Season One, Episode Seven: Desires
Classroom 217, Xavier Institute
"Human reproduction."
Ororo looked around her class. "Get all your little giggles and comments out of your system, please, because we're going to try and have a mature, responsible discussion." She stared down the boys, focusing in on Remy. He looked behind him and to the side.
"Why this one?" he moaned pitifully. "This once can be mature, me. I'm gon' be mature right now, c'est vrai."
"Why, is the world coming to an end?" Rogue said under her breath, earning her a scorching look from the red eyed mutant.
"Okay." Ororo raised her hands. "If we can start, let's start with what we you all know. Can someone name a reproductive organ, or part of the reproductive system?"
There was a nervous moment where no one raised their hand, and then Sid extended his. "Uterus."
"Very good." Ororo turned and wrote it on the board.
"Yeah, the last reproductive organ you saw, coming out of your Mom," whispered one of the girls Sid had awkwardly turned down for a date. Sid looked at his desk, sighing and blushing.
"Christi, we're going to have a talk after class," Ororo said, not even bothering to look at the offending student. Sid looked demoralized, and Kitty reached up her hand.
"Yes, Kitty." Ororo nodded in the petite mutant's direction.
"I'll just be the brave one here, and say penis," Kitty said flatly.
"Yeah, Kitty's real brave about that," muttered someone indistinguishably in the back. Bobby narrowed his eyes. There was a yelp as the air at the back of the class dropped in temperature.
"Students," Ororo said sharply.
"Labia," Piotr offered, blushing noticeably.
"Thank you." Ororo wrote it on the board. "Any others?"
Jubilee raised her hand. "Testicles."
There was some scattered whispers, but no one made any comments about Jubilee, although she seemed to be waiting for one.
"Very good, Jubilee," Ororo complimented. "Any others?"
"Remy knows one," whispered a giggly, high pitched voice from the back.
Remy sighed exaggeratedly. "I don' know what you're insinuatin', Rochelle," Remy said, gaze flicking to the left of the classroom. "But this one's a virgin, n'est pas?"
The whole laughed laughed. Ororo rapped on the board to bring everyone's attention back.
"Okay!" She glared around the room until it was silent. "I know this is a hard topic to discuss. There are a lot of nerves involved, and embarrassment, and people have different feelings about it. But that is no excuse to behave badly, and I will give out a round of detentions and have us watch a video of birth if this doesn't stop now."
The class gave almost a collective shudder, and was silenced.
Front Hall, Xavier Institute
"So how was, 'The Sex Saga' lectures this year?" Jean smirked as Ororo came out of her class.
"The worst yet," Ororo said, and Jean laughed. "No, I'm serious this time. Normally there is awkwardness and comments, but they acted like a horde, a horde, Jean! A horde designed to make the worst comments possible. Poor Sid was being practically eaten alive by Christi, Janice, and Fallon, the boys would make a comment about Kitty and then Bobby or Piotr would use powers in class to shut them up, Remy and Rogue, well, you can imagine— I think the only students who were well behaved were Jubilee and the newest student, Susie."
"Well, that doesn't exactly bode well for our ever-popular, one-on-one 'Ask Us Anything' interviews." Jean raised her brows and both women shivered.
"Well, we'll see about it tomorrow won't we?" Ororo stated, and Jean nodded.
"Oh, Kitty!"
Kitty turned as Jean strode up to her. "I was wondering if I could ask you . . . well, actually for a favor," the red-headed teacher said.
"Oh," Kitty said, her perky face turning to the side. "Sure, Dr. Grey. If I can."
"Yes." Jean tried not to feel guilty. There was nothing wrong in what she was doing but it might be embarrassing to ask a student to help her solve a personal problem. "You have lots of computer . . . searching skills, and I just wondered if you could, in your spare time, see if you could find anything connected to this word."
Kitty took the piece of paper she was offered. "Shi'ar? I've never heard that before. What is it?"
"I'm honestly not sure," Jean confessed. "But, I was hoping—"
"Oh sure!" Kitty said brightly. "I'll get right on it!" She saluted, and Jean laughed. "Thank you Kitty," Jean said, as the young girl scampered off.
"It's never good when she gets that happy," Logan grumbled, coming up behind her.
Jean's face broke naturally into a smile before turning to face the gruff Canadian. "Have you been a recent victim of Kitty's pranks?"
"Everyone's been a victim of her 'pranks'," Logan muttered, pulling out a cigar. "It's a fact of life if you stay here too long."
Jean quirked her head to the side. "Is that your way of hinting that you'll be running off on us soon?"
