AUTHOR'S NOTE: First of all, I need to give thanks to Wen. Logan wouldn't have been so hard on Scott in the previous chapter if he didn't know about cardiac arrest. So, thank you Wen, for making Logan mad at Scott ;) Speaking of which, I would also like to thank the rest of my reviewers - your feedback is appreciated. Sorry, the Professor, Scott, Logan, Ororo and myself tried our best to get Jean to stay, but Mrs. Elaine Grey simply won't hear any of it :-{
Man, I figured I might as well post this before I take my P-SATs tomorrow (I live in Canada! Why would I know American history?). Chances are, I'll nuke it (not bomb, but nuke) and feel so sorry about myself that I won't post anything for a long time. Flipping through the practice questions (I just realized that you should've completed Gr. 11 before taking the PSAT), it certainly seems that way. After such a good weekend too...
Summary: Scott and Jean take a look at their past as the two find solace in the beauty of a winter wonderland. A pre-Evolution look at their friendship, and hints of future romance.
Pairing (s): Scott/Jean
Rating for this Chapter: PG-13
Chapter 6
"We have to do this - she's gone too far," said a short, uniformed man, sniffing the air instinctively. Six more soldiers dressed in similar attire, seemingly lacking weapons, walked across the barren wastelands of New York, identifiable by the charred remains of the Empire State building. The whole city was in ruins, as if the world had been hurled into the pits of a nuclear holocaust. Carcasses of soldiers, women and children lay scattered about as the platoon of soldiers navigated the streets, wary of the environment. It was quiet, save for the gentle breeze that filled the air with the foul stench of decaying bodies. In the distance, the faint sounds of explosions could be heard. The name 'Phoenix' echoed softly over the silent battlefield.
"There she is!" exclaimed a furry blue mutant.
Indeed, there was the figure of a young woman with long red hair standing peacefully amidst the chaos up ahead. With her back turned, they could see that she was clad in a shiny, red, spandex suit with golden gloves and boots, hovering gracefully over a mile-wide crater. Seizing the opportunity, a woman with white hair took to the air, hurling the largest bolt of lightning she could summon at the beautiful redhead. As the blue ray thundered through the sky towards Phoenix, it suddenly slammed into an invisible wall, fizzling into nothingness on impact. Growling in frustration, a young man charged a deck of cards, while another turned into solid ice, as they unleashed a fierce barrage of kinetically charged plastic and frozen light. To their dismay, their attack only slammed into the same impenetrable barrier, exploding harmlessly in mid-air.
Turning around, two perfect, jade eyes shone a bright, maniacal ashen as Phoenix lifted her assailants, the last defenders of earth, in an aura of orange energy. Slowly, she ripped them apart on the molecular level, clearly taking great pleasure in their piercing screams. Her laughter echoed through the city as their bones fell to the ground...
Irene Adler woke up from her premonition in cold sweat, her breathing ragged and uneven. None of her visions have ever been this real, so clear and vivid. Rogue... she was there too, one of those in uniform as this sadistic Phoenix creature ripped her apart in a cloud of blood. The blind woman broke down, sobbing quietly. Years of wisdom and knowledge disappeared as she considered humanity's bleak future.
In ten years...
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Scott was having the sweetest dream about stuffed tigers and red hair when his mattress started bouncing beneath him. Moaning in stiffness, the boy became aware that someone was in his room. Bringing a hand to his sleeping goggles, he opened his eyes lethargically to a crimson world that he knew all too well.
Jean was on his bed, on hands and knees, a bouncing ball of animated energy and red hair. Taking a glance at the clock, the young boy was informed that it was only 6:15 a.m - it was still dark outside. How anyone could have that much perkiness so early in the morning was beyond his comprehension.
"Come on Scott, wake up!" Jean chirped, playfully shaking his still form.
"What are you doing?" Scott groaned, flipping over on his stomach and shoving his head under the pillow. "At six in the morning!"
"What does it look like, Scott?" she asked, tugging on his arm. He blindly tried to fend her off from his spot below his pillow. Much to his annoyance, Scott was now very much awake.
