Author's Note: Alright for the Jott fans! Hey, I used to be one! Hardcore! Interesting twist I promise.
After the days following his exposure with Betsy Braddock, Scott had a lot of explaining to do and work. He would show up at Jean's bedroom door with a bouqet of flowers, risking his neck as she'd sometimes throw him off his feet with a telepathic wave, or he'd just leave his flowers at the door quietly, if he could hear her crying in her room. Albeit, each rejection made him care for her more and want her even more.
For a while, he stayed good and steered clear of any female residents, especially Betsy and Emma, Amara wasn't an issue since she steered clear of him herself.
As Jean miserably wiped her face on her pillow, shouting her wrath to her best friend for perhaps the millionth time in a week, another knock timidly asked, "Jean? Hey, it's me, Kitty, and um, friends. Can I like, maybe come in and talk?"
Jean let her telepathy swing the door open.
Kitty stepped in with ice cream and Lockheed and Tabby, who looked curiously cheerful although less than thrilled to be comforting Jean.
Kitty prompted, "So, I mean like, we're guessing all this is about Scott and um, Amara? Or something, like Tabby thought that it was about your break with Duncan, but then again it's like one of the many breaks, right?"
Jean sniffled, "Aw thanks guys for trying to help, but I'm alright, just PMSing pretty bad."
Tabby chortled, "So Scoot and Magma, huh? Who woulda thunk. Personally, I think he's got a thing for you but maybe that's just me and everyone else thinkin'. I don't think he's as uptight as everyone thinks. I mean come on, everyone's had a go at the Scooter. Well, that is everyone who is gutsy enough…." She gave Kitty a sidelong glance and Kitty looked abashed, "Hey! Like, how would you like now, whether or not… Anyways, Jean, Tabby doesn't mean that, she's never been with him."
Tabby took a bite of ice cream and muttered what strangely sounded like, "Not that you'd know of."
Tabby continued, "Besides, looks like the leader boy's been trying to get back on your good side. He really cares about you, ya know. I walked over some flowers on the way in and a note."
Kitty nodded, eating her ice cream.
Scott endured some awkward tension in his English class since Jean sat in front of him and made a point to ignore him or walk out after class without him, with Duncan, who even though they were on another break, insisted on always waiting for her outside of class. It was weird since Scott and Jean always talked and walked in and out of class together, sometimes he held her books.
Scott couldn't take it anymore, when the bell rang and the class filed out, he got up and followed behind Jean, he grabbed her wrist and stopped her as she gathered her books and was about to leave.
She stiffened and he said , "Jean, wait, I want to talk to you."
She was about to retort sarcastically as they were left behind alone in the classroom, but he cut her off, "Look, I know what you must be thinking or maybe not, but I've been doing a lot of thinking on my own the past few days, and I sincerely want you back in my life. You are my best friend and I can't forget it and I can't get you out of my head."
Something caught in Jean's throat and she felt slightly disappointed at being regarded to Scott as his best friend, solidly.
He looked at her intensely through those ruby glasses she'd learned to love and hate.
"Scott, why are you doing this now, I have to go. I don't know what to think about you anymore, it's all too confusing and I don't know if we should be friends for a while."
Scott grinned, "Okay, so, I know you've been upset about the other girls I've been caught with and I won't try to weasel my way out of that, but all I can say is that I understand why you'd be angry, trust me, but after being with these girls, it made me realize how much you mean to me, and how much I want to actually be with the one girl I care about and how much I wish they'd care back for me. Don't you see, Jean? I don't care about the others, I just want you, and being with them made me realize how much I do."
Jean knew this was her cue to slap him in the face or say something bitchy and heart breaking or just break down and accept him back as her best friend, but she couldn't think clearly, her heart beat rapidly and she felt awkward and nervous in front of her best friend, shaken that he was saying all this, confronting their feelings and friendship with such honesty.
She looked into his face and her heart melted.
He stepped closer and said, "I'll do anything to show you how much I want you to trust me and how much you mean to me. I'm sick of fooling around, especially with you, if you know what I mean."
She gulped and found herself leaning in slowly as he leaned down towards her face.
"What the hell, man?"
Without moving an inch or looking around, Scott and Jean stopped abruptly, their faces too close and their eyes glued to one another's. Duncan Matthews stood at the doorway of the classroom, waiting for Jean, with his letterman jacket around his shoulders. Jean closed her eyes and groaned, "Not again, why does this always happen."
Scott muttered under his breath, "Eff it."
