The Lady, the Leader and the Bump in the Road Part III

For disclaimers see part I.

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Xavier's School

Kitchen

7:32 pm

"Hey."

"Hey," Jean turned around and smiled at Scott as he entered the kitchen. "Thought you were intent on beating the shit outta someone."

"Says who?" he asked, sitting down at the table, watching her scoop ice cream into a small dish.

" 'Ro. Said you left near the end of the hearings and stayed in the gym ever since. Teach that punching bag a lesson, huh?" she added mockingly, licking off her spoon and closing the lid on the ice cream carton.

"Wouldn't of hurt you to stop by to say you were back," he grumbled.

"Knew you would be there- didn't want to disturb-"

"Jean-"

"Scott. You got upset, right? Did you really want me to barge in there and start it all up again before you got it out of your system?" she sat down with a thud across from him.

He sighed. Goddamn it, she's right. Probably would have bit her head off. "Bad as it looked, huh?"

She grimaced, lifting up a spoonful of ice cream. "Worse."

Sonofabitch.

//I heard that.// Jean telepathed, her mouth full of ice cream.

"It's his new nickname. Didn't I tell you?"

"No, but I guess he had it coming. Do I need to order another punching bag?" She lifted up another spoonful.

"Didn't blast this one," he said sheepishly.

"Kay," she said complacently licking off her spoon.

"You don't have to play it cool with me, Jean," he said. "I know the guy was an asshole"

Jean frowned and rolled her eyes excessively, shoveling more ice cream into her mouth.

"Don't shut me out," he said, coming over to her side of the table. "I might not be telepathic but when the Double Fudge Brownie comes out and you're not beatific, something is wrong." He lifted up her chin so that she would focus her gaze on him, not the bowl.

She swallowed slowly and took his hand in hers. With a brief but warm caress, she released it and murmured, "I'm sorry. Scott, I'm so sorry," she added with a gasp, and with tears welling up in her eyes, left the room in a rush.

Fuck. Scott tossed her spoon back into the bowl. Putting both in the sink to do later, he quickly made his way to their bedroom where he knew he'd find her. Just as he knew she'd be in the kitchen stuffing her face with comfort food. When Jean got upset, or angry, she immediately regretted it. He spent most of their courtship on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, between Jean getting pissy about something and then being overly amorous and penitent to make up for it. And he knew why she left. She was on the point of breakdown, he could tell. And no one, no one, sees Jean Grey as anything but composed. He supposed it was similar to his own personality, his own mantra: a leader never shows weakness, never lets them see you bleed. They made a nice pair, the kids would scoff, the ice lady and the fearless leader. But the kids didn't know the uncertainity, the struggle, the precarious balance that went on behind closed doors. Opposing forces hurtling at one another at light speeds only to cancel each other out in the light of day, he remembered Jean saying once. She always had a thing for science.

As he approached their door, he could feel her despair, her anger and her grief through their link. Opening and closing the door behind him quietly, he beheld Jean, sprawled across their bed, a pillow pressed against her face to muffle her sobs.

He approached her, sat down next to her on the bed, and stroked her back. "Jean, honey, it wasn't that bad."

Jean cried harder into the pillow.

Damn. Maybe I shouldn't have phrased it that way. "We all knew that it couldn't change things overnight."

"Mmmfff," said the pillow, between sobs. Scott could feel her trembling underneath his fingers as another shudder went through her.

"Will you talk to me? Please?" Scott asked.

The tenderness in his voice washed over her and she desperately wanted to cry even harder, except that she had no more tears left to weep. I let them down. I let them all down. We're all going to be lost was all she could think since she had gotten home. All the students who greeted her in the halls, Charles, Ororo, Scott. Especially Scott. How would the Senate react if they knew their guest speaker was betrothed to a man who shot lasers out of his eyes? Lock him up and throw away the key. No amount of words or speeches can save himsave us save the school

"Jean. Please?" Scott's voice pleaded over the endless roaring in her ears.

She raised her head from the pillow, raising her hands to her face in an attempt to brush away her tears. "Oh Scott," she half murmured, half sobbed, and buried her head in his chest, wanting desperately just to bury herself in his warmth, and goodness, and acceptance, and never resurface.

He clutched her to him, feeling the moisture from her face seep through his shirt. There couldn't be anything more heartbreaking than to see this woman, this strong capable woman who he loved more than life itself, helpless and fragile. When he had first met her, he was drawn to the personality she projected, this amazing, unrelenting force to be reckoned with, unbeatable, wonderful, perfect. But he loved her because she wasn't that character- not all the time. Not now.

"He knows what I am," she said softly into his shirt, feeling his arms tighten around her.

"He will never know who you are," Scott said through clenched teeth.

"Kelly knows I'm a mutant. Probably assumes you are, Xavier the school. Scott, what will happen to the kids?"

"It won't go that far."

"Yes, yes, it will."

//Scott//

Oh damn. Not now, Professor. He grimaced into Jean's hair.

//It's important. A rescue mission.//

Jean looked up, having heard the Professor and Scott's response. "I'll be fine. Just go- the mission, it's more important."

He held her face in his hands for a moment, and after kissing each tear-stained cheek, whispered, "Nothing is more important than you. Nothing."

"I'm fine," she repeated, this time adding a weak smile. "I'll wait up for you."

"Sure?" he said, rising and already readjusting to battle readiness.

"Scott Summers, if you don't leave this room in the next ten seconds"

"Gone." And with a quick smile, he was.

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TBC

Next time meeting the wild man! J