Xaviers!

Cam was tinkering in the lab this time -- from time to time, looking over at the army people milling around with squinty eyes, trying to shield off whatever he was doing from them.

((open))

There was a knock.

Knock Knock Knock.

"Yes, yes, yes, jawohl military types, I'm not stealing your state secrets."

Bear just stood there, and cleared her throat.

"Coming down with a cold or something? I might have something that can fix that in here."

"Some eye contact might be helpful.."

Cam sighed and turned around. "What is it?"

"I wanted to apologize. It was wrong of me to break the component you were working on in the TV room. I'm sorry."

She reached into her satchel, pulling out a slightly used game console.

"Same model. I hope we can start over."

Cam looked at it with a raised eyebrow. "What would I do with a game console? Nono, you've missed your opportunity; the poor girl had to go elsewhere for help; you can't retroactively fix things here."

"I'm not sure what you are talking about. I broke something of yours, and I was a real jerk about it. I've replaced it, and I apologized. If that's not enough, then whatever. I'll see you when I see you."

"What I'm talking about? I was creating a device to help someone with amnesia recover their memories. And you came along and stopped that from happening. You didn't ask; you just came in and destroyed. You didn't think about who you were hurting, you just hurt. I'm fine with 'whatever'."

Bear turned with a scowl, and left Cam to his work.

"Sweet. I hope we never talk again."

"Don't break anymore stuff!"

"Don't be a dickhead!"

"What, precisely, have I done that is being a dickhead? Explain it to me. Name one thing I've done that's half as bad as what you've done. Go."

"Am I really the first person who refused to put up with your crap? Wow. England really is repressed."

"No, but you're the first person to come in and break my equipment! Like, even the crazies at Muir never went that far."

"Your equipment was a used x-box. which I replaced and apologized for. You need to prioritize."

"And four toasters, which were being used for a time-critical project. But you didn't care about that, did you? No, you just had to come in and play the bully.

Apologies can't change what was already ruined."

"You never mentioned any time critical project, using other people's things. You just acted like an ass. I've apologized. You haven't. And if you continue to act like an ass to everyone you meet, guess what? It's going to happen again."

"I didn't do anything wrong! I have nothing to apologize for. Get out, before I call the headmistress on you."

"Gladly!"

Bear turned and left, done with the jerk.