A/N: I didn't really want to put this into two chapters because it wasn't meant to be read as such but I feel like 5000+ words can be a little intimidating for a one one shot. I may eventually go back and just put it all together but for now, here it is. All characters are written as teenagers, Jean herself being 18.

Flames ripped at her bare back as her arms were extended wide. She felt like she was burning crucified and every single tear that spilled from her eyes burned like new hell all the way down her face and to her bare chest. No restraints were actually on her to hold her in place. It was this indescribable feeling of nothingness mixed together with everything that she only knew to be a telekinetic hold on her wrist and waist. She also knew the agony in her head to be that of telepathy, but not her own, no not her own. It was an electric feeling over her mind that intensified every strike to her body. Whoever was inside her head was only there to make sure she remained conscious enough to fully experience all the pain that was being brought to her.

Jean cried out again against her own will. Wanting so much to remain quiet as if this attack was not breaking her, but she did not hold the will to do so. Soft olive colored skin was ripped, red, and bloody. Long luscious red hair was tangled and strewn everywhere but over her face, where she really wished it to be. If only to hide the shame and defeat on her face. There was another lick at her back that sent a shiver of pain down her spine and her scream shook her body.

Before she knew it she was flying forward, snapped into reality after so long and met with the darkness of her room. It was all a dream.

Jean reached down to her soft mattress below her and as soon as she did she regretted it. Having not realized before that she was not lying in her bed but levitating above it, trying to touch it below her seemed to rip the telekinetic carpet from under her and she fell. Jean however had moved in tonight's telekinetic fit just slightly to the right of her bed, so instead of falling harmlessly back into a pile of blankets she fell to the floor, smacking the back if her head on the nightstand next to her bed. The alarm clock that sat on it along with some other useless things fell to the floor in a rather noisy crash at their resting place being disturbed. Jean would have usually been quick to pick them up as if somehow removing them from the place that they crashed to would reverse the sound that they had made previously.

Now though Jean was curled into a ball on the floor, her hands wrapped around the back if her throbbing head as she tried not to scream out in pain, she didn't want anyone coming to find her like this. Jean bit into her lower lip, trying to transfer the pain she felt and the urge she had to scream loudly into a more quiet and subtle pain. She tasted the blood in her mouth from the death grip she had on her lip with her teeth.

Jean breathed out through her nose hard though as she let up in her lip and loosened the grip on her head, now just resulting to staying in that ball on the floor. Covering her face with her arms, her body shook with silent sobs. She thought she had outgrown these telepathic fits.

She thought she had more control than this.

"Oh there is no way Bobby." Ororo let out with a laugh as the younger mutant smiled at her.

"Usually I'd make a big deal about it but seeing as how you're the only person I know who can survive a ice bomb from the ice man himself, I'll let you slide. You've earned your respect wind rider." Bobby pushed a spoon full of cereal into his mouth as Ororo and Warren both started to laugh hysterically.

"Yeah sure thing Bobby. Besides, of course I can survive anything you dish out. Don't you think it'd be a little silly if I can control the weather but I actually get cold...or hot for that matter." It was true. Aside from the abnormal instance of a fever from the flu or something else relating to her being sick, Ororo never got hot or cold. Her powers came with a satisfying side effect of being impervious to heat or cold and so Ororo most usually remained a nice comfortable 98.6 degrees.

"Morning Jean." Warren was the first to notice Jean slowly walk into the kitchen and Bobby and Ororo turned with greetings of their own.

"Hey guys." Jean gave a thoughtless wave as she shuffled over to the fridge to grab the cartoon of orange juice.

"Well you look lovely this fine morning. And of course by lovely I mean terribly sleep deprived." Warren and Ororo stared at Bobby in his blatancy.

"You know Bobby, you have all of the subtly of a neon sign on the Vegas strip." Warren offered in a flat tone.

"It's a gift." Bobby shrugged. And while it might have been not the nicest way to point it out, Bobby did indeed have a point. Ororo eyed Jean for a second while she poured a cup of orange juice.

"Did you get much sleep last night Jean? I heard some bumping around really late." Ororo pried slightly having meant anyway to ask Jean about the noise she heard coming from her room at such an odd hour.

Had Ororo thought anything of it, she would have asked Jean when the two had a moment alone.

"Yeah that was me." Jean nodded as she spoke.

"What were you doing?" Ororo's curiosity grew.

"Just...fixing something." Usually Jean would have been better with her answers, having thought them out ahead of time. But she hadn't been getting much sleep for the past couple of weeks now, and she was so tired.

"Liiikkkkeee?" Ororo implored her to continue.

"Like stuff." Ororo had never known Jean to be so course with her unless of course she was hiding something. And judging by the way Jean was dead stuck on avoiding Ororo's eyes, she would guess that she was either realizing a new found interest border lining obsession with orange juice, or she was definitely hiding something. Ororo let it sit for a second and pretended to turn her interest back to the boys who were going on about Twinkies as Jean stood at the end of the table. Before Ororo could say something though, Jean was placing her glass in the sink and hurriedly leaving the kitchen, quickly Ororo rose to follow her.

"Hey Jean, you mind coming with me for a sec? I want to get your opinion on something." Jean stopped in her tracks and hesitated before she turned around.

