Title: A Friend in Need II: Sweet Child of Mine 16/22
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Archive: Sure, just please ask first
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, and some disturbing imagery
Summary: Jubilee is well on the way to recovery from the physical injuries she
sustained during "A Friend in Need," thanks to the help of Logan and Jean. The
psychic damage, however, has been slow to heal: she is still plagued by regular
nightmares and her memory has not yet returned. And while Jean's endless devotion
to Jubilee is helping her to recuperate, it is starting to put a strain on Jean's
marriage to Scott.
Disclaimer: The X-Men and Generation X are property of Marvel Entertainment.
Characters are used without permission, no profit is being made, and no infringement
on copyright is intended.
*****
A Friend in Need II: Sweet Child of Mine
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 16
Scott pulled the car up in front of the house, put it in park, and shut the
engine. "Well, here we are." He glanced over to the passenger side at his wife.
Jean sat staring out the window, at the distance. Even after a few days of
strict bed rest in the medi-lab, she still did not look well. Her face was pale,
the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced than ever. Her cheeks looked
sunken, her expression drawn. Her beautiful red hair, which she usually wore
loose like a fiery crown, was pulled back in a hasty braid down her back. She
looked tired--weary to the bone.
Scott had half-expected her to insist on walking back to the house when Hank had
finally decided to release her. But when he suggested it might be better to
drive her, she had offered no protest. She merely shrugged her shoulders in
silent apathy. She had said very little to him these past few days. Every time
he attempted to open the lines of communication, to get her to talk about what
had happened and how she felt, she would claim fatigue and close her eyes to
sleep. Hopefully, now that she was coming home, she would finally open up.
"Jean?" he said, reaching to touch her hand. Her fingers felt like ice.
She quickly pulled her hand back, out of his reach. She did not meet his gaze.
"Honey, we're home."
Nodding, Jean reached to unfasten her seat belt.
With a sigh, Scott undid his own and got out of the car. He walked around to the
passenger side and opened the door, holding his hand out to help Jean.
She ignored it, instead grasping the side of the door as she gingerly rose from
her seat. She slowly headed for the house, leaving Scott standing there, feeling
like an idiot. Frustrated, he shut the car door with a bang and hurried to catch
up with his wife.
Jean stood waiting for him to unlock the door. He did so, and pushed the door
open, allowing her to enter. She walked inside, into the living room, and headed
toward the back of the house. Shutting the door behind him, Scott followed her
into the bedroom.
Jean made no comment about the change of sheets and comforter, or the absence of
bloodstains on the carpeting. Scott had been quite thankful when Ororo had
informed him that someone would have it taken care of. He suspected it was
probably Logan, or maybe Rogue and Remy, who offered to do it. Whoever it was,
he was glad that there would be no reminders of the tragedy that had befallen
here a few days ago.
He watched as Jean sat down on the bed, and bent to remove her shoes. Grimacing,
she stopped in mid-motion.
"Here, let me," Scott offered, stooping in front of her. He took first one foot
in his hand, sliding off the shoe, and then the other.
"Thanks," Jean replied softly.
"Is there anything I can get you?" Scott asked, rising. "A cup of tea? Something
to eat?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks. I think I'm just going to lay down for a while."
"Oh. Okay." She had been sleeping for the past three days. Wasn't she sick to
death of it by now? "Ororo said she'd stop by later this afternoon, to see how
you're doing."
"Okay." Jean curled up on her side on the bed, her back to him. Nestling her
face into the pillow, she closed her eyes.
"Just let me know if you need anything, okay, sweetheart?"
"Mmm," she murmured.
Scott stared down at her for a while. Walking closer, he bent down and kissed
her forehead. "I love you."
But she did not reply.
With a soft sigh, he quietly left the room.
*****
Standing in the control room, Storm watched as Cyclops fired an optic blast at
the last of his android opponents in a routine Danger Room session. He was
battling more than robots, she knew. He also fought the evil demons that lurked
inside. And she knew that she must do all that was possible to ensure that he
would not fight them alone.
