word over and over, though it wasn’t anything like a song. He stepped towards where he thought the door was. He was cursing at himself now. How was he going to keep the image of Quincy out of his head now?

Then his foot caught on something and he stumbled; walking with his eyes covered was not the best idea he’d had today. Probably second to coming into her bedroom without waiting first. Grimacing as he stumbled, his hands shot out to steady himself. He landed against the wall, and after pushing himself up, he motioned to the door, trying not to look at Quincy and finding it very difficult. “I-uh.” Patting the door, he finally pulled it open and nodded as he stepped back out.

After closing it, he rested his forehead against it and thought about banging it repeatedly. A sigh later and he could feel the heat still in his cheeks. Finally he knocked sheepishly; he could only keep apologizing. He had to get past how great her legs looked and remind himself that she had been with Eddie.

Jason looked at her and his mouth opened and closed like a fish but nothing came out. She was about to ask him politely if maybe he could leave the room for a moment, when he seemed to make that decision for himself. He put the cups down and covered his eyes mumbling an apology over and over again. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth and stop herself from laughing as he stumbled in his quest to find the door, and nearly fell head-first into the wall. Without another word he opened the door, stepped out into the corridor and closed the door behind him.

Quincy finally relaxed and took a deep breath, letting her head hang down almost in shame. She lifted her hands up and buried her face in her palms. Why hadn't she just said 'wait a moment' like a normal person would? Then it dawned on her and her eyes widened slightly. Maybe she wanted him to see her like that. No sooner had she thought of that possibility, there was a feint knock at the door. Her head snapped up to the door. "Hold on." She said a little higher pitched than she'd anticipated, and definitely louder to make sure there was no crossed wires.

Her eyes flickered to where Natasha slept peacefully unaware, then scanned the rest of the room. She made a dash for the closet and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a white vest. She hitched the jeans up as quickly as she could and fastened the button before throwing the vest over her head. She flitted back to the mirror, smoothed the whisps of hair around her face back into her ponytail, and gave herself one small spritz of vanilla perfume.

She grabbed the cup of tea that smelled vaguely like brandy and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. "You can come in now." She said, smiling slightly into the brim of her cup.

“Hold on.”

Jason grimaced slightly; a lot could be discerned from a person’s tone. It was louder, quicker, and a bit higher pitched than usual. He winced slightly, feeling like a complete idiot. “Should’ve waited, you arse,” he muttered under his breath. There was an overwhelming desire to just up and leave, to forget he’d even been by today. Why didn’t he own a time turner? That would make things like this easy to get out of.

Scratching his head, he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. It was taking her a while. He felt his mouth go dry, the nervousness start to settle into his shoulders. What if Eddie found out? Feeling a little sick to his stomach, he shook his head and rested his palms against either side of the doorway, leaning forward slightly. No… Quincy wouldn’t… no… or maybe she would. He liked having a best mate.

“You can come in now.”

Jason had almost given up and walked down the hall, but as he pushed himself off the doorframe, her voice filtered through. He paused, uncertain, teetering slightly as he caught his balance. Finally, though, he reached for the handle and slowly turned it. He pushed the door open and kept his head down, gaze turned aside. A small smile came to his lips and he shook his head. “You sure?” It couldn’t be much different than seeing her in a swimming outfit, right?

With that, he finally stepped in, leaving the door open slightly. It really wasn’t his fault his eyes noticed her outfit, and how well it hung to her. Right? Closing his eyes and rubbing them, he stayed near the door. His smile tensed and he let it drop after a moment. “Quincy… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just… barged in here.” Motioning to her bedroom, he finally let out a sigh and looked up at her, sheepishly. “I didn’t expect…” Well?

He blinked as he realized what he could say to that. That was the problem with talking before you thought through what you were going to say. “I was just thinking about… getting you the tea.” Shaking his head, he let out a soft chuckle and crossed his arms over his chest. “Would it be…” Letting out a huff of air, he rolled his eyes and walked forward, careful of Quincy, very aware of all of her. It was still just Quincy, right? Finally he picked up his mug and stood there, slightly unsure of himself before taking a sip of it.

Jason was unsure about coming into the room this time, and rightly so! A gentleman should never barge into a lady's room without being first invited. But she was sure she could find it in her heart to forgive him this once. Afterall, no harm had been done - Natasha was still sound asleep in a tight little ball in the centre of the big bed, and Quincy was now fully clothed.

“You sure?”

She watched as he sidled through the door awkwardly, but caught the small smile playing on his lips even though his head was turned to the side. She wasn't sure if in that fleeting second she caught a hint of mischief in his expression, because it very quickly became a frown as he began apologising again.

Quincy looked down at her bare feet and wiggled her toes while he stumbled over his words. The silver nail polish glistened in the dim lamp light of the bedroom. She shrugged slightly, not actually looking at him. "What's done is done." She said lightly before taking a sip of her tea which had clearly been inoculated with a heavy measure of brandy. She almost winced as the alcohol slid down her throat and burned, but now was not the time to show her weakness when it came to alcohol.

“Would it be…”

Quincy looked up finally as he started to make his way gingerly to his cup of tea. "Would it be okay of you got your tea?" She asked. She raised an eyebrow slightly and her lips pursed a little to the right. "I suppose so..." she said slowly just as Jason huffed a shot of breath and rolled his eyes, reaching out for his tea.