"You really need to cut back on the sugar," her victim pointed out dryly as Jean continued her antics. She was getting impatient. "Come on!" Jean whined, this time successfully pulling his pillow out of his grasp. Unfortunately, she proceeded to knock him senseless with it, determined to punish him until he gave in to her demands. Scott noted, for a girl, she hit really, really, hard.
~Fiery temper, brutal beatings... Note to self: Don't get on Jean's bad side - will live longer this way~ Scott observed sleepily, finally holding up his hands in defeat.
"Alright! Alright!" Scott shouted, grunting exasperatedly as he got up and sat on the edge of his bed. It was then that he noticed what Jean was wearing - a simple nightgown that hugged her lavish curves wonderfully. Standing there with her hair mussed up and her arms crossed, Scott suddenly felt the urge to stick his head in a bucket of ice.
"Uh, why don't you get dressed, or shower if you want to - the bathroom's down the hall - then meet me downstairs in twenty?" he stammered, averting his gaze. He nearly jumped when the telepath reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling him up to a standing position.
"Okay, I'll see you then," she promised, dazzling him with a 500-watt smile before she sauntered out of his room.
~Wow~ Scott thought, safe behind mental shields. ~She is so incredibly beautiful~ In a wave of red hair, Jean disappeared down the hall. He spent several long moments staring at his empty doorway before shaking his head and getting dressed.
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Later that day, amidst a colourful mosaic of autumn leaves, Jean Grey sat on a stone bench alone with her thoughts. In just over an hour, her parents would be here, to pick her up. Two days ago, Jean would have been ecstatic at the fact that escape from this freak house was only sixty minutes away, but now she was having some second thoughts. Going back home meant going back to school. The warm environment here was the exact opposite of the one of ridicule among her fellow classmates.
Speaking of which, she'll have to go back to that hellhole tomorrow...
Getting up, her hair swayed a bit as it was caught in a warm, spring wind. A wolverine seemed to study her with curious eyes as Jean weaved through the intricate maze of carefully trimmed and sculpted bushes. Peering into the sky, deep ocean blue eyes seemed to stare back at her among a group of fluffy clouds. As the redhead finally walked out of the Institute's elaborate garden, she found herself thinking of each person she met over the weekend. Things have changed. The people here weren't so bad; in fact, they were among the nicest that she has met so far. They were certainly not freaks, the repulsive beings that she has heard so much about.
Her wandering led her unconsciously to the back of the mansion, where Scott was doing laps in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. Standing by its edge was Logan, and lounging on a chair nearby was Miss Monroe. They were obviously drilling Scott on something.
"Come on kid, you got one minute and three lengths to go. Keep push'n it!" Logan shouted to his student as the kid free-styled his way to a stone wall of the pool. In one fluid movement, Scott somersaulted under the water and kicked off of the wall, rapidly reversing his direction as he raced to finish the last 100 m of his swim.
"Think he'll make it?" Ororo asked, taking a sip of her lemonade.
"Probably - he still has almost two minutes left, actually," Logan answered, baring a toothy grin. "...and he could finish one length in half a minute anyway."
"What's Scott doing?" Jean asked as she approached. There were the sounds of light splashing as Scott cut through the water in perfect swimming form.
"Training to be an X-man," Logan replied, playfully ruffling her hair. "He's trying to complete a 500 m swim in six minutes. Shouldn't be too hard - I'd be finished by now, and I have metal bones."
"X-man?" Jean repeated, recalling the term from previous discussions and conversations between the instructors. Yeah, Logan mentioned something about them during the incident in front of the Danger Room.
"Yes, the X-men," Ororo repeated from where she was sitting a few metres away, smiling warmly at the young girl. "Professor Xavier's counter mutant-terrorist police force, to enforce his vision of a peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants."
The telepath noticed that Scott was just finishing the final leg of his swim. So, Slim is training to be a hero... Jean thought with amusement.
"And you and Logan are already part of this police force?"
Logan stopped his watch right when his student's hand slapped the stone edge of the pool to finish his half-kilometre run. Five minutes thirty-seven seconds - not bad. "Yeah Red. And the name's Wolverine. 'Ro's Storm," he replied as he walked over to the cooler, pulling out a cold bottle of beer. ~Time for a little break~ the Canadian thought as he took a seat in a chair beside Miss Monroe.
