A/N: Kitty wanted more X-Fics. This qualifies. I hope you're happy, Shadow. Happy Birthday!
Season 5, Episode 2:
"To Place Your Better Days"
~RR~
Scott was up bright and early that morning, as always. His clothes were wrinkle free, and perfectly in place on him, not a crooked gridline in sight. He felt especially confident this morning, after having his third date with Jean last night. It had gone off perfect, no hitches. He hadn't stopped thinking of her all night, and still into this morning. He loved being in love.
Today's training session was going to be a fun one, in the form of water polo on this hot day. Scott's favorite sport.
He met with Rogue in the hall on the way to the kitchen, just slipping on her gloves as she came from her room. She smiled sweetly at him, but walked beside him in silence, preoccupied with slipping on her netted summer gloves.
Gambit emerged from the next room they past, and Rogue immediately began to walk faster, annoyed by his mere presence.
"Hey dere, Chere-"
"-Shuddup, Cajun," she said, hurrying to walk past.
Gambit smirked and straightened his trench coat, and joined Scott on his walk instead, since Rogue had abandoned them.
"She's sweet, ain't she?" Gambit said, and Scott wasn't sure if he was joking or not. He had been finding Gambit was very hard person to read.
Scott and Gambit made it to the kitchen, and helped themselves to some breakfast burritos, and made their way with the others to the pool. Almost everyone was already there. Kitty, Lea, and Danielle were sunbathing, Bobby was hanging on the fence talking with Roberto… at least that's what they were trying to fake as they observed the girls tanning. All others were already under way in their water polo game.
Scott smiled and waved at his brother already in the pool, glad that Alex was finally settling in okay. In fact, it was days like this that made him forget the tortures of the outside world and just be thankful he was a mutant. A new age beyond Apocalypse was arising, and Scott was glad to see it was turning out for the better. Though, his past experiences made him wonder how long this savored peace would last.
New recruits had heard of Xavier's school and kept pouring in by the truckful. One named Damien Coles, or 'Firestarter', was among the more recent ones, a flame-throwing recruit from the deserts of Arizona. He was currently maintaining a safe distance from the water, his concerned eyes glued to Kitty Pryde like an eagle. The boy was similar and different to their first fire-flinging mutant encounter, Pyro. Like Pyro, Damien could control the flame, but unlike Pyro, he could also create it in his very hands. He practically lived on lighter fluid, keeping it in a small silver flask in his jacket and drinking it like an alcoholic to liquor. He was a strange one, bordering on downright insane, with little or no hygiene practices, and a twitch in his left eye. This caused the other students to keep away from him, and Scott doubted Damien had made any friends. It was also common knowledge that he had a large 'thing' for Kitty, which was probably the only reason he was even present near the dreaded poolside.
"You coming in the water, Damien?" Scott asked the boy gently. "You must be hot in all those clothes."
"I'm wearing them as protection from the water," he explained with a twitch. "The- the water… It- it burns my skin."
Scott chuckled.
"If you're so afraid of it, then why are you sitting so close?"
Another twitch.
"I'm making sure nothing happens to Kitty."
"What could possibly happen?"
"The water…" Damien said, rocking slightly back and forth. "The water is very dangerous…"
Scott shrugged and decided it best to leave him be.
Scott took off his shirt and prepared to jump into the game. On one side was Jean, Remy, Kurt, and Alison. On the other team was Logan, Alex, Hank, and another new recruit named Sheela. Sheela was a high-energy, wide-eyed African-American girl from Australia, with a long black mousy tail, a feature which had earned her the codename "Mouse". Sheela had the ability to shapeshift into animals and insects, a talent that aided her incredibly in her fetish for spying.
