| Getting Back |
| Summary: | Jack returns from Mongo and after switcheroo with Starfire, he tries to get back to Jean |
| Date: | (2014-10-29) |
| Related: | Unposted Starfire switcheroo |
| NPCs: | None |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
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After being pulled back to Mongo for a few days, Jack found himself inconvenienced for a bit in the body of Starfire. More unsure what to do, but knowing Courtney and Vance eventually switched back in a similar situation, he played it quiet and did as little as he could. Luck returned him to normal. That is when he went in search of Jean but found she seemed to be avoiding him.
Thus, in something of a last ditch effort, he figured he would go to NYC to see how things were. Almost to the point of just going right to her place, knocking on the door, a string pulled at him. It would be polite to call first, so, walking down the street near Grand Central Station, he whipped up his phone, dialed her number. Hopefully he wasn't blocked, or worse, hopefully she wasn't in some trouble and he delayed coming up straight away. Doubts and thoughts eating at his mind. Today he simply wears a fall hoodie with some 'Merica iconography on it, over jeans and black shoes, one hand in the hoodie pocket at his front while the other thumbs to contacts, an Jean, and lets it dial away to hopefully give her a ring.
The phone rings three times, and is just about to hit the voicemail when Jean's voice comes on the other end, "Hey… Jack?" A bit of a question, and there's a touch of nervousness that most people wouldn't catch in her voice, but people that know her well would catch straightaway, "How… how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling good," he says, not sure that Kori did anything much in his body, let alone with Jean or near her at least. "Been wanting to see you, are … are you okay there?" Not registering the worry that is there, it could be that trouble for her he was worried about. He pauses in walking, kicking a random leaf that found a way to fall in the city, from a street tree, and still not trampled yet.
Jean's voice actually sounds a bit suspicious at that, "I'm fine. I'm me, after all. Are you actually you?"
That hand comes from the hoodie to Jack's forehead, "Ya … I am now, I'm sorry Jean, I didn't call or visit lately. I wasn't me, I was in Kori's body, it was weird." Looking up, he turns and walks again, "I'm coming to see you, is that okay?"
Jean's tone seems frosty enough to cause a few more leaves to fall from the trees, "Yes, I'm /well/ aware of what happened." She then sighs, "But yes, you can come over."
"I'm sorry," is Jack can offer to what happened, curious, but wanting to see Jean versus phone conversationing the topic. "Five minutes, honest … see you soon Jean." He might attach more feelings more sentiment to that parting, but the frost in her voice worried him enough. After that short parting, he'll spring to her place to ring/knock/buzz.
As Jack knocks on the door, there's a particular presence in his mind, and unlike most times when Jean might do a subtle nudge or give him a cue, this is pretty apparent that Jean is poking into the surface of his brain at least to confirm that he's in the right place. Then the door lock unlatches and Jean opens up the door, "Sorry, I just… needed to make sure that you're you again."
More than he is expecting, but after her voice, he's not put out either. Jack has no clue yet what happened but doesn't mind such an intrusion from Jean. "Its me, what happened … can I … come in, offer a hug …" He opens his arms a little, but if Jean is put out by what transpired during his out of body experience, he doesn't want to push her boundaries either. She could sense concern and care though on his surface if she did surface scan/
Jean hesitates a moment, as if just processing that this isn't a trick, then hugs Jack tightly, pressing her head into his chest as the tension melts away in favor of sheer relief, "Oh thank God… the last few weeks have been horrific. It's just…" She pauses, as if not sure how to explain.
Taking the hug, and embracing her in return, Jack wraps arms about her. "Its me, I'm sorry Jean … If Kori did something …" Not sure what she would do, she did have his strength in that time. He didn't mess with her abilities. His cheek to her head, he inhales, catching her scent, all of her. "Jean, I missed you, I'm sorry." Taking some blame though it was random mystical event.
Jean sighs, "She didn't do anything really, I mean… she just acted…" She shakes her head, "It's like seeing someone that shouldn't be there, doing things they shouldn't really do. It was /weird/, and more than a little disturbing." She just nestles up against Jack, taking comfort in the fact that it's really him.
