Puck woke up warm, but worried. At first, he had a hard time figuring out just why he was worried, especially when he was so comfortable. He cracked an eye open, fumbling sleepily with one hand until he reached the edge of the bed. He frowned, blinking his other eye open with some difficulty. Then he realized what was wrong.

No Nikki.

He sat bolt upright, looking around, his hair tousled and in his face. Shoving it back, he looked around again.

Nope. No Nikki.

He scrambled out of bed, promptly tripped over the bundled shirt he'd left on the floor, and cursed as he hit the ground hard.

"Puck?"

Nikki poked her head out of the bathroom, her hair hanging in damp, soapy curls. Her eyes were wide, and for a moment she looked scared as she peered out. Then she saw him with his t-shirt tangled around his ankles and had to quickly stifle a laugh.

"What the heck happened?" she asked, leaning out further to peer at him, clutching a towel to her chest.

"I got out of bed," he said, propping himself up on his elbows and blowing his hair out of his face, "First mistake. Never get out of bed before noon."

She smirked. "You've done it plenty of times before," she pointed out.

"Yeah, and I regret it every time," he said, pulling himself up on the edge of the bed and yanking his shirt off of his foot before pulling it over his head. "I thought you'd ditched for breakfast without me."

"Nah," she said, wrapping the towel around herself and coming a little further out of the bathroom. "I just woke up a little bit ago and couldn't get back to sleep, so I thought I'd take a shower."

Puck's eyebrows shot up, a devious smile curling his lips. "Showers are good," he said mildly, heaving himself to his feet and sauntering over to her, "You get to be naked and everything."

Nikki's cheeks flushed scarlet, but she snorted, giving his chest a shove. "You can be naked anytime you want, anyway," she said.

"Yeah, but the shower gives me an excuse," he said, catching her hand and pressing butterfly kisses along her fingertips, "You ever notice how the only time it's ever socially acceptable to be naked is when you're wet? In the shower getting clean, in the lake skinny dipping, when you're covered in buckets of sweat doing all sorts of naughty things?"

He waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh my God, Puck, stop."

He laughed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Go finish up your shower, girly, then we can head down and see what's cookin'."

Nikki rolled her eyes and returned to shower to rinse out her hair. Puck lounged on the bed while he waited, arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He jiggled his foot idly as he listened to the shower, only looking over when the water cut off and he heard Nikki moving around in the bathroom. He could see her shadow move across the crack of the door, and smiled a little when he heard her begin to hum absently, undoubtedly brushing out her hair.

"You need any help in there?" he asked, feigning a note of innocence.

Nikki's head appeared in the doorway, her eyes narrowed at him. "What happens if I say 'yes'?"

Puck gave her his best, most mischievous smile. "I can think of a few things," he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"And what happens if I say 'no'?" she asked.

He pouted. "Then you will have a very sad Puck on your hands, ma'am. Do you really want to be held accountable for a sad Puck? Nobody likes a sad Puck."

She rolled her eyes so hard it looked almost painful.

"Easy there, lady, before you knock something loose," he said, snickering.

"You're nuts," she told him, and disappeared back into the bathroom.

"Quite," he agreed, sliding off the bed and sashaying over to lean in the doorway, "Now, tell me something I don't know."

She glanced sideways at him from toweling her hair dry, a stray curl falling into her eyes, casting intriguing little shadows in the dark brown and gold of her irises.

"You snore like a bear and I still think you're sexy anyway," she said, grinning slightly.

"Madam," he said, putting a hand to his chest, "I do not snore like a bear. That is an affront to the bear. An insult. I snore like a man. The manliest of men."

"So manly," she teased, her grin morphing into a smirk, and went back to drying her hair.

He grinned, and enjoyed a few quiet moments with his head resting against the doorjamb, watching her. Her brown hair was almost black from wetness, hanging in soft, dripping waves to her shoulders as she fluffed her hair with the towel. As the strands started to dry, little glints of brown and gold started to appear. He smiled when she finally set the towel aside and started twisting pieces of hair around her fingers, biting her lip in concentration as she twirled each curl until they were all satisfactorily bouncy.

