"Ooh! I can't believe them. Honestly, are we the ONLY responsible ones in
this house?" Jean ranted at Scott.
He nodded, agreeing with her completely. "I think I'll go get them. Who knows what trouble they could get into?"
"I'll go with you."
To their surprise everyone except Evan was just coming in looking guilty and regretful.
"Scott, Jean, we're so sorry," Kurt said, speaking for the group. "We really vant to make things up to you." He tried his best to go by what Rogue had planned.
Scott threw them all a curious look, "Wait, where's Evan?"
Everyone looked around suspiciously, but Roberto's jaw dropped. "I knew we forgot something! Didn't I tell you we did?!"
Amara rubbed his arm, "Shh. No big deal," she whispered.
"But," Kurt continued, "We feel that it should be up to you guys vhat ve should do to make up for what we did."
"I was thinking that maybe we could all run a level three simulation in the Danger Room," Beast said from behind.
"Mr. McCoy?" Jean asked astonished. "YOU were involved in this too?"
He nodded somberly. "It was fun though," he admitted softly with a small grin.
"So, we're all gonna suit up, and we'll meet you two in the Danger Room. You should be with us to make sure we're punished properly," Rogue sighed. 'Please oh please don't let Jean be scannin' minds raht now...'
Jean ran her eyes over all of them as they treaded up the steps. "Something doesn't feel right, Scott."
His eyes squinted in thought behind his shades. "You're right. But I'm seeing it as them actually wanted to do something good. C'mon, let's go get dressed. We can have Evan run the program for us since he's the only one not getting punished."
Jean knocked on Evan's door. A frightened sounding "Who's there?" came from within.
"Evan? It's Jean. Can we come in?"
"Okay..."
She carefully opened the door and froze. It was Evan. Or at least it looked like Evan... sort of. He had his legs drawn up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them, with an armor of spikes sticking out of every part of his body that was exposed.
"Evan?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're not really Jean. You're one of THEM! Well you won't get ME like you got the others!!!" He extended and arm and shot a spike straight at Jean who managed to slam the door shut just in time. A spike punctured the door about chest height a millisecond later.
Jean turned angrily toward the others, hands on hips. "What did you DO to him?!"
Bobby puts his hands up in defense. "Nothing!! That THING in there," he pointed to the punctured door, "had nothing to do with tonight."
Jean scowled at him once more, then turned to Scott. "What now? We're going to have to give them their punishment now."
Rogue's eyes went wide as she stood behind Remy. "Shit, we gotta do somethin'. It'll never work!" Remy nodded subtly, and focusing his underdeveloped 'charm' power, suggested casually, "Beast could run the simulation. De whole t'in' was mostly our fault anyway." His head hurt a little bit, but it seemed to have had the right effect.
Behind his glasses, Scott blinked a couple times and then saw Jean staring at him for an answer. "That would work. He WAS pretty much pushed into participating with what happened outside."
Jean's eyes softened as she thought about it. It really wasn't fair to punish her own TEACHER for something. It just didn't feel right. "Okay, I'm good with that." She looked to Hank. "You alright with that, Beast?"
He nodded, his expression clear. Internally he thought, 'I can't believe they actually talked me into this whole thing.'
"Good," Scott said, smiling proudly like the leader he was. "Let's get ready then."
The door slid open and the X-Men walked into the Danger Room. Beast waved from the control panel and Jean again had the feeling something was off, but the thought was interrupted by an electronic voice announcing "Danger Room sequence has been initiated."
The metal room melted into... a tropical paradise? Jean's eyes widened as she looked around and didn't even see any of the teens anymore, just Scott. "I think we've been tricked."
"Thank you for that one," Scott said sarcastically. "Alright, where are you guys?"
Jamie laughed as he was the last one teleported into the control room. "That was fun," he said, before the smell of brimstone hit his nose, almost knocking him off his feet. Ray caught him from behind.
