A/N: Hey Everyone, I'm back with a new one-shot fic that hopefully you'll enjoy. I wrote this fic mainly to help with my boredom during the summer. But also because I knew it was time for me to come up with a new fic.
Disclaimer: X-Men and its characters are not mine, never have been, never will Xin, tho is my OC.
Summary: A little AU, but just a little bit. A new mutant is found by Prof. Xavier and joins the team. Will she able to help two close friends, become more than 'just friends?' JOTT with hints of Lance/Kitty and Kurt/Amanda. ENJOY!!!
Title: Can you see what's Right In Front of You?
It was a typical Friday night for the residents of the Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. Every resident of the mansion were off doing their own thing. The new mutants were down in the DR working with Dr. Hank McCoy, more known as Beast by the residents; Kitty, Kurt, Evan and Rogue were in the rec room watching Friday night TV; Ororo was in her attic maintaining her small garden up there; Logan was somewhere in the mansion grounds; Prof. Xavier was down at the lower levels working with Cerebro to check up on any mutant activity; and the eldest students of the mansion, Scott and Jean, were in the kitchen helping each other out to clean up the kitchen and having their usual conversation, as was the custom of their long-term friendship.
"So, what are your plans for the weekend, Jean?" asked Scott as he dried the dishes that Jean handed him with a towel.
Jean contemplated that question for a moment before answering. "Hmm… I don't know. Duncan said he'd just call me to hang out." She said as she finished up washing the rest of the dishes. Scott stiffened up at the name of the guy that his best friend is currently dating.
"Oh." Was all Scott could respond to that. When he was done drying up the dishes, he leaned against the sink and waited for Jean to finish as well. Jean studied him silently as she finished up; she could see his dejected mood written all over his face.
"What about you? Got any plans for the weekend?" she asked.
Scott just shrugged. "Nah… I don't know, I'm probably just going to wash my car and help Logan out in the garage." He replied.
"What's up with you and your car and other things that go vroom?" Jean asked teasingly.
"Hey, it's better than spending time with a stupid jock." He replied.
"Not cool, Scott." Said Jean.
"Sorry, Jean, you know how I feel about Duncan Matthews." He said with a sigh.
"I know." Said Jean. "But don't worry, I can take good care of myself, oh fearless leader." She teased.
"I know that Jean… it's just that I don't trust Matthews." Scott said.
"Come on, Summers, let's go for a walk around the grounds. You need to get your mind off Duncan." Said Jean as she took Scott by the arm and led him out the back door. Scott followed her out as the two of them walked around the mansion.
"Damn Jean, it's freezing out here." Scott said as he crossed his arms around him to keep him warm. It was still winter in New York, even though it already stopped snowing.
"It's not that cold Scott, so stop complaining." She said as she enjoyed the breeze of the coming spring.
The two long time friends strolled along the mansion grounds, conversing about their plans for the future and the future of the X-Men.
Rec Room
Evan, Rogue, Kitty and Kurt were all sitting in the rec room watching a re-run of House on TV. Evan was lounging on the couch; Kurt was lying face down on the floor; Rogue was sitting on the other couch next to Evan's; and Kitty was sitting by the window, occasionally looking out the window.
"Man, this is boring." Evan complained as he watched. "It's Friday night, and we're stuck here watching TV while the cool kids at Bayville are probably all out partying their heads off." He added.
"Shut up Porcupine." Rogue told him. "Would you rather be here watching TV or down in the DR with Cyke and Wolverine?" she asked. That question shut Evan up.
"Vould you two be quiet I'm trying to vatch here." Kurt, who was engrossed in the show, said to both of them.
"Hey guys look, like, there's Scott and Jean walking around outside." Kitty said pointing out at the window at their two leaders as Rogue, Evan and Kurt ran towards her to see. They watched as their two leaders walked and laughed sharing a joke.
"Oh great, even Ms. Perfect and her boyfriend can find a way to have fun being stuck here in the mansion." Rogue said.
"Those two are, like, so perfect for each other." Kitty commented as she continued watching them out the window.
"Yeah, only if our fearless leader and our resident telepath will stop acting so dumb." Evan commented.
"For a couple of very intelligent people, they sure are dumb when it comes to their love life." Added Rogue.
"Vell, ve know zat Scott von't make a move on Jean coz she's vit Duncan." Kurt pointed out.
"I love Red, even after all the issues she and I had, I respect her and all, but dating Duncan is probably the dumbest move she's ever made." Rogue said. They all looked at her after that comment.
"Dude… let's just go back to watching our show, because watching these two are kinda depressing." Evan said moving away from the window and back to the couch. Rogue, Kurt and eventually Kitty followed his example as they settled in their earlier position.
Down in Cerebro
The founder of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier was inside Cerebro, monitoring any mutant activities happening in any part of the world where mutants inhabits. Satisfied, that there was no mutant sightings or mutants using their powers, he left Cerebro and headed to the main level and went to his office before heading to his room.
Bayville Memorial
The nurses and the doctors at Westchester Memorial were all trying to calm the young girl named Xin. But try as they might, the girl was stronger than they were so the doctor called the hospital security for some assistance. Even with the help of the guards, the young girl was still stronger, and to make matters worse, the machines inside the room were all acting up and they have no explanation for what was happening. Except for the doctor, Dr. Chase had an idea of what was going on as she looked at the machines and the young girl struggling. She knew what she is.
"Where am I?" Xin asked as she struggled against the nurses who were holding her down.
"Xin, you're at Westchester Memorial Hospital. I'm Dr. Chase and I'm here to try and help you, but please I need you to calm down." Dr. Chase said as she approached her carefully.
"Wh-where's Westchester and why is it so dark in here?" Xin asked the worry evident in her voice.
"Xin… you're in Westchester, New York." The doctor explained.
"New York?" Xin asked as she calmed down a bit and stopped struggling as the nurses, with Dr. Chase's command let her go.
"Yes, don't you remember what happened?" Dr. Chase asked.
"All I remember was my mom, dad, and my older brother Zhao driving down the road to go visit my mom's sister in New Jersey. I don't remember anything more after that." Explained Xin. "Where's my mom and dad and Zhao?" she then asked, panicking again.
Dr. Chase sighed as she thought of a way to explain what happened to the young girl. "Xin, I need you to calm down." Dr. Chase began. "You and your family were involved in a car accident, and your parents and brother were all in critical condition... as of right now, you were the only we were able to save." She said. "I'm sorry, but your parents and your brother are dead." Dr. Chase added in a solemn voice.
That left Xin speechless for a moment as she flopped lifelessly on the hospital bed.
"Xin, are you alright?" Dr. Chase asked after a while.
"You just told me my family is gone, do you really think I'm fine doctor?" Xin asked flippantly. "Why is it so damn dark in here?" she asked.
"Xin, it's not dark in here." Said Dr. Chase.
"Then why can't I see?" Xin asked once again getting worried.
"You suffered severe head trauma in the accident and the bump on your head that you suffered has caused you to go… blind." Dr. Chase explained.
"I'm… I'm blind?" Xin asked disbelievingly. "So you're telling me that I'll never be able to see again?" she asked, her voice rising. "Great… this day just keeps getting better and better." She said sarcastically.
"The damage may be permanent… it may not, meaning that you may or may not see again." The kind doctor said softly. "Don't worry, we will do everything we can to help you regain your sight." She added.
"Don't bother Dr. Chase, I've lost my family… there's nothing else for me to see." Xin said defeatedly as she laid down on her bed.
"Xin…" Dr. Chase said, reaching out to touch Xin's hand, but pulled it back suddenly as she felt a shock.
"Please, doctor, I want to be alone right now." Xin said.
