Roxanne, Kurt, Rogue, and Remy snuck along the wall slowly. Rogue did an awkward squat. She always hated wearing these suits. All four X-Students were wearing the standard X-Student uniform of black spandex with yellow, boots, gloves, and trunks. Kurt peered around the corner and signalled for them to wait.
They were undergoing an exercise in the Danger Room. Their goal was to get to the end of the course without being struck by any of the obstacles. It was easier said than done; the Danger Room operated on an advanced proto-A.I. computing system that actively worked against the X-Students. The obstacles would react to them and chase them down.
Around the corner was one last straight away to the finish line. It was sure to be filled with defenses and traps. Kurt disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared out in the open. Whirring sounded as countless drones rose into the air on either side of him. He disappeared in another puff of purple smoke just as the drones fired on where he had been.
The drones were one of the Danger Room's defenses. They were nonlethal of course; the lasers only stunned the victim. Still, it was quite painful and would also mean their failure in the exercise.
The drones scanned about the room and all flew off in different directions in search of Kurt. This was their chance. Roxanne, Remy, and Rogue broke out into a sprint for the end of the course. Several of the drones saw them and circled back, but it was still far less than they would normally have had to deal with. Kurt's plan had worked.
The drones were closing in on the trio. Remy drew his deck of cards from his belt and quickly flicked several back at the drones. The glowing cards struck two of the drones, blasting them apart with kinetic energy upon impact. The remaining drones swerved away, giving them the last second they needed to cross the threshold out of the room. Kurt teleported in with them just as the doors shut and the Danger Room powered down. They had succeeded.
Kurt pumped his fist and high fived Roxanne. Rogue and Remy shared a smile. Scott and Jean, who had been conducting the test from the Observation Deck, walked in on them with smiles. They were also wearing their X-Student uniform, Scott's complete with a silver visor over his eyes.
"Excellent work, everyone," smiled Jean.
"Yeah!" agreed Scott, "Keep up the hard work and you'll be as good at this as I am!"
"Excuse me?" asked Roxanne.
"Sorry," shrugged Scott, "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that one day you'll score as well as me on these."
"Score?" asked Kurt.
"Well we do have to dock points for when you were spotted by surveillance early on in the exercise," said Scott, "and of course nonviolent solutions are always preferred. I know it was technically only Remy who took aggressive action, but you are a team after all. You also relied very heavily on Kurt's powers, which I would say-"
Roxanne had already walked past Scott, shoulder checking him on her way. Scott was watching her approach the exit when the other three walked out with her.
"Hardass nerd," grunted Rogue under her breath.
"Hey, guys!" shouted Scott, "Get back here! Don't worry! If you listen to my advice, I'm sure you'll do better next time!"
"Seriously, Scott?" sighed Jean.
"What?" asked Scott, "It's true. You know that."
"This was their moment," she chided, "You ruined it by making it about your superiority."
"I didn't make it about my-!" began Scott.
Jean cut him off with a groan and stormed out of the room. She wasn't about to argue with him over this. Scott sighed to himself, the last one in the Danger Room. What was everyone's problem?
"Any idea what it is?"
"No, but it must be a big deal."
The X-Students had all gathered in the auditorium. Kurt was relaxing toward the back of the room. Rogue and Remy were seated next to one another chatting not far from him. Roxanne and Jubilee sat toward the center of the room. Emma Frost and Megan Gwynn sat in the corner, carefully watching everyone. Scott and Jean were seated toward the front, directly next to each other as they eagerly awaited the special announcement.
Ororo had sent an email out to the students the previous day to meet in the auditorium at this time. No other details were provided, so theories were abound as to why they were gathering.
Everyone went silent when Ororo walked to the front of the room, followed by Professor Xavier. That raised even more questions. Professor Xavier was rarely present for public announcements or lectures, preferring to talk to the students one-on-one. If he was here, this was important.
"Thank you all for coming," smiled Ororo as she and Xavier reached the front, "We apologize for the short notice, but we saw no reason to sit on the decision."
