Characters: Sera Donnelly-Rousseau & Jenny Parry.
Setting: During the last bit of summer break, at Sera's house and surrounding area. Portage Lake, Maine.
Content: SFW, unless you work in a Catholic church. Mild bicurious awkwardness.
Summary: Jenny goes to visit Sera for a night over vacation, but things quickly turn somewhat sour.


Summer break had been, generally speaking, somewhat uneventful for Jenny. Other than a couple of camping trips with her sister and parents, and one visit to cousins in Colorado, there hadn't been much of anything worth mentioning. There had been a lot of lounging in the backyard with Ella, lots of reading, and even more soap operas. Jenny had to admit it was good to be home for vacation when their mother had her own days off, the three of them sitting in their pajamas, and watching Maury. It had become a bit of a tradition with the women of their house, and Jenny didn't have any complaint.

Even if all of the outrageous paternity tests were only giving Paula more reasons to worry about her daughters while they were away from home, making her realize that they were growing up fast. Just last week, she had asked them to make sure they were using protection, which had nearly mortified Jenny to death right then and there at the breakfast table.

Today, however, was going to be something special compared to everything else.

Sera had invited her out to spend a night at her place in Maine. It was one of the states that Jenny had yet to visit, despite being friends with Sera for quite some time. She supposed they had become closer over the last year, which might have had something to do with the current invite. Not that she was complaining; waiting sometimes made things even better. Sera had informed her that her family lived right on a lake, and although Jenny declined on swimming, she wouldn't object to dipping her feet in. Fresh water was always so beautiful, too, when it wasn't all murky and cloudy.

Jenny had forgotten to ask what Sera's plans even were, just packing her bag obediently, and being ready to head out. It was just after lunch time when she said goodbye to Ella, and left a note on the fridge for her parents, who were both at work. Heading out of her house, she couldn't help the way she was smiling, making her way toward the only Floo station in Ypsilanti.

Speaking Sera's address clearly, the blonde stepped into the green flames, eyes closed. When they were re-opened, she found herself stepping out of a large fireplace in the middle of a living room, almost smacking her head on the slightly low mantle. One cursory glance around the room confirmed that she, at least, had the right house; there was a family picture hanging over on the nearest wall, with both Sera and her sister in it, and a shaggy haired boy whom Jenny assumed must have been their brother.

"Sera?" she called out cautiously, stepping out further, and taking more of a glance around at her surroundings.

Sera was excited to see Jenny. She hadn't seen her since school let out after all, which in her opinion, was too far too long. She was enjoying her summer thus far for the most part, she and Tatum had spent a bit of time together, she worked on her tan by the lake, and read a few good books, including one by James Patterson which she had borrowed from Jenny the last week of school. The morning of Jenny's arrival, Sera got up extra early to get things ready; she fixed up her room a little even though it was as neat and tidy as ever. She wanted things to be prefect.

She picked out her outfit for the day before jumping in for a quick shower. She wanted to make sure she had enough time to get everything ready. She hadn't told Jenny what she had planned, she wanted it to be a surprise. It was a little corny, Sera would admit, but she liked Jenny, she really liked her. As much more than a friend, in fact. As far as she knew, Jenny was completely unaware of these feelings but she was hoping with the right setting and a little courage she would be able to see if maybe, just maybe, her close friend felt the same. Sometimes she felt like Jenny was flirting, which she knew was at least in part just her personality, but she wasn't even sure where Jenny stood. To her knowledge, Jenny had only ever dated guys. She knew it was a bold move, but she figured now was as good a time as any to go for it.

Sera had made her brother dig out the picnic basket from the attic the night before and when she made her way downstairs, it was waiting for her in the kitchen. She prepared most the snacks for the day the night before, and had it waiting in the fridge. Except for the peanut butter and banana sandwiches, which she knew were Jenny's favorite. She wanted to make them fresh, soggy sandwiches would just not do, she thought to herself, as she pulled out the peanut butter from the cupboard. After finishing up the sandwiches, she packed most of everything into the basket, except a few things she wanted to keep in the fridge for just a bit longer. She knew she'd have to use a cooling charm later to keep things cold in the hot summer air, but the fridge worked just fine for now.

Just as she was finishing things up, she heard a noise from the living room and she knew it had to be Jenny. Both of her parents were at work for the day and she knew Tatum and Rath were likely still in their respective beds. Before she could reach the living room doorway to greet her friend, who was just exiting the fireplace, she heard Jenny call out her name. "Hey!" Sera responded back, just as the blonde was in her sight. "You're here!" she added with a smile, walking over and greeting her friend with a hug. "I hope you didn't have any trouble getting here?" she asked, her arms still wrapped around Jenny.