Then without stopping from where he was interrupted, leaned down fully and kissed Jean Grey on the lips, and regardless of Duncan standing there, showed he didn't care.
Jean found herself kissing back and experiencing something she'd only dreamed of with Scott. When they broke apart, Duncan was standing there with his jaw down, then he yelled out, "Dude! Summers! That's my woman! Sort of. Nice, Jean, definite down grade. I'll see you two losers around, Summers, be careful, your ass is MINE!"
Without looking away from each others faces, Scott replied, "I know you wish it were, stop thinking about my ass, Matthews."
Jean laughed blissfully and clutched his face again, drawing him into a deep kiss representing all the longing she'd felt for years as his friend.
This time, Scott really did feel like a changed boy, and he was happy to be the dork he was, not just act the part. He felt a growing like with Jean and felt devout.
At school and at home, everybody was shocked yet not surprised and also very happy the two were finally together, the way things should have been. Although the girls were upset since this meant they stood no chances now.
Scott lay sprawled on Jean's bed, as she researched on her laptop, while drumming her toes against his stomach as she lay horizontal from him.
He sighed blissfully and poked her, "This is boring, Jean, do we have to do this for the professor? I'd rather be doing other things. All this mutant talk is draining me."
She intently looked at the screen, and smiled as he cuddled her body, at a feeble attempt to distract her.
"Wow, the fearless leader is whining about his job. Yes, Scott, this is mandatory, turns out that er, mission at the tunnels was some sort of port opened up by one of Forge's portholes and for a brief while exposed some other dimension or something. Seems like somebody was messing with us. Either way, there's a connection. Cerebra has detected some mutant presences, essentially one but there seems to be several beings, I don't know how that can be explained."
They'd been dating a couple months now and everything was bliss and happiness, it seemed to last forever. Scott rested his chin on her shoulder and massaged her lower back, "Okay, well if we can locate them, would we bring them in or are they friendly?"
Jean shrugged against his chin, "I guess its one person, but maybe they have clones like Jamie. Professor wants us to recruit it but there are some signs of hostile forces, but as soon as I'm done with this, we'll find out."
Scott groaned and flopped back onto his back, "Ugh, that means I'm going to have to get suited up soon, huh?"
Jean giggled, "You guess right sweetie."
He sighed, "Missions don't thrill me anymore, and all I want is to just be with you."
Jean kissed him and said, "Ugh, you're going to hate me for this right now, and there's nothing better I'd like to do than be with my adorable boyfriend, but well… I've got 'em located Scottie."
He moaned and was up in a flash, closing the door behind him and saying, "I'll go get dressed, stay here and don't move until I come back, unless you're coming too."
Xavier insisted that Jean go to find out about the mutants and recruit them with Scott and the team as well.
As Scott boarded first by himself, waiting for the other X-Men to follow suit, Emma got dressed the fastest and was soon on board with him.
She coolly regarded him, "Haven't seen you drinking at the Hellfire Club in quite a while, darling. Shall I just dance for you now?"
Scott grinned and said, "Well I haven't been among the Elitists in quite a while either, Emma, still in the club, then?"
Emma cocked a brow and shrugged, "Let's not mention it to your dear professor."
She grimaced and said sweetly, "So, ah, what is your darling little girlfriend saying about the recruit?"
Scott shrugged, "Might be a challenge, just another recruit, so what? You were harder to approach at the Hellfire Club, and do you know how many fake appointments I had to schedule to see you at Frost International? I prefer these field recruits rather than civilian ones."
Emma laughed, "Darling, I didn't care what business you claimed to be in, business can be a bore, but I wanted to see you multiple times before affirming your intentions, didn't you pick that up? I'm vague. Boston suits you, why don't you come live in Massachusetts with me for a while while I set up new business deals and er, establishments?"
Scott sighed, "I told you, nothing will make me leave Bayville right now, I know what you want, and it's not happening. I'm loyal to a lot of things in Bayville, like this institute, Hell, if the kids here don't get along with you, how do you expect to find a new group of mutant kids to live under your name? You hate kids; I don't know why you'd want to start a new school anytime in the future."
She scrunched her nose up, "You're right about that, little thugs surely get on my nerve and maybe I can't handle them the best, but that's why I'd need you as a business associate, of course. You remember when we were…somewhat involved, how I'd handle pregnancy scares. Wow, back in the day, darling, and I never lied to you! I know you still hold your 17 year old grudges and all this little boy resent towards me for that, but darling, I honestly have never had an abortion, and I did not lie about the pregnancy tests. I was just simply not pregnant! The babies never came, and the tests always lied! You don't believe me, but I can't explain it and I don't care about the past. That was ages ago, in a way, and we're both different people, so, I'd appreciate if you stopped giving me those hurt looks and treat me like the friend I am."