"You're so damn cute," he told her, smiling so broadly his cheeks were starting to hurt.

She looked over at him, surprised. "Why?"

"Just 'cause," he said simply, shrugging.

She rolled her eyes at him, but when she turned back to the mirror she was smiling, too. He continued to watch her as she finished playing with her hair, and only looked away when she told him she wanted to get changed and he needed to close his eyes.

"You showered with the door open," he pointed out. "I could have seen you naked as the day you were born if you weren't careful. The only reason your lovely body remains shrouded in mystery is because my t-shirt had the decency to trip me."

She snorted as she came out of the bathroom, straightening her clothes. "You're so full of shit," she told him.

"Hey, it's part of a healthy balanced breakfast," he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.

"Ew," she said, wrinkling her nose even as she laughed.

He grinned and winked. "Speaking of breakfast, though, we should hustle. I wouldn't put it past old sockethead to take all the good cinnamon rolls before we get there, just to be rude."

They headed out of the bedroom and, following the route they'd taken the night before, managed to find their way to the kitchen. Before they even got down the hall, they could already smell that someone was up and well on the way to cooking something delicious. The entire bottom floor was saturated with breakfast smells, and Nikki sucked in a deep lungful of air and sighed. It felt like forever since they'd had real food for breakfast. They'd been spending so much time in the wyldwood. Even the brief stop at Leanansidhe's felt like a lifetime ago.

It wasn't until they were just outside the kitchen door that she became aware that she didn't hear any voices. There were the quiet sounds of someone moving in the kitchen, shuffling dishes and dropping something in a pan to sizzle, but no conversation. Curious, she poked her head through the doorway, wondering if maybe they were about to walk in on Sonata's family brownie getting things ready. But it wasn't a brownie who stood turning bacon strips at the stove. It was Score.

He had his back to them, his long black hair drawn up in a ponytail. He wore a loose black tunic with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and fitted black slacks; no shoes. He had a dish towel slung over one shoulder, and a spatula in his hand, eyes on a bronze skillet which was spitting and sizzling as he carefully turned an egg over.

He waved his free left hand towards a kettle sitting nearby, and it started to whistle and spout steam immediately. He clicked his fingers and the kettle emptied itself into half a dozen mugs, already with tea leaves in each one. A small pitcher of creamer tipped itself neatly into one of the mugs, the contents swirling together easily, and several sugar cubes floated lazily through the air and plopped into the mug. Another snap of Score's fingers and the mugs assembled themselves neatly on a bronze serving tray sitting on the edge of the dining room table. The mug with creamer and sugar floated right past the tray, and came to a gentle stop in front of Nikki, hovering in mid-air.

She stared, startled, then looked up at Score, who still had his back to them, slipping the finished eggs and bacon onto plates on a second serving tray already set with toast, butter, jam, and an assortment of other breakfast foods. An apple soared off of the tray and hovered over the bin in the corner, turning slowly as it peeled itself and separated into pieces before flying back to land in a small bowl which then floated neatly into Puck's hands. A glass flew out of one of the cupboards over head, paused to be filled with what looked like orange juice, and sailed over to float on a level next to Nikki's mug in front of Puck.

"Well, damn," said Puck, clearly impressed as he took the glass and sipped at it. "I don't get this kind of service in Arcadia. I'm not even mad about your lack of cinnamon rolls."

Nikki gingerly took the mug in front of her and gave it a careful sniff. She eyed the milky liquid thoughtfully, and took a sip. Her throat seemed to close, and she felt panicked as her eyes suddenly grew hot. She blinked rapidly, staring down into the mug. Just like last night, the tea was absolutely perfect. She looked up at Score, who was looking pointedly into the frying pan he was standing over, and very clearly avoiding looking at either of them.

"You made that tea last night," she said.

Score didn't even glance at her, but selected a piece of toast for himself and buttered it.

"Yes."

"Did you leave me that note, too?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Score walked over to the table, took a seat, and reached for a mug, eyes lowered. "Yes."

Puck was quiet now, looking slowly between Nikki and Score, his expression carefully neutral. The mood in the kitchen was tense, but not hostile. Score was carefully avoiding Nikki's eyes, and Nikki was very intently starting at Sonata's eldest brother.

