"Emily!

Beth jumped out of the car before Kris stopped it and landed running, I met her half way. We hugged each other tightly and spun around a few times.

"You look radiant!" she exclaimed, taking a step away from me.

"I'm getting married in two days, what can you expect, Beth?"

She just grinned.

"Hold on a sec," I said, running to where Kris had parked the car. He had already exited and was stretching. I don't think I had ever been so relieved to see him, at least not in a long time.

As I approached, he opened his arms and I stepped into the embrace. Unlike the last time he was here, I wanted...needed him to see what was going on in my head. About Mom and Dad. I rested my cheek against his bare neck and we both stood still for a long time, I let him rather leisurely sift through my thoughts. I knew he'd read what I wanted him to, it was foremost in my mind.

Kris, I can't believe the way they've treated him! Like a leper!

("I know, Summer, I'm so sorry.")

I replayed their meeting in my mind, though I'm sure Kris had already seen it.

("I have...I don't know what to tell you, kid. I would expect this from your mother...she only accepted me because I'm so close to Gary, and he only accepted me because we went through a lot together in college and high school. It wasn't an easy or quick thing.")

Don't even tell me to give them time. That won't work, they won't get past the way he looks, they won't sit down and get to know him. They won't look him in the eye because his eyes are gray, or empty when he uses his powers.

Tell me, honestly, what did you think of him at first? I probed gently, weakly really, I'm not much of a 'path, trying to see what he thought. He sent me words and let me pick through some of thoughts so I could get a better feel for what he said.

("...I didn't like him much. Yes, I'll admit, part of it was his looks, but not really his powers. He looked rough, strong, street tough, I was afraid he would hurt you, sometimes you seem so fragile--no, hush, I know you aren't really, but you seem that way to me.

("And when I touched him, it was confusing for me. No, I couldn't tell what he was thinking in a foreign language, but I saw enough to worry me...some of what worried me should have reassured me, but some was good cause for worry.")

The whole Torres thing, I'm sure. That was rough, and it hurt, but once we got it out in the open, and talked about it, it wasn't so bad.

("That was it, Summer. But other things...I love you in a paternal way...and well, he loves you differently. And seeing, feeling that firsthand enraged me. Some strange man having thoughts about my Summer? You were predominate in his thoughts, Spanish or not, I could tell that much.")

I couldn't help but smile. Angelo later told me Emma had warned him, told him Kris might do something like that. He said he normally didn't think solely in Spanish, sort of a bilingual mix, but he made it a special occasion for Kris' visit.

("Oh really. I'll believe it out of that Frost woman, she is very protective of you all, frighteningly so.")

Emma! Protective of us? Well, yeah, like a dictator or something! And how did you know? Can you read her?

("As easily as anyone else. It's because my abilities aren't directly telepathic, she can't shield from me. Now don't worry, I didn't go pell mell through her mind, I always read people superficially though. Enough to know that she is very protective of her students.")

It's almost laughable. Kris is being so polite, only reading surface thoughts, Emma probably knows him backwards and forwards, she has no compunctions about that sort of thing.

("I know, kid, I could tell that much from a handshake. But I was being a gentleman, and I do have some telepathic abilities.")

He sounded very smug. I grinned.

("I'll stop being smug if you stop grinning. Your parents are here.")

I pulled away, sobering quickly. "Good to see ya," I said to Kris for my parents benefit.

"Gary!" Kris smiled broadly to my dad, each hugging the other briefly and slapping each other on the back as they did so.

"Picking my daughters brains to bits I see," Dad said. No hesitancy in his voice, it was Kris and that made it acceptable.

"Ah, a bit," Kris smiled. "Your daughter's becoming quite a telepath, she did a good bit of picking there herself. She really is gifted."

I paled and blinked before recovering with a hesitant smile. I deliberately hadn't told my parents I had telepathic abilities and Kris knew it! He knew I didn't want to tell them! Them to make them think that I was good at it? I mean, I saw how he made it a compliment, tried to build that up in their eyes, but still!

"Judy," Kris hugged my mother briefly, kissing her quickly on the cheek. She probably had no idea how fast he could assimilate things when he wanted to. It didn't bother me.

("I'm giving you a warning, be ready.") It was from Kris; he briefly looked me in the eyes before striking up a conversation, probably doomed from his "warning" whatever it meant. He and my parents sat on the trunk of his car and began to talk.

"So, have you met Angelo yet?" he asked with a smile, honestly looking happy about it. "I'll tell ya, he's really nuts about Summer."

I looked frantically for Beth, but apparently she had "evacuated" when she saw how the conversation was turning.

"Little traitor," I grumbled under my breath.

"Well..." my mother said uncertainly. "He's something else all right."

What is that supposed to mean--

("Summer, don't. The last thing you want to do is put them on the defensive.")

I sent him a feeling of affirmation. But the fact that he was right still didn't make things any less difficult to swallow.

"I have to admit, I was really uneasy about him at first, but after I saw him with Summer, well...I realized he's a great guy."

Dad's eyebrow raised up. "Did you..."

"Yep. Big ole handshake." His smug smile returned.

I groaned. "Kris, you practically had him in a head lock...then another day of interrogations!" Anything to let them know Kris had definitely "looked" Angelo over.

This seemed to satisfy at least some of Dad's uneasiness and he heaved a big sigh. "Well, if you say he's all right, Kris...I don't know. Are you sure about this, Summer?" he asked, turning to me.

I gave him a look. "Daddy!"

"Because you don't have to rush into anything. You're young, and you've got plenty of time..."

"Daddy, yes, I'm sure. Please!"

Mom didn't say anything.

Sometimes it's just one thing after another...

A part of Shades of Gray

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