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Jean woke up the next morning, her hair still a little damp from the early morning shower after a late night party which had gone all right in the span of things, despite her troubles at stooping to the level of kiss ass that the rest embodied so well. She found that she wasn't so much focused on the party then what had happened behind the scenes, on a balcony, in open air.

Deciding she needed to talk to him so he couldn't close himself off again, she got out of her pajamas and into a normal pair of jeans and a green tee, an outfit she hadn't been able to wear in a long time with all of her trips to D.C. Candy came in just as Jean was putting her hair in a ponytail, "You probably want to talk to him, yes?"

The redhead shook her head with a smile, "How do you know these things?"

Candy winked in response, "He's on the roof."

Jean shot a grateful smile at her, told Candy her room didn't need to be straightened up today, and practically ran down the hall to the elevator. Since she was allowed to go on every floor except the two reserved for the Worthingtons, she found she was also able to get to the roof.

She shouldn't have really been surprised that he would come up there. Many a day and night they had spent talking on the roof of the Institute when others had been too scared of falling. Jean was scared of heights, but she would have done anything for her friends.

When she got up to the top, she found him almost immediately without having to use her telepathic detection. The roof had walls enclosing it, unlike the balcony which had bars, but they were much shorter, and Warren was standing by one, looking out over the horizon while gripping the wall with a tight that made his knuckles white.

"I thought you might try to find me," she heard him say. There was still a sadness to his voice, one that had been absent last night, but it wasn't the same one he used on everyone else. Whether it was an improvement or he knew she was his friend she couldn't tell, but Jean welcomed it with open arms nonetheless.

"Of course I would," she replied, standing next to him. "You're my friend. How many times did we do this for each other when we were kids?"

"We're not kids anymore."

"But I'm still your friend," Jean pointed out, looking at his face.

Warren sighed with something that wasn't quite anger in his voice, "So what do you want?"

Now Jean could feel herself getting...angry? No, she wasn't mad at him. Frustrated? Yeah, that's more like it, even if not exact, "I want you to talk to me!"

He turned to face her, and the look on his face made him look like an avenging angel sent from heaven. It would have made most people back off, but Jean Grey wasn't most people, and this wasn't an avenging angel. This was her best friend, "What if I don't want to talk to you?"

"You better learn, because neither of us is leaving until you do. I'm letting up on this as quickly as others. I'm not other people. I. Am. Your. Friend." Jean said, staring him down with an intensity equal to his.

Warren laughed harshly, turning back to looking out at the horizon, "Yeah, I had one of those. Then he stole my girlfriend behind my back and never thought to tell me he had, the whole time telling me I was like a brother to him."

"Is that was this is?" Jean snapped. "Warren's Self-Pity Party? You're not the only one who was hurt, you know! You didn't just lose a girlfriend and a best friend. I lost my boyfriend since sophomore year. We had been dating for over ten years! So don't you dare insinuate that it's just you who needs to grieve! I spent my grieving time trying to help you for three goddamn months, and you act like you've lost everything! You have more than most people could ever dream of, your wings included!"

She stomped off back toward the elevator, personifying the anger people associated with red hair perfectly.

"I'm sorry," she heard the whisper on the wind.

Jean stopped dead in her tracks, waiting a moment for the paralysing shock to wear off before she turned around. She saw Warren facing her, wearing a look of complete and utter guilt with tears down his cheeks, more ready to fall from his eyes. The sight tugged at her heartstrings.

"So am I," she whispered back, tears now filling her eyes for the guilt of yelling at him. Then with a cry, she ran forward and lauched herself into his arms, which he wrapped around her tightly.

She buried her face in his chest, much like he was doing in her hair, and cried for everything lost. After a bit, Jean pulled back a little so she could look up into his face, the face she remembered from her adolescence, needing something sure to hold on to, needing to know he was her friend. He looked down at her, and for the third time, she couldn't read his expression.

