Jean and her father-in-law

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Chris has finally made it to Alaska and Jean takes a moment between worrying about things in New York to say hi.



The late summer sun was high in the sky when Jean found her father-in-law. Scott had been more than a bit worked up once Chris reached Alaska and she'd had other things on her mind after a worrying call from Moira about Jay. But it was definitely time to say 'hello'. Stepping out onto the porch Jean held out one of the two glasses she was carrying. "Don't shoot, I come bearing juice," she said, smiling faintly.

"No shooting," Chris said. "Bless you. I'm just realizing how little real food I've had over the last day and a half." He took the glass of juice with a smile, gesturing to the bench beside him. "Thanks," he said. "Not just for the juice. For helping look after my dad - and Mom, too, even if she insists she doesn't need it."

"Oh, dear, should I be providing sandwiches and cookies as well?" Jean took the offered seat. "Because I absolutely get how much effort it takes to keep a hospital bedsider going. Have done it often enough."

"See, when you say things like that, I get a chill," Chris said wryly. "Imagining how many times you may or may not have done that for your husband."

"Yeah, I think that would be one of those conversations we avoid having at all costs." She took a sip from her juice, not meeting his eyes.

"I tense up when I get long-distance phone calls these days," Chris said, almost distantly as he looked back out at the mountains. "I hadn't done that, up to just recently."

"I'd apologize but, really, it could be worse. I'd say there's the upside of the worrying, in that you have them to worry about again." Jean shrugged.

Chris sipped at his juice and then eyed her, thoughtfully. "Not just them, you know," he said. "Admittedly, you and I don't know each other very well, but I've both seen and heard enough to know I rather lucked out in the daughter-in-law department."

She held her glass up to him in a sort of half salute. "I definitely got the better end of the stick when it comes to in-laws as well. Trust me, you don't want to meet my parents. I admit, I'm rather fond of you, when Scott's not stewing inside my head."

"I don't know what to think of that," Chris said. "Not you being fond of me - that's actually kind of flattering. I'm just not sure I'd be able to cope with my spouse being in my head 24/7."

Jean shrugged. "It's significantly less weird from my end; it was always more difficult, with boyfriends before Scott and I got together, to stay inside my own head. Sometimes I do wonder why Scott puts up with me and the headaches, though."

"I would say he seems to be a tolerant sort, but then, it's a very selective thing, his tolerance." It didn't sound particularly bitter. Just a little. "Well," Chris said more briskly, "I'm glad it works for the two of you, in any case. I imagine," and amusement was creeping back into his tone, "that the telepathy comes in handy sometimes. Scott strikes me as the type to not be entirely forthcoming sometimes. Believe it or not, he actually gets that from his mother. Kate was very self-possessed."

"Mmmm," Jean said, voice edging on wry. "Not entirely forthcoming is one way of putting it. And the tolerance comes slowly sometimes. Like I told you once, he didn't even talk to me for more than a week after I came back." Her voice was gentle as she added, "I know it maybe doesn't feel like it, but it is getting better." Albeit very, very slowly.

"I'm practicing this whole patience thing," Chris said, looking away, although not before Jean saw the flash of gratitude cross his features. "And, well, enjoying getting to know Alex better, too. I can't lie about that. I don't deserve the sort of wholehearted acceptance he's giving, but it's hard not to revel in it just a little. Although," he said, not quite wryly, "it does make me very determined to do my best not to screw things up."

"It's not a question of deserving, with Alex," Jean said, smiling faintly. "I don't know that anybody could deserve all of what Alex gives. He's only got two modes, I swear, and with family it's always 'on'." Jean wasn't sure when Alex had become as much her little brother as Scott's, but she was pretty sure he'd realized it before she had. One day she was the evil witch who'd hurt his brother, and the next she was family.

"I remember, as soon as he learned how to walk, he'd come... dashing at me when I got home at nights. I mean, he wasn't very good at it, at first - wound up falling over more often than not. But he'd just grin, get right back up, and keep coming. Totally different than Scott when he was learning to walk." Chris's lips were twitching. "Whenever Scott fell down, he'd sit there for a minute or two, scowling. Like he was trying to figure out just what went wrong. And if you interfered with his post-tumble assessment, you got glared at."

Jean smiled softly, although her heart twisted a bit. Children. It always came back to children. Children and families. But as fond as she was of Chris, that was definitely not a conversation she would have with him. "I've seen a couple hundred baby pictures; you wouldn't think the words 'adorable' and 'sullen' could go together, and then you see Scott as a baby and it all makes sense."

"Whenever the camera came out, he'd glare, too," Chris said, nodding. "'Say cheese, Scott!' 'No.' 'Please?' 'NO.'" He was grinning helplessly at this point. "Stubborn as a mule. They both are, really. Alex just knows how to hide it."

"No, Alex just usually charms you into thinking it was all your idea to begin with, so you don't realize he's getting his own way. His stubbornness is much sneakier." The smile widened. "Scott's very forthright about it."

"And you consider it an attractive trait. I can tell. You're a very odd woman, Jean. Although," Chris said, still grinning, "I get the impression you've got more than your fair share of stubbornness yourself."

"What gave it away? The fact that I was threatening to kick your ass within a month of meeting you if you upset him more?" She arched an eyebrow.

"That. And other little things." Chris tilted his head, regarding her for a moment. "How are you, anyway?" he asked a bit abruptly. "I imagine it's been a hectic week or so, once you got up here."

"This... was actually not so bad for me," Jean said after a moment's consideration. "Once we knew Philip was going to be all right... Well, let's just say I'm good at taking care of people, and doing the bedside waiting thing. Dealing with all this was actually easier than what's back home, waiting for me."

Chris seemed to think about that for a long moment, then shrugged finally. "It seems odd to say something like this, and God knows I'm beyond relieved that Dad's going to be okay - but a heart attack in the family must seem practically normal, given the sort of thing you're used to dealing with."

Jean nodded, finishing off her juice and setting the glass down. "I've definitely seen and dealt with odder. Hell, even when I was working in a hospital full time heart attacks and anxious families were fairly standard."

"Do you ever think about that?" Chris asked. "Having a more 'ordinary' sort of career... you could do a lot of good, even if you're not wearing that admittedly attractive leather outfit and jumping out of planes."

"You really are quite fixated on the plane jumping," Jean said, then smirked. "Also the leather, but let's not go there; I don't feel like giving Scott any spare excuses to hit you." She shrugged in half-answer to his actual question. "I'm not very good at ordinary anymore. Not actually sure if I ever was. If I'm not doing ten things a day I tend to feel like I'm... letting someone down. Probably Charles."

"Ah, now I see the foundation of your relationship with my son. A mutual devotion to duty - and a shared sense of worry about letting down Xavier."

Jean laughed. "Possibly you are more right than I'd like to admit," she said. "Which definitely means I need to distract you with wit and cunning before you catch on to all my secrets. I do believe those sandwiches are in order. I can practically feel your hunger."

Chris laughed, too. "Believe it or not, he and I talked about that - well, in relation to Scott, at least."

"Oh, I have no problem believing it. Charles is the not-so-secret puppet master. Come on," she said, standing up straight and offering him a hand up. "Plane food sucks, time to get you something real."