Decision? thought Scott.
"You have all demonstrated yourselves to be exceptional students and exceptional mutants," said Xavier, "Some of you come from nothing, others from pasts you wish you could leave behind. Whoever you were before you came here, your dedication to your training and studies makes each and every one of you an asset to the mutant cause. Today we wish to recognize that hard work."
The entire room was dead silent, hanging on Xavier's every word.
"We have decided that several of you are ready to be promoted to the X-Men!" announced Xavier.
The silent room broke out into excited murmurs. Several? Not all of them? Who was being promoted?
"Jean Grey, Kurt Wagner, Remy LeBeau, Roxanne Washington, and Rogue," declared Xavier, "Congratulations. I am proud to have you among the ranks of the X-Men."
Rogue and Remy looked at one another in bewilderment and joy. Kurt and Roxanne cheered. Jean looked over to Scott. He hadn't been called. His face was pale. She frowned and offered him a hand on his shoulder. He swatted her hand away and rushed out of the room, hiding his face from everyone.
The whole room watched him leave. It was no secret why he was so upset. Not only had he not been promoted, but he was the most senior student in the program. He had been here longer than any of them.
Xavier took a deep breath. He nodded to Ororo and began to wheel himself out of the room. It appeared as though he had expected this. Once Xavier had cleared the front of the room, Ororo carried on with the announcement.
"We will be holding a ceremony for the graduates on Sunday afternoon," she explained, "I hope you all enjoy a good barbecue!"
"I've worked so hard for this!" yelled Scott, "I'm in the Danger Room pushing myself as hard as I can every day!"
"I'm aware, Scott," said Xavier calmly.
Xavier had telepathically contacted Scott and invited him to speak in his office. He understood that he owed Scott an explanation.
"So why!?" demanded Scott, "Why not promote me with the others?!"
"It's complicated, Scott," said Xavier, "It's not necessarily about who works the hardest or who's the best student. It's simply about who is the best fit for the X-Men."
"Best fit, huh?" yelled Scott, "Well tell me, Professor: What about me isn't fit for the X-Men?"
"Scott, there have been multiple incidents that have influenced our decision on this matter."
"Oh yeah!?" dared Scott, "Name them!"
"Where do we begin?" boomed Ororo as she entered the room from behind, "How about the fact that you just ran out of my assembly like a child throwing a temper tantrum?"
"That's not-"
"Or your gross abuse of your Student Leader position?"
"That was mostly Jean!"
"Then we could go over the countless times you've gotten your team lost in field exercises," continued Ororo, "Field exercises in which your teammates were the leaders, yet insisted on leading the team anyway. Are you starting to notice a pattern here, Mr. Summers?"
"I… I don't know," muttered Scott, looking away in shame.
"You can't even give your fellow students the basic amount of respect of a peer!"
"That's not true!" argued Scott, "Just the other day, I told them that with my help they could be as good as I am!"
Ororo raised an eyebrow.
"At Danger Room exercises specifically," added Scott bashfully.
"Don't worry, Scott," assured Xavier, "You haven't missed any opportunity. The moment we believe you are ready, we'll-"
Scott turned and left. Ororo stared in judgmental disbelief as Scott slammed the door behind him on the way out. She turned back to Xavier, who was expressionless. Xavier was an excellent educator and administrator, but he lacked the firm critical hand of a coach. Scott would never address his shortcomings if Xavier was so hesitant to point them out.
Scott stopped in shock. He had walked out of the office to find himself face to face with the entire remaining student body. Remy, Kurt, Roxanne, and Megyn all had devious grins. Jean was standing at the front, looking positively furious.
"...how much of that did you hear?" asked Scott nervously, "HERK!"
Jean thrust her hand out at Scott, telekinetically grabbing him and forcing him up into the air. There was some more chuckling from the other students.
"The gross abuse of the Student Leader position was 'mostly Jean,' huh Scott?" she said spitefully.
"Busted…" giggled Kurt.
Jean glared over at Kurt. Kurt teleported as far away as he possibly could without hesitation.