"Of course." Dr. Chase said, still looking at her hand and at Xin. 'I have to call Prof. Charles Xavier right away.' She thought to herself as she left Xin's room and dialed the number of Prof. X.
Professor Charles Xavier was sitting in his office busying himself with papers before going to bed. He was reading a recent article about mutants when his phone rang. He knew who it was before picking up the receiver and the call and the caller intrigued him.
"Hello Dr. Chase." The professor said as he picked up the receiver. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Prof. Xavier, I called because I need your help." She stated in the other line.
"Why, what's wrong doctor?" Prof. X asked.
"I have a patient here, Charles, her name is Xin and she's about 18 years old. She came in with severe head trauma that she suffered in an accident involving her parents and her older brother." She explained.
"What does that have to do with me?" Charles asked.
"Well that's why I called you professor, the girl, I think, is a mutant." Dr. Chase said.
"How do you know?" Charles asked, his interest peaking.
"Because when she woke up, she panicked as we tried to treat her and all the machines we had in her room all acted up like there was some kind of interference and when I touched her hand, I felt a jolt or a spark." She explained. "Please, Charles, you're the only one who can help her and keep her safe." Dr. Chase pleaded.
"What about her parents and older brother?" he asked.
"They didn't make it, Charles." She replied simply. "They died while the other doctors were working on them. It's just her now, Charles. I would take her in with me, but I don't know how I can help her… that's why I called you." She added.
"I understand… we'll be right there, doctor." Charles said as they bid their goodbyes to each other before hanging up the phone. After the conversation with Dr. Chase, Prof. X, sat in his office for a while contemplating the situation he was now presented in.
//X-Men, please report to my office immediately.// The professor projected to the team.
Ororo, Logan, Hank, Scott, Jean, Evan, Kitty, Kurt and Rogue all heard the mental command as they headed straight to the professor's office to find out what was going on. They all met outside the wooden doors of the professor's office and opened it as they all piled in the office.
"What's goin on, Chuck?" Logan asked as he and the others took a seat.
"I just received a phone call from a friend of mine at Westchester Memorial… she called to tell me that her patient might be a possible mutant and she asked me to get her and help her." Charles explained. "That's why I called all of you tonight… but Logan, Storm, Jean and Scott will be the only ones coming with me to the hospital. The rest of you will stay here." He added.
"Charles, are you sure about this?" Ororo asked.
"Yes, Ororo. Hank, I want you to prepare the medlab and Evan, Kitty, Rogue and Kurt, I want you to let the kids know and help prepare the available room upstairs." He said addressing the said mutants.
"What's her name, professor?" Scott and Jean asked.
"Her name is Xin and she's about the same age as both of you." He replied. "We must go." He added as everyone nodded and left to get ready.
Garage
Ororo, Scott, Jean and Logan were all in the garage waiting for the professor so they can leave to get Xin at the hospital.
"What do ya think of Chuck's new recruit?" Logan asked his three teammates.
"I don't know Logan, but I think Charles has a good reason… he always does." Ororo said simply as Prof. X finally arrived in the garage. Scott opened the door of the Rolls Royce and helped him get in. Once they were all settled in the car, Logan drove off towards Westchester Memorial. The ride was about a 20 minute ride and everyone in the car were all anxious to meet the possible addition to the mansion.
Westchester Memorial, Dr. Chase's Office
"Dr. Chase, there are some people here to see you." A nurse said as she popped her head inside the doctor's office. Dr. Taylor Chase, only in her early thirties, looked up from the book she was reading and addressed the nurse.
"Thank you, please let them in." she said to her as the nurse nodded and opened the door wider to let the visitors in and left them in Dr. Chase's office and shut the door behind her.
"Prof. Xavier, thank you for coming so soon." Dr. Chase said as she got up from her desk to greet the professor.
"Of course, Taylor. By the way, these are Logan and Ororo my colleagues at the institute and Scott and Jean, my oldest students." He said introducing everyone quickly and not getting into much detail. "Where's the patient?" he asked.
"In her room, follow me." Dr. Chase replied as she opened the door of her office and led them into the room of Xin. They looked outside the glass room first before entering. They stood there, watching the young Chinese girl.
"What happened to her?" Ororo asked.
"She, along with her parents and older brother, were involved in a car accident and she's the only one who survived." The young doctor explained.
"She's an orphan?" Jean asked; Dr. Chase nodded. At that, Scott felt for the girl as he too remembered his parents.
"Can we go talk to her?" Scott asked.
"Yes, of course, but there's another thing you need to know." She began before allowing the X-Men to enter the room. "Charles, she suffered a severe head trauma in the accident; therefore, losing her sight. I don't know if it's temporary or permanent." She finished. "But we may be able to restore it with an operation." She added.
"Oh Goddess." Ororo said, raising a hand over her mouth.
"I would take her in and care for her in my house like I told you over the phone, Charles. But I fear that I'm not going to be much help to her, especially with her condition and her possibility as a mutant… that's why I called you." Dr. Chase explained.
"You did the right thing, doctor. Now, please, we would like to speak with her." Charles said.
"Of course." Dr. Chase said as she opened the door to Xin's room and led them inside.
The creak of the door and the feeling of someone walking in quickly woke Xin up as she sat up in her bed and put her arms out to feel any intruder close to her.
"Who's there?" she called.
"Xin, it's me Dr. Chase." Dr. Chase said as she approached her to calm her down. "I have some friends here with me who can help you." She added.
"Can they bring my parents and Zhao back?" she asked sarcastically.
"No, we can't Xin, but we can help you with your powers." Prof. X said.
"My powers?" Xin asked, confused even though she felt a change in her. And as she raised up her hand, she accidentally let out a spark and blew up the TV.
"Whoa." Scott said as he saw this. "She has the same power as Ray." He added. As he saw what happened, there was no doubt in the professor's mind that Xin was indeed a mutant.
"My name is Prof. Xavier and we are the X-Men." Charles introduced as he wheeled closer to Xin. "And if you'd like, you can live at my mansion so that I can help you gain control with your powers." He said.
"I've heard about the X-Men and everything you've done… but I don't need your pity." Xin told them.
"We're not here to pity you, Xin… we're just here to help you." Prof. X insisted.
"I don't need your help, Prof. Xavier." Xin said.
//Charles, maybe you should have Scott talk to her… maybe he can get her to understand.// Ororo projected.
//Yes of course.// Charles said. //Scott, if anyone can get through to her, it's you. So talk to her.// Charles projected to Scott as Scott nodded and approached Xin.
"Xin…" he said carefully.
"Who are you?" Xin said as she tried to look in the direction of the voice.
"My name's Scott Summers and I know what you're going through right now." Scott said as Xin remained silent.
"You're the leader of the X-Men called Cyclops, aren't you? The one with the shades." she asked.
"Yes, I am." Scott replied. "And I know how you're feeling." He said.
"You have no idea how I'm feeling." Xin told him as she tried not to break down.
"Yes, I do. I've been in your shoes before… when my parents died and when I thought that my little brother died too." Scott said, trying his best not to break down as well. He hated talking about his past, but he knew that if they were going to get through to Xin, this is the only way. "But I learned that you can't get through something like this by yourself, you need a friend." He added.
"How do you know?" Xin asked, sarcasm evident in her voice.
"Because my best friend showed me that." He said as he reached out a hand toward Jean. "This is Jean Grey, she's my best friend and the one who helped me get through the pain of losing my parents." He added.
"Hi." Jean greeted softly.
"You're the red head." Xin said.
"Yes I am." Jean said.
"Xin, I can help you get through this. I can be your best friend." Scott said as he reached out to hold Xin's hand. "You can stay at our mansion and you can recover there… we have Dr. McCoy who can help you with your medical needs." He added.
"Yes, Xin, and I'll visit you occasionally to see how you're doing." Dr. Chase promised.
