6/17 Instance: Sleep it Off Beauty

[Starfish]

Time - current


J: J sat at his desk, a small electronics tool kit and random odd looking parts all over the top. He worked with a smile, putting things together without even really looking at them while he hummed along to the radio.

Hepzibah: Hepz took a moment to gather herself, standing outside J's door. Taking a slow deep breath, she knocked on his door. Her tail slapped against her legs animatedly for a second before it vanished as she morphed into her human guise.

J: J was so engrossed in his work he was almost startled at the noise, quickly putting his tools down he headed to the door, "Coming, just a moment..." He opened it seeing Hepzibah, "Oh, Hello Hepzibah... How are you today?"

Hepzibah: "Well.... I'm, um, I'm good..." The thought of what she was about to ask him to do for her made her want to turn around and run for her life. After an awkward second, she cleared her throat. "Can I come in?"

J: "Of course you may!" He said with a smile, leading her in and closing the door. He walked over quickly to clear space for her to sit on the bed. "Um... Sorry for the mess... I am usually not this messy... But on a good run of work..." He blushed a bit for being a bad host.

Hepzibah: She laughed a little nervously. "Oh, I know. You're as much a neat freak as I am," she nodded. "What are you working on?" she asked picking up a thing-a-ma-thig and inspecting it.

J: He blinked a moment as she handled his components, thankful she at least was not furry while she did so. "A pair of thermo-glasses... Ones sensitive enough to pick up air currents... It’s... Oddly not as hard as I would have thought..." He smiled proudly.

Hepzibah: "Air currents?" The wheels started spinning and she took a stab. "For Sophia??" Hepz put down the thing-a-ma-jig and crouched down to get eye level with the components he'd already assembled on the desk. A curious finger touched it questioningly.

J: "Yes actually..." He started to ask how she knew and came to the answer before the question made it to his lips. "I met her yesterday. Very nice young lady." He smiled, and watched her poke his parts, "Um... Could you please not touch those...? Not done working on them yet...."

Hepzibah: It looked to Hepzibah like J was having to hold back from slapping her hands. Standing back up, she put her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, can't help myself sometimes..." She nodded her approval of his project. "I know Sophia will appreciate it. Maybe safe a window or two," she chuckled. Hepz started to look for something else to occupy her mind and postpone what she'd come there for.

J: J smiled again, "I hope so, I like to know my work is appreciated." He watched her start looking around and shuffled her to the clean spot on the bed, cleaning up more stuff around her that was within reach. "Can I help you with something today Hepzibah? Or is this merely a social call?" He asked delicately.

Hepzibah: Hepz sat down and watched him clearing a buffer zone around her and wondered if he would be that nervous if she wasn't feral. She shook her head, "No, I needed to see you because - well, I could go... but no, not really." She started talked faster. "Hector kinda asked me if I had - and I hadn't. And he wouldn't make me - well-maybe-he-would. But-I-don't-want-him-to-have-to-" She snapped her head back to look at him. "Know what I mean??"

J: He blinked for a moment, "No... I am not certain I do know what you mean... Has Hector done something improper to you?" He asked slowly, concern and anger competing for prominence in his voice.

Hepzibah: "What?" She stared at him for a moment. It wasn't often in Hepz's experience that someone had been concerned that she was being mistreated. It made her smile. "No J," she patted his hand. "It nothing like that. Nothing at all."

J: "Oh... Alright." He smiled again, his fists unballing as he took a seat on his desk chair. "That is good. I would hate to have to teach him to respect a lady." He joked, straitening his sleeves as he spoke.

Hepzibah: A lady?... She smiled, deciding not to correct him. J was a sweet kid, a little strange... but sweet. "You don't ever have to worry about Hector treating my badly," she assured him. "In fact, he's kinda the reason I'm here...sorta." Hepz folded her arms closer to her body. "I know they've told everyone to get that Legacy Vaccine..."

J: "Yes they have... All new students get it when they come in, and all current students were supposed to get it before the summer break..." He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing what this was about now.

Hepzibah: "Yeah... about that..." she lead off, giving a tight grin. "You see... the problem is I don't think it's any secret how much I hate the med lab - or why. But, the last time someone stuck a needle in my arm - I died."

J: "Not true... I took blood for tests last semester and you stayed perfectly healthy throughout." He said with a smile, "But I do understand your concerns... I happen to have a few doses of the vaccine with me... If you want I could take care of it now so you can bypass a trip to the med lab..."

