Jean and Scott (Backdated to June 24th)

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Scott stops by the medlab to convince Jean to take a break and get out of the mansion for a while.

The door to the infirmary seemed to hang under a miasma of anxiety, a dark cloud which extended down into the corridor. Scott had felt something was wrong for a while now, the psychic link he shared with Jean had been broadcasting negative emotions for a while now; he just never realized it was this bad. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he knocked on the door and pushed it open, "Jean?" 

Normally well kept, Jean's office was in disarray. Piles of charts and various papers were strewn all over the desk. The trashcan was over flowing with paper and spilled out onto the floor. The lights were off, the only light coming from the computer screen and the music player played the Rolling Stones, <i>Gimme Shelter</i> loud enough to drown out most things, such as thoughts. Amelia was very close to booting her out of the Medlab again but leaving her idle was one of the worst things to do. So she asked her to work on inputting charts for now. 

Scott's presence made her glance up. She looked toward the music player, about to turn it off, sighed softly, then grabbed the remote she'd had to dig out of the box most recently and pushed pause. The old fashioned way.  

"Hey." 

"Hey" Scott echoed his gaze flicking around the room in something close to disbelief and shock. "What happened in here? It looks like bomb went off in here." 

Jean glanced around, then paused. "I...may have gotten a bit too engrossed in my work," she admitted. She nodded to the light switch. 

"You mind getting that?" She didn't think he'd want to speak to her in the dark. 

Scott flicked on the light switch warily, not entirely sure he wanted to actually see the extent of the mess in Jean's office. 

"I think perhaps engrossed might be a bit of an understatement in this case." He looked around the office before settling down next to his wife on the floor, "Anything I can help with?" 

Rubbing her forehead, Jean closed her eyes. "Fix my powers and stop people from ending up in the damn Medlab by doing something stupid," she said, brushing her hair back. She knew why. It was the herd of elephants that'd made their residence in the mansion, Snow Valley, and District-X. Didn't mean she'd have to like it. 

"Have you talked to Charles about your powers?" he asked softly as he started picking up the papers that were scattered around the floor. "He might have some ideas of something we could do to help you." Scott sighed and looked around the medlab, "I really wish I knew how to stop people getting hurt around here," he admitted. 

"Jean..." Jean said, mimicking the Professor's voice, complete with furrowed, thoughtful eyebrows to match. "Your abilities are tied to your emotions...to control your abilities you must first control your emotions." 

She knew what he meant but it reminded her of something a Wise Zen Master would say.  Something she already knew. Something not helpful. 

Scott's observation about the influx of medlab patients made Jean fall silent for a few moments, staring at the computer screen. Another moment passed, then another, and another, until suddenly she grabbed the apple paperweight from her desk and hurled it at the screen, making sparks fly everywhere. Then she began to make short work of the items on the desk, shoving stacks of patients' off, throwing papers up in the air.  When the desk was nearly bare she let out an angry, strangled cry, darting for the bookcase, reaching for anything she could get her hands on: books, picture frames, keepsakes. Anything that could be thrown. 

"It's not enough! It's never enough!" 

Scott calmly stood up and made his way over to the wall, trying to avoid the projectiles Jean was launching from by the bookcase he emptied the fire extinguisher he had just picked up onto the sparking screen. A book came whistling over towards Scott, taking him by surprise as he barely managed to drop the fire extinguisher and dodge it. Picking himself up off the ground, Scott hesitantly made his way over to his wife, reaching her just in time to see her grab a picture frame. He reached out to grab the picture from her hands before she could throw it across the room, the smiling, laughing faces of the two of them up at his grandparents house contrasted markedly with the scene today. Placing the picture frame back on the bookcase he pulled Jean into a hug. "It's not you fault," he told her softly, wishing, hoping that she'd believe him, that he could help with her pain. 

Jean clenched her fists, her body tensed like a coiled spring. When Scott wrapped his arms around her she stayed that way for awhile, her eyes narrowed, breathing heavy, until finally she closed her eyes and drew in a breath, burying her face against his shoulder, not saying a word. 

Scott felt Jean finally relax, he didn't want to say anything for the fear of destroying the moment. Instead he just stood there holding her and offering what comfort she would take from the gesture and his presence. 

Letting go of Jean Scott looked around the office. "Do you want to get out of here and get something to eat?" he asked hesitantly, unsure as if he were asking her out on a first date all over again. Scott wasn't sure where he and Jean stood anymore, all he knew was he still loved her and seeing her in this state hurt him more than he could describe. Perhaps if he could convince her to leave the med-lab, even if just for a while it would help alleviate some of the pressure on her. 

