Page 86 ~Does it show?~
"Jean," she said, and when her friend didn't reply, she repeated herself, a little more loudly, accompanying her call with a touch of Jean's arm that carried with it just the gentlest shock of lightning.
Jean jolted awake like a student who's been caught napping in class, denial vying visibly on her face with embarrassment for prominence.
"Sorry," she said quickly, "I'm sorry," shaking the cobwebs from her brain and releasing every hold her teke powers had placed on the aircraft.
@~'~,~ @~'~,~ @~'~,~ @~'~,~
"You okay?" Storm asked Jean, who at first didn't seem quite sure how to answer.
"All of a sudden," Jean replied, trying to make what had just happened a joke, "damned if I know."
"Something wrong?"
"It's nothing." Jean shook her head, wriggling in her sheepskin-covered seat to make herself more comfortable, even though both of them knew it was anything but. "I was thinking, y'know, if only we could make the flight go faster. I guess my wish fulfillment kinda got. carried away."
"Ah" was Storm's only comment. It spoke volumes.
"What?" Jean demanded.
"Nothing. I asked, you answered, end of story."
"What, Ororo, for God's sake!"
The other woman shrugged. "Maybe it's just that Logan's back in town."
Jean slumped in her chair, as much as her harness would allow. "Oh, God, it shows."
"Jean," Storm said flatly, "the sun 'shows' every morning when it rises. It has nothing on you."
"Why me?" Jean muttered, covering her eyes with her hands. "Why him? It isn't fair."
"You annoyed or tempted?"
"Truth, both."
"Ouch!"
"Tell me something I don't know."
"He has the look," Storm agreed with a throaty chuckle.
"Then take him off my hands, please, before there's a disaster." To illustrate her point, she waved her hands to encompass the flight deck and remind Storm what had nearly happened mere minutes before.
"Grown woman like you, grown man like him, you saying you can't set a proper example for the children?"
"You're gonna bust my butt forever about this, aren't you?"
Storm turned serious. "I like him, Jean. But what I feel, it's minor league. You two, you're the show."
"It's pure chemistry," Jean told herself as much as Storm. "I've never experienced anything like it. I see him, and the brain disengages completely. It's" - she searched for the right word - "primal. And I can't hide it from him, I can't bluff that nothing's going to happen. And then there's Scott."
Her voice trailed off. Storm reached across the center console and gave her friend's hand a squeeze, but she knew it was scant comfort.
"Have faith, Jean. You'll find a way to work things out."
"I hope so, Ororo. Really I do. For all our sakes."
"Jean," she said, and when her friend didn't reply, she repeated herself, a little more loudly, accompanying her call with a touch of Jean's arm that carried with it just the gentlest shock of lightning.
Jean jolted awake like a student who's been caught napping in class, denial vying visibly on her face with embarrassment for prominence.
"Sorry," she said quickly, "I'm sorry," shaking the cobwebs from her brain and releasing every hold her teke powers had placed on the aircraft.
@~'~,~ @~'~,~ @~'~,~ @~'~,~
"You okay?" Storm asked Jean, who at first didn't seem quite sure how to answer.
"All of a sudden," Jean replied, trying to make what had just happened a joke, "damned if I know."
"Something wrong?"
"It's nothing." Jean shook her head, wriggling in her sheepskin-covered seat to make herself more comfortable, even though both of them knew it was anything but. "I was thinking, y'know, if only we could make the flight go faster. I guess my wish fulfillment kinda got. carried away."
"Ah" was Storm's only comment. It spoke volumes.
"What?" Jean demanded.
"Nothing. I asked, you answered, end of story."
"What, Ororo, for God's sake!"
The other woman shrugged. "Maybe it's just that Logan's back in town."
Jean slumped in her chair, as much as her harness would allow. "Oh, God, it shows."
"Jean," Storm said flatly, "the sun 'shows' every morning when it rises. It has nothing on you."
"Why me?" Jean muttered, covering her eyes with her hands. "Why him? It isn't fair."
"You annoyed or tempted?"
"Truth, both."
"Ouch!"
"Tell me something I don't know."
"He has the look," Storm agreed with a throaty chuckle.
"Then take him off my hands, please, before there's a disaster." To illustrate her point, she waved her hands to encompass the flight deck and remind Storm what had nearly happened mere minutes before.
"Grown woman like you, grown man like him, you saying you can't set a proper example for the children?"
"You're gonna bust my butt forever about this, aren't you?"
Storm turned serious. "I like him, Jean. But what I feel, it's minor league. You two, you're the show."
"It's pure chemistry," Jean told herself as much as Storm. "I've never experienced anything like it. I see him, and the brain disengages completely. It's" - she searched for the right word - "primal. And I can't hide it from him, I can't bluff that nothing's going to happen. And then there's Scott."
Her voice trailed off. Storm reached across the center console and gave her friend's hand a squeeze, but she knew it was scant comfort.
"Have faith, Jean. You'll find a way to work things out."
"I hope so, Ororo. Really I do. For all our sakes."