Xin contemplated and thought about all this silently. Her family's gone, and she just made new friends and found out she was a mutant and the X-Men just offered to help her out and a place to live. What could it hurt? Xin sighed and nodded.
"Fine, I'll go with you." She said and that made Scott smile.
"Don't worry Xin, I promise, you'll like it there." Scott told her.
"Yes, Xin and we're all here to help you." Ororo said.
"Who are you?" Xin asked.
"My name's Ororo and this is Logan." She introduced.
"Kid." Logan grunted in return.
"Storm and Wolverine." Said Xin.
"That's right." Said Storm.
"Well, since this is settled, Professor, if you'll follow me I've got some papers for you to sign for Xin's release." Dr. Chase said. The professor nodded as he followed her along with Jean, Logan and Ororo. Scott offered to stay back to keep Xin company.
"Are you nervous?" Scott asked her.
"A little." Xin admitted. "I mean, I'm blind, and I don't even know what everyone in your mansion looks like except for that time I saw them on TV." She added.
"You'll get used to it." Scott said to her as he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "I was blind too, before the professor figured out what can keep my powers in check." Said Scott. "So for months, I wandered in the mansion blindly." He added.
"Oh, that's why the red glasses." Said Xin. "You and Jean seem close, is she your girlfriend?" Xin asked, curiously.
"Yeah, we're close, we've been best friends since we were ten years old, but no, she's not my girlfriend, she's already got a boyfriend." Scott said disappointedly and dejectedly.
Xin could not help but notice his tone of voice and knew that there was something more there, she could feel it. "You have feelings for her, don't you?" she asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Scott asked.
"I may be blind Scott, but I can see some things clearly, especially your feelings for Jean. I don't know why or how I can." Xin said.
"Well, Dr. Chase said that your blindness may only be temporary and you might regain your sight back in a few weeks." Scott said.
"I know, but I've learned not to keep my hopes up." Xin explained as she sat up on her bed more and in doing so, the blanket fell down around her legs, and Scott saw that she had tattoos on both of her arms. The one on her left was a dragon, and on her right were Chinese symbols.
"What do your tattoos mean?" he asked.
"Oh… well, the dragon is because in the Chinese calendar, I was born in the year of the dragon and the symbols on my right arm are symbols that define my personality... or so that's what my master says." Xin explained.
"Master?" Scott asked.
Xin nodded. "My Kung-Fu master." Xin explained.
"Kung-Fu?" Scott asked again.
"Yeah, my brother and I were on our martial arts Kung-Fu team." Xin replied.
"You two must've been good." Said Scott.
"We were both black belters and Zhao was always my sparring partner and he was the best fighter we had in the class. He was my role model." Xin said who couldn't help the tears that were falling from her eyes.
Scott reached over and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "You and your brother seemed really close." He commented as he looked at her. She was good-looking, Scott admitted to himself. "You're pretty you know that?" he said, blushing as he said it.
"Thank you." Xin said as she smiled for the first time ever since she woke up from the accident.
"See, you do know how to smile." Scott said and Xin could hear from the tone of his voice that he too was smiling. The two new friends continued their conversation as they waited for the professor, Logan, Ororo and Jean to get back.
Jean who was outside the room watched the interaction between Xin and Scott and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at the way the two was interacting with each other easily. The sight made her think of her feelings for Scott which have been confusing her for a while now. She kept telling herself that she and Scott are best friends and nothing more, but a part of her knew that was a lie and that her feelings for Scott have evolved from just friends and to something more. She knew that this started when Scott helped her from her power surge a few months ago. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Ororo came to stand beside her.
"Jean, child, are you alright?" Ororo asked as she noticed the expression on Jean's face as she watched Scott and Xin in the room talking to each other.
"Huh? Oh, hi Ororo. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just watching Scott and Xin talking." She replied. "I kinda feel bad about what happened to her but I'm glad that Scott got through to her." She added.
"Yes. Charles feels that we'll have the same problems with her just like we did with Scott when he first came to the mansion. But he says that this time, it'd be easier because Scott will be able to help." Said Ororo. Jean just nodded. Just then Logan, Charles and Dr. Chase approached them.
"Everything's set; we can take Xin home tonight." Charles said as Dr. Chase opened the door to Xin's room.
"Well, Xin you can go home with the X-Men tonight." Dr. Chase told her. "And I've also got your bag that the paramedics brought." She added.
"Thank you, Dr. Chase." Xin said as she tried to feel where Dr. Chase was standing. Dr. Chase instead went over to Xin and gave her a quick hug.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll like it there, and just like I promised, I will come visit you occasionally." Dr. Chase said as she let her go.
"Thank you for everything." Xin said again as she took the clothes Ororo handed her that she got from her backpack. Scott helped her get down from the bed and escorted her to the bathroom to change. She came out ten minutes later dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Jean helped her gather her stuff as they left her room and left for the mansion.
The drive back to the mansion was pretty quiet. Everyone could see that Xin was anxious. Scott reached over and gave her hand a squeeze to make her feel more comfortable. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Jean and the jealousy feeling that she's been feeling at the hospital came back.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Scott whispered to her as they arrived at the mansion.
And as expected, the residents who were left were there to welcome the possible new addition to the mansion. Logan parked the car in the garage as they all got out. Scott helped Xin out acting as her sight as Logan got Xin's bag out of the trunk. Prof. Xavier shooed everyone back inside the mansion and told them to give Xin some breathing room as he started the introduction.
"Students, this is Xin Mei Wang." The professor introduced. "And Xin, these are…" he began but Xin cut him off.
"They're the X-Men professor, that's what I'll refer to them while I'm blind since we all know it'd be pointless since I can't really see what they look like. But I do know who they are from what I've seen on TV." She explained.
"Fair enough… but I would like you to meet Dr. Hank McCoy, or as you know him as Beast. He will be your doctor from this point on." He said.
"Hello Xin." Hank greeted as he reached for her hand and shook it. "Don't worry, I promise I will try my hardest to help you regain your sight." He promised.
"Thank you, Dr. McCoy." Xin said.
"Please, call me Beast." Said Hank.
"Well, I'm sure Xin is tired, so please Jean if you would escort her up to her room. We will talk tomorrow Xin." Said the professor as Jean nodded and led Xin upstairs to her room.
"Hope you'll be comfortable here with us." Jean said to her as she carefully sat her down in the bed.
"You like Scott, don't you?" Xin asked suddenly.
"What? Why would you say that?" Jean asked her.
"Because I could feel you watching us at the hospital when he and I were talking. I don't know how I can explain that… I guess that's another one of my powers." She said.
Jean understood. "Scott and I are best friends and nothing more." She lied.
"You're lying." Xin told her. "I can feel that you feel something more for Scott than just friendship." Xin added. "What's stopping you?" she asked.
"I already have a boyfriend." Jean said trying to convince herself that Xin was wrong.
"But you wish that Scott was your boyfriend." Xin pressed.
"Xin, please, I don't want to talk about this." Said Jean. "It's late, you should get some rest, and I'll come get you tomorrow morning." She said as she made her way out of Xin's room to prevent Xin from saying anything more about her feelings for Scott.
As days went by, Xin got used to living in the mansion and was glad to have found some new friends. She spent most of her time at the mansion with Scott who helped her around the mansion. The two of them were sitting on one of the benches in the garden, talking.
"Hank said that your sight's improving after the operation, it might be just a couple weeks till you get it back." Scott said.
"Yeah… I know he told me. I am excited to finally see what you really look up close." She said. "I'm sure you're more good looking in person than you are on TV." She added which made Scott blush.
"Thanks." Scott said.
"Just telling the truth." She said.
"So how do you like it here?" Scott asked.
