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“No allergies.” Aloyius says with a shake of his head. “Besides Jack’s allergy to honey we’re a pretty much allergy free family.”

“Bees and I are sworn enemies it seems.” Jack mumbles to her, smiling faintly either way. “Their stings and their honey. Not really fair.”

She looks off at Jack, clearly surprised. “I didn’t know you were allergic to honey..! Oh it’s a good thing I never cooked anything in the past.”

She looks slightly scared at the thought, thinking it would have been her fault if he had suffered an allergy thanks to her.

“Ah, I would have told you.” Jack insists, nodding his head. “Don’t worry..!”

“But what about you dear?” Bonnie asks. “Are you allergic to anything?”

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“That’d be wonderful!” Bonnie laughed, clapping her hands together. “We can’t wait!”

Katelynn smiled happily, excited to learn to cook now if it meant pleasing his parent’s. “Awesome! What do you guys like to eat? Allergies? Favorites?”

“No allergies.” Aloyius says with a shake of his head. “Besides Jack’s allergy to honey we’re a pretty much allergy free family.”

“Bees and I are sworn enemies it seems.” Jack mumbles to her, smiling faintly either way. “Their stings and their honey. Not really fair.”

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“I’m just glad we adopted him when we did.” Bonnie said as she looked across to her son, who was resting his chin against Katelynn’s shoulder gently. “He was so quiet it took him over a week to finally say to words to us.”

“Really?” Katelynn’s eyes widened, imagining an even quieter Jack. It broke her heart, thinking of him being that way, unsure and scared. She hated to talk about it and bring up a painful past… “Love does that to a child I guess..love from parent’s I mean..I’m glad you adopted him too or else I might never have met him..”

And where would she have been? Still alone in Metro City, wondering what was going to become of her, falling victim to Psycho Delic she was sure.

“Bonnie, don’t…” Jack mumbled, feeling his face turn warm and purple at the mention of him as a child.

“I’m sorry, but it’s true.” Bonnie replied. “I’m glad we adopted him also. I hate to think what would have happened to him if he’d been left in the system’s care. They certainly weren’t going out of their way to look after a special child like he was. He was the tiniest thing too, so skinny I swear he hadn’t been eating right.”

“I’m just skinny.” Jack pointed out quietly, resting one of his hands against Katelynn’s hip carefully. 

“We know that now, but at the time? Either way it all worked out, didn’t it? So how long are you going to be in hospital, dear?” Bonnie asked.

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“Oh you have to know how the human heart works inside and out.” Bonnie insisted. “How people react to stimuli in their lives, their souls, their minds… not to mention bodies. You need to know a lot about that part especially.” she adds with a playful wink before reaching over and touched her husband’s leg. “But it helps I’ve got my personal muse riding around with me.”

“You’ll embarrass the poor girl, dear.” Aloysius said on an odd smile, but still covered her hand with his own. 

Katelynn’s hand rose up to her mouth, trying to cover a deep blush and failing. It had been subtle but she had picked up on the meaning, her mind going back to her earlier musings of Jack and her. Why did her mind hate her so to embarrass her in front of his parent’s?

Blocking out the images, she let out a deep breath and tried to smile. “Y-You’re both—-I mean now I see where Jack gets his charm from. To have such loving parent’s who raised him.”

“I’m just glad we adopted him when we did.” Bonnie said as she looked across to her son, who was resting his chin against Katelynn’s shoulder gently. “He was so quiet it took him over a week to finally say to words to us.”

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Aloysius took the paper from his wife and looked it over before folding it, and put it into one of his many pockets he had on his green vest that looked tattered and frayed in some places, but still well looked after. Bonnie meanwhile allowed the subject to drop; Jack had mentioned the girl had some confidence issues, but that was something for the two of them to work out. 

“You can call me Bonnie, dear.” she replied with an easy smile. “My books are mostly romance novels. You know, those torrid little books you find in drug stores for a few dollars. They’re not much, but they’re such a joy to write.”

Katelynn had actually never fully read a romance novel but had glanced at them, seeing covers of muscular men holding busty women close to them. She had looked through a few pages and promptly blushed, putting the book back. His mother wrote those types of books? Katelynn could never imagine writing something like that.

“T-That’s really interesting,” she said, looking amazed either way. “You’d probably have to know a lot about love to write something like that, right?”

She had wanted to ask if her husband was her inspiration but thought it was rude and invasive so she kept quiet.

“Oh you have to know how the human heart works inside and out.” Bonnie insisted. “How people react to stimuli in their lives, their souls, their minds… not to mention bodies. You need to know a lot about that part especially.” she adds with a playful wink before reaching over and touched her husband’s leg. “But it helps I’ve got my personal muse riding around with me.”

“You’ll embarrass the poor girl, dear.” Aloysius said on an odd smile, but still covered her hand with his own. 

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Jack had seen her glance at him and he gave her a small smile in return, and traced one of his fingers against her arm before looking back at his parents.

“You should see some of her work, it’s really wonderful stuff.”

“Oh you must. Send us something on the web,” Bonnie insisted. “We’d love to see some wouldn’t we?” she asked her husband.

He nodded his head.

