From Her Their Lips to God's Ears
2026
10 February
Grand Cove: Grand Bend, Lambton County, Ontario, Canada
Jay stood naked in front of the steamed-up bathroom mirror, analyzing themselves in the reflection.
They were getting old. This much was noticeably true, especially considering they lived with two immortals. Even more so considering once of them was eternally six. They had been feeling a bit of pain in the chest and left — or rather, only arm, for a few days now, and they couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Fearing the worst, they had arranged for a special visit at 43's medical wing with the new doctor banished to the Site subverting common practice — one Doctor Echevaria.
It's better this way. If Billie finds out, she'll probably tell someone. I need this to be discreet.
BANG!
"Baba!" James hollered as he pounded on the other side of the door. "Mama said Milo is going to eat me! Help me, Baba!"
"I didn't say that," Ilse's voice was barely audible, muffled by the door and distance between them. "He's going to DEVOUR you!" she teased further, closer this time. Jay chuckled, wiping themselves dry.
"Woof," Milo chimed in somewhere out in their room.
"Is that so, bud? Well, he better leave some for me, because when I get out there, I'm gonna join Milo in eating you!" Jay menaced playfully, starting to dress.
A little squeal of joy penetrated from the adjoining room as Ilse picked up the boy, omnomnomnomnom-ing as she did.
"I've got you now, kleintje! Quick, Milo!" she laughed, falling back onto the bed. This was met with another delighted cry from James and a bark from Milo. Jay's smiled, almost done dressing.
A pain shot through their left armpit while trying to sling on a shirt, followed by soreness in their breast. They grimaced, smile fading as they opened the door to the ruckus in front of them. Ilse and James were wrestling on the bed, laughing while Milo looked on from the door frame. The two continued wrestling for a moment before Ilse looked over to her partner, who was wearing a slight frown.
"What's the matter, dear?" she asked, calmly letting go of James. The boy continued to kick and wriggle, to which Ilse turned to face him and gently pat his head. "Kleintje, Mama and Baba need to speak. Why don't you go read to Milo?"
"But wasn't he going to eat me?" he interjected before Jay could speak.
"I guess he's full kiddo. Go get dressed, we need to go down to the Site soon," Jay smiled wryly.
"Okay." He got up and took the long way around the bed, stopping in front of Jay to hug them. "I love you, Baba," he said, squeezing their midsection tightly. They smiled, contently this time, and placed a hand on his head, fussing with his hair.
"Love you too. Now go."
James nodded and let go, dashing past Milo, who followed after him. Ilse got up from the bed, adjusting her glasses as she approached.
"What is it, dear?"
"Nothing, love. Just the wonders of aging," Jay replied, hiding their suspicions from Ilse. It wasn't a full lie, just not the whole truth. This was a tactic Jay had picked up over their years being the middleperson for the Foundation and the various GoIs that inhabited the world. This and reading someone were the two main talents, and Jay was using the second one now to learn that Ilse had bought the lie. Their partner stood on her tippytoes to kiss their cheek, and Jay leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Old or not, I love you, Jay."
"I love you too, Ilse. I'll be okay. Promise."
Site-55: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Rex Alces, Jay's former protege turned Site-55 GoI Research Head, had been quite busy ever since their former mentor had left for Site-43.
Despite how much they cared for him, Jay had left him to sink or swim. This, of course, had made him a bit angry at them for a while, but he had since recovered after a year or so of sailing the course. It was fine. Everything was fine, thanks for asking. He had even acquired his Foundation PhD, which he liked to joke gave him a Pretty Huge Dick. Whether or not that had happened was not up for debate — it had failed to manifest for him, even on testosterone. But that didn't matter. He had big dick energy. Or so he thought.
"Alright, May. Run me through the latest," Rex said, leaning back in the chair in his office chair.
May Waters, who had been promoted to second in command after Jay's departure and Rex's promotion, was unhappy at being treated like a secretary.
"Read it yourself. You have eyes." She laid the clipboard across from him on the desk. Rex shot her a dirty look and took his shoes off the desk, leaning forward and snatching the papers up.
"Meeting with the MCF North America Director next week…" He read off. "Meeting with the Council of 108's Valravn rep tomorrow… Possible Wondertainment anomaly found in local hospital?" Rex scratched his head. "That's not good."
"What?" May asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Wondertainment promised to stay out of hospitals after those soul-stealing bears failed to launch. That was Holly, too. Or rather, it was Holly discontinuing Cornelius' work."
"…what?"
"It's all ancient history. From the early aughts. Jay filled me in on it. The SCP number is… uh… whatever. Just look up 'bear' and 'dr-wondertainment' in the tag search, there's only like three results." Rex put the paper down. "If we're dealing with Wondertainment in hospitals again, I want Jay here. They're the one who cut the deal in the first place."
"Oh come on. Leave Jay alone. They're doing bigger and better things at 43." May rolled her eyes.
"And pass up an opportunity to yell at them about how shit they made me feel? Hell no."