"I like it. Evan, the other day actually told me that once I can see again he'll teach me how to skate. I didn't tell him that I skate myself." She replied.
"Looks like you and Evan are getting close." Scott teased.
"Well, he's fun to be around… not that you're not." Xin said. "I don't know… I find him interesting." Xin added.
"I'm glad." Scott said. He was happy for Xin but he couldn't help but feel left out. He liked Xin at one point and even admitted that to her but she told him that she was flattered that he likes her but if she had to be honest with herself, she knew that Scott was already taken… he just didn't know it yet.
Xin could feel his internal conflict and turned to him and reached for his hand. "Don't worry Scott… you'll get her." She told him.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked.
"Oh come on Scott… I'm blind and I can see it." She said. "You and Jean belong together." She added.
"Jean and I are just best friends, Xin. Plus, she's already got Matthews, I told you." Scott said.
"Oh please, from what everyone, except Jean, have told me about Duncan Matthews, I doubt they'll stay together forever." Xin said. "You just got to have faith, Scott. And don't worry, once I get my sight back I'll help you out." She promised.
"Thanks, Xin. But let's face it… there's no way Jean will ever fall for a guy like me." Scott said defeatedly.
"What if she does?" Xin challenged. "Just leave it to me, Scott." She said as the two of them decided to go back inside to get some snack.
"Okay, Xin." Scott said as he escorted her back inside the mansion. They went through the back and saw Ororo. She greeted them as they came in and offered them some snacks as they thanked her.
A few weeks has passed
As the weeks passed, Xin's eyesight has improved after the operation that Hank and Dr. Chase conducted on her eyes and along with the continuing help and assistance of Beast and Dr. Chase when she visits her at the mansion just like she promised. At the meantime, Xin was down at the medlab with Hank as Hank was testing her eyesight.
"Well?" Xin asked him.
"Well, your eyesight is back because of the successful operation, however, you're going to have to wear glasses in order to see clearly." Hank told her. "And I will have your glasses done as soon as possible." He added.
"Thank you, Hank." Xin said as she jumped off the bed at the medlab and headed up to the main levels. She was thankful that her eyesight came back, even if it wasn't to the same 20/20 vision she used to have before the accident. As she made it up to the lower levels, she ran into Rogue. "Hey, Rogue." She greeted.
"Hey Xin… oh yeah, the professor wants to see ya in his office." Rogue said to her as she passed her.
"Oh okay, thanks. I'll see you later." Xin said as she headed towards the direction of Prof. X's office.
"Later." Rogue said as she walked off to the direction towards the garden where Evan, Scott and Kurt were hanging out. Xin stopped in front of the big oak doors as she took a deep breath before knocking.
"Come in, Xin." The professor said in the other side of the door as Xin opened it and gently shut it behind her.
"You wanted to see me, professor?" she asked.
"Yes, come sit down." The professor said, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. Xin did as she was told. "How's your sight?" he asked.
"It's alright, but I have to wear glasses from now on." She said. "But it's better, thank you for all the help that you'd given me, professor." She added.
"You are very welcome, my child." He told her. "Now the reason I called you in here is because I wanted to tell you that you will be starting school at Bayville High on Monday. Scott, Jean and the rest of the kids will help you get accommodated at the school. I've also taken the liberty of getting your records from your old high school in China in order for me to get you registered in the right classes." He added.
"Thank you, sir." Xin said.
"I see that you want to major in Aeronautical engineering… very good choice." He said.
Xin nodded. "I've always been fascinated by planes." She said.
"Alright well, you can pick up your schedule from the administrating office on Monday. Scott and Jean will accompany you." He said. "Oh and Hank said he'll have your glasses ready before you go to school. And we'll also be working with your powers for you to learn how to control it." He added.
"Thanks, professor." Said Xin.
"Think nothing of it, my child." He said. "You may go and have fun with the others." He added.
"Bye, professor." Xin said as she got up from her chair and walked out the door. As she left the professor's office, she walked towards the garden where the others were hanging out. "Hey guys." Xin greeted them as she sat down on the grass next to Rogue as she leaned against the tree.
"So what'd the professor want?" Scott asked who was lying down on the grass using his left arm as a pillow.
"He just told me that I'm going to be starting school at Bayville on Monday." Xin replied.
"Cool!" Evan and Kurt said.
"So what are your classes?" Scott asked.
"I don't know yet… Prof. X said that you and Jean are going to come with me to get my schedule before school on Monday." She replied. "Speaking of which… where is Jean?" she asked.
"She's out wit' Matthews." Rogue replied.
"Ah." Xin said. "What does this Duncan look like?" Xin asked, curious.
"Well, he's blonde, tall, and captain of the football team at school." Scott described.
"Yeah, and thinks dat he's God's gift to womankind." Rogue added making the others laugh.
The weekend for the X-Men was typical, they spent it with each other as they hung out at the mansion grounds. And once Xin was given her glasses, Evan showed her how to skate, and to his surprise she knew how to skate, maybe better than he did. Then after dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms or the library to finish up their homeworks that they need to turn in for tomorrow. Xin was in her room looking up at the ceiling as she felt excited and nervous since she's never gone to an American high school before. She was still staring into the ceiling of her room when someone knocked on her door.
"Come in." she called.
"Hey." Jean greeted as she came into the room.
"Hi." Xin greeted back. "What's up?" she asked as she got up from her position on her bed.
"Nothing, just stopped by to see what you were doing." Jean replied as she sat next to her on the bed. "So, you excited about going to school tomorrow?" Jean asked.
"Honestly, Jean… we came here for a vacation 'cause school was over for us. It feels like I didn't really have a vacation." She replied.
"I understand." Said Jean. "School here's probably different than school over there." She added.
"True, but I think I'll manage." Xin replied.
Jean and Xin stayed in Xin's room talking till 9:30 PM. They were talking about school and the people at the school who hated mutants. Then they both decided it was late and they had to get up early for school the next day, so Jean bid her friend good night as she left her room.
Monday: Bayville High
Both Scott and Jean (who were the drivers) parked their respective cars next to each other in the parking lot as the two of them, along with Evan, Kurt, Kitty and Rogue came out of the cars and started walking inside the school. As they entered the hallways, they all went their separate ways but Jean, Scott and Xin stayed together since they were Xin's designated tour guide of the school.
"Xin, we're just going to stop by our lockers, then we'll take you to the office to pick up your schedule." Scott told her as they walked towards their lockers as Xin nodded and followed them. She saw that their lockers were right next to each other. She stood in between them as she waited for them patiently to get their books and stuff they needed. Then she saw a guy heading towards them.
"Hey babe." He greeted Jean as he put his arms over her shoulders. Scott stood up at hearing the familiar voice and stood next to Xin.
"Matthews." He whispered in Xin's ear before Xin could ask the question. Xin just nodded.
"Summers." Duncan said as he acknowledged Scott's presence.
"Matthews." Scott said as he looked at his arm over Jean's shoulder and had to fight every urge in his body not to blast him with his powers.
"Who's this?" Duncan asked as he pointed at Xin.
"She's a new student." Jean explained.
"Name's Duncan, Jean's boyfriend." He said; Xin just looked at him.
"So I've been told." Xin said.
"So what's your name? You do have a name, right?" Duncan said with a smile.
"Her name's Xin, Duncan." Jean replied instead of Xin. "And Scott and I have to go with her to the office to pick up her schedule." She added.
"Alright, I'll see you at lunch, babe." He said.
"Uh… Duncan, I promised my friends I'd eat lunch with them today." Jean said.
"What?" Duncan said. "But you always eat lunch with me and my friends." Duncan complained.
"Well, maybe Jean wants to hang out with people who actually have brains for once." Xin muttered under her breath making Scott let out a laugh; Jean glared at them as she heard the comment.