"I'm sorry that you went through that," offers Jack, lifting a hand to run through some of Jean's hair, affectionately for the weird experience she had. "Or had to see it, deal with it. I don't know if I want to even ask, or if you want to talk about it?" He does move into her place more though, away from just doorway, so they can simply stand and snug.
Jean shakes her head, "It's like… looking at someone that you think is familiar, but knowing that underneath it's just a mask, that someone else is there, someone different." She sighs, "After all that's happened with these switches… I pretty much just shut myself away for a while. I was afraid I might go insane otherwise."
"That couldn't of been easy," says Jack softly, knowing some issues she has with all the thoughts around her and not wanting to be aware as she is. "Its me, no insane for you. Maybe its a sign, find time to get away from the city. You might have to fire up that motorcycle and we'll have to find some place to go. Or jump into space, where its more quiet." Pulling up a little to look down at her, "I don't want you shut away yourself, I … I want to there for you Jean … or here. I should of contacted sooner, but I was in Kori's body …"
Jean snickers, "Yeah, that could have been strange." She sighs and just relaxes, the tension slowly fading away, "I wouldn't mind a getaway, that's for sure. Maybe just somewhere in the country, I'm not sure if I want to go to space just right now."
"I just missed you," grins Jack, giving her a squeeze, palms even spalying a little to be get more into that hug. "How about we don't think about where we go, we'll have phones and GPS if we get lost, but we just drive and not thinking about it? Anywhere with us in the picture sounds like a good destination to me." Then a pause, "That didn't sound all Hallmark channel did it?"
Jean laughs, "A bit, but I don't mind." She hmms, "Let me get some things packed, and we can get going." She smiles over at Jack, slipping away so she can go to her bedroom and throw a few things together.
He doesn't have much, but he has the clothes on his back and a spirit to adventure, in abundance even. He finds a quick spot to sit and wait. Smiling more now that they seem in good standing at least, partially worried there was falling out between them during the swap or that Kori did something. "I'll stop watching Hallmark then when no one is looking," he jokes to her in the other room as she is getting stuff, not dropping conversation completely dead, his spirits truly raised.
Jean smiles, "But then how will you know if Ann Jillian gets out of that horrible situation, Jack?" She comes out after a bit, packing a not-small but not-large backpack that looks a bit stuffed, "Okay, I'm ready… are we taking my bike?"
Giving a chuckle of mirth, Jack returns, "I damn myself if I admit knowing Ann Jillian, let alone the situation she is in. Worse if I admit I've seen some of the holiday dramas with the woman traveling single and finding romance while not expecting it." Good thing that's half the Hallmark movies and nonspecific enough. Jumping to a standing position, "Your bike would be aweomse, didn't you promise a ride out on it and some teaching? If you don't mind taking it of course." He'll offer to carry the pack, and the door.
Jean lets Jack take the pack, "Okay, there's a latch under the seat we can stash the bag." She locks up her place, and down they go to the parking lot, the bright green and canary yellow bike looking like a bird of prey in flight with the paint job. Jean gets her matching helmet out, and looks at Jack, "Need a helmet?"
"Need, not really," he says, all serious, "But if there are helmet laws, I'll take one." Then he looks more at the bike, "That is pretty awesome. Now I want one." He moves to stash the bag just the same. "It so fits you," though bird of prey in flight and fitting her is beyond him and more fitting than he might realize even. "Can we go fast, or will I throw off your balance too much?" Not sure himself.
Jean laughs, "Fast? I… can go fast." She skips giving Jack a helmet then, if he doesn't need it, then she puts on her helmet as she gets on the bike, "You might want to hang on." Her lips curve in a wry grin.
Getting on to be behind her, Jack comments more directly for her, "Behind someone as sexy as you, I'd be a fool not to use a bike ride as an excuse to hold on." Though he does take it more serious at least. To hold on, close to her, to move with her and not just fall off or, throw off. Certainly she can nudge/guide metnally him when they get going. If she goes fast enough, he will probably give more of a squeeze as if he could get closer.