7/15 Issue: Reunited (and it feels so good)

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Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
Nightscrawlearth Character: :icey :phoenix

7/15 Issue: Reunited (and it feels so good)

Post by Slarti »

Timelined after Therapeutic Telepathing.

Jamie: Jamie took the moment that the stoplight gave him to close his eyes and just relax a bit. His hand slid from the gearshift to wrap around Jean's hand on his thigh. Back in Baby, with his baby, headed home to their fur babies. It was the little things. Never taking them for granted had been a life motto for him since the cult, but it was even better now because he'd never have to enjoy them without her.

Jean: Jean was living through his contentment right now. They were really home, and alive, and engaged. Not that they'd had time to talk about it yet. She turned her head when they stopped at the light, just watching his profile as he closed his eyes. She smiled to herself and gave him a mental caress.

Jamie: A slow smile grew on his face when he felt her in his mind and he let his head flop to the side, opening his eyes to look at her. "I missed that." Jamie brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the backs of her fingers. Suddenly, her red hair was lit with green and he had to turn back to the road. Jamie gave her a little pout, but turned back and focused on driving anyway. "You and Beth have a good chat?"

Jean: "Me too." Her heart fluttered at his kiss and then the moment was over. Damn light. She sighed and took her hand back for now to straighten her little ring - much cleaner now. They both were, thank fuck. She thought he looked pretty good in the borrowed SHIELD sweats, but he didn't seem to agree. "They really were toddlers!"

Jamie: "No shit? Think that was why Bobby was naked? Maybe he was one of those 'lose all the clothes and run around in your birthday suit' babies?" Jamie gave her a goofy grin. "I don't know which would be worse... What we went through or having to babysit the baby X-Men."

Jean: Jean gave him a look. He knew which was worse. She loved him for trying, though. "I dunno, Beth brainwashed some of the SHIELD agents and made them piss themselves apparently."

Jamie: The look made him grimace. He knew better, but he had to try. Joking made things seem less intense, somehow. "Hah! Oh, dude. I'm so mad I missed that. So, do they remember everything then? The X-Men, not the agents. ...Though, I guess, same question for them?"

Jean: "Beth seemed to remember, and her brother, too, so I guess?" She reached back over to put her hand on his thigh again, giving it a squeeze. She knew why he made jokes.

Jamie: "She mind-whammied her brother, too?! Why am I not surprised?" Jamie shifted for a turn, then put his hand back on top of hers. "...are you okay, Jean?"

Jean: Jean smiled, turning her hand to hold his. "I'm here with you, right where I belong." She swallowed. "I will be."

Jamie: Jamie laced their fingers together and nodded. "Same. We'll be okay." He felt her ring and frowned, "And you'll get a proper proposal. My timing always seems to suck, so I refuse to let that be your proposal story."

Jean: She laughed a little. "Third time's the charm?" Jean rested her head back against the seat and watched him. "If you want... I'm just happy we're here."

Jamie: "Oh, I want. I maaaaay actually need. Dignity and all, ya know?" He winked at her. "We are here. We are most definitely not there. He is most definitely not ever going to be a problem... ever again." A shudder went down his spine and he grimaced.

Jean: His wink and theatrics made her giggle. "Okay, for your dignity." God knows she denied him that the first time. Jean squeezed his hand. They still hadn't had a chance to talk. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Jamie: "Erm... eventually. I just... I want to get home first. Snuggle Breathless and make sure the dupe I left behind didn't break anything." Jamie gave her hand a squeeze back. "And you deserve a few minutes of normal with the cats before you have to hear that nightmare of a story."

Jean: "Okay." She frowned, really wondering now wtf happened. Her own memories were sketchy. The phoenix broke through Arcade's control, and like before, he panicked... and she remembered eels. EELS. Then nothing. Jean shivered.

Jamie: Jamie squeezed her hand again and gave her a lopsided grin. "Hey. Guess what?" He took the last turn and slowed to a stop. "We're home."

Jean: She shook herself and looked up at him, then the old building. It'd never looked so damn good. "Thank fuck!"

Jamie: That made him laugh and he put Baby in park and hopped out to run around and open her door for her. "M'lady," he made a sweeping gesture towards the building, then brought his hand back to help her out of the car.

Jean: Jean didn't have a short skirt to show off her legs this time. Damn. SHIELD sweatpants just weren't sexy. She took his hand and popped up, taking a moment to fling her free arm around his neck and hug him. They were home!