Puck deliberated. Half of him wanted to stay right where he was and not move an inch while Score was still there, and the other half told him to take his juice and his apples and get his ass out of the kitchen. He glanced sideways at Nikki, measuring her expression, trying to catch her eye. She wore a slight frown on her face, and her hands were tight around her mug, but they weren't shaking.

Puck leaned over and kissed her cheek. She looked around, startled, and he winked as their eyes met.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be around," he said mildly.

She stared at him a moment, then her expression cleared, and she nodded, smiling gratefully. He scooped up an apple slice in his teeth, turned, and headed out of the kitchen, leaving Nikki and Score alone.

There was a long silence after Puck's departing footfalls faded, and Score continued to stare down at his half-eaten slice of toast, his tea sitting mostly forgotten in front of him. Nikki moved across the room and settled herself in the chair next to him, turning so she could look at him.

She saw Score's eyes shift towards her, but not quite make it high enough to meet her gaze before sweeping back down to his lap. He lifted a hand and pulled his ponytail loose, beginning to finger comb the strands as he sat back in his seat.

"Hi," she said.

He paused, fingers partway through untangling a knot, and this time he looked right at her. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he gave a small sigh.

"Hello," he said, and he sound slightly amused. There was a momentary pause as he resumed detangling his hair. "I trust you slept well."

"Yeah, I slept okay," she said, nodding. "You?"

"I slept just fine," he said, still with that subtly amused note to his voice.

She got the feeling he was laughing at her a little, but for some reason she didn't mind. She'd rather he be amused than defensive.

"I spoke with your friend last night," he said.

She blinked, taken aback. "Which one?"

"Lady Catherine."

"Oh. Well that's okay then. I thought you were about to say you'd talked to Trinity and I was going to ask how you were still alive this morning," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

Score gave a small, inelegant snort. "I have not had the pleasure of speaking to Lady Trinity since our dinner encounter."

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't," Nikki said, relaxing in her chair. "She's kind of overprotective."

Score gave her a resigned look. "Verbatim what your friend Catherine said, and, once again, the most appalling understatement I believe I have ever heard in my many years," he sighed, tossing his tangle-free hair over his shoulder and picking up his tea at last.

Nikki had to squelch down a small giggle at that, but couldn't quite hold back a smile. "Yeeeah, she's kind of...well, she gets a little too into protecting us, but it's been like that forever. Well, not forever, but...you get what I mean."

He inclined his head and took a drink of his tea. He set it back down, and looked attentively at her, his dark blue eyes a little too intent for her liking.

"I was forewarned that you might want to speak with me," he said. "I'll admit, I didn't anticipate that you would. Especially not so soon."

Now it was her turn to look down, feeling a bit of a flush creep across her face as she stared into the contents of her coffee mug. To be honest, she hadn't really expected she would, either. She'd wanted to, of course, but she hadn't been entirely sure she'd be able to. Somehow, seeing him in the kitchen, being so...domestic...it somehow made her feel calmer talking to him. Even knowing who he was, and what he'd been all those years ago-or what she'd thought he'd been-somehow didn't seem to frighten her as much now. Maybe because he seemed so different from how her imagination had always presented him in her memories. A voice, and a shadow, haunting her at the worst moment of her life.

But that wasn't what he was now. And she got the feeling that wasn't ever what he'd been.

"I just...want to know what was going on...back then," she said after several long moments contemplating a swirl of foam in her cup. "I mean...I don't think you meant to scare me back then. But I could be totally wrong. But I want to know either way. One, because you're Sonata's brother and Cat adores Sonata and I like Sonata and I don't want to hate one of his brothers because I think you're actually probably a really nice guy. And, two, because I can't get the old you out of my head and it still kind of scares me but…" She paused to take a long, deep breath, forcing herself to speak more slowly, "I don't want to be scared anymore, because I don't think I need to be. At least not of you. I've got plenty of other stuff to be scared of."