"It's already a tight fit with the ten of us in here." Jamie just shrugged casually and made his way over to the viewing window where he could see Scott and Jean looking around wildly.
Beast sat with his hands resting comfortably on the controls. "This endevour does not feel improper to any of you?" The rest either shook their heads or shot him incredulous looks. "Ah, apparently not."
"Beast, if ya don't feel raht with it," Rogue said with a smirk, sliding into the seat next to him. "Ah could always take the controls an' you could just leave an' just fohget the whole thin'."
"Hey! Who says you get control?" Bobby exclaimed, pushing his way past Jubilee and Amara to the controls. He accidentally hit something. "Oops..." he smiled.
Suddenly it was a romantic candlelight dinner. Both Scott and Jean were dressed to the nines. He was wearing a suit and she was wearing a low-cut green dress. "Wow," Scott whispered. "You look amaz-"
"Scott, this isn't the time," Jean told him, though she was secretly pleased with the compliment, and couldn't help noticing he looked pretty good himself.
"Bobby, your idea of romance is pulling a girl's hair and running away. Let someone with some maturity handle this," Jubilee told him, with a shove that unseated him.
"I'm romantic!" he protested from the floor. His statement was immediately followed by laughter.
Jubilee rolled herself closer and examined the buttons. Not understanding any of them, she randomly picked one with a mental 'eeny, miney, mo'. She and the others peered down to check out the damage.
"Scott?"
"Yeah, Jean?"
"Why are we in a pool with sharks surrounding us?" Sure enough, Jean found herself clawing to Scott to evade the sharks swimming dangerously close to them.
"Jean... you do have telekinetic powers, right?"
"Oh, um, right..." She laughed nervously and pulled herself away from Scott's defined chest. With a wave of her hand, the sharks flew out of the water and landed far away. She glared upwards.
"I guess it's my turn for 'oops'." Jubilee whispered to anyone listening as she gave up her seat.
Remy sat down in her seat with a sigh. "Don' any o' y' know how t' get people t'get'er!?" The Cajun cracked his knuckles and started tapping away, grinning as he hit the enter button.
Scott and Jean, once warped into another scene, found themselves staring up to the stars on a blanket in the middle of a cleared field. Jean sighed and comfortably stretched out. "This is more like it."
"Oh, so now you're all right with all of this?" Scott asked her, an amused eyebrow raised.
"Like you've been so unappreciative of all of this. Knowing you, you probably put them up to this."
"What!?" He rolled over and leaned on an elbow to glare at her. "And all this time I was figuring you were easing it into their minds to do this so we could spend time together."
Jean sighed again, this time angrily. She rolled her face away from him. "Okay, now it's been ruined. We've been through this already, Scott Summers."
"If you weren't so self-involved with everything, and shoving DUNCAN in my face, things wouldn't have to be this way!" he all but yelled back.
"Oh, like you going out with my BEST FRIEND is being any more mature!"
"Ah cain't take this anymore!" Rogue pushed several buttons from above and suddenly the once happy scene of a moonlit picnic was replaced with a cold, tight box. As soon as Jean and Scott stood up, it closed even more around them so they only had room to breathe, which was only mere inches. "Listen, you two. Ah've had it up ta here with the way y'all're pussyfootin' around with each other. Ya either get yoah act tagether an' fuck already to stop all the tension or just get away!" Rogue's eyes widened and she covered the mic. "Did Ah just tell them ta fuck? Oh mah Gawd, the images!!"
"Rogue!!!" several of the new recruits protested at once.
"Thanks a lot. Now I'm gonna have nightmares," Jubilee told her, shuddering.
"No... no... make them stop..." Rogue whimpered, still caught in the horrors her all too imaginative mind had created. Remy, never one to miss a opportunity, pulled her up against him, putting his arms around her and stroking her hair soothingly, all the while murmuring softly in French.
