Welcome to MQA!

[MAXINE McMANUS]

The kitchen was pleasantly warm, boarding on hot by the time Maxi checked the clock. It was almost time for John to show up. The steak was perfectly marinated, having sat in the marinade in the refrigerator for half the day. Right now, it was still in the oven. She regretted not having a grill, but the oven would do the trick. In a large bowl, she mixed the pasta and alfredo sauce, adding a little sprinkling of fresh parmesan on top. The broccoli was steamed with a light salty seasoning and everything was coming together beautifully. Maxi relished in making food for more than just one person. She never got the chance to do it anymore, usually just cooking for herself. And she had to admit, although she knew John was joking when he said it, she was trying extra hard to make it a delicious meal so she wouldn't disappoint. She even made cookies as a surprise, but she hid them in the microwave to pull out later. It was strange playing Suzy Homemaker for once, but she enjoyed it.

Whenever she stopped to think, though, she felt nervous with John coming to her house. Her interest in him had turned into a full-blown crush, and she was nervous, though excited, that he would be in her home, trapped in close quarters with her. She knew he was interested in her too, so she wondered what might happen. Shaking her head, she blamed the heat in her face on the heat of the kitchen. Still, she imagined kissing him, and it made butterflies fly around her stomach. It made her feel like a teenager again, and she shook her head at herself. "Honestly," she sighed.

She hadn't set the table yet, but she had just taken out the steak when she heard the knock on her door. "Coming!" she called, checking to make sure the steak was medium rare. As a werewolf, she liked her meat bloody, and she figured John would too. If not, she could put it back in the oven. Slipping her oven mitts off, she hustled to the door, running her fingers through her hair quickly. She was wearing jeans and a simple white button-down blouse; casual but put together. Swinging the door open, she had a bright smile on her face when she saw John. "Hi John!" she greeted before stepping aside to let him in. "Come on in! I'm just finishing up dinner now." She felt a little flushed, but she couldn't say whether it was from the kitchen or from seeing John. Either way, the butterflies were flying lazily around her stomach. She led the way back to the kitchen, throwing a smile over her shoulder. "I hope medium rare is okay for your steak. And John Jr., the Tapeworm," she said sweetly, giving a little laugh at the end. She also hoped he would be okay in her house and not feel overwhelmed like he did in her office.

[JOHN ALDEN]

John was more than pleased with himself. He even had a visible strut to his walk. He even resorted to childishly pointing and teasing “I have a daaate” to all of the Casanovas around headquarters, in his mind, of course. One didn’t have to be suave and womanizing to get a woman to want to spend time with you. Though don’t let John tell it. According to him he’s as suave as they come. He’s also highly conceited. So!

The closer it got to the actual date the more nervous he became. Not because he’d be stuck in her house with a gigantic hormone filled wolf sitting on his shoulders… Not that at all. Actually, John was having a hard time remembering the last time he was on a date. There was the first time with Regina, but they both knew what it was and they weren’t talking long before they got to business. That hardly counted as a date. He only really pursued women in his teenaged years, and they rarely accepted his advances, because John was a bit of a nerd. Not to mention poor, orphaned, and always getting into fights. When he became a hotshot detective he was getting all sorts of pinstripe, tweed skirted ass thrown his way. Lawyers digged him. He never really acted on any of those offers either. John was truly married to his work, which led to his mental breakdown, and then to his rebirth.

His stomach had been doing dances all afternoon as he paced his loft. He practiced small talk aloud as he gripped his gun for comfort. He even took the time to groom his beard, only a little. He still had to look like a man. He even broke down and called Krikhaar, asking her what he’d be expected to bring or do upon arriving at Maxine’s house. She proved to be less annoying once she got what she wanted (a spot on the force). John was more comfortable talking to her about women than Regina, and definitely moreso than Frederick. He could imagine it now.

”Hey, Freddie. Remember that girl you helped raise from childhood? Yeah the one I’m way too old for? Yeah, I’m disgustingly horny and battling my new werewolf hormones, still. But besides that, I’m headed over to her house in a few minutes, what the hell am I expected to bring?”