"Come on, Scott," growled Jean, walking away and telekinetically dragging Scott with her, "We have a lot to talk about."
Scott's face went red with embarrassment and shame as he heard the other students snickering at him. This day just kept getting worse and worse.
Jean burst open the door to her room and threw Scott roughly inside. Scott hit the far wall roughly, slowly getting to his feet. He offered Jean a nervous smile.
"You threw me under the bus!" she shouted, "The first sign of pressure and you sell out your girlfriend. And you wonder why you weren't promoted?"
"Hey!" shouted Scott indignantly, "That's not fair! I was nervous, I-"
"Yeah, one time I got nervous and almost killed half this school," said Jean, "You don't hear me complaining that it's 'unfair' when someone points it out."
"Come on, Jean!" whined Scott, "You have to admit, that was totally uncool of them! I deserve a spot on that team!"
"Oh, do you?" laughed Jean, "Because you're so much better at the Danger Room?"
"Don't make this about that!"
"What should I make it about, Scott!?" demanded Jean, "Why do you think you deserve a spot on the team?"
"Because you all need me!" yelled Scott.
"We need you?" repeated Jean, half amused and half insulted.
"Yeah!" insisted Scott, "You need someone to pull you together! Just watch! Without me, you'll all struggle as X-Men!"
"And you'd love that," said Jean quietly, "You'd be delighted to see us struggle, right?"
"That's not what I meant," grumbled Scott, turning away.
"Scott," said Jean, "I think we need to rethink our relationship."
"What!?" cried Scott, "I mean, no! No we don't!"
"Scott, I'm about to make the biggest transition of my entire life," explained Jean, "I need to know my boyfriend will be the kind of guy who'll have my back."
"That's exactly why I should be on the team!"
Jean let out a frustrated cry of disgust.
"Jean!" yelled Scott, exasperated, "You can't let one mistake-"
"It's not just one mistake, Scott," said Jean, sitting on the side of her bed, "It's… everything."
"What do you mean?" asked Scott nervously, joining her on the bed.
"You've been self-absorbed the whole time we've been dating," she said, "You keep saying you care about me, but your actions don't show that. You are still too obsessed with your own ego!"
"I am not!"
"Then explain your performance issues, Scott."
"THAT'S-!" squealed Scott before, clearing his throat and affecting a deeper tone, "This isn't about that."
"Of course it is!" shouted Jean, "Every time your precious ego is bruised you can't get it up for a week!"
"Could you keep it down?" begged Scott in a hushed whisper.
"I'm sorry, Scott," said Jean, on the edge of a sob, "I don't think I can do this anymore. I have to focus on the X-Men. I can't afford to fight for this relationship to work."
"Jean-"
"I'll give you a few minutes," said Jean, "Grab all of your stuff that you keep here. We'll talk more about it later."
Jean walked out without another word. Scott stared at the door in disbelief. He couldn't even utter a sound.
Emma walked casually down the hall. She was wearing a stylish white top with a pair of white jeans with grey boots. Emma always made a point of maintaining her sharp aesthetic. She found that it helped her establish power and control easier.
Emma had been sent to the X-Student program on behalf of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Circle, planning to take control of the X-Men in doing so. She had pegged Scott as her mark. He was insecure, yet had grand ambitions with the X-Men. She expected him to possibly even lead the team one day, by which point he would already be under her thumb.
Emma actually considered recent events to be in her favor. Though Scott was denied membership on the X-Men, it was probably for the best. Emma hadn't gotten her claws into him yet and if he had joined the X-Men now she never would have. What was more, this experience had destroyed his self-confidence. He would be even easier to manipulate now.
Emma was on her way to Scott's dorm. She needed to take advantage of his current vulnerability. Scott's relationship to Jean had complicated Emma's plan, but now that Jean was being officially promoted she would be significantly less in Emma's way.
Emma stopped as she reached Scott's door, hearing his voice on the other side. Who was he talking to?
"No, I'm doing… Uh, fine," said Scott, "How are you?"
Emma listened closely.