Rahne shook her head. "Well, those two are gonna be useless for the rest o' the night." She took a seat at the control board and typed a few keys. Suddenly, there was a forest around Jean and Scott with wolves howling close by. Jean and Scoot inched closer together, shaking and looking around frantically. "Well, they're together now."
"That kinda doesn't help if they're wettin' themselves out o' fear, Rahne," Sam pointed out delicately.
"What? It's soothing," she pouted.
"Ta you maybe." Sam took his turn at programming. This time Scott and Jean were in the back of a hay wagon that being was pulled by a large horse and directed by a man who looked old as dirt.
"This is all very touching, but I'm sick of being dragged through every sequence these guys can think up," Jean muttered.
Scott only smiled and wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders. "It is kinda sweet though. They did this all for us."
She scoffed. "You did hear what Rogue said, right? Seems like all we are are burdens to them."
"Hey, Jean," he said softly, gazing down at her.
Jean looked up, straight through his glasses to what would be brown eyes. "Yes, Scott?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Then, before he could chicken out of it, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers softly.
Sam sat back in his chair and cross his arms over his chest, beaming proudly. "Now THAT was soothin'." He came out of his trance of satisfaction with his work to see the others filing out. "What now??"
Kitty looked back to him meekly. "Ick... No matter what we had in store, I don't think I could've, like, prepared my mind for THAT." She shivered and phased through everyone to leave as quickly as possible. Sam frowned in defeat and smacked his arm against the control panel before getting up. He left the room behind the others, not realizing that he'd turned off the hay wagon sequence in exchange for the initial level three they had 'planned' in the beginning. Jean and Scott broke off their kiss as they saw the obstacles come. Scott muttered something about nothing ever going right and fought off the machines accordingly.
When they finished, exhausted and sweaty, the Danger Room let them out. They walked up the stairs, both lost in their thoughts.
"Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"As misguided as they are... maybe the others were right about us. I don't actually care about Duncan."
"And Taryn's just a friend... I really like you, Jean," he confessed awkwardly. Jean leaned up and kissed him.
Evan who was just thinking it might be safe to come out of his room, opened the door cautiously, only to see Scott and Jean making out right in front of the doorway. "AHHHH! MY EYES!! No, Scott! They got you too!!!" The door was slammed once again.
The newly formed couple looked at the door. "You know we really should do something about him," Scott said, concerned.
"It can wait." She kissed him again.
TBC...
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Submit ReviewReport Possible AbuseAdd Story to FavoritesAdd Author to FavoritesAdd Author to Author Alert 1. Trimming the Tree and Why Eavesdropping is Bad2. The Dangers of Caroling3. Matchmaking aka the Torture of Jean Grey and Cyclops4. Gag Gifts and Ice Sculptures5. Revenge and Poker6. Rescue Missions and Girls Gone Bad7. Fighting is BadLiquor is Good!8. Loosening the Stiffs and a Cleaning Frenzy9. Hangovers and Confrontations10. A WhiteHaired Reason You Should Lock Your Doors11. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow Sort of12. Holiday Greetings from the Brotherhood13. Memories or Blackmail?14. Kissing Up and Rocky Horror Rivalry15. Fistfights and The Rage of the Wolverine16. Terror at the Mansion!17. Invitation to Lunch18. No Limo is Safe With the Brotherhood Inside19. Orders and Chaos20. And Things Slip Further Out of Control21. Appetizers and Screams22. The Challenge and Numerous Threats of Bodily Harm23. Bets and Big Boys24. It's Not Paranoia If They ARE Out to Get You25. Just Try It!26. Drowing Pride and Sorrows at the Bar27. Drinks, Fruits, Desserts and Still More Gambling28. Be Afraid, Pietro, Be Very Afraid!29. A Bit More Unorthodox Torture and Reluctant Goodbyes30. The Consequences of OffKey Singing31. Bondage and the Ride Home32. The Hunt For the Illusive Angel Begins33. And Behind Door Number Three34. Just Your Usual XMen Recruitment Process35. A Note to the Readers
He nodded, agreeing with her completely. "I think I'll go get them. Who knows what trouble they could get into?"