"I would mind actually," Jean motioned behind her with her thumb. "I'm busy, I gotta go." Ororo watched as Jean turned around again and headed to the front door, opening it, leaving, and slamming it shut with a desperate quickness.

"That was an almost perfect danger room session X-men. Hopefully next time we'll have a full team." Scott's jaw was set in frustration as he mentioned them being down one member with the absence of Jean. He of course took danger room sessions very seriously and rarely ever let up, regardless of which of them it was that was the weak link.

"Yeah, where the heck is Jean?" Warren asked, admittedly a little annoyed himself. "Without her here I had to take all the throws." His wings twitched as he walked away from the group of teens. "I swear, all I ever do is catch X-men."

Just as Warren turned the corner, the professor came wheeling up to the remainder of the teens, a small smile of amusement at Warren visible on his face.

"Very good work adapting however Scott. It was still a very successful training exercise."

"Yeah don't sweat it, O' Fearless." Bobby announced as he threw an arm around Scott's shoulder.

"Would you all stop calling me that?!" Scott protested and shoved an arm into Bobby's side to push him off. "Have you seen Jean professor?" The professor shook his head.

"I'm afraid I have not Scott, but you needn't worry. I'll be sure to talk with Jean about missing training sessions myself." Scott nodded as he walked away with Hank and Bobby in tote.

"Speaking of Jean Professor, I was wondering if you had a moment?"

"Of course Ororo. I had a feeling that you were a little uneasy, perhaps distracted?" The two turned and talked as they headed up from the lower levels of the mansion.

"Honestly I'm a little worried about Jean. She's been acting...strange lately."

"Mhmm." The professor seemed to take Ororo's concerns in for a moment, tossing them around his head. "I have noticed a bit of hesitation from Jean in our independent sessions. I do trust however that if there is anything that weighs heavily on Jean's mind she would come to me if not certainly to you." Ororo nodded not really satisfied with his answer though not pushing the issue any further.

She knew of the professor's wish to not use his own abilities to be intrusive in their minds.

"You're probably right."

After changing from her uniform Ororo had decided to go and try to find Jean again. Sporting a pair of Adidas joggers, a hugging white V-neck long sleeve shirt, and her white hair in a messy bun, Ororo went to Jean's room first to see if she had returned. Only being 2 doors down, Ororo usually heard if Jean was being loud in her room, but still two doors down made to be a fine buffer that it was never a problem for her. Finding the door slightly open already, Ororo pushed it the remainder of the way without a second thought.

Jean was her best friend, there wasn't much about her that Ororo didn't know, nor was there much about Ororo that Jean didn't know. The only things that really remained mysteries were the things that were too painful for them to even admit to their own-selves, and even still those things had eventually gotten worked through with the aid of each other. Ororo wasn't surprised to see that Jean's room was empty even though it was well on it's way to 9:00pm. The sun had gone down and usually Jean would have been back to the mansion by now, perhaps if she didn't return before it got too late Ororo would start to worry.

The first thing that caught Ororo's eye was the vanity that sat in the back of Jean's room. Ororo had one just like in her room but hers wasn't missing the large mirror that sat in the middle of it like Jean's was. Ororo looked at it in confusion while she walked slowly towards it, as if observing it more would some how give her insight as to where the mirror had gone.

"What are you doing in here?" Ororo snapped quickly around, surprised by both Jean's sudden entrance and the ire in her tone.

"Oh uh, I was looking for you." For a second Jean stood in the entrance of the doorway, just staring down Ororo's blue eyes with her deep green eyes. And just as Ororo started to feel the burn of her gaze she broke away. Moving around her bed, Jean began to pick up some things on the floor, her alarm clock and some books.

"Where have you been all day?" Ororo watched Jean as she worked but knew she was more so trying to keep herself busy. With her back facing her friend, Jean only gave a rough shrug in response.

"You missed a danger room session you know. Scott's a little pissed but you know how he is. The professor said he would talk to you about it though." Jean had suddenly stopped moving, as she stayed kneeled to the floor. She had forgotten that there was a danger room session. Damn her and the way she felt now. It only meant that Ororo wasn't going to be the only one breathing down her neck. Jean rubbed her forehead as she stood and faced Ororo, the disdain gone from her tone and posture and what Ororo thought was exasperation took its place.

"Look I'm really tired 'Ro, can we just...not do this?" Jean's voice cracked a little and she almost felt like she would cry right there and judging by the look on Ororo's face she knew she looked it too. Ororo was hesitant. She wasn't sure which she wanted to do, or rather, which would be the decision of the better friend.

To pester Jean now and force whatever was bothering her out even though it was obvious that she actually was tired and maybe a goodnights sleep could help.

Or maybe let her rest and see how she did in the morning. Though by then she would have been equipped to master the way she looked to you. Hiding behind her smiles and her light laughter, knowing exactly what to say and what to do because she knew that you were onto her.

Quirks of being best friends with Jean Grey the telepath.

Maybe against her better judgment she chose the latter.

"Yeah sure Jean, sure." Ororo stuffed her hands in her pockets and left the room.

The crack about the subtly of the neon sign is a shout out to fellow arthur Trinity Day and their story 'Nightmares'