A New Visitor

A bright red jeep with a soft convertible ceiling pulled into the parking lot of Anubis Laboratories. Clearly visible within the vehicle was a woman with hair of dirty blonde and a small brunette child. With a playful, sudden jerk of a stop from the jeep, Shelly giggled at Nicole's driving. “The eagle has landed!” the girl cheered.

Nicole smirked and humored the child with a chuckle. “Wait here. I’ll need to get you a visitor’s pass and a trolley,” the woman said, opening her door and locking up before leaving the little girl unattended.

Shelly hummed quietly to herself, hugging her new pet and stroking the feline’s soft fur. It almost broke her heart to think they would have to put it back in its crate upon taking the stuff for this ‘Mark’ guy inside. But it was for the creature’s own protection, or so Nikki had told her. It made sense, considering they were now in a parking lot: if the kitty wasn’t careful, it could get run over!

A knock on the window and the reappearance of Nicole told Shelly it was alright to unlock the door and get out of the jeep. “Here we go, kitty...” the little girl murmured and stepped out of the vehicle, gazing in awe at the structure that was the laboratory. It certainly seemed big! What if her poor cat got lost in there? It would take weeks to find him! Michelle now saw that carrier-crate in a whole new light. “In you go. Don’t want you to get lost or hurt!” the child murmured to the cat, placing a kiss on its head as Nicole held open the crate door.

Once the cat was in Nicole locked it and handed the crate to Shelly. “Put him in the jeep for now. Once we’re done we’ll put his crate on top.”

“Kay...” Without question Shelly placed the kennel on her seat. “I’ll be right back,” she informed the cat and skipped off to help Nicole unload the trunk. She wasn’t allowed to move any of the heavy things – empty cages, bags of soil and fertilizer, and various forms of animal feed – but it was fun to pile the light stuff on top of all that. If the eleven-year-old didn’t know any better she’d guess it took less time helping Nikki than it did when her step-mother put everything in by herself. “I hope we don’t make you seasick with all of this moving around...” Shelly giggled as she retrieved her new cat and placed his crate on top of the items.

“Here’s your visitor’s pass. You’ll need to show it to the guard at the door,” Nicole informed her, handing her laminated card. “Will you close and lock the jeep for me? I’d ask you to push the trolley but it’s heavy.”

“Okay, Nikki,” Shelly replied happily, closing up the trunk and making sure the doors were locked. She had to jog to catch up with Nicole, who had decided to get a head start. “You sure you don’t want me to help? Not even a little?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Can I ride, then?”

“No.”

* * * * * *

“Could you push the button for the door, please, Shelly?” Nicole asked, panting just a little from pushing the flatbed all the way to where she knew Mark kept himself holed up. She wasn’t quite sure where he wanted everything, and had a feeling he would probably want to look over the purchases to make sure she got everything right. Either way, Nicole didn’t really care so long as she didn’t have to push the thing that much further.

“Sure!” Shelly cheered, glad to be of some help. She was a little sad that they had to drop her kitty off at Nikki’s room for now. But just knowing she would see her new feline friend very soon brightened the girl’s spirits. Michelle followed her step-mother into the room and tilted her head curiously at the spiky-haired man in the room. Was this Mark? Shelly approached and paused once she was about five feet away from him, always eager to meet new people and make friends.

Nicole wheeled the flatbed into the room, and after locking the wheels in place plopped into the nearest vacant computer chair. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, the woman glanced over at Mark. “I’ll have you know: I could’ve gotten dirt much cheaper from Wal-Mart or even my own back yard!” she muttered, still a little short of breath but with a smirk on her face regardless.

Mark scoffed at her comment about Wal-mart, though she had a point, it likely would have been cheaper, Dang wizards and there gold Galleons..

"Then next time Go to Wal-mart Snappy, Dirt is dirt" he said about at stand up and see what she got when he nearly ran in to someone he hadn't known was there due to her lack of height. He jumped back from her as if she had burned him, what was a child doing in his Lab?! This was no place for a kid, he didn't even like some of his younger early twenties assiants.. not this girl looked worse then that, a hogwarts firsty age.. the utter horror.

"Snappy last I checked, a little girl wasn't on my list" he quipped looking at the girl wided eyed as if she would attack him at any second. Merlin he didn't like children...