Scott looked stricken and Hank clamoured aboard with the younger mutants, "What is this about pregnancy tests, children?"
Scott looked down and muttered, "Nothin', Emma's just a lying and unfaithful whor-."
Kitty gasped and Emma kicked him harshly in the shins.
Scott changed the subject and groaned, "Rahne, who put a dog collar on you? God dammit, Bobby, take it off, I don't care if she likes it, take it off! It's inhumane!"
As Jean pep talked the team about new recruits, Scott took Rahne aside and petted her pigtails, "Look, Rahne, I know you're only 15 and all that, and you are at a point in life where you're confused and on top of that, you're a half wolf, but really, I think you know what part of you is more dominant, and you should come to me or Jean or Hank or Ororo if you ever need help or someone to talk to. We'll get it. Kind of."
Rahne looked up at the older boy with large puppy eyes, and sincerely put a hand like a paw on his knee and said, "But, Scott, I'm afraid. What if I grow up and my babies come out as puppies?"
Scott's face contorted, he thought a moment before shaking his head, "Now, who told you that could even happen?"
Rahne looked down, "Jamie and Bobby said I was gonna have puppies."
The roar of Scott's laughter was drowned by the Blackhawk landing.
Jean shivered and said, "Oh, how I've missed you Connecticut."
They landed by a river where there were tall and skinny trees with autumn leaves of red and orange falling down, it was a beautiful and crisp scene.
Kurt leaned forward in his seat, glimpsing something, "Triplets! Excellent."
Scott made his way back to the front with Rahne, and stood next to Jean, who regarded the mutants detected.
Scott, Jean, Emma, Bobby, and Rogue, were dressed in civilian clothes for this particular mission while the rest of the team were to stay in the jet with their uniforms, and only to come out in case of back up needs.
Scott, in his woolen white sweater and ski cap, cautiously led the way, Bobby in his stead. "Oh man, Scott, look, not triplets, quintuplets!"
Scott grinned eagerly at his peer as two other girls appeared in view from behind a gathering of trees, but seeing Jean's face and Emma and Rogue roll their eyes, he quickly added, "Uh, close your mouth Bobby or you're gonna be drooling and you'll have to clean the jet with a toothbrush."
Emma glided down the ramp in a white trench coat and a white furry Russian hat.
Jean made sure to stand by Scott as he was the first to approach the young identical girls in matching private school girl uniforms of short and pleated green plaid skirts with white blouses tucked in and white knee-high socks in black Mary Jane shoes. They had shoulder-length, shortly cut, shaggy blond hair and creepy blank expressions on their faces. They looked docile but Scott sensed danger lurking underneath.
He whispered to Jean, "Clones maybe? You were right."
Jean whispered back, "I sense something entirely off with my telepathy. Be careful."
Scott stepped forward and smiled kindly, "Hello girls, my name is Scott Summers from Xavier's Institute-."
The girls gave him their attention and said in vague unison, chilling Scott's spine, "We know who you are Mr. Summers of the Mutants. You have come to peaceably recruit us."
Scott bowed humbly, not forgetting his way and charm with girls, even though Jean was watching.
"Well, then you'll already know these are my peers, from the mutant group called the X-Men. We are like you and would like to offer for you to join us. That is, if you girls would like to." He figured since there were five of them, reaching decisions would be harder, but they all seemed to be in sync, and did not hesitate as they all simultaneously nodded their heads in the same motions.
They were like robots, thought Scott, and he felt empty just looking at their blank and alike faces, as if they were the same person indeed. At the last moment, the one on the end gave him a brief and flashing look with a dull smile that looked mechanical, yet it was a slight spark of humanity and interest, that did not go unnoticed. When her face was back to its dull emptiness though, Emma made her way up to them in her tiny white winter coat.
"Alright now that we've got chit chat and introductions ready, why don't we go back, I am freezing my knickers off, Christ."
The girls turned in unison, causing the chill to creep on Scott, Bobby, Jean, and Rogue again, who stood speechless. Their heads turned at the same time to see Emma with blank stares that glistened and surged white for a moment, their eyes seemed to glow white and the pupils and color disappeared. All at once, the girls regarded Emma vaguely and robotically uttered the word, "Moth-er."
Author's Note: Please review! I'D LOVE IT! :-]
