Ya so, here's chapter 18. I couldn't write something I wanted to, so I gave up and wrote this. Hope it's not too bad. And I know I've said it a ga-billion times…. But the end is near… I hope you guys like this.

Thanks Chele for beta-ing of course.

(First week of October)


"Your suite is on the twenty forth floor to the left of the elevators Ms. Grey. You'll be over looking English Bay and sunset is at seven thirty five tonight." The suite clerk on duty, Karen, handed a set of key cards to the taller red haired woman across from her desk. "Shall I have someone bring up the rest of your bags?"

Jean smiled at Karen, but shook her head. "Thank you, but we'll be fine. We packed light." Jean patted the two duffel bags she had draped over her shoulders.

Karen beamed her practiced, yet genuine, smile. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay with us Ms. Grey. If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask." Jean thanked her once more before leaving for the elevator. Karen watched the quiet, younger woman with the distinctive white streak in her hair follow half a pace behind.

The elevator ride up was a swift one, and their suite was conveniently located nearest to the elevator.


"Wow. How did you get a place here?" Marie said, dumbfounded, as she walked wide-eyed into the beautiful, fully furnished suite that would serve as their home for the next ten days.

It was extremely spacious, with large windows offering a spectacular view of English Bay. Sound speakers were built into the walls, and from them came a soothing melodic piece. The piece held a hint of West Coast forest and ocean sounds and built a mood that reflected, successfully, the natural environment of Vancouver. The furnishings, done in various shades of forest green and ocean blues, only served to strengthen the temperate rainforest ambiance the music set up.

Jean slipped out of her shoes and went into the single bedroom. Like the outer parts of the suite, the bedroom was extravagant. A freshly made queen sized bed stood in the middle of the room and opposite was a beautifully painted, rustic cloths drawer. From inside, she replied to Marie's question.


"It wasn't too hard. October isn't exactly peak season, so rooms are usually available."

As Jean unpacked her clothing, she felt a sharp pang of guilt emanating from Marie. Marie had no idea how much this trip cost, but she knew it couldn't have been cheap. Two days ago, Jean and Rogue decided they had to get away from the tension in the Mansion. While any physical harm done to Rogue by Emma was no longer an issue, Marie couldn't be near Scott or Emma without being apprehensive. It was the same way with Jean. The telepath felt that if she didn't get away from the Mansion soon, even for a little while, she would lose control of herself. And losing was something she abhorred as a telepath and doctor. So, Jean bought a last minute ticket to Vancouver and booked a ten-night stay at one of Vancouver's four star hotels. Jean and Marie only told a few people they were actually leaving before they quietly slipped away early this morning. Anyone who had the slightest suspicion about a relationship between Jean and Marie would no doubt have their suspicion confirmed, but it mattered little to both women now.
The telepath stowed her emptied duffel bags away in the walk-in closet and went back to the main room. Marie was standing next to the main window staring out onto English Bay. As Jean walked up behind her, Jean could see the uncomfortable expression Marie had reflected onto the window. Jean wrapped her arms around the younger woman's waist.

"Forget about it. We're here to relax and enjoy life." Jean said softly, as she buried her cheek into Marie's soft hair.

The trip was indeed expensive, and it didn't even include the money that would be spent now they were here. But Jean didn't care. All her life, she had never been a frivolous spender. She just never felt the need to have stuff, and she also worked very hard at the things in her life. She had made her way through university completely on scholarship and now had a career that paid fairly well. Her bank account had been growing steadily, and originally Jean had entertained the idea of taking Scott on a surprise trip somewhere. That idea, however, was as defunct as their relationship.

"Yeah, but still..." Marie's sentence trailed off. Her biological family back in Mississippi did pretty well financially, but this trip was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Jean gave Marie a gentle, affectionate squeeze before disengaging.


"Go and unpack. It's not even noon here. We can go do some early exploring after you're settled in."

Marie took a second more to enjoy the breathtaking view before entering the bedroom. It was Jean's turn to look out onto the bay, and the view presented to her washed away the stress that dogged her only days before.

Yes, this is what we need. Jean thought to herself as an easy smile spread across her lips.

