Standard disclaimer: I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them for our entertainment.

Scylla and Charybdis

Part 9 - Junior Year: Setting Course

Scott returned to Manhattanville from Christmas break still with a grin on his face. Not only had he and Jean maintained their relationship easily over the semester, but he had also gotten the best surprise present of all. A miracle had happened -- his long lost brother Alex had been located and Scott had spent two weeks of the vacation with him and his adoptive family in Hawaii. On top of that, it was discovered that Alex, too, was a mutant. Alex would be coming to spend some time with him at the Institute in the summer.

Scott Summers had a family. Not only the family of the Institute, but blood relations as well. He also had the beginnings of a career. The Professor began laying the groundwork for turning the Institute into an actual school. While private schools weren't required to have teachers certified by the state of New York, both Scott and Ororo decided to go for full certification. The paperwork was mind numbing to Scott, but it was goal.

He thought back to the recent past. Less than five years ago, he was a runaway, with no home, family, or future. Now he had a home, a brother, friends, and a vocation. Scott settled back and put his mind and talents into becoming the best damn math teacher in the state of New York.

x x x x x

Jean rolled over and looked at the clock. It was four a.m. She turned to the young man beside her and laid her head on Scott's shoulder with a contented sigh. She loved sleeping with Scott. Apart from the sex (which was great), she loved having his warm body next to her and better still, his solid mind that didn't broadcast out to her.

Their mental link was even stronger now. It should have dissipated during the time when they were apart, but it hadn't. Jean knew she should investigate why, but investigating would mean involving Professor Xavier, and she didn't want to do that yet. She suspected he'd want to break the link before it got too strong, and she didn't want that to happen either. Now they were seeing each other on a regular basis again, the telepathic connection between them was firm enough where Jean was able to teach Scott some techniques in using it. He was surprising good at it.

Scott shifted in his sleep, making her smile. For more than anything else, what she loved about being with Scott was the feeling of safety. Which was odd, when you considered his optic blasts could blow her to kingdom come. But he was careful and Jean made sure he knew she trusted him. And that made all the difference in the world.

Listening to Scott's steady breathing, she drifted back to sleep.

x x x x x

That morning they had breakfast together before Scott had to leave to get back to Manhattanville. Breakfast was another perk of his presence -- he got them up early enough so there was time to eat, instead of running out the door with a cereal bar and a coffee travel mug.

Scott sipped the hot coffee while he glanced at the paper. Jean noticed he was looking in the real estate section. "I've been thinking," he began. "Maybe I should move out of the dorms next year. Maybe -- we should move in together."

"Move in here?" she asked. "Commute to school from Manhattan?"

"What do you think?"

"I'd like to live together," she acknowledged. "But it's a 40 minute commute on the best of days from here. Maybe we could split the difference and find an apartment between Columbia and Manhattanville."

"That would be Yonkers," Scott stated drily. "But -- are you sure you could handle a commute like that? All those people, every day?"

It was the first time Scott made an allusion to her breakdown. "I'm not made of glass, Scott Summers," Jean flared. "I'm fine now. Don't treat me like I'll break."

"Fine," Scott said, capitulating. "Yonkers it is."

"Fine," she repeated and then looked at him again. "You really want to live together? I have a hell of a temper."

"Gee, I hadn't noticed," Scott remarked. "Yes, I really want to live together. I want to stay with you. Manhattan, Salem, -- or Yonkers. I want to be with you."

"Me too," Jean acknowledged as she sipped her coffee. She would later remark that this conversation was her first marriage vow.

x x x x x

Being in college, however, had not meant Scott and Ororo had stopped working to thwart mutants intent on chaos and exposure. During Scott's three years at Manhattanville, they had gone on several "recoveries" and more than one "mission." The aftermath of this latest mission found Scott and Professor in the basement, discussing the whole scheme.

The basement of the mansion had original been excavated and enlarged to provide laboratory space for Xavier's physicist father. Over the years, Charles Xavier had extended the original work so that the basement actually covered a larger area than the mansion above it. Scott was mostly familiar with the laboratory, where he and the Professor now sat.

Scott finished the story with a deep sigh of annoyance and disgust. They had barely gotten out alive and certainly had not succeeded in their mission. However, they had caused enough damage where it would take several months for the mutant in question to rebuild his operation. But Scott was getting tired of just getting out alive.

"Professor, I think we need to face facts," he stated firmly. "We're amateurs. You need professionals and I don't know how you're going to get them. Professional training for us would be great, but I don't know how that's going to happen. It's not like you can send us to Commando Camp."

Professor Xavier blinked. "Perhaps I can," he said.

Scott was floored. "You can't be serious."

"I am," the Professor stated firmly. "You and Ororo can be trained here; I can find someone to train you."

