A/N: Welcome to Part I of the Prologue for Doubt that the Sun Doth Shine. Enjoy. -CC
Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill: I don't own X-Men or it's affiliates.
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Twenty-two years ago:
One day.
One day.
A small amount of time in the grand scheme of things, if you thought about it.
But Jean Grey wasn't thinking about it. One day was the amount of time it had taken for her life to fall apart. Her perfect, carefully sculpted reputation, her whole image was gone! Thirteen years, completely erased in one freaking day.
She had been at school just that last Monday, walking between classes with her so-perfect boyfriend, one of those football captain types. Maybe not the brightest of the bunch, but man did he look good! She was looking forward to the dance on Friday; she'd gotten this awesome dress that matched her green eyes, and he'd be wearing a tux. He'd actually rented a tux!
The older couples that lived in the same neighborhood as the Grey family always remarked on how sweet she was, how smart, what a precious girl she was. How cute she looked with her boyfriend. They might be a little young, but what harm could puppy love do? And Jean worked very hard to keep that illusion. It was her dream. She could just see it now: Prom Queen with some gorgeous boy on her arm; captain of the cheer squad; straight-A student; basically, the American Dream for a thirteen-year-old girl.
And then, five days before the dance, he dumped her. And he didn't even have the decency to do it privately; he just looked up at her from his seat at the lunch table, a smirk on his lips and a girl at his side. Whom she just noticed. Wait, what? What is going on?
"Sorry Jean… you know how it goes… Can we just be friends?" Friends? FRIENDS? Her mind scrambled for an answer, some way out of this that would preserve even a shred of her dignity. But she could come up with nothing. The other students were already starting to giggle and point, loving this sudden new twist in the sordid affairs of middle school.
I can't believe she didn't figure it out; I've been cheating on her for two months! She looked up in surprise. Did her boyfriend just say he'd been cheating on her?
Stupid bitch finally got what was coming to her.
Jean whirled around, looking for the owner of that particular comment. But all she saw were closed mouths and laughing eyes, eyes that were laughing at her.
Seriously, they named her Girl of the Year? Everyone knew he was cheating on her.
Jean, on the verge of tears, shifted her gaze to look at her suddenly not-so-perfect ex-boyfriend. "You've been cheating on me? For two months? How could you do that to me?"
His smile gone, the boy looked more than confused. "How did you know that?"
"You just told me!" He looked at her blankly, wondering what she was talking about.
How did she manage straight A's? Probably gave the teachers lap dances, the little slut.
Jean gasped, not believing what she was hearing. Her friends, all the people she thought cared about her, were now laughing and saying horrible things about her.
But, were they? Jean hadn't seen a single one of them actually speak... What is going on?
With her concentration no longer focused on her "friends," voices suddenly exploded into her mind, overwhelming her. She screamed and clutched at her head, not able to bare the extreme weight of the emotions of the hundreds of people around her. She dropped to her knees and screamed again, willing the voices to leave.
Get away from me! Jean shouted it in their minds as several students made their way towards her, making them wince with the force of it. In the aftermath, they would all wonder how they had heard her. The students backed off, leaving her in a loose circle.
The ground began to shake, tremors shooting deep into the earth. The students screamed as a voice came on over the loud speaker. "Students and faculty members, this is an earthquake. This is not a drill." Duh came the hurried yet exasperated thought from many students as they all jammed themselves under tables and chairs.
All except for the redhead in the center of the room, still on the ground and seemingly wholly focused on herself. "Stop it... please stop it," she moaned, rocking back and forth.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, tugging her towards the "safety" of the tables. She shrugged it off, but the hand was persistent. "Leave me alone!" She could hardly focus enough to speak, and it came out as more of a mumble than anything.
But the authoritative hand continued to shake and pull. Come on you idiot girl, you'll get us both killed!
And she snapped, loosing what little control she had on herself. The hand went deathly still. Jean looked up in horror to find the lunch tables floating fifteen feet off the ground, the students screaming and streaming out of the huge room.
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Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
Charles Xavier looked at the tall boy before him, watching proudly as first one disc then another were incinerated by the boy's red eye-blasts. Scott Summers had come a long way in the three years he had been here, working to control his powers. Xavier remembered when Scott had come to the mansion for the first time. He had been a timid child of ten years, always jumping when spoken to or noticed by anyone, especially those older than him. Now Scott walked the school grounds with pride, having gained control over his unique and deadly gift.
