Touching Base

Posted on Tue Oct 7th, 2025 @ 4:51pm by Jennifer Bryant & Hayden Davis

1,807 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 7: Pathogens and Contagions
Location: X-Mansion
Timeline: March, 1992

Hayden started her morning run later than normal due to actually getting to sleep in a bit. By the time she made it back to the mansion, the crisp morning chill had changed to a damp, lingering cold that clung to her skin like mist. The ground was still soft from the snowmelt with patches of ice clinging to the edges of the stone paths.

She slowed to a walk near the front steps, her breath visible with each exhale. Hayden swung her arms loosely at her sides, heart still pounding from the run. Sweat was cooling under her jacket as she looked up at the washed-out gray sky. It was the kind of late-winter overcast that promised either rain or nothing at all.

After her cool down and stretching, she walked into the Mansion and hung her jacket on the coat rack. Her intent was to take it to her room after a nice cup of hot chocolate.

The smell of cocoa was already coming from the kitchen, conveniently enough. Jennifer was pouring herself a mug. She had been having an easy morning too. She had slept in even later than Hayden had. Still, she was up now. She smiled warmly and looked towards the other woman. "Oh, hey, Hayden. Do you want some hot chocolate?"

She wasn't too far from the kitchen when the smell of hot chocolate caught her nose. She want the rest of the way back home and into the kitchen to send. Jennifer pouring herself some.

"Oh I'd love some," she said. "Thank you." A memory came back as she neared the table. "Around Christmas time, my dad puts one of those soft peppermints in his hot chocolate and stirs it so it'll melt. Makes everything smell and feel more festive." She shrugged at the memory and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. "Those were the days."

The virus had seemed to warp time, at least for her. Since its emergence, she thought the world was moving slower. And everything felt like it was years ago.

"Do we have any of those?" Jennifer hadn't noticed any. She poured herself a mug and then extended the hot chocolate towards the mug Hayden had just fetched. "I do have marshmallows."

"I haven't found any yet, but marshmallows sound fantastic," she said. Hayden accepted the warm mug, wrapping her other hand around it, and setting it on the table in front of her.

Jennifer sighed. "I don't know where I am with my dad or, really, anyone." She gave a helpless shrug. "It would almost be better if..." She shook her head and killed whatever thought she had been about to express. "No, it wouldn't. But there's this bittersweet, distant sort of feeling."

Hayden’s expression softened, her blue eyes reflecting quiet understanding. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. "It’s okay if you don’t have all the words for it right now," she said gently. "Feelings don’t always fit into neat little boxes. They can be messy, and complicated, and sometimes they just…sit with us until we figure out what they mean. And sometimes, they just sit there because we can't figure them out."

"Yeah," Jennifer agreed. "I keep wanting for things to go back to normal. Maybe if I don't put words to these feelings it'll be less real, easier to act like it never happened. But it is happening. And maybe it's a stupid thing to be bothered by. Lots of people have it much worse."

"It’s not stupid at all," Hayden said gently. "What you’re feeling matters. Whether or not someone else has it worse doesn’t make your pain any less real. You don’t have to minimize yourself just to measure up against somebody else’s struggles." She gave a small, encouraging smile. "I think it’s brave, honestly, to even admit it out loud."

"Thank you," Jennifer said and took another sip. "All my friends and family outside the community, even my dad, they're suddenly distant. They say the right things, mostly, though they're also always speaking sympathetically of how scared non-mutants are feeling, as if they have more cause to be scared than we do with how it hits us. But, it's just, I'm always the one who has to call and they find a reason to hang up quicker than they used to. There's no real support outside these walls." She sighed. "So how are you?"

Hayden listened and occasionally nodded her head. "Oh, I'm well enough. I try not to think too much about what's going on around the grounds right now. Especially since it's all such a huge thing normally. I'd rather just run, read, or have some hot cocoa in my leisure time. It helps take my mind off everything, even if for just a few minutes." She took another sip of her cocoa and looked up at Jennifer. "What do you like to do in your leisure time?"

"Dance, talk to friends, exercise, read, listen to music...." Jennifer shrugged. "I sound so generic right now, don't I? I was a cheerleader. But I am not like superhobby girl. I just like to hang out with friends, you know?"

"Nah, I don't think any of us here are generic." She laughed and took another sip of her hot cocoa before continuing. "But yeah, just hanging out with friends is pretty cool. So what kind of books do you like to read and what kind of music do you like to listen to?"