"No," Logan said immediately, and then raised a bushy brow. "Why? Do you want me gone?"
"No! I just . . . didn't know, and you never seem to stay with us as much as we'd like," Jean amended.
"Well." He looked to the side, then back at her. "I've found some good reasons to stay."
"Logan . . ." Jean said softly, then frowned at his hand. "Do you really think it's appropriate to be having that in here?"
"What?" Logan's eyebrows furrowed as he lifted up the cigar. "This?"
"Yes, that," Jean stated. "I'm not sure smoking inside sets a good example for the children."
"Well, I'm not really the 'Example for the Children Teacher' remember?" Logan grinned. "I'm the fun one."
Rec Room, Xavier Institute
"Are you sure you don't want me to freeze his shoes to the floor?" Bobby asked Kitty for the hundredth time, glaring across the room to where the offending boy was playing fuze ball.
"No, Bobby." Kitty rolled her eyes. "He's just a moron. If you spent time freezing the shoes of every moron to the floor, you wouldn't have time to breathe."
"He called you a slut," Bobby said, lowering his voice.
"Like I said," Kitty insisted. "Moron, by way of idiot. You have to just ignore those kinds of people, and go on doing your thing. That's what really gets to them."
"I don't like it." Bobby continued to frown. "You haven't done anything he hasn't done. It's prejudice, just as much as we get for being mutants. We don't need more of it around here."
Kitty let out a slow, warm smile. "Feminism looks good on you, Bobby."
"Yeah?" he said brightly, before catching her drift and lowering his voice to a more suggestive tone. "Oh . . . yeah."
"If he's so worried about her virtue," Piotr muttered thickly, glancing across the room at Bobby and Kitty, "he shouldn't be encouraging the ones who comment."
"Her virtue?" Jubilee snorted, and leaned back on the plushy couch. "What is this, the 18th century? Are we gonna start calling her a harlot now because she flirts with a couple people?"
Piotr sighed, coloring again."I didn't mean that, or to suggest her behavior is anyway inappropriate," he tried to explain. "It is merely . . . bothersome to me, that they are moving so fast. I know I have no right to feel that way," the big Russian said glumly, "but I do."
Jubilee patted his shoulder. "It's alright, Big Red. But you can't exactly blame him. I mean, just look at exhibit A over there."
Piotr rolled his eyes, making Jubilee burst into giggles. "I would much rather not."
"Remy, stop," Rogue whispered unconvincingly, leaning more into the wall as Remy pressed closer into her.
"What's the matter River Rat?" he asked, his red eyes glittering. "'Fraid you'll lose ya Southern Belle status if you get caught with this bad boy, you?"
"You flatter ya'self too much, Swamp Rat," Rogue sassed, "Your ego is the size of Texas."
Remy grinned and leaned down to whisper something in French into her ear, his breath raising the hair on her neck.
"No, don't you dare," she hissed, although her hands stayed on his arms, and his arms stayed wrapped around her waist. "You will speak to me like a lady, Mister."
"Who says this one is no'?" Remy questioned. "This one just said you were right, you, oui."
"In those exact words?" Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What happens when I start gettin' real good at French, and I start knowin' exactly what you're sayin'?"
"You'll slap this one less," Remy said brightly, "because you'll know what I really mean. Y'wound this one, chere. If I was goin' to say somethin'. . . indecent to ya, wouldn't hide behind 'nother language."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Sugar, you'll hide behind anythin' you can not to say plain out what you mean."
"Jus' like you hide behind that poison skin, pretendin' it means you can't never have what you want," Remy shot back.
Rogue's eyes instantly sparked with anger. "That's a different situation, Cajun, and you know it. You're so sure you know what I want? Then stop teasin' me with things you know I can't have and you can't ever give me."
Remy frowned, and then swiftly snaked his right arm around her back and used his gloved left hand to cup her neck and lean in as close as he could without brushing skin.
"Chere," he said in his low, bourbon voice, so close his words were like a physical kiss, "I'll give you any'tin' you want and then some more the minute you say the word, and I won't stop if I have to pour every ounce of me into you till ya drain me dry, cause I . . ." He pressed closer. "Am not. . ." Her eyes rolled up ". . . afraid."
Professor's Study, Xavier Institute
"And we haven't been able to pin point yet what her powers are," Hank said, reading out of the folder on the Xavier Institute's newest arrival. "Her parents reported symptoms that seem rather like those of an empath or psychic, but her brain scans—"
The Professor groaned, and Hank stopped his presentation. "Sir? Am I . . . boring you?"
"Oh, no, no." Xavier smiled warmly. "Never Hank."