"Oh, sure. Now you tell me," Nicole replied in mock-exasperation and a playful roll of her eyes.

Shelly also jumped back as Mark nearly ran into her, a little startled at the fact he hadn't even noticed she was standing there. The eleven-year-old got over it quickly though and grinned her 'hello'. Giggles left the girl at Mark's comment. "Sorry, Mister," she said, though her cheer made her sound anything but apologetic.

"The kid's mine," Nicole returned, smirking. She took a moment to sit up a little straighter before beckoning Michelle over to her. "She needed her school things and it was easier to just bring her with me."

"My name's Shelly," the girl beamed at the man as she approached her aunt. "What's your name? ... Are you Mr. Mark?"

Mark still looked at the situation in shock, Snappy had a kid?! Which was a interesting thought.. she could have mentioned it before... but he honestly probably wasn't paying attention. He wasn't known for his presonal listening skills, in one ear and out the other one could say.

"You have a Kid?" he asked alittle thickly.. but he wouldn't admit it. Snappy didn't seem like the Maternal type.

He then gave the 11 year old an awkward look, he was uncomforable around children, why he didn't really know.. he just wasn't sure how to talk to them. Hell he didn't even like most adults, Snappy was the exception of course, he didn't mind her,, most of the time.

"Just Mark Kid" he said shortly, completely ignoring the fact she told him her name. for now she was just "Kid".

"Step-child," Nicole decided to clarify. It wasn't much of a clarification, but at least it was something. She didn't exactly want to get into the details of how Michelle came into her custody with the child in question present.

"Nikki's really my auntie," Shelly added. She didn't seem to mind being called 'Kid' at all.

"Shelly, why don't you go let your new friend out of his cage for a while? Maybe pick out a name?" Nicole suggested, noting the awkwardness Mark seemed to be going through.

The girl turned and nodded excitedly to Nicole, giving her a hug. Shelly paused in her trek to the door, stopping approximately five feet from Mark once again. "I helped Nikki pick out the cages you wanted! ... Would you like to see my new kitty, M-Mark?" she asked, almost calling him 'Mister' a second time.

Marks eye brows went up further, Step Child? Auntie? perhaps he really didn't want to know.

He sighed almost in relief when Snappy shooed the girl off to get.. wait.. a new firend?

"A new firend?" he asked his face looking less then impressed.

He looked at the said caged Snappy and the Kid appearently had picked out, they would do.. and cage really as long as they held the animals.

He then blinked at Shelly again, wondering if it was a trick question, but quickly concluding why would the kid ask him a trick question.. truth be told at the moment he felt nervous simply answering her question. He felt rather silly, what was with this girl? normally kids hated him, and the feeling was mutually.. What did Snappy feed the girl to make her so happy go lucky? Even around him?

He wanted to say no he didn't want to see her new "kitty" since that would mean she would come back...

"If I said no?" he asked hoplessly, really since this kid was Snappy's he couldn't expactly upset her... there was a reason he called Nicole Snappy.. her Guns made a audible Snap when the Safety came off... like a rattle of a rattle snake before it stuck.

"What do you feed her Snappy? Sugar and spice and everything nice?" he asked tapping his figers on his arm.

Shelly tilted her head curiously at Mark and his 'what if' query. After a moment she shrugged. "Nikki says you're busy a lot, so that's okay," the girl replied, still smiling sweetly. "See you later Mr. - I mean Mark!" Shelly called as she practically skipped out of the room. What the girl didn't say was she'd be back with her cat anyway once she riddled out a name for it.

Nicole laughed at Mark's question. "Don't blame me. She came that way. Although she does like chocolate," the woman answered between laughs. She was frankly quite surprised Shelly hadn't called him or Julian 'Uncle' yet, but Nicole didn't find that appropriate to reveal to Mark. "Her parents - my brother and his wife - are dead now. He asked me to take care of her," she explained now that Shelly had left the room. Whether Mark chose to hear, retain, or comment on this information was his choice.

"Shelly wanted to get a bright pink cage in the shape of a castle," Nicole remarked, half teasing and half serious as she stood up to review the purchased materials with Mark. She had the original list, but Nicole doubted he would want it back: first of all it was just a list. Secondly, the empty spaces of the printed page were filled with the doodles of an eleven-year-old child's imagination.