Disclaimers: I don't own X-men in any form you can find them. Stan Lee,
Fox Searchlight, 20th Century Fox, Bryan Singer Blah Blah Blah Etcetera and
so for forth = NOT MINE + NO MONEY; so don't sue.
Spoilers: X-Men The Movie, the first one, though I'd like to think this story takes place just before the second one starts, which seemed to be around the beginning of summer. SEE TIME-LINE!!!
WARNINGS - - Must Read - - :
(1) I don't know the comics, I don't remember the cartoons from when I was little, but I liked the movies. A lot.
(2) This is a FemSlash FanFiction pairing of Jean/Marie (or Rogue if you so wish), and addresses thing that might fall under the topic of sexuality, and this story will have some sensual moments. If this offends you; sorry but . . . sod off. There will be bits and touches of Jean/Scott in there along with Marie/Bobby. Also, a brief touch on Logan mixed in with both (wow, that came out sounding *way* wrong; I meant the fact that they both seemed to be crushing on him). Also, I assume that Rogue is 18, though admittedly I don't know for sure.
(3) THIS FIC WILL NOT BE UP-DATED REGULARLY. I live off of my Buffy/Faith - Buffy/Tara - Buffy/Willow stories, but I have a this soft- spot for this Jean/Marie sweetness. I will update this Fic as often as I can, but that doesn't mean NEARLY as often as you might like, and definitely not as often as I'd like. Thanks for reading; regardless.
Time-Line: I guess this goes AU after the first movie, but then almost any FemSlash could be argued as AU, right? I figured that the start of the first movie took place in Spring; that's why Marie was planning out her summer, and it was getting Sunny-Bloomy in both the south and up in Salem, New York. Then the movie took place, some time passed, to get the feel of how much; READ THE STORY (it's explained) and The Xavier School is doing Summer School and Out-Door-Ed programs. ENTER MY FANFIC. Tah-dah!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
~ ~ ~ "Convention Forgotten" ~ ~ ~
Chapter One: "Revelations and Realizations"
Jean was woken in the middle of the night by a knocking at her door. As she sat up in bed, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, she tried to figure out who it could be. Her mind jumping to the worst, she rushed to answer it. There, in the hall, stood a tearful and frightened Marie.
"I'm sorry," She said tearfully, "But I didn't know where else to go." She took in a shuddering breath, and sniffled slightly, obviously about the start crying again. Jean looked at her wide-eyed, suddenly very awake, and moved aside to let the girl in.
"I don't know what to do, and I knew I needed to talk to a teacher." She said, pacing in the empty space between the bed and the bay windows. "I couldn't talk to any of the male teachers because I don't think that I can, and besides; Scott took that group of kids up the Ashland Shakespeare Festival with Storm, so I couldn't ask them even if I wanted. Also, with Storm gone, that didn't leave very many options as to who else I could tell. I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, being as late as it is and all, but I can't think of anyone else to turn to . . ." Marie slowly looked up from the carpet for the first time, catching Jean's still slightly surprised eye before plopping right down on the floor.
"Marie, whatever it is, it's okay." She said, slowly approaching the girl, "I understand, you can always talk to me." Jean carefully sat down next to the girl, not wanting to crowd her. she knew that the girl didn't have very many friend within the students, though not for lack of trying on the other children's part. The girl had always distanced herself from the others, it seemed. As she turned her face slowly towards the X-Woman, Jean was suddenly thankful that Marie at least felt that she had someone she could confide in.
"I Kissed Bobby." Jean smiled for what must have been a half a second before she realized something. Oh no, she thought, please don't tell me he's not lying dead in a hallway somewhere. Marie must have seen that she was starting to worry, and quickly continued speaking. "He's alright, if that's what you're thinking." She folded her hands into her lap and looked down at them. "He said he was anyways. He's been trying all week, and I kept making sure he didn't. We were sitting in the TV Room watching the movie with the other kids then . . . the next thing I know . . ."