"I'm here, I made it," Jenny replied jovially, returning the hug to the younger girl. It was nice to see friends, people outside of her family, even as much as she adored each and every member of her family. Even if she knew it would be lonely to sleep over tonight, without Ella there with her. It was still nice to see Sera, and Jenny couldn't complain when the brunette kept her arms wrapped around her. It almost made her feel more at home, more welcomed.

"It was no problem, seriously. I actually don't live that far from the Floo station, just a couple of blocks, if you ever decide to return the visit and come on out to Michigan. I promise, you won't be disappointed," the blonde assured her, smiling a bit. "I'll even let you pick who's bunk you sleep in. I've got the bottom, and the top might seem fun, but I assure you, Ella is a kicker."


"Sorry," Sera said with a little smile, unwrapping her arms from Jenny's body, realizing she may of kept it going a little too long. The blonde didn't seem to mind though, which in turn made Sera even more happy that Jenny came over to visit. "That's good that you didn't have any problems," added the younger of the two, taking a step back from Jenny. "I'd love to come visit some time. As much as I love Ella though, I don't think I'd sleep well with a kicker," Sera laughed.

"What about the bottom bunk?" she asked, still laughing a little, "You don't do anything weird in your sleep, do you?" Sera presented the last question jokingly but she was still curious none-the-less to hear Jenny's response.


Jenny shook her head, laughing a little herself. "No, I don't think.. actually, I've been told I'm a talker, and I know I drool, but you can always just use your own pillow for avoiding that," she teased. When she thought about it a bit more, Jenny was pretty excited to see what Sera had planned for them for the day. Even if she wasn't down with going swimming, there was still a lot to do, and she was a keen naturalist of her own. It came with all the time she spent with her father, bird watching and camping, and anything else interesting they could think of.

"So, what are we doing today? Where should I leave my bag?" she asked.


Sera laughed at Jenny's answer. It was actually kind of cute to picture, in a soggy pillow in the morning kind of way. She knew she had a tendency herself to drool in her sleep so she had no problem with that, so long as they had their own pillows. "That's fine, just try not to talk too loud!" she teased back, excited at the thought of a sleepover in Jenny's bed, even if she knew nothing was likely to happen between the two of them.

Sera was excited for the day to get started too; she didn't have much planned in terms of activities, she figured they could go out and find somewhere to eat the picnic that she prepared special for her friend, and just enjoy the outdoors. "I was thinking we could go bird watching for a bit, if thats cool with you? I know a really good spot. Then we can relax down by the lake, it's a pretty cool looking spot, even without going in the water." Sera explained, smiling at Jenny and deciding to keep the picnic lunch a secret for the time being. After all, she wanted it to be a surprise.

"Oh, you can just throw your bag up in my room," Sera added, turning for the doorway and motioning Jenny to follow. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."

"Bird watching sounds amazing," Jenny assured the brunette, her expression brightening up at the mere thought. "I would have brought my book if I knew, it was right on my kitchen table at home. Dad left it there after the last time we went out looking together," she explained, following closely behind Sera as she was lead out of the living room, her bag shouldered comfortably onto her back. Her eyes couldn't help taking in everything around here; she always found the living spaces of other people to be fascinating. Even when they were at school, Jenny always loved to look around the dormitory rooms of her friends, all of the little decorations and knick-knacks said so much about a person, even in the most subtle way.

When they reached the stairs to head upstairs, Jenny was gentle with her steps, glad when they didn't creak under her weight. She didn't want to wake up Sera's brother or sister if they could help it. Glancing up, she noticed more of the family portraits, similar to the one in the living room. It seemed the one by the fireplace was the most recent, and the years before now lined the walls on the way up the steps. Starting at the bottom, and walking their way to the top, Jenny watched Sera and her siblings growing through year after year of pictures. Motioning to one near the middle, where Sera looked about five, Jenny smirked. "Cute overalls, pick those yourself?"

"I have a pretty decent book, I packed it in the kitchen and its ready to go. The only thing I find with it is that it has a lot of good information yet it doesn't really help with actually identifying birds," Sera said, speaking a little quietly as she was near the door at this point as was about to start up the steps. Tatum and Rath usually slept in pretty late, usually up through most of the night in front of a video game or computer screen. Sera looked back, noticing Jenny glancing around at the pictured framed up the stairs, "I was pretty cute, huh?" she laughed pointing one of the youngest pictures at the bottom, just before Jenny noticed the ones with the overalls up a bit further.