Jamie: He laughed again and scooped her into his arms, stepping away from Baby enough to swing her in a circle. Jamie set her down slowly and bent to kiss her gently. Finally!

Jean: She giggled and eeped, then melted into the soft kiss. We're never, ever going to a carnival again. Just saying it made her giggle again against his mouth.

Jamie: Never ever, ever, he agreed. Jamie pulled back to grin at her, then turned to shut the car door before scooping her into a bridal carry and jogging to the front door of the building. Hoooome! The door swung open before he could get to it and a very relieved dupe was staring at them.

Jamie: "I didn't want to be Prime!" The dupe ran towards them, forcing Jamie to reabsorb him before they collided.

Jamie: "...I guess that answers the question about him being okay or not? Kind of?"

Jean: Jean yelped and tucked herself into a ball in Jamie's arms at the sudden dupe attack. Holy shit that was so weird to see up close! "I guess," she laughed. "Hopefully he didn't break anything? Or any of the babies?" Now she was worried and wriggled to get down.

Jamie: Jamie let her down and grinned, "He didn't." He heard a squeaky bark and then watched as Jean was attacked by a bounding white fluff. "See?"

Jean: "EEE!" Jean was a little off balance already, so she went down under the cloud of happy puppy. "Breathless! Yes, I love you too!" Dog tongue! Everywhere! "Mommy missed you!"

Jamie: "She didn't miss me as much since I left a dupe here. Part of me is really sad that I don't get such a warm homecoming." But, he was grinning like an idiot anyway. "C'mon, pup, let mommy come inside. Where are your brothers?"

Jean: Jean solved the problem by floating herself and the excited puppy into the lobby. Breathless froze when she realized she was floating, then resumed bathing Jean's face. "I'll give you a warm homecoming later, baby," she promised him.

Jamie: Jamie came in and shut the door behind them, peering up the stairs. "I'm not sure I want to know where Figaro is... since he locked me in the bathroom and Mr. Shaw and Jess had to come save me."

Jean: "He did whaaaat?" She laughed anyway, making a mental note to call Jess. "Awww, see, they saved you! They're not all bad!" She ruffled the puppy's soft fur and hugged her.

Jamie: "Yeah, yeah. For now." He grinned and leaned over to give Breathless a kiss on her muzzle. "You go find the cats and I'll order some Chinese? Sound good?" Wait. Maybe food wasn't the best idea? Still had to tell her the Arcadey-boom story... "Maybe we wait on the food?"

Jean: Jean snagged the collar of his borrowed shirt and pulled him over for a kiss too. "Sure!" Her head tilted. There was a lot going on his head - a lot more than usual, and the usual was already typically a lot. He was hiding something. She gave him a concerned look. "Whatever you think..."

Jamie: "I just don't want you to eat and then throw up from the roller coaster ride of a story I have to tell..." Especially the ending. Yech. Jamie did smile at the kiss though and stole one more for good measure.

Jean: "O...kay?" Yikes. He always tended to forget she felt what he did. "I probably wouldn't... I mean..." If she'd been pregnant at all, she wasn't anymore. Probably. Maybe. Fuck. They really did need to talk.

Jamie: "Yeaaaaaah... You might. I wanted to." Still did if he thought about it for too long. Yeaaaaaah... "Okay, let's head upstairs and I'll tell you a story of the bad guy getting the short end of the stick." ...In a really, really disgusting way. On accident.

Jean: "Well that's not ominous at all!" Jean extricated herself from Breathless, which may have involved some teke, and got to her feet, starting for the stairs to find her boys.

Jamie: Jamie pounced and scooped up the dog before it could attack Jean again, carrying her with him as he followed Jean up the stairs. "Hey, it ends great for us, right?! Just focus on that and it'll be a fantastic story!" ...Kind of.

Jean: "True enough." She floated up the stairs and toward Jamie's bedroom. He was holding back on her and it was making her edgy. Maybe he was regretting the engagement thing? She twisted her ring nervously, but perked up when she saw two white fluffs hop down from the bed to trot toward her. "Figaros!"

Jamie: "See? They're all safe and sound and happy!" He grinned as one stretched up her leg and the other came to rub against his. "Guess we know which is which. Or... I know. You know all the time."

Jean: Jean picked up her baby for a cuddle. "Actually, I don't. Like I said, harder to tell them apart than you." She kissed the top of his fluffy head and snuggled into him, watching Jamie with his two white floofs. Breathless was adorably boofing at her feline brother.

