Rachel Grey

During the meal, she kept herself busy, trying to keep conversation going with everyone, making sure plates and glasses stayed full, steering the conversation away from topics she thought would get awkward fast. Sometimes she was successful, other times less so. By the time the meal was actually done and she was starting to clear the plates she let herself relax a little and unwind. Or maybe it was the glasses of wine she'd had. She hadn't counted and she'd needed the relaxation.

Regardless she was feeling pretty accomplished as she let the others mingle as she piled a few more plates into her hut's small sink.

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McCoy tries to keep an eye on how much Rachel's had to drink, but somewhere along the way, he remembers that she's an adult and he ought to give her the rope to hang herself, so to speak. He offers the bottle he's been nursing over to her when the glass is getting a little low. "Want me to top you up?"

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"Sure." She didn't see any reason to stop now. So far, so good, right? It was mostly over but for the clean-up and she didn't need to be entirely sober for that, did she?

"Did everything taste okay?"

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He tops up the glass, giving her a nod ."Yeah, it's all good," he promises, seeing as he doesn't need to give her unnecessary stress when the meal itself was a success. "I'm pretty sure when no one exchanges blows over the dinner table, you're allowed to count the dinner party as a success."

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"Good." She took a breath and a sip of wine. She really should slow down a little but now she felt like a lot of the pressure was off and she could actually enjoy herself.

"Thank you for bringing the mash, it was really delicious, didn't know you could cook like that."

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"I was married once, I had to learn a few basic meals so I could impress Joce," he admits with a brief smile, giving her shoulder a light squeeze as he settles down. "So, is this the socializing part of the evening? Because I have it on good authority that sometimes, I can get crotchety."

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"You're doing fine so far. I wouldn't even say you were mildly annoyed yet." And in truth she didn't really think he would have gone crochety, no matter how much she teased. He knew that the meal meant a lot to her and he wouldn't do anything to ruin it.

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"I try and save the real annoyance for the workplace," he teases, seeing as he tries not to be that grumpy outside of work, but there are certain people who really bring it out of him without much of a fight. "Besides, I wouldn't ruin your dinner like that. You mean too much to me."

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"You did great," Aidan said, moving up behind Rachel to put a hand at the small of her back as he stacked a plate in the sink. Leaning over, he lightly kissed the top of her head.

"Everything was perfect and I think everyone enjoyed themselves."

It was odd, being around so many people close to her. Normally, he was automatically the closest person in the room to Rachel but with everyone here it was hard to say.

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"Thank you." She couldn't help the sigh of relief she gave as she realized he wasn't just saying that to make her feel better. He was more important to her than he realized and having today go smoothly meant that maybe she wasn't making a complete hash of it.

"Are you staying tonight? I mean, I'm exhausted, so we'd just sleep, but you're welcome to... if you want to."

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"I was planning on staying," he said, leaning in to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. He knew that the dinner would be stressful for her no matter how well it went, Aidan figured she would be exhausted.

"Helping you clean up, give you a massage, then tuck you in."

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"You spoil me, you really do." But she let herself be folded into his arms, loving how safe it made her feel, how comfortable. She almost wished they could disappear into her bedroom now so she could sleep the evening off.

"Please don't be disappointed if I fall asleep during the massage part."

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"I think I'm just giving you what you've deserved all these years," he said with a chuckle. He liked feeling her against him like this, liked feeling like there was someone who relied on him. Rachel was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but he liked that she allowed him to help. It made him feel grounded and needed in a way nothing else could.

"And I'll take it as a point of pride that you relaxed that much, how's that?"

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"Deal." Leaning up, she gave him a soft kiss, glad again to have someone to lean on. Not because she needed it, because she genuinely wanted it.

"So when do we do this with your friends?"

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Aidan smiled against her lips as he kissed her back. He'd been wanting to do that all night but wasn't entirely sure how comfortable she would have been with it.

"Probably once I get a few more friends," he said with a laugh. "I'm still not very used to being all that social."

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"No fighting at all," Cable told her dryly. "Not between the guests and not even against mobs of torch wielding bigots protesting your existence."

"If your meals continue being this boring, I may just stop coming."

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"Not if you know what's good for you, brother dear." She poked his arm, but smiled. She was really glad he had come, she wanted him to get to know Aidan. As the only blood family she had on the island (well, Maddie, but that was... Maddie), she needed him and Aidan to get along.

"Next time, feel free to bring that gargantuan beast you call a dog, you can occupy your time keeping it from killing my quetzals."

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"Don't worry," he replied, returning her smile a little. "I'd soon have him chasing Aidan instead."

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"And if he did, I wouldn't give him any table scraps." Not that she though Nathan would do anything like that. He might tease and he might act the heavy, but she knew he was happy for her in his own way. She wished he could find someone here, or have more of his students around. Sam or 'Berto or Tabitha. He seemed so lonely to her sometimes.

"I might not even feed you."

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"Ah, threats," he replied with a little sideways glance. "I feel so much more at home, now."

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"Glad to be of service. Maybe next time I can arrange for someone to try and kill you." Not that she would, she was rather liking the lack of violence since Halloween. She didn't like being bored, couldn't imagine how bad it was for Logan and Nathan sometimes, but it was much nicer not having to patch people up or plan funerals.

Definitely nicer to be bored.

"Or maybe I'll set you up on a blind date. How would that work for you, brother mine?"

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"Will this blind date try and kill me?" he replied. "Or is that a mystery too?"

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"That would have to be a total mystery and probably dependent on if you brought her flowers or not." Actually, the thought of her brother on any kind of date was beyond amusing. She was sure he was capable, he'd been married, he's had girlfriends, but she'd never stopped to consider the actual mechanics of any of it.

Hell, being shot at might be a recommendation in Cable-land.

God, her family was weird.

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"You realize," he raised one eyebrow slightly, "that I am capable of finding my own dates?"

In theory at least. He had been entirely celibate since arriving on this island, and while he had met a few people who had tempted him to change that, he moved too slow and the Island moved too fast. All but one of the people who'd caught his eye were long gone into the ether.

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