"Because I know, I can be rather long winded . . . or so the students tell me." The blue mutant grinned sheepishly.
"Not at all, old friend," Xavier answered. "I just . . . my head. I'm f—eling a rather strong pain, and I'm afraid I may have to-"
His reply was cut off in a cry, and Hank sprang across the room to steady the Professor. "Charles? Charles?"
TITLE SEQUENCE:
TITLE SONG: "Evolutionary" Composed By Emilie Autumn
Cast:
Wolverine: Hugh Jackman
Storm: Halle Berry
Professor Xavier: Patrick Stewart
Jean Grey: Famke Janssen
Cyclops: James Marsden
Beast: Kelsey Grammar
Rogue: Anna Paquin
Gambit: Taylor Kitsch
Iceman: Shawn Ashmore
Shadowcat: Ellen Page
Colossus: Enver Gjokaj
Jubilee: Julia Ling
Forge: Rudy Youngblood
Written by Julie Espenson
Directed by David Solomon
Created by Joss Whedon
MedBay, Xavier Institute
"Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt N' Pepa Plays Over the Following Scenes
"So . . . we can ask you anything?" Rochelle looked skeptical.
Jean and Ororo shared a quick glance. "Yes," Jean confirmed. "We'll ask you some basic sexual health questions which will remain confidential, and then you can ask us anything you need to."
"Well . . ."
Katheryne Pryde, Aged 16
"So, Kitty, you say you are not sexually active," Jean repeated. "Now, if you were, you would use protection, yes?"
Kitty nodded. "Can I ask my question?"
Ororo smiled. "Sure, ask away."
"If I end up having sex with more than one guy," Kitty stated baldly. "How much lube should I use?"
Ororo's smile stayed plastered on her face as she swallowed. "Ah ha . . . he . . . well . . ."
Piotr Rasputin, Aged 18
"Is it really necessary to answer these questions?" Piotr asked, looking steadily down at his shoes.
"We really just need to know that if you are sexually active, or intending to be sexually active, that you know contraception is available," Jean explained.
"Well, while here," the big Russian swallowed, "no I have not engaged in . . . shananigans while at the school."
"Shananigans?"
Piotr blushed an even deeper crimson. "Is that not a word used? Bobby . . . Bobby said it was a word used to describe . . . the act of sex. Sid called it boinking. Remy offered other words in French, but I do not trust his mouth."
"No, you're right," Jean nodded. "Sh-shananigans is just fine. So . . . no shananigans, check!"
Rogue, Aged 17
"Do you really need to ask me if I've been sexually active?" the Mississippi native muttered, her pale skin flushing a rich pink as she stared resolutely at the floor.
"Rogue," Ororo said gently, "we know it's a touchy subject, and that your mutation poses an interesting . . . situation, but there are other . . . ways in which a person can be active without skin touching. Though all those ways would be the most safe of ways to be sexual."
"Well . . ." Rogue swallowed, smoothing her hair back. "Is it possible to . . . have a— an orgasm just . . . just from someone talkin' to you?"
Remy LeBeau, Aged 17
"And when was the last time you were sexually active?" Jean questioned the Cajun, who sat, legs swinging, on top of Dr. McCoy's operating table.
Remy raised his thick brows high above his crimson eyes. "This is a very personal question, oui?"
"We just want to make sure that you know there is available contraception here if you chose to engage in sexual activities," Jean clarified. "And that if you have engaged in prior sexual activity, we have testing available."
Remy sniffed indignately. "The subtle hint that this one is a diseased whore is not lost on this one, et c'est tragique."
"No, we don't mean that at all!" Ororo put up her hands. "We just know some mutant men believe their status as mutants gives them . . . extended capabilities and protection in that area."
Remy's sly smile reasserted itself. "Found that one out for you'selves, you?"
Remy yelped as Jean gave his head a psychic smack.
Jubilation Lee, Aged 15
"I haven't been sexually active beyond just kissing, and that just before coming here, so, really no," Jubilee answered softly.
"Well, I would say especially at your age, waiting is still ideal, so it's nothing to feel bad about," Ororo said kindly. "Waiting for the right person is never a bad idea."
"Yeah." Jubilee looked away, muttering, "Waiting, waiting, waiting."
Jean Grey and Ororo Monroe: Status, Exhausted
"OhGod," Jean groaned, as she and Ororo collapsed into their chairs heavily, the sessions finally over.
"Why can't the guys answer the boys questions again?" Ororo asked.
