Disclaimer: see ch 1
Warning: mention of spanking, brief mention of sex, language
Scott groaned when he heard footsteps around him. Each step sounded like a bullet ricocheting in his head.
"Not so loud," he requested.
"Hey." Scott felt the bed dip beside him as Chris sat down. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good. Concussion?"
"Nope. You cracked your skull."
"Hm."
"That's it?"
"You're talking to the king of head trauma. Just tell me I wasn't out for a whole year?"
"No, son. But it has been nearly twenty four hours. Enough time for Hank to say you weren't in any serious danger." Chris put his hand on the top of Scott's head, pulling it away when Scott yelped.
"You just said I had a broken head!"
"I wasn't anywhere near the break!"
"Here's a hint, Dad- the whole fucking thing hurts!"
"Watch your mouth," Chris said, popping the side of Scott's butt.
"Just repeating what you said with your nose," Scott shot back, refusing the urge to rub the small sting.
"Have you had Jean set your nose using her TK? No? Then leave my language choices alone."
"Have you ever had her use her TK to throw you into a wall because you won't sleep with her? No? Then-"
"She did what?"
"Nate didn't…?" Scott leaned back and put a hand on his throbbing head. "Get him in here, please."
"He's on his way." They only waited a few moments before the door opened.
"You're up!" Nate whispered excitedly. "How are you-?"
"What did you tell everyone about what happened?" Scott asked, cutting off his son.
"Uh…"
"Nate."
"Dad… She…"
"Nathan."
"You've got five seconds before I pop it out of you," Chris warned.
"I didn't know who you wanted to know the truth, and who to keep it from, so I just kept it from everyone. I said the sim went wrong and you got hurt, and you called me at the last minute."
"And what really happened?" Chris asked, looking at Scott.
"Jean had a candlelight dinner set up and said she wanted the position as the mother of my kids. Obviously I said no, and that even if she wasn't engaged to my best friend, it'd be a no. She didn't like that and threw me into a wall before attempting to use her telepathy to change my mind." Chris' jaw was clenched.
"Whoa. That's a vein I haven't seen since getting caught sneaking out for a- Never mind. Sorry, Grandpa."
"I'm going to see Charles about this," Chris said as he walked to the door. "If I can't get her kicked out, I-"
"Dad, no," Scott pleaded. "It'll kill Warren-"
"Does it not matter that she almost killed you?!" Scott put a hand on his hand and moaned.
"Too loud," he complained. Chris took a calming breath, followed by several more, before nodding.
"I apologize, Scott. But she has gone too far. Had it just been her attempt to insert herself into the family, then fine. I would have let you handle it. But she hurt you. There is a line showing a new fracture on your skull. And not only that, but she admitted to trying to use her powers on you. It will not happen again."
"Everyone knows how you and Jean feel about each other. Xavier won't…" Chris rolled his eyes.
"His precious Jean," he commented.
"Almost like a daddy's girl with him," Scott agreed. "It's useless to go to him. Honestly… I just want to forget about it."
"I can't do that, Scott. I love you too much to agree to that."
"I don't want to ruin her life. I don't want Warren to know-"
"So to save him some hurt now, you're willing to let him marry someone who doesn't love him like he does her? You're willing to keep him in a relationship where she's willing to cheat and not have an issue with how he'd feel? Because son, that does not sound like a good idea." Scott looked at Nate, who was staring intensely at the wall above Scott's head.
"Nate?"
"Yes sir?"
"How is it in the future?"
"It's great. Warm usually, thanks to global warming. Cold, thanks to global cooling. No one can make up their minds- Ow!"
"I have very little patience right now," Chris said, finger in Nate's face. "Answer his question or I'll pop you again."
"But I'm too old-!"
"Nathan!" Nate glared at Chris before looking at Scott.
"They co-godparent, ok? They don't work out. But Jean… She's a bitch until after the Phoenix crap. Then she calms down and is great and back to being Aunt Jean."
"And Warren is ok?" Nate nodded.
"Aunt Betsy takes care of him." Scott closed his eyes and slowly opened them.
"Betsy? As in Betsy? Like- Psylocke Betsy?"
"Yeah? You two are friends, right?"
"With benefits," Scott said, the heels of his palms pressing against his eyes.
"Oh. Is that why you're not interested in Emma?" Nate asked, sitting down.