Krikhaar had suggested whiskey, but John rebutted her suggestion with some comment about Maxine not being some crazy Texan firecracker. He settled for a bottle of wine. He had no idea if it was good wine. John was a coffee drinker through and through. It was almost as if he had no idea other drinks existed.

So bottle of wine in hand Scruff McGruff Alden made his way to Maxine’s home. He hopped out of the truck, wine in hand and made his way up the stairs. Hesitation stalled him at the door. There was still time to escape whatever type of social embarrassment he was going to cause. Unfortunately for Awkward John, Eager Wolf knocked for him, the scent of Maxine igniting the anticipation of seeing her.

"Come on in! I'm just finishing up dinner now. I hope medium rare is okay for your steak. And John Jr., the Tapeworm.”

John returned her smile and walked into the home, immediately taking in his surroundings. The smile she threw over her shoulder was enough to catch his breath. He had to keep reminding himself that he’d have to cut his impure thoughts by at least 40 percent so that he could have a decent conversation.

”I’m impressed you remembered,” he said, leaning against the counter and propping the wine next to him. ”You’re probably using the old, cozy up to junior to weasel your way into Big Daddy’s heart technique, huh?”

It was a technique most men knew well, except it was for dating single mothers and not detectives with fabricated tapeworms.

”I warn you, JJ is a tough egg to crack. But I kind of like ya, so I figure getting him drunk first might help,” he winked, motioning to the wine.

[MAXINE McMANUS]

"You’re probably using the old, cozy up to junior to weasel your way into Big Daddy’s heart technique, huh?" Maxi laughed, leaning on the counter caddy-corner to him, snapping her fingers. "Oh darn, you figured me out!" she said with a sigh, a big smile on her face. "I warn you, JJ is a tough egg to crack." Maxi narrowed her eyes playfully, as if considering this. "But I kind of like ya, so I figure getting him drunk first might help." Maxi gasped, as if appalled. "I would never take advantage of JJ like that! If I'm going to cozy up to junior, I'm going to do it when he's coherent enough to remember," she said with playful admonishment. Then a smile crossed her face again. "But if a little wine will loosen him up a little, then maybe I should let him have some," she said with a little wink. She grabbed a wine key from one of the drawers and pulled down two wine glasses from a cabinet, setting them on the counter in front of him. "Pour me a glass too?" she requested. "I don't want JJ to feel like he's drinking alone." With a giggle, she went back to finishing dinner.

When everything was in a bowl or on a plate, she started setting the table. It seated four, so she put one place at the head of the table and one place to the right of it. "So how many paparazzi are waiting outside my house for a glimpse of John Alden?" she teased as she set out silverware. "I hope it's not many. The neighbors might complain." There were no paparazzi outside her house, but Maxi was entitled to her fun.

Once she had set everything on the table, she grabbed the glass John had poured for her with a smile. "Thank you!" she said cheerfully. Really looking at him, she noticed he had cleaned up a little. She reached out and touched his beard, feeling playful. "You trimmed it," she commented quietly before giving a bashful smile. "It looks nice." Maxi wasn't good at the whole flirting thing. Whenever she tried, the butterflies in her stomach would go out of control, like they were doing now. She had to move away before she started showing how nervous she was, and giddy from actually having touched him. Quickly, she made her way to the spot at the head of the table and motioned to the place she set for him. "Come eat," she invited before taking a sip of her wine. She needed something to calm her nerves. She reached out and started dishing some pasta onto her plate.

[JOHN ALDEN]

”Oh, JJ, is a raging alcoholic. He has no qualms about drinking alone. I lecture him about it all the time. But you know kids, they think they know everything,” he joked as she moved back to the stove to cook. Something about the sight of a woman moving around a kitchen, making food for him, made John feel… content. John… never felt content. That was why he was so easily swallowed up with his position in Aldenville. He was brought into the world without a damn thing and went through most of it with clothes that never fit him, holey shoes, and a little brother who depended on him. He was born wanting more.

Him being bitten sent his life spiraling out of control. His desire for more was replaced with a desire for a grip. It put life into perspective for him. Is this what he wanted, though? A little house, with a little wife, with twelve or so little Alden’s running around?

John was jolted out of thought by Maxine touching his face. He couldn’t help how hungrily he eyed her. Had he been paying attention she’d likely have a flipped over table and an entire meal to clean up.

