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CHAPTER 13: IMPURE THOUGHTS
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It was a morose thing for her to do, yet she could not help herself. The mutant known as Jean Grey-Summers was sorting and organizing the old photo albums of herself and her estranged husband. Her face was deceptive as it passively looked over the images of dinners, picnics, gatherings, and silly snap-shots. It was only at their wedding picture that she began to cry.
She wanted to hate Emma for all she had done to break her and Scott apart. But she could hardly blame the woman for desiring and possessing the same man Jean had for years. But the redhead could blame herself for letting the man go. True, Scott had shied away from her after his ordeal with Apocalypse, but Jean felt she could have been more open. She felt she should have stayed by his side, nagged him till he had to tell her what was wrong. But she had been passive. Given him too much space. Waaayy too much space.
Jean sobbed and grabbed a photo to vent her frustrations on. But before acting, she gazed at the image. This wasn't one of her and Scott, just of Scott. It was summer, and he had dressed accordingly. Baggy denim shorts, no shirt. He looked absolutely beautiful. His expression was sweet. She had snapped the photo herself, and he had been looking at her rather than the lens. Because of this, there had been a hint of desire in that handsome smile.
Jean missed that. She missed him looking at her like that. She missed him making her feel like that. Feel. It had been so long since she'd felt loved or wanted. She gently touched a finger to her lips in an attempt to remember Scott's kiss. She nearly started crying all over again when no old memory would comfort her. And she needed comfort--badly.
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Remy LeBeau gently knocked on the newcomer's door. Having given fair warning, he entered.
"Jeanne?"†
"Oh! Gambit!"
"Y'can ju's call me Remy, chere," he noted her tears, " Have y'been cryin'?"
"Oh, it's nothing--just looking at old pictures and reflecting over...changes." She held in her impulses to announce her frustration.
"You okay, petite?" He frowned at her strange behavior.
Unable to take anymore, she collapsed, crying into his shoulder. Remy held onto her awkwardly. He and Jean had never been very close. Even after Scott's absorption with Apocalypse when he had led the team, he still hadn't reached out to her anymore than she needed. Having her hugging him and crying on him was not something he would have predicted on the day's list of events.
She sobbed into his shirt.
"I...I was so angry, Remy. I wanted to hurt him--I've never wanted to hurt him. But he'd been so cold, so --not Scott--that I didn't know what to do. He hasn't even kissed me in weeks except for appearance's sake. I...he wouldn't even hold me for so long..."
She hugged him closer, and warnings alarmed in Remy's head. Slowly, but firmly, he took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him.
"Jeanne?"
She looked into his eyes. He could feel the slightest psychic nudge in the back of his mind.
"Stop."
Jean blinked. It wasn't exactly the most comforting thing she'd ever heard him say.
"I know where dis is goin', chere, an' trust me, y'don't want it. If you really need help, I'll be here; an' so will Stormy an' de rest of de team. But I will not replace y'husband."
With those words, he turned and stormed out of the room.
Jean crumpled on the couch, and began crying all over again into the cushion, horrified at what she had just nearly done.
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They had done it. Rogue and Franklin brushed off the top of the old book case. It now held their academic activities for the year in it. The schooling would begin tomorrow. Rogue couldn't wait to tell Remy of their discoveries.
Everything seemed convenient as she heard him coming down the hallway.
"Hey Rems! Wanna see what the cat dragged--"
"Chere, we need to talk."
She blinked at his abrupt interruption. The southern bell noted the grim expression on his face. Something was horribly wrong.
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Something felt exceedingly right. Maybe it was the sunlight, perhaps the fresh scent of the carnations in the garden, but for Ororo Munroe it was the pure sense of freedom. At the moment she was recalling an old children's rhyme... no more teachers; no more books; no more teachers' dirty looks...
The wind rider had always thought herself above such childish sentiments, but she couldn't help identify with the giddy excitement of a school child at the beginning of summer. With Logan gone, and her numerous hours of therapy, she now possessed a clean bill of health that no one could dispute. At that moment, the sun shone brightly in the Louisiana sky.
Then a dark cloud formed. Davis. She wanted to have him with her to share the moment. Unfortunately, his therapy hours were far from completed. But then again, wasn't it Logan who had assigned him all those therapy restrictions? And wasn't Logan now gone? With an impish smile she called on the winds to lift her to the upper window.
She could see the Australian surfer quite clearly from her vantage point. He had greatly improved. The bandage around his head was now gone, and he had regained much of his former grace in a few short days. She noted his calm expression. He had healed in both body and soul from the looks of it. She knew he longed for his surf board and a strong wave, but he seemed to be handling the balance beam quite well.
He held his arms out evenly and crouched slightly as he slowly treaded across the thin wooden plank. Upon reaching the end, he straightened and retraced his steps in a quicker manner. The third time, he held his arms in and attempted to walk casually across the beam; halfway through, he tripped and fell.
She nearly broke the window in trying to open it. But he then picked himself back up, and re-mounted the beam. The noise she had made at the window had alerted him to her presence, and he winked at her from where he stood. He then walked across the beam as though it had been an ordinary sidewalk. Leaping off the beam, he strolled over the ledge where she sat. He opened the window and smirked.
"See somethin' yeh like, Ororo?"
"No. I see someone I like, which is even better."
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"So that's why yeh were so interested in the LeBeau case?"
"...Yes."
Bishop had hesitated to answer in the affirmative. Teri was already trying to process the fact that he was a mutant. Telling her that he personally knew the thief that had been framed for an old crime-lord's murder would probably be over-doing it.
She had taken the news well so far. He had begun by asking what her view on the 'mutant thing' was. She had replied that she didn't have a view. She'd never met a mutant, so she had no reason to form an opinion about them in general. He had then informed her that she had met a mutant by meeting him. Her eyes had widened in surprize, and she had been speechless for a bit. Then she began asking questions.
"So what is it that you can do, exac'ly?"
"I can absorb and store energy for later use. It won't protect me from a bullet or anything, but it's pretty affective against lazers and ray guns."
"So when we went in to arrest the mafia members, yeh really were in as much danger as me?"
"Yes."
"Hunh. Jus' thought most mutants were invincible or somethin'. Guess I was wrong."
"Are you...okay with this?"
"Yeh mean with ya bein' a mutant?"
"Yes."
"Sure."
Bishop smiled. He hadn't felt this great since the last time he had polished his gun collection.
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Author's Notes: I guess some people are wondering: "Was there a point to that scene with Jean?" Ohhh...sorta. This is my first time trying for something this dramatic. I wanted to push my limits in portraying relationships. Thing is, Jean's pretty messed up right now. I know a lot of people hate her, and I think that's because of X-men:Evolution. The show inacurately depics her as a 'perfect little cheerleader'. But that's not who Jean Grey is. She's an X-man who suffers as much as anyone on the team. As for the trouble she's caused this chapter, hopefully it will only make Rogue and Remy's relationship stronger. As for the others, I'm having fun toying with their hearts too. See ya'll next chapter. Please review!
†Jeanne: I think it's sort of a French pronounciation of "Jean". I've seen it used in fanfiction and I'm fairly certain that Remy has also called her by this name in the comics. It's just another form of friendly endearment, like "chere" or "petite".
