"And so the mutant youth homeless shelter was saved," said the reporter, "thanks to the uncanny work of the X-Men!"
Scott sighed. He wished he was out there with the X-Men. Instead, Xavier had decided that Scott wasn't ready for a promotion. So here he was, the most senior student at the academy, left behind with the underclassmen. It didn't help matters that the X-Men were still mad at him. Jean had even broken up with him. It was getting harder and harder not to feel like an absolute loser.
Scott continued to watch the Fact Channel as they went over the details of the exploits, in which the new X-Men made their debut to the public. Among them were Rogue, Remy, Kurt, Roxanne, and of course Jean. They had all been given custom costumes and been assigned codenames.
Scott couldn't ignore the fact that Jean looked incredibly hot in her new costume. She wore a knee-length deep green dress over a pair of yellow tights and matching green boots. The dress was cinched by a black belt, accentuating her hips and torso. The belt's buckle bore the X-Men logo in the same shade of red as Jean's hair. It was an incredibly sharp look and Jean was rocking it. All while not having no sexual or emotional interest in Scott.
"Mr. LeBeau," said the reporter, "or should I call you Gambit?"
"Either is fine," smiled Gambit.
He wore a somewhat subdued black tactical uniform with red highlights and a brown trench coat worn over it.
"How did you manage to coordinate with your teammates so effectively?"
Probably Jean's telepathy, thought Scott.
"It's quite simple really," explained Gambit, "We trained together. We were students together under Professor Xavier. We know each other inside and out. We all trust each other with our lives."
"There you have it folks," said the reporter, "Next we'll discuss Warren Worthingon III's rumored donation to…"
"What are you doing watching that?"
Scott turned to Emma Frost, who was standing at the doorway to the living room. Her look was as sharp as it always was. She wore a white blazer with black trim over a white and black plaid skirt. She completed the look with a set of black tights and pristinely white high heels. The whole outfit was completed by her sharp makeup and waist-length platinum blonde hair trailing down her back.
"I'd say it's relevant," shrugged Scott, "We're going to be X-Men ourselves one day. Or at least everyone but me."
Emma rolled her eyes as Scott stayed fixated on the television. She walked over and stood directly between Scott and the screen.
"What's up?" asked Scott lazily.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Sure."
Emma walked over and sat down on the couch next to Scott. She sat right next to him. There was plenty of room on either side of them. Scott looked at Emma nervously. His relationship to her had been what upset the others in the first place, though he couldn't figure out why. She seemed like a smart, mature, and considerate woman.
"Relax," she whispered, "Take your mind off of this business."
"Yeah?" scoffed Scott, "How?"
"I think I could probably help," smled Emma, placing a hand on Scott's knee.
Scott felt a tremble go up his leg as his hairs stood on end. He was beginning to feel aroused. He wasn't sure what to do next. Emma's hand was still resting there, gently caressing the inside of his leg with her fingers. He wanted this. He wanted her. He leaned over to kiss her. He began to smell her hair and feel her breath as their lips neared.
"Emma!" shouted Jubilee.
"What?" asked Emma irritably, pulling away from Scott the moment before they kissed.
Jubilee had just walked into the living room. She had a strong look to her today as well, between her boots, high waisted jeans, and signature yellow jacket. Scott couldn't imagine he looked half as good as either of these ladies; he was wearing a polo shirt and khakis.
"Chore wheel says it's your day for laundry," said Jubilee.
"That's not right!" said Emma, disgusted at the very idea, "I was very clear with Xavier about my limitations with dirty laundry!"
"Maybe I read it wrong," suggested Jubilee, "If I were you, I'd talk to him again."
Emma growled in frustration and got off the couch, storming out of the room. Jubilee looked back at Scott.
"I didn't come here to tell her about the chore wheel."
"Obviously," said Scott sternly, "What are you, my chaperone? What's your deal?"
"That chick's bad news, Scott," said Jubilee, "Can't you see that? Or are those specs of yours the wrong prescription?"