"What was that?" Duncan asked.
"Nothin' Dunc." Scott said. "Well, we should go; we still have to get Xin settled." He added as he started to walk away with Xin following after him as they waited for Jean.
"I'll talk to you later, Duncan." Jean said as she started to move away from him, but Duncan held her fast and gave her a kiss which landed on her cheek as Jean moved her face, and finally got away from Duncan as she, Scott and Xin left for the office. As they went to pick up Xin's schedule, they saw that the three of them had English, Calculus, and PE together. And Scott and Xin were both in the same AP Physics class. As she went to her classes, Xin found it easy to adapt quickly as she easily understood the lessons the teacher gave. Now, Xin was looking forward to lunch time. She met Scott and Jean at their lockers as they all went to the cafeteria together. Scott scanned the room for their friends, finding them, he led the two girls towards their friends' table.
"Hey guys." Evan greeted as the three of them sat down so they can eat their lunch.
"So, Xin, like what do you think of your first day?" asked Kitty.
"It's okay… better than expected." Xin replied as she sat down.
"We're glad you're liking it here." Evan said as they continued eating, and making jokes here and there.
"Here come Jock boy and his goons." Rogue said as they saw Duncan and his football friends- all wearing their Letterman's jackets- approaching their table.
"Hey Jean… I thought you were going to eat lunch with us?" Duncan asked as he and his friends surrounded their table.
"Duncan, I told you I was going to eat lunch with my friends today." Jean replied with a sigh.
"Who is this?" Ryan, one of the linesmen asked, before Duncan could say anything to Jean.
"My name's Xin." Xin said trying as best she could to be polite and not say anything sarcastic… yet.
"So you're the new kid everyone's been talking about." Ryan said with a smile. "I'm Ryan, one of the few All-American football players in this school… and if you hang-out with me, Duncan, and the rest of the popular football players here rather than with Summers and the rest of the Geek Squad here, you could be popular, right Jean?" Ryan added.
"Ya better watch it, Monkey Boy." Rogue said as she stood to face Ryan.
"Rogue." Scott said as all of the X-Men now stood up to.
"Did you just call me a monkey?" Ryan asked Rogue.
"Did ah stutter?" Rogue asked and Kitty chuckled.
"Come on, Rogue, monkeys can play football better than these guys." Xin commented with a smirk. That comment made everyone who heard it laugh- including Jean and Scott.
Duncan looked at Jean. "What? You have to admit, it was funny, Duncan." She said, trying hard not to laugh once again.
"Look, Jean, let's just go." Duncan said pulling Jean's arm, but Jean broke free.
"Duncan, I already told you… I'm going to eat lunch with my friends." said Jean.
"I'm your boyfriend and as my girlfriend you should be eating lunch with me and my friends… or is it because you want to hang-out with Summers here." Duncan said glaring at Scott.
"Duncan you're paranoid… Scott and I are just friends." Jean defended but as the words came out, she started questioning her feelings toward a certain brown-haired boy.
"Fine." Duncan relented reluctantly as he and his friends walked away but not before giving Jean a kiss and making sure Scott saw it; much to the red-eyed mutant's chagrin.
"You know, if you just make a movie and come clean about how you feel and tell Jean… you wouldn't have that look on your face." Xin whispered to Scott; Scott just remained silent as he sat back down on his chair followed by the others.
When the bell rang signaling that lunch was over, the X-Men cleaned up their table and picked up their stuff before heading to their respective classes. As school was nearing its end, both Xin Mei Wang and Scott Summers sat in their AP Physics class listening to their teacher describe the procedure of their upcoming lab. Scott, however, had something else in mind as he doodled on his notebook. Xin, who was sitting behind him, looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. She saw that Scott had doodled Jean's name all over the page of his notebook, instead of taking notes regarding the lab and she just shook her head.
"Got Jean on your mind?" Xin asked softly so that the teacher wouldn't hear her. That question snapped Scott out of his thoughts as he abruptly shut his notebook. For the rest of class, Scott tried to focus more in what the teacher was saying rather than thinking about Jean. But he found it really difficult and was thankful when the bell rang and school for the day was over. Scott and Xin cleaned up their stuff, picked up their backpacks and left the class as they started walking towards Scott's locker.
"You know Scott, you could stop torturing yourself if you would just tell Jean how you feel." Xin said.
"I know… but I dunno." Scott said.
"Vague." said Xin. "But it's called a risk and being the X-Men's field leader, you know the concept very well." She added.
"Yeah… yeah." Scott said as they continued walking to his locker. As they walked, Xin could not help but notice and read the banners hanging on the walls saying, "Spring Fling Formal only two weeks away."
"Scott, what's the Spring Fling Formal?" Xin asked.
"Um… it's the second to the last dance of the year, and this is the dance where the girls asks the guys to be their date." Scott explained.
"Ah." said Xin as they stopped by Scott's locker. She waited for Scott then saw Jean making her way over to her own locker which was next to Scott's.
"Hi guys." Jean greeted as she opened her locker.
"Hey." Scott and Xin both greeted. "Do you need a ride home?" Scott asked.
"I have soccer practice, but I'll take you up on your offer after practice." Jean said.
"Yeah, sure. Just give me a call when soccer practice gets out." He told her with a smile. But his smile soon disappeared when he saw Duncan- Jean's current boyfriend- approaching them.
"Hey babe." He greeted Jean. "Want me to drive you home?" he asked.
"Um, that's okay Duncan… I have soccer practice." Jean said as she closed her locker.
"I'll see you later Jean." Scott said as he too closed his locker.
"Later Jean." Xin said as she followed Scott out of the hallway and into the parking lot.
Jean waved after them. "I'll see you later Duncan… I don't want to be late for practice." She said as she started to leave; but Duncan held her back.
"We need to talk." Duncan told her before she could leave.
"About what?" Jean asked, now getting irritated with Duncan.
"About Summers. I don't want you hanging out with him anymore." Duncan told her.
"What? Duncan… Scott's my best friend and I'm not just going to stop hanging out or spending time with him just because you say so." Jean said, her temper flaring up.
"But I'm your boyfriend. And I don't like the way Summers' looks at you, plus everyone's talking about you and him." He said.
"Duncan, there is nothing going on between me and Scott, and if you're going to be this possessive then maybe, it's better if you and I just stop seeing each other." Jean said as she tried to break free from Duncan's grip. "Duncan you're hurting my arm." She said.
"Nobody breaks up with Duncan Matthews." He said in a low voice. Jean was actually getting scared at his tone of voice.
/Scott./ she sent hoping that Scott hadn't left yet.
/Jean?/ Scott sent back. "Xin, wait for me in my car, I'm going back inside… I think Jean's in some kind of trouble." he said to Xin as he gave her his keys and started running back to the school.
"What's going on?" Kitty asked as she and Rogue approached Xin.
"I don't know, but Scott said that something's going on with Jean." Xin replied.
"Well, like, why don't we go see?" Kitty said as she dragged Xin and Rogue with her back to the school to see what's happening. As they got there, they saw that everyone who was in the hallway was watching what was happening. The three of them squeezed to the front- with Kitty leading them through- to have a better view. They stood behind Scott. They saw Jean and Duncan having some kind of argument.
"Cyke, what's going on?" Rogue asked Scott.
"I don't know." Scott replied.
"I just heard that Jean just dumped Duncan." The four friends could hear a by-stander say to her friend.
"About time." Rogue muttered as she heard the news.
"Jean, you can't just break up with me, especially with the Spring Formal only two weeks away." Duncan protested. Jean finally broke her arm free of his hold with a little help from her telekinesis.
"Duncan, I'm sorry, but I can stand you always getting mad everytime I spend time with my friends, especially Scott." Jean told him.
