I guess I should include the standard disclaimer stuff: X-men characters are not mine, blah blah blah…Don't sue me, blah blah blah…
Prologue
Jean had always loved the snow. From the time she was a toddler she'd been
fascinated by it – by its pureness, the way it sparkled. Magical things seemed
to happen when it snowed – the normal, everyday world was transformed into a
veritable fairy land. It was the most beautiful thing in the world to Jean.
Jean had introduced Scott to her favorite childhood ritual the second winter
he'd been at the Xavier Institute. Well after midnight
one night in late November, Jean tip-toed down the hall and into Scott's room.
"Scott," she whispered, shaking him gently. "Scott, wake
up."
"Huh – Jean? What's the matter? Are you ok?" he asked, afraid that
she'd had one of her nightmares.
"Shhh! I'm fine. Get dressed and meet me downstairs."
"Why?" he asked, reluctant to leave the warmth of his bed.
"We're going for a walk."
"Why?"
"Because it's snowing," she explained, her eyes sparkling. "It's
beautiful out, Scott. Please come with me – I want to go for a walk. The
world's different when it snows, it's…better somehow."
And because Scott was able to deny Jean nothing, the two of
them spent an hour wandering around the Institute's grounds in the middle of
the night. They threw snowballs, made snow angels, and just sat by lake
watching the snow fall. Scott loved every minute of it.
So began one of many long-standing traditions for Scott Summers and Jean Grey.