He removed a hand from holding her and gripped a lock of her hair, twirling it around in his fingers. She didn't mind. The exact opposite actually. She felt like she couldn't breathe as she watched her hair make it's way around his fingers.

Finally he dropped the lock of hair, allowing it to fall back to it's original proximity, but he didn't lower his hand. Instead, he dipped his head much like he had the night before and cupped her cheek, giving her plenty of time to make her escape. That's when everything clicked into place for her.

Deciding she didn't want to wait for him to notice she wasn't backing away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his head down the rest of the way to press her lips to his. His surprise at her actually doing what he wanted was momentary, as she could feel him choosing not to care.

He pulled her body up against his so they molded together almost as one, and she felt her heart ache, but this time in a good way. In that moment she knew she had fallen in love with him, and he loved her just as much.

Soon their gentle kiss became too small to represent what they felt, so it grew in passion and intensity, to where they were almost like teenagers making out in the closet, fighting for possession of the other's bottom lip and wanting it never to end. Even though they could still breath, it wasn't very easy. They pulled back and gazed at each other, gasping for desperate air, but wanting to continue.

Warren pulled Jean back to his body. As Jean secured her arms around his neck just as his were around her waist and knew this was everything she had ever wanted. They never noticed the dimming light of the day as night fell upon the friends. After a while, they just settled for laying next to each other in silence, just enjoying the presence of someone whom they could love.

Warren sat up, and looked down at Jean with a smile that warmed her heart, "Guess we've surpassed the friend barrier, huh?"

She laughed, sitting up, "I'd say so."

"So where do we go from here?" Warren said, looking a little scared for a moment.

Jean then realized how real rejection was for him. She put a hand on his face which he involuntarily leaned into, "Wherever you want us to go, love."

The largest smile the world had ever seen grew across his face as he help Jean up only to capture her in a passionate kiss again. Jean grabbed his hand within hers and walked over to the elevator. No one had come to check on them while they had been up there all day, but she doubted that they would feel the need to. What's the worst they could have done?

"Oh! You're both alive!" Warren Worthington Jr. said, standing as Jean and Warren entered the dining room.

Murder each other, apparently. Warren looked down at Jean and back at his father, "More now than ever."

It was clear from the look on his face, that he was his father's world, "Would you care to explain or are you two going to stand in the doorway all night?"

And explain they did.

Jean walked over to the set of picnic tables she had been told they would be seated at. Sure enough, they were there and easy enough to spot.

Kitty was looking around frantically for her, and when she caught Jean's eye she freaked, poking Marie in the side like crazy with a manic grin on her face, obviously saying something like "She's here!" Jean had to laugh at her favorite ex-X-student and her loving manner.

"Hey guys!" Jean greeted, sitting down next to Ororo. They had had to push two picnic tables together to give them all enough room. Bobby and Marie sat side-by-side on the far one across from Piotr and Kitty. Logan had opted to sit across from Ororo so the two almost sisters could sit next to each other.

"What's been up with you guys the last three months?" Jean asked, genuinely interested now that she didn't get to see them everyday, though the recent phone conversations, e-mails, and Skype sometimes it felt like she saw them everyday. Sitting here next to them now, she knew that wasn't the case at all.

The four students exchanged awkward glances so Ororo sighed and turned to her, "The day after you had left, Scott and Elizabeth moved into the same room together. Charles wouldn't have allowed it except for the simple fact they would have ended up sharing the same bed anyway. Better to save on space for new arrivals when they come, you know?"

"The day after?" Jean said, more than a little hurt.

Ororo's expression softened, "Yeah. We all think the only reason they didn't do it the day of was they weren't sure if you two were coming back. By the next day, it finally sunk in that you two weren't."

Jean nodded, "So is there anything else I should know or you guys want to tell me? Free for all!"

Kitty laughed, used to these types of conversations, "Turns out the Prof's actually a pretty good matchmaker. Sam and Jubes have been going out for about a week now."

Now it was Marie's turn to laugh, "After Artie finally got sick of Sam's extremely shy nature when it came towards women and Jubes thinking the man needed to ask the woman. He kind of asked them out for each other. It was quite hilarious to watch."

