The X-Project

Early in the New Year, Jean and Garrison finally have the conversation they've been avoiding for weeks now.



The coffee request had been as low key as possible; just an ask if she would join him for a cup of coffee on the Sunday noonish. Since their incident, they hadn't had breakfast together like normal. They had barely talked. It was as if a cloud of jagged glass had descended on their friendship.

So, Kane poured two cups, black for him and hers just as she liked it just before she reached the small kitchenette on the second floor.

A few minutes later Jean rounded the corner. She was wearing a grey, oversized Columbia sweatshirt, black tights, and tennis shoes. There was a look of disquiet about her, but she pushed it aside as she took a seat at one of the barstools. "Thanks," she said, picking up her coffee, which was nearly tan with cream and sugar. She had a sweet tooth, but it was the only way to get past the bitterness of coffee.

"Sure. I appreciate you taking me up on the invite." Kane settled into the chair across from her at the table. The wolf padded in silently and stretched out next to the couch, head in his paws. "How have you been?"

There was a moment of hesitation as Jean took a long drink. "Surviving," she said after a moment.

"How about you?"

"Quiet. Just got back from seeing my father. Got a sunburn which is something I haven't had since my powers emerged as a teen." He said with a shrug. "Not a fan, to be honest."

Jean laughed. "Yeah, it's not great. I have some aloe vera gel you can use. But I recommend sunscreen until we figure out...well..." She glanced down.

"It's ok. My powers are gone. It's going to be awhile adapting." Kane shrugged, feigning a casual acceptance that he didn't really feel. "On the plus side, gives me plenty of time to work on some new DR programs for everyone. No sense letting Scott have all the fun."

"So you're off the team," Jean said. It was a simple statement, not sad or surprised. Just an observation.

"I pulled myself off the active duty roster after Alabama. Too much of a potential liability in the field since all of our training as a squad involved me with my powers." He nodded. "I'm not entirely useless yet."

Jean fell silent for a few moments, idly tapping her cup. She didn't know how to respond to that. It was a reminder of the looming scythe over his head, just a few steps closer than other people. The hourglass stuck flowing faster by unnatural chaos. "Right," she finally managed.

"See, my awkward conversation skills are still top notch." He joked, her uncomfortable look so obvious even he could tell. "Anyway-" This was going well. "-look, I just wanted to apologize for what happened and... I don't know. I tried to give you space like people said you needed but then other people said I was supposed to talk to you directly. I mean, one person just said you'd laugh because you're too rock and roll for me, whatever the hell that means..."

He paused, mercifully cutting off the word vomit and sighed. "I've just missed you - us. Our friendship. I'm hoping maybe we can find a way back to that."

"Our...friendship," Jean echoed. The words, heavy with a mix of disappointment, resignation, and confirmation fell from her lips before being silenced with a sigh. She rubbed her forehead, her eyes slightly sunken.

"You want to know why I ran away? It was this," she motioned at him. "Everyone I even get remotely close to just wants to fuck me, or own me like I'm a prize. Or they're secretly evil. You're the latest. Maybe not evil but--pretending to be before? I don't know. Except we didn't even do anything. It feels like we might be something...more and then..." She ended her own incoherent mess by swallowing.

"I don't want to be friends if your goal is to work toward a drunk hookup but when I don't put out it's back to 'friends.' Well I'm sorry if you and Warren think I'm a prude. I don't sleep around like 65% of the mansion. Not that there's anything wrong with that as long as everyone is using protection," she mumbled.

"Um..." Kane opened his mouth and then shut it. He wasn't sure where all of this came from, but the reality was that it didn't matter whether or not he agreed with her. "OK. I'm sorry. I never thought of you as some kind of... prize. If that's how it came off, that's on me. I'm told I talk too much. Or talk at all being the problem. I wasn't trying to hurt you, and I'm sorry that I did."

Jean wasn't expecting that response, and sucked in a deep breath. She found herself a little winded from being worked up.

"I--Okay?" she said quietly. "Okay." She didn't know what to say. She expected something else. For the shoe to drop. To be humiliated. Something. Not that.

"Look, I'm not going to lie. I'm attracted to you. I thought that... well, what happened might have been an indicator of... I don't know. I'm also really bad at this, I'm told." Kane paused, kricking his neck back and forth. "I don't want to lose you as a friend because I screwed something up. But I'm not going to pretend I don't want you as something more if that's what you want too. And if not... that's ok."

He paused, embarrassed. "I don't watch a lot of reality television, but I could see if I could train the wolf to bring you a rose, eh?"

"What happened might have been an indicator of what?" Jean asked, more than a little confused. She had followed most of it up to that point, but a lot had happened to them so...

"I thought you and I ending up in bed was what you wanted. Even if we didn't go further... that was still a sign of what you felt."

"No...I don't know," Jean admitted. "I've had bad luck with men. So much bad luck...I just...don't want to get hurt."

"Got to be honest Doc, no relationship has a guarantee that you won't get hurt. Sometimes things don't work out. Well meaning people hurt each other." Kane said, taking a sip from his mug. "But I'm willing to risk it if you are."

Jean was silent for a few moments. "Let's...start with a real date first," she said. "See how it goes."