"Bad news!?" cried Scott, "Come on Jubilee, this is a fellow student you're talking about!"
"A fellow student who shoved explosives down my pants!"
"Oh please," dismissed Scott, "You should have seen how often Kurt and Remy picked on me before you got here."
"Yeah," said Jubilee, "and ya'll have a great relationship now."
"What's your point!?" demanded Scott angrily.
"Just," said Jubilee slowly, taking a deep breath, "be careful, okay? Can you do that much?"
"Yes," said Scott, returning his attention to the television, "I can do that much."
"Thank you," said Jubilee, walking out.
Scott scoffed. What did Jubilee know? Emma seemed to be just about the only person in this school who actually liked Scott, so he might as well reciprocate. It was also hard to ignore how hot she was. He couldn't believe how close he had been to that kiss. He couldn't wait for his next chance.
The students had all gathered in the lecture hall and taken their seats. Due to the recent graduation, there were far fewer students than there had been. It was only Scott, Emma, Jubilee, and Megan Gwynn. They had been called down to welcome a new student who had just enrolled. Ororo made her way to the stage, wearing a deep purple maxi dress as she gracefully stood at the front to speak.
"Thank you for coming everyone," she said, "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Today we welcome a new student to Xavier School for Mutants. Please give a warm welcome to our newest recruit: Alex Summers!"
Scott nearly leapt out of his seat.
Alex!? What's he doing here!? thought Scott, The last I heard from him, he was studying geology at Old Landon!
Alex was Scott's younger brother. They had both been orphaned at a young age and grew up together in a foster home. Both were eventually adopted by loving families, but were separated in the process. They maintained contact and after developing their mutant powers found great comfort in talking to each other.
The brothers ultimately had different approaches for dealing with their new abilities. Scott wanted to find treatment to help him control his powers, which ultimately led him to the Xavier School for Mutants. Alex, on the other hand, was content to ignore his powers and live a normal life as a human. That put a strain on their relationship and it had been some time since they last talked. Alex certainly had never expressed any interest in the school or the X-Men.
Sure enough, Scott recognized his brother the moment he walked into the auditorium. He was a tall man with long, dark blonde hair. His eyes had a relaxed look to them at all times. He wore loose jeans and a tight T-shirt, the latter of which showed off his muscular arms and shoulders. The moment he walked in, he turned to Scott and opened his arms.
"Scott!" he declared, "Surprise!"
"Alex?!" exclaimed Scott, "What are you-? Since when-? Why didn't-?"
"Sorry for not giving you a heads up," said Alex, "I thought it would be a nice surprise."
"Alex," said Ororo, "Would you please step up to the front, please? Introduce yourself?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Alex dutifully made his way to the front of the auditorium and turned back around to face the other X-Students.
"My name is Alex Summers," he began, "In case you haven't guessed by now, I'm Scott's younger brother. I look forward to working with all of you!"
The room applauded in response. Scott joined them, though Alex's presence still confused him a little.
"That's all for today," said Ororo, "Alex, you're free to spend the rest of the day settling in and getting to know your peers. Everyone, dismissed."
The students began to get up and leave the auditorium, but they waited for Alex to catch up with them so they could walk as a group. Scott had about a million questions for him and he bet the others did too.
"Can you show us those powers you were talking about?" asked Megan excitedly as they entered the foyer.
"Uh…" wondered Alex out loud, "Is there a room where no one cares if I break anything?"
"There's the Danger Room."
"Far out. Let's go there."
They all gathered in the elevator and took it down to the basement level. Scott led Alex into the main area of the Danger Room while the others gathered in the observation deck above.
"You going to tell me what made you change your mind?" asked Scott, "About not using your powers?"
"It'll make sense in a minute," he said, "You might want to join the others up there."
Scott was confused, but complied. Alex's powers weren't like Scott's. He could turn them on and off at will, so Scott wasn't sure why he needed distance to be safe. Soon he was up in the observation deck with the others. Jubilee used the intercom to tell Alex they were ready.