"Because Scott would be so awkward and stiff around them about sex that they wouldn't say anything, and Logan would just preemptively wack all of them in the head," Jean said with a chuckle. Ororo nodded in agreement.
"Ladies?" Dr. McCoy poked his blue head around the door. "Is it safe?"
"Come on in, Hank." Ororo yawned. "We were just finished with—"
"What's the matter?" Jean said, sitting up, her mind picking up on the Beast's worry.
"It's the Professor," Hank fussed. "He says he simply has a headache and needs to lie down, but I can hear him moaning and in pain when he thinks I'm too far away to notice."
"We'll help," Ororo said, getting up. "Jean, you'll probably know more about this than me."
"We won't know until we see it," Jean said, as they exited the MedBay and headed down the hall. "If we—"
"Oh, sorry Professors," said the small boned girl who quickly made way for them.
"Thank you Susie," Ororo said kindly. "If the Professor—"
"Ah!" Jean gasped, clutching her head.
"What is it? Jean?" Ororo held her friend's shoulders.
"God that hurt." Jean rubbed her temples, and stood back up. "I'm okay now, but . . . if that's what the Professor is getting, it doesn't feel like an ordinary headache."
"Of course not." Ororo sighed. "Can't ever have a calm week here."
Teacher's Rooms, Xavier Institute
Jean turned over in her bed and groaned. They had made no progress in finding out the source of the Professor's debilitating headache, and she'd made no progress in falling asleep.
She felt Scott pull her closer and snuggled into his chest. She laughed as he started kissing her face. "Scott, stop. We need to get up early next morning."
Scott ignored her, kissing her and trying to remove her top.
"Scott I'm serious." Jean tried to push him off, but he tightened his hold on her. "Scott, stop it! Stop!"
Jean gritted her teeth and tried to project her words into his mind, but he continued to push at her. "I said no!"
With a burst of telepathic energy, Jean shoved him off the bed and across the room.
"Scott?" she asked cautiously, her mind already trying to work out what was happening.
"You bitch," he growled at her. "What is it? Not enough hair? No cigar smoke stink?"
"This is what this is about? Logan?" Jean gasped.
"It's what you want, isn't it?" Scott hissed. "I see you. The way you look at him, the little signs. Are you already screwing him? Huh?"
"Something's wrong," Jean surmised, trying not to shake with the force of his venomous words. "You're not yourself."
"Don't try to avoid it." Scott rose, stumbling towards her. "Don't you lie to me."
"I'm sorry," Jean choked out. "I have to fix this."
She closed her eyes and focused. Scott let out a brief cry before crumpling, unconscious, to the floor.
Shaking, Jean swiftly left the room.
Rec Room, Xavier Institute
Jean descended the darkened main stairs, determined to get to Hank in the MedBay and solve whatever was controlling Scott. She assured herself it was something controlling him that had made him say and do what he did.
She frowned as she sensed two highly aroused bodies nearby — and not adult, either. Turning a corner into the student's lounge she saw—
"Bobby, Kitty!" Jean coughed out, for a moment stunned with the sheer indecency of the moment.
Appearing utterly indifferent to her cry, the two young mutants continued to passionately kiss, their hands roving around under each other's clothing.
"Okay, you guys, not here," Jean announced. The two continued to grope one another. "Did you hear me?" she snapped. Jean started forward, determined to pull the two apart by telepathic force if need be, when Piotr jogged heavily into the room.
"Is there a reason no one is listening to me?" Jean asked, turning to the big Russian. "Piotr, if you could head down to the MedBay—"
Piotr's eyes remained fixed upon the kissing couple. With a snarl, he ripped Bobby off of Kitty, his arm shielding up as he did so, before punching the other boy sharply in the stomach. Bobby responded by icing his upper body, and throwing a left jab at the bigger mutant's exposed face.
"This is enough!" The three students gasped as Jean clamped down on their unruly minds. It shocked even her how quickly they lost consciousness. She hurried to catch Kitty in her arms as she mentally lowered Bobby and Piotr safely to the floor.
"Okay," she reasoned out loud as she checked each student's pulse. "So whatever is wrong with Scott is wrong with the three of you. Some kind of mental hold or hormone overload that . . . makes you give into your darker urges." She tried not to think of what that would mean for Scott, and continued piecing it together. "So I'm guessing it's also affecting the rest of the school. Shit!" she swore, realizing this meant Hank might not be able to help her. Ororo! she called out mentally, praying her friend was still in possession of her senses as well. We've got a problem.
Students' Dorms, Xavier Institute
"Stripped" by Shiny Toy Guns Plays Over The Following Scene
Remy rolled over onto his back, rubbing his face. He'd had headaches and hangovers and probably even brain damage, but whatever was hurting him now didn't feel quite like any of them.
