A/N: So it's been about a year since the last chapter... It took me a long time to find my old notes and then rework the plot – my original idea had something to do with a certain charater altering the earth's magnetosphere to transport mutants to the moon, and that wasn't half of it. I really hope to finish this fic so the writing's going to be quick and dirty and if I'm feeling it, I'll return to edit a bit. Thank you to all reviewers, you keep me going.
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Ororo had to listen to the cop's bluster while Scott half-carried Jean in from the squad car. "Ma'am, I turned my back one second, and a whole gol-dang tree fell over!"
"Yes, I'm sure that must have been frightening," Ororo said, trying to sound as though she meant it. "Thank you for bringing Jean home safely. And towing her car back."
"My pleasure, ma'am. The world ain't safe these days for a little girl to be out on her own! Heck, what's this world coming to? They're signs, I'm telling you. The trees, the animals, they know. They feel it in their bones. Whole world's ending!"
"Thank you, officer, and good night," Ororo said quickly, and shut the door.
Inside, Jean was being greeted by Xavier, who looked stern.
"Jean - " he began.
"I've told you not to pry into my mind!" Jean snapped, struggling away from Scott. "So stop it!"
"I'm sensing very strong psionic waves, Jean," Xavier continued. "I'm sure that tree that fell had some assistance."
Jean stamped her foot. "So what? I didn't make it fall on the cop. Maybe I should've! He was going to book me!"
"So you used your abilities to avoid getting a parking ticket?" said Xavier, with maddening superiority. "Is that how I've taught you to behave, Jean?"
Jean let out a half-scream of frustration and ran out of the room. They heard the back screen door slam.
Xavier shook his head. "Such a child, still."
"Maybe it wasn't right," Scott offered, ever ready to defend Jean, "but you were a little hard on her..."
"Hard on her? She was clearly driving irresponsibly!"
Scott was trying to remain calm. "She might not even have been speeding, you know what these cops are like..."
"Guys, let's not fight," Ororo tried to put in, "at least nothing happened to Jean, and it was probably too late for her to drive home anyway..."
While they were busy arguing among themselves, Logan slipped out the back door.
--
He found Jean sitting on the porch, kicking at pebbles in the grass. "Some birthday this is turning out to be," she grumbled, seeing Logan.
Logan cocked his head towards the door. "Was that what happened? You felled a tree just by thinking about it?"
Jean shrugged. "Yeah, it was easy."
"You sure it didn't just... fall by itself?"
"No!" Jean flared up. "I did it!"
A slow, wicked grin spread across Logan's face. "I don't believe you."
He found himself being pelted with pebbles. "Ow! Jean!"
Jean laughed caustically. "Aw, did a few little rocks hurt Wolvie? That's too bad."
"Okay, okay, I do believe you." He sat down beside her, the wooden floorboards creaking beneath his weight. "And you can... disintegrate stuff?"
"Yep." She dropped her tone confidentially. "And that's not all."
"Hmm?" He nudged her. "What else do you do, huh?"
She giggled, but turned serious. "I've been hearing these voices."
"Voices?"
"Not like crazy voices. Just one voice. I've been communicating with someone telepathically."
"Another telepath? Does the professor know?"
"No, and he doesn't need to," said Jean proudly. "Wanda and I are doing just fine without him."
"Who's Wanda?"
"The other telepath. I'd say she's about eight or nine. She seems like a nice kid."
"Seems like? You can't just read her mind and find out?"
Jean frowned. "I've tried. First of all she must be very far away, because I can't pick up the thoughts of anyone around her, telepath or otherwise. And second I can't read her mind because I don't know her. If I could see her, find out where she lives... she'd be easier to get to, but I just don't know."
Logan grinned. "So you could read my mind?"
Jean snickered. "Would you want me to?"
"Tell me what I'm thinking right now."
Jean shut her eyes and concentrated. Logan leaned over and whispered, "I'm thinking..." He kissed her on the cheek. "...that you look beautiful tonight."
Jean opened her eyes in surprise. Logan was already at the door. "Night, Red. Happy birthday."
Jean put a hand to her cheek, suddenly breathless. She could hear Scott and Xavier still arguing in the front hall. "Damn Scott," she said softly, and shivered.
--
Later that night, Ororo placed her book down on her bedside table and was ready to turn out the light when there came a soft knock on her door. Jean came in, wearing a lacy white nightgown.
"Hey," Ororo greeted her. "You're up late."
Jean sighed. "Scott and I had a fight. He won't accept that I can get myself out of trouble. He keeps trying to defend me."
"Well, that's sweet of him."
"No, it gets aggravating." Jean held up a pillow. "Can I crash in your room tonight? If I go sleep downstairs Scott will just find me and wake me up at three a.m. to apologize."