"What? Who said anything-? Betsy and I are just at different places in our lives, Nate. We wouldn't work. I just…"
"Don't want Uncle Warren to have her?"
"Don't know how I feel about constantly being with the same women he's interested in. It's slightly creepy."
"It's not like it's immediately happening," Nate said, rolling his eyes. "I think I was six when they got together? And they're totally on again/off again. It's hard to keep up."
"Thank you, Nate," Chris said, staring at Scott. "You mind helping Hep get the kids to dinner?"
"Yes sir." Nate stepped out and Chris continued to stare at Scott.
"You're making me uncomfortable," Scott finally told him.
"Maddie, Betsy, and Emma, Scott? Really?" Scott's entire face went red.
"Dad-"
"What a great example you're setting for your brothers and your children." Scott looked at his blanket.
"I didn't exactly parade-"
"It. Doesn't. Matter. God- this was why Alex snuck Lorna in, wasn't it? He saw his big brother doing it-"
"Ok. Betsy was in here as my guest because she wasn't staying long. Same with Emma. Separate rooms. Not that it's your business. I'm an adult-"
"Your age doesn't immediately make you act like an adult! There is no magic wand waved that says your choices are suddenly smart. At eighteen, your responsibilities increase-"
"Please leave."
"-but it doesn't mean you're ready- What did you say?"
"I asked you to leave."
"No. You need someone keeping an eye on your head. If not me, then it'll be Hank in Med Lab."
"Then I'll take Beast. Go, Dad."
"Scott-"
"I might have made a mistake and gotten Maddie pregnant before we were together long. I'll own that. Betsy helped me with my grief through that. And Emma-"
"What about Emma?" Emma asked as she stood at the door with her hand on her hip.
"Nothing," Scott said, refusing to look at her. "Dad. Please."
"I'm definitely not leaving now. I'm not leaving the two of you alone-"
"Because we had sex once over a month ago?" Scott asked. "And I might not be being ethical or moral or whatever problem you have, but I'm not breaking any law. There has been consent from all parties, and we're legally adults. So just back off and save the lecture for your underage kids."
"Scott-"
"Dad. Go. Mom needs your help with the kids. Emma's here. She'll take me to Beast if it's necessary."
"We're not done talking about this, young man." Scott rolled his eyes.
"Fine. I'll talk to Mom-"
"Don't threaten me with that, Scott Christopher."
"It's not a threat if I'm willing to go through with it." Chris narrowed his eyes at Scott, but finally left. Scott let out a sigh of relief and leaned back.
"I see where you get it from, now."
"Hm?"
"Not being able to accept your son is an adult." Scott snorted and grabbed the side of his head.
"To be fair, we were separated when I was seven. It took ten years for us to find each other again."
"You shouldn't excuse-"
"Emma. You don't understand- Even with the crap your dad put you through, he was still there. It was your choice to want nothing to do with him. My dad was my hero. I wanted to be him. And in one moment, he was gone. I was told I was alone. So… Yeah. It's a crappy situation, but I'll take the scolding because it's… I'd rather him scold me and be here than be alone again."
"You aren't alone. You have your brothers, your children-"
"When Gabe turns eighteen, like actually eighteen, they're taking off. Alex has said he won't stay long after he turns eighteen. I'll have my kids, yes, but it's not like I can vent to them or decompress with them, or be the one who's taken care of when I'm with them. My dad… I'm afraid he'll remember how much he loves space and he won't come back. But if he thinks I can't do it alone, maybe he'll stay." Emma sat on the bed.
"From what I've seen of your father, he won't stay in space for long periods of time. I can imagine him checking in and visiting more than you'll want."
"I don't want him to leave me. Everyone leaves me." Scott gripped his blanket and clenched his eyes shut.
"Scott?" Emma said when he grew silent. She watched his chest rise and fall. She straightened the blanket over him and kissed his forehead before stepping out, her back towards the main area as she closed his door.
"He's still on that, huh?" Emma jumped and twirled, putting her hand over her heart.
"Angel."
"Chris came down looking pissed. Figured Scott would know what happened."
"Corsair is under the impression that Scott's sexual history is his business."
"I see. He thinks everything about his kids is his business. Grandkids, too. But if you lost so much time with your family, I'd be willing to guess you'd want to know everything, too."
"His reasoning doesn't matter. Scott is an adult. And if you ask me, they're both abusive-"
"Oh no. No, don't make that mistake. I did, and I'm pretty sure that's the angriest I've ever seen Chris."