She lifted her head to look at him, pushing a stray wave of hair out of her eyes. He was still watching her quite steadily, his long fingers linked neatly around his mug. She noticed abruptly his toast was gone. She hadn't even seen him finish it.

"You have plenty of reasons to need to be afraid of me," Score said quietly, his voice low. "You would be making a mistake if you ever thought you had no need to be afraid of me, or any other fey in this house, or in this world."

She frowned. "Well, yeah, I know that," she said, waving a hand impatiently, "But I mean for the reasons I'm scared of you right now. Like…"

She paused, trying to gather her thoughts.

"I used to think that I imagined you, and obviously I didn't. And even though it's only been a day once I realized you weren't pretend or a hallucination or whatever, I thought you were…" She hesitated, not wanting to offend him, then realizing there was no good way to phrase what she was about to say. If he was going to be offended, he would be. "I thought you were trying to get me to kill myself, or something. I kind of thought you were my thoughts coming to life and telling me to kill myself because I wasn't good enough or smart enough or wanted enough or...any of those things… And that scared me. And I don't think that's really want you were there for. Like, that'd be kind of a stupid thing for a fey to do."

She stopped to think for a moment.

"Unless it was Rowan," she conceded, "Rowan would do it. But Rowan's an ass so that doesn't count."

Score had lifted his mug to his lips for another drink, but had to put it back down abruptly as he snorted loudly into it, spraying droplets of tea. He coughed, turning his head away, but not before she saw the very real smile on his face. Something in her chest swelled a little, and she found she was smiling, too.

"Don't tell him I said that," she said when Score had gotten himself back under control.

He cleared his throat, smirking behind his napkin as he wiped at his mouth. "If he hears about it, it won't have been from me," he assured her.

She grinned, and he gave a small smile in return.

"So," she ventured, her smile fading slightly as she leaned forward towards him, "Why did you do it? Why did you come see me? Also-and this isn't a complaint, so please don't be offended-how the hell do you know how to make my favorite tea?"

Score's smile seemed a little sadder now, but she couldn't be entirely sure. His eyes certainly seemed darker, but he'd also lowered his head slightly so maybe it was just the shadows in the dim room.

"I already explained this to your friend," he told her, leaning back in his chair, arms folded, "And I will explain it the same way to you: Why do humans visit the sick and dying in your hospitals? Why do they visit the elderly and speak to those experiencing their final moments?"

He watched her as her eyes widened slightly, no longer smiling. Nikki thought for a long while, then nodded slowly.

"I think I get what you're saying," she murmured.

"And what am I saying?" he asked softly.

"That you were there to make me feel better," she said with a little shrug. "Sort of. You were trying to give me comfort, because God knows I needed it back then."

Score gave a dry snort and lowered his gaze. "I apparently didn't do all that well, from everything I have been hearing," he said, "Though it wouldn't have been the first time…"

Something in her stomach twisted uncomfortably at the look on his face as he trailed off, and unpleasant memories from a time she'd thought was long behind her started to stir to life in the back of her mind. Feelings she had carefully put away were surging up, and she swallowed a bitter taste at the back of her throat. He hadn't said the words 'I failed', but they hung in the air like a fog, clogging up the space and making it harder to breathe. Or maybe those were just the tears she was trying to keep down choking her up a bit.

She bent her head to wipe hard at her eyes, relieved when her fingers came away dry.

"So," she said, and her voice quavered just a little, "You were trying to help me. Trying to stop me?"

"I never try to stop anyone," Score said softly. "I only do what I can. What they choose to do is entirely up to them. You could have chosen not to stop. I could not have made you. You made you stop."

"But that's what you wanted," she pressed.

He sighed, closing his eyes. For a moment, he didn't speak, and for a moment she thought he wouldn't.

"Yes," he said at last. "That was what I hoped, at least. Humans are short lived already...but you have the blessing of an afterlife waiting for you even if you choose to depart this life sooner rather than later. Perhaps it is selfish of me, but I think it wasteful for humans to seek an early end to their lives. Even if you do not live as long as we fey do, you have the ability to do things beyond what we can. You are able to have experiences we never will. Fey live long lives, but even knowing we may live for decades, or centuries, we don't waste a moment, because this life is all we have."