"Professor?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry Scott." Xavier snapped out of his reverie and threw another disc into the air, followed by several more.
Get away from me!
Xavier doubled over in surprise and clutched his head, not prepared for a mutant powerful enough to shatter his mental blocks. Confusion flooded his mind before he rapidly built another barrier to protect himself. Straightening up with Scott's concerned help, the professor quickly made his way to the underground passages of the mansion that housed Cerebro.
Eric? Charles thought to his long-time friend. I may have need of your assistance.
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Jean lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her thoughts were so muddled she couldn't pick one from the other.
If I've told her once I've told her a hundred times--
I come home from a long day at work, the least he could do is--
Get that mangy ball of fur away from me! Oh, I detest dogs, they're so--
I can't believe her! Sleeping with the boss to get ahead of me!
Jean moaned, wishing with all her might that she could make the voices go away.
It's alright, Jean. I've come to help you. The calm and soothing voice sounded gently in her head, but it was powerful enough to block out all the others, for which she was grateful.
She heard a knock at the door downstairs, and a moment later the surprised tone of her parents' voices. She felt mixed emotions of relief and confusion from her parents, and beside them a warm presence she couldn't quite identify. Certainly not someone she had ever met before, but a man. Definitely a man, she decided. And beside him, another. He was cooler and more aloof; the faintest feeling of disdain rolled off of this one.
She waited for what felt like hours for her parents to call her down, and they finally did. Or, at least, they thought about it.
Upon interception of this particular thought, Jean pushed herself off the bed and walked downstairs.
"Jean! I was just about to call you down," stated her mother, cheerful voiced a little forced with anxiety. Her parents had been like that around her since they had brought her home from school yesterday, acting like she was a bomb just waiting to explode.
"I know." Her parents glanced at her with surprise before quickly recovering.
"Jean, this is Professor Xavier. He runs a school for people… people like you," her father said.
The man in question, Professor Xavier, smiled at her kindly. "Hello Jean. I am Charles Xavier; this is my associate, Eric Lehnsherr," he said, indicating the tall man next to him. "My school is a place where mutants just like you come to learn how to control their powers."
"'Mutants just like me?' I don't think so." Without warning, everything not bolted to the ground outside suddenly rose several feet into the air; cars, lawn mowers, cats and dogs; even people.
Eric grinned. "Oh, I like this one, Charles."
Charles smiled and nodded, still looking at Jean. You have impressive control for one so young, and having just grown into your powers yesterday.
Jean shrugged and let the objects drop, not having an explanation. Growing uncomfortable under the stares of the adults, Jean withdrew upon herself. In just two days she had gone from a self-assured, spoiled, prideful teenager to a self-conscious, nervous, confused redheaded girl.
"Now, Jean, I'd like to look inside your mind, just to get a measure of your power. Is that alright?"
Jean shrank back a fraction of an inch, just enough for the Professor to notice. "You need not be afraid Jean. I won't hurt you; in fact, you'll be very safe."
The redhead before him met his eyes with a piercing gaze. She was searching, he knew. Searching for… what? Malicious intent? Pity?
"Hope." Jean looked at him without blinking. "I'm looking for hope."
Xavier was at a loss for words. The girl had drifted into his mind like the blocks were not even there… he had to find out just how powerful she was.
"And why would you be looking for hope, my dear?"
Jean hesitated, studying her shoes. I'm looking for hope in you that you can help me… I'm hearing so many voices, and I can't control it! I hate this; I hate this so much! I just want things to go back the way they were!
Jean looked back up, the beginnings of tears stinging her incredibly green eyes.
"You cannot control the voices because you cannot yet control your gift. Give it some time, Jean. I promise you, you will learn control of your telepathy."
And the moving stuff around thing? I don't want to hurt anyone by accident. I mean, I can control that one a little, if I concentrate really hard… but what happens if I freak out or something?
"You have power, Jean, but it is nothing to be feared. At my school, you'll learn with other mutants how to use and control your gifts."
Jean held his eyes for a moment, considering this, then gave a quick nod of assent.
Well then, let's do it.
Charles nodded in return, smiling reassuringly, and in doing so missed the perturbed glances from Jean's parents.
Eric, however, caught and held the eyes of the Greys, raising a single eyebrow. Seeing Xavier's attentions held solely on the girl, he said, "Surely you noticed your daughter is a telepath? And by the looks of it, a very strong one at that."
