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| Heart to Heart | |
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| Topic Started: Feb 1 2015, 07:50 AM (185 Views) | |
| Havok | Feb 1 2015, 07:50 AM Post #1 |
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Superheated Plasma Blasts
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January 3rd 2:30pm [Alex and Jean jp] It had been a long time since Alex and Jean had just had coffee. The world was not ending. Neither of them were currently evil or mind controlled. Yeah, Jean was wearing Scott's red shades and his powers behind them, but she was handling it, as well as she could be, probably, but he thought it would be nice just to see her for a while, just to chat. They never did any of that, they hadn't in a long long time. So, he'd driven in from the city, dropped NateNate off with his daycare class, and he'd picked up his sister in law for a nice and simple coffee date. "Big brother give you any hassle about slipping away from the school for awhile?" Alex asked as he dumped about six sugar packets into his coffee. Jean chuckled, smiling as she brought her cup up to her lips. “You know he’s not like that,” she chided, raising an eyebrow at all the sugar he was dumping into his cup. “You keep drinking it that sweet, and you’ll lose your girlish figure, Alex,” she teased. “Or does Nate keep you running so much that’s not a problem?” "I dunno," Alex said, with a glimmer in his eye, "Lorna's been away for a long time, and every romantic movie I ever struggled my way through suggests that's the start of trouble." He sipped his coffee and said, "And, all this sugar just makes me that much sweeter." He chuckled, "No, honestly, I just run hot, burn a lot of energy, so the sugar keeps me going, but yeah, it does help with Naters. He's a handful. Loves the school though. He gets excited whenever Elle is getting him ready." “Aww,” Jean made a sympathetic noise that turned into amusement as Alex spoke. “You and Lorna have had your tough spots,” she said, remembering the hardships that have always seemed to plague them, starting with the pair being believed dead but they’d really been whisked away, then Alex being turned into War, “but whatever life throws at you two, you’ve always faced it together, that’s not going to change.” Alex and Lorna had always sparked, and the thing about sparks is that it flared and cooled and flared again in a cycle of passion. “I’m glad she’s settling in somewhere and Nate’s getting a good deal out of it. He’s adorable,” she grinned and gingerly sipped her hot coffee. “He really loves his little suit. And the way he just rushes headlong into action… a hero in the making, I don’t think you could slow him down if you tried.” Alex nodded, "Yeah, I know. I'm just ready for her to come home. I don't want to be petulant about it. I realize she's just out helping with her friend. I mean the woman's husband died and there's a lot of stuff to do, but, I miss her." He shrugged. Jean changed the subject to Nate and Alex smiled, proudly, "That's my boy. Mini Cappa Murka. I have no idea why he fixated on Cap, but, not a bad role model I guess. I..." He frowned, "I told you about his future self's visit, didn't I? I probably should have come to you when they all showed up, but they asked me not to, he asked me not to and I just didn't want to break his trust." “Time travel,” Jean muttered with a sour expression and shook her head as if shaking away a troublesome thought. “How hard is it for kids to stay in their… to stay where they belong,” she finished with a frown, though it wasn’t Nate on her mind. “There’s no telling what ripples they caused.” Alex set down his cup and he looked over at his sister in law, seriously, "Speaking of time travelers..." He cleared his throat, "You and Scott made a choice with Rachel, didn't you? I mean, she's still around, and given that you still have your own slender waistline, I'm guessing that's a bit of a paradox. Of course, maybe you were making an educated guess since she was still around when Scotty was... well, dead." Jean’s eyes were hard but unreadable behind the red lenses. “Learning that some mad scientist has been fiddling with your life for almost … well, all of it, has a sobering effect. I look at Rachel every day and see something in her eyes… maybe a sense of betrayal, I didn’t get pregnant, does that mean I don’t want her to exist? But on the other hand, if I do get pregnant, is it really because I want a baby or just out of a sense of duty? If she’d never arrived, there wouldn’t be a sense of… obligation.” Jean shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “There’s