Valeria Echevarria startled at the sound of an irritating sound going off in her vicinity. She looked around for the source, but was unable to find it.
"Sorry, Doctor. That was probably my phone. Email." Jay sighed, their right breast feeling the cold rubber of the mammogram machine.
"Try not to speak, Jay," Valeria's shrill and commanding voice came on over the intercom. "This will be over in just a second."
That's easy for you to say, you're not having x-rays shot into your tits. That's mean. I shouldn't have thought about that.
X-rays complete, Jay was busy putting their coat back on when Valeria came click-clacking around the corner with her crutch.
"Thanks for the help, Doctor Echevaria," Jay smiled politely. "How long does it take to get results back?"
"Please, call me Valeria. And usually about a month."
"A month?" Jay clicked their tongue. "That's outrageous. I bet if this were testicles or some other men's health issue, it would have been resolved within the day," they frowned.
"Yeah, well, men can have breast cancer too, Jay." Valeria approximated a shrug. "And I don't just mean trans men."
"True. Sorry."
"I know it sucks. But the good news is women's health is coming further and further along every day. Soon, it will catch up. But we need to raise the next generation of women to be better than every last one before them."
"Oh, I'm not a woman. I'm…. complicated," Jay chuckled.
"What are your pronouns, Doctor?"
"Oh, no, please Valeria, call me Jay, and call me they/them and it/its. I fluctuate."
"Ah, good old genderfluid."
"Yep."
"So, forgive me for intruding on your personal thoughts, Jay, but what do you plan on doing if the mammogram comes back positive?" Valeria questioned.
"Hopefully it's early enough that a double mastectomy will be all I need," they nodded, finally finishing putting on their clothes.
"Are you married, Jay?"
"No. But I do have a partner. And a child. Not mine, he's adopted."
"What will you tell your partner?"
"I-I don't know. I don't want to scare Ilse. She's—" Jay started.
"Ilse? Ilse Reynders?" Valeria gawked. "Wow. Lucky you."
"Tell me about it," they chuckled. "But yeah. I don't want to scare her. She's tough, and definitely a fighter, but I don't want her worried about me, you know?"
"I think you should tell her. It's good to have a support system for this type of thing."
"I know but… I don't… ugh. Judging by your situation, you were in my position once?" Jay asked, a bit presumptive.
There was a brief silence, wherein Valeria and Jay maintained eye contact.
"What?" Valeria asked, blinking. "Oh. No. Mine never grew."
Jay turned red, embarrassed. "Sorry."
"Don't be. I'm proud to be who I am." Valeria smiled, reaching for her lanyard and showing Jay a pin with a yellow background and purple ring in the middle. "But don't go around assuming. When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me."
"Sorry, Valeria." Jay's gaze shifted away. "I'll do better next time."
The woman's crutch clicked and clacked as she approached her conversational partner, and then put her free hand on her shoulder.
"You're okay. I promise." Her grin was ever-dependable.
"Thanks. You know, I've been thinking of getting a mastectomy anyway." They looked down to their chest. "These things never did me any good. Plus they never felt right on me, you know what I mean?"
"My husband got one and he's been so much happier since then."
"Good for him. Does he work with the Foundation?"
"J&M Tech. Name's River Mato." She swapped hands holding the crutch, moving it to her right to show her left hand, and a modest wedding band on her fourth finger. "Married ten years. You ever think about getting married to Dr. Reynders?"
Jay flushed, and before they could say how they could never be half the partner Ilse deserved, they were cut off by the loud and obnoxious sound of a specific email address sending them a message — the same sound as earlier.
"Why do you have that as your tone? It's awful." Valeria frowned, watching as Jay reached into their pocket to pull their phone out.
"It's my former student." Jay sighed. "He's a pain in the ass. Means well, but, yeah. So that's why he gets this ringtone sound. Give me a moment to read over what he wants and I'll finish the paperwork with you in a second." They gestured towards the exit of the exam room.
From:
ralces@scp.int
To:
jeverwood@scp.int
Subject:
Jay!
Long time no see!
I've got something that might interest you for old time's sake.
Let me know ASAP, it involves you flying out here.
Dr. Rex Alces
Site-55
Head of GoI Research
Secure, Contain, Protect
From:
ralces@scp.int
To:
jeverwood@scp.int
Subject:
Jay!
Okay, I'll be honest. I think Wondertainment is breaking her promise to not enter hospitals again. Since you were the one who dealt with the tele huggers, I think it would be best if you handled this case with me.
Dr. Rex Alces
Site-55
Head of GoI Research
Secure, Contain, Protect
The soft hum of Valeria's personal space heater running in the background of her office tempoed well with the sound of Jay clacking on their phone.
Grumbling, Jay put down their mobile and got back to signing the paperwork Valeria had placed in front of them. There wasn't much of it, but they never cared much for paperwork to begin with. Across the desk from them was Valeria, who was typing at a terminal.
"Say, Valeria," they started, to which the other doctor nodded. "Would it be a good idea to travel while I'm waiting for the results?"
"It'll help you get your mind off of things. I say do it. Just make sure to let your family know," she replied, continuing to type away.