Jamie: "Yeah, but, like... It's still possible." He waved away the confusing train of thought that wanted him to board. "So... We've talked before about what would happen if I accidentally duped a human..."

Jean: "...yeah?" Jean made a face. "Oh God, did you make two of him and then have to kill them both?" That'd cover horrible, alright.

Jamie: Jamie put Breathless down, gave the cat rubbing him a pat, then moved to the bed. He held his hands out for her. "Not exactly..." Not at all, really. But... there did end up being more of him than when Jamie started, so kind of? Maybe?

Jean: Breathless play bowed at Dupero, tail wagging so hard her butt shook. The two bounced off and Figaro jumped down to chase them. "They're all getting along better," she laughed, going to join him. Jean took his hands.

Jamie: He grinned as he watched their three fur babies. "Thank God." Jamie ran his thumbs over the backs of her hands and pulled her to sit beside him. "I don't want you to be scared to touch me after I tell you this story, but if you are, I'll understand and I'll make sure to always wear my jacket. Hell, maybe I can put the same tech into a shirt or something so I won't sweat my balls off over the next couple months."

Jean: "Scared to touch you?" Jean sat, but was so confused she cocked her head. She shifted and swung one leg over his to straddle him and settle on his lap. Releasing his hands, she slid her arms around his neck. "I live to touch you," she whispered against his ear.

Jamie: Jamie got a goofy grin on his face as a shiver went down his spine. "Hey, I'm trying to be serious here..." His hands traveled to up her thighs and around her hips. "Maybe not scared to touch me... but scared that I might dupe while you're touching me..."

Jean: "You have. Lots of times." Jean closed her eyes and kissed just below his ear.

Jamie: "...maybe I wasn't holding you then?" His head tilted and he shifted under her a bit. Trying to keep his focus was becoming difficult... "Jeannie..." Just jump right in. Don't sugar coat it. "I exploded him."

Jean: Say what now? Jean sat back to see his face, giving him a confused frown. "You... how?"

Jamie: "From... from the inside. My dupe... exploded him..." Jamie swallowed hard. No food was probably a good idea. At least for him.

Jean: She rested her hands on his shoulders and brushed her thumbs over his neck when she noticed the hard swallow. Jean got it but... not? And Jamie's reaction was telling her worlds of NOT GOOD, but not exactly how. "From... the inside?"

Jamie: "I duped... inside of him. And... obviously, two bodies can't occupy the same space, so.... the dupe exploded him..."

Jean: Jean's attention was drawn to the faint scar on his neck from the brand and she touched it softly. "Um..." She'd seen him dupe a zillion times and although it was always weird, it'd never been... "That's..."

Jamie: "It may have had something to do with the fact that my hand was in his mouth... Because I was holding his tongue down while I bashed his head against the floor... but... yeah."

Jean: "Oh." Jean blinked at him. Yeah, that explained that. All the horrible images dancing in her brain coalesced into that. Wow. She just leaned forward and hugged him tight. "That's... I'm sorry."

Jamie: Jamie wrapped his arms tight around her and buried his face in her neck. "It was horrible enough to watch it happen, but then I had to absorb myself and live it. Euargh..."

Jean: I'm so sorry. She turned her face toward him to breathe him in. But thank you for saving me. She closed her eyes and sent him her love. No wonder he'd felt off.

Jamie: "I'd do anything for you, Jean. I would travel to hell itself for you. I will always save you. Promise." He felt his chest ease a bit when he felt her love flowing over him. She wasn't scared of him and that was such a relief. "And now you know why I said he'd never bother us again," Jamie tried a weak laugh.

Jean: "I'm glad he's gone, but I'm sorry you went though that." Jean felt his relief and squeezed him. I know. I feel the same.

Jamie: "And now you also know why I suggested we wait on the food." He squeezed her in return, then pulled back to see her face. "Speaking of food, though... did, um... did the SHIELD docs run tests to figure out... um..." Sugar coat. Be gentle. "What he did to you?"

Jean: Jean licked her lips and focused on his chin instead of his eyes. "Um. They drew blood to run tests, but... I was scared to see the results."

Jamie: "...Do they have them already?" Jamie frowned and rubbed her back gently. "No matter what the results are, we can face it together. Right?"