Alex clenched his fists as his eyes began to glow blue. Blue energy began to radiate from his shoulders. Scott quickly noticed holes burning into Alex's shirt from the heat. Alex let out a roar of relief as a huge wave of blue plasma blasted out of him from every side. Then Scott realized why Alex had decided to get training: the blast didn't stop.
Alex began to grunt in pain as he flexed every muscle he possibly could. His shirt had completely burned away now and the energy was only getting stronger. Finally, Alex let out another roar as he thrust both of his arms forward. The energy suddenly rushed out through his hands, searing the steel walls with a white hot concentrated blast of plasma. After a few moments of this the energy finally started to die down.
It ended. Alex was left shirtless, panting, and covered in sweat. Scott raised his eyebrows in curiosity. Alex's powers had changed. Now it looked like he had to manually contain and control the energy just to keep from going nuclear.
"There you have it!" called Alex up to the observation deck, "My powers weren't always this intense. Lately I've been feeling the energy build up in me over time and if I don't find a way to release it… Well, let's just say bad things happen."
"Wow…" whispered Jubilee.
"So cool…" sighed Megan happily.
Emma simply looked at Alex with a smile. She'd have to let the Inner Circle know about this one.
Emma let out a sigh of deep content as she slowly lowered her body into the hot water of the bathtub. Several expensive-smelling candles served as the only light source in the room, giving a warm orange glow. It was not nearly as relaxing as her private tub back at the Hellfire Club Mansion, but it would do for the time being.
Emma heard her phone buzz. She let out a long groan as she slowly rose back out of the tub, bubbles and water dripping from the body as she walked over the bathmat to the sink, where her phone was. Emma loathed to get out of her bath before she was done, but business had to come first. The Inner Circle would surely be expecting an update again.
Status update.
Emma rolled her eyes. She had been sent to Xavier's School for Mutants as a spy for the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. Though none of the X-Men or students knew it, Emma intended to become the leader of the X-Men and direct them on behalf of the Hellfire Club's interests. Having such a powerful force at their disposal would make countless ventures far easier.
Scott's self-esteem is at an all-time low texted Emma, Soon I'll be the only friend and ally he has around here. He'll listen to anything I say.
There's been a change in plans.
Emma scowled. She didn't like it when other members of the Inner Circle made decisions without her input.
Alex Summers is your new mark.
Emma raised her eyebrows in confusion. Why the sudden change in tactic? The next text answered her question.
Scott may be vulnerable, but he has also lost much of the weight he carried with the institution and its students. Based on your reports, Alex has demonstrated equal if not greater levels of power and has not yet made any connections. Get him to your side early. He will serve our purposes much better than Scott.
Emma considered for a moment. She was comfortable with that. Alex was cuter than Scott anyway. Once they were together, she'd begin using her telepathy to guide him to their cause as well. Eventually he'd be as valuable to the Hellfire Club as Emma herself.
Megan lay across the couch, head on the arm rest as she lazily thumbed through her phone. She sighed and she dismissed article after article about celebrity gossip.
"Hey! Megan?"
"Ah!"
Scott had leaned his head directly over Megan's, looking down at her to get her attention. The surprise caused Megan's wings to sprout in reflex, pushing Megan off the couch and onto the floor.
"Sorry!" apologized Scott, rushing to Megan's side and helping her up.
"Geez," sighed Megan, "You'd think you of all people would be careful about surprising someone with dangerous powers."
"Dangerous?"
"Are you just here to insult my abilities or do you have something to say?"
Scott swallowed nervously. He could never quite read Megan. Maybe it was because of her insect-like eyes. She had joined around the same time as Emma and quickly became part of her entourage. She was quick with comebacks and snark, but seemed to be a generally happy person.
"I wanted to, um, ask you about something. Uh, someone."
"...okay?"
"You're friends with Emma, right?" asked Scott, "Like, you two are close?"
"...I guess so."