"I'll go with you."
To their surprise everyone except Evan was just coming in looking guilty and regretful.
"Scott, Jean, we're so sorry," Kurt said, speaking for the group. "We really vant to make things up to you." He tried his best to go by what Rogue had planned.
Scott threw them all a curious look, "Wait, where's Evan?"
Everyone looked around suspiciously, but Roberto's jaw dropped. "I knew we forgot something! Didn't I tell you we did?!"
Amara rubbed his arm, "Shh. No big deal," she whispered.
"But," Kurt continued, "We feel that it should be up to you guys vhat ve should do to make up for what we did."
"I was thinking that maybe we could all run a level three simulation in the Danger Room," Beast said from behind.
"Mr. McCoy?" Jean asked astonished. "YOU were involved in this too?"
He nodded somberly. "It was fun though," he admitted softly with a small grin.
"So, we're all gonna suit up, and we'll meet you two in the Danger Room. You should be with us to make sure we're punished properly," Rogue sighed. 'Please oh please don't let Jean be scannin' minds raht now...'
Jean ran her eyes over all of them as they treaded up the steps. "Something doesn't feel right, Scott."
His eyes squinted in thought behind his shades. "You're right. But I'm seeing it as them actually wanted to do something good. C'mon, let's go get dressed. We can have Evan run the program for us since he's the only one not getting punished."
Jean knocked on Evan's door. A frightened sounding "Who's there?" came from within.
"Evan? It's Jean. Can we come in?"
"Okay..."
She carefully opened the door and froze. It was Evan. Or at least it looked like Evan... sort of. He had his legs drawn up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them, with an armor of spikes sticking out of every part of his body that was exposed.
"Evan?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're not really Jean. You're one of THEM! Well you won't get ME like you got the others!!!" He extended and arm and shot a spike straight at Jean who managed to slam the door shut just in time. A spike punctured the door about chest height a millisecond later.
Jean turned angrily toward the others, hands on hips. "What did you DO to him?!"
Bobby puts his hands up in defense. "Nothing!! That THING in there," he pointed to the punctured door, "had nothing to do with tonight."
Jean scowled at him once more, then turned to Scott. "What now? We're going to have to give them their punishment now."
Rogue's eyes went wide as she stood behind Remy. "Shit, we gotta do somethin'. It'll never work!" Remy nodded subtly, and focusing his underdeveloped 'charm' power, suggested casually, "Beast could run the simulation. De whole t'in' was mostly our fault anyway." His head hurt a little bit, but it seemed to have had the right effect.
Behind his glasses, Scott blinked a couple times and then saw Jean staring at him for an answer. "That would work. He WAS pretty much pushed into participating with what happened outside."
Jean's eyes softened as she thought about it. It really wasn't fair to punish her own TEACHER for something. It just didn't feel right. "Okay, I'm good with that." She looked to Hank. "You alright with that, Beast?"
He nodded, his expression clear. Internally he thought, 'I can't believe they actually talked me into this whole thing.'
"Good," Scott said, smiling proudly like the leader he was. "Let's get ready then."
The door slid open and the X-Men walked into the Danger Room. Beast waved from the control panel and Jean again had the feeling something was off, but the thought was interrupted by an electronic voice announcing "Danger Room sequence has been initiated."
The metal room melted into... a tropical paradise? Jean's eyes widened as she looked around and didn't even see any of the teens anymore, just Scott. "I think we've been tricked."
"Thank you for that one," Scott said sarcastically. "Alright, where are you guys?"
Jamie laughed as he was the last one teleported into the control room. "That was fun," he said, before the smell of brimstone hit his nose, almost knocking him off his feet. Ray caught him from behind.
"It's already a tight fit with the ten of us in here." Jamie just shrugged casually and made his way over to the viewing window where he could see Scott and Jean looking around wildly.