"You're not getting rid of me that easy, Jean." Duncan said as he grabbed hold of Jean's arm again and squeezed it… hard.
"What's going on?" Evan asked as he and Kurt arrived at the scene.
"The end of Jean and Duncan." Kitty said.
"Duncan… you're hurting my arm." Jean said, wincing. That was all Scott needed as he got involved.
"Let her go, Matthews." Scott said to Duncan as he stood behind Jean.
"This is none of your business, Summers." Duncan spat.
"Actually… when it involves my friends, it becomes my business." Scott told him. "Now, let her go." Scott added in a low, threatening voice.
"Or you'll do what?" Duncan taunted.
"Or I'll make sure you don't throw another football." Said Scott as he grabbed the collar of Duncan's jacket succeeding in him letting go of Jean's arm.
"Scott don't… he's not worth it." Jean said as she put her arm over Scott's to stop him. "Let's just go." She added.
"Stay away from my friends, Matthews." Scott said as he let go of Duncan and shoved him away. "Let's go Jean. I'll walk you to the locker room." Said Scott as he picked up Jean's soccer bag and led her away from Duncan. The crowd that formed during the argument formed. Xin, Kitty, Rogue, Evan and Kurt followed their two leaders out.
"Hey guys… just wait for me by my car." Scott told them; they nodded and headed to the parking lot to where Scott parked. Jean and Scott continued walking to the girls locker room. Once they got there, they stopped in front of the door.
"Thanks for the help." Jean told him.
"Anytime, Jean, and if you want to talk… you know I'm here." Scott said.
"I know. Well, I have to go… I'm late for practice." Said Jean.
"Alright, just call me when you get out so I can come pick you up." Scott said before leaving.
After soccer practice, Jean called Scott to pick her up. And when they got home to the institute, Jean headed straight to her room and collapsed on the bed. She didn't go down to dinner because she knew that by now, everyone at the mansion, including the adults, knew about what happened with her and Duncan. When they saw her enter through the front door, Jubilee, Amara and Rahne wanted to ask Jean for details but the professor and Logan told them to let Jean be for a while. So after dinner, Xin offered to bring the redhead her dinner up to her room.
Xin knocked on the door and waited for Jean to open the door.
"Who is it?" Jean called, not getting up from the bed.
"It's Xin, I brought you some dinner." She replied. She heard the locks click as she opened the door and walked inside. She set the tray on Jean's desk and sat down on her chair. "He's not worth crying over, Jean." Xin told her.
"I know… and I'm not crying." Jean said as she sat up from the bed.
"Here, I brought you food… I'm sure you're hungry." Said Xin. Jean eyed the tray for a while. "If you're worried I or Kitty cooked it… don't; Ororo did, so I'm sure it's edible." Xin teased earning a laugh from the telepath. Jean moved from the bed as she and Xin switched spots so she was now sitting on her chair and started eating, and Xin was the one sitting on her bed.
"So now that you're single, does this mean Scott's got a chance?" Xin asked. Jean coughed at the unexpected question.
"I don't know." Jean finally admitted.
"I'll make this easy for you, Jean… do you like Scott Summers as more than a friend?" She asked.
"I… I think so. But I don't know. What if he doesn't feel the same way?" said Jean.
"I highly doubt that." muttered Xin.
"What?" asked Jean.
"I said what if he does?" The Asian mutant challenged. "Do you really want to live your life asking what could've been rather than taking a chance and knowing?" she asked which got Jean to think. Jean was about to say something when someone knocked at the door.
"Hey Jean, it's me. Can I come in?" asked Scott from the other side.
"Of course, Scott." Said Jean as Scott opened the door and came in.
"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.
"No." Jean replied. "Xin and I were just talking." She added.
"Ah." Scott said sitting down on Jean's bed next to Xin. Xin looked at him and Jean and knew that it just got crowded.
"Well, I'm going to go see if Ororo needs some help in the kitchen." Xin said as she got up from the bed. //Think about what I said, Jean.// she sent to her telepathically as she left the room.
"What's up?" Jean asked Scott, putting the tray of food away as she faced him and looked at him.
"Nothing… just wanted to see how you were doing." Scott replied with a shrug.
"I'm fine Scott, really." Jean replied. Bye.
"Are you sure?" Scott asked once again.
"Yes Scott, I'm one hundred percent sure… besides, like you guys always say, it's Duncan." She replied.
"Good point." Scott said with a smile that made Jean's heart beat faster. Just then Xin's words rang in her head.
"Scott, I uh…" she said but was cut –off by someone knocking on her door. Jean sighed as she got up to answer the door revealing Logan standing on the other side.
"Hey Red, Slim in here?" Logan asked.
"What's up, Logan?" Scott asked as he stood next to Jean.
"Need your help in the DR kid." Logan said.
Scott nodded. "We'll talk later Jean." he said as he moved past her and followed Logan.
"Bye." Jean said to the both of them as she closed her door. She then leaned her back against the door and closed her eyes as she thought of a certain red-eyed mutant.
A week has gone by after the Jean/Duncan break-up and the whole school now found out about it. And since the dance was only a few days away, everyone was wondering who Jean Grey would ask to the dance. Jean was heading to her locker and she couldn't help but over hear a couple of sophomore girls talking about the dance. She could hear them talking about who she was going to ask the dance and the name Scott Summers came up in the conversation. Jean also couldn't help but feel jealous when one of the girls admitted having a crush on Scott. She then decided to leave the girls alone as she closed her locker and made her way to her Calculus class before the bell rang. When she got there, she saw that Xin and Scott were already seated in their seats, talking. She came in quietly and took her seat in front of Scott. Xin and Scott stopped their discussion as they looked at her and smiled.
"Hey can we talk during lunch?" Jean asked as she turned n her seat to face Scott.
"Sure, what about?" he asked.
"I'll tell you at lunch." said Jean as she faced the front once again when their teacher walked in the class. When their Calculus class ended, they had one more class to go before lunch. And both Jean and Scott were anxious for their 'talk.' Scott, however, was more anxious as he sat in his Art class with Xin, staring at his pencil.
"You stare anymore at that pencil… you might succeed in actually melting it." Xin told him as she drew the assignment they were given on her sketchbook.
"Sorry Xin, I'm just nervous." Scott told her as he picked up the pencil and started drawing.
"About what?" She asked. "Worried whether Jean's going to ask you to be her date to the dance, or worried that when she does you'd be so nervous that you manage to choke on your answer?" she asked again with a small smile.
"You know, you've got a cruel sense of humor." Scott told her.
Xin just smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, Scotty… I've got a gut feeling that Jean will ask you." Said Xin.
"How do you know?" Scott asked skeptically.
"I don't know… I guess you could call it woman's intuition." Xin replied with a shrug. The two of them didn't say anything more as they concentrated on finishing the assignment and waited for the bell to ring for lunch. As they waited, Scott kept thinking of Jean; while Xin was thinking of well… food. When the bell rang, everyone packed up their stuff and left the class for lunch.
"Yes! Lunch time… I'm hungry." Xin declared as he and Scott walked to his locker. Scott shook his head at his friend. They then walked to the cafeteria and saw that Jean, Kitty and Rogue were already seated in their table. "Huh, amazing… Kurt and Evan aren't here yet… and they're usually the first ones out for lunch." Xin commented as they made their way towards their friends.
"Hey you two." Kitty greeted as Xin and Scott sat down.
"Hey." They greeted back.
"So, uh Jean… what did you want to talk to me about?" Scott asked Jean.
"Um… uh… I just wanted to know if anybody's asked you to the dance yet." said Jean.
"No… no one's asked." Scott replied, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"Oh." Jean said. "Well, um… do you want to go with me?" She asked nervously. Xin, Kitty, and Rogue all looked at each other and smiled.
