Jean and Jennie - Friday Morning

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Jennie gets a checkup from Jean, and the two catch up.



83 ceiling tiles, that's what was in the medlab. Jennie couldn't help counting them, even after all these years. After spending most of yesterday in an exhausted slumber it was time for Jennie to get checked out. She sat on the examining table, swinging her legs as Jean finished her examination. She was glad she'd wound up with Jean, as she was sure Amelia would have had more than her fair share of uncomfortable questions.

"The bruises are healing well," Jean said with an assuring nod as she brushed Jennie's hair back to get a better look. "Should be a few more days."

She gently reached for Jennie's hand. "As for your hand it'll be a while longer. Keep on taking it easy."

She smiled.

"Glad to have you back, though. All things considered."

"All things considered," Jennie returned her smile, and then rubbed at her eyes. She was still pretty tired, she'd collapsed on the blackbird and slept the whole of the way back to the mansion, avoiding any more questions on how and why she was in Hungary. Though she was able to tell Scott pretty much the truth. She had been just passing through when she'd caught wind of the Nasty Boys, and she had decided to stay and "see what she could do." And as like the last time she'd dabbled in vigilantism, it only narrowly avoided ending in disaster. The human thugs were one thing, but Slab and Hairbag would have eventually overpowered her had Marius and Kyle not shown up.

Now she was here at the mansion to rest and heal, and that was what was important. And once she was well she would be on her way and that was that.

But it was nice to see familiar faces again. "How are you Jean?" Jennie said.

Jean'd skimmed over Scott's team report briefly so she knew the gist (or at least what Scott knew and chose to put in the report). But Jennie seemed slightly uncomfortable with the entire thing judging by the way she holed herself up in her guest room so she wasn't going to press. If she wanted to talk, fine. If not, that was fine too.

"Alive," Jean laughed. "Which is something I congratulate myself on being every once and awhile given our line of work."

Her smile turned thoughtful. "It's been a rough year. But we made it through."

She nodded.

"You?"

Asking how a person was wasn't prying. It was just a simple question. It wasn't nosy at all. Though she did think about them at times, the ones who'd moved on. Wondered how they'd fared.

"Alive is a good word," Jennie's smile was rueful. "Just another shiny example of the crazy thing that is my life," she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and then shrugged her borrowed sweater back on.

"I don't know if we become trouble magnets because of this place, or if we'd be that way anyway without it."

Slipping off her stethoscope, Jean tucked it into a nearby drawer.

"I'm not going to lie...it plays a big part," she said.

Staying quiet and hidden from the world was the easiest thing to do. But their cause was not the easy path. To speak up and fight for the right for humans and mutants to live peacefully was not going to happen overnight. And there were plenty of people who didn't agree. And anyone associated with them often got caught in the middle. Like with Genosha. It was certainly not the first time but it was the latest in the string of consequences for their search for hope.

"But, even without it I think attracting trouble depends on the person."

Jean closed her bag. "I'm done if you're eager to get back."

Back to where, and to what? Mindlessly surfing the internet on a borrowed laptop and sleeping, broken only when she ventured forth for food?

And there was last night's "dinner" with Marius. In his infinite wisdom (and boredom) he had decided she needed Thanksgiving dinner, complete with generous portions, a lace tablecloth, crystal, and candles. Had she not woken up when she had and walked in on him in her guest suite's kitchen he might have even gotten to scattering rose petals. The entire meal consisted of letting him chatter while Jennie blinked at him in shellshock before putting her head down on the table and going to sleep in self-defense. She'd awoken with the dishes done and a blanket over her shoulders. She'd been none too happy about it, quite honestly. Marius took a certain amount of patience even when she wasn't half-dead from exhaustion. And he'd blathered on like the last three years hadn't happened.

Like the last time she hadn't spoken to him was a month before she'd left, those three years ago.

No, if she was to talk with the people on the mansion, it would be better to do so on her own terms. Also it was easier to avoid looking suspicious.

"I'm in no hurry," Jennie said. "It's nice to see you again, I know I haven't been the best at keeping in touch..."