Beast sat with his hands resting comfortably on the controls. "This endevour does not feel improper to any of you?" The rest either shook their heads or shot him incredulous looks. "Ah, apparently not."
"Beast, if ya don't feel raht with it," Rogue said with a smirk, sliding into the seat next to him. "Ah could always take the controls an' you could just leave an' just fohget the whole thin'."
"Hey! Who says you get control?" Bobby exclaimed, pushing his way past Jubilee and Amara to the controls. He accidentally hit something. "Oops..." he smiled.
Suddenly it was a romantic candlelight dinner. Both Scott and Jean were dressed to the nines. He was wearing a suit and she was wearing a low-cut green dress. "Wow," Scott whispered. "You look amaz-"
"Scott, this isn't the time," Jean told him, though she was secretly pleased with the compliment, and couldn't help noticing he looked pretty good himself.
"Bobby, your idea of romance is pulling a girl's hair and running away. Let someone with some maturity handle this," Jubilee told him, with a shove that unseated him.
"I'm romantic!" he protested from the floor. His statement was immediately followed by laughter.
Jubilee rolled herself closer and examined the buttons. Not understanding any of them, she randomly picked one with a mental 'eeny, miney, mo'. She and the others peered down to check out the damage.
"Scott?"
"Yeah, Jean?"
"Why are we in a pool with sharks surrounding us?" Sure enough, Jean found herself clawing to Scott to evade the sharks swimming dangerously close to them.
"Jean... you do have telekinetic powers, right?"
"Oh, um, right..." She laughed nervously and pulled herself away from Scott's defined chest. With a wave of her hand, the sharks flew out of the water and landed far away. She glared upwards.
"I guess it's my turn for 'oops'." Jubilee whispered to anyone listening as she gave up her seat.
Remy sat down in her seat with a sigh. "Don' any o' y' know how t' get people t'get'er!?" The Cajun cracked his knuckles and started tapping away, grinning as he hit the enter button.
Scott and Jean, once warped into another scene, found themselves staring up to the stars on a blanket in the middle of a cleared field. Jean sighed and comfortably stretched out. "This is more like it."
"Oh, so now you're all right with all of this?" Scott asked her, an amused eyebrow raised.
"Like you've been so unappreciative of all of this. Knowing you, you probably put them up to this."
"What!?" He rolled over and leaned on an elbow to glare at her. "And all this time I was figuring you were easing it into their minds to do this so we could spend time together."
Jean sighed again, this time angrily. She rolled her face away from him. "Okay, now it's been ruined. We've been through this already, Scott Summers."
"If you weren't so self-involved with everything, and shoving DUNCAN in my face, things wouldn't have to be this way!" he all but yelled back.
"Oh, like you going out with my BEST FRIEND is being any more mature!"
"Ah cain't take this anymore!" Rogue pushed several buttons from above and suddenly the once happy scene of a moonlit picnic was replaced with a cold, tight box. As soon as Jean and Scott stood up, it closed even more around them so they only had room to breathe, which was only mere inches. "Listen, you two. Ah've had it up ta here with the way y'all're pussyfootin' around with each other. Ya either get yoah act tagether an' fuck already to stop all the tension or just get away!" Rogue's eyes widened and she covered the mic. "Did Ah just tell them ta fuck? Oh mah Gawd, the images!!"
"Rogue!!!" several of the new recruits protested at once.
"Thanks a lot. Now I'm gonna have nightmares," Jubilee told her, shuddering.
"No... no... make them stop..." Rogue whimpered, still caught in the horrors her all too imaginative mind had created. Remy, never one to miss a opportunity, pulled her up against him, putting his arms around her and stroking her hair soothingly, all the while murmuring softly in French.