Hepzibah: "No, I don't think you understand at all J." She shook her head, her muscle tensing up. "The last time someone gave me an injection, I was strapped down to a table begging for my life." Her eyes were dark and intense. "Their wanted to see if they could alter my dna. And in the process they flat lined me. I was dead on that table for three minutes before I came back."

Hepzibah: "I don't even have the words to describe the pain - or the nightmares I've had about it every since." She let that sink in for a moment. "So, you could say I'm especially gun-shy about have anyone stick me again.... but... Hector worries I'll catch this Legacy thing..."

J: He listened attentively, his face betraying his emotions as he told her tale. "I am very sorry about that Hepzibah... I don't mean to make light of your pain and suffering... But know, I would never hurt you, or do anything to you, your mind, or you DNA without your consent. I know that your mind is a dark place... I was only in there for a few minutes, my limited contact was fully enough for me. But if you would like me to give you the shot... Or even still, if you would like me to give you the vaccine, and you can do it yourself, or have Hector give it to you I will... But for now, you are a potential carrier of a life threatening virus that has the potential to wipe out all of mutant kind. So make your decision which, but we do need you to take the vaccine..." He came out of his lecture, a bit startled at how stern his voice ended.

Hepzibah: Hepz knew J had kept his scans light and kept to the paths, and she had been grateful for it. She was almost afraid sometimes what would happen if someone tried to probe too deeply - afraid of what they might wake up. At last she spoke again. "I don't think I could give it to myself. I never shot up or shit like that. So... I guess it's either you or Hector. But it's not going to be a pretty sight either way," she warned, her heart rate already started to elevate just thinking about it..

J: J thought for a moment, "Well... If you would like me to do it, and do not mind, I can sedate you mentally... Let you sleep through it, no pain, no mark, your healing factor will see to that." Please do not freak out in my room... He thought to himself, glancing at all his nice, expensive, irreplaceable and breakable things.

Hepzibah: The thought of J putting her to sleep didn't sit well with Hepz. But neither did the idea of making Hector do this. She was torn between the two, but she made her decision when she tried to imagine the man she loved doing to her what Pietro had done. Maybe with entirely different motives and outcomes but the fear, the panic, and the hatred would be the same.

Hepzibah: She never wanted to associate Hector with any of those emotions - ever. She looked at J, took a breath and made her lips into a tight line. "You do it."

J: J nodded, "Alright..." He cleaned off the rest of his bed, "Go ahead and lay down..." He thought it best to get it done quickly before she thought about it too much. "Once I get you under I will get the needle out... No need to trigger anything unnecessarily." He said calmly and sympathetically.

Hepzibah: Just the word 'needle' made her heart start racing. She looked at the bed and back at J. Now that they were down to it, all she could think about was being back in the labs; a nightmare that was on a continual loop in her mind. "I think you already did..."

J: He pushed his chair over to sit beside the bed and took her hand in his, gently holding her hand. "It is alright Hepzibah. I am your friend, and I will not hurt you..." He sent a tiny shock through his finger tips into her, the connection made he urged her to stay calm and do as said. "You are fine... you are just sleepy... Lie down and take a nap..."

Hepzibah: Hepz felt the shock, but her mind was already in a frenzy as the feral in her screamed for her to fight, or run - anything but just LAY there. Her eyes were big as saucers as she shook her head and pulled her hand away. The only thing that kept her from giving into the feral was knowing how disappointed Hector would be in her. He'd even trusted her enough to let her do this on her own.

J: He felt the turmoil in her head, feeling rage and fright wash across her mind in rapid succession. "Hepzibah... Please... I need you to stay calm... I don't want to up my control any more than I have to..." He started settling her mind for her, closing down her emotions first and working his way to not only shutting but locking the mental doors holding the feral at bay. "Hepzibah... How do you feel now?" It took a considerable amount of his focus, but he felt certain of his control.

Hepzibah: After a few moments, she looked at him placidly. "I don't 'feel'..." She listened for her ever present companion, the feral that did the things she couldn't. It was all quiet. After a few moments she added. "I feel alone." There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

J: "I am sorry to have to do this Hepzibah... But you will be back to normal when you wake..." He said softly. "Now... Would you please lay back on the bed and close your eyes..." He commanded her, walking over to his desk to pull out his medical bag.

