Hank hastily excused himself, not bothering to make up any explanation for his departure, just muttering "thanks for the update" as he squirrelled out of the room. Jean couldn't stop herself from glancing at Emma before she recovered and turned her attention to Scott.

"It was a long night, and I'll tell you about it, or at least I'll tell you what I know about it. There's no mistrust." Jean walked passed Emma without looking at her, taking Scott's arm in her hand to lead him out of the lab. Scott's gaze dragged behind Jean's pull, falling on Emma, who dropped her eyes to the floor, before he was pulled out of the room entirely.

"What the fuck is going on, Jean?" he asked, still feeling a bit of telekinetic pull away from the lab… and from Emma.

"Truthfully, I'm not totally sure. Something is brewing. I have reason to believe it has to do with someone who has some sort of telepathic capacity, but I don't know how much telepathic capacity. I also don't know how far he is from us, or whether he's privy to the contents of X-men's heads. I'm not 100 percent sure he's a telepath at all. So, I went to look for more information with Emma, because she can shield her thoughts from him if he is a telepath. And I can't really talk about what I found with anyone here, other than to say that something is indeed brewing, not because I don't trust you, but because I don't know whether you'd even know to hide it from the wrong person if you saw him. And because I think it should stay hidden until I understand it."

Scott stopped, which required significant effort, and pulled his arm from within Jean's grip to turn her to face him. He thought he could see something, a flash, a light, something slinking within Jean's pupils, but he couldn't be sure. He forced himself to focus on it so that he wouldn't think about Emma.

Jean, naturally, could feel him trying not to think about Emma. She felt a spark of anger flutter in her breast, and decided she had to get away. She dropped Scott's arm. "I have work to do, Scott. I'm sorry to leave you in the dark, but I need to go."

"Go where?" he asked.

*Yes, where?* Emma called from the spot where she stood reading Scott's vision of the conversation. *I got all dressed up…*

"I'll be in Ororo's greenhouse," she told them both. "I could use some space, Scott, please."

The expression that fell upon Scott's face in reply was one of fundamental confusion, the sort of baffled face one might wear while looking upon aliens for the very first time. "Alright, Jean," he said.

Jean felt Emma take off through the house and toward the grounds, so she walked circuitous route to make her way toward the greenhouse. Emma was waiting inside, fingering some lilies with an absentminded, dreamy look on her face, the smell of too many varieties of flowers that would have generally left her feeling miffed somehow enjoyable today…

"That sounded pleasant," she said to Jean wen she entered.

"I don't think there's much that's pleasant remaining there. But, I'll confess, I have no idea what to say to him."

"You mean 'I decided I'd rather fuck Emma than you' won't do the trick?" Emma asked, tweaking Jean's nipple through her shirt.

"Be serious for a second, Emma, please. Its not as though anyone else could really understand what it is with us. I doubt two female telepaths have fallen for each other in the history of mutantkind."

"Oh, don't be so grandiose, Jean."

"Sorry, did you know a couple of telepaths who could advise us on this situation?"

"None like you."

Jean sighed. "If we tell him, there's going to be drama. Awful, loud, vulgar, cursing drama. And, you know the worst part? I don't know whether he'll be more angry that I cheated or that I cheated with you."

"Why not just mute the drama, then?"

"What?"

"Darling, you are one of the most powerful mutants I've ever met. Your little diamond-touch trick… you're defying multiple laws of physics and telepathy and genetics when you do that. If you really let loose, the energy could cause all of Manhattan to black out. It would be nothing for you to just smooth over Scott's anger a bit in favor of acceptance…"

Jean stared at Emma, her eyes hard, her pupils growing brighter as a glow lifted off her shoulders. "You're not seriously asking that I alter my husband's memories of his own emotions?"

"I'm not asking. I'm saying you could, as one possible solution."

Jean clenched her teeth, reeling. Suddenly she realized that it had been just a day, really, of this thing with Emma. A day on top of over a decade of strife, a much longer history where Emma was an enemy. Whatever had been stripped away in their time together, Jean had been sure she saw a benevolent Emma standing naked before her, loving her even. But this was not something that anyone who knew her would dare to suggest. This was not something someone with any scruples whatsoever would consider. It was an evil solution, and she couldn't see the Emma she'd been with in China through it.

From Emma's spot behind the lilies, all she could hear was the brisk slam of Jean's mind closing off her own. "Jean, what? I was only saying—"

"—that I should brainwash my husband?! Yeah, I got that. I need to go." Jean moved without her feet toward the door, lightning fast.

"Jean, wait!"

But, the door was swinging shut behind her, and Emma was left standing in the glass house, holding a stone, all alone.