Pairings: Scott/Jean
Notes: This chapter is a long time coming, but it took a while to decide in which order to do things. The next one should be along much, much sooner.
Chapter II
The coffee was cold but he continued to nurse it anyway, hunched over the table staring into the previously steaming depths of the mug. Jean shot him a penetrating stare every now and then, but neither of them could bring themselves to say anything. It was incredible how she could make even her silence accusing. It infuriated him how she refused to see his point of view, how she was stubbornly and idiotically defending Lensherr.
"I'm not going into it again, you know." Jean said in a prickly tone.
"Fine." Scott answered without looking up from his mug.
"I mean, you should take me for my word. I shouldn't have to explain every minor detail to you, you should just trust me." She continued, as she continued to wipe down the kitchen counter.
Scott frowned and looked up at her then. There was more going on here than she was letting on, but he knew her too well to pry too deeply. She wouldn't lie to him, but she would get very angry if he asked questions she wasn't able to answer truthfully. "What did the professor tell you?"
"The same thing he told us all. That Mister Lensherr will be staying for a while as a guest." Jean said with great care, refusing to look at him but paying immense attention to the cleaning cloth.
"And?"
"And nothing!" she snapped and threw the cloth across the room and into the sink. "I don't know any more than you do."
Scott said nothing but watched her closely, "But?"
Jean turned on him, hands on hips and looking as though she was about to cut him in half with the sharp edge of her tongue when something even worse happened.
Logan said, "I would try to avoid making her mad if I was you Scooter."
The worst part of all was that Scott was, if only for an instant, grateful to Logan. He was grateful that the reckless idiot had interrupted Jean's concentration and given him precious time to escape.
"You." Jean said accusingly as she shifted her attention to Logan lounging against the doorframe, "Stay out of this."
"Sorry sweet thing, but in this matter I have to agree with Scooter." Logan said with a grimace, "That monster is a threat to us all. I can't believe Chuck is letting him stay, is putting the kids in danger."
"You know damn well the professor would never put these children in any danger." Jean snapped. "Why can't the two of you just lay off him?"
"Oh, I dunno..." Logan said as he turned to leave, snapping over his shoulder, "Maybe because he tried to kill us all?"
"Go on!" Jubilee said in a hoarse whisper, "We know he's not in there, so it's not like you're gonna get caught or anything..."
Kitty rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Oh, easy for you to say, you're not the one going in."
"Look, just go in, take a look around and come out." Jubes said in an overly sure tone, "I'll stay right here and keep a look out. If someone comes you'll hear and you can slip into one of the other rooms. Okay?"
It sounded simple enough and she had to admit she was just as keen to see what the monster had in his bedroom as Jubes was. But somehow it still seemed like spying to Kitty.
It had been nearly six months since Marie had confided in them both what had happened with Magneto and about her little visits to see him in prison. When he'd turned up on the mansions doorstep yesterday they'd both flocked to Marie's side to offer what comfort and protection they could. They caught one fleeting glimpse of the man on his way to the professor's office and that had been it.
But something had changed over night. This morning Marie had pushed them both away, she'd been avoiding them, avoiding everyone and now it was time to find out why. To find out exactly what was going on. Silently she nodded and before she could think her way out of it again she phased through the door and slipped into Magneto's bedroom.
The room itself was light and airy, though there was mustiness in the air that suggested that it hadn't been opened in a very long time. Opposite her the windows were flung wide open, letting in cool fresh air and filling the room with clear daylight. It was all almost frighteningly neat and tidy, everything arranged just so. Even the moth eaten dressing gown hung over the back of an old oak chair seemed to be specifically placed.
"What's it like?" hissed Jubes through the door.
"Tidy." answered Kitty with an unseen shrug. There was nothing else particularly odd about it. There were some books, an empty glass and some car keys on the bedside table. It wasn't a room anyone lived in, just a place where someone came to sleep every now and then. It was like a hotel room, impersonal, slightly uncomfortable and very unnerving.
She stepped further into the room, looking down as the deep carpet settled over the soles of her shoes. Looking back up she noted that all of the furnishings were as rich and fine. That didn't detract from the fact that it was so empty though. She strolled over to a chest of draws and pulled open the middle draw. Neatly pressed shirts sat within in smart rows, all precisely organised and folded. She smiled. They smelt of orange and lemon.
She closed the draw and turned her attention to the things sat on the bedside table. She picked up the glass first, surreptitiously sniffing at it. Grimacing she put it back down carefully from where she'd picked it up, she'd never liked the smell of scotch. She looked at the spines of the battered paperback books, Dante's Inferno and Plato's Republic. They looked like books the Professor would read. The keys she guessed her from the Jag he'd turned up in. A car all the boys were drooling over. She smiled at the thought of telling them how close she got to actually having the keys to the car. They'd be mad with jealousy.
She sighed, doing a quick turn of the room to be sure it was all exactly as she'd found it and made her way to the door. It really was untouched, anyone just coming across it wouldn't be able to tell how long it had been since it's owner had ever set foot in here let alone spent a night or anything. It was nothing like she'd expected at all. Not that she knew what she'd been expecting.
"Its weird yah know? Like he's not planning on staying very long which..." Kitty started explaining as she phased backwards through the door to get out of the room. Her words died on her tongue though as she turned around to see Jubes stood gawping at her and Magneto glaring over her head.
"How dare you!" He ground out past clenched teeth, "How dare you?"
He placed one hand firmly on Jubes' shoulder, but as he did she cried out and shied away as though stung. She spun around to stand next to Kitty, waving both of her hands about in front of her in a threatening manner.
"Don't even think about hurting us old man," she stammered out as both girls began to edge their way back down the corridor. Kitty holding on tightly to Jubilee's arm just in case Magneto tried to try anything and she had to phase them both.
But he didn't look as though he was going to do anything. He just stood there in the hall, one eyebrow arched dramatically and a small dark smile playing its way across his features. As though he wanted to laugh at them. A shudder ran down Kitty's spine. Then suddenly he raised one hand and opened his mouth as though he were about to say something...
It was too late, Jubilee shouted out in fright and bravado first, "You ain't never gonna hurt Marie!" Suddenly a dark shape was flying over them both and they tripped and landed awkwardly on the carpet.
Staring up with shock Kitty managed to gasp, "Logan?"