"What?" Jean asked quietly, placing a hand gently over the night gown covering her shoulder. Marie jumped out of reach as though she'd been touched with a branding iron rather than a friendly gesture. "Marie, I'm not going to hurt you." She said gently, sitting closer and running her hand up and down the girl's back. She looked rather uncomfortable, but Jean didn't know if that was because she wasn't used to it, or because she felt out-of-place. "Tell me what happened." Jean asked quietly.
"Well, he leaned in and kissed me . . ." she said, looking back down at her hands, back stiff as ever, "and at first I was juts so chocked that I didn't move. But then . . . I started to *feel* it . . . It's been so long since I've felt someone else's skin I forget what it's like. And . . . I . . . I started kissing back. I kissed him until I felt his veins raise under my fingers . . ." with that the young girl started crying again, and Jean reached forward to hug her, she jumped back until she was sitting on the bay windows looking like a cornered animal.
"Don't touch me." She stated quietly, a mix of threat and sorrow, "It could kill you. Bobby fainted as I watched him walk back towards his room . . . I can't even kiss my boy-friend for five seconds without nearing draining him. He said he needed to lie down, and I spent the rest of the evening in my room trying not to turn my pens into icicles and my bed into a giant block of frozen fabric." She broke down into suck strong heaving sobs that she seemingly turned limp and fell onto the window-seat.
"Marie," Jean said, slowly approaching the girl as she cried. Seeing that the girl didn't even seem to notice her, she slowly sat down next to her, not wanting to scare her. As she carefully wrapped her arms around the southern girls shoulders. She didn't even seem to react. She just kept sobbing, and for that Jean was happy. She'd noticed before tonight that the poor child had been rather reclusive when I came to being close to people both physically and emotionally.
"Marie, it's okay. It's alright to be upset." She said gently, rubbing the girl's back as she slowly, ever so slowly, began to calm. "And not just for having to deal with Bobby's power in your system; he had no right to force himself upon you like that."
"He was sure he'd be fine." Marie defended quickly, her voice still wet from the recent tears, "He didn't mean to hurt anyone - " But the older woman wouldn't let her finish.
"That's still not Okay, Marie. He knows that touching you directly isn't safe. It hurts both the person touching you, and you yourself. If he really wanted to treat you fairly, he wouldn't have done it, and especially not the way he did." Jean ran a hand over the soft brown hair of her former Biology student, letting her fingers twine in the platinum streak. "I know for a fact that the week Logan was in a coma stick out in everyone's minds." Jean said quietly, unable to hold back a chuckle. "He knew that kissing you would yield bad results, and the fact that he wasn't willing to wait until we figured out a safe way shows that he doesn't have your best interest in mind."
"That's not all." Marie said quickly, but then fell silent again. she must have said it fast because she seemed almost afraid to go on. Jean looked at her expectantly, worrying if the boy had done more than simply kiss her. The longer they held contact, the more affected the both of them would be.
"What is it?" she asked, not wanting to rush the girl, though she knew that whatever she had to say next must have been terribly important.
"I think . . . I mean . . ." she girl started, it seemed as though she was unable to complete any sentence she started. Finally, closing her eyes and heaving a deep sigh, she continued.
"Do you remember that week," she said slowly, "the one where I was trying to deal with Logan's memories and his powers?" Jean nodded. The girl had come her complaining of pains in her wrists and arms and after running a few scans they'd discovered that Rogue now came equipped with her own set of claws and tendons to match. Luckily, that mutation faded over time as well.
"How could I forget?" Jean chuckled, "You started smoking cigars and anyone you didn't growl at you sniffed as subtly as you could." If it were at all possible, Marie seemed to slip even deeper into her self. The doctor began to wonder if there'd be anything left after a few more minutes.
"Well, with getting Logan's powers, I also got his memories . . . He had so many memories, but I didn't get any from the times in his life that even he couldn't remember. At first I thought that's what was wrong; just some stuff that was stuck in my system for too long, but . . . after tonight I don't think it is. And, well . . . it scared me." The girl let out another slight sob, and took in a deep shuddering breath.
"Marie, what's wrong?" Jean said, running her hand gently down the girl's back, but the girl scooted out of her touch again, much to Jean's surprise.
