THE BEGINNING OF A SPIRIT
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. I wish I did.
Summary: Two months after the events of X2, a new mutant arrives at the institute. How will her presence affect the others?
Notes: This is my first ever fan fiction. Reviews extremely appreciated. Romance is on the way, but I like angst more, so it might take a while.
To all my reviewers out there, a big thank you! You're what keeps me writing! So long as I get one review each chapter, you'll see more of this story! Love you all!
Here's chapter 11, as promised. Hope you like it! I know I liked writing it!
Chapter 11
The next morning Scott woke up feeling like he'd had the best nights sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Beck lying in his arms. She looked so peaceful. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew she needed to find the Professor as soon as she could.
"Beck. Wake up."
She stirred, but didn't wake. He sighed. Obviously she could sleep through anything. After ten more minutes of him being ignored, she finally opened her eyes. He watched as her expressions went from confusion, to realization and finally to embarrassment. She untangled herself from him, got out of bed and stretched.
"I'm going to take a shower, then go find the Professor. I'll see you at breakfast?"
He nodded, and climbed out of bed himself. She came round and kissed him on his cheek. His surprise must have shown because she said,
"Thanks for keeping me company."
"Anytime. I'll see you soon."
He left, and managed to reach his room without anyone spotting him. He showered, and got dressed, then went down to the kitchen to have breakfast. There was nobody else in there which he was thankful for. He made some toast, grabbed a glass of juice, and waited for Beck. Ten minutes later she arrived with a huge smile on her face.
"The Professor said I can go. He doesn't think there should be any problems. He managed to get me onto a flight already. It leaves tonight."
"Wait, tonight? You're leaving that soon?"
"Yeah, the party's in a few days. It's only for a week, Scott. I'll be back before you know it."
He nodded, and she came over and hugged him. He inhaled her scent, a mixture of shampoo and perfume. He never wanted to let her go. But he did.
"Well, I better go start packing. My taxi gets here at 8, so I have to be ready by then."
"Do you need any help with anything?"
"Help, no. Company…well I wouldn't mind."
She grabbed his hand, and took him up to her room. She started pulling out suitcases and clothes, trying to figure out what to take. She started folding things, talking the whole time.
"Once I've worked out the whole time difference thing I'll call you. And you can call me whenever you want."
"Ok. You seem a little tense."
"Well, I haven't seen my family for a long time. Everything's probably changed. And I don't know who's going to be at this party…could be anyone."
"I'm sure you'll be fine."
She stopped packing and came over to him. She took his hand, and looked him in the eyes as best she could.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah, I'll manage. I'm just…I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Scott."
He pulled her into a hug, and held her tight.
"Just be careful. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."
"Stop being a drama queen. Nothings going to happen to me. Its Australia, nothing ever happens."
He laughed, but he didn't feel any better. She went back to packing, and he went and flicked through her CD collection. About two hours later, she was finished. He decided that instead of being upset for the rest of the day while she waited to leave, he'd make those hours memorable.
"C'mon, were going for a walk."
"A walk? To where?"
"It's a surprise."
He took her hand, and led her outside into the yard. They strolled along in silence. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. He pushed through a hole in one of the hedges, pulling Beck in behind him. He heard her gasp.
"Oh wow, Scott, its beautiful."
He looked out across the pond at the flowers on the other side. He remembered researching their names, so he knew they were lilies. He also knew that there were a lot of different colors, even if he couldn't see them himself. He let Beck wander for a while, taking it all in.
"How did you know this was here?"
"I found it years ago when I was exploring. I don't know if anyone else has seen it."
"It's amazing. I've never seen lilies in these colors."
She turned to face him, frowning.
"Why did you bring me here if it's your secret place?"
"Because now it's our secret place. We can come here whenever we want, and nobody will find us. I just wanted you to have something nice to think about while you're gone. And something to look forward to when you get back."
"I already have something nice to think about, and something to look forward to. But this is wonderful. Thank you."
She hugged him, then looked around again.
"You're sure no one will find it?"
"The only other person I've seen here is Jean. And that was only because I brought her along."
"I had a feeling you might have. I'm glad you showed me this Scott."
♥♥♥♥♥
They had stayed at the hidden garden for a while, just enjoying each others company. Eventually they went back to the mansion for dinner. Scott sat in silence during the meal, watching everyone coming over to wish Beck luck. She hadn't been a teacher very long, but already the kids loved her.