"Sure. I'd love to." Scott told her with a smile. Jean smiled back. Just then Taryn came over to their table.
"Hey Scott, do you want to go with me to the dance?" she asked.
"Um… I'm sorry Taryn, but Jean's already asked me and I already said yes." Scott said. "I'm sorry." He added.
"Don't be. I understand… besides, everyone knew that it'd be just a matter of time that you and Jean would actually get together." Taryn said with a smile. "I'll see you at practice, Jean." She added before she left.
"She took that better than Ah imagined." Rogue said as Kitty nodded.
"So, what about you three, you guys are going, right?" Jean said to Rogue, Kitty, and Xin.
"I don't know, I've never been a fan of school dances… and if I do go, I'm probably gonna go without a date." Xin replied.
"Yeah. Ah agree with Xin about tha whole not going with a date thing… they ain't a requirement anyway." Rogue added.
"Well, I'm going with Lance." Kitty said with a smile.
"Anyways, I'm just glad you two finally got together." Xin commented.
"Ah agree… these two finally opening their eyes is tha biggest event of the year." Rogue added with a smirk.
"Like, next to prom of course, right?" Kitty said which made the others at her table laugh and shake their heads.
As the days passed, the day of the dance grew near and made Scott more anxious for it. He knew that this is the first time that he and Jean were going to the dance together in their four years of high school and the first time they're going as dates. And he knew that everyone at the dance would assume that they were now a couple. And that was what was worrying him, because Scott didn't know what's going to happen to him and Jean regarding their relationship after the dance. Scott was sitting in the booth they had in the kitchen staring at his now melted ice cream. That was how Ororo found him, when she walked into the kitchen. She surveyed him for a minute and saw that he was in deep thought and that he didn't even notice her come in which made her grow worried about Scott.
"Scott are you alright?" Ororo asked as she approached him and sat across from him.
Scott looked up at her. "Yeah, 'Ro, I'm fine… just worried about the dance on Saturday." He admitted.
"What exactly are you worried about?" Ororo asked.
"I don't know." Scott sighed. "I know I'm not making much sense here." He added.
"Are you worried about what the other students will say about you and Jean?" she asked. "Because let me tell you… they're just jealous of you and Jean." She added answering her own question.
"Not really… I couldn't care less about what they say." Scott replied.
"Well then, what seems to be the problem?" Ororo asked, waiting for Scott to tell her what's bothering him.
"I guess I'm just worried about what's going to happen between me and Jean after the dance." Scott said as he slumped lower on his seat.
"Well why don't you tell her how you really feel, Scott?" Ororo suggested. Scott mulled that thought over for a while. "You know, I've seen both you and Jean grow up since you were kids; and these past few months you two have really grown close, especially when Jean lost control of her powers." Ororo said, letting that sink in. She looked at Scott and knew that what she said has got to the young man. "Think about what I said Scott, and good luck." She added before leaving Scott alone with his thoughts. Scott sat there thinking about what Ororo said.
'Maybe Ororo and Xin are right… I should just take the risk and tell Jean how I really feel and hopefully this will pay off.' Scott thought to himself. 'I guess I'll just wait and see what happens after the dance.' He added as he finally got up and cleaned up the table and washed the dishes before heading to his room.
"Looks like Scooter's a bit distracted." Logan said as he and Prof. X watched in the shadows.
"Yes. He's thinking about the dance and he's thinking about it a little too loudly." The professor said.
"Yeah." Logan grunted. "I juz hope those two can finally get together and figure out their feelings for each other for their sakes… and ours." Logan said as he went outside for a smoke.
"I hope so too, my friend… I hope so." Prof. X said as he wheeled towards his own room.
Day of the Dance…
It was the day of the dance and for the residents of the mansion who were going; they were keeping themselves occupied until it was the time to leave for the dance venue. Scott and Kurt- who was asked by Amanda- were down in the living room watching TV with Evan- who's skipping the dance- and the new mutants. Meanwhile, the girls were in Jean's room getting their hair fixed with Ororo's help. Jean and Ororo were doing Kitty's hair at the moment, putting the finishing touches on it.
"Kitty, it looks great." Jean said with a sigh as Kitty asked for what it seemed like to Jean the 100th time how her hair looked.
"I just wanna, like, make sure." Kitty said.
"Trust me, Kit… Ah think the walking earthquake will lahke it." Rogue said referring to Lance.
"It looks great Kitty and you'll look great tonight." Ororo assured her with a smile.
"Thanks, Ororo." Kitty said as she got off the chair to let the others have a turn for their hair. After Kitty, Xin and Rogue were done with their hair, they left Jean and Ororo in Jean's room and finished getting ready on their own in their own rooms. Ororo was doing Jean's hair and did it down as she had her red locks in a loose curl. After she was done, Ororo surveyed it for a moment, making sure it looked good.
"You look beautiful, Jeannie… I'm sure Scott would really like it." Ororo told her with a smile.
"I hope so." said Jean. "Thanks for the help, 'Ro." She added as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Of course, Jean." She said. "Alright, well, I'll leave you alone to finish up, but I will be downstairs if you should need any more help." Ororo added as she made her leave.
"Thanks again, Ororo." Jean said with a smile as she walked to her bed where red dress was laid out.
Scott waited for Jean in the foyer, all ready to go. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie to match Jean's red dress. Everyone going to the dance was already gone. Lance already picked up Kitty, and Xin, Rogue, and Kurt left to pick up Amanda at her house. That just left him and Jean. He was pacing around the foyer until the sight of Jean standing on top of the staircase and stopped his pacing as he turned around to look at her.
"Hi." Jean said with a smile as she started descending down the stairs.
"H-hi." Scott said as he took in the sight before him. "You look beautiful." He told her as Jean was now standing next to him.
"Thank you." She said, curtly. "You don't look so bad yourself." She smiled.
Scott smiled back. "Shall we go?" he asked as he offered his arm to her which Jean gladly took as the two of them started walking towards Scott's car. When they arrived at the dance, everyone immediately looked at the two of them, but they just went past them and went towards their table.
"Hey you two finally got here." Xin told them. Scott and Jean sat down with Xin as they watched the couples already out dancing on the dance floor. Then a slow song started playing and a guy from Scott and Xin's art class came over to ask Xin to dance. Xin politely accepted.
"I'll see you guys in a bit." Xin said as she followed her partner out on the dance floor. Scott looked around them and decided to ask Jean to dance.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked Jean.
"I'd love to." Jean said with a smile as she took the hand Scott offered her as he led her to the dance floor. Once there, Jean put her arms over Scott's shoulder while Scott put his arms around her waist as the two of them swayed to the rhythm of the song. Jean then looked up at Scott as their eyes met and held the gaze until the song ended. When it did, Jean and Scott went back to their table. Scott admitted that the dance was quite good and he was glad he went.
"I'm glad you agreed to be my date tonight, Scott." Jean said softly as she leaned in closer to his warmth.
"I'm glad you asked me." Scott whispered as he draped his arm over her chair. Jean looked up at him and smiled. Scott smiled back. Throughout the whole dance, they talked and also danced to a few songs. When the DJ called that this was the last song of the night and it was a slow song, Scott and Jean both went out on the dance floor and danced. After the last dance, everyone were all getting ready to leave and go home. Scott and Jean gathered their stuff and headed to the parking lot. As they got out to the parking lot, Jean shivered because it has gotten cold. Scott took off his coat and draped it over her shoulder. Jean smiled her thanks to him. He and Jean walked to his car, and when they got there, Scott opened the door for Jean and closed it when she got in and went in to his side. Scott drove back to the mansion and they got there at around two in the morning. Scott parked his car as he and Jean got out and walked inside the mansion. The others were also already back in the mansion and were probably asleep in their rooms. Scott walked Jean to her room as they stopped just in front of her door.