Close was too strong a word. Megan had never met Emma before their enrollment at the school, but quickly gravitated towards the confident queen bee mutant. Megan had already been nervous about making friends, so when Emma seemed receptive to friendship Megan chased that opportunity. Emma hadn't shown much interest since though.
"Do you know how, uh…" muttered Scott.
Megan stared at him impatiently.
"Well first of all, is she seeing anyone?"
"Oh my God."
"Come on!" whined Scott, "Give me a break here, I just got over a breakup! From a long term relationship too! I'm rusty at this whole courtship thing."
"She hasn't mentioned you."
"I just-" began Scott, "Wait, really? Not even a little?"
"Nope."
"...maybe she's keeping her feelings to herself."
"Maybe."
Megan didn't seem convinced. Scott sighed in disappointment.
"Why don't you just ask her yourself?" suggested Megan, "Why the hell does this fall on me, anyway?"
"You're right," nodded Scott, "I should just ask her."
"Smart boy," dismissed Megan, flopping back down onto the couch.
Scott readied himself and walked through the foyer and up to the dormitory wing. He was incredibly nervous. Sure, it seemed obvious that she was into him, but what did he know? This was nerve wracking. After Jean's rejection, he wasn't sure he could handle another one and still stay sane.
"Emma?" asked Scott, knocking on her door, "Do you have a minute?"
Scott heard the rustling of bedding and a few seconds later Emma opened the door. Her makeup and hair looked as sharp as Scott had ever seen them. He was struck by how intense her gaze was. She was dressed in only a white robe, leaving most of her legs completely exposed. Scott took a deep breath as he felt himself grow hard.
"Make it quick," said Emma.
"I just wanted to ask you, uh…" began Scott.
"Holy crap! Is that Scott?"
Scott's eyes widened under his red lenses. That was Alex's voice.
Emma sighed and opened the door further. Sure enough, there Alex was in Emma's bed. The blanket covered him up to the waist, but he was shirtless and presumably naked under the covers. Emma looked from one brother to the other, awaiting a response.
Scott stood there for a moment in denial. This couldn't be right. He had spent weeks getting to know Emma. She had been so sensual and flirtatious with him. He was sure she was into him. Alex had barely been here a day. There was no way they had already slept together!
"Check it out!" grinned Alex, "Laid on my second day here! That's got to be a record, right?"
Emma rolled her eyes. Scott bit his lip to keep from showing his crumbling self-esteem. Alex seemed so dismissive of what had just happened. He must not have known about Scott and Emma. Why hadn't Emma told him? What was it about Alex that convinced her to sleep with him so quickly?
"I… Um…" whispered Scott, voice trembling, "Nevermind!"
Scott raced away from them as quickly as he could, hearting positively assaulting the inside of his ribcage. He felt the overwhelming misery begin to well up inside him. He ran right past his own room and kept running. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know what he wanted to happen. All he knew is wanted to be far, far away from those two. Scott's breaths became pained grunts as he began to cry.
Several more minutes of sprinting later, every breath tearing into his lungs and every step sending pain through his body, Scott found himself deep in the forest behind the grounds of the X-Mansion. Scott collapsed. He clenched his face and kept his glasses on as he fell to his knees, sending a stabbing sensation up through his weak legs.
Scott whimpered for a moment before looking up to the sky and letting out a long, primal scream of raw pain.
Several days later...
Scott stared blankly at the ceiling. He couldn't really find it in himself to do much else lately. He couldn't see the point. He considered going to Xavier for counseling, but he couldn't imagine anything Xavier could say that would make him feel better.
Maybe everyone was right about him. Maybe he really was an uptight egomaniac with an inferiority complex. At least that's what he assumed everyone thought about him. It was certainly how it felt these days.
Scott had made mistakes. He had disregarded the abilities of his peers, inappropriately asserted authority, and threw Jean under the bus when faced with even the smallest amount of pressure. He couldn't blame the others for shunning him and he certainly couldn't blame Jean for leaving him. He understood all of that now.