"Guess it's time for a trip down to Boston."
11 February
Grand Cove: Grand Bend, Lambton County, Ontario, Canada
Jay had spent the rest of the previous day preparing to get on the next transport out to 55. They had told Ilse and James they were seeing some old friends and to expect them back in a day or two, weather permitting. It was the middle of winter, after all.
They had also spent the last 24 hours agonizing over whether or not to tell Ilse. Valeria had promised them doctor/patient confidentiality, and they expected that to hold given that she didn't seem like the type to gossip and was too new to be looselipped with anyone else. They looked behind them at Ilse, James, and Milo, who were accompanying them through the snow that had accumulated outside the Inter-Sectional Subway System exit to the Foundation airfield nearby.
"Can we make snow angels, Mama?" James asked.
"After we walk your Baba to where they need to be," Ilse replied, tugging on Milo's leash, which was connected to a bright red vest that read 'SERVICE DOG, DO NOT PET.' Her other hand held James' own tiny hand as the two trailed behind Jay.
"Okay…" James replied, looking down at his feet. "It's so cold… It's like a Froslass used Blizzard!" He exclaimed, shivering.
"Can you tell me what types Froslass is, James?" Jay asked from further ahead.
"Ghost and Ice!"
"Very good, bud. Can you tell me what legend Froslass is based on?"
"Um… I don't remember." He covered his face with his free hand.
"It's based on—" Jay was interrupted by James before they could finish.
"It's based on the snow woman! From Japan! I remember! I remembered, Baba!"
"Great job!" They laughed.
"It's rude to interrupt people, James," Ilse pitched in.
"But Mama, I remembered!"
"It's okay buddy, just don't do it again." Jay turned to face him, smiling kindly.
"Yes, Baba," James nodded vigorously. The quartet continued to walk for a few minutes until the sight of a sleek hi-tech helicopter became visible through the fog and mist. "Whoah…" James said excitedly. It had been hidden in plain sight using advanced Foundation thaumaturgy, but to him, it was all wonderspeak.
"Okay, kiddo. End of the line for you. I gotta get on that plane over there. I'll be seeing you and Mama soon, okay?" Jay grinned, turning to face their family. They set their bag on the ground, which caused a jolt of pain to shoot through their breast and arm.
"You okay, dear?" Ilse asked, letting go of James' hand and approaching.
"I'm fine. Just strained from carrying my bag all the way."
"Are you sure?"
"Pinky promise," they offered a wry smile. Another lie, which Ilse bought. "Come say goodbye to me, kiddo." Jay looked over to their son, who was staring in awe at the chopper in the distance.
"Bye, Baba." James hugged them tightly, and buried his face in their midsection as he usually did in these situations. "I love you."
"Love you too, James. And you too, Ilse." The couple exchanged a brief kiss, their noses red from the cold meeting as they did so. "And you be good, Milo."
"Goodbye, dear. I'll call you." Ilse grabbed James' hand and took a few steps back.
Jay picked up their bag again and began walking toward the helicopter, which was ready for them to board. They sighed, watching as Ilse, James, and Milo faded into the fog of Lake Ontario and dead of winter snows. They wanted to turn back and call for Ilse, to tell her the truth, but they couldn't do that now.
With nowhere else to go, they got on and tossed their bag on the floor, taking a seat.
"Welcome back south!" Rex shouted over the spinning helicopter blades at the Site-55 landing pad. Jay got out of the chopper, bag in hand, and kept walking toward the Site ahead. "What, not even a hi? Hellooooo? Earth to Jay?"
They turned to face him, eyes puffy and red.
"Whoa, what's the matter, boss?" Rex asked, approaching his former mentor. "Here, let me take that." He pat Jay's back reassuringly and took their bag with his other hand.
"I—" they started, but stopped as soon as the thought crossed their mind.
"What? Here, let's go inside." Rex gently guided Jay into the open doors of Site-55's transport bay, a familiar haunt for Jay. He walked with them in silence all the way to the Site cafeteria, another old haunt. "There. Much better. What happened, Jay?" Rex repeated, sitting across from them.
"Rex… I— I might have cancer," Jay was finally able to choke out.
Their former pupil's eyes widened.
"But the worst part is I haven't told Ilse."
"Jay, it's okay, I—" Rex was abruptly cut off by Jay slamming their fist on the counter top.
"No. I can tell you, but I can't tell her? What kind of partner am I? And I'm expected to ask her to marry me at some point? What a joke," they yelled. "I don't want to worry her. I don't want to cause her worry because she was already pretty worried about me when we started dating. How will she feel now?"
The Site-55 cafeteria grew quieter than it had been in years. All eyes were on Jay and Rex. The man reached forward, putting his hand on their balled fist.
"Just tell me what the goddamn anomaly is so I can get out of here." Jay spoke quietly, rage burning away at their heart.
"I don't think—"
"Rex."
He swallowed.
"It's a kid with magic bandages in a hospital. You're good with kids so, maybe this will help."
"Let's get this over with."