"Thank you, Scott. I had a wonderful time at the dance with you." Jean said with a smile.
"You're welcome, Jean. And I had a great time too." Scott said smiling back. "Well… uh… it's late so I'm gonna go and let you sleep." He added. 'Come on, Summers, just ask her.' He told himself but when he was about to, he chickened out. "I'll see you in the morning, Jean. Night." He said before leaving for his own room.
"Good night, Scott." Jean said as she went into her room and closed it. She walked to her bed and fell on it, thinking about what happened during the night. 'Why couldn't I just come out and tell him how I feel?' she chided herself. 'Ugh… might as well get some sleep and talk to Scott tomorrow.' She added as she got up and changed out of her dress and into her sleep clothes and fell asleep.
"What ahre we gonna do wit' those two?" Rogue asked Xin as the two of them watched the exchange between Jean and Scott in the hallway.
"I don't know Rogue, but if they can't come out and tell each other how they feel… then I'm going to be forced to do it for them. Because I can't take much more of this." Xin said.
"How're you gonna do that?" Rogue asked her.
"I have no idea, but either they talk to each other and tell each other how they feel, or I have to do it for them… either way works for me." Xin replied. "But let's worry 'bout that tomorrow… coz I'm beat and I wanna go to sleep." She added as she left for her room; Rogue did the same way.
The next morning, when everyone woke up, they were still tired from the dance. Kitty and Rogue went down to breakfast. Xin came down after they did, followed by Jubilee. Xin let out a yawn as she down and poured cereal in her bowl as she sat down next to Kitty.
"How was the dance?" Ororo asked when she came through the kitchen.
"It was good and it looked like everyone there had fun." Kitty replied. Just then Jean arrived in the kitchen and sat down next to Xin. Xin smiled at her; Jean smiled back.
"So, had fun at the dance?" Xin asked her.
Jean nodded. "Yep, Scott was such a gentleman the whole time and just a great date." She said.
Xin smiled. "So does that you two are officially a couple now?" she asked.
"Well… uh… I'm not sure." Jean replied. "Scott and I haven't really talked about it when we got home last night." She added. Xin and Rogue shared a look at that.
"Well, why don't you go talk to him today and tell him how you feel… it seems like today's a good day for new relationships to be forge." Xin suggested with a smile.
"You're right. Uh… you guys don't happen to know where he is." Jean asked.
"I saw him go down to the DR with Logan." Ororo said with a smile.
"Thanks, 'Ro. I'll see you guys later." She said as she left and headed for the DR.
"I'm gonna go outside… Rogue you wanna come?" Xin asked as she got up. Rogue looked at her, confused, then she saw that look in her eyes and suddenly got what she meant.
"Sure." Rogue said as she followed Xin out of the kitchen. The two of them then went down to the lower levels to see whether Jean and Scott can finally get their act together.
"What exactly ahre we doin' in here?" Rogue drawled.
"We're just going to see if Jean and Scott can finally talk to each other." Xin supplied as she and Rogue hid behind a wall.
"So basically, we're spyin' on them?" She said.
"If that's how you wanna put it." Xin said with a smile as they saw Jean waiting outside the DR for Scott. Then they saw the steel doors open and saw Scott and Logan walk out. When they saw Logan, Xin and Rogue ran towards the lockers and waited till Logan was gone before going back to their original hiding place.
"Hey Jeannie." Logan greeted her. "I'll see you upstairs, kid." He said to Scott as he left the two.
"Alright, Logan's gone." Xin said as she and Rogue went back to where they were hiding before. They saw Scott and Jean standing in front of each other, just looking at each other. They were also close enough to them that they can hear whatever it is they would talk about.
"Hey Jean, what's up?" Scott asked as he stood in front of Jean, clad in his X-Men uniform.
"Um… nothing much, I just wanted to talk to you about something." Said Jean.
"Sure, about what?" Scott asked.
"Well, uh… I just wanted to tell you that I… uh…" Jean started but couldn't seem to get the words out. Scott waited for her patiently. "I just wanted to tell you that I really had fun at the dance with you last night." Jean said and as the words came out of her mouth, she mentally kicked herself for not being able to come out and say to Scott exactly how she feels.
Scott eyed her for a moment, and knew that that wasn't all she wanted to say. "Jean, is there anything else you wanted to talk to me, about?" he asked.
"Um, no, I've already said what I wanted to say." Jean said averting his gaze.
"Man… this is torture." Xin whispered to Rogue.
"Yer right, Ah can't watch this." She said. Just then Xin started to walk towards them. "What are ya doing?" Rogue asked, but Xin didn't answer as she kept walking. Xin stopped just in front of Scott and Jean. The two of them were about say something, but Xin didn't let them.
"You know, for two very intelligent people, you two sure are the dumbest when it comes to the matters of the heart." Xin said. "How hard is it to say three words, really?" she asked both of them. Jean and Scott just looked at her, oblivious to what she was talking about. Xin sighed. 'This is harder than I thought.' She thought to herself.
"Xin what are you talking about?" Scott asked her.
Xin sighed. "Look, everyone here knows it, and even most the people at school knows it… so how is it, that you two still don't?" She asked.
"Knows what?" Jean asked this time.
"Here, let me spell it out for you two." She said. "Scott… Jean is in love with you; and Jean, Scott feels the same way." Xin said and smiled at the reaction of her two friends. "Well, I'll see you two upstairs." She added as she turned around and started to walk away. Rogue came out of her hiding place and smiled at Jean and Scott before following Xin up to the main level. When Xin and Rogue left, the two of them were still speechless.
'Well, cat's out of the hat, might as well tell her now.' Scott thought to himself. "Jean, what Xin said was true… I am in love with you. I just never told you till now because I was afraid that you might not feel the same way or that it might change our friendship." Scott said as he turned to face her once again.
Jean managed to smile. "I'm in love with you too, Scott… and that's what I've been meaning to tell you when I came down here, I just never thought that it'd be really hard to just come out and say it, especially when you feel that way about your best friend." She said. "And I know that I should be furious at Xin for doing that… but I know that if she hadn't done that, we still wouldn't have been able to tell each other how we feel." She added as she slowly snaked her arms around Scott's neck. Scott then put his arms around her waist as he held her close to him.
"Mmm… I think we owe Xin for this." He said with a smile.
"Mm-hmm." Jean murmured. "So what happens now?" she asked looking up at Scott.
Scott gazed at her beautiful green eyes before saying anything. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" he asked with a smile.
"The honor would be mine, Mr. Summers." Jean replied with a smile as she reached up and brushed her lips against his. Scott smiled back as he cupped the back of her head as their lips met once again in a longer, deeper and passionate kiss.
"I love you, Jean." Scott said when they parted.
"I love you too, Scott." Jean said back and hugged her best friend- and now boyfriend again. Scott hugged her back as the two of them stayed that way for some time.
"Finally!" Rogue said as she and Xin, who were supposed to be at the main levels, watched from afar.
"Yep. Now I can rest easy." Said Xin. Rogue nodded as she was finally able to drag Xin with her back to the main levels.
"It's about time." Logan grunted as he, Ororo, Charles, and Hank watched the new couple.
"I'm happy for them both." Ororo said and Hank nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I am happy for them too, Ororo. They still have a lot of trials to face, all of us will, but I know that Jean and Scott will be able to get through them as long as they are together." Charles agreed as the four adults left the couple alone.
The End!!!
MAN, that was long!!! This fic is done!!! Hope you all liked this LONG one-shot I cooked up in my boring summer and thank you all for reading.
Review!!! Please, to let me know what you thought of the fic.