"I didn't want to kiss him." She said again, looking so innocent and helpless, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't want to kiss Bobby, I just wanted to be kissed. As I sat alone in my room, I realized it. It didn't matter to me if it was Bobby kissing me, The Professor, or even Kitty . . . I just wanted someone to want to be close to me. It's been so long since I've felt the touch of another person, and I know I'm not supposed to want it, but I do anyways." She looked away, her eye catching what was left of the moon hanging in the sky.
"There are so many people, even at this school, who are afraid to be near me . . . and Bobby seems to be the only one that isn't afraid to come within three feet of me, especially after that first time I took Logan's power. But that's where this all started." She said so quietly Jean had to strain to hear it, "The first time I got mostly his healing and only a couple of his thoughts and memories. But the second time . . . that time I got bone claws and a lot of his memories. And I thought that was what was influencing me."
"Influencing you in what?" Jean asked slowly, scooting closer to the girl again, wanting her to feel like there were others that were not afraid.
"I think . . . I mean . . . I'm pretty sure, I might . . . I could be . . ." Her sentences were choppy and short, halting and apprehensive. Jean knew that whatever this girl had to say, it was great in meaning. Though weather it was going to be a good or a bad something, Jean couldn't tell. But why would she be so nervous if it was a good thing, she wondered. "I think I might be, you know, transsexual." She said in a whisper. At that, Jean's eyes widened beyond what she thought would have been possible. Marie, seeing her reaction, widened her eyes in response.
"Uhm . . . are you sure?" Jean said, slightly shocked, not quite knowing what to say.
"Was that not the right word?" Marie asked slowly. Jean pinched her nose at the bridge, and closed her eyes.
"Uh, what are you trying to say?" she asked gently, slowly, completely floored by the revelation. I should have expected something like this though, she thought, her gaining of people's abilities and memories have had physical effects as well. Marie seemed slightly panicked by the older woman's reaction to her revelation, and cleared her throat.
"I, I just meant, you know, that I'm . . . I'm attracted to both women and men . . ." Jean couldn't help the relieved laughter that escaped her throat at that explanation.
"I'm sorry for laughing," she said as she calmed, placing a hand on Marie's shoulder, this time it wasn't shrugged away. "But Transsexual mean when you change you own gender, like a sex change . . ." Marie's face turned white, but an embarrassed smile broke out across her face, and even she couldn't help a small ashamed chuckle. "You mean Bisexual, I think."
"I guess so, I'm still very much a girl." She put a hand to her cheek, feeling the warmth of her blush underneath her fingers. "I've heard both those words before, but I've never been quite sure what they meant. I just assumed, with the roots and all . . . I'll look them up next time I feel the need to use words I don't know." Jean smiled warmly at here, gently rubbing her shoulder. But once again, Marie's face turned to one of nervousness.
"You're not angry, are you?" Marie asked. Jean shook her head, turning to face the girl a little more fully.
"No, I'm not. Most people you age, even mine, are still figuring things like this out. Some people don't even figure it out until they're married and in their fifties. People learn these things at different stages, and all for different reasons. But I think you're right; I don't think this is something that's just left over from your mind-trips into the lives of others. They might have been the key to unlocking it, but I think this is a part of *you*, Marie." Marie smiled sadly, and looked back out the window.
"I almost wish it was someone else's fault." She said quietly. "Then there'd be someone to blame that isn't me."
"There's no reason for blame at all, Marie, this is a normal thing." The girl didn't seem to believe her. "Really, it isn't. Even people, who aren't gay, or lesbian, or Bisexual, they have thoughts like yours, because everyone questions, you know why?" Marie shook her head, "Because it's normal." She finished with a smile.
"Really?" the girl asked, starting to lighten a little more.
"Really." All this talk was making Marie smile with memories she'd long forgotten, of her own experiences at this age. She remembered almost going into shock when she realized she'd been checking out Ororo's butt one day during training. She'd nearly locked herself in her room for three days, and in the end it was Storm who'd gotten her out of her shell.