There was movement to the right of his bed. Reacting off of nearly seventeen years of conditioning, he swiftly palmed two throwing knives and whirled to meet his attacker.
"Not exactly what I was expectin' to find pointin' at me," drawled his 'attacker.'
"Jesu Rogue!" Remy swore angrily, his eyes adjusting and making out her form in the darkness. "Coulda killed you, me! Don' sneak up on this one, comprends?"
Rogue just made an almost purring sound in the back of her throat and slid onto the bed next to him. "Why don' you put those away, sugar?" she whispered, her accent thickening with every word.
"What's gotten into you?" Remy questioned in a hiss. Rogue sidled up beside him, situating herself in his lap. The silken folds of her nightgown were barely a barrier between her skin and his. Remy tried to suppress a groan and failed. Rogue laughed a little, her soft hair falling around his face, gloved hands sliding over his bare chest.
"Chere." Remy breathed deeply. "Rogue . . . why . . . why—"
"Why not?" She ran her fingers through his hair and then pulled, roughly, to get him to face her. "Why not? You said you weren't afraid."
Remy began to answer, and then stopped. "I'm not," he said casually, "and believe this one when he says any other night of the year he wouldn't be thinkin' no second thoughts. But you got a funny look in those pretty green eyes, and this one knows when someone's mind is bein' played wit'."
"What are you sayin'?" Rogue narrowed her pretty green eyes.
"This one's sayin'," Remy said, making his voice thick with his charm, and smiling up at her with a glint in his eyes, "that he would want nothin' more than to stay in this room and do t'ing's to ya dat'll get this one's head sliced off by Logan. But my thief's nose can tell when somethin's wrong, and I think you should come with me to find it out."
Rogue pouted. "Nothin's wrong with me," she declared. She arched up and pressing herself into Remy, who bit his lower lip to prevent a moan from escaping. "Somethin' wrong with you? Your promises all talk then? Not such a man?"
Remy growled, deep in his throat. In one smooth motion he flipped her onto her back with him on top, his nose inches from hers. "Don'," he forced out, his breathing heavy, "don' push this one, chere. Not a nice man, me. Been doin' bad t'ings for years now. More used to it than not. Could do bad, bad things to you now."
"I wanna do bad things to you, too, sugah," Rogue tempted.
"See, that's jus' the thing." Remy shook his head, his long hair waving from side to side. "You don'. At least, you don' know if you do. You ain't in you right head, River Rat. Won' take advantage o' you like that, non."
Rogue hissed at the back of her throat. Remy gave her his most charming grin. "Don' be like that, chere," he cajoled, pulling both of them up off the bed. "Come wi' this one. F' we don' find anythin' wrong, then you can come back here and punish this poor Cajun fo' all his mistakes."
Left Wing Hallway, Xavier Institute
Jean hurried along the left wing of the school, trying to sense where Ororo was as she made her way towards the stairs that would take her to the MedBay. Ready to face whatever state Hank was in, she heard a commotion to her right, in one of the staff rooms.
"Oh there is no God," she said through gritted teeth. With a wave of her hand, she forced the door open.
A dazed and not-very-clothed Sid lay on the ground, surrounded by Christi, Janice and Fallon, all in varying states of undress.
"What now?" Jean questioned under her breath. She didn't want to walk around knocking out students! She couldn't be sure the ease with which she did so didn't carry some darker hint of the Phoenix, or that it wouldn't harm them.
The three girls hissed and pulled closer to Sid, but Sid seemed to push back slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of his teacher. "Jean? I didn't mean . . . I'm not sure what happened. They ripped my shirt, see—"
"It's alright, Sid, come with me." Jean beckoned. The boy rose to obey, but the feral girls around him hissed and pulled him back.
"You stop that right now," Jean ordered, stepping forward, eyes blazing. She put just a tiny bit of mental pressure on the girls, enough to get them to release Sid and allow him to stumble over to her. "Stay in here," she ordered, pulling the mutant boy with her outside of the room and shutting the door soundly behind him. Turning around, Jean jumped a bit at the pajamaed white-haired mutant in front of her.
"Ororo, thank God." Jean breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "It's some kind of mental hold or something over the students. I think it's whatever's been causing my and the Professor's headaches. I would guess that it can't affect psychics the way it does everyone else. Sid's powers are partly mental, so he's somewhat better, but I had to knock out Kitty and Bobby and Piotr when—"
Jean's monologue was cut off when she felt Ororo's soft lips pressed up against hers. In shock, it took Jean an entire minute to pull away. "Ororo, what are you doing?"