still no guarantee that we’re still not on some cosmic schedule. Who said her birth was normal? That it was the full nine months? That a few months from now Scott and I won’t be sucked into a parallel universe and come back with a little red haired bundle of joy. This is our lives, remember,” she said deadpan. Alex nodded and said, "Believe me, I get it. That fact that the worst thing we're dealing with with Nate is his powers coming in early and hot is remarkable to me. I keep expecting something, the other shoe to drop..." He sighed, "I think that might have been why I wasn't surprised when he and his team showed up. It was like, 'oh, well, of course.'" He reached across the table to take her hand in his warm gloved one, "I'm sure you didn't not get pregnant on purpose, and I'm sure she does too. I mean, it's not like you and Scott didn't do the down and dirty." He threw up his hand, "Wait a minute. I don't want to hear about that. Strike that entire topic of conversation." Jean’s head bowed forward, hiding the snickering. She loved Alex’s natural, easy ability to fuse a tense situation. “I’m glad I don’t have to explain the birds and bees, Alex dear,” and patted his hand. “You were lucky with Nate… and he’s lucky he got you. Scott is… complicated,” she adjusted the red glasses on her face. |
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| Jean | Feb 11 2015, 08:39 AM Post #2 |
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Telepathy, Telekinesis
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JP with Jean and Alex "Complicated is the Summers' family motto," Alex said, leaning back in his chair, "You've known Scott a lot longer than I have so it's not like I'm telling you anything new. You've been in his head, and he's been in yours. What's so different now?" Jean tilted her head to one side as she thought. “Not different,” she finally decided, “but each year things come in clearer focus.” Shifting back in her chair, Jean picked up her cup for a sip, as much to give her time to think as wanting the drink. “When we were kids… teenagers, we talked about making this our lives and imaging ourselves heroes, whether or not the world agreed. We’re going up on the two decade mark in a few years; so much has happened, so much loss, so much death, including Scott’s… that the real price for those starry-eyed goals is in sharper focus now than when we were fifteen and sixteen.” “I love Rachel; she’s a good girl, her head isn’t quite screwed on straight, but considering her past, she’s doing great. This life has demanded so much and taken so much, I just…” she looked up and into Alex’s eyes as much as she could, “I just don’t like to be pushed.” Alex reached across the table and caught his sister-in-law's hand, "You don't need to push yourself," he told her, "you don't need to force the future to happen. Those kids, by showing up here, screwed up the future, they changed everything. We can't demand anything, we can't expect anything. You're doing the best you can with what you got, and Jeannie, your best is always miles above anyone else's." He gave her fingers a squeeze and said, "You've saved the world a dozen times. For every loss, there's a hundred thousand that have survived because of you, and Scott. Mine included." Jean smiled an acknowledgment of what he was saying, a half-smile because even if you saved a lot, the ones you didn’t still weigh on the mind. “Thanks, sweetie,” she replied and patted his hand. Their relationship had changed a lot since they first met and she wanted to literally tear him apart for what he’d put Scott, and her, through. “Kids!” She shook her head and rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “What did you think of the future generation?” Alex nodded and said, "I know what you're thinking. I may not be a telepath, but I know you and Scotty want to save everyone always. It's who you are. Hell, you even took a chance on me, and seriously, I was a mess when we met. I'm still a mess, but at least I'm a mess on the right side of the divide." Thinking about the versions of the children who had come through time, Alex said, "They were very much our children. Brash, bold, idealistic, and very very hard on themselves. But they came here, as stupid as it was, they came here willing to die to protect the world, to change things for the better. I think from our side we see it as a sort of cheat, like the easy way out, but to them, it was sacrifice. That's admirable... in that sort of deluded way that all us silly heroes seem unable to shake." He smirked and said, "Nate made me proud, and now watching him run around in