"I can imagine. Is anyone else playing the role of doctor?"

"Not yet, but Hank swings by every once in a while to try to persuade this one," Bobby said, reaching over and poking Kitty in the shoulder. "to pursue a MD."

Kitty blushed, "I'm just...not that interested anymore."

Jean creased her eyebrows in suspicion, "Since when? You always seemed interested when I was teaching you."

The young brunette blushed and averted her eyes, "That's just it though. It's...not the same without you teaching me."

"If it's still something you want to pursue, we can figure something out," Jean assured the young woman. "Anything else?"

Kitty shifted uncomfortably and Bobby fiddled with his fingernails. Logan coughed while Ororo, Marie, and Piotr looked at the other two students in concern.

"What? What's the problem?" Jean asked.

Kitty's eyes filled with tears and she turned to Jean, "Oh, we didn't want to tell you, but I feel like I have to. It's going to eat away at me if I don't. Besides, I always sucked at keeping things from you."

"So what's the problem?"

Bobby sighed and looked at Jean, "Kitty's parents and my own have disowned us. The growing mutant hysteria has them scared. Honestly, I surprised it took mine this long after that incident before Alkali lake, but Kitty's..."

"That's awful," Jean said, standing to walk over to where Kitty was seated as the young girl tried not to cry. "You're guardians are the school now, yes?"

Ororo shook her head, "Unfortuantely, the government has postponed our rights to become guardians as of yet. We don't know for how long, and until then they're going to have to leave."

Kitty started crying, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to cry. I probably seem like such a crybaby now, because I always seem to when you're around, but I just don't want to leave."

"You won't have to," Jean said firmly. "Not for long if you agree to it, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Bobby piped up, as everyone was extremely curious.

"They may have suspended the adoption rights of the school and everyone living there, but I don't live there anymore," Jean smiled. "I could adopt the both of you. You're both sixteen, so that would only leave you in my custody for a couple more years. Besides, I promise Scott and Elizabeth will be wanting to be listed as your guardians to try and get you on their side after they remove the suspension."

Kitty and Bobby both beamed, nodding their heads in agreement. Jean turned to Ororo, "Do you think you can round up some of those adoption papers that we have lying around the school?"

"I think I can manage that."

"Good," the redhead took her seat once again.

Logan looked at her through his brown eyes, "You asked what's happened at the school, so you have to provide as well. What have you been up to?"

Jean sighed, though a smile was still plastered on her face, "Well, I've got a place. I've had it for a while, but I was kind of busy and wasn't sure if I was going to be leaving or not. At the moment, it looks pretty permanent."

"Where?" Marie asked.

"The Worthington Building downtown."

"Warren's helping you?" Piotr asked, finally coming into the conversation after he had been quiet until now.

"In a manner of speaking. We've gotten pretty close," Jean said, avoiding Ororo's gaze.

Silence fell over the table for a moment as the rest expected her to keep speaking, and Jean was waiting for-

"NO WAY!" Ororo screamed, looking extremely excited, making all who were present save for Jean jump. Jean laughed, used to Ororo's antics by now.

"No way what?" Jean teased.

"Are you seriously going out?" Ororo beamed.

Jean nodded, while the others looked confused. For their benefit she decided to explain.

It took quite a bit of time, but by the end Ororo was shaking with excitement and the rest were all truly smiling, "So you don't think it's weird that we're dating?"

No's sounded off from around the table with a few of the speakers sounding offended that she would think such a thing, "That's good. I was rather scared that you would think I had...no feelings, I guess, for dating this soon."

"This soon?" Ororo said shocked. "Jean, it's been three months and you and Warren have always been extremely close."

"Yeah, um...shoot! Is that the time?" Jean shot up out of her seat. "I've got to get going! Oh God! I'm so late! Bye guys! See you for dinner!"

She ran off to the sounds of their goodbyes feeling an insane amount better after talking to them.

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