"I just wanted to talk about some stuff if that's okay," said Scott, "Is now a good time?"
It sounded like he was on the phone.
"It's just… Been a really rough day, Aleytys. They promoted some of the X-Students to X-Men and well… They passed me up! And I've been here the longest!"
There was a short pause as Scott listened to Aleytys's response.
"Well, they said it had to do with my respect for others," said Scott, "They said I screwed up as Student Leader too. There were also a few field exercises where I sort of insisted on taking over leadership from other students and well… Got everyone lost."
Emma held in a snicker. Scott's misfortune worked in Emma's favor and was also quite amusing to her.
"Well I don't think it's fair!" argued Scott, "How was I supposed to know the assigned leaders would be better at navigating than me? I did better than all of them in the Danger Room exercises!"
Wow, thought Emma, He really is insufferable.
"Aleytys!" whined Scott, "You're supposed to be on my side here! … I don't know, because you're my friend? … No, that's not the only reason my day was rough. … I, well…"
Emma could hear Scott take an audibly deep breath.
"Jean broke up with me."
Emma's eyes widened. She didn't know that! This was perfect. Now not only was Jean out of the way, but Scott's self-esteem was sure to be abysmally low. Manipulating him would be an easy task now. Emma couldn't believe her luck.
"Well, I did kind of blame her for the Student Leader thing," admitted Scott, "but I was right! She was the one to mind probe another student! … I mean I know, but why do I have to share the blame for it? … How is that a part of being a leader!? Aleytys, you're really not being a lot of help here!"
"One more thing," sighed Scott after a moment, "Um… Hypothetically, if you had a boyfriend who… Sometimes, after having a rough day… Would… Um… Have some difficulty staying hard in bed… Again, hypothetically. Would that be a problem for you?"
"Hey, come on!" whined Scott, "Don't laugh! Lots of people have that problem! I mean, not me of course, but- No! No, I'm not talking about me! Stop laughing!"
Emma was over the moon. Scott was getting more vulnerable by the second. Emma would barely even have to try to seduce him. He'd be desperate for any form of attention or validation. Although she was dissapointed to learn that the sex would likely be bad.
"Okay, I should go," said Scott sadly, "Again, it wasn't me that I was talking about. I don't have any, uh, erectile issues, okay? … You won't tell anyone? … Promise? … Okay. … Thanks. Bye."
Emma leapt away from the door as she heard Scott approach it. She backed up and began to walk casually as if she had just reached Scott's room as he opened the door.
"Oh, Emma," he muttered, not making eye contact, "Hi."
"I can't believe they did that!" exclaimed Emma.
"What?"
"To you, Scott," said Emma, "You're by far the most experienced and qualified student here. They had no right to deny you a spot on the team."
"You… You really think I'm the most qualified…?"
Scott looked at Emma. She looked him in the eye through the red lenses of his glasses. She gave him a gentle smile.
"Yeah…" said Scott, partially to himself, "I am the most experienced and qualified, aren't I?"
"It must be politics," said Emma, "The Hellfire Club does it all the time. Sometimes you need to do someone a favor by promoting a specific person. You deserved a spot on the team. You just drew the short straw."
"You're right," nodded Scott, "It must be politics."
"Why don't we take your mind off this?" suggested Emma, "I could help you run a simulation in the Danger Room if you'd like?"
"Really?" smiled Scott, lighting up, "Because I have this new exercise that needs someone monitoring it from the Observation Deck to work properly and Jean wouldn't- Um…"
Scott looked sadly at the ground for a moment.
"Yeah," he said, "Let's do that."
Emma smiled at Scott and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Scott looked up and smiled back. The two then walked off to run Scott's exercise in the Danger Room.
The weather was blissfully pleasant. The sun was out and warm, but a light breeze kept the day cool. A small raised stage had been set up in the X-Mansion's backyard. A microphone and sound system had been hooked up and dozens of folding chairs were set up in front of the stage for the event. It was the day the new X-Men would be officially promoted.