She blushed, nodding her head. “W-Well I have a blog on tumblr where I post all my photographs if you’d like to see them..” She grabbed a piece of paper, writing the URL on it and handing it to whoever was closest to her. “It’s all posted there though I also have a whole bunch more in boxes at home. I was going to make a photo mural on my wall but I could never pick out the best ones.”

“Will never be a swan?” Bonnie took the paper, staring at the url, before looking at Katelynn. “Oh honey you shouldn’t think that way about you. Of course you’re a swan!”

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Aloysius smiled while Bonnie went to retrieve some chairs from somewhere. “Any and everything.” he said. “Been doing it since I was a kid. Used to do it for a newspaper, then a magazine, then for myself. I go all over the country now, giving me a lot of opportunities for phot-oh thanks love.”

Bonnie had returned with chairs. He sat, as did she. 

“So how about you, do you have a special subject you like to photograph or is it anything as well?”

“Any and everything,” she replied, echoing his words though they were true, “whatever I can. Nature, people, random objects; I try to bring out the beauty in things with my photography. Even in things people can’t see the beauty in.”

As she said that, she made a quick glance to Jack, hoping he understood she meant him. His parent’s loved him, she loved him, but poor guy had talked about being rejected in his past because of how he looked that she wished he understood that in her mind…he was the most beautiful and unique person she had ever met.

Jack had seen her glance at him and he gave her a small smile in return, and traced one of his fingers against her arm before looking back at his parents.

“You should see some of her work, it’s really wonderful stuff.”

“Oh you must. Send us something on the web,” Bonnie insisted. “We’d love to see some wouldn’t we?” she asked her husband.

He nodded his head.

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“Close to—oh yes! Yes,” Bonnie gently tapped Aloysius on the chest. “She’s moving into a place in Jack’s apartment complex, right? He told us about it yesterday!”

Jack, meanwhile, snuck around to the other side of the hospital bed where he settled on the side of the bed. “She’s coming along really well.” he said gently. 

“Yeah, I was really bad,” Katelynn stated, though decided not to elaborate because the details were not pretty. “I can’t wait to get out of here…”

She looked over at Mr. Maple, smiling. “Jack says you take pictures. I’m a photographer myself though I’m an amateur. What do you photograph, sir?”

Aloysius smiled while Bonnie went to retrieve some chairs from somewhere. “Any and everything.” he said. “Been doing it since I was a kid. Used to do it for a newspaper, then a magazine, then for myself. I go all over the country now, giving me a lot of opportunities for phot-oh thanks love.”

Bonnie had returned with chairs. He sat, as did she. 

“So how about you, do you have a special subject you like to photograph or is it anything as well?”

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“Just look at you.” Aloysius put his hands on his hips as he looked her over. He had a slight accent, giving away his Spanish heritage. If it wasn’t that, it would have been his skin tone, more. “Jack said you were hit by a car, did you get who hit you?”

“Oh hush!” Bonnie walked up to Katelynn, smiling brightly and opened her arms to her. “Let me say hello to Jack’s little girlfriend hello!” she hugged her carefully, just like how Jack did. “It’s so lovely to meet you but under what circumstances…!”

“I-It’s all right,” Katelynn replied, smiling softly. A hug..from a mother…it was enough to make her tear up a bit. “I’m healing so..I’ll be out of here in a few days and moving close to Jack.”

“Close to–oh yes! Yes,” Bonnie gently tapped Aloysius on the chest. “She’s moving into a place in Jack’s apartment complex, right? He told us about it yesterday!”

Jack, meanwhile, snuck around to the other side of the hospital bed where he settled on the side of the bed. “She’s coming along really well.” he said gently. 

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“Oh, well since they started travelling all they can do is really call me, I haven’t seen them in person since that photo…” he gestured to the one in her hand still.

“And who’s fault is that?”

The woman’s voice came from the door causing Jack to turn around, smile already in place. There in the door way stood the couple. Aloysius was as tall as he appeared in the photo whilst Bonnie was around the same height as Jack. Maybe a smidge taller. 

“H-hey!” Jack hurried to them, arms out, and Bonnie pulled him into her arms first. “You’re here!”

“I said we’d be here,” she scolded playfully as Aloysius walked around the two, pausing to patting his son on the shoulder before approaching Katelynn on the bed. “Stop acting so surprised!”

Aloysius nods at Katelynn in greeting and held his hand out to her. “Aloysius Maple.” his voice was so deep it could probably make the ground quake if he tried hard enough. “Great to meet you.”

She took his hand hesitantly, acting a bit like the old, shy Katelynn she had been when she first moved to Metro City. “K-Katelynn Foster, n-nice to meet you,” she replied, watching them all interact. It was nice, seeing kind parent’s for once who greeted their child with love and enthusiasm.

“Just look at you.” Aloysius put his hands on his hips as he looked her over. He had a slight accent, giving away his Spanish heritage. If it wasn’t that, it would have been his skin tone, more. “Jack said you were hit by a car, did you get who hit you?”

“Oh hush!” Bonnie walked up to Katelynn, smiling brightly and opened her arms to her. “Let me say hello to Jack’s little girlfriend hello!” she hugged her carefully, just like how Jack did. “It’s so lovely to meet you but under what circumstances…!”