Dancing in the Flames
It'd been two days. Two long, acheingly silent days. He punched the punching bag harder, trying to keep his thoughts from it. That was the hardest part- accepting it all as reality. A bittersweet reality. It hadn't been some dream. It had been real. *SNKIT!* The claws slashed through the bag. Most of it she had spent in her room still- like the time before. She was no more part of the group now.
What had he expected? That she would suddenly change? Something?
His claws slashes through it once more, small beans falling out of the holes unnoticed to him. Things were different, but they weren't at the same time. She still came out and talked to people. She smiled blankly like she had these last few weeks and she mumbled slight conversations, and sat silently. She didn't acknowledge him, but then she hadn't before either. She never seem to acknowledge anyone was in a room till she was spoken to anymore and then it just seemed as if they had a 1/4 or so of her attention and the rest of her was gone, but that was beyond remembering now. That was before two days ago, too. Everything was dived into then and now in his thoughts.
He punched it one last time, watching it fall to the ground as the impact broke the string it was hanging on. Don't think about it. Push it away for now. He almost smiled grimly, but turned on his heels not even giving it a moment of his attention and strode out of the room. He walked quietly to the kitchen, pushing the door open angrily so that it slammed the wall with a slightly loud noise.
"Woah! Where's the fire?"
He turned his eyes locking on Cyclops quickly as the end of the table making a sandwich an assortment of odds and ends in front of him with half a glare and them made his way to the refrigerator getting a beer. Pulling it out, looking at him.
"Huh, a joke? How funny. Sorry I forgot ta laugh, Bub."
Cyclops frowned faintly adding cheese to his sandwich and let the comment slide; Wolverine was obviously in a rather bad mood.
"I needed to come find you anyway, Wolverine. I need to talk to you about something."
Watching his so-called leader over the rim of his can of beer as he drank, he noted the nervousness in his actions and words.
"So, spill it."
Cyclops continued making his sandwich. He was trying not to be nervous.
"It's some serious news. And well from the way you came in I need you to say you won't over react."
He strode two steps, one hand clenching the side of the table and one hand reaching for Cyclops' shirt.
"Quite dancing around it, Pretty Boy, I'm not in the mood for games; what's the news?"
"It's about Jubilee."
He spun around at the voice, but he knew who it was before his eyes set on the person. Of all people- her. Jean, or Phoenix, as she come to call herself again, stood in the doorway, leaning to one side of it. Why hadn't he scented her before she spoke? Her of all people. Was he that out of it? She was dressed in a pair of form fitting black pants and a simple royal blue sweater. Her flaming red hair was wavy and loose down her back and her face was faintly blank, but filled slightly with worry. That forced his own concern for whatever it was and a faint pain when she deliberately looked away the moment she noticed him looking at her.
"What about tha' Kid?"
"She's not here on vacation," Cyclops said calmly.
"What tha' hell ya' mean she ain't here on vacation?"
Jean walked in quietly, standing at the opposite end of the table from Cyclops, Wolverine at her right, and placed her hands lightly on the back on the chair pushed in there, her eyes studying the table as she spoke quietly.
"Emma called earlier this morning to tell the Professor how things were going at the Institute like she normally does every once in a while. Well, she did exactly that, except for one minor problem. She reported Jubilee disappeared from the Institute almost a week ago. About a day to two before she showed up here."
"What are ya' two talking 'bout? Are ya' saying Jubilee ran away, came here on a "supposed" vacation, then lied ta all of us 'bout it?" He said gruffly looking from Jean to Cyclops.
"That exactly what Jean said, Wolverine, "Cyclops said pulling a piece or two of lettuce off the head and putting on his sandwich.
"Jubilee wouldn't just do that, Cyc. She ain't like that," Wolverine said watching Cyclops closely as he bag the lettuce and also sent a tomato rolling down the table towards Jean accidentally.
"What she ain't like you? She doesn't just pick up out of the blue and leave without announcing it, Wolverine?"
* SNKIT!*
"What did ya' say?" He leaned in towards Cyclops, imposingly.