He looked at her, and there was something in his expression that pulled at her heart. Her eyes felt hot again, and this time even before she could raise a hand to wipe at them her vision blurred slightly.

"Aw, shit," she mumbled, ducking her head. "Sorry, give me a sec. I didn't mean to get emotional about this."

Score gently placed a napkin in her hand, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes on it.

"Sorry," she said again, sniffling. "This is...still kind of close for me. I know it was a long time ago, but...there are parts that are still really, really bad when I think about them… And…well..."

She shrugged lamely.

"And having a living reminder of those times does absolutely nothing to make it easier," he finished softly.

She looked up at him, shocked. "No, no, that wasn't what I meant," she said hurriedly.

He held up a hand to stop her.

"It is what is true," he said simply. "I meant no harm in what I did, and you mean no harm in remembering my presence as something terrifying. It is just how it ended up. I never wished for my appearance those years ago to leave you so afraid. However, I am glad to see you well. That is all I ever hoped for. To ask for anything else would be beyond arrogant. And while I have been told I have my arrogant moments, I try to keep them to a minimum as well as I can."

He gave a slight smirk at that, and she managed a small smile of her own.

She wiped her eyes again, and handed the napkin back to him.

"You never answered my other question," she said after she'd taken a few more sips of tea to calm herself.

He raised an eyebrow, and she pointed at her mug. He shrugged. "I watched your father make it for you several times," he said, "On days when you seemed to be struggling more than usual. It seemed to make you happy."

"And you remembered how to make it just by watching him do it?" she asked, stunned.

He nodded. "My memory recall is quite vivid," he said. "If I watch someone perform a task even once, I can usually recreate it precisely as it was done before."

She gaped, impressed, and oddly touched. "Well, thank-I mean...it's great. It...it means a lot you remembered how to make it for me."

Score inclined his head, a small but much more comfortable smile on his face now, and got to his feet to fetch the tray of of eggs and bacon and toast. Even as long as they had been talking, the food was still miraculously and wonderfully warm, and Nikki's mouth watered as Score slid a plate of eggs towards her.

"Eat," he instructed when she glanced uncertainly at him. "You and your friends have a lot of planning to do today, and not a lot of time to do it in."

She paused with a bacon strip half in her mouth, her stomach sinking at the thought. He was right. She'd been so caught up in talking to him, in trying to get answers, she'd almost forgotten what else was happening. She and Trinity would be returning to Arcadia to prepare for Elysium, and Cat…Cat would be leaving.

She gave up a small sigh as she nibbled on her bacon strip.

Score frowned slightly, pausing in the middle of buttering another slice of toast for himself. "You're worried," he said softly.

She wasn't sure if she liked or disliked the fact that he was able to read her emotions so easily, but she got the feeling that was just how he operated. He seemed to know a lot more than he initially let on.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "About Cat. I know she wants to go on her own to find her dad, and Trinity and I have to go back to Arcadia and the rest of it, but...I don't know. I want to go with her."

Score watched her for a long moment as she picked up another strip of bacon to nibble on.

"So why don't you?" he asked eventually.

Nikki shrugged. "She wants to go alone," she repeated.

"You think she doesn't want you with her."

Nikki hesitated. She didn't like to admit it, but the thought had definitely crossed her mind, more than once. She knew it wasn't true. She knew Cat would never think like that, but that didn't stop the thought from working itself tightly into a corner of her mind and refusing to go away.

"I know it's not that," she said quietly, "But it's hard not going with her after everything that's happened...and everything that is happening… Especially with whatever the hell happened to Mab's guard. And I know she's worried about us, too, since we have to go back to Arcadia."

Score finished off his second piece of toast and snapped his fingers to call the kettle over from the stove to fill a fresh mug of tea.

"Worrying about the future won't stop it from happening," he said, stirring creamer into his mug, "And while I imagine you won't stop worrying until your friend returns, take comfort in this at least: she'll be safer away from the Courts than she would be if she stayed. Especially where Mab's second son is concerned."

Nikki blew out a sigh as she reached for another egg. "You are so not wrong," she said darkly.