Jean and Kurt: Recompense (Backdated)

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Kurt catches up to Jean as she's leaving to spend some time alone before the anniversary of her death.




It was around 9 pm when Jean headed down to the motor pool with a small suitcase. It wasn't forever, just a couple of days. She thought that was progress: a couple of days still in the US verses a few weeks in Tibet. Though Tibet was looking good right about now for the pure solitude. If you didn't count scaly blue shapeshifters. Which she didn't.

She popped the trunk with the electric keyfob, stuffing her suitcase inside.

What Kurt was doing in the garage, considering he didn't drive and in fact was afraid of cars, was a mystery for the ages except for how it really wasn't. He popped up from somewhere, offering Jean a smile.

"I am glad you are taking a break, too many of us never do."

Jean closed the trunk, then leaned against it. She smiled.

"I'm hoping to avoid a repeat of last year. So far I think I'm doing well thus far." Overworking herself in the lab then bursting into tears in Haller's arms after he dropped her in a lake without thinking of the consequences--not her finest moment.

"It is definitely a very good start", he said cheerfully. "And time to yourself, away from the everyday chaos here, is also a good thing."

"My plan is a deep tissue massage and mojitos. Not necessarily in that order," Jean said. Many mojitos.

Kurt laughed. "It sounds as though you will have a very enjoyable time. If you are going to a spa - Monet used to speak very highly of hot stone massage."

"I'll have to see if they have it," Jean said. Practice deep meditation, stir up some of her teachings from the monastery. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I'd better get going," she said, walking over to wrap her arms around him.

He smiled and hugged her back quickly. "Take care of yourself, Jean. When you get back, I do not want to hear that you spent one minute worrying about the mansion or anyone in it."

Jean laughed. "That's hard to do, but I'll try my best." It was hard not to think about the place, for better or worse. It settled inside her bones and lingered, refusing to leave.

"Then that will have to do."

"Hold down the fort for me?" Jean said. "It'll make me feel better if I know there are people there to make sure said fort doesn't blow up or implode while I'm gone."

"Of course I will", he said with a nod. "No explosions or implosions worse than prank level."

"None of the prank ones either. At least wait until I get back. Always a chance of something happening out of control," Jean said. In the end she was the one who had to put band aids on people when it got out of hand. It got rather old.

He grinned. "We will have to tell the children to hold off for a little while, then, after some of Angel's exploits."

Jean curled her nose. "Glad I'm not going to be around for the aftermath."

"They can certainly be very imaginative", he said with a grin. "Especially with your skeleton."

"And they could've fallen off the roof the first time. Marius nearly did trying to clean it. Regardless of if they had help or not," Jean said, shaking her head. She sighed.

"I'm all for good clean fun but I don't like it when that fun can turn into a problem."

"There is that", he agreed. "But the young always think they are invincible, no?"

Jean smiled softly. "That they do. In a way I want them to figure out they aren't but..." She glanced away.

"There's a part of me that hopes they never will find out."

Innocence was a precious commodity. It was fleeting.

"Agreed", he said with a nod, then grinned at her. "Perhaps I should tell them some of the things my brother and I got away with as boys. Keep everyone on their toes."

Quirking a brow at him, Jean laughed. "We don't want to scare them TOO much."

"Stefan and I survived", he pointed out innocently. "And it was even before I could teleport."

"It just takes one time," Jean said. "One slip, one mistake."

"Also true", he said more seriously. "And yet we must let them learn."

"I know," Jean said. It didn't mean she had to like it. And sometimes it was important to do it. They were kids. Still, she hated to see them hurt.