Jean waved the thought away with her hand. "It happens," she said with a laugh as she took off her lab coat and hung it on a coat rack

"You're here now. That's enough for me. Just because I was your teacher doesn't mean I expect you to check in every day. A call every once and awhile makes my day. And an in person visit? Well...here's my over the moon face," Jean said, grinning, a tinge of a smirk there.

"I would've been happier without having to see you in here...but I'll take what I can get."

"Again, all things considered, it could have been worse," Jennie pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She was in desperate need of a haircut. And warmer clothing. Inwardly she had to repress a laugh, it wasn't so dissimilar from the first time she'd walked through those mansion doors, that time a kid of sixteen.

"But I am glad to be back, though I'm not gonna lie. I'm having a major case of the deja vus over here."

Jean laughed again. "And here I was thinking it was just me," she said. She tugged the hairband out of her hair, then ran her fingers through her hair and put the hairband around her wrist.

"I was thinking of having some tea in my suite. Would you like to join me?"

She usually had a cup, along with some jazz and a trashy romance novel when she wanted to unwind. Though lately she'd been listening to the Rolling Stones. Probably because of Charles. She'd been thinking a lot about him lately after their talk awhile back. The look in his eyes, that moment, it had given her pause. It pained her to see him so vulnerable.

Jennie smiled, "I would love to."

Half an hour later she was up in Jean's suite, hands wrapped around her mug of tea as Jean busied herself in the kitchen. She blew on the steam from her mug and then took a sip, wincing as she burned her tongue.

Patience love, you'll miss those tastebuds when they're gone.

She set down her mug and cleared her throat, propping her chin on a hand. "So, anything new and juicy happen around here? Marriage? Threesomes? Yet another set of evil parents?"

Leaving her own tea to steep, Jean paused thoughtfully as she leaned against the cabinet.

"I think there's enough to fill a novel. Not sure where to start. We do have the 2nd generation of the Teenage Girl Squad...though there are a couple of new boys to help not make mornings in the bathroom entirely estrogen filled."

Jennie smiled, and it reached her eyes. "God, those were the days. Though those boys should think twice about anything resembling a panty raid. Remember when we tied our boys up in lingerie and left them in the foyer?"

Squinting, Jean covered her face and attempted to hide a snicker..then failed miserably,

"I had been trying to forget, thanks."

She dropped her hand with a dawning expression of dread, staring off into the distance with a sigh.

"God, I wouldn't put it past them."

"Well, if the girls are anything like we were, they're likely to be... creative in their punishments. I sure hope those boys are up-to-date on the their shots," Jennie blew on her tea again, before taking a sip. Those were the days, before everything got so complicated. When she was 16 she'd seen and done it all and nothing could touch her.

"I'm sure I'll be administering them if they're not," Jean said, rubbing her forehead as she turned and stirred her tea, then took a seat beside Jennie in a chair.

"There are a couple to watch out for. But its about the same. Teenage girls. Relationships. Drama. With a dash of damaged property."

And these were the days when Jean felt old, to have been through yet another set of students. New people came in, she stayed the same, for better or worse.

"We have yet to blow up the mansion, so there is at least that," Jennie said. Then she paused, realizing what she had just said. "Touch wood," she added hastily, wrapping Jean's tabletop with her knuckles.

"And how are things with you?" Jennie leaned forward. "How's Scott?"

Jean shot her a look with the potentially damning words, then seemingly relaxed whenever she 'fixed it.' She shook her head.

"We had a close call last year. Long story."

Leaning back in her chair, Jean took a long sip of her tea, pausing to savor it, and think about what to say.

"Scott's...good," she said, crossing her legs. "We um...had a close call too. But we're getting better."

"Things really going to work out for you crazy kids?" Jennie said, tilting her head. Jennie wanted to press further, but knew that doing so would lead to letting herself be open to same sort of questions.

"Maybe," Jean said immediately, then added after another couple of moments, staring down into her mug as if it held the answers.

"I hope so."