Robert Grey looked confused. "Telepathy has nothing to do with floating tables in the school cafeteria!" Eric gave the man a look not unlike that of Jean's: searching. He was not, however, searching for hope… more like common sense, knowledge; the slightest hint of near-human intelligence would do, really. "Then she is also telekinetic. But you are hearing only one side of the conversation because your daughter and Charles are both telepathic. Jean must have unknowingly broken through Charles' barriers and read one of his thoughts."
"How could she do that? She just turned into a mutant yesterday!"
Eric grimaced. The man said the word 'mutant' like it was a disease, something to be feared. And perhaps, he thought with a smirk, it was.
"Jean has always been a mutant, it has just taken some time to manifest. And as I said before, she is extraordinarily powerful for one so young."
Robert and Helen Grey looked at each other, and Eric could see fear in their eyes. And something… more. But, not being able to put a finger on it, Eric dismissed it and turned his attention to Charles and Jean.
The two were situated in the seating room just off the main hall, Jean sitting next to the Professor with her legs curled under her; both of their eyes were closed.
A moment later, he heard Charles' voice in his head. She is more powerful than we could have ever imagined, Eric. It's why she has such control over her telekinesis, and why she moved through my barriers with such ease.
Eric felt rather than heard the edge of panic in his friend's thoughts, and it shocked him. Charles Xavier was not one to frighten easily, and the fact that the sheer power of an untrained mutant scared Charles, scared him.
Xavier opened a link between them, allowing Eric to reply without words. Is there a way to bind her, close her off to a portion of her power?
Charles looked sharply at his friend. That would be a serious violation of her will. She deserves the chance to learn control. I cannot just take that away from her.
But you could? You could put in barriers, to block it?
Charles hesitated before answering, not liking where this was going. But he owed Eric the truth, at least.
Yes, he answered finally. She is young enough that she would not notice, should I put in barriers.
Then you would endanger your students, Charles?
That isn't fair, Eric, and you know it. Given time, Jean will be an immensely powerful mutant. She will be a help to the cause. It was Eric's turn to look at the Professor. Before he could answer, Xavier sent another thought his way. Powerful or not, she can learn control; I will teach her myself. I will not deny Jean her free will.
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One Week Later, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters:
"Scott?" Charles Xavier drew back from the window overlooking the grounds.
"Yes, Professor?"
"A new student I have been waiting for has just arrived. Would you like to accompany me down to meet her? Perhaps you could show her around; I believe she is quite apprehensive about coming here," he said.
"Professor, I think we were all scared the first time we came here. This place can be very intimidating, especially if you don't know anyone," the boy answered.
Xavier smiled at his student. The boy was bright, always on the ball with the right answer, always willing to provide a helping hand. Besides that, Scott was well-mannered and charismatic, able to make friends with just about anybody. Which is why Xavier had asked him to be the first to meet Jean and her parents; he knew the boy would make a good first impression and hopefully ease nerves all around.
"Too right, Scott, too right," he said, grinning. "Shall we, then?"
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"Jean, sweetie, we're here," came her mother's voice from the front seat. Jean breathed deep in an effort to calm her frazzled nerves; it didn't work. She opened the door and slowly stepped out of the car, grateful to be in the open air after such a long drive. Her eyes widened as they took in the sight before her: massive stone walls covered in ivy, the grounds around them neatly pruned and kept.
"Ah, Jean! You're here. And Mr. and Mrs. Grey, a pleasure to see you again."
The Grey's turned to see the familiar Charles Xavier striding towards them, a boy, presumably a student, in tow. As Jean's father stepped around their car to shake hands with the man, both telepaths could pick out tinges of fear in his raging emotions, and Jean started as she identified something much more disturbing: hatred. She glanced at the Professor, for he must have felt it as well. If he had, Xavier hid it well.
To fill the awkward silence, Mrs. Grey chimed in, "Your school is beautiful, Mr. Xavier. I'm sure Jean will love it here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Grey. And I must insist you call me Charles," he said with a smile. He turned his attention to Jean, standing just behind and to the side of her father.
Motioning Scott to his side, he said to her, "Jean, there is someone I would like you to meet. This is another student of mine, Scott Summers."
Jean stared for a moment at the tall, brown-haired boy in front of her. He looked strong and fit, and wore a pair of rose-tinted sunglasses that covered his eyes. She glanced at them questioningly before dismissing them and focusing on the hand he extended.
Scott stepped forward with a warm smile, saying pleasantly, "It's nice to meet you Jean. I'm sure you'll love it here; I sure do."