Being her best-friend at the time, Ororo had come to check on her, to make sure she was alright. With time she realized that her little crush on the white-haired girl was because she was so likeable. Why shouldn't she like someone who cared for her, was nice, and as charming as Storm? But more than that, she realized it was normal. She didn't like men or women; she liked people. Marie was probably the same way. She was just glad that Marie felt she could trust her enough to tell her. Jean had never told, not even Scott, and she'd often wished that she'd had someone she could have told.
"But, I mean, mutants are rare enough as it is . . . and people who are sexually accepting, gay, lesbian, bi, all of it, are one in every ten. I'm a minority in a minority." She said defeatedly. Jean just smiled, and carefully put her arm around the girl.
"Just means you're extra special." At that both women laughed, and Marie whipped a tear from her eye. She turned and smiled at her former Biology teacher, this time it was genuine. Not sad, or dejected, but one revealing happiness. This was obviously something she'd been quite worried about, and it was probably bothering her for longer than she was letting on.
"Thanks for listening." She whispered, her voice telling just how much she appreciated it. Jean nodded, and let the girl get up. "I'm sorry I woke you up so late - "
"Don't worry about it," Jean assured her quickly, "I'm just glad you felt you could tell someone." Marie smiled, and walked to the door.
"Do you think that I should tell the professor? Would it be considered courteous of me to change to a single dorm, or anything like that?" Jean chuckled a little again, and got up, walking towards the younger woman.
"This is your own private business; you only have to tell whoever you want to tell, Marie. Besides, you're getting a single at the end of the summer, you're a X-Woman in training." Marie smiled at hearing that, and opened the door. "Assuming you make up those AP test and you're summer-make-up finals . . ." she added in a friendly threat. The younger girl just smiled, nodding, and walked through the door.
"Good night." She said quietly before turning and walking down the hall. As Jean slightly waved at her retreating back she couldn't help but think about how much the girl how grown in her short stay. She seemed so much older than when she first arrived, often having a feeling like she was older than she should be; jaded almost. But as she saw the young girl look back and smile at her, she realized, it only seemed fitting. She'd lived a lot for her young age. She'd lived her own, and parts of many others' live as well. The white streak in her hair revealing how old she was inside.
It made Jean feel young in turn.
.
(To Be Continued . . .)
~VixenRaign~
Spoilers: X-Men The Movie, the first one, though I'd like to think this story takes place just before the second one starts, which seemed to be around the beginning of summer. SEE TIME-LINE!!!
WARNINGS - - Must Read - - :
(1) I don't know the comics, I don't remember the cartoons from when I was little, but I liked the movies. A lot.
(2) This is a FemSlash FanFiction pairing of Jean/Marie (or Rogue if you so wish), and addresses thing that might fall under the topic of sexuality, and this story will have some sensual moments. If this offends you; sorry but . . . sod off. There will be bits and touches of Jean/Scott in there along with Marie/Bobby. Also, a brief touch on Logan mixed in with both (wow, that came out sounding *way* wrong; I meant the fact that they both seemed to be crushing on him). Also, I assume that Rogue is 18, though admittedly I don't know for sure.
(3) THIS FIC WILL NOT BE UP-DATED REGULARLY. I live off of my Buffy/Faith - Buffy/Tara - Buffy/Willow stories, but I have a this soft- spot for this Jean/Marie sweetness. I will update this Fic as often as I can, but that doesn't mean NEARLY as often as you might like, and definitely not as often as I'd like. Thanks for reading; regardless.
Time-Line: I guess this goes AU after the first movie, but then almost any FemSlash could be argued as AU, right? I figured that the start of the first movie took place in Spring; that's why Marie was planning out her summer, and it was getting Sunny-Bloomy in both the south and up in Salem, New York. Then the movie took place, some time passed, to get the feel of how much; READ THE STORY (it's explained) and The Xavier School is doing Summer School and Out-Door-Ed programs. ENTER MY FANFIC. Tah-dah!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
~ ~ ~ "Convention Forgotten" ~ ~ ~
Chapter One: "Revelations and Realizations"
Jean was woken in the middle of the night by a knocking at her door. As she sat up in bed, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, she tried to figure out who it could be. Her mind jumping to the worst, she rushed to answer it. There, in the hall, stood a tearful and frightened Marie.
