11/3 Issue: Imaginary Fiance

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Esynthia
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11/3 Issue: Imaginary Fiance

Post by Esynthia »

Timeline: The day after Issue: Worser Case Scenario

John: Things had gone pretty well so far today. Far better than last night, anyway. John was completely willing to block those events from his mind for the greater good. After breakfast in town and a tour of the college, they were just wrapping up a light lunch at home.

John: "I think the rain is going to hold off for a little longer - a good time for some fresh air." He clapped Jamie on the shoulder - not too hard. "How about you join me?"

Jamie: Jamie gave Doctor Grey a wobbly grin and tried for a chuckle. "Sure! I'll, um... Yep! Okay!" Say literally anything other than some form of 'yes'. PLEASE. "That sounds like a good idea." Couldn't expect genius from this one.

John: "Great!" He gave Jamie a smile in return - a much less nervous one, he might add. John heard Elaine on the phone in the kitchen and left the girls to catch up, holding the door open for his daughter's very real boyfriend.

Jamie: Jamie followed Doctor Grey to the door, trying to catch a glance of Jean before he went out. Help... He was totally going to be murdered. For realsies. And that would look so bad on his company. Head Detective: MURDERED. Fuckityfuckfuckfuck. "I really liked the college. I never got to see any real ones when I was a kid. Though I have a lot of degrees now, so I've been on tons of campuses to get them. But never when you're supposed to see them. You know?" Shut up.

John: "It's a great little school," he said, restraining another smile at the babbling. "Jean grew up in the community, of course, so you'll find she still has friends here." He stepped out on the porch and looked toward the canal. "Degrees in which fields? Your powers are truly remarkable. So many possibilities."

Jamie: "Yeah, that's what she said." ...Friends? Or 'friends'? Jamie stared blankly at the water. REDRUM. ...ED. ...Deredrum? What? He blinked and looked back at Doctor Grey. "Oh, um. You name it, I probably have it. Unlimited possibilites, really. Art History, chiropractic and acupuncture slash pressure, carpenter, preacher, radiology, biochemical engineering, pre-school education, plumber, etcetera, etcetera..."

John: "How do you keep it all straight?" He stepped off the porch onto the path toward the canal. "My doctorate is in European history, but I have interests in other areas."

Jamie: That... Was an interesting question. How did he keep it straight? "Um... I actually don't know. I just, sort of, do?" Jamie wrinkled his nose and slowly followed Jean's dad. "How do you keep everything you know straight?"

John: "Most of my knowledge is on related fields, so there are underlying patterns and recurring themes. Also, I have been known to use mnemonic devices and teach them to my students." He turned to look at the younger man and gave him a fast inspection. "Perhaps your memory is built differently from the norm?"

Jamie: "My memory? Probably. My brain does work differently in the present tense, so I don't see why it wouldn't be different for recalling past events." He rolled his eyes up towards his eyebrows as he tried to picture what he could see if his eyes were able to go all the way around. "I can see almost every side of almost every problem or conversation." Jamie looked back at Doctor Grey, "So it might have something to do with that."

John: John stopped walking and looked at him. "That has to be... well, exhausting, I would imagine. Sometimes." He crossed his arms to think about this as he watched the younger man. "Convenient at others."

Jamie: "Naaaaah. It's, um. Normal? I mean, most mutants manifest at puberty, right? I literally manifested after I popped out of my mom. Doc smacked me on the bare a... Butt... and suddenly there were two of me." He shrugged. "I don't know any other way." Jamie frowned. Jean was upset. Jean! Right! "Um. Can... Could I... Aheh..." Not yet.

John: "True. Since you were born and grew up with this ability." His expression grew thoughtful. "Have you ever had a brain function scan?" John noticed Jamie get nervous again and tilted his head. "Are you alright? Or is Jean talking your ear off inside your head?"

Jamie: "No? Which is kind of surprising, actually. You would think that I would have thought about doing that already." Jamie mentally chided all of himselves. "Oh! No! No... She's not. I just. I have, um." His shoulders rolled and he looked out at the water again. "BeforeIaskyouanythingelseIneedtomakesureyou'renotgoingtokillmefor...anything really."

John: John laughed. "Maybe you don't quite see things from all perspectives, yeah?" He gave him a wink, which turned into a blink at the torrent of word vomit. "Excuse me? I don't think I caught... any of that."

Jamie: "Please don't murder me?" Simple... Short, sweet, and to the point? And Jean could always firebird them out, right? Saved in the nick of time by that scary ass thing again? Sure!

