"Hi," they each muttered.

He sighed quietly and fell silent, not wanting to bother them.

After a beat, Brendan, the short one with wiry hair, stepped forward to awkwardly shake Electa's hand. With an apprehensive glance at Vexin, he stepped hastily back again.

He stared down, backing up a bit so that they wouldn't avoid meeting Electa because of him.

The black guy was Wesley, whose arched eyebrows and wry mouth made him look like he should have a great sense of humour--except that he also looked like hed never smiled in his life. He shifted his feet, glowering. "Are you going to need us for this, Kara?" he muttered.

"No, I dont think so," said Kara. "Why dont you guys go into the TV room, or the range or something, so the three of us can talk?"

"You sure?" drawled Sam. He narrowed his blue eyes at Vexin in a calculating way. "You might need some backup."

Electa snorted. With an effort, she refrained from pointing out that backup worked a lot better when the person backing you up actually knew how to shoot a gun.

Vexin glanced up at Sam a little, then back down. His legs pulled further together and he seemed to shrink into himself.

"Yes, Sam, I am sure. Go on, now. Ill tell you guys whatever you need to know later."

After the AKs had drifted away, Kara put some water on to boil. She started getting mugs out of a cabinet, then hesitated as she looked at Vexin. "Do you...do you eat and drink like we do, or--"

A cold anger tightened Electa's muscles. "Kara, for Chrissake--"

"Well, I dont know!" she snapped back. "How am I supposed to know what a half-angel does or doesnt do?"

He flinched just a little, starting to nervously crack his fingers. "I-I eat and drink l-like people." He said quietly, now stuttering.

Kara started to say something else and stopped; a flush tinged her cheeks. Not answering, she banged the cupboard door shut and opened another one, taking out a jar of instant coffee. She thumped it onto the counter. Kara poured boiling water into the mugs, and added splashes of milk. "Two sugars, right?" she said without looking at her.

She glanced up in surprise as her throat tightened. It was how Jake had taken his coffee. "No, uh--just milk."

He brushed his hands to Electa, a motion to comfort her.