Ororo tilted her head to the side, and blinked. Jean's heart sunk when she realized Ororo had the same wide-eyed, out-of-control stare that characterized the other students. "Ororo—"
Ororo's eyes shifted to Sid, who followed them as if mesmerized. He started to step forward. The African goddess smiled.
"Okay, no!" Jean said in horror, stepping between the two and pushing Ororo gently back.
The weather witch's eyes went white, and she said a word in a language that Jean didn't understand.
"Ororo, don't," Jean warned.
Ororo raised her arms and a powerful blast of wind coursed down the hall, while sparks entangled themselves around her body. She brought her arms down to the center of her chest, the lightning bleeding out of the rest of her to form a ball in her hands. Jean threw up her telepathic shields just in time to prevent the shock from hitting her square on. Anger swelled up inside the redheaded mutant, breaking the locks in her mind she'd used to keep the fire inside her at bay. It welled up in her eyes, which burned red and black to the other mutant's white. Jean shoved her power at the formidable opponent, not letting up until she had reached her friend's mind and thrust it into darkness.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Left Wing Hallway, Xavier Institute
"What did I do?" Jean gasped as the fire faded and reality returned. Ororo lay, unmoving, splayed out on the ground.
"I . . . I think she's unconscious," Sid volunteered, voice shaking.
Jean knelt down, feeling Ororo's neck for her friend's pulse. It was strong and steady, but that told Jean nothing about what she might have done to Ororo's mind.
"I have to get upstairs, to the Professor," Jean decided, standing up. "Sid, will you stay here with her?"
"Yeah, yeah." Sid nodded, swallowing hard, and knelt down beside his teacher.
Jean took off on a run, leaping up the stairs to the second floor, using her telekinesis to propell her faster. Turning to run towards the third level stairs, she saw two figures stumble out of the darkness and whipped around to face them.
"Whoa, whoa! Jus' us, don' shoot!" Remy pulled himself and Rogue to a halt, putting up his hands in surrender.
"You." Jean eyed him. "You can talk? It hasn't affected you?"
"It?" Remy's eyes widened. "Oh, merde. It's everyone, huh?" Rogue made a noise somewhat like the warning growl of an angry cat. Remy tightening his hold around her waist, whispering in French into her ear. "She . . . she was talkin' at first, but stopped," Remy explained. "Knew somethin' was wrong wi' her. Why am I not affected?"
"It must have something to do with telepathy," Jean reasoned out. "Whatever it is that prevents telepaths from reading your mind is helping you keep this . . . out."
"So you don' know what this . . ." Remy swallowed and shivered, trying to manuever around the distracting roving of Rogue's hands on his body, " . . . is?"
"No, but it clearly has something to do with hormones . . . sexual hormones." Jean coughed as she tried to ignore what the normally shy Rogue was clearly attempting to draw Remy into. She felt a surge of sympathy for the boy, who was clearly making a Herculean effort to control his own responses to girl entwined around him like a cat in heat. "It's lucky you weren't affected too, or you both could have been seriously hurt by now."
"Tell this one about it," Remy grumbled, shuddering when a gloved hand raked gloved nails down his spine.
"We have to get to the Professor," Jean ordered, hurrying them up the stairs. "C'mon! Let's go!"
At the top of the stairs, Jean sensed something coming at her from the right. With a surge of telepathic energy, she pushed Rogue and Remy forward out of danger, and then shoved out psychically at the figure.
Logan rolled onto his feet and into a crouch, his growl even more animal like than usual.
"Logan." Jean put up her hands, backing away. "Just calm down, please."
Logan's head cocked to the side, very much like a wolf, and he sniffed the air. His eyes were as wide and wild as the others.
"Please, Logan," Jean said, eyes locked onto those of the wild creature, "I know you're still in there. I know you can hear me. You have to fight this."
"Jean—" Remy began, and Logan growled.
"You go on," Jean said, still facing Logan. "Go to the Professor."
"He don' look like you should be left alone wi' him, you," Remy cautioned.
"I can handle Logan, just go." Jean took her eyes off of Logan to order Remy, and the beast sprang.
Jean was just getting her shields up when a flash of red-purple energy knocked Logan backwards.
"Remy, no!" Jean hissed, as Logan began to recover.
"You gotta go," Remy stated. "F' telepaths can fix this, Professor might need you!"
The Wolverine roared and ran at Remy, claws extended. A second later he was soaring backwards, courtesy of a Rogue looking as feral as he as she proceeded to defend her mate.