Scott gave up the conversation there. "Good luck," he muttered as he went back to his room.

x x x x x

A few weeks later, Ororo graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a double degree in History and French. As with Warren's commencement ceremony, everyone from the Institute came and so did Warren. Jean came with Scott, underlining their relationship even more.

At the party at the mansion, Scott and Ororo happily chatted about the graduate program she'd be starting in August and the paperwork involved in being certified teachers.

Jean was serving the cake and handed a slice to the Professor.

"So what do you think of our plans for a school?" he asked her.

"I think it's great," she replied. "We really need one."

"Are you interested in playing a role?"

Jean was dumbfounded. "As what?"

"We'll have almost a dozen children to start, and I have no doubt the school is going to grow," Professor Xavier explained. "A resident physician would be very useful. And you'd be able to continue your laboratory work here."

"I hadn't thought about it," Jean admitted. "I really hadn't thought much about what I was going to do after my residency ends, since -- I had to change things." While Jean enjoyed working in the lab, she had always wanted to work with patients. There was a part of herself that considered lab work not being a real doctor. Was she going to be able to follow her dreams in spite of everything?

"Well, think about it," the Professor advised. "The position is here if you want it."

x x x x x

On their way back to the city, Jean told Scott of her conversation with the Professor. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I think it's a good idea," Scott confessed. "But what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Jean sighed. "I wish I did. I guess, if my plans hadn't changed so abruptly ..."

"Didn't you say you enjoyed Pediatrics?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," she admitted. "Pediatrics was my second choice, after Internal Medicine."

"Do you think this would be a good opportunity to do both?"

Jean pondered that. "I have to admit," she said. "That's an appealing idea. I could work in the lab and work with patients. Since it's a more controlled environment, I probably wouldn't have any -- problems."

"Sounds like you've made up your mind," Scott said.

"I guess I have," she replied. She grinned. "Do you think the Professor would let us live together at the mansion?"

"I've spent the night with you already and he hasn't pitched a fit," he said drily. "And if he doesn't like the idea, we can get an apartment somewhere."

"Sounds like a plan," Jean said as she smiled inwardly. She was going to get to be a real doctor again after all.

x x x x x

Scott had intended to spend the first part of the summer with Jean in New York, but for the first two weeks of summer break, Scott was back at the Institute. "Commando Camp" wasn't too far off. He and Ororo were given intensive training in military-type operational techniques and tactics. It was mind blowing to Scott to think of the things Charles Xavier could arrange.

Their instructor was a former special ops Army officer. Professor Xavier told him that he was teaching bodyguards tactics that would be useful not only to keep the Professor safe, but also to extract him from a kidnaping situation. Charles Xavier was an extremely wealthy man; it wasn't an usual request nowadays. Their instructor didn't appear to notice when their training sessions deviated markedly from simple bodyguard maneuvers. A little mental manipulation went a long way.

Both Scott and Ororo did very well. They looked back in horror at some of their past missions and realized dumb luck had been on their side more often than not. They continued to practice during the summer and Professor Xavier made a list of more advanced training they would be receiving. The Professor had had a very upsetting luncheon with an old friend and he now had no doubt that their views were going to diverge violently before too long.

x x x x x

The rest of the summer was taken up with Scott's reunion with his brother Alex. The first part of the visit was spent sightseeing with the Masters, Alex's adoptive parents. The second part was spent working with Alex's mutant gift. As Scott had realized in Hawaii, Alex had a significant level of control already. He advanced quickly working with the Professor and Ororo. Scott had almost no role to play in these sessions; he had no natural control over his mutation. He tried to hide his mounting resentment -- and wasn't always successful.

On top of that, Lorna Dane had fallen head over heels in love with the young man and had changed her college plans to merge with his. Given that Scott considered Lorna to be like a baby sister, that had freaked him out more than anything else. But Jean helped him cope with the situation and no damage was done (literally or figuratively). So, while the visit wasn't a complete success, it wasn't a total failure either. The brothers parted affectionately and Alex agreed to come back the following year.

x x x x x

In August, Scott broke the news that he and Jean would be moving in together to Professor Xavier. They had found an apartment in Yonkers which almost evenly split the distance between Columbia and Manhattanville. He received the information calmly. Scott had offered to use his inheritance (the money from his parents estate, which Alex's adoptive parents had safeguarded for him) to pay for his last year at college, since he knew the Professor still didn't approve of the relationship, but Professor Xavier only scoffed.

"Scott, I told you when you began college I would support you there and I will continue to do so," he said. "If you choose to pay rent as opposed to paying the college room and board, that is your decision. I will deposit money into your account to cover your tuition, fees, and other expenses, just as I did last year. I do not wish to discuss the money any further."

Moving wasn't a problem. Jean didn't have a lot of furniture and Scott had even fewer possessions. A small rental truck took care of Jean and one trip to the Institute saw Scott moved in. When they were finished bringing in the last box, they stood in the middle of the tiny living room and laughed. They had a home of their own.

x x x x x