He didn't understand Emma though. He was sure she'd expressed interest in him. She had even been so affectionate toward him in front of Jean that the others thought he was flaunting Emma to hurt Jean. What made her turn around and sleep with Alex so suddenly? What did Scott's little brother have that he lacked? Was it his looks? His sexual experience?
There was a knock at the door. Sighing, Scott got up and answered it. Alex was standing there.
"Scott!" he smiled, "You're alive! We missed you in class and training."
Scott grunted. He had not attended for the past several days. He couldn't find the motivation to leave his bed anymore and even if he did, Emma and Alex were among the last people he'd want to be spending time with.
"Can I ask you something real quick?" requested Alex.
Scott took a short pause, then nodded.
"Can I come in?"
Scott took a step back and made room for Alex to walk in. Alex looked around. Dirty clothes lined the floor. Empty soda cans and paper plates piled up at the desk. The place looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in days.
"What is it?" asked Scott, eager to be done with this.
"So… You know about Emma and me, right?"
Scott glared at Alex through his lenses. He could have ripped off his glasses right there and blasted Alex through the wall. What was wrong with him?! Why in the world would he bring that up!? Was he trying to humiliate Scott?
"You've… dated a telepath before, right?" asked Alex, "That Jean Grey girl?"
"Yes."
Scott didn't know where this was going, but he wanted it over as soon as possible. He didn't have the emotional energy to explain to Alex why he was upset, so he just wanted this over and done with.
"So, brother to brother," began Alex, "Did you ever… have anything weird happen?"
"What?"
"Like, during sex."
"What!?"
"It's just," said Alex, "I can't say for sure, it might have been a dream. I did fall asleep right afterward. But at the, uh, pivotal moment I thought I saw something. Some sort of mental image of Emma and I leading the X-Men."
"Really?"
"Any idea if that has something to do with her telepathy?" asked Alex.
"What else did you see?"
"We were on some sort of assassination mission I think," said Alex, "We all had weapons and equipment and stuff."
"That doesn't sound right," considered Scott, "The X-Men never use weapons on their missions."
"Yeah," said Alex, "intense ones, too. Like machine guns and firebombs."
"Yeah," nodded Scott, "Yeah it's possible her telepathy projected that image into your mind."
"Oops," chuckled Alex, "That's probably embarrassing for her."
"Alex," said Scott, "This is serious. People are more susceptible to telepathic influence during, uh, that pivotal moment. If Emma was projecting an image of the X-Men using weapons like that, she might be trying to subtly influence you."
"What about dreams?" asked Alex, "Did Jean ever accidentally project dreams into your head?"
"I- Sometimes," recalled Scott.
"So it was probably that," shrugged Alex, "or some passing fantasy she had. Either way it's probably not something she wants getting around. Don't tell anybody, okay?"
"Alex, we don't know if this-"
"Hey," said Alex firmly, "I mean it, I'm already starting to regret telling you. I just wanted to make sure it was a telepathy thing."
"Alex-"
"Scott, please."
"Alright," conceded Scott.
He knew his brother well enough to know better than to argue this. Alex has made up his mind. Anything Scott said would only get him angrier about this. Especially if Emma really was telepathically influencing him.
"Thanks," said Alex, getting up to leave, "See you around."
He left and closed the door behind him.
I have to do something about this, thought Scott.
He needed help. Alex was out of the question. None of the X-Men would trust him anymore either. Then Scott recalled that there was someone who had already expressed skepticism in Emma's intentions. Minutes later, Scott was knocking on Jubilee's door.
"He lives," said Jubilee unenthusiastically.
Jubilee always kept her style consistent, but right now was wearing a simple black T-shirt over high waisted jeans and socks. It was sort of an odd sight.
"I need your help," said Scott.
"That sounds ominous."
"It's Emma," whispered Scott, "You were right about her."
"I know," chuckled Jubilee, "Did it take getting cucked by your own brother for you to realize it?"
"That's not- We weren't- I wasn't even that into her, actually."
"Sure."
"Listen, it's bad," continued Scott, "She's influencing Alex! Hypnotizing him with images of them leading the X-Men like a team of mercenaries."
