Title: New Days

Chapter: 1 of ?

Rating: At the moment, 'R' seems appropriate; let's see where it goes from here…

Summary: Taking the plots, posts, etc from one of the new X-Men role- playing groups, things have been expanded into a fanfic…hope you enjoy! And if we've piqued your interest, join the group!!

Timing: Set a few months after the end of the movie, this blends movie- verse and comic-verse into one…so the 'pairings' also blend.

Disclaimer: I own nada of these characters. Y'all know who owns the originals (and thank you muchly for creating them!!) and as for the created characters…they're owned by their respective creators too.





Jean Grey grinned lazily at Scott from her curled-up position on the bed. Things around the mansion had been relatively quiet for months, affording the two of them many opportunities to spend 'quality' time alone; living in a place with a number of other people, no matter how large the home, did manage to cut down on privacy.

Brushing an errant lock of red hair out of her eyes, a faint blush stole along her cheeks as Jean recalled the night before. Tilting her head, she silently dared the blush to go any further and watched as Scott brushed his tousled hair. Rising gracefully to her feet, she slid her silk robe over her shoulders, leaving the front marginally open as she stood behind the object of her affection. Slipping her hands up the smooth cotton shirt covering his chest, she laid her head on his back.

"Mmmmm, are you sure you have to teach right now?" she asked her fiancée teasingly. She already knew the answer, the same as she knew that she had work waiting for her down in the lab.

Capturing the hand of the woman he loved more than he thought possible, Scott Summers kissed her palm, lingering over the subtle scent of perfume Jean always seemed to carry with her. With a small, regretful sigh, he turned, wrapping his arms around her. Before he could answer, Professor Xavier's voice echoed in their minds.

"Please meet me in my office in one hour."

The man with the red glasses frowned slightly. Although the professor hadn't sounded urgent, they knew that the summons had been sent to more people than just the two of them.

Kissing Jean's forehead, Scott headed for the door. "Never a dull moment," he quipped softly, loving the way her smile lit her green eyes, then he turned serious. "Though I do wonder what the professor wants this early."

Jean shrugged slightly, a small line on her forehead the only outward sign of worry. "Don't know, lover, but we'll find out shortly." Winking saucily at Scott as she grabbed her watch, marking the time so she wouldn't be late for the meeting, Jean made a shooing motion with her hands, indicating the need for him to close the door.

Closing the door softly so Jean could dress, Scott headed for his class, still wondering idly what the professor wanted until he entered the classroom, his curiosity replaced by the subject at hand.

Jean managed to dress in record time, picking up her glasses and smoothing the front of her red skirt on the way out the door; she wanted to get some work accomplished before joining the professor. Heading down to the lab, she missed greeting a much-welcome return home.



~~same time, elsewhere in the mansion~~



Slam was in the middle of a dream; a pretty good one at that. In his dream, he was stuck on some exotic, deserted island, and had just found out he was wrong – it WAS inhabited; by a group of supermodels!

"Please meet me in my office in one hour."

Slam woke up. Badly.

"Awww, man," he complained, rubbing his tired eyes. He attempted to return to sleep, but those little mental messages always seemed to rip people right into consciousness.

Crawling dejectedly out of bed, he pulled on some clothes and still tired, he hobbled down to the kitchen.

"Coffee," he mumbled to himself as he poured the beans into the machine in a zombie-like fashion. Still mumbling quietly, he glanced out the window and saw a rather attractive woman with long green hair walking toward the door.

"Whoa," Slam's fatigue faded as he found his voice. "Who's she?"

The woman in question had been gazing at the mansion that she had called home for some time, lost in her own thoughts about the past, when she was brought back to reality by the summons of the professor. Obviously, he already knew that she had found her way back, and had included her in his call.

Tucking a lock of vibrantly coloured hair behind her ear, Lorna Dane passed through the security gates, smiling at the fact that she still passed through them with ease; in all probability, she had never been removed from the access list, the professor fore-seeing her eventual return.

Entering the mansion proper, she peeked through the doorway before she crossed the threshold into the kitchen. Seeing a young man staring intently at her, she adjusted the bag over her shoulder and gave him a smile. She wasn't entirely sure what to say to someone staring at her in such a peculiar manner, so she cleared her throat and extended her hand.

"Hi there. I'm Lorna."

Quickly realizing that he was staring, Slam attempted to play it off as he shook her hand. "I'm Slam. So, uhm…what brings you here?"

Her smile turning weary, Lorna shook his hand, then released it. "Call it coming home after a long trip. Speaking of homecoming, you wouldn't happen to have seen Jean, would you?" She was looking forward to seeing the redhead; they'd become close friends, and in her time away from the mansion, Lorna had realized just how much she'd missed everyone.



~~same time, elsewhere in the mansion~~



Rogue fidgeted with one silken glove, chewing her lip. Was she nervous? Oh yes, indeed.

Moments ago, she'd been calmly going over some science notes for a quiz later that day, when the telepathic message from the professor had sounded in her head. At first, she's dismissed it as a mistake, but then quickly reconsidered; the professor just didn't make mistakes like that.

But why was she included? After all, she wasn't really one of his 'elites', one of the 'X-Men.' She wasn't even that strong of a mutant; what good were her powers when she couldn't even get close? There were so many others…

She paced her room restlessly, trying in vain to settle her frazzled jumpy nerves. Not to mention the science quiz too…no, today was definitely not turning out to be a regular day. Not at all.



~~same time, elsewhere again in the mansion~~



Professor Charles Xavier sighed. He'd sent out his telepathic call for a meeting; now he had only to wait.

Turning his wheelchair toward the window, he rested his chin on his fist. He had a full hour with which to determine the phrasing he would use. He could have asked them all to come to him now, but he wanted to let his team, these people he cared so much about, enjoy the fragile peace as long as possible.

For the first time since the other mutant had left the mansion, Charles was thankful that Logan was not here for his news. The announcement would be greeted by enough unpleasantness without adding the Wolverine's erratic temper.

Gazing blindly out the window into the morning sun, Professor Xavier waited.



**okay, somewhat short, this was just to 'set the scene'…and don't worry, Logan does return—but y'all gotta read the next chapter for that!!**