She reached the Danger Room door just as the sequence shut down. As she entered,
she saw him toweling his face off.
"That was some fighting," she said.
"Thanks. It feels good to be able to hit something--to do something physical."
"Yes. Sometimes it *is* good to vent. But, Scott, it is not healthy to keep your
emotions bottled up inside. It is obvious that you are deeply troubled."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Scott, you and Jean have been through a very traumatic series of events. I do
not think you are dealing with your feelings."
"I don't know what you mean," he replied curtly, turning away from her.
"Scott, this has affected you profoundly. But with the exception of this
session, I have yet to see you express your emotions." Walking closer, she
touched his arm. "Since your loss, all I have been hearing is concern over
Jean's welfare. But no one has seemed worried about you."
"I know. That's because Jean--"
"What, Scott? Because it was Jean who was carrying the child inside of her? Yes,
she was, but that does not mean that you did not love the baby. Scott, it was
your child as well."
"Ororo, I didn't even *know* there was a baby until it was gone." Though his
tone was one of anger, she could sense the underlying anguish, the betrayal. Her
heart ached for him.
"I do not honestly believe that Jean was deliberately keeping such knowledge
from you. She had every intention of sharing the news with you."
"Kind of a moot point now, isn't it?"
Goddess, he had so much pain to work through. And if Jean's withdrawal were any
indication, she was not helping him with such matters. At a time when they
needed to lean on one another, to rely on one another to get through this
tragedy, the couple seemed more distant than ever.
"If anger is what you are feeling now, Scott, for not being told about the
existence of your child, then that is what you need to address."
"What's the point? Besides, I'm not what's important right now. Jean's health is
all that matters."
Ororo could not help but smile at that. Even when he was angry with her, his
concern for his wife's well-being was still foremost in his mind. Why could Jean
not see that her husband only wanted to help her? "Scott, I understand that you
want--you need--to be strong for her. But how can you help her to deal with her
feelings if you cannot even admit to yourself the emotions you are feeling
inside? It is perfectly evident that your soul is in turmoil."
"Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?! Stop playing shrink
with me, Ororo. I'm not your goddammed patient. God, you're worse than living
with a telepath."
"No, you are not my patient, Scott. But you *are* my friend. I am simply trying
to help you. The sooner you admit your feelings, the sooner you will help
yourself."
Turning around, he began to walk away. He stopped abruptly, took a deep breath,
let it out slowly. Perhaps he *was* keeping his feelings inside. *Old habits die
hard, eh, Summers?* he thought with a wry grin. Maybe Ororo did have a point.
"Help myself, huh? How do I do that?"
She walked closer. "You can start by speaking to me."
"What do you want me to say?"
"Tell me what you were feeling that day--when you returned from Massachusetts."
"I was upset."
Goddess, but it was like pulling teeth with the man! Even Logan was more
loquacious--and less stubborn--at times. "All right. What else?"
He hesitated, cleared his throat.
"Go ahead," she coaxed.
"I was scared. There, I said it. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
She could see how difficult this was for him, but she also knew that it was what
he needed to do. So she kept on pushing him. "Why were you frightened?"
"Why?" He spun around quickly, and she could see the pain on his face. "Because
I came back to my home and I found a trail of blood on the bedroom floor.
Because I followed it to the kitchen and saw a pool of blood on the tile floor.
At that moment, I didn't know if it was Jubilee or Jean who was hurt. All I
could think of was that they were attacked. That they had been hurt in our home,
and I wasn't there to protect them. I ran to the mansion, down to the sub-
basements. When I saw Jubilee, laying there in Rogue's arms, I felt such relief
wash over me. I was so thankful that she was all right, that she had not been
hurt again. It actually eased my conscience a bit. Jean and I had vowed to take
her in, to watch over her. If something had happened to her because I hadn't
been there to protect her. . . . I don't think I could have ever forgiven
myself."
"So Jubilee was safe. No harm had come to her."
"No, she was fine. A little shaken up, but physically she was fine."
"There is more to it than this, Scott. Guilt is not all that is bothering you."