"Huh," said Jubilee, suddenly more interested, "That… actually doesn't surprise me at all. She's a total bitch."
"So will you help me?"
"Help you how?"
"Just back me up."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Come on."
Jubilee threw on her signature yellow jacket and a pair of boots, following closely behind Scott as he rushed off.
"Attention everyone!" announced Scott loudly, "Thank you for joining me!"
"What is it, Scott?" asked Ororo impatiently.
Scott had used the school's intercom system to call everybody to the foyer. This wasn't something anyone ever really did, especially students. Everyone had still come though. Xavier himself, the X-Men including Scott's recently graduated classmates, and all of the students.
"Emma Frost!" called Scott, pointing a finger at her, "You lied about your intentions for being here, didn't you!?"
There were a few gasps and many confused murmurs. Most of the room turned to Emma, who looked stunned.
"I'm… I'm not sure what you mean…" she said quietly.
"Don't play coy!" yelled Scott, "You've been making alliances with others since the moment you got here! Buddying up with Megan and Tabitha because they were new, consoling other students after Jean or I berated them…"
"Scott," said Ororo, "It sounds like you're describing the process of… making friends."
"No!" argued Scott, "That's not all! She tried to seduce me, too!"
This time there were quite a few gasps. Scott's old classmates, particularly Jean and Rogue, seemed intrigued.
"Seduced!?" exclaimed Emma, "Scott, I think you may have misread me."
"No!" protested Scott, "You, like, touched my shoulder and stuff!"
No one really responded to that one. Scott realized exactly how bad it sounded as soon as it came out of his mouth.
"Well how else do you explain how cold she got towards me after she started sleeping with Alex!?"
Scott regretted that one too. Now everyone in the room was staring at Alex and Emma. Their relationship wasn't exactly a secret, but they certainly weren't public about it.
"Scott," said Xaver, "Is it possible that these accusations are… personally motivated?"
"What!? No!" cried Scott, "None of you saw how she- Jubilee, back me up here!"
Jubilee nervously stepped away from Scott, shaking her head. She had no idea this was what she had been signing up for.
"Seriously, Jubilee!?"
Scott bit his lip. He considered bringing up what Alex had told him. He was sure that would convince at least some of the others. But Alex had made him promise not to. As sure as Scott was that he was right, he didn't want to betray Alex's request. That sort of action was the exact kind of egotistical and disrespectful approach the others already hated him for. There was no way he could say it.
"As much as I enjoy having my sex life discussed in front of the entire staff and student body," snapped Emma, "could we please bring this to a close?"
The murmurs that followed that comment were brutal. Scott could feel their disdain for him.
"Indeed," said Xavier, "Scott, I want you to meet with me in my office immediately. The rest of you are dismissed."
"Good," said Ororo, checking a small device in her hand, "because there's been a prisonbreak and Captain America is calling for backup."
"Yes," nodded Xavier, "Storm, you and the X-Men take the Blackwing and go. All of you."
The X-Men nodded and rushed to the elevator down to the basement. They would be equipped and ready to go in no time. The students milled out of the room as Scott watched defeatedly. Xavier gave Scott an expectant look. Scott dejectedly followed the professor to his office.
"Do you think there's any truth to it?"
"To what?"
"To what Scott said."
All nine X-Men had made it to the hangar and were walking across to the jet on the opposite end of the room. Rogue and Remy were trailing at the back, quietly speaking with one another.
"He sounded like a lunatic," said Remy, "How could there be any truth to it?"
"It's just that I've had a bad feeling about Frost since the start," said Rogue, "Remember how she tried to turn me against Jean?"
"So?"
"It just seems like Scott's story isn't too far-fetched."
"Why don't we ask Jean?" suggested Remy, "She can read minds, yeah? Surely she'd have said something if Scott was right."
"Guess we could ask her."
The X-Men boarded the jet as it began to taxi toward the flight deck. Rogue and Remy approached Jean, who was sitting toward the back by herself.
