Chris took another sip of his pumkin juice but then he heard Melinda asked Lena what she thought about the floods. He gulped the rest of his juice in his mouth down and put his cup back. Ok so maybe it wasn't the best idea to invite the girl you love and the girl you have a crush on,in the same room. Must remember that for future. He then saw Lena's eyes change colors. Crap what did that color mean? He then looked at Melinda and back at Lena. Ok he was nerves again very very nerves.

Helena ate a few more bites of her dinner before turning to Chris once more. So, have you come up with anything new lately? It was a few seconds before she mentally kicked herself. Music. She was talking about music. Well, too late now. She refrained from crossing her fingers and just hoped for the best.

Chris heard Lena ask if he had come up with anything lately. What was she talking about???? No no way was she asking about if he had picked Mel or her. First there was no way he would every be able to make the choice and second would she really ask that with his parents right there? Probably not he just must have miss understood her. Chris's mind was spinning with thoughts trying to figure out what she meant.

"Umm you mean music?" He asked slightly hopeful.

Thank God, Helena sighed with relief. What a complete idiot she was making of herself. Yeah - have you written anything new? At least (she hoped) this topic would last them a few good minutes of (hopefully) unawkward conversation.

Chris was reliefed that's what she meant. He just over reacted or did he???? "Na not really. I've been playing around with some stuff I have written but not to much song writting." He told Lena and shrugged.

The chat was becoming minute by minute more tense. It was almost breath-taking the way the three just kept talking to each other and maybe ignoring one of the three with the dialogues as it came through. It was insane. Melinda was not going to stand to be around much more time. She wished that once, Mimi would appear and tell her something went wrong at the Jacques Residence, making her leave.

But then it would also mean to abandon Nick, Charlie and Emily. She didn't want to do that. She wanted to stay there, for them...as for Chris. But as things seemed, he was having fun with Lena.

Ah...time just had to say how things would turn out.

Chris out of the corner of his eye could see Melinda. And well she just did look happy. She looked uncomfortble to be there and all the times she had been there she had never looked like that. Awwww now he felt all bad but if he stopped talking to Lena she would feel awkward. Gahhhhhh! So confusing. He looked over at his mum. "Hey mum I think maybe we should have dessert now." He suggested to her.

Emily looked over at Chris."Sure I supose that would be fine." She said and started to stand up.

"Wait. I'll go get it. But maybe Melinda should come too. Ummm just to show me where it is." He said standing up and looking at Melinda.

Helena smiled slightly at him, though her eyes stayed the same color as before. I'm sure whatever you're working on is good, she said with a small shrug before finishing her last few bites of mashed potatoes. At Chris's words to his mother, she didn't look directly at him or Mel, only guessing that the latter must not have been to happy. Well, good. Now neither of them were as the pair went off to fetch dessert. Helena took another sip of pumpkin juice.

Melinda woke up from her sudden dream. Chris was asking her to go with him as to where it was the dessert. Well, there were four. Chocolate cake, lime dessert, pumkin pie and choco pudding. But oh well, she stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

There, she opened the fridge and started to take out two of the four desserts. The rest were set on the bar next to the oven.

Chris heard what Lena said about his music. "Thanks." He said smiling towards her.

Chris walked into the kitchen right behind Mel. Though he now felt bad for leaving Lena but there was just no way possible to make both girls happy at the sametime. He watch as she pulled stuff out of the fridge. "Wow you and my mum really did cook a lot." He said looking at the other two next to the oven. "This is pretty awakward isn't?" He asked keeping his voice to almost a whisper so only Melinda would hear him.

"Akward?" Melinda asked in a sarcastic way. "Chris...this is going insane. I just think right now it became a mistake to invite her..." She whispered, making her angry expression lines across her forehead show.

She prepared the cake and lime dessert, serving them on small plates and putting above it a small leaf of peppermint.

Chris sighed. Ok maybe it was a mistake but there was nothing they could do now. He then saw Mel show an angry expression. "Come here." He said hugging her. "Look you both aren't going to be here that much longer. Just please be nice for a little while long alright?" He asked, or pretty much begged. "Sure there have been some weird chats but she hasn't said anything mean." Chris said. But then...oh no. "Wait Mel have you been reading her mind? You have haven't you?" He asked still whispering.

Melinda hugged him back, nodding as he asked her to be nice to Helena. She sighed through the thought of herself smiling nicely to the girl. Nice...she was going to have to be nice. But oh dear..he had to say that, ask about her ability? She pulled back, feeling as if she was not trusted. "Of course not...I am giving up in that ability, Chris...forever. I just sense things aren't just perfect between Lena and I...you know both of us like you...and that is something that keeps us in the line of...enemies..." She said the last word. They were enemies...

Chris smiled slightly when Melinda nodded. "Thank you." He told her. But then he felt her pull back from the hug. Great now what he do? "Mel I just wanted to make sure. It's not that I don't trust you. I know you don't like her and well I just thought you might have..." He said trailing off. "Well I could have told you things weren't perfect between you two. Enemies? Really? Just because that two of you like me you have to be enemies? Well I have to admite I knew something like this was going to happen." He said and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Was that Christmas over yet????

Okay, Helena was starting to feel really uncomfortable sitting in the dining room with Chris's parents. She didn't want to seem rude, but she had absolutely nothing to say to them. And then there was the fact that Mel would reenter when Chris did, and that would hardly help things when it was all taken into account. She admired the room, hoping no one thought she was crazy.

Melinda was over-reacting and she knew it. Though, there was no other way to think through some facts. Chris liked Lena back and still had feelings for Mel, something that bugged her a lot, yet was not ready to say that it was breaking them apart in some way.