As such, she was the new head of the 'Gossip Committee': the organized club of popular young X-Girls that shared rumors and dirty romantic secrets that they had discovered around the mansion, usually found out through spying or eavesdropping. Thus, any member of the "G.C." (which also included Lea, Kitty, Danielle, and Tabitha), was not a welcome listener to a personal conversation, for their mouths could spread secrets faster than you could get them out. They also had a nasty streak of forceful matchmaking, encouraging relationships even against the potential partners will- if the Committee voted them a good match. They did come in handy sometimes, though, for if ever there was information to be known on someone, they were the people to see.
Scott observed the game for a moment, fearful of jumping in before he knew how intense it was going. The last time Wolverine and Gambit had been put on the same team and the results had been painful and disastrous.
Today, the polo teams were pretty evenly matched. Jean's team was losing, but they were putting up a good fight.
"Got it, Sheela!" Jean yelled, diving for the ball.
"Head's up, Elf!"
"Over here, Hank!"
"Sheela, pay attention to the game, not Scott!"
"Well, soorrrRY!"
"Scott," Jean said finally. "Jump in! We need you."
It was all the encouragement he needed.
"No problem," Scott agreed, shedding his shirt and hopping in.
"You're goin' down, Cajun," Logan threatened competitively, holding up the ball to serve. Ever since Gambit had arrived, Logan seemed to have a personal vendetta against him for reasons unknown to Scott.
"Non, m'sieu, I think you be goin' undah," Gambit retorted with a smile.
And maybe he darn well would've, if it hadn't been for one minor distraction that came at that very moment, in the form of Rogue in a bikini, sarong, and sunglasses. She walked cautiously to a lawn chair with Kitty and the girls, being careful to avoid flesh contact, and made herself comfortable with a magazine.
A stray serve conked Remy in the head more than once. Needless to say, Gambit's team lost that game.
"I demand a rematch!" Kurt called out as they dried off. "One without a certain distraction."
"I agree!" Scott said, crossing his arms. Man, he hated losing.
"You guys lost, fair and square," Sheela said. "Just admit it already."
"We totally had you until a little Rogue came outside," Jean growled.
"Huh?" Rogue said, looking up from her magazine. "What was that?"
"NOTHING!" they all said together.
"Scott." Scott stopped at hearing the professor's voice in his head.
"Yes, Prof?"
"Don't forget about your work with Lea. It's Thursday."
Scott groaned.
"Lea?" he called to her, but she was already gathering her things from the lounge chair.
"Yeah, I heard him," Lea replied with a sigh.
Scott passed the ball to Logan, and made his way to the pool stairs.
"Gotta go, guys. Duty calls. Kitty, want to replace me?"
"Are you kidding?" Kurt laughed. "Everyone knows cats and water don't mix, mon freund."
"As if!" Kitty argued, throwing her sunscreen aside and jumping into the pool with the rest of them. "You're more cat-like than me, furball. Prepare to get served a Kitty-treat…"
~RR~
In the study, Scott worked with Lea with Xavier to supervise.
"Okay, focus." Scott said, leaning closer to her. "Focus on me. What do you see?" Her eyes were closed, and pressed together hard in concentration.
"I'm…" Lea said, her brow furrowed in deep stress. "Ten years in the future… I see you… But not me…"
"What else?"
"I see… you… you're yelling… you're really mad… at Jean…"
"Why?"
"I don't know… She's mad at you too…"
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Seems that way… There's Alex too… He's really happy…"
Scott sighed. She always strayed off the subject of him whenever they did this. It always turned into Alex. Scott was beginning to think that she liked him. What other explanation could there be?
"No, Lea, stay on me. What else do you see?"
"I can't really tell… There's Remy, and Jean, and Sheela… Kitty… and… Alex…"
"Yeah, you said that already."
Scott wanted to make her focus. The Prof had told him that skin-to-skin contact amplified her power. Just maybe… One little touch…
"Scott, no!" Professor exclaimed, but not fast enough.
Scott reached and grabbed her hand, and felt an instant jolt. The ground shook beneath him, but there was too much energy. The room spun, then went dark. Lea screamed, and Scott passed out.
Cue theme song…
~RR~
Please review.
Signed,
RedRogue