"Hey! I loved those overalls," Sera assured Jenny with alittle giggle. "They were all I wanted to wear, for like the first three months of muggle primary." Still giggling a little, Sera added, "I think my mom threw them out actually. She wanted me to dress more girly, especially once Tatum started refusing to wear dresses."

Jenny couldn't up but laugh, taking her time in looking at each picture as she went. It was sort of funny to look at them all, watching her friend aging through photographs, and watching her family move right along with her. "Yeah, I can see that. I'm noticing a definitely spike in dresses right about here, between ages seven-ish and up, by the look of it?" she replied, pointing to another picture. "You'll be happy about them when we're grown up, I bet. I wish I had more pictures from when I was a kid, but I didn't exactly look the best growing up, so there is sort of like, this huge gap in photography in our house. It's like, picture after pictures from one to five, and then almost nothing until junior high."

Pausing when they reached the top, Jenny glanced at Sera seriously, but with a bit of a smile. "And you were very cute, way cuter than me with my patchy hospital hair, hence no pictures for comparison. You'll just have to take my word on it," she teased. There were a few pictures in the actual hallway of their upstairs, separate from the portraits, most of which looked like they were probably taken by Tatum rather than a studio photographer. There was one particular picture that her eyes were drawn to, a woman actually looked quite a bit like Tatum, but older; a woman that Jenny assumed must have been her mother.

Sera didn't mind that Jenny was taking her time up the stairs, taking a look at all the pictures. Tatum on the other hand would probably have been mortified. "Yeah, there definitely was," Sera laughed, remembering her mother's words at the time. Proper young ladies, should dress like young ladies, she would always say. Sera didn't mind though, she knew her mother just wanted the best for her and thinking back, she definitely felt that her style benefited from it in the end. People took her seriously, perhaps more serious then most kids her age, because her choice in clothing reflected a certain sense of maturity. Sera's smile faded slightly at the mention of the hospital; it was hard for her to imagine Jenny as anything but beautiful.

"I'm sure you were still cute," she added nicely, praying that wouldn't sound insensitive. "That must have really sucked though, all that time in the hospital?" she asked with an sympathetic tone. Walking through the hallway towards her bedroom, Sera noticed as Jenny paused for a second to look at one of the last pictures. "Thats Tatum's mom." she confirmed, although she knew the resemblance likely gave it away even at first glance. Pushing open her bedroom door, she stood with her hand held against the middle of it, inviting Jenny to pass by and enter first before following behind. "You can just throw your bag on the bed or floor, where ever works." she informed her, looking around the room for her house keys. "Should take these I guess, just in case Tatum and Rath decide to actually get up and go somewhere before we get back."

When Sera asked about the hospital, Jenny could just offer a weak sort of smile, her shoulders shrugging some against the backpack hanging from them. "It sucked pretty bad, but Ella used to come and visit a lot. When she was allowed, of course. Any time they had a flu or cold outbreak, they wouldn't let her come in, since kids were such germ carriers already, and with all of us already sick.. yeah, it sucked pretty bad, that about covers it. But hey, it's the ancient past, right? I had my sis to help me through it," the blonde explained softly, as they entered Sera's bedroom. "I bet Tatum would of done the same for you, if you ever got sick. Now or then."

When they were finally in the bedroom, there was no denying that it belonged to Seraphim. Every little corner and piece just screamed of her personality, from an over organized bookshelf, to the iMac sitting closed on the meticulously tidy desk. Even the way the bed was made, perfectly folded down comforter and all, just had the brunette all over it. Jenny couldn't help but smile, making her way over to the bed, and gently laying her bag down on top of it, trying not to create any wrinkle. She didn't want to be responsible for messing up anything in there. She watched Sera picking up her keys, nodding a bit. "If they're anything like my family on a day off, they probably won't roll over for a bit longer," she replied, laughing softly.

Sera felt a little bad, bringing up the hospital further, but Jenny didn't seem to mind too much. Although hearing her talk about Ella did make Sera kind of jealous. If she was in a similar situation, she was sure she could count on Tatum to be there for her, but probably not in the same way Ella was there for Jenny. They just weren't as close, she was always the odd sibling out. Since Tatum had Rath, he was always more like her Ella.

"Yeah, I think if it came down to it, she'd be right there by my side.. and probably Rath too actually," Sera smiled as she watched as the blonde take a look around the room. By now, her keys were already in her hand since she knew exactly where she had left them. She could see how Jenny gently sat the bag on the bed and quickly spoke up. "Don't worry if you mess it up. It's only going to get slept in later," she said, trying hard to play off what a neat freak she was, ignoring the urge to straighten out the sheets. Even though she knew Jenny had already figured her out long before she saw her bedroom. Sera laughed back, "Yeah, I haven't seen them crawl out of bed before atleast two since school ended."