"Stop it! Both of you! You're acting like children!"
They both looked up surprised at Jean as she shouted at them a faintly annoyed expression on her face turning angry. Emotion like talking seemed a thing of the past for her of late.
"I was only stating the perhaps she been learning from example, Jean," Cyclops said moving a few things aside oddly," Where's that tomato?"
"Just stop it, Scott. He doesn't deserve that." Jean said quietly reaching for the tomato at the edge of the table to her right. Just as her hand closed over the tomato something flicked across her skin and then covered her hand. She looked up surprised to meet Wolverines eyes, just as shocked. She drew her hand away suddenly dropping the tomato on the floor, holding her hand to her a second, her eyes still looking at him.
He saw it, just the faintest flicker in her eyes, but he saw it before she pulled away. The emotions in her eyes faintly ranged from shock then surprise and want, then yielding, and sudden serious warning as she turned away her gaze for a moment falling on Scott because he hadn't noticed and then she knelt down to get the tomato. She stood up and walked over to him around the edge of the table to the left opposite of Wolverine, carrying it.
"Here, Scott."
"Anyone try talkin' ta her yet?"
"Yeah, She in with the Professor right now, so you just leave her be for now," Cyclops said and looked up at Jean fondly as she handed him the tomato, there hands touching just briefly; and she brightened a few seconds and smiled in return as Cyclops said;
"Thanks, Hun."
"I do what I wanna do!" He said loudly; gruffly, not sure which was bugging him more the conversation or the small scene playing out in front of his eyes. He turned on his heels and made his way out, slamming the door loud against the wall.
She looked up suddenly at the noise, faintest wince to her expression.
"What was that about?" Cyclops asked looking up from his sandwich as he finally finished it.
"Jubilee's like a daughter to him, Scott. Anything hurts her, hurts him."
He'd gone back to his sandwich. Must remember toothpick, olive; but her eyes were still on the door and her heart was no longer within the room again. She wished she could follow, but her legs remained motionless as a conversation started up between her and Scott.
Her husband.
It'd been two days. Two long, acheingly silent days. He punched the punching bag harder, trying to keep his thoughts from it. That was the hardest part- accepting it all as reality. A bittersweet reality. It hadn't been some dream. It had been real. *SNKIT!* The claws slashed through the bag. Most of it she had spent in her room still- like the time before. She was no more part of the group now.
What had he expected? That she would suddenly change? Something?
His claws slashes through it once more, small beans falling out of the holes unnoticed to him. Things were different, but they weren't at the same time. She still came out and talked to people. She smiled blankly like she had these last few weeks and she mumbled slight conversations, and sat silently. She didn't acknowledge him, but then she hadn't before either. She never seem to acknowledge anyone was in a room till she was spoken to anymore and then it just seemed as if they had a 1/4 or so of her attention and the rest of her was gone, but that was beyond remembering now. That was before two days ago, too. Everything was dived into then and now in his thoughts.
He punched it one last time, watching it fall to the ground as the impact broke the string it was hanging on. Don't think about it. Push it away for now. He almost smiled grimly, but turned on his heels not even giving it a moment of his attention and strode out of the room. He walked quietly to the kitchen, pushing the door open angrily so that it slammed the wall with a slightly loud noise.
"Woah! Where's the fire?"
He turned his eyes locking on Cyclops quickly as the end of the table making a sandwich an assortment of odds and ends in front of him with half a glare and them made his way to the refrigerator getting a beer. Pulling it out, looking at him.
"Huh, a joke? How funny. Sorry I forgot ta laugh, Bub."
Cyclops frowned faintly adding cheese to his sandwich and let the comment slide; Wolverine was obviously in a rather bad mood.
"I needed to come find you anyway, Wolverine. I need to talk to you about something."
Watching his so-called leader over the rim of his can of beer as he drank, he noted the nervousness in his actions and words.
"So, spill it."
Cyclops continued making his sandwich. He was trying not to be nervous.
"It's some serious news. And well from the way you came in I need you to say you won't over react."