"Yeah, but not everything about me is super unique either and that's okay," Jennifer said. "It's even good. Sometimes I like to just feel normal. I like all kinds of books. I'm not really systematic. Same with music, kind of, but I've been listening to Madonna lately. What about you?"

"Oh I like books about different histories and mythologies," she said. "But as far as music goes, quite a variety I suppose. I could listen to a little bit of Madonna. Definitely some Wilson Phillips. Toss some 10,000 Maniacs and Natalie Cole into the mix...wouldn't be a bad tape."

"I love Natalie Cole!" Jennifer enthused, grinning ear to ear. Her cheeks colored a bit and she glanced at her cocoa. "So, different histories, do you mean like alternate history stuff or just the history of different places?"

"Cool!" exclaimed Hayden. "Yeah, she's pretty awesome. But, the history of different places. And not like recent history. But ancient histories and the mythologies that came out of them." She took another sip of her cocoa and while still looking down at the cup, she said, "I kind of like to learn how water myths and beliefs grew out of the ancient people's lives."

"That..." Jennifer began and then paused, speaking honestly. "That is not a subject I know anything about really. Like, I vaguely remember river nymphs and stuff from Rome...I think..." She sounded unsure even of that.

"Eh," Hayden replied with a wave of her hand, "that's okay. Everybody has their own niche. So what's yours?" she asked. "What hobby makes Jennifer unique?"

"I don't know if it's unique," Jennifer said, "but I was a cheerleader before I came here. There sounds almost like a movie title." She paused. "Did I tell you that before?"

She paused for a second, cup in mid-air. "You know, I think you did. But then, I think I might have asked that question already in a different way." She chuckled and took a drink of her cocoa. "So were you like, head of the cheer squad?"

"I should have been!" Jennifer said with playful vanity. Then she laughed. "But no. I just sort of always liked to put on a show. It does sort of track with my powers. I wonder if there's something to that."

Hayden laughed at the playfulness of the reply. "You know, I suppose there could be. With the Professor gone, you might see if Jean could help you with any connections between your personality and powers. I don't even know if that's a thing with mutants or not, but it'd explain a lot if it's true."

"Have you ever noticed it?" Jennifer asked. She was looking at Hayden thoughtfully. Ideas were running through her own head but she didn't want to presume.

Hayden shrugged nonchalantly. "Honestly, I had never really given it much thought. But when I think of Dr. McCoy, a genius and a scientist and a doctor, the fact that he is Beast doesn't seem to match. But maybe it's different from mutant to mutant."

"You're right," she agreed. "He doesn't seem to match at all. If it's only some mutants, it might not really be a thing. It might just be a coincidence." She shrugged. It was just a stray thought.

Hayden shrugged. "I mean, it's still worth some research to find a definite answer. One way or the other." She took another
sip of her not-so-hot-anymore chocolate. "We do have Doctor Reyes with us now, too."

"It might be," Jennifer agreed, "but I imagine it'd be low on the research priority list." She frowned, having brought her mind back to the tragedy unfolding in the world.

"That's probably true. There's a lot of other things higher on that list, I'd imagine." She set her empty cup down and leaned back, noticing Jennifer's frown. "Yeah, it's a rough time for a lot of people, but at least we're safer in here than out there."

"Yeah, and I'm grateful but also..." She sighed. "I don't know. I feel sort of helpless. The world's falling apart outside and I don't know what to do. I can't just zap it."

Hayden shifted in her seat, her expression softening. "I know what you mean. It feels like we’re just… sitting here while everything burns. But you being here, you being okay, it matters. We can’t cure the virus or change the world’s mind overnight, but we can look out for each other. Sometimes that’s the only thing that keeps the world from breaking completely apart."

She paused, thinking. "If it helps, maybe we can focus on what we can do. Even little things like helping the younger students practice controlling their powers, making sure everyone has food and medicine, and keeping the mansion running smoothly. Those are ways to fight back. It’s not zapping the whole world, but it’s something real you can change.”

"That's a good idea," Jennifer said. "I talked to Jean about ways that I could help out. I should stay focused on that stuff." She looked up and smiled a little more softly. "I'm glad I'm here, Hayden. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," she said. "To both of those."

Jennifer smiled warmly.

RSS Feed