”Yeah, well I had to put on a disguise to slip away from them,” he said, replying to her rib about the paparazzi as he sat in his seat. He then remembered that he agreed to attend this meal if she didn’t do any celebrity teasing. ”You must really hate your toes.”

[MAXINE McMANUS]

"You must really hate your toes." Maxi laughed, instinctively tucking her feet under her chair. "I'm not letting you near my toes," she replied matter-of-factly. "And if you try you might get swift kick to the face." She narrowed her eyes playfully to let him know she was "serious." She started cutting her steak with a smile. It was nice having John at her table, joking with her. He was so warm and friendly, not like Albert. At least, that was the side of him that she saw.

She popped a piece of steak in her mouth and was more than pleased with her cooking. It was perfect to her. Looking at John again she asked, "Does JJ approve?" She laughed to think of a tapeworm with a sense of taste. It turns out imaginary tapeworms made for good dinner conversation. She took a sip of wine, keeping her feet tucked under her so she wouldn't accidentally bump his feet under the table. Playing footsie wasn't one of the things she generally did on a date, especially with the threat of broken toes.

"So why did you leave Aldenville? Why come to the islands?" she asked, genuinely curious about him. It seemed strange that he would come to the islands if he wasn't a supernatural before he came. Perhaps those kinds of cases were more interesting. Or maybe he was invited by Freddie? Either way, it made for good dinner conversation. He was eating dinner at her house, after all, so she might as well get to know him better.

[JOHN ALDEN]

John “mmhmmed” with steak in his mouth when she asked if JJ approved. Thank goodness he didn’t have to hurt her feelings. Her toes on the other hand. They were on the line.

”I uh…” he paused to swallow the meat in his mouth. ”I left Aldenville because I was losing it. Some people live double lives, and I was living like sextuple lives. I kept pushing myself, and it was getting hard and harder to cover my ass, excuse my French. I had to keep the illusion that the supernatural world didn’t exist, while making sure that justice was dealt within the laws I’d sworn to uphold,” he shook his head as if remembering the intense eight of the stress. Most people had to watch their front and their back. John had everything coming at him from all angles, and he still had to function like a normal human being.

”Paranoia, sleep deprivation, voices,” he prattled off, pausing to sip his wine. ”I had to get out before the city got me. I didn’t come to the island until a few months ago. While I was out there, looking for myself, whatever the hell I was doing, I got bit. It was like I was running from the supernatural world, and it just kept hounding after me until it had me.”

He tried to stay in the moment, but he could feel his mind and eyes wandering back to the fresh memories of his recent past. Realizing his sudden silence he spoke again. ”I went to Freddie for help, and he sent Mr. Big-Britches himself, Von Steel to lure me here to do what I do best. Boring stuff really.”

John forced a smile and began cutting his steak into bite sized pieces so he wouldn't have to pause too many tiems while wolfing it down.

"Shouldn't we be talking about celebrity gossip or something? I saw that one douche bag actor down on Imbibo today. Had to arrest him for public indecency."

[MAXINE McMANUS]

Maxi was fascinated by John's story, eating her food slowly. She couldn't imagine leading such a stressful life. For the most part, Maxi was submerged in the supernatural world from the time she was born. The only time she really had to hide its existence was in college, but it hadn't been difficult. But John, he'd had to enforce the law of a world that supernaturals generally skirted and in the process hide what those people were. It must have been exhausting. And then to suddenly be swallowed up by a world you had known about but never really been a part of, learning how to deal with a whole new form of yourself...Maxi was in awe of the kind of strength and presence of mind that would take. He must have been on the very edge of psychosis, proved further by the symptoms he prattled off. Did she have to be a psychologist right now? No, she found she wasn't even eating, just listening silently, intently, to what he had to say. His voice was so pleasant to listen to.

She was surprised when he said Freddie sent Von Steel to John to have him come to the islands. Alexi Von Steel himself? John must have been a hotshot detective. How did he end up in her kitchen, eating dinner with her? And how did he think it was boring? The kind of work John did sounded so interesting, though stressful. At least, his work on the islands sounded interesting. The smile he gave was forced and she was a little confused by it. Why would he do something he didn't like doing? She almost asked, but he asked her a question.

