A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I said I'd be updating more often. Technically, this is sooner than my last couple of chapters, but I'll try and do better next time!
Accidents
Jean and Scott made their way back to the mansion when it was getting close to the time that Xavier would return with the new girl. Scott told her about the request to talk to the girl about mutations, and how he wasn't quite sure how to handle it.
Jean reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a quick squeeze and dropping it. Scott could still feel her hand for a few seconds afterward. He swallowed hard.
"You'll do fine, Scott. Just be yourself."
"How original."
"How true."
They smiled at each other, as Scott pulled the door open for Jean. They headed toward Xavier's office as the butterflies in Scott's stomach started flying at superspeed. The door opened to reveal Xavier sitting near a young black woman with shockingly white hair. The combination was strange, but very striking. She looked as nervous as Scott felt, and his heart went out to her while the butterflies disappeared.
"Scott, Jean. This is Ororo Munroe. Ororo, Scott Summers and Jean Grey."
"Hi." Jean gave a small wave and leaned back against the wall. Scott didn't say anything, just smiled and closed the door.
"Hello."
"Well, if you two could show Ororo to her room, I would appreciate it. I'm sure you don't need 'the old guy' cramping your style."
The three of them laughed, although the newcomer still looked very nervous. Scott re-opened the door, letting the women walk out in front of him. He caught up to them in a second, and they walked side by side up the stairs.
"So how long have you two been staying here?"
Scott let Jean answer first, as after he answered he launched into some of his favorite stories of his first weeks with Xavier. He rightly guessed that he would have more comforting memories of what it was like at that time than Jean did. It eased some of his doubt when Ororo visibly started to relax around the two of them, although he figured it would still take some time before she felt truly comfortable around them and Xavier.
But it was enough to make him feel that maybe he could keep his promise to Xavier to make the new girl feel secure about her powers.
Jean must have figured he was done with his stories when he hadn't spoken in a while. She jumped in as they reached the door to the bedroom next to hers.
"So, Ororo. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are your powers?"
"From what Xavier told me on the drive here, I thought you would be able to tell."
"You mean my telepathy? Didn't Xavier explain the ethical restraints on telepaths like him and me."
Ororo smiled and looked away, embarrassed.
"Yeah, he did. I...I just kind of wanted to hear it from you, too."
"Understandable." Ororo led the way into her new bedroom, sitting down on the bed. Jean joined her while Scott sat down at the desk chair.
"Basically, when I'm sad it rains. When I'm angry, there's lightning. When I'm happy, it's perfect. When I'm scared, there are 50 mph winds."
"You control the weather?"
"Hopefully someday," Ororo sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Right now I feel like it controls me."
"I felt that way at first," Jean said, sending a significant look in Scott's direction. He jumped, feeling like the look had been a slap in the face.
"Me too." He cleared his throat and reached up to touch the side of his glasses. "In many ways, it always will control me. But Xavier, and the school for the blind, ... made me realize that it didn't have to control everything. Like Xavier told me once: our mutations aren't the only things that make us who we are."
The women were silent for a few seconds, letting what Scott said sink in. Then, Jean suggested she and Ororo run into town for anything she might need to buy. Scott begged off, recognizing that Jean was trying to offer "girl time".
Seeing them off, he instead jumped into the Jaguar and headed toward Warren's house. He knew Kim was going to be there, and he hadn't seen either in almost two weeks. He felt like a horrible slacker of a boyfriend. He cranked up the radio and headed out on the open road. He made the trip a lot faster than the posted speed limit would have allowed him to, but what the cops didn't see wouldn't hurt them. Sometimes a person just needed to drive fast, Scott thought as he smiled to himself.
Warren was apparently not feeling well, but that didn't upset Scott too much as it provided him and Kim with a perfect opportunity to wander the grounds by themselves. Whether it was holding hands, throwing an arm around her shoulders or pulling her toward him for quick kisses, he couldn't keep his hands off her and silently promised himself he wouldn't let this much time pass before the next time he saw her.
Kim was playful today, holding her cane off to the side and skipping forward haphazardly. Scott laughed along, relishing the beauty of the day's weather and the contentment in his heart. That happiness evaporated in a second as he saw Kim trip over a root and start to fall. Lunging forward, he grabbed her arm, trying to keep her from falling all the way down. As she felt his hand on her arm, she felt safe again and started to laugh at her own stupidity. Twisting around, she swung her other arm around to hug him.
And instead of going around his neck, her hand brushed the side of his face. As his glasses slid from their customary position, it seemed to be happening too fast to stop and yet insanely slow at the same time. His heart stopped; he shoved Kim away from him, looking up and away.
He heard the destruction of the tree branches above him. Pulling his glasses back into their proper place, Scott breathed hard, almost throwing up as he thought about how close he had come to hurting Kim.
He turned back toward her. And his heart stopped beating. And he did throw up. Because when he pushed her away from him, she had tripped over that same branch. And when she had tripped, she had fallen. And when she fell, she hit the back of her head against a rock.
And there was blood everywhere.
A/N: Hee Hee. How do you like that cliffhanger?