Hepzibah: Hepz stared at the bed for several moments before her body started moving. Deep inside her mind, she heard the feral's tiny muffled screams of rage and felt it trying to claw its way out of the locked room it had been sentenced to. Slowly, she laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

J: He watched her obey and nodded grimly. This wasn't a facet of his powers he liked using on friends, but with Hepz it was all too necessary. And difficult. "Very good Hepzibah... Now I would like you to close your eyes and go to sleep..." He took a seat in his chair next to her as she lay on the bed, routing through his bag for the vaccine.

Hepzibah: She turned her head and watched him with a mostly blank expression. Like a doll that goes to sleep on command, Hepzibah closed her eyes.

J: "Very good..." He said quietly, her almost instantly slowed breathing and lowered pulse let him know she was out. He wasted no time pulling out the needle and finding a vein. He pushed it in quickly and gave her the shot as she slept, then pulled the needle and put it away, watching the wound heal almost as soon as the needle was out.

Hepzibah: If Hepzibah had any clue what was happening, she gave no indication as she laid there like Sleeping Beauty waiting to be woke up.

J: J had a sudden thought of Sleeping Beauty as she lay before him sleeping, smirked, and put his medical bag away. He came back and sat down next to her, taking her hand, skin to skin contact making the use of his power easier. "Wake up Hepzibah... It is all over..." He unlocked her emotions again, and all the doors as well, making sure they remained shut though.

Hepzibah: On command, Hepz opened her eyes. Blinking, she looked around trying to orient herself. It took a few moments to get herself together. The feral was hissing and screaming to loudly, she could barely think. "It's done?" she finally asked.

J: "It is." He smiled at her, "And without incident I might add..." He could feel the feral beating at the doors. "You are free to go when you please..." He shook his head, How does she live with that.... and another though on top of it, How do you?.. He froze and blinked.

Hepzibah: Hepzibah nodded, still feeling not quite herself. Sitting up, she saw him freeze up for a moment and forced her baser half to calm itself enough to ask, "J? What's wrong?"

J: "Hmm... Oh nothing..." He turned and smiled to her. "Everything is fine. Well... You seem to be yourself again... Would you like me to write you a note, letting Professor McCoy know that you have finally received your vaccination?" Before she had time to answer he pushed his chair to the desk and started to write one out.

Hepzibah: She was a little unsteady on her feet, not certain if it was from J's high tech voodoo or a side effect of the vaccine. "I'd be much obliged," she nodded. Even though there was no mark, no pain - Hepz still rubbed the crooks of her elbows and shivered as she waited.

J: He tripped the paper out and handed it to her, bracing her as she wobbled a moment with a hand at her elbow and waist. "Would you like me to walk you to your room?"

Hepzibah: Hepzibah flinched away from him instinctively as the feral hissed. He had done what he had to do; hell - what she'd asked him to do. But there were still going to be repercussions to weather from this. Thank God it was J and not Hector. "No thanks, I got it..."

J: J nodded, "I understand..." He smiled sympathetically and handed her the note. "Please do let me know if you have any problems, there are slight side effects... and they have been random." He shook his head, they'd still not been able to get them out entirely.

Hepzibah: She nodded, taking the note, folding it and putting it in her pocket. She hoped Hector understood what it meant for her to do this for him. Looking back at J, she managed a small smile. "Thanks J. I know you didn't like doing that any better than I liked having it done."

J: He nodded, "But it had to be done. And I am glad you were willing... As it were..." He smiled, "I hope you have a nice day... And do feel free to come to me with any other problems... I know you have difficulty with trusting doctors, but... I hope being a good friend can counter balance the wrongs done to you..."

Hepzibah: Hepz made a tight lipped smile and nodded again. "Yeah... well - I think I'm going to my room for awhile. Still feel a little... off center." The feral refused to let her touch J, so she settled for a little wave. "I owe you one, J. See ya around." She made for the door, wobbling ever so slightly.

J: He walked with her to the door, keeping his distance, wary of the feral he knew was still fighting for control. "Non-sense, merely doing my job." He grinned and opened it for her, "Goodbye Hepzibah, have a nice day..."

Hepzibah: "You too." She left and headed for her room, still walking unsteadily and cradling her throbbing head. Time to raid Hector's medicine cabinet... She gave a little worried thought about any possible side effects and wondered what she'd look like if she turned blue.