Jean. Jean, you must stop this, the Professor's voice reverberated in her mind.
"How?" Jean answered the psychic call aloud, while Rogue and Remy fended off a frustrated Logan.
The girl/pheromones/the girl/dreaming/pheromones unleashed/subconscious/wake her/wake her Jean! The Professor unloaded the information all directly into her mind. Jean saw a mental image of the sleeping Susie, the unknowing cause of all the problems.
Go Jean! Go now! Can't . . . can't reach her psychically . . . wake her!
With one last devastated look at the two students fighting their teacher, Jean prayed that Logan had taught them both well enough to fend himself off. Then she ran to the edge of the stairs and leapt down. She soared over the bannister to land on the second level. Turning, she ran towards the door to the room of the sleeping girl.
Thrusting the door open with her mind, Jean gasped as she reached the edge of the girl's bed. The little blonde still slept deeply. Jean shook the girl, patted her face. "Wake up! Wake up, Susie! Please, please wake up!"
Susie slept on, and Jean screamed in rage. Looking furiously to the bathroom, she twisted her hand. Water spouted from the shower head. Pointing, she directed it to flood through the air across the room, drenching the girl's bed.
Susie gasped and sat up with wide eyed. "What? What?"
Jean collapsed, her upper body landing on the soft bed.
"What is it?" Susie asked, gasping.
"Bad dream," Jean offered. "Had to wake you up."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Professor's Study, Xavier Institute
"So pheromones did all that?" Scott demanded, his voice thin and reedy with shame and disbelief. Beside him, Jean was rubbing his back soothingly. Logan leaned, arms crossed, against the door, making sure not to look at anyone but the Professor. Ororo held herself very straight, her face cool and impassive, while Hank shook his head mournfully.
"Yes Scott," the Professor answered. "Humans have evolved beyond most pheromone use. I suppose that is what made us all so vulnerable to Susie's particularly powerful dose."
"But she's safe now?" Ororo asked, her voice betraying a nervousness she had been valiantly trying to hide.
"Oh yes," Xavier confirmed. "I put in a series of mental blocks to prevent her powers from escaping unawares. Now that we know what they are we can properly train her in how to control them."
"I must say, I may be more terrified of what she can do than any other mutant I've met," Hank chuckled, adjusting his glasses.
Jean swallowed. "I agree."
Rec Room, Xavier Institute
"But you're sure I didn't hurt you?" Bobby asked, lowering his voice and turning his back on the loud crowd of younger mutant's surrounding the pool table.
"Yes Bobby." Kitty rolled her eyes good naturedly. "I'm sure. We just went . . . a bit too far, a bit too fast."
"Well, I'm still sorry. And sorry to Piotr too." Bobby shook his head. "I feel awful, but thank God it's over. I don't like not being in control of my own body. Now we can hopefully get back to normal."
Kitty nodded, her eyes shifting. Bobby noticed. "What?"
"I'm just . . . wondering what normal is," Kitty said, biting her lip.
"What do you mean?" Bobby's forehead creased, and he squared his shoulders.
"Bobby . . . it's not just last night," Kitty explained. "I feel like . . . we're going too fast period. Maybe it's because you were with Rogue for so long, maybe it's us but . . . I don't actually want to rush into the physical so quickly like . . . like we're doing."
Bobby pulled back. "So you're saying this is my fault, because of how I was with Rogue?"
"No!" Kitty exclaimed loudly, and then lowered her voice. "I just mean . . . it feels like— like you're trying to prove something."
"Trying to prove something?" Bobby snapped. "So all of a sudden this is all my fault? What about Piotr? What was he trying to prove?"
"Bobby, please," Kitty begged, trying not to roll her eyes in exasperation.
"It's him isn't it?" Bobby deduced. "This is about him now, huh?"
Kitty stared back defiantely. "Maybe."
"Great," Bobby spat, turning to walk away. "Just great. Well, call me when you've decided he's too slow for you, and I'll remind you of this."
"Bobby—" Kitty started to call after him, then stopped, and let him go.
Left Wing Balcony, Xavier Institute
Rogue huddled, arms wrapped around her knees, shivering in the autumn air as she watched the sun disappear at last from the horizon. She wasn't crying — she would give herself that. But she didn't know when she would next be able to face anyone inside the school.
Steps sounded behind her. She stiffened, and bit the inside of her cheek hard as the last person she wanted to see her sat down beside her.
"Love autumn," Remy said casually, staring straight forward. "Back . . . home, it's the only time you get a balance between the coolness and the hot. Can finally walk outside wi'out burnin', you."