"I'm sorry," She said tearfully, "But I didn't know where else to go." She took in a shuddering breath, and sniffled slightly, obviously about the start crying again. Jean looked at her wide-eyed, suddenly very awake, and moved aside to let the girl in.
"I don't know what to do, and I knew I needed to talk to a teacher." She said, pacing in the empty space between the bed and the bay windows. "I couldn't talk to any of the male teachers because I don't think that I can, and besides; Scott took that group of kids up the Ashland Shakespeare Festival with Storm, so I couldn't ask them even if I wanted. Also, with Storm gone, that didn't leave very many options as to who else I could tell. I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, being as late as it is and all, but I can't think of anyone else to turn to . . ." Marie slowly looked up from the carpet for the first time, catching Jean's still slightly surprised eye before plopping right down on the floor.
"Marie, whatever it is, it's okay." She said, slowly approaching the girl, "I understand, you can always talk to me." Jean carefully sat down next to the girl, not wanting to crowd her. she knew that the girl didn't have very many friend within the students, though not for lack of trying on the other children's part. The girl had always distanced herself from the others, it seemed. As she turned her face slowly towards the X-Woman, Jean was suddenly thankful that Marie at least felt that she had someone she could confide in.
"I Kissed Bobby." Jean smiled for what must have been a half a second before she realized something. Oh no, she thought, please don't tell me he's not lying dead in a hallway somewhere. Marie must have seen that she was starting to worry, and quickly continued speaking. "He's alright, if that's what you're thinking." She folded her hands into her lap and looked down at them. "He said he was anyways. He's been trying all week, and I kept making sure he didn't. We were sitting in the TV Room watching the movie with the other kids then . . . the next thing I know . . ."
"What?" Jean asked quietly, placing a hand gently over the night gown covering her shoulder. Marie jumped out of reach as though she'd been touched with a branding iron rather than a friendly gesture. "Marie, I'm not going to hurt you." She said gently, sitting closer and running her hand up and down the girl's back. She looked rather uncomfortable, but Jean didn't know if that was because she wasn't used to it, or because she felt out-of-place. "Tell me what happened." Jean asked quietly.
"Well, he leaned in and kissed me . . ." she said, looking back down at her hands, back stiff as ever, "and at first I was juts so chocked that I didn't move. But then . . . I started to *feel* it . . . It's been so long since I've felt someone else's skin I forget what it's like. And . . . I . . . I started kissing back. I kissed him until I felt his veins raise under my fingers . . ." with that the young girl started crying again, and Jean reached forward to hug her, she jumped back until she was sitting on the bay windows looking like a cornered animal.
"Don't touch me." She stated quietly, a mix of threat and sorrow, "It could kill you. Bobby fainted as I watched him walk back towards his room . . . I can't even kiss my boy-friend for five seconds without nearing draining him. He said he needed to lie down, and I spent the rest of the evening in my room trying not to turn my pens into icicles and my bed into a giant block of frozen fabric." She broke down into suck strong heaving sobs that she seemingly turned limp and fell onto the window-seat.
"Marie," Jean said, slowly approaching the girl as she cried. Seeing that the girl didn't even seem to notice her, she slowly sat down next to her, not wanting to scare her. As she carefully wrapped her arms around the southern girls shoulders. She didn't even seem to react. She just kept sobbing, and for that Jean was happy. She'd noticed before tonight that the poor child had been rather reclusive when I came to being close to people both physically and emotionally.
"Marie, it's okay. It's alright to be upset." She said gently, rubbing the girl's back as she slowly, ever so slowly, began to calm. "And not just for having to deal with Bobby's power in your system; he had no right to force himself upon you like that."
"He was sure he'd be fine." Marie defended quickly, her voice still wet from the recent tears, "He didn't mean to hurt anyone - " But the older woman wouldn't let her finish.