"We better get back into the dining room. I need to get this bitter taste off my throat..." She said, taking the long platter with the dessert plates on it. Mel rushed back into the room with a smile, quite well faked. "Well, well...looks like we have four different kinds of desserts here. Choose...and enjoy..." She said as she put the platter on the big table and then collected the dinner plates to put them on a small cart.

Melinda,Lena,Melinda,Lena??? Was this war ever going to end inside his head! He was guessing probably not. And that's not a good thing because he is just leading them both on and then one is going to get their heart broken. And then he's going to feel all bad and the other one is going to get jealous. Then the two are going to fight and find out they both hate him and then bam! He as neither of them and then he dies alone. Urghhhhhh! Why could this be easy just pick one but he couldn't do he just couldn't do it. When it was Roxy and Melinda it was easy but this time it's not because he actaully cares about both of them. A lot!

Chris then heard Melinda say something about going back to the dining room. "Yeah yeah." He said rubbing his head. He was getting such a bad headache from all this. He sighed and walked back into the dining room behind Melinda. He sat down not even bothering to smile. And he knew it probably wasn't a good thing but he just wasn't happy at the moment.

Helena could tell, as Chris and Melinda both reentered the room, that neither was very happy, though the latter was putting on a good show to prove otherwise. I know I keep saying it, but everything looks great, she said with a smile, not wanting to be rude, as she placed a small sliver of pumpkin pie on her plate. Noticing Mel clearing up dinner plates, she added, And if there's anything I can do to help, let me know. She didn't mind work. In fact, Helena rather liked it. She began to eat her little bit of dessert.

As Melinda cleaned the plates from the residues, she heard Lena ask if there was anything to help with. Don't you worry, this is easy, and I'm sort of used to it now that I work in that restaurant. Just enjoy your dessert. She tried to explain her actions the most nicest way. Gladly, no over reactions came out and she had not broke any dishes nor cups.

What a relief!!

After she finished, she went to sit back next to Chris, just beside Nick. She sighed and wondered which dessert to pick out. She was anxious for all of them. Taking more than ten seconds to choose, she finally took a small plate of lime dessert and immediately put a bite into her mouth. Sour...sweet...all in one small and delicious treat.

Nick had taken a piece of the chocolate cake. Yummmmy! He sat there and ate it as he watched Melinda take all the plates. "Hey Melidna why don't you just use magic to do that?" He asked putting another bite of cake into his mouth.

Chris sat there staring at his pudding. He sort of pushed it back and forth with his spoon. Not that he didn't like it but his headache was really bad now. He took a small bit but kept rubbing his head slightly with his other hand not knowingly.

Helena smiled slightly at her reply, but kept her comments to herself. It wasn't as though they were impolite in any way, but she didn't want them to come across as such, so she continued eating her small slice of pie without much comment, not even noticing Chris's mood.

Mel could feel a head being all tingled, tangled and overtangled. It was Chris, as she could observe him rubbing his head every now and then. Eat the chocolate pudding...it's almost natural cocoa, it helps your head go through...the headaches. She send a brief thought to him just to show him she wasn't mad anymore, and that anyways she was raging, she cared about his health and sanity. Oh please...do wonder about hers...

Chris sat there still rubbing his head when he heard Mel's though to him. He stopped rubbing his head and eat some of the pudding. So she was right it made him feel a little better. Thanks. But pudding doesn't help make you unconfused. He thought back.

Hmmmm.... awkward silence once more, Helena thought as she finished the last bite of her pumpkin pie. A glance at one of the windows told her that the sun was setting and beginning to ebb into the black of night. She rested her elbows on the table, her hands together thoughtfully.

Coming back to the normal world, Melinda looked down at Nick and smiled. "I didn't use magic because I sort of consider it cheating when it comes to cooking...yep, that's why..." She was uncertain of what to say. It was confusing to tell a little kid that your wizard life was over the minute she graduated from any magic school. At least for some moments...

She sighed. Alright...I'm sorry. She thought back as she gulped down her last bite of lime dessert left from her plate.

Just then, a well-dressed and trés sympa house elf, Mimi, appeared just right beside Melinda. She had good news for her mistress. "I'm sorry to pop in like this, miss...but good news come from the Jacques...your grandfather is there and wants to see you..." The small creature said, expecting a long and stretchy smile from her mistress.

Melinda gasped, yes...she gasped. So far, she had thought her grandfather would never, ever step into that house due to the very abnormal divorce Mirelda and he had. She stood up, looking around and trying not to faint during the process. Mel was happy, finally. She was going to meet Robert Jacques.

"Mimi...my things are in the closet next to the stairs, go take them as I...say bye..." She whispered, feeling quite ashamed of her reaction. Taking a look at the Kaplans and Lena, she smiled. "I'm really sorry...but this is something I've expected all my life..." She tried to explain herself, though she was trembling of pure euphoria.

She walked around the table and hugged the Kaplans. "Thank you, Mister and Mrs. Kaplan...this has been an incredible evening...and it was an honour to cook along with you, Mrs. Kaplan..." Mel said, excited as she hugged Nick. "Your present...is just beside the tree...I know you'll love it.." She hugged him once again and smiled. It was a whole dressing set for Quidditch just right for his size.

"Also, there is a gift for everyone as well..." She said to everyone, including Lena, who she bought for a fashion coat that would fit perfectly well for her. Mr. Kaplan, a nice and warm coat; Mrs. Kaplan, a set of tea (Not that she needed them, but Mel thought she would like them); for Chris, a red sweater Gryffindor style, mountain boots and a necklace, one that Melinda made just for him, to match the snitch she gave him a while ago.