John: "Don't... murder you?" John laughed, honestly finding this the most ridiculous situation of his life - which was saying a lot. "Why on earth would I do that?"

Jamie: "Lots of reasons? But the one that's on the top of the list at the moment is because you've now walked into a room twice with my hands on your daughter..."

John: He was still chuckling a little to himself and started walking again, looking at the light sparkle on the water. "My daughter is an adult, and despite the things that happened that lead her to Xavier's, we were happy to have her back five years ago."

John: John glanced over at Jamie again. "Happy, but also shocked at the difference in her."

Jamie: "Yeaaaaah... That's number two on the list... ButIpromisethatwasjustanepicmiscommunicationandeverythingisfinenow!"

John: "You might want to breathe before you hurt yourself, son."

Jamie: Jamie did that. The breath, not the hurting. "We just really sucked at communicating before... It wasn't on purpose." His nose twitched and he turned to Doctor Grey. "I'm sorry for hurting your daughter, sir. I love her. I always have."

John: "She insisted it was her fault, but I understand. You were both young and things happen." He smiled, the expression genuine. "Seeing her now? Seeing the way you two look at each other? It's like night and day."

Jamie: Jamie's lips twitched and he quickly looked back at the water, hoping the slight shade from the nearby tree would hide his blush. "Yeah, she's... She's the best thing to ever happen to me. Jeannie's somethin' else." He cleared his throat and tried to make sure Jean wasn't paying attention before he dug in his pocket and pulled out a ring to show her dad. "I, um... I would like to ask her to marry me, sir. If that's okay with you and Mrs. Grey, that is."

John: He was blushing, and John found it charming. Ah, young love. "Really now?" He grinned and pulled his reading glasses from his pocket. "Let me see what you've got? She is most definitely something else." He laughed. "Always a handful."

Jamie: Do NOT, Jamie. DON'T. He swallowed the dirty joke, but barely. "I don't ever want there to be a chance for another epic miscommunication. Not like before." Jamie smiled and handed him the ring. "She already knows I want to marry her, just for full disclosure..." Well, maybe not full full...

John: "That's a good call," he agreed, taking the ring for a look. The ornate art deco style and nearly pink ruby were unique. "It's very nice, and also obvious you know her well." John gave him back the ring and whipped off his glasses. "Elaine mentioned that Jean said you planned to be married."

Jamie: "Sh-she did?" Jamie cleared his throat after the squeaky octave incident. "I thought Jean didn't tell her that I'd already proposed. I guess just keep a running tab for things I should apologize to you for..."

John: John never knew he was so terrifying, but he managed not to laugh.

John: "There's no need to apologize, for any of those things, but thank you. Apology accepted. Elaine didn't mention that, but she said Jean was adamant that the two of you had made plans for the future."

Jamie: "Sh-she didn't?!" Good job, Madrox. FUCK. "Well... It wasn't really a proposal, proposal... It was more of a 'if we're going to die here, I at least want to make sure we don't die as boyfriend-girlfriend' type thing... I told her it doesn't count." DAMMIT.

John: "Die where?" Just by Jamie's expression he could guess he'd wished he hadn't said that. He frowned "Are you talking about the incident on the news? SHIELD called us, but they were vague on details and Jean was too, when she finally called."

Jamie: Woooow. Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome strikes again! "Uhhh...... I wonder if they need help in the kitchen?"

John: "Oh, no, you said it, so now you have to tell me." He took a couple steps closer to Jamie and clapped an arm around his shoulders. "I know a lot goes on that Jean doesn't tell us, but I have some idea. My brother had some tales about Rachel, and what happened to her."

Jamie: Jamie gave Doctor Grey another nervous smile. "The human-sized ventriloquist dummy nearly killed us. Well, her. He did kill me. Several times... And..." Would Jean kill him for this? Maybe. "HeforcedJeantomiscarrybecausehewantedhertobehisunusedtoy."

John: That was in no way what John had expected. His Jeannie had almost died? Jamie did die? He ran through the last part several times to make sure he'd heard it right. He studied the younger man's nervous expression.

Jamie: Jamie shrank a little under the watchful eyes and wished he could be anywhere but here. "Another one for the apology tab?"

John: "No, but... what really happened to the two of you?" Jean had been pregnant, apparently, and he was still trying to process that.

Jamie: "The dummy kidnapped us. Simply because it was fun for him to throw us into his own version of a traveling carnival. His own version being a Murder World..." Jamie took a deep breath. "We didn't know she was pregnant. I just guessed it because she was puking a lot. She thought it had to do with being forced to hold me in her lap as I died. Or... a dupe, but she didn't know that."