"That's still not Okay, Marie. He knows that touching you directly isn't safe. It hurts both the person touching you, and you yourself. If he really wanted to treat you fairly, he wouldn't have done it, and especially not the way he did." Jean ran a hand over the soft brown hair of her former Biology student, letting her fingers twine in the platinum streak. "I know for a fact that the week Logan was in a coma stick out in everyone's minds." Jean said quietly, unable to hold back a chuckle. "He knew that kissing you would yield bad results, and the fact that he wasn't willing to wait until we figured out a safe way shows that he doesn't have your best interest in mind."
"That's not all." Marie said quickly, but then fell silent again. she must have said it fast because she seemed almost afraid to go on. Jean looked at her expectantly, worrying if the boy had done more than simply kiss her. The longer they held contact, the more affected the both of them would be.
"What is it?" she asked, not wanting to rush the girl, though she knew that whatever she had to say next must have been terribly important.
"I think . . . I mean . . ." she girl started, it seemed as though she was unable to complete any sentence she started. Finally, closing her eyes and heaving a deep sigh, she continued.
"Do you remember that week," she said slowly, "the one where I was trying to deal with Logan's memories and his powers?" Jean nodded. The girl had come her complaining of pains in her wrists and arms and after running a few scans they'd discovered that Rogue now came equipped with her own set of claws and tendons to match. Luckily, that mutation faded over time as well.
"How could I forget?" Jean chuckled, "You started smoking cigars and anyone you didn't growl at you sniffed as subtly as you could." If it were at all possible, Marie seemed to slip even deeper into her self. The doctor began to wonder if there'd be anything left after a few more minutes.
"Well, with getting Logan's powers, I also got his memories . . . He had so many memories, but I didn't get any from the times in his life that even he couldn't remember. At first I thought that's what was wrong; just some stuff that was stuck in my system for too long, but . . . after tonight I don't think it is. And, well . . . it scared me." The girl let out another slight sob, and took in a deep shuddering breath.
"Marie, what's wrong?" Jean said, running her hand gently down the girl's back, but the girl scooted out of her touch again, much to Jean's surprise.
"I didn't want to kiss him." She said again, looking so innocent and helpless, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't want to kiss Bobby, I just wanted to be kissed. As I sat alone in my room, I realized it. It didn't matter to me if it was Bobby kissing me, The Professor, or even Kitty . . . I just wanted someone to want to be close to me. It's been so long since I've felt the touch of another person, and I know I'm not supposed to want it, but I do anyways." She looked away, her eye catching what was left of the moon hanging in the sky.
"There are so many people, even at this school, who are afraid to be near me . . . and Bobby seems to be the only one that isn't afraid to come within three feet of me, especially after that first time I took Logan's power. But that's where this all started." She said so quietly Jean had to strain to hear it, "The first time I got mostly his healing and only a couple of his thoughts and memories. But the second time . . . that time I got bone claws and a lot of his memories. And I thought that was what was influencing me."
"Influencing you in what?" Jean asked slowly, scooting closer to the girl again, wanting her to feel like there were others that were not afraid.
"I think . . . I mean . . . I'm pretty sure, I might . . . I could be . . ." Her sentences were choppy and short, halting and apprehensive. Jean knew that whatever this girl had to say, it was great in meaning. Though weather it was going to be a good or a bad something, Jean couldn't tell. But why would she be so nervous if it was a good thing, she wondered. "I think I might be, you know, transsexual." She said in a whisper. At that, Jean's eyes widened beyond what she thought would have been possible. Marie, seeing her reaction, widened her eyes in response.
"Uhm . . . are you sure?" Jean said, slightly shocked, not quite knowing what to say.
"Was that not the right word?" Marie asked slowly. Jean pinched her nose at the bridge, and closed her eyes.
"Uh, what are you trying to say?" she asked gently, slowly, completely floored by the revelation. I should have expected something like this though, she thought, her gaining of people's abilities and memories have had physical effects as well. Marie seemed slightly panicked by the older woman's reaction to her revelation, and cleared her throat.
"I, I just meant, you know, that I'm . . . I'm attracted to both women and men . . ." Jean couldn't help the relieved laughter that escaped her throat at that explanation.