Slowly, he shook his head. "It was then that I realized the blood had been
Jean's. When I asked Jubilee about what had happened, and she couldn't bring
herself to tell me, I feared the worst. I was scared. More frightened than I've
ever been in my entire life. That I'd lost Jean. I lost her once, Ororo. I
couldn't bear to lose her again."
He fought to hold back the emotions, to keep them in check. For so long, he had
kept them to himself, and they had slowly built up. Now, after being brought so
close to the surface, they came crashing out, like a dam breaking. He bowed his
head as the tears fell.
Before he knew what was happening, she was beside him, her arms wrapped around
him as his body shook with sobs. He held onto her, like a drowning man grasping
a life raft.
"I lost her once. Never again. Never again!"
"I know," she whispered, stroking the back of his head. "It is all right, Scott.
Just let it out . . . let it all out."
"God," he breathed, his voice raw with emotion, "I just want to hold her. . . .
To tell her it's gonna be okay. . . . That we can get through this together. .
. . But she's severed our mindlink. . . . She won't talk to me. . . . .Hell, she
won't even let me touch her. . . . How are we ever gonna get past this? . . .
How?"
"It is going to take some time, Scott. Jean will come around eventually. There
shall come a point when she is ready to face this, to deal with what happened.
And when she is, you shall be there for her."
She felt him trembling in her arms. "I don't know if I can wait that long. . .
."
"You do not have to, Scott. You do not have to keep this inside of you any
longer. Whenever you need to talk about what you are feeling, you need merely
come to me. I shall be here for you. To talk. To listen. Whatever you need. You
do not have to endure this alone."
He tried to speak, to offer her his thanks, his gratitude. But he found that he
no longer had the words. Instead, he grabbed onto her more tightly, burying his
face in her shoulder, as he let the emotions assail him. The pain, the anguish,
the guilt, the loss . . . all came bursting to the surface. And for once, he did
not fight it.
"I know," Ororo soothed, her voice like a warm caress. She held him, stroking
his back, offering what comfort she could. "I know, Scott. I know it hurts. Let
it go. Just let it go."
End Chapter 16
*****
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Archive: Sure, just please ask first
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, and some disturbing imagery
Summary: Jubilee is well on the way to recovery from the physical injuries she
sustained during "A Friend in Need," thanks to the help of Logan and Jean. The
psychic damage, however, has been slow to heal: she is still plagued by regular
nightmares and her memory has not yet returned. And while Jean's endless devotion
to Jubilee is helping her to recuperate, it is starting to put a strain on Jean's
marriage to Scott.
Disclaimer: The X-Men and Generation X are property of Marvel Entertainment.
Characters are used without permission, no profit is being made, and no infringement
on copyright is intended.
*****
A Friend in Need II: Sweet Child of Mine
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 16
Scott pulled the car up in front of the house, put it in park, and shut the
engine. "Well, here we are." He glanced over to the passenger side at his wife.
Jean sat staring out the window, at the distance. Even after a few days of
strict bed rest in the medi-lab, she still did not look well. Her face was pale,
the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced than ever. Her cheeks looked
sunken, her expression drawn. Her beautiful red hair, which she usually wore
loose like a fiery crown, was pulled back in a hasty braid down her back. She
looked tired--weary to the bone.
Scott had half-expected her to insist on walking back to the house when Hank had
finally decided to release her. But when he suggested it might be better to
drive her, she had offered no protest. She merely shrugged her shoulders in
silent apathy. She had said very little to him these past few days. Every time
he attempted to open the lines of communication, to get her to talk about what
had happened and how she felt, she would claim fatigue and close her eyes to
sleep. Hopefully, now that she was coming home, she would finally open up.
"Jean?" he said, reaching to touch her hand. Her fingers felt like ice.
She quickly pulled her hand back, out of his reach. She did not meet his gaze.
"Honey, we're home."
Nodding, Jean reached to unfasten her seat belt.
With a sigh, Scott undid his own and got out of the car. He walked around to the
passenger side and opened the door, holding his hand out to help Jean.