Jean gave her first real, genuine smile in a week at the sight of another mutant her age; it helped that he was extremely cute and seemed to be very nice. "Thank you," she said quietly.
He smiled. "No problem."
"Scott, why don't you show Jean to her room? The one just next to Ororo's should do nicely, I think. And perhaps you could give her a tour of the mansion while I discuss the details with Mr. and Mrs. Grey."
Scott nodded to the professor, realizing the man's intentions. Ororo was a confident and kind girl the same age as Scott and Jean, and she understood the complexities of mutations more so than most her age; she wouldn't shy away from any outburst of power Jean might inadvertently make.
Scott bent down and took Jean's bags, smiling at her. "C'mon, this place is huge, we'd better get started."
Jean smiled in return, feeling for the first time that maybe she could pull this off, after all.
As she followed Scott through wood-paneled hallways and under chandeliered ceilings, he kept up a running commentary about whatever part of the building they were passing through.
"This is the rec room where we all hang out," he said, motioning to the large, open room before them. It was outfitted with several cushioned couches and chairs surrounding a large television, along with tables set around the edge of the room, she assumed for working on homework or playing games, or something.
"This is the cafeteria… and just a head's up, things can get a little cliquey in this place. Especially over there," Scott informed her, pointing to a table in the back, set a little apart from the rest of them.
"Who sits over there?" she asked.
"The 'popular' girls, the ones who think they're better than everyone else," he said wryly.
Jean felt a twist in her stomach. She used to be one of those girls, having no doubt in her mind that everyone looked up to her, everyone liked her, everyone wanted to be her. How wrong she had been.
Not anymore, Jean thought firmly. I'll never be like that again.
"What?" asked Scott. Jean looked up from her musings, startled. She looked down again, blushing, realizing she must have said that thought in his mind too.
"Sorry," she whispered, ashamed she couldn't even control her telepathy.
"Hey, nothing to apologize for," Scott said with a reassuring smile. "We're all mutants here; we all know what it's like to not be able to control your power. Trust me."
Scott continued down the hallway, pointing out various classrooms as they passed. The two of them climbed the staircase that arose right off the main corridor up to the second level.
"This is the girls' side of the mansion; guys are on the opposite side." Walking down the hall, he stopped at a door and turned the handle, standing back to allow her to enter first. Following her in, he placed her bags at the foot of the twin bed. The room was comfortably sized, with a set of drawers, closet, and desk to fit her needs. Walking to the window on the far wall, Jean could see the vast lands the mansion was set on, acres of grass and flowers and bushes surrounded by a dense forest. And below her window, a beautiful fountain bubbling water into the huge stone pool at its base.
Turning back to face Scott, Jean hesitated, itching to ask about his glasses. He must have seen her look, because he grinned and said, "I would take them off and show you, but I can't." At her confused expression, he explained, "My eyes shoot energy, and the glasses keep it from blasting holes in everything. The Professor calls them 'optic eye blasts.' I prefer the highly scientific term 'laser beams,'" he said, grinning.
She grinned back at him. "So you can't take them off, ever?"
"Nope. It puts a whole new meaning to the term 'looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.'" She grinned again, and thanked him for showing her around.
"Hey, no problem, I had a good time. I'm glad I got the chance to get to know you." Jean blushed.
The two of them made their way back to the entrance of the mansion, where they found Xavier and Jean's parents. The professor and Mrs. Grey were talking amicably, while Jean's father stood back in stony silence, glancing around him warily at the many students milling about.
It's okay Daddy, everyone here is like me, except they've got more control than I do. And I love it here already; everything is perfect.
Her father started, and looked up at her. "Don't you ever do that again!" he said harshly. "I don't want you running about in my head like some idiot girl who can't even control herself!"
The hall went silent. Jean bit her lip as tears started to form in her eyes, willing herself not to cry. Don't cry don't cry don't cry. Come on Jean, get a grip, she told herself.
"I- I'm sorry…" her voice trailed off as her father glared at her without letting up.
"Sir, I'm sure she didn't mean to offend you. Jean just hasn't learned control yet. That's why she's here." Jean's head snapped around in surprise as Scott stepped up to stand next to her in her defense.
The man shifted is gaze to look at Scott, his eyes flashing. "Insolent boy! You have no right to get in the middle of this! And take off those imbecilic glasses when you speak to me!"