"I'm sorry for laughing," she said as she calmed, placing a hand on Marie's shoulder, this time it wasn't shrugged away. "But Transsexual mean when you change you own gender, like a sex change . . ." Marie's face turned white, but an embarrassed smile broke out across her face, and even she couldn't help a small ashamed chuckle. "You mean Bisexual, I think."
"I guess so, I'm still very much a girl." She put a hand to her cheek, feeling the warmth of her blush underneath her fingers. "I've heard both those words before, but I've never been quite sure what they meant. I just assumed, with the roots and all . . . I'll look them up next time I feel the need to use words I don't know." Jean smiled warmly at here, gently rubbing her shoulder. But once again, Marie's face turned to one of nervousness.
"You're not angry, are you?" Marie asked. Jean shook her head, turning to face the girl a little more fully.
"No, I'm not. Most people you age, even mine, are still figuring things like this out. Some people don't even figure it out until they're married and in their fifties. People learn these things at different stages, and all for different reasons. But I think you're right; I don't think this is something that's just left over from your mind-trips into the lives of others. They might have been the key to unlocking it, but I think this is a part of *you*, Marie." Marie smiled sadly, and looked back out the window.
"I almost wish it was someone else's fault." She said quietly. "Then there'd be someone to blame that isn't me."
"There's no reason for blame at all, Marie, this is a normal thing." The girl didn't seem to believe her. "Really, it isn't. Even people, who aren't gay, or lesbian, or Bisexual, they have thoughts like yours, because everyone questions, you know why?" Marie shook her head, "Because it's normal." She finished with a smile.
"Really?" the girl asked, starting to lighten a little more.
"Really." All this talk was making Marie smile with memories she'd long forgotten, of her own experiences at this age. She remembered almost going into shock when she realized she'd been checking out Ororo's butt one day during training. She'd nearly locked herself in her room for three days, and in the end it was Storm who'd gotten her out of her shell.
Being her best-friend at the time, Ororo had come to check on her, to make sure she was alright. With time she realized that her little crush on the white-haired girl was because she was so likeable. Why shouldn't she like someone who cared for her, was nice, and as charming as Storm? But more than that, she realized it was normal. She didn't like men or women; she liked people. Marie was probably the same way. She was just glad that Marie felt she could trust her enough to tell her. Jean had never told, not even Scott, and she'd often wished that she'd had someone she could have told.
"But, I mean, mutants are rare enough as it is . . . and people who are sexually accepting, gay, lesbian, bi, all of it, are one in every ten. I'm a minority in a minority." She said defeatedly. Jean just smiled, and carefully put her arm around the girl.
"Just means you're extra special." At that both women laughed, and Marie whipped a tear from her eye. She turned and smiled at her former Biology teacher, this time it was genuine. Not sad, or dejected, but one revealing happiness. This was obviously something she'd been quite worried about, and it was probably bothering her for longer than she was letting on.
"Thanks for listening." She whispered, her voice telling just how much she appreciated it. Jean nodded, and let the girl get up. "I'm sorry I woke you up so late - "
"Don't worry about it," Jean assured her quickly, "I'm just glad you felt you could tell someone." Marie smiled, and walked to the door.
"Do you think that I should tell the professor? Would it be considered courteous of me to change to a single dorm, or anything like that?" Jean chuckled a little again, and got up, walking towards the younger woman.
"This is your own private business; you only have to tell whoever you want to tell, Marie. Besides, you're getting a single at the end of the summer, you're a X-Woman in training." Marie smiled at hearing that, and opened the door. "Assuming you make up those AP test and you're summer-make-up finals . . ." she added in a friendly threat. The younger girl just smiled, nodding, and walked through the door.
"Good night." She said quietly before turning and walking down the hall. As Jean slightly waved at her retreating back she couldn't help but think about how much the girl how grown in her short stay. She seemed so much older than when she first arrived, often having a feeling like she was older than she should be; jaded almost. But as she saw the young girl look back and smile at her, she realized, it only seemed fitting. She'd lived a lot for her young age. She'd lived her own, and parts of many others' live as well. The white streak in her hair revealing how old she was inside.
It made Jean feel young in turn.
.
(To Be Continued . . .)
~VixenRaign~