Chapter 8

The weeks passed and Scott and Jean grew more and more comfortable with their new relationship. The other students still teased them, but the teasing was well-intended. Everyone seemed genuinely happy for them.

There were, of course, a couple of exceptions.

Logan continued to glare daggers at them anytime he saw Jean and Scott together. He barely spoke to Scott other than in training. Fortunately for Scott, Logan had recently been given an assignment that would take him away from the Institute for an extended period of time – possibly even months.

Professor Xavier watched the relationship develop between his favorite students with mixed emotions. He had a special place in his heart for Scott and Jean, as they were the Institute's first two students; in fact, they were responsible for the school's very existence. It had always been evident to him that Jean and Scott shared a bond that went beyond friendship, and that it had simply been a matter of time before that bond matured into morphed into romance. It still troubled him.

After dinner one night more than a month after Scott and Jean's first date, Professor Xavier summoned Scott to his study.

"Scott, I have been observing the changes in your relationship with Jean," the Professor began, elbows on his desk and fingers laced in front of him.

Scott waited for his mentor to continue.

"I must admit, I have some concerns," Charles said slowly.

"Sir?" Scott asked, confused.

"I am confident that you and Jean are very well matched, and that you will be able to make each other very happy. I am, however, concerned about how this may affect the team."

"I'm not sure I understand, Professor," Scott admitted.

Charles sighed and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. "You are the leader of the X-men, Scott. You have responsibilities to everyone under your command. I'm concerned that your relationship with Jean could be cause for distraction in situations where she may be in danger."

"With all due respect, Professor, I disagree," Scott told him, jaw firmly set in defiance. "I worry about her already – I always have. Regardless of the nature of our relationship, she's the most important person in my life. That will never change."

"I understand that, Scott. I'm simply concerned that your focus and judgment will be compromised if you and Jean are involved romantically. I worry that you would try to protect her at all costs – including the lives of the other members of your team."

"Professor –" Scott choked out, deeply offended.

"Scott, please understand. That is not intended as an attack on your character. It is admirable to be willing to go to such lengths. I just worry about the possible implications."

Scott was silent, staring at the front of the professor's large mahogany desk.

"It is something to think about, that is all," Charles told him in a gentle voice. "Believe it or not, Scott, I would take great pleasure in seeing you and Jean happy together. But what would be the cost....?"

Neither spoke for a long moment. Finally Scott stood up and exited the room, leaving Charles alone.

*****

"There you are," Jean announced triumphantly as she entered the library and saw Scott sprawled in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. "What are you doing up here?"

"Waiting for you," he admitted without turning to look at her. "I figured it would only be a matter of time before you came up here to hide away for the evening."

Jean frowned at the tone of his voice. "Scott, are you ok?" she asked as she sat down in the chair next to his, curling her legs underneath herself and sitting sideways so that she could turn to face him.

He kept staring at the fire.

"Hey," she said soothingly, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. "What's got you so upset?"

Taking a deep breath, Scott tried to find the words. "Professor X called me into his office tonight," he said in a low voice.

"What did he want to talk to you about?"

"You and me."

Jean was clearly surprised. "What about you and me?" she prodded.

Scott sighed in frustration. "He's concerned that our relationship could make me mess up in the field," Scott said bitterly.

Jean absorbed that, chewing on her lower lip as she considered what he'd said. "Do you think it could?" she finally asked.

Scott turned his head sharply to look at her. "No! Of course not," he said emphatically.

"Are you sure? Because if I'm honest with myself, I've noticed that I make a point of looking out for you just a little more now in training sessions," she admitted.

"Really?" Scott asked, surprised.

"Of course," she replied with a self-deprecating chuckle. "It's only natural, don't you think? We've been more than a little…preoccupied with each other for the past few weeks."

Scott gave her a half-smile. "I guess you're right."

"But I don't think it'll always be like this," she reassured him. "The longer we're together, the less new our relationship is, the better we'll be able to refocus on the other things in our lives."

He looked steadily at her, an eyebrow arched in amusement. "How'd you get to be so wise in the ways of relationships?" he teased.

She blushed. "Storm and I had a little girl talk the other day," she admitted. "I just needed some advice from someone older and much wiser."

"It sounds like it was an important conversation," he teased, taking Jean's hand and urging her to stand. When she was on her feet he tugged her down onto his lap. She landed with a giggle, not quite expecting to end up sitting on him. He wrapped an arm securely around her waist, preventing her escape.

"It was," she said with a smile. "Storm gives very sound advice."

"What did she tell you? Or is that for female ears only?" he asked as he gently nuzzled Jean's neck.

"Stop, that tickles!" Jean scolded him playfully, flinching away from him slightly. "And no, it wasn't a conversation for girls only. If you must know, I was concerned about how scattered I'd been feeling lately. It's been driving me crazy – all I seem to be able to think about is you," she admitted shyly.

Scott rewarded her admission with a grin that made her belly drop. "Really?"

Jean rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his chest. "Yes, really. As if you didn't know." She leaned forward and kissed him gently, then pulled back, her lips barely brushing his. "And I hope it's mutual," she said leadingly.

He replied by cupping the back of her head and closing the space between their lips. The kiss grew steadily in passion, their teeth clashing and tongues dueling. Between the fireplace warming her back and the heat of Scott's kiss, Jean's whole body felt flushed. She wrapped her arms around him and slid closer, desperate to get as near to him as possible. He was unable to suppress a moan as her hip settled into his groin. They both froze at the sound.

"Sorry," he muttered, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't be," she quickly reassured him.

"But I should be! Christ, Jean, all we've done is kiss for a few minutes, and I want you so much right now I could scream," he admitted angrily, clearly annoyed with himself.

"You do?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. For as intense as their feelings were for each other, and as quickly as their relationship seemed to be moving forward, they had yet to discuss the matter of sex.

"I thought that was made embarrassingly clear a second ago," he said dryly.

She chuckled at his self-deprecation, and kissed his forehead.

He took a deep breath, trying to recover. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

She looked at him questioningly.

"Having this kind of relationship," he elaborated.

"Probably not," she agreed. She knew he was referring to everything from the attitudes of their teammates and mentors, to the more physical aspects of their relationship that would soon need to be addressed. "But I think we're worth the effort," Jean admitted, kissing the tip of his nose.

He smiled in agreement.

"Now are you going to let me work on my essay, or are you going to try to distract me for the rest of the evening?" she teased, sliding off Scott's lap and grinning at him.

"All right, all right, I get the hint," he laughed. He stood up and kissed her gently. "G'night, Jean."

"G'night," she replied softly. When she was alone, she sank down into the chair Scott has just vacated and stared in the dancing flames of the fireplace, smiling.

~~

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