Jean caught the sight of a pair of familiar crimson glasses lying nearby. The afternoon sun reflected brilliantly off its rose-coloured lenses. "Well, are you done with him, then?" she asked, hoping for a little time with her friend alone.
"Who, Scott?" The redhead nodded. "Well, his DR session doesn't start until a little while later, so I guess you could take him," Logan said, taking a swig of his beer.
Their conversation stopped as all three of them turned to see Scott pulling himself out of the water. "Time?" he asked as he walked over, grabbing a towel along the way.
"5:37," Ororo answered proudly. He was coming along nicely as an X-man. "You are doing extremely well, Scott."
"Thanks." As Scott walked by Jean, two small hands suddenly grabbed him by the arm and started hauling him off towards the mansion. "Hey! Jean, what are you doing?"
"Come on, Slim!" Her grip was tight as she hauled him along the length of the pool. A little telekinesis ensured that there was no escape. Ororo and Logan exchanged an awkward glance at the name, 'Slim.' Wasn't that the name of her stuffed tiger?
"Why?" Scott's confusion mounted.
"I'm leaving in an hour, and my stuff still isn't packed yet. So you are going to help me," she replied, the tone in her voice leaving no room for argument.
"Alright - You just had to ask! What, did you really think I'd say no?" At his rhetorical question, Jean stopped dead in her tracks. Turning around, she started tracing a circle on the ground with a sandal, unable to meet Scott's eyes.
"Umm..." Jean nervously curled a scarlet lock around her finger. She didn't really know how to respond - her other 'friends' at school would've said no. In fact, they would do a lot more than that...
Scott noticed her discomfort and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, relax! I'd be happy to help you pack," he assured gently. She looked up and smiled sweetly, causing his blood to rush through his body at an unnatural rate. Jean almost reached over to hug him, but she didn't feel like getting wet. "You're the best," she said instead, staring deeply into his crimson goggles.
"Look," He gestured at his soaking wet swimming shorts as he walked back towards the pool. "I need to get changed. I'll be up in ten, okay?"
"Sure. Meet me in my room when you finish your next swim." Jean said absently as she turned towards the mansion. Before confusion could even register in his mind, Scott was tripped telekinetically and thrown back into the pool with a loud splash. His best friend laughed heartily before retreating through the mansion doors.
As Scott resurfaced, spitting out mouthfuls of chlorinated water, the two instructors looked on with raised eyebrows. "As I said before - like a wet paper towel," Logan remarked, smirking wolfishly. Ororo laughed.
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"What, you don't think it would be a cool codename?" asked Scott sarcastically as he walked alongside Jean. The pretty redhead giggled as they reached the stairs at the top of the big foyer.
"Honestly Scott, get real!" she snorted with laughter. "Blinkie?!?"
Before Scott could retort, John and Elaine Grey arrived and walked through the glass front doors of the mansion. "Daddy? Mommy!" Jean squealed as she bounded down the stairs and embraced her mother in a tight hug.
"Hey, there's my little girl," her father said fondly, threading his fingers through her scarlet curls gingerly, memories of their parting replaying itself in his mind.
"We missed you honey," Elaine told her softly as John picked up their daughter and spun her around in a tight embrace. At the sight of his best friend reunited happily with her parents, Scott felt his eyes water as it brought back memories of his own mother and father. The fact that he'll never experience such a reunion with his family struck him hard in the gut, literally knocking the wind out of him.
Gosh. Dad, mom, Alex - I miss you guys so much. If only I was strong enough to rescue you...
Grateful that his eyeblasts destroyed his tears, Scott took a moment to regain his composure. Taking a deep breath, he carried the two suitcases worth of Jean's luggage down the stairs to where the Greys were. Mr. Grey looked at him kindly, but his wife seemed to be scowling at him. He reached the bottom just as the Professor wheeled himself into the room.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Grey, it's good to see you again," Charles Xavier greeted his two guests cheerfully as John set his daughter back on her feet, albeit a bit dizzy.