For the moment Jean said nothing,  Fresh from a shower, he smelled of aftershave and soap, his body warm, unyielding like a marble pillar, steadfast. She was tired, cooling embers after a raging wild fire. She took in the moment, tried to be here in the now instead of everywhere else in between. When he let go she was brought back to the present and glanced up at him. 

"Sure." 

With a small smile Scott pushed open the door for Jean, "After you," he offered, quickly reviewing the possible restaurants he could take Jean in town. Both of them could do with just getting out of the mansion for an hour or two today. 

Jean slipped off her lab coat, putting it on the coat rack near the door. "Thanks," she said, returning the smile as she slipped past him. She pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and shook her head to let her curls run free, smoothing down the errant strands. 

"I could go for something incredibly fattening and bad for you," she said.  Perhaps the best solution was to be the opposite of a doctor for a little while. 

"Well there's always a steakhouse or burger place," Scott commented hopefully as he followed Jean down the corridor. 

Nodding a little, Jean paused at the elevator after pressing the button, then glanced over. "Do you have a quarter?" 

"A quarter?" Scott asked before he realized where she was going, he patted down his pockets managing to find a coin which he held up. "Heads steak, tails burger?" he queried. 

"Sounds good," Jean said, smiling softly. The only thing they could do was take things one day at a time. She of all people knew healing was a long process. It didn't stop her from wanting something a bit quicker. 

As they stepped into the elevator Scott punched the button to send them up to the ground floor and flicked the coin up into the air watching it slowly rotate before he caught it and held it out to show Jean the eagle facing up. "Burger it is then," Scott smiled happily. "We could do Harry's but why not try out one of the old burger joints?" Scott hadn't been out to have a burger at one of the old places since...well since he had been a student at Xaviers and had first met Jean. 

Jean laughed. "Wow, definitely some nostalgia there," she said. She fell silent for a moment in contemplation before nodding decisively. 

"Sure. Think they're still in business?" It had been years. 

"They must be," Scott replied, "Those burger restaurants are an institution, some of them must have survived." 

The doors opened leading to the first floor and Jean stepped out. She slowed to a stop, then spun around toward him and laughed, her eyes lighting up. "Do you remember one that offered the giant burger challenge? When Hank won the owner's face just dropped...I think he regretted making it open for anyone to join. I think Hank still wears the t-shirt the guy gave him. What was that place called? Lonnie's? Ronnie's?" 

"Donnie's?" Scott offered, his face brightening as he laughed at the memory, "That was priceless," he agreed, "He was just playing with the poor guy at the end. Will I finish, won't I finish." He grinned, "I wonder if they still have that challenge, we could see if Kyle could beat Hanks' record." 

"Donnie's," Jean echoed in confirmation, and in laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. "I think they'd probably throw us out by now if they saw either one of us coming. Though...you were wearing the sunglasses back then. Maybe he wouldn't recognize you. Certainly not Kyle." 

"I don't know," Scott replied with a grin, "I have a very recognizable face. Almost distinguished I'd say." He'd missed this, the easy banter; while Scott had other friends Jean was the only person he could really relax around and completely let his guard down. 

"Distinguished?" Jean said, smirking. "Makes me think of someone with a monocle and a hooked nose. You don't have those, do you?" She nudged him with her shoulder. "A monocle and a hooked now? I've got the whole outfit top hat and all." he grinned. "You know, just waiting for the day that we get invited to one of Warren's really snazzy parties. 

"A monocle and a hooked nose? I've got the whole outfit top hat and all." he grinned. "You know, just waiting for the day that we get invited to one of Warren's really snazzy parties." 

"We'll just have to remedy that, then..." Jean said, fishing the keys out of her purse and twirling them around on her index finger before catching them. 

"I know a guy who knows a guy..." 

"You know a guy who knows a guy?" Scott repeated with a smile. "When did my wife join up with the mafia?" he teased. 

Jean glanced over at him slyly. "How do you know I haven't been with them the entire time?"  

"You know, that would explain a lot," Scott mused as he smiled at Jean, "How you seem to know everything around here and always turn up at just the right time. Admit it, you're running a mafia family right under our noses aren't you," he teased. 

Tilting her head, Jean paused. "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you," she said, perfectly deadpan. 

Scott held his hands up in mock surrender, "It occurs to that there are some things, very few mind you, that I'm better off not knowing." he replied with s smile before he grinned at Jean. "Well that's something I never thought I'd have on my list of achievements, married to the mob." 

"I can neither confirm or deny that accusation," Jean said nonchalantly as she opened the driver's side door and climbed in.

Scott smiling and shook his head  as he walked around the car to the passenger side. He was glad Jean could still laugh, especially after the dark cloud she had been under in the Medlab. This break might be just what she needed he realized, as he glanced over at his wife, at least she was smiling now.