When 7:30 came around, Scott went up to Beck's room to see if she was ready. He found her at her desk, sealing an envelope. She got up and walked over to him.
"That letter on the desk is for you. Don't read it until I've gone, ok?"
"I promise I wont. You all set? Your cab will be here soon, and I know there are some people waiting downstairs to say goodbye."
She looked around the room one last time.
"Yeah I'm ready. Is it stupid to have butterflies in my stomach? Or to be sad and happy at the same time?"
"It's not stupid Beck. I'm kind of feeling the same…although not a lot of happy on my part."
"I know, but I promise I won't stay any longer than a week. And I'll call you when I get there."
She sighed. He saw tears I her eyes, and grabbed her in a fierce hug. They clung to each other, neither one of them wanting to break the contact.
"God, I'm going to miss you so much, Scott."
"I'll miss you too. Promise me you'll be careful?"
"I promise."
He pulled back and saw tears streaming down her face. He wished he could cry too, but his mutation prevented it. A sudden idea flashed through his mind, and he reacted without thinking. He kissed her.
It was amazing. It was fire and passion. She tasted so sweet, and before he knew it he had her pushed up against the wall. She gasped, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, explore every corner of her mouth. Every pent-up feeling he'd had since he met her burst out of him.
After what seemed like only seconds, but was actually a few minutes, he pulled away. He studied her in front of him, breathing hard, her face flushed.
"Wow. If I'd known all it would take is me leaving the country…"
He grinned, and she returned it. He looked at the clock, and realized with a jolt that they only had 15 minutes to get downstairs. She must've noticed too, because she moved over to her suitcases, and grabbed one of them.
"Can you give me a hand with these? I don't want to miss my flight."
"Yeah, sure."
He walked over, and went to grab the larger case. Before he could, she grabbed his arm, spun him around to face her, and kissed him again. It wasn't as frantic as the last one. It was gentler, almost curious. Eventually she broke away, blushing. There were tears in her eyes again.
"We better get moving."
They managed to get the luggage downstairs, and also managed to keep their hands off each other. Once at the front door, Beck was caught up in a crowd of young kids wanting to say goodbye. She got through them, and then only the adults were left.
She hugged Ororo, Hank, Bobby and Rogue. Logan even softened enough for one. Piotr gave her one of his sketches to take with her. She turned to Scott, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and another bone crushing hug. Everyone was crying now, well…those who could. Scott could've sworn he saw Logan wipe away a tear.
After more goodbyes, she went outside to the awaiting taxi. The driver loaded in her bags, and with one last wave she was gone. Scott turned and went back upstairs to her room, taking a look around. He grabbed the letter off the desk, stepped outside and closed the door.
He went to his room for some privacy. He opened the envelope. There were two sheets of paper, and a photo. He looked at the image, and noticed it was a shot of Beck he'd seen in her photo album once. He studied the first piece of paper. It was a sketch of him. He was leaning against his desk in his classroom. It looked like one of Piotr's sketches.
The second piece of paper had Beck's handwriting on it. It was a letter.
Scott,
This is embarrassing to admit, but I had a thing for you when I first arrived here. I saw you in the Professor's office that night, and straight away I knew there was something about you. I don't believe in love at first sight, so the fact that I found you attractive right away threw me a little.
The sketch you found with this letter is one that Piotr drew. I asked him to do it especially for me, actually. He didn't ask too many questions, just winked. The photo is for you to keep. So you won't miss me too much.
The night youtold meyou had feelings for me, well I'll admit I was scared. Let's face it, you're a few years older than me, and you've had way more experience in these sorts of things. I'm still pretty new to it all. So yeah, I was terrified. But on the other hand it was the best thing I'd ever heard.
I'll be honest. I would much rather be here at the mansion than back in Australia. The mansion is my home now. But this engagement is a big deal to my brother, so I need to be there for him.
I'll miss you a lot. I'll think about you all the time. Ok, I better stop before I start crying. Take care of yourself!
Love Beck.
Scott smiled, and placed the photo of Beck on his bedside table, replaying their passionate kiss in his mind.
He studied the sketch. It looked exactly like him. It also explained why Piotr had seemed distant in a few of his classes. He folded the letter and put it on his desk. Then he went downstairs to find some company. He didn't want to be completely alone this week.