CHAPTER 39- Discussion
The doors to the elevator slid shut with a sigh. Jean leaned her head against the cool metal surface; feeling suddenly drained of energy and more tired then she had ever been in her life. The day was long and wasn't over just yet. Still more to do and more to go before she could sleep, that was if she was going to be able to fall asleep at all.
With the condition Tristan had appeared to be in, she doubted sleep would be in her schedule this night. She could still see the last image of him in her mind. Him leaning over the table while trying to catch his breath as sweat poured off his pale face and he gripped his middle before turning to shadow. Without a second thought she sent her mind out to him, trying to reach him, down the hall and pausing outside his door. She could feel him behind it, the darkness of his mind, the shadow spinning there forebodingly. It was tempting, so very tempting to just push inside and get lost in the abyss that was Tristan.
"Jean," she could feel her body being shaken. She blinked opening her eyes as Logan's face came into view, the bleariness wearing off. She could see the worry etched on his face and wondered how long she'd been off.
"Are you alright?" he asked, still gripping her upper arms.
She tried to speak but found her throat dry and unable to form words. She nodded her head.
"Jesus," he sighed and relaxed his grip on her arms, letting go completely. "You scared the shit out of me, red. I tried calling you but you just stood there with your eyes closed and you wouldn't say anything. I thought you'd passed out or something."
"No," she ran her fingers through her hair. "I just let my mind wander."
"To where?"
Her eyes met his and he read the answer, nodding his head and straightening out the gray sweater he had pulled over since his shirt had been ruined by John's blood. "How is he?"
"I don't know. I didn't go into his mind; I just knew it was there behind the door. Xavier doesn't want me cavorting into his mind."
"For the better."
"I suppose," she nodded.
There was a silence between them. Jean didn't have to read Logan's mind to know he had a question burning to be let out. Just the way he kept his fingers busy, pulling or twisting at the sweater was answer enough.
"Just say it Logan."
"Say what?"
"Your question, I know you have one."
Logan chuckled. "That obvious."
"Very."
The smile faded from his face and his eyes fell to the floor. "Jean…by all logic you and I both know John should be dead."
"Yes, I know. He beat all medical odds. By right he shouldn't be alive. That's why I'm worried about Tristan."
"I don't follow," Logan crossed his arms as he leaned back against the elevator door.
"Do you remember when Tristan healed Bobby?"
"Yeah," he nodded his head. "The wound on Bobby's head was healed."
"Yes, but because he healed Bobby it had a side effect on him. It's a power of give and take. Tristan heals someone but it reverse on him making him weaker for a period of time. Bobby was just a diminutive fraction of what he can do. It hardly had any effect on him at all. Tristan is capable of larger more dangerous wounds, like John's. But John was so near the brink of death, it would have been impossible for him to have survived even when Tristan did heal him. But John did survive. He should be dead though the wound was healed because of the loss of blood to his system, their just wasn't enough."
"What are you saying Jean? Besides John should be dead. How is he alive then?"
"I wasn't quite sure," she told him. "Until John spoke of the pictures in his head. They weren't dreams and they weren't his memories. They were Tristan's. They belonged to him, never John."
"But how did John get pieces of Tristan's memories?" Logan frowned.
"Because Tristan didn't heal him like he commonly would," Jean explained, running her hand through her hair again, worried for the TriMutant. "He knew John wouldn't live without life…so Tristan gave it to him."
Logan's frown deepened until suddenly his mouth fell open and his eyes widened in shock. He took a small step towards Jean. "You mean to tell me Tristan gave John life. Part of his life."
Jean nodded her head, tears starting to brim her eyes. "Yes, and by doing that the effect will be greater on Tristan because his body will take on the condition of his victim."
"Oh my God," Logan whispered and ran a hand across his face in disbelief.
"And I'm worried," her voice cracked a little no matter how hard she tried to hold it. The last thing she wanted to do was cry because she feared she'd never stop. With everything that was going on with her, she couldn't stop.
"Its okay, Jeanie," Logan hesitantly put his hand on her arm in comfort. "Tristan's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to him. He's fine," his hand slid until his arm was around her shoulder and before she knew it both his arms were around her, just holding her against him. Her head rested on his chest and she just stood there, cuddled against him as he soothed away her tears. "Everything's going to be fine someday…I promise you that much."
She let herself relax against him and let Logan take most of her weight. Scott suddenly entered her head and Tristan as well. The emotions inside her for each of them spun in a cyclone and she lifted her head from his chest, keeping her eyes downcast.
"I know it will be better," she said softly. "I'll be able to make a choice someday and things will be better."
"I'm not rushing you," he whispered.
She lifted her eyes up and found it two seconds too late as she made her mistake. His brown eyes were so warm and sincere, holding a hurtful past just as she held her own. They connected so well, an attraction she couldn't explain. She took a deep breath, controlling her emotions and the urge to kiss him, but found it too great to deny. Her lips brushed against his softly in an innocent movement, not enough to cause the point of no return.
She pulled her head away, staring into his soft eyes. "I know."
The elevator door opened behind them and Jean pulled fully away from his grip, walking down the hall towards Tristan's room, behind her Logan followed. All her thoughts on relationships and the love triangle pushed back, her mind focused on Tristan's well being.
~~~~~~~**************~~~~~~~~~~
New chapter coming soon. I promise, just had too much homework to do.