Jean: "Probably." She blew out a shaky breath. "Beth offered to get the results for me and keep the secret until I was ready." She laughed a little and brushed her hand over her face.

Jamie: "Or maybe they would put them in a sealed envelope to give to you?" Jamie didn't like the idea of someone else knowing before them besides the doctors.

Jean: "Probably." She sniffled. "They said to just text them and they'd send them to me if I wanted to know." Jean finally met his eyes. "Do you? ...want to know?"

Jamie: "Of course I do. But I'm the curious sort who likes to know everything..." He gave her a weak grin. "If you don't want to, though, I understand, and I'll be okay with it."

Jean: Jean licked her lips and frowned. "Beth kinda had another idea too... that maybe it was all a mind fuck..."

Jamie: "I mean, sure, it could be. A lot of it was psychological torture... but then, if you ask my dead dupes, a lot of it was physical, too."

Jean: She gave him a sad smile and cupped his cheek, leaning in for another kiss. "I know." Jean decided she wouldn't get his hopes up that the baby could have survived. "I'll text them," she sighed, reaching into her pocket for her half-charged phone.

Jamie: "Are you sure?" Jamie put his hand over hers before she could do much in the way of the texting thing. "If you don't want to know, I'm okay with that."

Jean: "We should probably know," she sighed. "It's... easier here with you than it felt when I was talking to Beth." Jean gave him a faint smile and sent her text. Maybe they'd get to celebrate? She sighed and dropped her phone on the bed to hug him again.

Jamie: Jamie held her close and closed his eyes. "Whatever they say, I'm just happy we're home and alive." He turned his head so he could kiss her cheek without pulling back from her any. "I love you, Jeannie. Thanks for not agreeing to his deal."

Jean: Me too. Jean closed her eyes and just let herself feel him. I love you. His thanks amused her a little. If I'd thought it'd work I might have...

Jamie: "Not cool, Jeannie," he mock scolded. Jamie was silent for a moment or two, then decided he wanted to know. Good idea? Probably not. Asking anyway. "What do you want the results to say?"

Jean: She was quiet for a moment as she thought about this. "I hope we were wrong..." Jean swallowed.

Jamie: "Out of the three options, that seems like the best one... Not that I wouldn't love to be a daddy, but this place still isn't ready for kids..."

Jean: "You still haven't met my parents," she said, throwing in a tsk for good measure. Okay, maybe he didn't want her to still be pregnant after all?

Jamie: Jamie laughed, "That's fair. But, maybe they would be less inclined to kill me if they knew I was the father of their grandbaby?"

Jean: "They're not going to kill you anyway," she sighed, rolling her eyes. Her mood was improving a little, until the phone beeped.

Jamie: "You say that now... We'll see when the time comes." He pulled back to meet her eyes. "Do you want me to check it for you?"

Jean: She drew in a deep breath and nodded. Please.

Jamie: Jamie gave her a soft kiss, reaching for her phone at the same time. I love you. Forever. He pulled away to check the message and his heart sank. "Babe," he started, softly, "it wasn't a mind fuck..." Great choice of words, Madrox.

Jean: She closed her eyes and leaned against him as he grabbed her phone and she felt his grief and disappointment as he read the message. "I was- oh, God..." Jean wrapped herself around him and choked back a sob.

Jamie: "Hey, it's okay." He set the phone on the bed and held her, running his hands over her hair and back, trying to soothe her. "Shh, babe. I'm here."

Jean: Their first child was already dead before they even knew it really existed. "I'm so sorry..."

Jamie: "There's nothing to be sorry for, Jeannie," he murmured. He wasn't sure if she was apologizing to him or to the baby, but either way, his comment was true. Jamie wanted to be angry with Arcade, but the guy was already dead... Horrifically so.

Jean: Jean pressed herself against him, unable to breathe as she cried. The baby wasn't there anymore, but she freed a hand to press it against her stomach anyway. It had to have been tiny, too small for her to sense an active mind.

Jamie: Jamie rocked her gently, side to side, murmuring soft nothings into her ear. There really was nothing he could say or do to make this better. He hated that he hadn't been able to protect her from this, protect their baby from this. "I'm so sorry, Jeannie..."

Jean: She felt his guilt and tried to not let it feed into her own. She sniffled and raised her head to look at him. "None of it was your fault."

Jamie: "It wasn't your fault either," he gave her a soft smile and kissed the tears from both cheeks. "Do you want to hold a memorial or something?"