They talked about it a little. Then Genosha happened. Being alive and safe again was the most important thing. After that it got shoved under the rug and never brought up again. They laughed, they smiled. All the things you were supposed to do. But they didn't speak of it again.

Jennie hesitated, wondering if it was her place to do so, but said screw it and reached a hand, placing it on top of Jean's.

"Relationships are hard, hard things happen," Jennie said. "Sometimes the important part is hanging in there," she looked away briefly, then smiled. "As someone once told me, 'if the world didn't suck we would all fall off.'"

Glancing up, Jean smiled back.

"Sounds like they had good advice." She knew, she hoped they'd power through it. It was just a matter of time and patience. Time healed all wounds.

Right?

"Yeah," Jennie said, sitting back. "They did," she took a deep breath, her chest had grown tight again. But she retained her smile.

Jean stared at her for a moment or two, noting the slight change in mannerism, the tiny flutter of emotion that brushed against her mental shield and died away. The temptation was there.

"But not anymore?"

The question came out before she could stop herself.

"No," Jennie said, looking away from Jean. It was too soon, she couldn't quite contain it yet. Emotions kept rising to the surface, seeping through the edges of her control, lodging themselves in her chest like sharp pieces of metal. She took another breath and smiled at Jean sadly. "Sometimes things don't work out," she said simply.

It was Jean's turn to put her hand over Jennie's. She gave it a gentle squeeze. Part of her regretted asking, with the subsequent result. Something, someone was bothering her. But she didn't want to pry too far without causing her to shut her out completely.

"I'm sorry," she said, leaving the words to fit multiple things.

"Yeah," Jennie said with a little shrug. "I am too," she said, pushing her bangs out of her eyes with her free hand. She smiled for Jean.

Once upon a time, she'd been young. She'd been a little girl, sitting in this mansion wondering how her life had gotten so strange. Now she felt a million years old.

She sighed, leaning back. "Such is our lives, yeah?"

Jean's eyes softened, and she sat down her mug, nodding with quiet affirmation.

"Never a dull moment," she murmured, smiling faintly.

"Though I've wished."

"Pfft," Jennie waved a hand and took a sip of tea. "Dull is pretty boring, I hear. The important thing is to have fun somewhere in there." She cocked her head, and there was the old Jennie. It was like shrugging on a very familiar and well-worn set of clothes.

"Seems like I suddenly have a comedic over-abundance of free time. And I'm desperate for a decent haircut. As soon as my face heals Imma get all pretty again, and get back out there, you know?"

"Oh, I have fun," Jean said. She let it go for now. Hopefully Jennie would talk to someone about what was bothering her eventually. If not her than someone else.

"There's a delicate balance...too little fun and you get restless...too much fun and you could get arrested. The important thing is to find that balance...And suddenly I feel like Yoda."

Making a face, Jean picked up her mug again. She didn't want it to get cold.

"I'm glad you're getting back out there. Will it be here? Or back to places unknown?"

Jennie drummed her fingers on the tabletop, thumb twisting one of her rings before she smiled and shrugged. "Probably finish my road-trip of self discovery." Earlier during the examination she'd told Jean about breaking her foot and leaving the ballet, and the subsequent road-trip through Europe. Again, all very technically true.

Taking a sip, Jean nodded. "Well, I'm glad you stopped by for a visit at least." She called it that, because 'came here mostly for medical attention' didn't sound as nice.

Visit, practically dragged kicking and screaming, what was the difference? However, it put a whole ocean between her and ...them, and it was enough time to come up with a Plan B. One that didn't involve bringing the danger to Xavier's doorstep. Again.

Jennie smiled. "Maybe it was the universe's way of telling me something, you know?"

"Maybe," Jean echoed, smiling back.

"Would you like something else? You haven't touched you tea. I have coffee. Also beer."

Sometimes it was hard to believe she was old enough to drink it now.

"Oh my god, coffee. You know, they don't do drip coffee in the UK? It's all lattes over there." Jennie grinned

Jean laughed. "Don't remind me. I go into withdrawal when I visit Moira and Nathan," she said as she stood and headed for the coffee maker.

"Coffee it is then."