He strode two steps, one hand clenching the side of the table and one hand reaching for Cyclops' shirt.
"Quite dancing around it, Pretty Boy, I'm not in the mood for games; what's the news?"
"It's about Jubilee."
He spun around at the voice, but he knew who it was before his eyes set on the person. Of all people- her. Jean, or Phoenix, as she come to call herself again, stood in the doorway, leaning to one side of it. Why hadn't he scented her before she spoke? Her of all people. Was he that out of it? She was dressed in a pair of form fitting black pants and a simple royal blue sweater. Her flaming red hair was wavy and loose down her back and her face was faintly blank, but filled slightly with worry. That forced his own concern for whatever it was and a faint pain when she deliberately looked away the moment she noticed him looking at her.
"What about tha' Kid?"
"She's not here on vacation," Cyclops said calmly.
"What tha' hell ya' mean she ain't here on vacation?"
Jean walked in quietly, standing at the opposite end of the table from Cyclops, Wolverine at her right, and placed her hands lightly on the back on the chair pushed in there, her eyes studying the table as she spoke quietly.
"Emma called earlier this morning to tell the Professor how things were going at the Institute like she normally does every once in a while. Well, she did exactly that, except for one minor problem. She reported Jubilee disappeared from the Institute almost a week ago. About a day to two before she showed up here."
"What are ya' two talking 'bout? Are ya' saying Jubilee ran away, came here on a "supposed" vacation, then lied ta all of us 'bout it?" He said gruffly looking from Jean to Cyclops.
"That exactly what Jean said, Wolverine, "Cyclops said pulling a piece or two of lettuce off the head and putting on his sandwich.
"Jubilee wouldn't just do that, Cyc. She ain't like that," Wolverine said watching Cyclops closely as he bag the lettuce and also sent a tomato rolling down the table towards Jean accidentally.
"What she ain't like you? She doesn't just pick up out of the blue and leave without announcing it, Wolverine?"
* SNKIT!*
"What did ya' say?" He leaned in towards Cyclops, imposingly.
"Stop it! Both of you! You're acting like children!"
They both looked up surprised at Jean as she shouted at them a faintly annoyed expression on her face turning angry. Emotion like talking seemed a thing of the past for her of late.
"I was only stating the perhaps she been learning from example, Jean," Cyclops said moving a few things aside oddly," Where's that tomato?"
"Just stop it, Scott. He doesn't deserve that." Jean said quietly reaching for the tomato at the edge of the table to her right. Just as her hand closed over the tomato something flicked across her skin and then covered her hand. She looked up surprised to meet Wolverines eyes, just as shocked. She drew her hand away suddenly dropping the tomato on the floor, holding her hand to her a second, her eyes still looking at him.
He saw it, just the faintest flicker in her eyes, but he saw it before she pulled away. The emotions in her eyes faintly ranged from shock then surprise and want, then yielding, and sudden serious warning as she turned away her gaze for a moment falling on Scott because he hadn't noticed and then she knelt down to get the tomato. She stood up and walked over to him around the edge of the table to the left opposite of Wolverine, carrying it.
"Here, Scott."
"Anyone try talkin' ta her yet?"
"Yeah, She in with the Professor right now, so you just leave her be for now," Cyclops said and looked up at Jean fondly as she handed him the tomato, there hands touching just briefly; and she brightened a few seconds and smiled in return as Cyclops said;
"Thanks, Hun."
"I do what I wanna do!" He said loudly; gruffly, not sure which was bugging him more the conversation or the small scene playing out in front of his eyes. He turned on his heels and made his way out, slamming the door loud against the wall.
She looked up suddenly at the noise, faintest wince to her expression.
"What was that about?" Cyclops asked looking up from his sandwich as he finally finished it.
"Jubilee's like a daughter to him, Scott. Anything hurts her, hurts him."
He'd gone back to his sandwich. Must remember toothpick, olive; but her eyes were still on the door and her heart was no longer within the room again. She wished she could follow, but her legs remained motionless as a conversation started up between her and Scott.
Her husband.