"He wouldn't be angry if it wasn't true-"
"No, he got pissed because Scott and Gabe… they were both abused. Their backs are completely marked up from a foster father and a slave master. In fact, this isn't the first head injury Scott has had. The first was caused by the plane accident and the second was caused by his foster father- and that led to his powers being uncontrollable. It started with the accident, but the little control he had…" Warren shook his head.
"Abuse can come in several ways."
"Chris is hard on his kids because he knows the levels they can reach. He's military, from a military family, and discipline… it's important with the Summers family-"
"I can't think of any reason a physical punishment would ever be necessary." Warren shrugged.
"I felt the same way, honestly. And Chris doesn't mind, as long as it's respected for his family. He accepts it doesn't work for everyone, but it is effective for the Summers family."
"You were against it, but you still struck Carrie. I can't believe you feel the same as I do."
"I was completely against it. When I first saw Scott being smacked in front of me and getting his mouth washed out… I was seconds away from calling the police." Emma frowned.
"What changed?"
"He snuck on a plane to go to London. He'd just been kidnapped by Mystique and Chris was slightly paranoid- I mean, he truly had good reason. We worked it so that Scott could lead them from the War Room, and when we went to look for him, he was gone. Chris about had a panic attack thinking his son had been taken again. When they got back… Scott didn't even care. He didn't care what he'd done to Chris. Chris brought him to the suite and, well, when I checked on him later, he was seriously apologetic. He told me he was just mad, and if he'd taken a minute to think about it, he never would have gone to London. Chris forced him to take that minute and take responsibility for it. I literally saw the change in him and… While I still don't agree with it, I will say it does work for this family." Emma looked towards Scott's door, still frowning.
"I can't see it, Angel. He's a parent. To hear his father, at any moment-"
"No. Chris says it, but they have an understanding that Scott can get the verbal lashing, but not the physical aspect. His brothers are still in high school and are expected to follow the rules, but Scott is done. That's why several of us were angry and confused when we heard about Chris doing that at the bar."
"Then that's easier to accept, but those babies are certainly too little to be struck."
"May I?" Warren asked, holding out his hand.
"May you what?"
"I'd like to show you how hard I popped Carrie." Emma, concerned for the little girl, put her hand in Warren's. He gently grabbed her fingers and smacked his other hand down on hers.
"That… I felt nothing."
"And neither did Carrie, but it got her to apologize for throwing food. Scott pops them a tiny bit harder, but not even enough to leave a red mark. He'd die before hurting his kids, Emma. So would Chris." She again looked at the door before looking at Warren.
"I need to think about this. He needs supervision with his injury. Would you mind?"
"Of course not. Scott's… He's my best friend. And Hepzibah just found out about Alex sneaking Lorna up, so I'm happy to avoid that," he smirked.
"Hepzibah?"
"Chris' uh… Girlfriend? They've been together for almost ten years. Scott and Gabe refer to her as their mom."
"The alien."
"Yes. The alien. Go on. I'm sure there's some dinner left if you're hungry, and the kids were asking for you."
"They were?" Emma asked by the door.
"Yeah. And thanks, by the way. Uncle Warren isn't the most sought after adult who isn't immediately related to them anymore," he said with a slight pout. Emma laughed.
"Happy to help." She left the suite and Warren sent a soft smile towards the door before going into Scott's room. He sat in the desk chair and grabbed one of Scott's college textbooks to glance through.
"Emma?" He heard Scott say after about half an hour.
"Nope. Warren. You good?"
"Where'd she go?"
"Dinner. I don't know. We talked and she said she had to think about things. How are you feeling?"
"Like my head is cracked."
"Idiot," Warren grinned. "Seriously, Scott. Are you ok?"
"Head is pounding. Beast pass on anything for it?"
"Just Tylenol. Apparently it's just a slight crack- it should heal in about six weeks or so," Warren told him as he grabbed the bottle Chris had left along with a cup of water.
"Great." Scott tossed the offered pills into his mouth and took a sip of water to wash them down.
"What happened? Nate said it was a sim gone wrong, but that just doesn't seem like you. You're always careful in them, especially a solo workout." Scott swallowed.
"Warren, you know you're my best friend, right?"
"Yeah?"
"I need you to hold onto that and just let me get this all out or…"
"What happened?"
