Who: Jean OT Nate What: Jean Arrives at the Haven When: 12/15, evening Where: Haven Warnings: TBD but doubt anything
The days since Eddie had brought her home from the hospital had bled, one into the next. At first, it had been hard to tell the passage of time down in the room where she was staying, and to be quite honest, she hadn't cared. It hadn't felt all that different from being in the hospital. She was weak, and tired, and the sounds around her were muffled. In truth, she had needed that time, as Eddie must have know. Needed the quiet to wrap her mind around her new powers and gain some control over them. Eddie was a doctor, one who had been quite devoted to her recovery. She'd wanted for nothing, and he'd been wonderful and supportive.
But lately, it just simply wasn't enough.
It had started on Thanksgiving. Their date that had been long in coming. Long past when he'd said he'd take her out, even though she'd followed his instructions and done everything she could to be ready at their original goal. He'd been solicitous when they'd ventured forth, helping her shield, protecting her from the voices of the city intruding into her head, and she'd appreciated it, but at the same time, she'd needed it, too. Needed to hear them, to learn to shield them herself. They'd had their lunch then returned home, to his home, and she'd gone back to bed. It was entirely possible none of that would have mattered, or that she even would have noticed it, but for one thing.
Thanksgiving was a time for family. It had come to her while they'd been sitting in the restaurant that she wanted hers. She wanted to find them, to see them again. That she missed them and needed them. That they represented a hole in her heart that needed to be filled, just like Eddie finding her had healed a part of her.
And there in began the troubles with Eddie. It wasn't an argument, and it certainly wasn't a fight. It simply seemed like he didn't get how important it was to her. He helped her track them down, but the numbers they'd found were out of service. And while she could have called her father's department chair or some of their friends, Eddie pointed out that she'd been gone for two years now, that she was a mutant. A known mutant who'd been held. Calling those people should be an absolute last resort since she didn't want to bring suspicion to her family or worse. She knew it was true. She still chafed at it.
Then she discovered Nate. She didn't know if 'Nate' was really her brother or a figment of her imagination come to torment her for not getting in touch with her family sooner, but she was damn well going to find out. Which of course led to further differances of opinion. Nate was clearly a powerful mutant in his own right, and Eddie worried that she'd be hurt by him. That she'd have trouble shielding around someone like Nate, someone who could get to her so easily. Finally deciding it was easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission and be reasonabled out of what she wanted, she decided that she was an adult, not a child, and this was her brother.
Leaving a note for Eddie to let him know where she went, she ignored the things he'd gotten her since she planned to come back and she didn't have a backpack to pack even clothing in, and left. She did take the credit card he'd gotten her at her request that was linked to her old bank account. She needed it to pay for a cab. But as she stepped into the cold December air and waved one down, all she felt was relief.
She was going to find her family, her home. But first, she was going to see if her imagination was right. She knew from Eddie's memories where Haven was, which was where Nate was. At least in her mind. So she was going there first.
Could it really be true that she had a brother? She hoped so, and at the same time, it made her so angry she wanted to throttle her father. How could he?
Well, best to be sure Nate wasn't a figment of her imagination first.
The ride to Haven was uneventful, dull even, and the cab stopped and let her out after swiping her card. The security seemed tight, especially as she was unexpected. But she took her little guide box eventually and walked to the large house with a feeling of trepidation.
Nate, she called out mentally, wondering if she'd find him given the number of people were wandering around the house. Wondering if he'd even hear her over all the noise. Please be real... can you hear me?