"Nice to see you too, Charles. I take it that our baby girl wasn't too much trouble?" John asked. At his question, Scott looked down at his socks while Jean coughed to stifle a laugh.
"No, none at all," Charles responded, glaring at the two children. "In fact, it was a tremendous pleasure to look after Jean over the weekend. Shall we discuss her progress?"
The truth was, there had not been very much progress since Friday, when Jean arrived. Cerebro had clearly indicated that the girl was a level five Alpha-class mutant with tremendous potential power. Obviously, there can be little Charles could do to help her apart from the mental blocks that he had placed in her mind. It would be far better if Jean learned control of her powers herself and the best and quickest way to achieve this is to enroll her as a permanent student at the Institute. He hoped to convey this information without alarming her parents - "Hi, your daughter has the potential to be the most powerful mutant in the world and can fry our brains in a second flat" didn't seem to be the best way to break the news to them.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Grey was only interested in what could be done to contain her mutation; she certainly wasn't making this easier for either party. For some reason, the fact that Jean's powers couldn't be controlled was beyond her. "So, have you figured out what is wrong with our daughter?" the woman inquired.
"Mrs. Grey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your daughter. She simply has trouble controlling her powers, that's all," the Professor replied. Scott didn't like the way this discussion was going already.
Jean looked down, seemingly ashamed. As the adults continued to talk, she became more and more miserable until she was close to tears. Finally, Scott decided that this was enough. //Jean, why don't we go watch TV or something? Let's leave the adults alone to talk things over\\
"I know that!" the voice of an irritated woman snapped, very annoyed. "But is she better now?"
//Alright\\ the redhead replied, her sadness leaking through her telepathy. "Scott's going to show me something. We'll be back in a few minutes," Jean told her parents. Her voice was soft and her eyes were hidden behind a curtain of red hair.
"That's a wonderful idea," John agreed, glad that they'll have some privacy - Scott wasn't the only one who noticed Jean's dejected face. Maybe this boy could cheer her up.
Once out of the foyer and earshot, Scott turned to look at Jean. She looked like she was ready to cry. "Jean? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, swiping her eyes quickly with the heel of her palm. "It's just...I know its horrible of me, but even after listening to the Professor on how much good we can do, I wish I could just be normal and go home."
Holding her hands in each of his, Scott whispered softly, "Jean, that's not horrible at all. That's human - it's normal to feel that way." Looking deep into his ruby-quartz sunglasses, Jean was able to somehow find the twin pits of solar energy behind its dark lenses. Don't ask her how; Jean just did. Slowly, she walked into his arms, unknowingly submitting to a predestined fate. Subconsciously, she realized that Scott kept her grounded - he was her rock.
"Thank you. I don't know what I'll do if I never met you," Jean mumbled, her head resting on the crook of his neck. "Seriously, I was actually considering committing suicide this weekend."
"Jean, don't talk like that." Scott trembled a bit as he felt his lips brushing softly against her soft red hair. It all seemed so strange, these emotions. Jean made him feel alive, like a kid back when he still had his family, in the short while they've been together. He can't lose her now. "I won't be able to stand it if anything happened to you. You're my best friend, and we're going to look out for each other, just like you and Slim did."
This elicited a laugh from the redhead as she pulled back to stare at him. Scott made her feel so precious, so valuable. "I finally found you Slim, after so many years. My best friend; my stuffed tiger. I knew you were real." At her words, Scott started having flashbacks of the girl in his dreams. Somehow, it was like they knew each other before they even met - as if it was meant to be.
Scott and Jean.
Best friends forever.
The tender moment was interrupted by the Professor's mental call. "Well, it looks like you have to go now," Scott muttered, visibly depressed. "Will I see you again?" His voice was hopeful.
"Yes," Jean assured as she skipped back towards her parents. //Even if I have to fight my parents all the way, I promise I'll visit you again soon\\ She gave him one final wave before disappearing around a corner. Scott stood there in the empty hallway for several long moments, staring into empty space long after the vibrant redhead had left.
Turning, Scott started to make his way to the Danger Room. He hated to admit it, but he missed her already.