"I didn't sign myself up for the Danger Room. Honestly, I wouldn't have known, but Dad brought it up. He said he saw me on the schedule while he was on his way up from getting the packing in his nose removed. When I went in, everything was dark except for a candle on a table. It was obviously supposed to be a romantic setting."
"Emma?" Warren grinned. "I knew she wouldn't hold back for long."
"Jean-"
"That's not funny, Scott." Warren saw the pain on Scott's face.
"She said she wanted to explore us. I reminded her of you and she said you'd understand, that you always do. I told her I wasn't interested, but she had it in her head that since she's genetically the kids' mom, we're supposed to be together. I told her no. She threw me against the wall and tried to manipulate my mind. I'm sorry, Warren. Part of me didn't want to tell you because I knew it'd hurt you-"
"How do you know someone else didn't plant this?" Warren asked from around his hands.
"Because the only telepaths who can enter my mind without permission are Nate, Carrie, and Emma."
"Emma-"
"Was working. This Carrie doesn't have access to her powers, and Nate wouldn't have done this. He was the one who found me." Warren clenched his hand into a fist and rested it against his mouth.
"I don't want to believe you. Jean loves me. She…" Warren closed his eyes.
"Then I won't bring it up again. I wasn't going to say anything about it to anyone else, anyways." Warren snapped his eyes up and stared at Scott.
"Why not?"
"Because… As pissed as I might be with her, you're my best friend. I don't want this to come back on you, Warren."
"Because you're afraid it'll drive me away?"
"Because it'll hurt you." Scott took a deep breath and groaned. "Pain meds haven't kicked in yet," he explained. The two were spared from continuing their conversation when they heard voices in the suite.
"Da! Da ow?" Nate said as he burst into the room.
"Daddy has an ow," Scott confirmed. "I need a kiss to feel better. Can you help me?" Nate scrambled onto the bed and gave Scott a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
"Beh?"
"Much better. Thank you, Nate."
"Da-dee! Me iss!" Carolyn said as she tried to pull herself onto his bed.
"A kiss from both of you?" Scott said as Carolyn kissed his other cheek. "Beast needs to keep you two around. Your kisses are better than medicine!"
"Alright, alright. Grandma Hep said it's bath night, kiddos. Let's go." The toddlers slid off of the bed and walked out to Chris. "Feeling better, son?"
"Yes sir."
"I'm going to get them bathed and then I'd like to continue our conversation."
"Yes sir." Chris nodded and stepped out of the doorway.
"Corsair gonna give you the 'your body is a temple' speech?"
"Probably," Scott grumbled. "But I'll take it over his belt." Warren cringed.
"Let's not go over my history with him then, alright?" Scott gave Warren a half smile.
"Lips are sealed. About everything." Warren stood up and took Scott's hand into a brief handshake.
"Thank you." Warren walked out and down the stairs to the third floor towards the room he shared with Jean. He stepped in and saw her, freshly showered and brushing her hair at the mirror.
"I was wondering if you'd gone to see your parents," she said quietly.
"No. I was helping keep an eye on Scott while Chris ate. With his history of head injuries, everyone is concerned."
"I can imagine." Warren put his hands in his pockets and then pulled them out in an anxious move.
"Jean." Jean put her brush down on the vanity she was seated at and she turned to look at Warren.
"Yes?"
"How did Scott get hurt?"
"You know as much as I do. Nate said he'd taken on too much-"
"Jean." Jean stood and walked to her fiancé, kissing down his jaw. He pulled away and stepped back.
"What did he tell you?"
"That'd I'd understand. What- Jean, I don't understand. I have given you everything. Why am I not enough for you?"
"Warren,"
"Were you only with me because he and I were friends?" Jean turned her head and Warren closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Jean murmured.
"I'd prefer not to draw attention to this. I can't leave right now. I think you should take some time and visit your family."
"I'm not leaving," Jean snapped. "This has been my home longer than anyone else-"
"Except Scott. This was his home, too, and you attacked him. He's willing to not tell Xavier and just let it go, but I'm not." Warren again shoved his hands in his pockets to hide that they were shaking. "You can leave on your own for a few days, or I'll inform Xavier of what happened. As for us, that was my grandmother's ring." He held a hand out in front of him and waited. A ring was placed on his palm and he curled his fingers around it.
"Warren-"
"You have until tomorrow to make your own arrangements or I will inform Xavier. I'll get my stuff while you're gone." He turned and left their room, heart heavy.