Things were silent for a moment or two, and Quincy had a strong urge to ask him if he liked what he saw. However, she decided that under the circumstances that wasn't quite appropriate, and instead sufficed with "You can sit down you know." She let her eyes flicker to the space on the bed next to her and tried to hide a smile with her tea cup.

It was so simple, to just say ‘what’s done is done.’ Too simple, maybe. Then again… Jason was all about giving in lately. Why not this? Just accept that yes, it was something that had happened, but they didn’t need to live in the past. So he watched her a moment, the way she didn’t quite meet his eyes, and merely half shrugged, half nodded in agreement. Nothing they could do about it now. Plus, he was crap at memory spells. He’d probably succeed in making her remember more than what had actually happened.

“Would it be okay of you got your tea?”

He pursed his lips slightly to the side; clearly he’d said too much before realizing what a stupid statement it’d been. If she hadn’t wanted him back in the room, she wouldn’t have gotten ready so fast, right? But then… what did that mean exactly? That she was inclined to forget it had happened? It had been kind of cute, looking back on it, the way she’d been so innocent and surprised… She was a fun joking partner normally, so to see a different side of her, even accidentally—that was good.

“I suppose so…”

He blinked slightly and felt a faint blush rise up again. Shouldn’t be thinking about what had happened; it left him a little dazed. At least he had his tea now, and he took time busying himself with it, enjoying the warmth in between his palms. It was comforting, the familiar aroma wafting up at him.

“You can sit down you know.”

Eyebrows rose as he glanced up from his tea to where she sat. He was suddenly uncertain. He frowned slightly, glancing to the bed, back to her, and to the bed once again. He felt an overwhelming desire to do it, and just as much holding him back. She was offering him the spot, though. He could sit there. Mind himself. It was just Quincy! He’d known her for years! So, another chuckle came out and he finally moved forward, sitting down in the offered spot.

Holding his tea, he took a gulp of the warm liquid. He didn’t even know whose cup was whose; he’d added a little dash of brandy to both. Still… he leaned towards her and held the mug out. “To you having a great night.” He waited for her to clink it, looking over her face. Her eyes held him a moment and he smirked. “Full of whatever girls get up to when they go out together.”

For a moment or two, Quincy wasn't sure whether she had maybe been a little too unclear. What she had thought would come across as flirtatious clearly gave the impression of actually not caring. So when Jason took the seat that she offered, she decided that perhaps subtlety wasn't his strong suit. She straightened up a little as he sat down - partially trying to keep her balance so she didn't topple over, and partially to make herself look more alert and less closed off than before. She smiled gingerly as she took another sip of her tea.

“To you having a great night.”

He leaned towards her and held out his cup. She grimaced slightly. "I think 'great' might be pushing it a little. You have met Charlotte, haven't you?" She teased as she clinked her cup with his anyway. Regardless of who she was out with, she definitely deserved a good night out. And she was going to make sure she got one. Not that any more than a small glass of red wine was on the cards, what with her predisposed condition. She sighed slightly as she realised her cousin would most certainly press her as to why she wasn't drinking the copious amounts of alcohol Charlotte herself would be drinking. There would only be so many times she would be able to use the exuse 'early morning' or 'too tired' or 'don't want to be ill'. She was just going to have to suck it up and tell her, then face the consequences like a big girl.

“Full of whatever girls get up to when they go out together.”

Quincy grinned, pushing what thoughts had been punishing her for a moment out of her mind completely. "One can only wonder when my beautiful, single, younger cousin is involved." She placed extra emphasis on the 'younger' part, as it was well-known that Charlotte always made a comment about Quincy's age. And since Quincy had not long since had her thirty-first birthday - well, she was in for a right battering tonight. 'Wrong side of thirty' and all that.

Jason found it hard to find her flirty after what had just happened. He still felt like he was in trouble for it, but perhaps that was just his guilty conscious tapping him annoyingly on the head. And the longer he let his gaze linger, the harder it beat down. He didn’t notice her straighten up, but he did notice the smile, and offered one back easily. He liked how her eyes lit up when she smiled; he hadn’t seen her do that as often as she used to.

“I think ‘great’ might be pushing it a little. You have met Charlotte, haven’t you?”

Laughing a little at that, he tilted his head and sipped from his cup. Then he tried to keep a straight face. “Little, sweet Charlotte? I couldn’t believe she was out of Hogwarts all ready.” Sighing, he glanced off as if remembering. “Then again, it sometimes feels like we just got out of Hogwarts.” Grinning, he glanced her way.

“One can only wonder when my beautiful, single, younger cousin is involved.”

A shocked look came over his face, shaking his head and closing his eyes momentarily. Did she just say what he thought she said? Laughing, he set his glass down and turned to her, his mouth getting ahead of himself. “Younger isn’t better. I prefer women with a little bit of flavor.” Perhaps it wasn’t best to compare women to wine… “And you’re beautiful, and single-” He could feel a small cringe at that. Poor Eddie, the idiot should’ve fought.

“-And have more to offer someone than Charlotte.” He reached out and squeezed her thigh before pulling his hand back, leaning on the bed slightly. It would normally just be a friendly gesture, right? No harm in it. Still, as he pulled away, his eyes took a little longer to come back up. It was a rather nice vest. “Intellect and all.”