Ororo looked around. There wasn't much clear space on the floor, and Jean hadn't brought a blanket. "I suppose there's room. It'll be like old times. Remember how he used to get so mad if we went to one another's rooms at night?"
Jean rolled her eyes. "He was probably afraid there might be some hanky-panky going on. He gets the most ridiculous notions into his head."
"Watch what you're saying," Ororo warned, half-seriously. "You don't want the professor finding out."
Jean huffed and rolled her eyes. "He's faking," she said. "He's not that good. He hasn't realized that I can block him out of my mind."
"How do you know?"
"Because I cheated," Jean said smugly.
Ororo paused. "You said he read your mind earlier, when you were coming in."
Jean waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I had my guard down. I was busy fighting off Scott. And I was a little under the influence... The rest of the time, ha. I've looked into his head... He isn't really worth my efforts, but he's had some interesting thoughts from time to time... Though I can't tell you, I'm afraid." She crossed her fingers mockingly. "Telepath's honor."
"How good is he?" Ororo tried to keep her thoughts from running wild. All these years that I've lived feeling like a monkey in a cage, with my mind like an open book before him... Have I been wrong?
Jean shrugged. "He's not too bad. I mean, he was one of the most gifted of his generation. A weaker mind would probably open right up to his prying. Aww, 'Ro," she added, seeing Ororo's face. "Listen. I'm talking about his generation. Ourgeneration... we're different, you know that? He likes to pretend that we're not different. He likes to think of himself as the magnanimous, kindly old gentlemen – crippled in body, but benevolent in spirit – or whatever, he likes to call up his old friends and boast about 'his fine young pupils.' Ororo, we leave him in the dust. You realize that, don't you?"
"Yeah," Ororo said dully.
"We can do anything we want," Jean persisted. "We're the ones with the power now. He can't control us anymore. You don't answer to him, okay?"
"Okay," said Ororo, not really meaning it.
Jean squeezed her hand. "I'm glad we had that little chat. I'll go find the spare mattress."
"No need," said Ororo heavily, knowing what Jean expected her to say. "You can have my bed for tonight. I'll just sleep on the couch downstairs."
"Really?" said Jean brightly. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," said Ororo, gathering up her things and not looking Jean in the eye. And suddenly she couldn't stand being on the same floor as Jean – or the professor – a moment longer.
"Don't forget to watch out for Scott," Jean giggled, as she shut the door in Ororo's face.
--
Ororo had already found three different remote controls under the sofa, but the cracks between the cushions were still digging into her back. Mostly she was still awake because she was thinking about what Jean had said. "Our generation... we're different..." Yeah, well, easy for her to say. Moving a teaspoon is not at all like calling a rainstorm. She doesn't have to think how a drought might break out in Dubai for weeks as a consequence...
Ororo missed the soothing rhythm of the rain falling, missed the smell of wet leaves and grass first thing in the new, clear morning. It had been dry out for weeks. Turning over again on the sofa, she tried to dream of heavy clouds.
She didn't remember falling asleep, but some time later she was awakened by the sound of screaming. She sat up groggily. It had to be Jean. Already she could hear Scott's footsteps pounding down the hallway. A door was flung open. "Jean!"
Ororo plodded up the stairs, blinded by the light that came on suddenly in the hallway.
"Oh, Scott, I'm so sorry, it's just that I was having a nightmare..."
"Why are you in Ororo's room?"
"She let me sleep in here for the night..."
"Why didn't you come back into our room?" demanded Scott.
On cue, Jean started to sob. "I thought you were still angry at me..."
"Oh, no, Jean, no..." Scott enveloped her in a hug as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry, Jean, don't cry, it was just a bad dream. Don't cry..."
Logan came in, pushing Xavier's chair. "Did you start the party without us?"
"I could make some cocoa," Ororo suggested.
Jean could still be heard sniffling, "...some kind of a metal fortress, and it was full of mutants, Scott, other mutants like us, all of them shouting horrible things, and their leader..."
Xavier looked as though he were about to say something, but at the last minute he changed his mind and turned to Ororo instead. "That won't be necessary," said Xavier. "It's late. We can discuss things in the morning. For now, we shall all go back to bed. Our own beds.
"Jean," he added, "I'll speak to you in the morning."
Jean nodded shakily. They began to file out of Ororo's room. "Didn't sound like much of a nightmare to me," she heard Logan say. Groaning, she shut the door firmly before any more arguments could break out.
Feeling fully awake now, Ororo got into bed and tried to get comfortable again. But Jean had turned the quilt over somehow, and no matter what Ororo tried, it just didn't feel the same.
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A/N: Not the most groundbreaking of chapters, I know, but it lays a little foundation. Please, please review, reviews make me happy as banana chips!