She ignored it, instead grasping the side of the door as she gingerly rose from
her seat. She slowly headed for the house, leaving Scott standing there, feeling
like an idiot. Frustrated, he shut the car door with a bang and hurried to catch
up with his wife.
Jean stood waiting for him to unlock the door. He did so, and pushed the door
open, allowing her to enter. She walked inside, into the living room, and headed
toward the back of the house. Shutting the door behind him, Scott followed her
into the bedroom.
Jean made no comment about the change of sheets and comforter, or the absence of
bloodstains on the carpeting. Scott had been quite thankful when Ororo had
informed him that someone would have it taken care of. He suspected it was
probably Logan, or maybe Rogue and Remy, who offered to do it. Whoever it was,
he was glad that there would be no reminders of the tragedy that had befallen
here a few days ago.
He watched as Jean sat down on the bed, and bent to remove her shoes. Grimacing,
she stopped in mid-motion.
"Here, let me," Scott offered, stooping in front of her. He took first one foot
in his hand, sliding off the shoe, and then the other.
"Thanks," Jean replied softly.
"Is there anything I can get you?" Scott asked, rising. "A cup of tea? Something
to eat?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks. I think I'm just going to lay down for a while."
"Oh. Okay." She had been sleeping for the past three days. Wasn't she sick to
death of it by now? "Ororo said she'd stop by later this afternoon, to see how
you're doing."
"Okay." Jean curled up on her side on the bed, her back to him. Nestling her
face into the pillow, she closed her eyes.
"Just let me know if you need anything, okay, sweetheart?"
"Mmm," she murmured.
Scott stared down at her for a while. Walking closer, he bent down and kissed
her forehead. "I love you."
But she did not reply.
With a soft sigh, he quietly left the room.
*****
Standing in the control room, Storm watched as Cyclops fired an optic blast at
the last of his android opponents in a routine Danger Room session. He was
battling more than robots, she knew. He also fought the evil demons that lurked
inside. And she knew that she must do all that was possible to ensure that he
would not fight them alone.
She reached the Danger Room door just as the sequence shut down. As she entered,
she saw him toweling his face off.
"That was some fighting," she said.
"Thanks. It feels good to be able to hit something--to do something physical."
"Yes. Sometimes it *is* good to vent. But, Scott, it is not healthy to keep your
emotions bottled up inside. It is obvious that you are deeply troubled."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Scott, you and Jean have been through a very traumatic series of events. I do
not think you are dealing with your feelings."
"I don't know what you mean," he replied curtly, turning away from her.
"Scott, this has affected you profoundly. But with the exception of this
session, I have yet to see you express your emotions." Walking closer, she
touched his arm. "Since your loss, all I have been hearing is concern over
Jean's welfare. But no one has seemed worried about you."
"I know. That's because Jean--"
"What, Scott? Because it was Jean who was carrying the child inside of her? Yes,
she was, but that does not mean that you did not love the baby. Scott, it was
your child as well."
"Ororo, I didn't even *know* there was a baby until it was gone." Though his
tone was one of anger, she could sense the underlying anguish, the betrayal. Her
heart ached for him.
"I do not honestly believe that Jean was deliberately keeping such knowledge
from you. She had every intention of sharing the news with you."
"Kind of a moot point now, isn't it?"
Goddess, he had so much pain to work through. And if Jean's withdrawal were any
indication, she was not helping him with such matters. At a time when they
needed to lean on one another, to rely on one another to get through this
tragedy, the couple seemed more distant than ever.
"If anger is what you are feeling now, Scott, for not being told about the
existence of your child, then that is what you need to address."
"What's the point? Besides, I'm not what's important right now. Jean's health is
all that matters."
Ororo could not help but smile at that. Even when he was angry with her, his
concern for his wife's well-being was still foremost in his mind. Why could Jean
not see that her husband only wanted to help her? "Scott, I understand that you
want--you need--to be strong for her. But how can you help her to deal with her
feelings if you cannot even admit to yourself the emotions you are feeling
inside? It is perfectly evident that your soul is in turmoil."
"Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?! Stop playing shrink
with me, Ororo. I'm not your goddammed patient. God, you're worse than living
with a telepath."