Scott wasn't looking forward to this. He was still bitter about the whole thing. He knew how hard it would be to watch Jean get promoted, especially after she had left him. The wound of that breakup was so fresh that the others didn't know about it yet. Neither Jean nor Scott had brought it up to anybody.
Scott was among the first to arrive, so he took a seat toward the back of the rows of chairs. He sat and patiently waited for the unpleasant experience to begin.
Other attendees slowly trickled in. Jubilee, Megan and others grabbed seats. The X-Men themselves had even come for the ceremony. Warren Worthington III was wearing his finest custom white suit, the same shade of white as his enormous wings that protruded out the back. Hank McCoy had allowed himself to come in his more bestial form, wearing a brown tweed suit and glasses over his blue, ape-like body. He still walked on his knuckles and wore no socks or shoes. Logan had put on a black pair of jeans and a leather jacket, which was likely the nicest outfit he owned. Ororo wore an ankle-length white and purple dress that flowed in the wind. Friends and family started to trickle in as well, eventually filling most of the seats.
Scott was surprised when Emma grabbed the seat directly next to his. He was way back in the corner, nowhere near the others. She had to go out of her way to sit next to only him. Why would she do that?
Emma winked at Scott. He swallowed nervously.
Then the event began. Rogue, Jean, Roxanne, Remy, and Kurt all took seats on chairs on the stage. They were all dressed sharply as well. Jean wore a gorgeous green dress with matching jewelry. Kurt wore an obnoxiously loud red suit with custom shoes to accommodate his unusual feet. Remy wore a sharp black suit with a red tie and kerchief, which made his eyes seem to glow a matching crimson. Roxanne wore a grey pantsuit with a matching vest. Rogue had just thrown on black slacks, a white collared shirt, and a black suit jacket. Finally, Xavier wheeled himself up the ramp at the back of the stage and approached the front of the stage. He took the microphone and began to speak.
"Thank you all for coming," he began, "It should come as no surprise that the X-Men mean a great deal to me. Back when Erik and I first began our activism, we dreamed of a team of mutants who could fight to protect mutant rights whenever necessary. Though our protests were broken up by the police time and time again, we never gave up on that dream. When some of the first mutant rights laws were passed we began to see hope. We formed the X-Men and not a moment too soon; Trask launched his Sentinel program less than a year later. Thanks to the X-Men, no mutants were harmed. Since then, the team has fought tirelessly to protect mutants all over the world. It is a great honor to serve with them, but an even greater responsibility. It is therefore with great pride that I promote our best-performing X-Students to the X-Men."
The five new X-Men rose to their feet. The crowd broke out into cheers. Even Scott, extraordinarily bitter, offered a polite courtesy clap. After graciously accepting their applause, the newly promoted X-Men sat down.
"Many of you may know," continued Xavier, "that before the X-Men, there was the Brotherhood of Mutants. We were declared terrorists and our protests were treated as acts of war. When the X-Men were formed, we worked closely with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to be recognized as a civil rights organization. Here to officially authorize our new X-Men for duty is Dr. Moira MacTaggert, a member of the PCLOB and one of my dearest friends. Please give her a warm welcome."
The audience once again broke into applause as a tall woman with auburn hair stepped up onto the stage. She wore a baggy pair of khakis with a loose blue collared shirt. She approached Xavier and smiled as he handed her the microphone. She approached the front of the stage and began to speak. She spoke with a light Scottish accent.
"Thank you," she nodded, "I really am humbled every time I visit this place. I myself am not a mutant, but I have seen how hard Charles and Erik fought from the beginning. It always amazed me. The X-Men are not only invaluable to the mutant community, but to the safety of the general population as a whole. If I'm proud of nothing else, I'm proud to have made sure the X-Men were recognized by the White House for their cause. I took a special interest in Charles's X-Student program from the beginning. It's been an honor to see each and every one of you go from being a gifted young mutant to a true X-Men. Jean Grey, Remy LeBeau, Rogue, Scott Summers, Kurt Wa-"
Scott felt his stomach churn as Moira said his name. Did she not know? She stopped speaking suddenly, looking back to Charles. Then she looked over to Jean then back to the audience, then at both of them again.
