Log: Jean and Madelyn

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

After waking up from a nightmare, Jean goes downstairs to check on Paige and ends up just chatting for a bit with Maddie. They're interrupted, though, at oh-god-hundred when Dani comes down.



Madelyn took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes before glancing at her computer's clock. Getting on for 3am. Things had been quiet - Jean had been right about night shift being the best time to get things done. She'd checked in on Paige a couple of times via the observation window and Charles, but the girl was actually sleeping fairly peacefully. Too tired not to, Madelyn supposed.

The nightmares has gotten Jean up far earlier than she'd meant to - between night shift - well, it was two nights ago now - and working through the day when Paige had come in and well into the night, Jean was fairly exhausted. But the dreams had been very unsettling and their topic - mutation gone wrong, uncontrolled powers, and the conviction that she was a monster - concerned her. Perhaps she'd spent too long monitoring Paige. Or maybe it was her own terrors. She'd certainly spent long enough in Canada terrified of her powers, and Jean wasn't entirely certain those ghosts were buried.

Whatever the reason, she wasn't going back to sleep now so she might as well get up. If nothing else, she should check and make sure she hadn't somehow taped into Paige's dreams, inhibitor or no. Telling Scott to go back to sleep, she pulled yesterday's clothes back on and slipped out of his rooms, heading downstairs.

Footsteps. Madelyn looked up, frowning a little as she tried to work out who it was. Certainly not Hank, since he seldom wore shoes. And Moira was still at Muir. Then Jean appeared in her doorway, and Madelyn shook her head ruefully. Sometimes she tended to forget there were four of them now, especially lately with her back on full duty. "You're early if you're here to relieve me," she said, her tone very slightly chiding. Sleep was good and Jean looked like she needed it. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Something like that," Jean said, managing a little smile. "Worried about Paige. How has she been?" It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth. The coffee set out on the counter smelled so good, but if there was any chance she could get back to sleep before it was properly morning, she probably shouldn't...

Madelyn followed her glance and smiled a little. "Have a seat and I'll make you some of my infamous chocolate," she said, gesturing at the equally infamous Couch of Sleep. "I keep a batch on hand for when Jubilee visits me at strange hours." Getting up, she turned on the kettle and dug out a mug. "Paige has been sleeping, pretty much," she continued, answering the other doctor's question. "A little restless, but I think her body's gotten as far as it will go without rest so it's enforcing it."

"Well, that's reassuring. And thank you," she added, sitting down on the couch and pulling her legs up to wrap her arms around them. "I'd appreciate the chocolate. I take it's been quiet?"

"So far, yeah. I emailed the men in Paige's life, let them know what was going on and reassuring them we weren't trying to make their lives hell, so hopefully you should have Jay off your back for a little while, at least - you've got enough on your hands with Paige without him declaring abuses of his sibling rights." Madelyn rolled her eyes a little - she had little patience for Jay's sudden show of concern, considering he hadn't exactly been falling over himself trying to help her before her departure. Projecting his own guilt on others, she supposed. "And I've had the chance to get a bunch of other work done - the Mistra taskforce is still doing some wrapping up, and there's progress reports to go through."

"Oh? Thank you. I'm sure I meant to do that yesterday," she said, sounding a little distracted. "I do understand where Jay is coming from and, well, after I said he couldn't see her he didn't say anything else. I guess I assumed he would either come down here and talk to me or Charles, or he would wait."

"Damage control," Madelyn said wryly. "I've seen enough crises in this place by now to know when to try and cut off things at the pass. And Sam, Angelo and Jono deserved some answers too, even if they haven't said anything. Or in Jono's case, can't." She poured boiling water onto the chocolate mix in the mig and began stirring. "It's a fine line with the kids, how much to tell them. Not enough and they accuse you of not trusting them without cause and we alienate them, too much and we scar them for life." A wry chuckle followed that. "I'm sorry if I over-stepped my bounds, but I figured anything that addresses the problem and gives you space to do what needs to be done for Paige... If Jay wants to talk, he still can. Charles will probably summon him any way, if I know him."

"No, don't apologize," Jean said, pushing her hair away from her face. "I had meant to, but I forgot. I'm still not used to a lot of things, and one of them is the sheer size of the student body. Apreciate you watching out for me," she added, smiling.

"Who watches the watchmen?" Madelyn said with a grin as she finished the chocolate and joined Jean on the couch, handing her the mug. "If we don't watch out for each other, there's a tendency for us to overwork and blow ourselves up - I learned my lesson last October when Alison got so badly hurt. And since I hate being a hypocrite, I've been careful to watch myself this year. Besides, my mom has this whole scary lecture when she thinks I haven't been looking after myself." A mischievous expression crossed her face. "I still need to tell her I'm dating again. That'll be fun."

Nodding her thanks as she accepted the cup, Jean's smile shifted to a grin. "Speaking of, how was your date last night? Didn't get a chance to ask you or Hank earlier."

Madelyn's grin turned a little goofy. "Perfect," she said. "Hank knows the best places - dinner was _amazing_, and there was dancing..." With a happy little sigh, she brought herself back to earth. "And I couldn't help notice a certain spring in Scott's step lately. How are things going with you two, if you don't mind me asking?" While she and Jean weren't exactly confidants, Madelyn's position as one of Scott's friends entitled her to a bit of snooping, or so she thought.

The grin that took over Jean's face was definitely one answer. She took a sip of cocoa to try to cover it, but utterly failed to do so. At least it hadn't gone all the way to 'goofy' this time. "Things are going well," she offered.

"'Well' is good," Madelyn said, her tone a little teasing. She still felt badly for Betsy, but the other woman did seem to be coping just fine. And it had been over before Jean's return. Madelyn was just glad to see Scott finally getting his life back into some form of sense. "Of course, if you two were trying to be subtle about it..."

Jean caught a flash of concern for Elisabeth, but ignored it. "Possibly not, subtle, persay," she said, biting her lip. "It was obvious people would figure it out sooner or later."

"Or, say, the very next day..." teased Madelyn. She was about to say more when footsteps were heard yet again in the corridor, accompanied by a frantic call for a doctor, please, hello, baby on the way here... "Crap," Madelyn said under her breath. "The Chinese curse strikes yet again." She was on her feet almost immediately.

Jean was on her feet a few seconds after Madelyn, the quick burst of frightened thoughts from Dani slowing her slightly. "The universe's timing is impeccable," she muttered, hurrying after the other woman. As they reached Dani she said, "Paige is still asleep. I'll help get you settled, Dani, but I don't think I should stick around much longer than that." She dialed her inhibitor up farther, blocking Dani's distress from her mind but also preventing her from knowing how Paige was doing. Right now, Dani came first, but Madelyn would be able to handle things as soon as she was settled.