"No, you are not my patient, Scott. But you *are* my friend. I am simply trying
to help you. The sooner you admit your feelings, the sooner you will help
yourself."
Turning around, he began to walk away. He stopped abruptly, took a deep breath,
let it out slowly. Perhaps he *was* keeping his feelings inside. *Old habits die
hard, eh, Summers?* he thought with a wry grin. Maybe Ororo did have a point.
"Help myself, huh? How do I do that?"
She walked closer. "You can start by speaking to me."
"What do you want me to say?"
"Tell me what you were feeling that day--when you returned from Massachusetts."
"I was upset."
Goddess, but it was like pulling teeth with the man! Even Logan was more
loquacious--and less stubborn--at times. "All right. What else?"
He hesitated, cleared his throat.
"Go ahead," she coaxed.
"I was scared. There, I said it. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
She could see how difficult this was for him, but she also knew that it was what
he needed to do. So she kept on pushing him. "Why were you frightened?"
"Why?" He spun around quickly, and she could see the pain on his face. "Because
I came back to my home and I found a trail of blood on the bedroom floor.
Because I followed it to the kitchen and saw a pool of blood on the tile floor.
At that moment, I didn't know if it was Jubilee or Jean who was hurt. All I
could think of was that they were attacked. That they had been hurt in our home,
and I wasn't there to protect them. I ran to the mansion, down to the sub-
basements. When I saw Jubilee, laying there in Rogue's arms, I felt such relief
wash over me. I was so thankful that she was all right, that she had not been
hurt again. It actually eased my conscience a bit. Jean and I had vowed to take
her in, to watch over her. If something had happened to her because I hadn't
been there to protect her. . . . I don't think I could have ever forgiven
myself."
"So Jubilee was safe. No harm had come to her."
"No, she was fine. A little shaken up, but physically she was fine."
"There is more to it than this, Scott. Guilt is not all that is bothering you."
Slowly, he shook his head. "It was then that I realized the blood had been
Jean's. When I asked Jubilee about what had happened, and she couldn't bring
herself to tell me, I feared the worst. I was scared. More frightened than I've
ever been in my entire life. That I'd lost Jean. I lost her once, Ororo. I
couldn't bear to lose her again."
He fought to hold back the emotions, to keep them in check. For so long, he had
kept them to himself, and they had slowly built up. Now, after being brought so
close to the surface, they came crashing out, like a dam breaking. He bowed his
head as the tears fell.
Before he knew what was happening, she was beside him, her arms wrapped around
him as his body shook with sobs. He held onto her, like a drowning man grasping
a life raft.
"I lost her once. Never again. Never again!"
"I know," she whispered, stroking the back of his head. "It is all right, Scott.
Just let it out . . . let it all out."
"God," he breathed, his voice raw with emotion, "I just want to hold her. . . .
To tell her it's gonna be okay. . . . That we can get through this together. .
. . But she's severed our mindlink. . . . She won't talk to me. . . . .Hell, she
won't even let me touch her. . . . How are we ever gonna get past this? . . .
How?"
"It is going to take some time, Scott. Jean will come around eventually. There
shall come a point when she is ready to face this, to deal with what happened.
And when she is, you shall be there for her."
She felt him trembling in her arms. "I don't know if I can wait that long. . .
."
"You do not have to, Scott. You do not have to keep this inside of you any
longer. Whenever you need to talk about what you are feeling, you need merely
come to me. I shall be here for you. To talk. To listen. Whatever you need. You
do not have to endure this alone."
He tried to speak, to offer her his thanks, his gratitude. But he found that he
no longer had the words. Instead, he grabbed onto her more tightly, burying his
face in her shoulder, as he let the emotions assail him. The pain, the anguish,
the guilt, the loss . . . all came bursting to the surface. And for once, he did
not fight it.
"I know," Ororo soothed, her voice like a warm caress. She held him, stroking
his back, offering what comfort she could. "I know, Scott. I know it hurts. Let
it go. Just let it go."
End Chapter 16
*****