John: "Shit." John was otherwise silent, listening and not sure he wanted to believe. He moved a little back to give the younger man some space. His throat was dry when he swallowed. "And?"

Jamie: "And...?" Jamie was confused. Did he really want the whole story right here? Right now? "And... He threw us into a murder fun house maze, made her choose to kill me or a dupe, which is still me, dunked her in a dunk tank of electric eels... And... before the eels, he forced her to miscarry. And... During the eels, I duplicated inside of him causing him to explode so I could save her. He died and the world disappeared."

John: It sounded completely crazy. Impossible. Completely implausible. "That's..." John cleared his throat and squeezed Jamie's shoulder. "You saved my daughter's life then, so thank you."

Jamie: Oh. Well that was unexpected. "You're welcome. I love her, Doctor Grey. I would have died if it meant she could live. In fact, I tried. She told me no."

John: He nodded, then laughed a little. "That sounds like her." Nodding again, this time to himself, he gave him another squeeze. "I can tell you love her. Jamie, I'd be honored to call you my son-in-law."

Jamie: "Really?!" Chill out. Be cool. "I mean... Thanks, Doctor Grey. That means a lot. Jean didn't know I was going to ask you, but it was important to me that I do this right... My folks may have died when I was still a teenager, but some of what they taught me stuck."

John: He laughed at his excitement. "Well, it seems like they raised you well." John straightened up and offered his hand to shake. "Would you like to ask Elaine or am I good enough?" He smirked.

Jamie: Jamie gladly took it and gave his hand a firm shake. "Thanks, Dad!" Too much, idiot. "I mean, Doctor Grey... Um. I caaaaan? If you think I should? She kind of scares me, though..."

John: John laughed. "You're welcome." He was very enthusiastic - no wonder he could keep up with Jean's shenanigans. "John is fine, or, if you want to call me dad, I've been called far worse." He thought about that. "She just worries about Jean. We both do, but I think when she gets to know you - without getting tackled down, mind you - she'll be fine."

Jamie: "I worry about Jean, too. I'll keep her safe, though. Promise." Jamie beamed at John. "I think it might be best if you tell her? Although, then she could get mad that she didnt' know that we were already engaged, which might then turn into another type of upset when she finds out that I asked you and not her. Or not her, too." He screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "They never stop."

John: He laughed. "Okay, I'll tell her, and tell her it was my idea. I'm used to getting in the doghouse." John rolled all that around in his own head. "That it doesn't give you a headache impresses the hell out of me."

Jamie: "I really only get a headache when Jean yells in my head... I don't get a headache from myselves talking to myself." He breathed a sigh of relief when what John had said caught up to him. "Thank you! I put off coming here for a long time because I was worried the two of you would hate me for what happened between us before."

John: "I think the telepathic conversations are an interesting experience, but I know they unsettle Elaine sometimes." He chuckled at his obvious relief. "Jean didn't want to talk about it, but she said it was her decision, not yours." He paused to consider his words. "She never seemed happy with her decision, so I'm glad you worked it out."

Jamie: That made Jamie crack a grin, "I wasn't happy with her decision, either. But I respected it because I thought that's what she wanted." He shrugged one shoulder. "Probably for the best that it worked out this way, though. Neither one of us was ready to be in a relationship as serious as we wanted it to be, I don't think."

John: "Life has a way of taking us by surprise, so ready is a relative concept." He returned the grin and looked out at the water. "When do you plan to ask her?"

Jamie: "Um. I don't know, actually. I wasn't even sure you would say yes." He frowned as he thought things over, the myriad of possibilities floating through his brain, and then he grinned again. "On the anniversary of the first time I asked her. When she said no."

John: "I wasn't expecting to be asked either. It's a bit old-fashioned." He laughed. "She may be offended you did it." He paused, watching the man think. "You asked her before and she said no?"

Jamie: "Haha, yeah... The first time we were together. It involved muddy snow and pig shi- manure." Jamie laughed again just thinking about it. "She wasn't thrilled. But, to be fair, sir, it didn't go like I planned it..."

John: John gave a surprised laugh. "I can imagine. She's never been terribly outdoorsy, unless it involved running or her bicycles."

Jamie: "I had planned on doing it in the barn, surrounded by the animals, with the doors open so she could see the beautiful snow... It was gonna be awesome. And then Bacon tripped me. The little snot."