The doors to the elevator slid shut with a sigh. Jean leaned her head against the cool metal surface; feeling suddenly drained of energy and more tired then she had ever been in her life. The day was long and wasn't over just yet. Still more to do and more to go before she could sleep, that was if she was going to be able to fall asleep at all.
With the condition Tristan had appeared to be in, she doubted sleep would be in her schedule this night. She could still see the last image of him in her mind. Him leaning over the table while trying to catch his breath as sweat poured off his pale face and he gripped his middle before turning to shadow. Without a second thought she sent her mind out to him, trying to reach him, down the hall and pausing outside his door. She could feel him behind it, the darkness of his mind, the shadow spinning there forebodingly. It was tempting, so very tempting to just push inside and get lost in the abyss that was Tristan.
"Jean," she could feel her body being shaken. She blinked opening her eyes as Logan's face came into view, the bleariness wearing off. She could see the worry etched on his face and wondered how long she'd been off.
"Are you alright?" he asked, still gripping her upper arms.
She tried to speak but found her throat dry and unable to form words. She nodded her head.
"Jesus," he sighed and relaxed his grip on her arms, letting go completely. "You scared the shit out of me, red. I tried calling you but you just stood there with your eyes closed and you wouldn't say anything. I thought you'd passed out or something."
"No," she ran her fingers through her hair. "I just let my mind wander."
"To where?"
Her eyes met his and he read the answer, nodding his head and straightening out the gray sweater he had pulled over since his shirt had been ruined by John's blood. "How is he?"
"I don't know. I didn't go into his mind; I just knew it was there behind the door. Xavier doesn't want me cavorting into his mind."
"For the better."
"I suppose," she nodded.
There was a silence between them. Jean didn't have to read Logan's mind to know he had a question burning to be let out. Just the way he kept his fingers busy, pulling or twisting at the sweater was answer enough.
"Just say it Logan."
"Say what?"
"Your question, I know you have one."
Logan chuckled. "That obvious."
"Very."
The smile faded from his face and his eyes fell to the floor. "Jean…by all logic you and I both know John should be dead."
"Yes, I know. He beat all medical odds. By right he shouldn't be alive. That's why I'm worried about Tristan."
"I don't follow," Logan crossed his arms as he leaned back against the elevator door.
"Do you remember when Tristan healed Bobby?"
"Yeah," he nodded his head. "The wound on Bobby's head was healed."
"Yes, but because he healed Bobby it had a side effect on him. It's a power of give and take. Tristan heals someone but it reverse on him making him weaker for a period of time. Bobby was just a diminutive fraction of what he can do. It hardly had any effect on him at all. Tristan is capable of larger more dangerous wounds, like John's. But John was so near the brink of death, it would have been impossible for him to have survived even when Tristan did heal him. But John did survive. He should be dead though the wound was healed because of the loss of blood to his system, their just wasn't enough."
"What are you saying Jean? Besides John should be dead. How is he alive then?"
"I wasn't quite sure," she told him. "Until John spoke of the pictures in his head. They weren't dreams and they weren't his memories. They were Tristan's. They belonged to him, never John."
"But how did John get pieces of Tristan's memories?" Logan frowned.
"Because Tristan didn't heal him like he commonly would," Jean explained, running her hand through her hair again, worried for the TriMutant. "He knew John wouldn't live without life…so Tristan gave it to him."
Logan's frown deepened until suddenly his mouth fell open and his eyes widened in shock. He took a small step towards Jean. "You mean to tell me Tristan gave John life. Part of his life."
Jean nodded her head, tears starting to brim her eyes. "Yes, and by doing that the effect will be greater on Tristan because his body will take on the condition of his victim."
"Oh my God," Logan whispered and ran a hand across his face in disbelief.
"And I'm worried," her voice cracked a little no matter how hard she tried to hold it. The last thing she wanted to do was cry because she feared she'd never stop. With everything that was going on with her, she couldn't stop.
"Its okay, Jeanie," Logan hesitantly put his hand on her arm in comfort. "Tristan's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to him. He's fine," his hand slid until his arm was around her shoulder and before she knew it both his arms were around her, just holding her against him. Her head rested on his chest and she just stood there, cuddled against him as he soothed away her tears. "Everything's going to be fine someday…I promise you that much."
She let herself relax against him and let Logan take most of her weight. Scott suddenly entered her head and Tristan as well. The emotions inside her for each of them spun in a cyclone and she lifted her head from his chest, keeping her eyes downcast.
"I know it will be better," she said softly. "I'll be able to make a choice someday and things will be better."
"I'm not rushing you," he whispered.
She lifted her eyes up and found it two seconds too late as she made her mistake. His brown eyes were so warm and sincere, holding a hurtful past just as she held her own. They connected so well, an attraction she couldn't explain. She took a deep breath, controlling her emotions and the urge to kiss him, but found it too great to deny. Her lips brushed against his softly in an innocent movement, not enough to cause the point of no return.
She pulled her head away, staring into his soft eyes. "I know."
The elevator door opened behind them and Jean pulled fully away from his grip, walking down the hall towards Tristan's room, behind her Logan followed. All her thoughts on relationships and the love triangle pushed back, her mind focused on Tristan's well being.
~~~~~~~**************~~~~~~~~~~
New chapter coming soon. I promise, just had too much homework to do.