Rahne shook her head. "Well, those two are gonna be useless for the rest o' the night." She took a seat at the control board and typed a few keys. Suddenly, there was a forest around Jean and Scott with wolves howling close by. Jean and Scoot inched closer together, shaking and looking around frantically. "Well, they're together now."
"That kinda doesn't help if they're wettin' themselves out o' fear, Rahne," Sam pointed out delicately.
"What? It's soothing," she pouted.
"Ta you maybe." Sam took his turn at programming. This time Scott and Jean were in the back of a hay wagon that being was pulled by a large horse and directed by a man who looked old as dirt.
"This is all very touching, but I'm sick of being dragged through every sequence these guys can think up," Jean muttered.
Scott only smiled and wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders. "It is kinda sweet though. They did this all for us."
She scoffed. "You did hear what Rogue said, right? Seems like all we are are burdens to them."
"Hey, Jean," he said softly, gazing down at her.
Jean looked up, straight through his glasses to what would be brown eyes. "Yes, Scott?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Then, before he could chicken out of it, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers softly.
Sam sat back in his chair and cross his arms over his chest, beaming proudly. "Now THAT was soothin'." He came out of his trance of satisfaction with his work to see the others filing out. "What now??"
Kitty looked back to him meekly. "Ick... No matter what we had in store, I don't think I could've, like, prepared my mind for THAT." She shivered and phased through everyone to leave as quickly as possible. Sam frowned in defeat and smacked his arm against the control panel before getting up. He left the room behind the others, not realizing that he'd turned off the hay wagon sequence in exchange for the initial level three they had 'planned' in the beginning. Jean and Scott broke off their kiss as they saw the obstacles come. Scott muttered something about nothing ever going right and fought off the machines accordingly.
When they finished, exhausted and sweaty, the Danger Room let them out. They walked up the stairs, both lost in their thoughts.
"Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"As misguided as they are... maybe the others were right about us. I don't actually care about Duncan."
"And Taryn's just a friend... I really like you, Jean," he confessed awkwardly. Jean leaned up and kissed him.
Evan who was just thinking it might be safe to come out of his room, opened the door cautiously, only to see Scott and Jean making out right in front of the doorway. "AHHHH! MY EYES!! No, Scott! They got you too!!!" The door was slammed once again.
The newly formed couple looked at the door. "You know we really should do something about him," Scott said, concerned.
"It can wait." She kissed him again.
TBC...
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Submit ReviewReport Possible AbuseAdd Story to FavoritesAdd Author to FavoritesAdd Author to Author Alert 1. Trimming the Tree and Why Eavesdropping is Bad2. The Dangers of Caroling3. Matchmaking aka the Torture of Jean Grey and Cyclops4. Gag Gifts and Ice Sculptures5. Revenge and Poker6. Rescue Missions and Girls Gone Bad7. Fighting is BadLiquor is Good!8. Loosening the Stiffs and a Cleaning Frenzy9. Hangovers and Confrontations10. A WhiteHaired Reason You Should Lock Your Doors11. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow Sort of12. Holiday Greetings from the Brotherhood13. Memories or Blackmail?14. Kissing Up and Rocky Horror Rivalry15. Fistfights and The Rage of the Wolverine16. Terror at the Mansion!17. Invitation to Lunch18. No Limo is Safe With the Brotherhood Inside19. Orders and Chaos20. And Things Slip Further Out of Control21. Appetizers and Screams22. The Challenge and Numerous Threats of Bodily Harm23. Bets and Big Boys24. It's Not Paranoia If They ARE Out to Get You25. Just Try It!26. Drowing Pride and Sorrows at the Bar27. Drinks, Fruits, Desserts and Still More Gambling28. Be Afraid, Pietro, Be Very Afraid!29. A Bit More Unorthodox Torture and Reluctant Goodbyes30. The Consequences of OffKey Singing31. Bondage and the Ride Home32. The Hunt For the Illusive Angel Begins33. And Behind Door Number Three34. Just Your Usual XMen Recruitment Process35. A Note to the Readers