"What?" asked Jean.
"What do you make of that whole mess back there?" asked Remy.
"I don't really want to talk about it."
"Do you think Scott might be right?" asked Rogue "What do you think made him so sure? He sounded like a hateful, insecure mess, but he also has a tendency to put a foot in his mouth sometimes. Maybe he really had something."
Jean considered for a moment. She and Scott still had a naturally strong psychic bond from their time together. They essentially still shared "echoes" of each other's memories and beliefs. Jean was starting to get suspicious of Emma herself. It seemed worth checking. She accessed the link.
"Guys!" shouted Jean, "I think Scott was right!"
Up in the cockpit Ororo, who had no knowledge of this conversation, took off. The jet flew out of the hangar and into the sky, bound for the prison break where the X-Men were needed.
"Scott," said Xavier calmly, "I'm sure I don't have to stress how concerning this is."
"No, Professor."
"Your childish reaction to not being picked for the X-Men was bad enough," continued Xavier, "but your repeated absences from lectures and training and now this business with Emma."
"It's true, Professor!" insisted Scott, "I know it!"
"I believe that you believe that," said Xavier, "but still, that is no excuse to-"
Xavier paused for a moment and placed his hand to his head.
"Professor?" said Scott.
"It's Jean," said Xavier, "She's reaching out to me… She believes you're right, Scott."
"I- What? Really!?"
"I'm calling in Emma," said Xavier.
"Professor, are you sure?"
Xavier nodded. Moments later, the office door swung open. Emma must not have been far away when Xavier reached out. She walked right in and stood beside the chair in which Scott was sitting.
"Yes, Professor?" she said dutifully.
"Emma," said Xavier, "I would like to discuss the nature of your intentions here."
Emma's body was suddenly in its diamond form. She was quickly upon Scott as she put him into a nelson and pulled away his sunglasses in the same motion. Scott clenched his eyes tightly shut and choked out in pain. Emma tightened her grip on Scott's head and turned him to face Xavier. She wasn't about to take any risks now that a telepath was suspicious of her.
"Open your eyes and your Professor gets blown away," said Emma, then turning to Xavier, "You or your students try anything funny and I snap his neck. I'm leaving now, is that understood?"
"Emma, please," pled Xavier, "Let's just talk-"
"Is. That. Understood?"
Xavier reluctantly nodded. Emma dragged Scott over to the door and crashed through it with her diamond shoulder. She dragged Scott across the foyer and toward the front door, from which she planned to make her escape.
"Is that Emma!?"
"What's she doing!?"
Emma looked over and saw Jubilee, Megan, and Alex standing on the stairs.
"Emma…" said Alex quietly.
"Sorry," offered Emma halfheartedly, "but the jig is up and I have to go."
"Alex!" called out Scott, "Alex, is that you!?"
"Scott!"
"Shut up, both of you!" ordered Emma.
"Alex, blast her!"
"You blast me, you blast him!" warned Emma.
"Scott…" began Alex.
"JUST DO IT, ALEX!" roared Scott.
Alex flexed his chest. The front of his shirt ripped open as a stream of blue plasma blasted at Emma and Scott. Emma let out a scream as her diamond was engulfed in the stream before an explosive burst of blue light blinded everyone in the room.
"Scott," began Xavier, "I do believe I owe you an apology."
"We all do," added Ororo.
"Agreed," scoffed Scott.
Scott sat across from Xavier at his office desk, with Ororo standing beside Xavier on the other side still in her uniform. The X-Men had only just gotten back from their mission. After Emma's attack, a search through her phone had quickly revealed her plot to infiltrate the team and manipulate them on behalf of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle. Scott had officially been validated. They believed him.
Scott had changed out of his burnt and tattered clothes into a new outfit as well as having retrieved his shades. Beyond that, he was completely uninjured. It turned out that Alex's powerful blasts had no effect on his brother.
"You did the right thing," assured Xavier, "I apologize that we misunderstood."
"Mm-hm," said Scott impatiently.
