The Hedgehog and the Fox - Seeds

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Another moment from Jennie's past.



They had been training for some time, Winston never shutting up about the Croydon killer.He wanted, more than anything, to do things 'proper' and bring him in. With Donal usually egging him on. Jennie reminded him time and again that he was barely trained, Donal even less so. Then bad news came, and Jennie herself disappeared. Lost inside of her own head, she could barely get herself outside, let alone to train two poor idiots who had put their faith in her.

And yet.

One day, after she'd managed to make herself go to the store, since she was out of soap and shampoo and tampons, she returned to find people in her flat. The mumur of voices greeted her as she opened the door, and she paused, before calling her power to herself.

It was just what she needed, after all this, honestly.

She rounded the corner, hands glowing red.

"All right assholes, freeze! ...What the ever loving fuck!"

Donal and Winston were in her apartment. They held their hands up and had the decency to look guilty.

"Did you break into my apartment?" Jennie said, very very slowly.

"It wasn't so much of a 'break in' as we talked your landlady into letting us in," said Donal.

"We ain't see you for two weeks! We was worried!" Winston said.

"She was worried, Jen," said Donal.

Jennie looked from one boy to the other, Winston in yellow gloves and Donal holding a trash bag. "And you are doing what?"

"Look, I said you liked things all clean and neat, innit? Me Gran's like that. When she's sad the house goes to shit, and to cheer her up me and Davey clean the place up for her. So me and Donal figured we do... the same?" Winston said.

"Please don't murder us," Donal added.

Jennie didn't. Murder was the last thing on her mind. She was so, shocked, honestly. The last two weeks, the loneliness and depression. The feeling of being so lost, only to be greeted with... this. Something broke inside her, and the tears started. And once they did, she couldn't stop. She hiccuped and put her face in her hands, embarrassment and shame making the tears come harder.

What Jennie didn't see was Donal and Winston exchanging panicked glances. Of all they had expected, to see her cry was not one of them. Winston actually flailed. Donal reached into his pocket and pulled out a few pounds, handing them to Winston hissing a few instructions. Winston nodded and hurried out, only to return a few seconds later, deposit the yellow gloves on the counter, and rush back out again. Donal looked around and found a clean dishtowel, wetting it slightly from the tap. Then he made his way over to Jennie and gently guided her to her couch.

"It's okay," he said, awkwardly. He handed her the towel. "It's okay. Cry as much as you want. I'm not going to tell you to stop."

Jennie nodded. It took her a few more minutes to get herself under control, wiping her face with the towel and taking several deep breaths.

"It's... my foot," she managed.

"Is it still broken?" said Donal, looking at her aircast.

"No, it's healing nicely. They want to start more physical therapy. I could be up and dancing again by next month," said Jennie.

"Well, that's great!" said Donal.

That brought on a fresh round of tears

"That's not so great?" said Donal.

"I can't do this again. I just can't. It was awful. I hated it. I hated it so much. The others... they were just so awful. So catty and petty and just... assholes. I thought that the love of what I was doing would be enough. That it would keep me going, but it wasn't enough. I didn't want them to get the better of me but they did. I-- My foot, it was an accident but it wasn't, you know?"

Donal nodded.

"But I have to do it, otherwise oops there goes my visa. And then--" Jennie trailed off.

"Then you go home?" Donal finished for her.

"I don't have one." said Jennie softly.

"Surely your family--"

"Don't have one. My mother's dead and my father and I barely talk. And I just. I'll have failed. I've failed. I came out here to try and do this thing, chase down this dream and I don't want to fail," said Jennie, wiping her face with the towel. It should have been hard to admit those things, but the words fell out of her. That rootless ache underneath everything else. She'd tried so hard to have a life outside of Xavier's, tried to be normal, and the fact that trying to fit into that box made her shut down was a clue that she could never be. But she couldn't go back to Xavier's. Not yet. She didn't want to be a complete failure.

"Do you want to stay here?" said Donal.

Jennie nodded.

"Then stay," said Donal

"It's a little bit harder than that," Jennie said dryly. "There's a thing called a visa."

"What about your degree?" said Donal.

"I... didn't finish. Took the job with the ballet," said Jennie. "Seemed like the thing to do. I wasn't getting any younger."

"Then finish," said Donal. "Find a school, get in, get your visa that way."

"But there's not a lot of time--"

"There's bound to be a way," said Donal. "If you want to stay, stay. But don't go back to that place. Not if it made your break your foot to get out of it."

Jennie nodded and sighed, she felt so drained. "Yeah. I'll look into it."

"Good. I'd hate to have to get up early in the mornings for nothin'. You'd be proud, we showed up even when you weren't there."

Jennie snorted. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that. I had a slight breakdown. I have OCD, and I like for things to be clean. When things aren't I get a little... weird."

"And you haven't been able to clean," said Donal sympathetically.

"Because I've been so depressed, and my foot doesn't help," said Jennie.

"Which just makes everything worse?" Donal asked.

Jennie nodded.

"Right, not to worry. I sent Winston for provisions, and when he gets back we'll get to cleaning. Get this place to how you like it," he rubbed his hands together.

Jennie smiled, slightly watery. "You'd do that?"

"Of course. In return we expect our daily arsekickings, if you don't mind?" said Donal

"I'm happy to oblige," said Jennie.

In that moment Winston burst back in, hands full of coffees and scones. "I didn't know which was best so I got one of everythin', oh and extra cherry 'cause that one's mine and I didn't want to take the one we had in case you wanted it," he said, slightly out of breath.

There was a beat, in which Jennie and Donal stared at him.

"You are the worst criminal ever," Jennie said.

"But the best superhero, right?" Winston said, looking hopeful.

"The greatest," said Jennie.