Her mind flittered back to that night with Marie, and Jean shivered as her body relived the exquisite experience.

Marie teased from inside the other room. She emerged a second later, smiling broadly with a twinkle in her eyes.

Jean laughed lightly as she turned to face Marie. "Nothing much." She lied.


"Liar." Marie said instantly. She would have said more, but her stomach let out a rude and sudden growl. Both women stared at Marie's belly, and Marie remembered that she was hungry.

"You should have eaten the food they had on the airplane."

Marie made a sour face. She hated airplane food and had watched it horror as Jean happily devoured both their meals.

Jean shrugged as she brushed a stray strand of white hair from Marie's face. It was probably true. She did spend an impressive amount of time in the air flying to and from press conferences or other mutant related matters.


"Do you want to go down to the restaurant near the lobby?"

Marie thought for a second. "No, that's too heavy. We could walk to the coffee shop we passed by. I think it's about three blocks up the street."

Jean nodded and briefly looked back out the window. "Bring your umbrella though. It looks like it's going to rain." ---

The next nine days went by far too quickly for Jean and Marie's liking. And true to the stories, it rained for the most part of Jean and Marie's stay. Still, the couple couldn't see enough of Vancouver. For the most part, they recaptured the carefree relationship they had in the summer and had even started up their training session at night. But like the summer, their euphoria could only be short lived.


It was the last night of Jean and Marie's get away, and they were training Rogue's new capabilities. Earlier that week, Jean predicted that Marie would be able to freely access and control the powers she had absorbed. Marie quickly set up the mental visualizations that she hoped to use to access the powers, but only tonight did Jean push her to make an attempt to access the abilities.

In Rogue's mind, Jean saw the visualizations Marie used and she mentally smiled at the method Marie used to. Jean saw a set of five doors. Each door symbolized a mutant power she absorbed, and while Marie had only touched three other mutants, Marie separated Logan's claws and healing factor from each other. She had done the same with Jean's telepathy and telekinesis. Each door was designed differently and showed an artistic side of Marie that Jean didn't know existed.

Magneto's door was made of plastic and was tightly locked by plastic pad locks. It was a power Marie apparently didn't want to access any time soon. This was the same with Logan's bone claws. A door cast in solid iron with metal chains wrapped around it represented the claws. For the healing factor, the door was a plain and made from oak. A light layer of frost framed the edges of the door. Jean figured the imagery had something to do with the environment in which Logan first rescued Marie. The final pair of doors was that of Jean's power. Both doors were a dark navy blue and enshrined in a wreath of light. Silver spiral designs ran up and down the length of the doors and neither door had a latch. The doors, had they been real, could be easily pushed open. Marie was 'standing' in front of one of these doors for the past little while, and Jean mentally encouraged Rogue to continue. Instead of continuing, Rogue opened her eyes to the real world. Jean opened her eyes as well. Both women were sitting cross-legged on their bed across from each other.

"I'm sorry." Marie said sadly.

Jean frowned. "We have to go back. But it won't be that bad. The professor will be back the day after we are. He'll deal with Emma and Scott."

Marie stretched out lengthwise on the bed and rested her head on the pillow. Jean followed suit.

"It's not just that. I'm sad because my life there is almost ending. Kitty, Alison, Bobby and the rest are all graduating and moving out. I don't want to have to stay there, but I have no where else to go."

Jean reached out with one hand and rested it on Rogue's rib cage. She felt the rise and fall of Marie's breathing.

"You could live on campus."

"I can't afford it." Marie glared a bit at Jean. She knew Jean was going to offer to pay for her fees. "No. I'll just deal with whatever I need to back at the Mansion. I could try moving home if I really had too. I don't know what my parents would do with me though."


Jean pressed her lips into a thin line before sighing, and Marie softened her gaze before speaking again. "Let's not have to talk about that until we get back. I'm sorry I brought it up. What time is our flight tomorrow?"

"Five thirty in the evening. We have a lot of time before we leave."

Marie lifted her head and kissed Jean.


"Yeah, we've got lots of time." She repeated, staring deep into the telepath's emerald eyes.

Review please. No angry reviews about how I should post faster though…. :P