"Of course they would be, that's what real family does," Jenny replied matter-of-factly, as if she had no other view on the issue. When she had been small and in the hospital, she had spent countless afternoons wondering if her birth mother would come to see her. She never did, and it was in those moments, even as a little girl, Jenny decided on what constituted a real family. And it had nothing to do with blood, and everything to do with connections. Even if Tatum and Sera didn't always get long, Jenny could tell there was a connection there, no denying that.

When Sera spoke up about the room, Jenny laughed harder, blushing just a tiny bit as she looked back at her friend. "Sorry, I just didn't want to mess it.. in our room at home, its always sort of.. things fall where they happen to fall, and in contrast? Your room is just like an experience in tidy. I think my mum would sell us both to have your bedroom in her house instead of mine and Ella's," she explained. "I'm ready though, if you are? If I stay in here any longer, I might accidentally paw through all your books and see what you have, and I can't promise they'll go back in alphabetical order again."

"My rooms not always this perfect, but I try to keep it organized. I find it less stressful that way," Sera pointed out, laughing a little at Jenny. "I'm ready too, I just have to grab a few things from the kitchen first then we're all set," she added, as she turned towards the door. "You can take a look at my books later if you want though?" she offered, as she turned back towards Jenny with a smile. Next, they were exiting the room and heading downstairs. Once in the kitchen, Sera grabbed the few things she needed from the fridge and freezer, and placed them in the picnic basket, "We'll have to drink these soon," she explained as she took the non-alcoholic frozen drinks out of the freezer. She had entirely forgotten that her mother wouldn't be home to help her with a cooling charm. "They're still completely frozen though," she added, "so we still have a bit of time."

Sera took one last look around her kitchen, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything. "I think that's everything," she announced, grabbing the basket off the table and heading to the porch to find her sneakers.

Jenny smiled to herself, taking one last glance over the bookshelf, before following Sera back out of the bedroom. Her eyes were wandering again once they entered the kitchen, taking in the little details. She peered over her friend's shoulder when Sera fetched the frozen drink, her eyes widening a bit. "They look delicious, what did you put in them?" she asked, blinking a bit. She hadn't had a proper smoothie for a while, not since the last time she had gone on a date with a Lalaurie quodpot player back in the spring. "Bananas somewhere in there, I hope?" she offered, playfully pouting at Sera.

When Sera moved to go get her sneakers, Jenny followed, although she was still wearing her own. "I won't need a sweater or anything, right?" she asked, as she fiddled gently with the rubber bracelets hanging from her wrist. She had no idea how far they were planning on going, or when they'd be back, but she trusted Sera. If she had a plan, Jenny wanted to go along with her.

"They just have strawberries, ice, water, and lemon juice, but they are delicious," Sera told Jenny, turning and showing her the drinks. "I would have made them with banana but I didn't know," Sera added pouting back, a little disappointed that she hadn't thought of it. "I made peanut butter and banana sandwiches though. So there is bananas somewhere?" she smiled. It didn't take a genius to know they were Jenny's favorite. Sera dug through the pile of sneakers in the porch, most of which belonged to Tatum, until she found a pair of her own that would match her outfit.

"You shouldn't need a sweater, I don't think." Sera told Jenny. "It's been pretty hot around here lately and we should be back before too long."

She looked around, trying to think if there was anything else she needed to bring. "I have a blanket packed too. If you need it," Sera added. It meant giving a little away about the day she had planned for her and Jenny but she was still trying not to spill too much. "I guess were ready to head out then?" she said finally, picking up her stuff and heading to the back door, motioning for Jenny to follow.

"Peanut butter and banana sandwiches? You know just how to get into a girl's heart," Jenny teased, smiling over at Sera. When her friend mentioned a blanket, Jenny couldn't argue. It was always good to have one, even just for sitting on. Assuming they'd even be sitting at all; Jenny was still mostly clueless to what they were doing, other than being outdoors, and somewhere near possible birds to watch.

Regardless of where they ended up, blanket was a good idea. She tended to get cold all of the time, even when other people weren't, and she knew that Sera often complained of the same problem. Normally, she'd just snuggle up to Ella, but that wasn't really an option right then. "I'm ready if you are," the blonde replied, following Sera through the house, and out to the back door. "Want me to cary anything?" she offered.