"Shouldn't we be talking about celebrity gossip or something? I saw that one douche bag actor down on Imbibo today. Had to arrest him for public indecency."

She laughed. She could tell he was uncomfortable with the subject matter and she didn't mind changing subjects. If she thought of more questions, she was sure she could weasel answers out of him somehow. "Did you arrest him because he was actually being indecent, or did you arrest him just because he was a douche bag?" she teased, taking another sip of wine. She leaned closer to him, looking around playfully like there were people listening. "But I did hear this one bit of celebrity gossip." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "I heard John Alden was in the Village today." With a suppressed smile, she leaned back again with a shrug. "He was at some girl's house for dinner. She's a nobody, really, but can you believe it?" She giggled putting a piece of broccoli in her mouth and tucking her legs under her chair tighter. Maxi promised after this joke, she wouldn't tease him about being a celebrity anymore.

[JOHN ALDEN]

”Well, me not being a fan of his movies might have intensified my perception of him being a public nuisance,” John shrug with a lopsided grin. He popped a piece of steak in his mouth and then seriously began pondering Maxine’s question. It wasn’t uncommon for enforcers of the law to do things just because they could. Of course the actor had been breaking the law, but it was something so small and insignificant that most officer let it slide. Hell if John was that much of a stickler half of Luna Matris would be empty, not to mention the entire island itself. Did John feel guilty? Hell no, that guy was a douche.

”Y’know,” John chuckled lightly to brush off Maxine’s celebrity jab. ”Toes are a funny thing. They are. They’re there to keep you balanced. But they’re really weak when you think about it. The joints especially.”

He began miming as if he had someone’s foot locked with his bicep and mimed grabbing at it with his free hand. ”You just give it a little twist, a wiggle, and a tug. It pops right off.”

He snapped his fingers and gave Maxine a matter-of-fact expression while nodding his head. ”I was joking before, but now the thought of you wobbling around actually seems kinda…” He scruntched up his eyes and sucked his cheek for a moment, trying to find a word to use. He was certainly not going to use the word “cute.” He was damn close to his yearly quota and john was not at all interested in having his Man Card revoked.

”Help me out,” he asked, waggling his fingers as if asking for something. ”What word am I looking for?”

[MAXINE McMANUS]

Maxi laughed when John brought up toes, saying they were a funny thing. The more he talked though, the more she realized he was getting into this idea of breaking her toes. No, not just breaking them, ripping them off. He actually started to mime the action, and her big eyes grew wide. She knew he wasn't serious, but the fact that he was telling her, in detail, how he would rip off her toes, made her pout slightly. His snap made her smile a little, despite her pout.

"I was joking before, but now the thought of you wobbling around actually seems kinda..." Maxi narrowed her eyes playfully when he paused, trying to think of a word. "Help me out. What word am I looking for?"

"I hope the word you're looking for is something like 'cruel,' or 'despicable.' 'Pathetic,' perhaps," she teased, her eyes wide again with shock. "Because I really like my toes. I can paint the nails to look pretty and they're kind of cute. Besides, I'm already clumsy as it is. I don't need to become clumsier because I don't have toes." She raised her right hand like a girl scout would. "I promise I won't say anything else about you being a celebrity. So please don't take off my toes?" She finished her scout's pledge with a sweet, hopeful smile. Really, how could he resist? She giggled and speared a piece of broccoli with her fork and put it in her mouth.

"Besides, what would you do with my toes?" she asked with half a mouth of broccoli. When she had swallowed, she looked genuinely curious. "I mean, they don't really help you out any. And I don't think they benefit anybody else but me. So then you've just wasted toes." She gave a shrug, playfully matter-of-fact, and then grinned. How was it that a simple conversation about toes was so amusing with John? Albert would roll his eyes at such an inane conversation, but Maxi found it funny. She also found it cute. "You're so cute," she blurted out. She couldn't not tell him. Her head cocked to the side in contemplation, as something occurred to her though. "Is that emasculating? Calling you cute? I don't want to threaten your manliness," she teased, but trying to look serious. She couldn't help the smile creeping to her mouth, however.