Jean: "I feel like... we kind of are?" She smiled at the kisses and took his hand, setting it on her stomach and covering it with her own again. "We're sorry that happened to you, baby." She swallowed. "We love you."

Jamie: Jamie took a shaky breath and looked at their hands. "I wish we'd been able to know you. I'm sorry you had to go through that." He took another slow breath and licked his lips. "We love you so much. We took care of the threat so your brothers and sisters won't have to worry about it."

Jean: It made her sniffle and she wiped away a few more fat tears with her free hand, then gave him a watery smile.

Jamie: He put his free hand on her cheek, but left the other on her belly. "And I love your mommy, too. Forever." Jamie gave her a soft kiss, letting her feel just how much he loved her. "We're going to be okay, babe. You'll see."

Jean: "Your daddy is everything to me," she said, leaning into his hand, her eyes half closed with the emotions he shared. Jean knew they'd been incredibly lucky to get away, and she never wanted to take another second with him for granted. "We will be."

Jean: Jean closed the short distance to kiss him.

Jamie: Jamie kissed back, shifting to wrap her in his arms, keeping her safe in his embrace. Safe. Away from that maniac. Who exploded via dupe. Shit. Abruptly, he pulled back from her. "Um. Did you grab my jacket?"

Jean: Jean was relaxing into his arms, loving that they finally could take the time to reconnect. She'd had sex with that poor dupe, but not Prime, and she'd missed him so much. She needed him. Now. She jumped when he did and blinked at him. "What? No. Why?"

Jamie: "Because exploding you would really kill the mood." He gave her a quick kiss then picked her up enough to slide her off his lap and he stood, taking a step away from the bed while he tried to think about what to do. "I can go back to headquarters and get it. Unless... did it get left in the murder world?" That was going to take a lot more time. He'd have to build a whole new one. Unless he'd managed to dupe holding it ever... Maybe?

Jean: Confused and now dumped off her perch, she sat up to look at him. "Huh? What the fuck are you talking about? Exploding me?"

Jamie: "I need my jacket, babe. Especially after murder world. I could accidentally dupe!" He ran his hands through his hair and started to pace the length of the room. Where had he stashed the schematics for the jacket? They were somewhere. But were they here? Had he put them in a safety deposit box? And even then, were all the parts he needed here? Shopping trip, maybe?

Jean: Jean watched him pace and he was on the edge of panic, trying to make a thousand plans in his head at once. "Jamie... why would you even think that would happen?" She used her calm, not bitchy voice and tried to project a bit of calm at him.

Jamie: "Because!" Jamie slowed to a stop and stared at her. "Because. I didn't mean to do it to him, but I got hit and it happened. What if..." He clenched his jaw and shook his head, not wanting to say the rest of that sentence. "I need my jacket, babe," he repeated.

Jean: Jean floated herself upright and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Baby. Think about it. We've had sex... a lot. I've had you more than anyone else. Ever." She kept her tone even on this part. "And I know you fucked other girls while we were apart..." Anyway! "Nothing bad ever happened. Ever."

Jamie: Jamie rolled his shoulders, for once, because they weren't in his jacket than because they were in it. "Yeah, but I've never been hit before on accident, either. Babe, I wouldn't be able to handle it if I did to you what I did to... I just couldn't deal. I'm barely dealing with what I did to him and he deserved to be disposed of."

Jean: He was panicky, so she opted not to argue any further, but stayed where she was to hold him. Jean gave him a squeeze. "Okay. Well..." She didn't know what to say. "I lost track of your jacket and I was kinda... still out of it when we left."

Jamie: He slid his hands slowly around her waist. It should be fine since he was just touching the outside of her. Right? Wait. What did she just say? "Wait. What?!" His jacket was lost and gone forever?! "Oshit..."

Jean: "I'm sorry..." She understood why he was upset, but she hadn't felt him this shaken by anything in years... well, since the cult. "You made it, right? We can recreate it. You've got your trench coat, but..." He couldn't live in those jackets... I'm not afraid of you.

Jamie: Jamie tried to calm down, he really did, but after everything, his normal tricks weren't working. "I know you're not, but... well, maybe you should be. Or at least of me having any part of me inside of you."

Jean: Jean pulled back to look at him with big eyes. Having him inside her was kind of important. They had their link, of course, but she wanted him physically, too. Ugh. But she didn't want to fight with him when he was this shaken. "I'm not."

