I Give In

[everambient]

Characters: ALEX; JEAN
Date&Time: August 12th, night; during this and this
Setting: Anchorage Correctional Facility
Summary: stuck somewhere in between minds as he's tortured and emotionally giving up, Alex gets another visit from Jean
Rating: tbd.
Status: OPEN to Jean.

Comments

[everambient]

Alex suddenly wondered if this was what Jay felt, if this was the reason she hated her immortality so much, because without an end you didn't know what you were working towards. It made existence sort of futile. He closed his eyes for a moment just to picture the redhead's face, then opened them again when Jean was talking to him.

When she punched Uatu, he hardly seemed affected by it, but he did disappear as quickly as he'd appeared.

Looking at Jean, Alex told her, "I'll find a way. I promise. Just go, get back and tell them what you know." He was wearing a mask now, a brave face he saved for those terrible times in his life when he had to brace himself and be sure of himself the way Scott always had been. He was emulating his big brother's heroics in an attempt to bring Jean some peace, because as unfair as it was for him to be thrown into another dimension, it was even worse that she had to experience it, in part, with him.

"It'll be okay, Jean," he told her, offering a weak smile to assure her that he wasn't giving up anymore. As if giving up would do him any good. No, this was his burden to carry now, whether he wanted it or not, and now that he understood it a little bit he was going to try to keep the weight of it off of anyone else's shoulders.

[reborninflames]

Uatu was a coward, and the fact that he couldn’t face up to what he’d done only frustrated Jean more. But once he was gone she tucked that away until she saw the bastard again.

She knew he was putting on a façade, that he was trying to put on a brave face for her. She smiled fondly at him; he was trying to get her to go, because he was worried; he thought that he shouldn’t share his burden with anyone else. “No, Alex. I’m staying with you for a bit longer. You shouldn’t have to go through all of this alone.”

She held out her hand.

[everambient]

He reached for her hand, bringing it over to kiss it gently before letting go and telling her, "I really do though. Goodbye, Jean." The light--which he now knew was the Nexus of all realities--gathered in the room and forced her back to the correct world. He hadn't realized he could do that, had been banking on a chance there, but when he saw that it had worked Alex was left wide-eyed and a little afraid. What the hell was he carrying in his head?