Disclaimer: I no own X-men. I no own anything worth suing over. I'm just borrowing. Understood?
Author's Note: This story takes place after chapter nine of "Best Laid Plans" and focuses on Jean and Scott. This is not going to be an incredibly happy story, I am warning you now.
Embers
Prologue
Scott sat on the cold floor of the Cerebro chamber holding Jean as he cried softly. His thoughts ran in tight circles of relief and wonder…it wasn't her fault!!! I should have realized…I should of known…Jean would never do those things…never…She was shivering in his arms, her red hair pooled across his chest…and it was her. Not the cold, sadistic monster she had become. It was his Jean Grey-Summers, the blessed woman he had pledged his life too.
In a way, he blessed Kitty's attack on Jean, even if it had hurt them both…it had caused the monster in Jean's head to flee…another few days and the divorce papers would have been filed, and he would have lost his darling Jean forever. His hands came up to cradle her head, feeling rough scar tissue at the base of her skull where he had expected stitches.
Perhaps it was his drunken state, but he couldn't fathom why she wasn't wounded. His gentle touch caused her to glance up into his visor and smile. She traced the tear tracks on his cheeks and gently kissed his chin. "It's all alright now Scott…"
"But Kitty…"
Her face twisted for the barest second, her eyes flashed with a familiar fire "Yes…Kitty did."
Unease stirred in the back of Scott's mind, he opened his mouth to question Jean…but she kissed him, and the unease melted under her probing tongue. Somehow they stood up and made their way upstairs to their room.
* * * * *
She stretched luxuriously on the edge of the bed…Scott was snoring on his side, arms twitching to the time of his dreamed pleasure. She sighed in vexation. She had been having so much fun…if only Logan had cooperated…she wouldn't be sitting here next to the horrendously boring and upstanding Scott Summers. All the reasons for being married to him were still valid…mainly to raise her above suspicions and worries. He was also an endless fountain of information on missions... especially when it came to the supposed powers of their foes. Be that as it may, he was truly hopeless in bed, conversation, and amusements.
She had sacrificed much to stay here, much indeed. And when she tried to reach out and take those who should have welcomed her with open arms…she received anger and swords. She clenched her teeth in anger and tasted blood as she bit her lip. The salty warmth filled her mouth, the metallic sweetness sliding down her throat. It helped clear her mind of the useless rage and instilled a cold, hard anger as she thought about the future.
Logan was to blame for a small bit of it…but he would have come around after Jubilation was out of the way. He was so easy to manipulate…so easy to force him to forget…he would prove useful in time. Let him marry his insipid child, let him taste the happiness he sought so single-mindedly…and when little Jubilee wasted away in a hospital after a oh so tragic stroke…he would come crawling and feral…his mind broken in so many little fragments that it would b easy to ensure he lost a few.
But Kitty…her breathe hissed out between her teeth…oh Katherine Pryde would fall. She had ruined such a fine partnership…such a unique circumstance would never come again. She would have to wait years before she could bring Shadow back from where Cerebro had sent him. Years married to the man named Scott.
She could feel the red hot rage swarming up on her again; small flames began to dance at the ends of her hair. She watched the sun begin to peek over the horizon, flame dancing intimately over her skin. Then a gentle touch drifted at the edge of her awareness. A polite knock as telepaths go, then a thick southern voice filtered into her brain. {Calm down chere, wouldn't want to give away de game neh?}
{Shadow!}
{Oui. So kind of you the find de host wit telepathy for me.}
{It was rushed…it is rather hard to trick Xavier for long…I hope the body's alright}
{It be fine for awhile chere. An you did trick Xavier non? He t'nk I be de bad guy…}
{No one here wants to believe that their sweet Jean is anything else…}
{I believe} There was an accompanying image of a man, very similar to Remy with ice blue eyes, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug.
{That parting dream you left Kitty was truly inspired, Shadow…I'm impressed} In her mind, she relaxed in his arms and watched the sun rise over the tree line, content for the moment. Safe. Accepted.
{You said te make it believable chere…}
{And it worked didn't it?}
{So far, so far…}
* * * * *
All too soon Scott stirred in his sleep and hovered on the edge of waking. Shadow hugged her one last time and started to leave {We not be wantin to blow your cover chere…we be t'gether soon, I promise.}
Jean turned to her husband with a falsely bright smile and said good morning with a passionate kiss, all the while thinking of Shadow.
* * * * *
Scott awoke with a sense of wonder as the sunlight caught Jean's hair in a fiery nimbus as she crouched by the bed to kiss him "Good morning Mrs. Summers!"
"Good morning love. Sleep well?"
"Better than I have in a long time…"
"I'm just so glad you'll forgive me…" Art full tears brightened her eyes "I tried…"
He sat up with a groan and blamed his lack of sleep that made him think she had smiled for just a moment "Of course I forgive you…it's happened to all of us…Me with Apocalypse, Ororo with the Shadow King…it's part of being an X-man…how could we, much less I, not forgive you?"
"But I did some terrible things…Jubilee, Kitty…oh Scott…" The tears started to fall freely onto the sheets.
Scott comforted her as best he could and thanked whatever gods were out there that she had been given back to him. He looked around the room and noticed that her side of the bed was hardly rumpled, as if she hadn't slept…but he couldn't blame her. He hadn't slept for weeks after his own ordeal. The best he could do was be here for her…and keep Logan away from her. He may have forgiven her with all his heart, but some wouldn't come around so quickly. Especially since last nights fiasco had delayed the wedding.
* * * * *
Bum bum bum!!!! Prologue is done. And I warn everyone once more, this will not be a happy story. If this bothers you…do not read beyond this chapter. Otherwise…REVIEW!!!!!!