"Balance." Rogue snorted. "Never thought to hear you talk about that."
Remy sighed. "Could ask you why you angry wi' this one, o' course. But know it might just get this one a slap, and want to keep this one's pretty face. So I'll just be sittin' here, waitin' until you feel ready to tell this one."
"It's all a game to you ain't it?" Rogue said harshly. "I coulda killed you back there, and here you are all over again, like nothin' happened!"
"Could have, but didn't chere," Remy reminded. "What does that say?"
"That for once in your life you showed some restraint," Rogue snapped harshly.
"Hey!" Remy pulled back slightly, getting angry now. "Well, for one in your life you didn't — and what's so bad 'bout that, River Rat? 'Fraid if you let down your almighty restraint, you might actually feel somethin' and enjoy life for once?"
"Don't you get it?" Rogue raged. "If we ever both give in, that's it! You're done, dead! Maybe it's fun to play at this for you, but for me it hurts — it hurts, okay? I can't be a game, and I can't be a challenge, and I sure as hell won't be a conquest. All I want is— is someone to hold me, be beside me, tell me all this is worth it in the end, even if I know it ain't. And I want that person to be you, but it can't, don't ya get it? It ain't ever gonna happen because my whole power is about restraint. I got no control over my abilities. And you, you got no control over yourself! Chargin' an object and throwin' it away, that's your special gift. Well I'm not an object. I'm a woman, and if you won't treat me like one, then just leave me alone!"
Remy stared at her for a minute, and then got up and walked back inside. Rogue shuddered, forcing herself not to cry until she knew he couldn't hear. The pain dug its way back into her chest, the knowledge of how alone she would be burrowing into her soul.
The door slid open again and Remy walked back out onto the balconey. Rogue started when she felt him wrap a blanket around her snugly.
"Know how cold us Southeners get up here North, oui?" he said softly, sitting down beside her. "Can always use 'nother blanket."
Rogue stared at him, her breathing ragged. He gave her a soft smile, and wiggled his eyebrows. Rogue let out a small bark of laughter, and let him draw her into his arms.
"Everything's gon' be fine, chere," Remy murmured.
"Promise?" Rogue whispered, allowing herself finally to relax into his arms.
"Promise."
Professor's Study, Xavier Institute
"Well, I would say I'm proud of you," the Professor said, beaming, "but I don't know if you would find the complements of this old man worth much anymore."
"Of course they are, Professor." Jean smiled. "Don't ever sell yourself short."
Xavier chuckled. "I think it's you who should be most proud in this situation though. You managed to save the entire school, and hold back your little friend all at the same time."
Jean looked down. "Well . . . I don't know if I really came in time. Logan is still pretty horrified he fought Rogue."
"Yes, I can imagine so." Xavier nodded. "Though she's unharmed at least. He can take pride in that he taught her and Remy well enough that they could hold him off."
"He still attacked students," Jean stated. "I attacked students. I knocked out Bobby, Kitty, Piotr, and then Ororo."
"All of whom show no ill effects," Xavier reminded keenly.
"I suppose," Jean sighed.
"Jean." The Professor moved his chair towards her. "You managed to safely subdue those under these effects without lasting harm, and hold down the Phoenix. You have nothing to apologize for and everything to be proud of."
"I suppose," Jean said again, but she was smiling now. "And Kitty got back to me that this thing the Phoenix kept trying to create wasn't real. Couldn't find it on any of the computers, so I can say I'm making progress. Not sure why the Phoenix would have created 'Shi'ar' to try and unravel me but—"
Jean stopped at the look on the Professor's face. "Professor?"
"What was the name of this entity?" Xavier asked in a low, shaky voice.
"Sh— Shi'ar," Jean responded. "But it's just something Phoenix concocted to try and work me up—"
"No." Xavier shook his head. "No, Jean, I— this. . .this thing. I don't think it is from the Phoenix."
"Why not?" Jean asked, without truly wanting to know the answer.
The Professor met her eyes. "Because when I was a boy, I was contacted by an entity calling itself by that name. A voice in my mind, beyond all others which touched there: beyond human."
"Beyond human?" Jean took a step back.
"These Shi'ar," Xavier said slowly, "if they told me truly, are not human. Not of this world."
Jean felt her breathing go shallow. "Then from what?"
The Professor took deep steadying breaths. "From another."
ENDING CREDITS
Promo For Next Episode: A flamboyant new mutant arrives at the Institute just as the X-Men are getting back to a normal routine. But when Magneto resurfaces again with news of a polarizing future 'cure' for mutation, will it tear the school apart?