that Captain America costume, I keep seeing the things I saw in Seebeck." Jean melted as she thought of little Nate running around and striking a heroic poses, little fists on his hips. “He’s a cutie. Though I doubt Steve hums his own soundtrack theme song when he springs into action,” she said smiling and softly laughing at the little boy’s antics. Was she as proud of Rachel? Did she have the stirring of a mother’s pride that was so clear in Alex’s? Is it because she just didn’t feel it, or because she wouldn’t let herself feel that way; was resistant to open that door. Sitting there listening to Alex, it was so plain how unfair she’d been to Rachel and how much she’d kept her at arm’s length. “I wish… I wish I had those childhood memories of Rachel,” she said with a wistful smile. Leaning forward at Jean's lament, Alex said, quietly, "Why don't you ask her, Jean, ask her to show you? You might not be a telepath anymore, but she is. With Scott, there's something different going on. He accepts her instantly because she's a lot like he is. Driven, a little stand offish, a little damaged. But mostly, she's hoping for a family, like he is, and so he doesn't let himself be afraid to love her, just like he loved me even as he was recovering from the torture that I lead him to. You want to feel like a mother, Jeannie? Let yourself be her mother. I bet you'll do a good job." “Maybe,” that was as far as she’d concede. “Thanks, Alex. I sure haven’t been Mother of the Year material to her so far. I’ve been overthinking everything too much. Maybe, while everything is relatively quiet,” she said it but it was a struggle to keep a straight face, “and it’s the holidays, I’ll make an extra effort to connect with her.” “Alex, have you ever wondered what it would be like if you and Scott had developed each other’s powers? There were times I did wonder about having Scott’s power; those times when pressure behind his eyes gave him headaches that were especially bad. And I thought, honey, take that burden on myself to save you the pain. I suppose everyone has thought that about the people they love, to spare them pain.” Jean shook her head in disbelief, “Turns out, be careful what you wish for. I don’t regret it, and I’ve walked in Scott’s shoes a lot over the years but actually switching powers has been a real eye-opener and given me a deeper … insight … that just sharing his mind didn’t. Those other times I could withdraw from his mind, I always had an out. But not this time.” Jeannie was a pretty complicated lady, herself, but she was a good one, and her brother-in-law was sure she'd figure out. Her abrupt change of subject, however, was simple to understand. She asked about the powers and Alex thought for a moment. "I would never want to have Scott's powers, ever, Mine are wild and explodey, but his... never to look anyone in the eye? I think it both helped and hurt Scotty. There's a safety behind those glasses, like he has been given permission to distance himself from everyone. Too dangerous. Too out of control. Too risky to get too close. That way if someone doesn't like him, it's a good thing. If he's rejected, it's a blessing. The pain in his head reminds him of how dangerous he is, and he uses it for a crutch, though you'll never get him to admit it." Jean nodded along, “Wow, impressive diagnosis, doctor. You should hang out your shingle,” she said with a chuckle. “You’re right, on a lot of that. So far, his behavior without the optic blasts hasn’t really changed much… some,” she granted, “but… he is who he is, prickly outershell and all. I wish I had my powers back as soon as possible, but… I think, all things considered, the change has been good for him.” "I took a psych course in college," Alex said, "Mostly because Susie Hollenbacker was taking it." He laughed lightly, "Don't get me wrong. I love my brother, very much, but he's got a lot of issues, and after the Hand... I think it's good for him too. He needs to remember who he is, and maybe, hearing it from others, consciously or not, will help him remember. Honest thoughts. Scott knows we love him too much to tell him the hard truths." Lucky Miss Hollenbacker, Jean returned Alex’s grin at the memory of his long ago skirt-chasing days. “Great men, the truly great people, don’t see themselves as the towering giants they are; if they did, if they too believed their own legend, it would show, they would become vain and arrogant, and that would corrupt them. Scott looks in a mirror and sees all the flaws; I hope he gets to see himself through the mirror of their eyes.” |
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8:53 AM Jul 11