Charles stepped forward quickly. "I cannot allow you to speak to my students so, Mr. Grey," he said calmly, but with a slight edge of warning in his voice.
"It's okay, Professor," Scott said softly. Then to Jean's father, "I would take off my glasses to oblige you, sir, but I'm afraid the effect would be fatal."
Jean's father looked furious. "Don't play with me, boy. A glare like that wouldn't scare a cat." And before anyone could stop him, he leaned forward and snatched the glasses off Scott's face.
Scott jerked his head just in time to avoid hitting Jean's father, and
instead blew and hole in the front door about ten feet in diameter. He cried out and fell to his knees, eyes tightly shut.
Mr. Grey backed away and dropped the glasses in shock, where they landed with a resounding thud in the entrance hall. Jean bent down and picked them up, getting on her knees next to Scott and laying a hand on his back to let him know she was there.
"Here," she said softly, placing the glasses in his hand. He put them on and opened his eyes, standing. Looking at the now-ruined door, Scott grimaced and turned away.
It's alright Scott, we'll fix it later. The professor's voice sounded in his head. Scott nodded.
Are you alright? This time it was Jean. He nodded again.
Mrs. Grey was still staring in shock at her husband, who had stopped a few feet away from what remained of the mansion's entrance.
"Helen, Jean, come here. We're going home. We should never have come to this freak show in the first place. Because that's what you all are: freaks!" Jean's mother hurried to her husband's side, trying in vain to quiet him. But Robert would have none of it.
"Jean, come here! We're leaving right now!" Jean looked at him, and everyone could see the pain in her eyes.
"I don't want to leave, Daddy. I- I like it here," she said, her voice trembling.
Her father marched over to her and grasped her arm and began to heave her away.
"Daddy, please, please," she begged, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Her father just kept dragging her towards the door.
Robert. The man ignored Xavier's voice in his head.
"Dad, stop it, I don't want to leave," she said, pleading. Pictures on the wall began to shake slightly as Jean lost her composure bit by bit.
Robert!
"Jean, you're coming with me! I won't leave you here with all these mutant freaks of nature," her dad practically shouted in her ear. The others could practically see the war going on in Jean's head. Stay here with mutants like her, or go home with her parents?
"Dad, I'm a mutant. Do- do you think I'm a freak?" The question was so soft her father could hardly hear it, but it dropped from her lips and shattered on the marble floor like a piece of glass, the noise bringing everything to a shrieking halt.
Her father turned on her viscously and slapped her across the face. "I will not have this insolence!" he roared, his face a mottled red.
With the stinging on her cheek, Jean lost the battle to keep composure, and her father flew away from her and landed, skidding, ten feet away. Her mother exclaimed "Robert!" before rushing to his side.
He made his way to his feet painfully, looking at his daughter as if she had just turned into a hideous monster. "Dad…" she whispered, ashamed of having lost control like that.
"You are no daughter of mine," Robert said, his voice shaking with suppressed rage. "I never want to see or hear from you again."
With those last words, Jean's father turned on his heel and marched out the door without a backward glance. His wife followed like a lost puppy, torn between her daughter and her husband, but choosing in the end to follow her husband. She shot a pained look over her shoulder at Jean, who had fallen to her knees at the broken entrance.
Daddy… Jean whispered in Robert's mind.
Her father ignored Jean's last effort, and her heart broke as Robert Grey sped away from her as fast as he could, taking her mother with him.
Jean didn't notice when several paintings and vases in the hall shattered or dropped from their placement on the walls; nor did she notice when another student stretched out several freshly grown limbs to catch the pricey objects. She didn't notice when Scott made his way to her carefully, placing an arm around her shoulders as another student with white hair placed one around her waist comfortingly and led her back to her room. She didn't notice that the white-haired girl folded back the comforter on her bed and guided her gently into it, and she didn't notice when the same girl turned off the lights and quietly shut the door.
But she did notice that her father had left. She did notice that her father thought she was a freak. She did notice that, even with all of her power and ability, she was still alone.
And for a long time, that was all Jean Grey could bring herself to notice.
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A/N: Well, hope you all enjoyed that… I've been working on the idea for quite some time now, and only just worked up the courage to post it. So don't be too harsh!
As always, reviews greatly appreciated… spelling, grammar, facts, whatever needs to be changed please let me know.
If you've any requests as far as plot or ships, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
And, if anyone is interested, I'm looking for a beta who has time to read through my chapters and tell me if anything sucks… which is very possible. Let me know.
-CC