Please, remember that I'm French so I had to translate the whole fic before making correct it (thanks to ET and Double27) and mistakes always goes through.
Thanks for the ones who have reviewed !! :
Aimtbj : the answer to your question : does the life really worth a try ? MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks !
Lexan : you will see, you will see MUAHAHAHAHAHA. Thanks !
Slicky : you'll have to wait and read in order to know that MUAHAHHAHAHA...ok that's enough of evil laugh lol... Thanks !!
The weather was cloudy, the rain was threatening, but Storm hadn't the strength to remedy to that, and what would sunshine mean for a day like this one? Here, the nature seemed to sympathize with their grief…or to show cruelty, all depended of the way to see it.
The clearing, situated on a slight mound, was surrounded by scattered trees and looked out on the far end of the lake skirting the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters' vast property. An engraved stone memorial had been brought by Beast and placed in front of the stretch of water, where it would witness a beautiful sun-set each evening.
The most part of the students was casting sympathetic glances at the Doctor Grey who they were seeing again for the first time since four days. The smiling Jean of the Monday's morning had disappeared, the one they had in front of them was only a mere shadow of her former self. A pale skin, silent tears slipping down her cheeks, her glance locked on the monument making official which could have been, until now, only a nightmare ; she was supported by Ororo who had preferred not to release her by fear to see her collapse.
Jean was aware that some people were paying theirs homage to Scott, by hailing the man, the brother, the instructor, or the leader of the X-Men, but she wasn't able to seize their meaning, only their emotions which were adding onto hers. She was here without really being here, as if she was projected in another dimension, like if her mind wanted to come apart from this reality she couldn't accept. Tears, she didn't even know she had more, kept on perpetually fall down her cheeks; she was gripping the stem of the red rose which had been given to her like to all those other present.
The homage seemed to have come to an end, a silence had replaced them, only disrupted by some sobs here and there. After this minute of silence, each one in turn put a rose at the feet of the memorial in an unending funereal procession.
- "Jean ?" Ororo asked her by accompanying this name with a move of head toward the monument.
The young woman briefly shut her eyes and slowly shook her head, she wasn't ready, not yet. Storm respected her decision and –after having made sure that Logan wasn't far away– released her friend for going to, at her turn, put her flower on the marble of this symbolical tomb. In the way, she exchanged some comforting words with Alex who had just made his good-byes to his brother for the second time of his life. The young man, then, turned himself toward his girlfriend and went up alone to Jean, his big brother' soul mate. He knew that no one word could describe what he was feeling, so he simply fraternally hugged her and she answered to it with the strength which remained to her. Alex felt the young woman's tears dampening his shirt and let some of his fall down. After some instants, he released his embrace, took her hands in his and said to her by achieving to win her glance:
- "Courage"
A simple word, but she couldn't have bore more. She bit her lower lip, in an attempt to restrain her tears, and slowly nodded. Alex placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and joined the others who have moved back to let the place for the young woman.
Jean seemed to hesitate for an instant, but ended up by moving forward at her turn toward the last residence of her love. For those present –except for the Professor Xavier whose telepathy was warned by a sort of droning sound which he identified as it immediately– she stayed silent, but it wasn't the case; the words Jean declared, she did it through this bond which linked her to Scott and which, henceforth, will remain forever empty. She put at her turn the rose she had so much gripped in her hands, started to rise with a wanting to run her fingers on the stone, but didn't remember having done it, and for a very good reason… An exclamation shook the group as the young woman collapsed on the ground.
- "For Christ's Sake !!" burst Logan, quickly joining her side, followed by Hank and Ororo, the Professor being handicapped in his moves by his wheelchair.
- "Jean ?"
- "Is she all right ?" asked some of the students.
They didn't obtain an answer. Doctor Mc Coy was checking Jean's vital signs but found nothing alarming.
- "It's nothing. The emotions and the hypoglycemie combined weakened her, it was rather foreseeable" he said, lifting her as if she only weighed a few grams.
He turned himself toward the Professor:
- "I take her to the infirmary and I'll put her on perfusion to make her regain some strength"
Charles nodded and let Hank move off.
- "Don't worry, she's fine, it only was a slight indisposition" he said to comfort his students.
Guided by Storm, the mutant group started to return, letting the Professor at his turn say his goodbyes to Scott, the one who he always has –during all these years– considered as his son. Logan respectfully stayed in the background, waiting for the powerful telepath to end to assist him during the way back toward the Institute, the wheels of his chair having a tendency to spin uncontrollably on the wet grass which a fine rain was starting to moisten again.
Alex didn't linger at the Institute and was off to Hawaii again with his girlfriend this same evening, after having saluted the ones Scott considered like his family and having make sure Jean was physically better. He asked somebody to tell her that she could call him whenever if she felt the need to.
Some minutes after the dinner, Logan left at his turn for a ride without really knowing how long it may last and thus the Professor convened Storm and Beast in his office.
- " Ororo, Hank, I have asked you to come because I would want you to resume the school sessions' as early as tomorrow ; I think it's not a good idea to let the students become inactive, we have to keep their minds busy, to show them that life carries on"
- "Yeah, I'm supportive of your opinion" approved Mc Coy "We can begin slowly at the start"
- "In any case I doubt they manage to concentrate a lot" made notice Ororo.
- "At the beginning, certainly" conceded Charles before going on "I will take over Scott's class, until one of the most gifted in this subject takes over, in which case I would be satisfied with only seconding him or her. I will take care too of the students with psychic powers Jean had taken charge, until she feels prepared to resume their training herself"
- "And me, I'll take over her weekly class of genetics" purposed Hank "After all, this is in my line"
The Professor nodded.
- "Good, I will inform the students by telepathy that the classes will be resumed tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. For the danger room sessions, we will discuss restarting them at a later date. Be that as it may, they know they can talk to us if they need it" declared the Professor before tackling another subject "Have you brought back Jean to her bedroom ?"
- "Yes, I've well purposed to her to stay with us in the living room, but I haven't been really successful" answered Storm.
- "She was exhausted in any case, this day has been difficult for everybody" said Hank.
- "Yes" nodded the Professor in a deep voice.
The next day, as planned, the classes had been resumed for the Xavier's School for
Gifted Youngsters' young students. Outside, despite a summer day far better than the previous one where a brilliant sun was warming the stones of the building, no mutant was provoking a power combat's with some of his fellows, no one devil-may-care basketball match or animated bathe in the swimming pool was taking place, all was silent except for the water's rolling squirting out of the fountain surmounted by a statue of an angel situated in front of the Institute.
The sound of a motor made itself hear and increased as it was approaching; quickly, the shape of a motorbike took form in the distance. Wolverine passed round the building and, in a last throb, entered in the garage where he parked his high cubic capacity at its usual place, leaning on its stand. In a rapid move, he took off his helmet, caught it on the handlebar and was about to leave when something attracted his attention….a car was missing and not whatever one…
To be continued….
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