John: This was amazing, actually, filling in little parts of his daughter's life he never knew about. "Bacon!" John's grin mirrored Jamie's. "So this was at your family farm? That's where Jean was when she wasn't at Xavier's then..."

Jamie: "Yeah! I took her there for our first Christmas together. I had to go back to tend to things and give myself a break, so I took her with me. I ended up selling it a few years ago to buy the tenement building where I office and live in."

John: "That does explain why her credit card had charges from Kansas..." He nodded to himself and laughed. "A tenement? In Boston? I assumed those had all been torn down."

Jamie: Jamie beamed, full of pride. "It's the last one! It's a fixer-upper, but I'm a one-man construction crew, so it's not hard. It's taking longer than I'd planned because life gets in the way, but it's all mine."

John: "That would be handy. I'll have to keep you in mind now for my home improvement projects." The happy expression on his face made him smile. "Does Jean still have her apartment? Or is she living with you?"

Jamie: "She still has it. But she's never there," he admitted under his breath. "Her cat hates me so I got a dog and Jean kind of fell in love with her."

John: "We've never been there, since Jean keeps us... well, at a distance." He watched his apparent future son in law. "Jean loves dogs. She grew up with a pom. What kind did you get?"

Jamie: "Well... That's kind of my idea. I didn't want you guys to see it until I finished it. Didn't want you worried about her safety, y' know?" Jamie grinned, "A White Swiss Shepherd. She's a doll. Her name is Breathless Mahoney."

John: "Dick Tracy's Breathless Mahoney?" John liked big dogs, although they'd kept their own dogs on the small side. "Elaine is a fan of the lapdog, like Jean." His head cocked a little. "I'll trust you're not living in a condemned building yourself, either."

Jamie: "Oh. My. GOODNESS." Jamie wondered for a brief second if Jean would be mad at him for leaving her for her dad. "You know who that is?!"

John: That was quite the reaction. It made John chuckle. "I read Dick Tracy as a kid, so yes."

Jamie: Jamie just beamed at him for probably a good, solid forty-five seconds. "That's... I've had to explain her name to people... No one gets it. Dick Tracy is my hero." The rest of what he'd said a minute ago caught up to Jamie finally. "Oh, no it totally was about to be condemned. It was in baaaad shape when I bought it. But not by the time Jean came. The whole office area was mostly fixed."

John: That was quite the grin, and John shifted once before he just nodded at the kid. "That explains why you settled on private investigator then." Well, it was a relief he was making progress. "I hope you'll show us the place when the restoration is complete."

Jamie: "Oh, for sure! The second floor is almost finished. But I've not even touched the third and fourth floors, soo... But the second floor is the main living floor anyway."

John: "It's a work in progress, I imagine, if it's an original tenement." John looked back toward the house.

Jamie: "You have no idea. It's a labor of love, though." Jamie caught the glance and looked as well. "Do you think they're killing each other?"

John: "I imagine you would know before I would," he said, giving him a sidelong smirk.

Jamie: "What makes you say that?" Foot would not go back in mouth!

John: John gave him a mild blink. "You know I know she's a telepath, right?"

Jamie: "Yes, that much I do know..." His shoulders rolled in his jacket. What did he not know he knew?

John: "Jean has never stopped talking since the day we taught her to say dada, so I'm sure if she needed a rescue from Elaine she would have told you by now." The boy was nervous again.

Jamie: "Oh that? Yeah... That's true." Jamie gave him a slightly less, but still mostly, nervous grin. "I sometimes forget we can talk that way, though, so it catches me off guard."

John: "I see..." he chuckled and smirked, but softened it with a grin. "You and my daughter do have quite a bit in common."

Jamie: "She forgets she can talk in people's heads?" Jamie was confused. "She always gets mad at me when I forget. Kinda."

John: John cocked his head, waiting for his new surprise actually real son-in-law to catch up.

Jamie: Why wasn't he saying anything? Jamie cocked his head the same direction. Was this a new game? Or another mirror thing? PLEASE NOT AGAIN. Oh wait. "Oh wait, you mean because she's flighty and kind of ... no, flighty works."

John: John laughed and made his final decision. He liked this kid. "That's one of the adjectives that's been used, yes." He gave him friendly clap on the shoulder. "And I don't mean it as an insult."

Jamie: "No, me neither. I like my brain in all of its multiple pieces and not empty." Jamie grinned. Having a dad was the best, wasn't it? Hey, Mikey! He likes it! "You wanna go to the Detective Museum?"
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Remy: he feels lust for everyone
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