Keep Me In Memory

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"That'd be good," Lee beamed broadly at Madeleine. "How'd we race? What are your powers?"
What makes the Head of the Warriors tick?

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

"I control air," she said, repressing the thought that he wouldn't have needed to ask before. "So I fly with that... I psychokines, I heal, and I shapeshift."

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"Four?" Lee said, counting it off on his fingers. "Four. Why four? A Head thing?"
It was bound to be.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

"Yeah," she said, brightening suddenly. "Want to see me shapeshift?"
She hadn't done it in a while, and she wanted to try out an experiment...

[Kira & Lee Norris]

He grinned. "Yes please."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine smiled at him, flinching inwardly at his eyes again, before closing her own.
And suddenly, where she had been sitting, a chocolate brown cat, with long fur the same colour with her hair, and sapphire blue eyes was curled up against the cushion.
But Madeleine felt sheer disappointment as she stretched out her paws and stood up, and jumped lightly off the chair.
If only her animal senses were able to block out the emotions of her human self...

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Lee chuckled, looking at the Maddie cat with interest. Technically speaking, this was his first memory ever of being with a cat. He liked it. But he wondered if he could pet her, or if that would be an invasion of personal space?
He held out a tentative hand towards the cat's nose.
"Can I?" he asked her eagerly.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Without realising it, the cat part of her purred and nudged her nose against Lee's hand, before rubbing herself against Lee's legs, purring gently and willing him to stroke her.
The human part of Madeleine was cursing herself for giving into instinct like that, but as he touched her... she couldn't feel mad anymore.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Tentatively, slowly, Lee picked up the Maddie cat, and set it beside him on the sofa, scratching it between and behind its ears automatically. He seemed to know what to with cats, then. Maybe he was an animal person. He smiled at the thought, and carefully stroked the cat's smooth, silky hair. Did Madeleine's human hair feel this soft- this luxurious? He was much more interested in the human Maddie.
He couldn't help it. Hormones were kicking in, and he was jealous of the memories she had of them both.
He wanted to know what it felt like when he'd kissed her...
"Awesome transformation," he said eventually. "Specialize in animals?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine couldn't stop the cat purring - that was something she couldn't control as an animal.
But in her emotions, she was silently thinking that she shouldn't be doing this, that tears would result from this later, that...
But a part of her really couldn't care much about later.
It was now, and he was touching her.
That was all she cared about at that minute.
So when he asked her a question, it was with great reluctance that she morphed back into her usual self.
But his hand was still on her shoulder, her curls brushing his fingers.
"I can transform into pretty much anything," she answered, feeling the longing rise up in her again at the familiar touch. "Animals are more fun, though."

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"You probably look best as a human, though," he laughed at her; then, realizing his hand was still on her shoulder, removed it.
It'd rested there just a second too long for his own comfort.
Still, he was pleased to have her sitting beside him now. He coiled his body around, so that he could look at her properly. He looked at her hair closely, trying to relate it to the smooth touch of the Maddie cat's fur...
He could smell limes...
Strawberries.
Bang. Flashback.
Lee felt something settle over him- something he recognised, though could not remember feeling before. Deja vu. It rolled over his head; the sweet, sharp smell of strawberries, rocking him slightly.
And then, he was back, and looking at Maddie again. But he was confused. Strawberries? Where'd... where'd that come from?!

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine went slightly pink at the compliment. "Thanks."
As he twisted to look at her, so she tilted her head and surreptitiously ran her eyes over him, feeling each familiar feature form a fresh blow to her, but not caring a bit.
His hair would still feel the same... his skin would still be as smooth... his hands as gentle... his lips as soft...
Oh, God...
At that point, she had to tear her eyes away from him, but not before she noticed a look of confusion pass over his face.
"Everything okay?" she asked, curiously.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

He glanced back at Maddie. Maybe she'd understand it.
"I just got a flashback," he told her. "Um... Professor Hoodham said it would happen every so often... it was weird. It wasn't really... mental pictures, or anything..." he trailed off blankly, and then, sighing, said, "Do strawberries mean anything to you?"
She had, after all, been the trigger, or at least her shampoo had been.
Hah! A shampoo trigger. He supposed it must have had some kind of weird influence on him when they were going now... Even now, the sweet scent of limes held a certain, indistinguishable appeal.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine shook her head, eyes wide. "Strawberries? No, nothing."
Triggers? That was weird; she hadn't heard about those.
"When you say 'triggers', what exactly... do you mean?"

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"Anything," he said blankly. "Anything could set me off. Anything that meant some kind of significance to me before... or maybe just something random. I might get a lot of flashbacks... or that might be the only one I ever get."
Which would suck.