Jamie: "Jean, you d-" He decided telling her she didn't understand was a fool's errand and instead, tore down the walls he was using to block what he did to Arcade. "Just... look?"

Jean: She closed her eyes and winced, seeing not just the horror of a guy exploding from the inside but also reliving it from Jamie's perspective – both Jamies. Both traumatized Jamies. She buried her face against his neck and held on. I'm so sorry you went through that.

Jamie: "Now do you get it?" He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. "If I did that to you... Jeannie..." Jamie's voice caught in his throat and he couldn't speak anymore. It would destroy me...

Jean: Her heart twisted at the despair in his mind. Jean did get it, but she also knew it was a freak accident. You won't. A thought came to her that made her want to cry. Fuck, was this it then? No. Nonono.

Jamie: You don't know that... He held her tighter and squeezed his eyes as he fought his own tears. "I think... as much as I want you, as much as I've always wanted you... We need to maybe not have sex until I can make a new jacket... or something. I'll start working on it tonight, even."

Jean: She breathed a bit of a sigh of relief. Okay, so this wasn't it. Thank fuck. He was not allowed to pull some sort of noble bullshit. "Can I help?"

Jamie: "Maybe? It's been a long time since I made it. I've gotta try to figure out how I did it and what I did with Dad's notes and research... Can you dig around in my memories to try and help me remember?" He pulled back and gave a one-shouldered shrug, feeling a little sheepish, "And maybe help me think of something that won't get as hot or cover as much for when we finally do get to get down again?"

Jean: "Sure, I can do that." She ran her hands over his shoulders, aiming to soothe him a bit. "Yeeeah... because I'm not into spending the rest of our lives with you wearing a coat." Jean's eyes flicked over him and she was trying not to picture him naked right now, but it wasn't working.

Jamie: Jamie laughed, "Yeah, that could get all kinds of weird... the biggest problem, though is that the mechanics of it all is kind of large. That's why it's always been in a coat or a shirt of some kind." He grimaced and watched her undress him with her eyes. She was already mentally naked for him. "This sucks."

Jean: She made a face, then shook her head with a laugh. "I guess no sucking either unfortunately." Jean wracked her brain and finally had to tear her eyes away from him so she could focus.

Jamie: "Uuuuggghhhhhhh." Jame went to the opposite side of the room and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. "No sucking, tonguing, or even finger banging. Stupid Arcade!" He wanted to throw something, so instead, he got up and started pacing again. Now he was pissed. "Had to get in one last shot didn't he?! Fucking asshole!"

Jean: Jean watched him pace and while sometimes his temper was a definite turn-off, right now it was hot, ofc. She closed her eyes to think, wrapping her arms around herself to try not to get lost in his frustration.

Jamie: Jamie pressed his palms and his forehead against the wall and let out a sloooow breath. Stupid. All of it was stupid. But he couldn't risk her. He just couldn't. "Babe. I'm sorry."

Jean: She knew about inhibitor collars, of course, since she'd been forced to wear one before. Fucking Trask. The idea of him in a collar made her want to cry. "I know."

Jamie: "Is there anything else..." Jamie licked his lips and took a slow breath before turning around to look at her, making sure she was mentally dressed in his head first. "Anything else," he repeated, "that we can do to celebrate being home and safe?"

Jean: "I mean, in theory, we don't have to do anything physically... I'm a telepath." Her answer was a little distracted while she tried to grasp a memory just out of reach.

Jamie: Jamie just stared at her for a long minute, blinking as he tried to realize why he hadn't thought of that already. But then, it's only ever been a one-way street. "Well, that helps me, sure... but, you kind of get the short end of the stick with that, don't you?"

Jean: Jean felt her face heat a little. "No, not necessarily. I feel what you feel, remember? Plus... there's stuff I never tried that I could maybe..."

Jamie: "Stuff?" Jamie smirked and took a step towards her. "What kind of stuff are we talking about here?"

Jean: She returned that smirk and raised her head to meet his eyes and take a step closer herself. "Well, there's always the astral plane..."

Jamie: Oh. Wow. That took his mind in a whole new direction that he hadn't expected, but was one hundred and ten thousand percent okay with. "How would that work?"

Jean: "In theory anyone can access it, if they know how, and you have me as a tour guide, sooo..." He seemed surprisingly okay with the idea, so she closed the distance and went up on her toes to slide her arms around his neck again.