"Which is why, effective immediately, you, Scott Summers, are officially a member of the X-Men!" announced Xavier.
"...no," replied Scott.
Xavier and Ororo both exchanged glances before looking back at Scott.
"...no?" parroted Ororo.
"No," confirmed Scott.
"I don't understand," said Xavier.
"I'm done with this," said Scott, "I'm done being disrespected and degraded. I know I made some mistakes as a student and I intend to improve on those flaws, but it's become clear to me that this school is no place for that growth."
"I'm… Disappointed, Scott," said Xavier after a moment.
"I'm sure you are," said Scott, "but it doesn't change my decision. I am resigning from the X-Student program."
"Scott-" began Ororo.
"That's that," said Scott, "I'll be gathering my things and leaving this afternoon."
"...very well," nodded Xaver, "Then… I suppose there isn't anything left to discuss."
"You're right," said Scott as he stood up, "There isn't."
Scott returned to his room where he began to pack his things away. He hadn't changed his outlook on life. He would still find a way to use his powers that would help mutantkind. He would just find another way to do it. He wouldn't stay here for another second. It felt good to drop out and he knew it would feel good to walk out the door too.
"Scott?"
Scott looked over at his open door, where Jean was standing. She had just changed out of her uniform into jeans and a sweater. She looked nervous, maybe even guilty.
"Jean," he said back.
"You're… Leaving," she noted.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry about what happened," she said, "I thought- I didn't know what Emma was doing to us, to you."
"I know."
"I should have trusted you."
"It's okay, Jean," said Scott, "I'm not mad."
"You're… not?" asked Jean.
"Not at you, no," said Scott, "You were totally justified. I gave you every reason to believe I was unreliable. We broke up for a reason, right? I made mistakes. I refused to learn or grow. I'm sure that hurt you in the process. For that, I'm sorry."
"Scott-"
"Goodbye, Jean."
Scott lifted the duffled filled with his belongings and walked out the door, passing right by Jean. He didn't bother to check in with anyone else before leaving. He didn't see the point. It'd be a lot of repeating the same conversation over and over again. So instead he went straight to the front door in the foyer, where Megan, Alex, and Jubilee were waiting for him. He stopped to look at them.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"We want in," said Megan.
"In?" asked Scott.
"On whatever you're doing next," explained Jubilee, "You're the one we want to follow, Scott."
"If I know you at all, Scott," said Alex, "You're not just leaving this place to go home. You have something in mind."
"I didn't intend to lead a team."
"Well, too bad!" smiled Megan, "Now you've got one!"
Jubilee pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Scott. It was the visor from his student uniform, which allowed him to effectively use his powers in the field without having to worry about taking his glasses on and off. He took a moment to switch out the glasses for his visor and walked out, followed by his new team.
They paused as they neared the end of the X-Mansion grounds. Scott had stopped first, pausing to look at Emma standing at the gates. She had changed into a black pair of skinny jeans, a white low-cut blouse, several silver necklaces and bracelets, and white cowboy boots. She still had burns and bits of missing hair, but she had already superbly styled the hair into an undercut and matched the burns with carefully chosen shades of lipstick and eye shadow. She had excellently adapted to her new look. She was also clearly unhappy.
The others tensed up, ready to fight. Scott didn't. Xavier had agreed to let Emma go, knowing she no longer posed a threat to the X-Men with her secret exposed. Scott knew she wouldn't want to risk that.
"So," she said in a huff, avoiding eye contact, "The thing is, the Hellfire Club isn't going to want me back. In fact they might even try to… kill me."
A moment went by and then she looked at them. They said nothing. She could tell that none of them were going to make the offer. She'd have to request it herself.
"So I'll be coming with you," she asserted.
Scott grumbled. He was hoping she'd beg. Or at least say please. That being said, he couldn't bring himself to turn her down. Everyone she knew had just turned against her. There was no way he could bring himself to leave someone in that state of loneliness. He would be better than that.
"Welcome to the team," he said, much to the alarm of the others.