"Stop it," she whispered, speaking into the microphone by accident, "You know I can't hear your telepathy when you both do it at once!"
"My apologies," said Moira after a moment, "I misspoke. Allow me to start again: Jean Grey, Remy LeBeau, Rogue, Kurt Wagner, and Roxanne Washington! I remember meeting you all for the first time a little over a year ago. I remember seeing the righteous determination in your eyes. In particular, I remember Scott telling me- Wait, I mean, uh…"
Scott buried his face in his hands. Several audience members turned back to look at him. Emma offered him consolation by placing a comforting hand on his back.
"I'm sorry, but why isn't he up here?" asked Moira after a moment, lowering the microphone, "I thought-"
Scott quietly moaned. Either Xavier, Jean, or both were telling Moira everything telepathically right now. He was sure of it.
"Really?" Moira was no longer speaking into the sound system, but could be heard from the audience nonetheless, "Four different times!? How do you get lost in the same training area that many- He did what!?"
Scott's face went red as he sank into his seat in shame. Even more people had turned back to look at him now. Why did Xavier have to get Moira to do this publicly? She always got nervous and put her foot in her mouth during public speeches. Only this time, Scott's reputation was the one on the line.
"Sorry about that," said Moira back into the microphone, "Slight misunderstanding. As I was saying, I remember seeing the determination in your eyes. You were destined to be heroes, every one of you. Your bonds with your fellow mutants are too strong to be broken by anything. Why, I remember how close Jean and Scott-"
Moira turned to Jean in shock.
"You're kidding!" she gasped, "When!? … But you two were so close!"
Scott groaned as the crowd began to murmur. He couldn't believe it. Was this going to be how the others learned about his and Jean's breakup?
"I… Hm… That's understandable," said Moira to Jean, not lowering the microphone.
Scott began to squirm. Almost everyone in the audience had turned back to stare at him now. Even those onstage were eyeing him. He felt himself begin to tremble with nerves. That's when Emma hugged his arm. He took a deep breath. That had helped.
"Wow," muttered Moira into the microphone, staring at Scott, "He moves on fast."
Scott leapt out of his chair in shock, pulling his arm away from Emma. He didn't need to be seen like that, not after everything that had already happened to him. What was wrong with Moira!? How did she have such little understanding for public conduct!? Dozens of friends and professional peers had heard about his failures now. How was he supposed to get any of them to respect him now?
"Sorry," stammered Moira, "Where was I?"
Scott sprinted away into the trees. He didn't care if it made him look like a coward. He couldn't take any more of this. His self-respect had taken too much of a beating already. He heard the quiet murmurs of the audience again as he fled into the forested area. Once he was sure he was far enough away, he let the tears run down his face.
Scott sighed sadly as he looked out the window. It had been a few days since the ceremony. He hadn't talked much to anybody. He had spent most of the time either in his dorm or training in the Danger Room. He attended lectures, but avoided speaking with any of the other students. He didn't see the point. Xavier had offered him counseling sessions, but he didn't see the point in that either.
The new X-Men were no longer attending lectures, instead participating in training sessions with the senior X-Men. At least that meant Scott didn't have to see Jean anymore. He felt awful. Not only because he missed her, but because he felt like he had failed her. How was he ever supposed to feel like he was good enough for someone again?
Scott glanced at the clock. The X-Men would be leaving on a trip soon. They were traveling to a conference where they could meet with other prominent figures in the mutant community. The trip would be a week long. Scott wondered if things would be less weird between him and his former teammates after they got back.
Scott rolled over onto his side in his bed. He was staring into his open closet now. He looked over his many polo shirts hanging in the closet, ending with the one suit he owned. It was a charcoal grey suit. A deep ruby red necktie hung next to it. Scott felt his throat close up as he sucked his lips in. Jean had gotten him that tie.
I have to at least see them off, he thought, to let them know I'm not a total jerk.
