Speaking
Thinking
Telepathic (or author's note)
Let's start off with a small author's note. This story starts WAY before the show does, so I hope you're reading this with an open mind and imagination. This Fantastic Four is mostly based off of the movies (personality wise) whereas these X-men and the universe are based off of the cartoon.
OH! The main difference is that the Four are mutants, not radiation affected scientists.
Each chapter has been redone, so if you've read this story before, I promise each chapter is much better than what I had before. I hope you like it better than before, because I know I do. The content is nearly the same, with slight changes. The writing is just a bit more mature. Enjoy!
An alarm clock blaring her awake in the morning always sent a flash of red hot anger through Jean, but she supposed it was better to have that anger directed at an inanimate object rather than someone she cared about. She was disappointed to stand and look at the calendar, finding she had one more week left in the government imposed torture center they labeled as school. She'd wished to wake up and find it already summer.
One week left and three months of sun, sleep, and Johnny start. she thought with a smile.
"Jean! Let's go! Your breakfast is getting cold," Ororo Munroe, her mother for all intents and purposes, shouted from the end of the hall.
"Coming!" she shouted back.
Ororo was better known as Storm, and she had taken an eleven year old Jean under her wing when Jean's parents had shipped her off to Xavier's, not wanting to deal with their telepathic daughter anymore. Sure, they loved her and everything, she got weekly letters, packages, and phone calls from them, but, though they would never admit it, they were ashamed of having someone so unlike them for a daughter. They prefered their first daughter, Sara.
If Jean was completely honest with herself, the only person she found herself missing by a measurable amount was her sister. Sara and Jean had never been hostile with each other, and had, in fact, been quite close before she had been shipped off. They tried to maintain the connection, but there was a distance between them making them now feel more like cousins than sisters.
That was all well and good at the end of the day in Jean's mind. That's what she had Sue for, after all.
She slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and her hair into a fiery red ponytail, and took off down the hall without a backwards glance. She would get her backpack later.
Her body finally stopped running when she slid into her seat, earning her a disapproving glance from Ororo. She just smiled sheepishly and dug into her pancakes, giggling as Logan gave her a wink. If Ororo was the mother figure, Logan, known to others as Wolverine, was father figure in the sense of protection. She'd come to them at the age of six and was very scared and shy. He'd instantly felt drawn to protect her and had been there for her ever since.
"Exams start today, yes? You do have exams in 8th grade right?" Ororo asked, sipping on her tea.
Jean nodded, swallowing before speaking, "They usually do them the last three days, but since they're re-arranging a bunch of stuff for next year, they thought it would be easier on us if they just stretched it over the whole week."
"So which form of torture do you have to endure today?" Logan smirked.
"English, I think," she shrugged. "It's not like it really matters. I'm ready."
"After your exams are done, how are you going to spend your summer?"
Jean rolled her eyes, "Practicing, of course! I can't let the heat slip up my game! I have to make JV!"
Logan chuckled, "I don't think they could keep you off the team if they tried, Red, but what's Johnny going to do in that time? From what I've heard from Sue, Johnny was looking forward to spending the summer with you."
"He can be my personal cheerleader. He's pretty good at that."
"Kind of hard not to be, with a girlfriend as talented as you," he winked.
She groaned, "I'm not your girlfriend, Johnny."
"But you will be."
"In your dreams."
"Yes, you are."
Ororo coughed, "Jean, you're going to be late."
She stuffed the last mouthfuls of syrupy pancake into her mouth a waved a goodbye at her surrogate family. She flew up the flight of stairs, knowing Johnny would be at her heels.
She picked her green and yellow backpack off the floor, "Do you know where the professor is?"
He shrugged, "I heard he was getting some new kid settled in."
"Did you hear anything-WAIT! A new kid!" Jean grinned.
"Yep! Seven years in solitary confinement and they finally decide to give you a playmate. You're moving up in the world, Grey."
She punched his arm, "Shut up! Did you hear anything else?"
"I heard it was really difficult to get this kid here. Apparently, he was an orphan from somewhere out west, Nebraska, I think. Anyway, there was a ton of paperwork to get him here and S.H.I.E.L.D. even had to pull some strings. His mutation caused some damage and people wanted payment. Now he's coming here and this should be fun," he said sarcastically.
She ruffled his blond hair, "Scared of a little competition?"
Johnny snorted, "You wish. Your heart is mine. You just don't know it yet."
She laughed, "I don't know. Ben is kind of sexy."
"Please! His mutation makes a gila monster look gorgeous."
Jean frowned, "That was mean. You know mutations can't be controlled. Do you think Sue would have wanted to spontaneously turn invisible for a year before Xavier taught her to control it?"
"No, but it was kind of fun to see floating clothes walking around the mansion."
She couldn't deny that and giggled with him. The Storm siblings were something else, "I'm just glad that she and Reed have stayed together."
"Nothing could tear them apart. They've practically fused their atoms together."
"Are you taking science lessons from Reed again?" she questioned.
Before he could answer, they heard a shout from downstairs, "Johnny! Stop distracting her! You both need to go!"
They laughed and walked down the hall together. Sue was a few years older than Johnny, as were Reed and Ben, leaving an annoying age gap in between which couldn't be filled even with the most tender of kindness. Johnny's reckless nature made sure of that. Jean and Johnny had bonded almost instantaneously.
Now, as they walked down the stairs, Johnny felt what Jean had accused him of earlier. Jealousy.
The boy standing there was lanky in build and shy in personality, but he was handsome with his shaggy brown hair and clearly had muscles underneath his scrawniness. God help him if the kid ever decided to bulk up, which he probably would. It was the X-men after all.
"Johnny, Jean, meet Scott Summers," Charles smiled at them.
Jean smiled back, but mostly directed at Scott. Charles had been a great father figure, emotionally, but other than the Four, she'd never truly had any friends or siblings. It was fun to finally meet someone who would be living the life she was so accustomed to.
"Scott, this is Jean Grey and Jonathan Storm. Jean is also a student at the Institute. Johnny lives here when here for tutoring with his mutation. Otherwise he lives with his sister and two friends in New York City. This year was a bit different and he decided with the emergence of his powers to stay here and goes to Bayville Middle School with Jean."
Johnny nearly laughed. Jean did instead. Scott looked confused so Jean took pity on him, "Johnny's sister and Reed and Ben, the two other guys, are very different from him. He likes coming here more."
Scott nodded and acknowledgement and Johnny felt a flare of anger. Why did this kid need to know about him? What made him so special?
Johnny tried to take her hand, but she unconsciously pulled it away while being distracted by the new kid. His heart fell into his shoes. For the first time in his life, Johnny Storm had competition.