Jamie: "No, I know how that works... But how would it... work work?" His arms slowly wrapped around her and he gave her a very careful kiss.

Jean: Jean returned the kiss, trying to keep it soft so he wouldn't freak out. We'd be us, just... without our bodies. It'd still feel real, because it is real... it's just... telepathic. She projected a bit of her thoughts on this matter into his mind.

Jamie: "So..." He swallowed and licked his lips, catching her eyes with a twinkle in his, "Like the holodeck?"

Jean: She couldn't help herself, she let her forehead fall against his collarbone and laughed. "Yes, just like that," she got out between giggle fits.

Jamie: "Sweeeeet!" Jamie looked around the room, face shifting to a thoughtful frown. Where to lie down without danger to Jean? "How do we do this?" This day just went from shit to amazeballs in zero seconds flat.

Jean: "Well..." She considered this. "The bed usually works just fine for us, so..."

Jamie: "You don't think we'll try to get some physical in there with how good it'll likely feel with the mental?" ...Or however it works.

Jean: "No, babe, we'd be... outside of our bodies." Sure, they'd react, but they could fix that with a shower later. Jean debated if she should warn him. Naaaah.

Jamie: "So... our bodies wouldn't move involuntarily?" He frowned, "It's not like when you're sleeping? It's more like a coma?"

Jean: "It's kind of like stasis." She twitched her nose, trying to think about how to explain it. Oh! Jean brightened. "Remember when I spied on Viper? Like that! Only... I'd take you with me."

Jamie: "Trippy." Jamie grinned and kissed her forehead. "Let's celebrate, then. Or, wait, do you need to rest?" How did a mutant body handle miscarriages anyway? Any differently than a normal person? "Because I'm okay with waiting if you need to rest. I don't want to push it or anything..."

Jean: "Why would I need to rest?" She enjoyed the forehead kiss, prickles from his beard and all, and snuggled back into him.

Jamie: "Be-because... Your body went through something traumatic. Like... yesterday." Was it yesterday? Maybe it was longer? Maybe it was only three hours ago... Time has no meaning anymore.

Jean: Jean sighed. "Anna healed me, remember?" She chewed on her lip and clung to him a bit more tightly. "Other than my blood test results... it's like it never happened..."

Jamie: Oh right. He didn't remember. Jamie's sigh echoed hers and he hugged her close. "Sorry, babe... I forgot. But, you know, it's really not like it never happened. You're just healed to the point where you would be if you'd let nature run its course. The blood work proves that."

Jean: "If nature ran its course, I'd still be pregnant," she pointed out quietly.

Jamie: Foot, meet mouth... "Babe, that's... I didn't mean it that way." Jamie pressed her head into his chest and stood, holding her quietly, for a couple of moments. "I just meant that, after Arcade did... what he did... nature would have taken care of you. You wouldn't be..." None of this was coming out right. Just shut up. "Never mind. I love you."

Jean: She smiled a little. I know. Jean added a mental hug to the mix. I love you, too. She just let him hold her for another few moments. We might be better off with no physical sex for a while anyway...

Jamie: Jamie's brain ground to a halt at her thought. "Why?" Then it suddenly started again at full speed. Fuck. Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. ...whatever it was.

Jean: Jean nearly choked at his brain's sudden shutdown and reverse. Wow. She pulled back just enough to look up at him. "I'm not on birth control now, and it apparently wasn't working anyway."

Jamie: "Ohhh." Phew! "Yeah, that makes sense." Jamie frowned down at her, thoughtful, "Would we need condoms in the holodeck place?" DUMB QUESTION. Right. "Forget I said that. But, I can buy condoms for when I get a new jacket, or whatever, done."

Jean: She managed not to laugh at his question before he retracted it, but cocked her head anyway. "I had an implant, before." She pouted. "Condoms suck." I still really don't like the idea of you wearing a jacket for the rest of our lives...

Jamie: "I kind of tend to agree with you there. But, I'll do whatever I need to for us. For you." He stroked her cheek with his thumb and gave her a soft smile. "I won't. We'll figure something out. Two heads are better than one and I've got you plus all the other mes. But, for right now, jacket is what it is."

Jean: "Oooor, your trench coat is here, riiight?" She turned her head toward his hand, watching his face.

Jamie: "But... that's long and not at all practical..." It could get in the way, they could rip it, it could get caught on a foot and injure one of them... "I'll go get it!"
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