Scott slowly got himself up. He looked in the mirror hanging on his door and made sure there were no visible tears on his face. The good news was even if his eyes were teary, red, or swollen, no one would be able to tell through his shades. He looked himself over one more time and walked off to bid the others farewell.
During the Cold War, the mansion's previous owners had constructed an elaborate system of tunnels underneath the mansion. These eventually became the basement and accompanying Danger Room when it became the X-Mansion. Another feature of the tunnels was an enormous cave that had been converted into a hangar, with a wide door leading out of a cliff face at the edge of the mansion's property. It was where Xavier kept the Blackbird, the X-Men's private jet. The X-Men had gathered down there to prepare to leave. Scott caught up with them just before they boarded.
"Scott," noticed Jean joylessly as he jogged up to them.
The whole team was there: Xavier, Ororo, Hank, Warren, Logan, Jean, Remy, Rogue, Roxanne, and Kurt. None of them looked particularly happy to see him.
"Hi guys," offered Scott weakly, "I just wanted to, uh, see off my old teammates if that's okay."
Xavier nodded as he and the other senior X-Men boarded the jet. The remaining new X-Men stared at Scott expectantly.
"Sorry," he said, "I know things have been weird with us lately."
"Things have been weird with you lately, Scott," said Rogue.
"You're right," acknowledged Scott, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to-"
"Scott!"
They all looked to the entrance to the hangar, where Emma had just entered. She rushed up to Scott's side and hugged his arm.
"I didn't miss their departure," she smiled.
"Uh…" muttered Scott uncomfortably, "No, you didn't…"
"Good!" chirped Emma, squeezing Scott's arm tighter, "I'm so proud of you all! I wanted to come down with Scott and wish you good luck!"
Scott noticed that this was only making the others angrier. Jean in particular seemed to be on the verge of tears seeing this.
What's she so mad about? wondered Scott, SHE broke up with ME!
Scott wasn't quite sure what to make of Emma, but he wasn't going to turn down kindness and affection when he needed it so badly. If Jean had a problem with it, so be it.
"Emma…" said Rogue quietly, "I think you should go."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" feigned Emma, "Did I say something wrong?"
"We just…" said Remy, masking his anger, "...want to have a private chat with Scott. You understand, yes?"
"Of course!" beamed Emma, "See you around!"
Emma punctuated that sentence with a kiss on Scott's cheek. He blushed, partially bashful from the affection and partially embarrassed by it happening in front of the others. Emma skipped off out of the hangar. The moment she was gone Jean let out a sob, turned around, and sprinted aboard the Blackbird.
"...what did you guys want to talk about?" asked Scott awkwardly.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" demanded Roxanne, "Did you come all of the way here just to get back at Jean?"
"That's low, Scott," said Kurt.
"What?!" exclaimed Scott, "No! I just wanted- I didn't even know Emma was going to be here!"
"You sure didn't seem too unhappy about that kiss," grumbled Rogue.
"Guys," chuckled Scott nervously, "You've got this all wrong, come on!"
"I say we teach him a lesson," added Roxanne.
Scott swallowed nervously.
Emma heard the loud sound of the Blackbird taking off from the hangar. She had waited just outside the hangar after leaving, curious as to the success of her trick. She casually strolled back into the hangar to find out. She was quite pleased with the result.
Scott was up in the rafters, hooked to a bolt by the back of the waistband of his red and white polka dot boxers, staring at the ground dejectedly. Emma stifled a laugh, grateful that Scott hadn't noticed her yet. She had never expected this to work out as well as it did.
She felt her phone buzz. She looked down at the text.
Status update.
The mark is set and ready to go texted Emma back.
Are you sure he'll be vulnerable to your persuasions?
"Ah!" yelled Scott as the boxers began to tear.
He looked down nervously at the dumpster directly below him. The others had been kind enough to hang him over something that would break his fall, though it would do so with filthy bags filled with garbage. The boxers tore away completely as Scott plummeted right down into the dumpster, landing with such impact that several of the food-filled garbage bags burst open onto him.
Yes texted Emma.