It
was easy to say Jean had been awake for days, and the plane trip had to be the
worst part of it. If she were moving, doing something other than sitting
in-between Kitty and Jubliee, she'd be fine. But the
book she bought wasn't catching her wandering attention, and she couldn't
sleep. It wouldn't be safe to really sleep until she had the girls in a safe
place. So she tucked the blankets around the girl's shoulders for the tenth
time and stared up at the ceiling. At least she had time to think about their
next step. Once they got out of the airport, she'd find a hotel for them, and
start researching places for them to go. She kicked herself mentally for
leaving Logan
without planning where to meet, but they would have lost time arguing over
where to go and how to get there. He wouldn't have let her hear the end of it
if she waited in the mansion for him to come along. A still target is already
caught. But he promised to find her, how would he do that now? Not even Parker
knew where they were going, so that would be a dead end. Still, Logan had his ways, and
he also wouldn't like her worrying about him when she had Jubliee
and Kitty to think about. Feeling her eyes getting heavy, she went to sleep
thinking hard.
"Ford." Jean jerked awake, thinking she was still
in the cell.
"They're
gonna let us off in a few minutes."
"Thanks,"
she covered her face with her hands.
"Do
you want something?"
"Water."
Kitty
pushed a bottle of water into her hands and she gulped the entire thing down. "Must be dehydrated."
Going
through customs, Jean saw a large poster with the heading of KNOWN MUTANTS, and
forced herself to look. A few CAPTURED stamps covered the faces of people she
had met. She had to bite back a proud grin at seeing Logan at the very top, as the most dangerous
of them all.
"Why-"
Kitty began to ask, though Jean heard the question in her head.
"I
don't know," she murmured, searching a second time for her own picture. It
wasn't there.
Jean
fell onto the hotel bed, but her nerves were so frayed she couldn't get
comfortable. "I'm gonna get a shower." She
stripped off her clothes, avoiding the mirror completely as she stepped under
the hot water. Having no more than sponge baths in the prison, she scrubbed her
skin a few times over with a washcloth until she was a livid pink from neck to
ankles. Hair as short as hers took very little shampoo, but she still used a
generous amount to get it clean. The steamed room made her
feel a little lightheaded, so she made the water lukewarm and sat on the
shower floor.
Finally
leaving the solace of the bathroom, she looked on the drawn and sleeping faces
of Kitty and Jubliee. They lay curled up on their sides, turned toward each
other, appearing much younger than their nineteen years. Comfort was what they
needed, and it was Jean's responsibility to see that it was fulfilled. Dressing
in a t-shirt and shorts, she crawled between them and fell asleep.
