Thanks to:
Dragon Master – Glad you liked it so much!
Raphaella – Scott was naked in the first chapter too! I've spared him nudity here but then, I've got something more evil in store…
Goblyn-Queen – I love your screen name, why didn't I think of that? Glad you liked it!
Demonestress – There would be obvious advantages to dating Mystique – it would be like dating anyone Scott ever fancied at any given time! That would be cool…
Southern Goth Gal – Thanks sis! I think Scott might appreciate his own world a little more now – if he ever gets back there of course!
WayTooEvil – I'm glad you liked it!
Heartsyhawk – One more chapter after this one. Scott could never look at Jean in quite the same way again…Hey, I've got one of those hug-me jackets! I get let out of it a couple of hours every day so that I can write this stuff and encourage others to need them too…
Lyranfan – I tried to incorporate the iron idea into the chapter but I couldn't find a way around it – but the iron will be back in the final chapter! And there will be more Scott torment (he's so much fun to torture, ha ha!)
Randomnity – I robbed the wookie joke from a song! Pharaoh outfit huh? I get to borrow that next time I go to a fancy dress party!
Rogue14 – Scott and Jean's clone were married with a kid and Scott married Jean but they had no kids but they did in an alternate dimension – wow, Scotty has the most confusing life ever! Except maybe for Logan.
LadyEvils – Yeah, Scott getting paranoid every time Jean leaves his sight in case Mystique comes back would be funny! Trauma for Scott coming up!
Todd Fan – Scott blaming everyone but himself, that's so like him!
Spyder616 – The other dimensions Scott's may have sore feet from running through the snow but Mystique's Scott must have cold balls ;)
UncannyAsianGirl – Eww, Mystique can make pockets in her skin? I find that surprisingly distasteful. The 'defiantly' thing was a typo, my computer fixed my mistake automatically and I didn't notice – bad PB! I should proof read more closely. Rogue's gonna find some thing out about what Scott's been through but I doubt she'll be sympathetic…
TheDreamerLady – I had no idea that was Bobby's nickname! Scott's other power pissing off his dates would be cool. But he manages to escape that here. Kinda.
Disclaimer: None of the characters contained herein are mine. Well, I guess Forge's mummy kinda is. Does that count?
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Scott was afraid to open his eyes. He had no guarantee that he was home again and judging by some of the universes he had woken up in, there were scary places out there…
He was cold.
There was a definite draft coming from somewhere and he could hear the drip of water from nearby. The only part of him that was warm was his left arm and the left side of his body and that was because there was some one snuggled up beside him, keeping him warm.
With a feeling of dread, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he realised was that he could see in colour. Not the shades of red that he identified as colours but in actual colours. It was dark, but he could make out the white of the blanket that covered him and the pale skin of his arm with the dark coating of hair that he usually saw as a pale pink through his shades.
Suddenly unmindful of where he was or whom he was with, he reached a hand up to touch his face. Sure enough, he wasn't wearing his shades and yet he wasn't blowing anything up.
Elated, he sat up. Maybe this was the world for him. He'd always dreamed of being able to see the world properly and now he could. No matter where he was, surely he could win Jean over, take over leadership of the X-Men, get his life back and yet still have his sight.
"What are you doing?" The woman beside him sounded sleepy and she rolled over to face him. "You going somewhere?"
Scott gaped as he realised who he was sharing a blanket with. "Callisto?"
"What?"
"Uh…nothing." Scott scrambled from beneath the blanket and took stock of his body. He was wearing his jeans – it was way too cold to go without – but his stomach seemed fine. Then he got to his chest…
"GAAAAH!"
Callisto sat up and glared at him through her one good eye. "Why are you screaming?"
Scott glanced around and realised he was in the sewers. The dripping water came from a pipe leading to the water supply. The cold was due to the lack of heating or enclosed space. And his chest was covered in a bony plate that could only be described as spikes.
"Oh shit!"
"Scott, what is it?" Callisto approached him, looking concerned.
"Uh, nothing. How long have I had these spikes?"
"Ever since your powers manifested," replied Callisto in confusion. "You came down here when they became uncontrollable – have you got amnesia or something?"
"No, just wondered if you were going to get me something for the anniversary," replied Scott, rather proud of his inventiveness.
"You are so self absorbed!" Callisto put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, most of our food comes from dumpsters and you want presents for meaningless milestones?"
"Of course not! I was just, uh, joking."
"Oh. Well good." Callisto seemed unconvinced.
Scott took another look at the plates covering his skin and felt around his face. Sure enough, there were bony protrusions there to. "Um, Callisto, I have to go up there."
"Topside? Why?"
"I just need to talk to some one."
"Who?"
"Forge."
"Not again. Look, there's no way that Forge could invent something to control your mutation. Last time you mentioned it, you said you didn't want it controlled, you liked being the way you were."
"Yeah, I know. I just, uh…"
"This is about that spike through your penis isn't it? I told you, it looks rather fetching."
"Spike through my what!?" Scott got to his knees and cautiously looked down the waistband of his pants. "GAAAAH!"
"I don't see that it's a problem as long as it doesn't tear your pants," continued Callisto. "And you know it just grows back when you try to pull it out…Scott? Hey, where did he go?"
Scott fled through the sewers in a panic. No amount of vision was worth what was happening to his poor todge. He found a ladder leading to the surface and scurried up, shoving the cover off the manhole and emerging in an alley. He took two steps toward the street then stopped.
What if some one sees me?
He might have got clothes on this time but his upper body was covered in bony spikes. People would look at him and stare. On the other hand, he was used to that ever since the whole Sentinel incident. He couldn't stay in an alley until dark; he was just going to have to chance it.
Feigning nonchalance, Scott walked out of the alley and ran into Jean as she headed for a café nearby.
"Scott!" She looked surprised to see him. "It's been a while. How are you?"
"I've got a bone through my cock. You?"
"Uh…same as ever." Jean smiled, clearly at a loss for something to say. "How was your Christmas? Did Callisto like her iron?"
"Who wouldn't?" muttered Scott feeling slightly bitter. It was Jean's fault he was in this situation. If she'd been a little more grateful he would never have even been at Forge's house."
"Well, I have to go now – I'm meeting Evan for breakfast."
"Evan? Storm's nephew?"
"I know you haven't been with the X-Men for a while now, but I'd expect you to remember one of your old team-mates. Yes, Evan Storm's nephew."
Scott glanced down at his spikes. "Remind me, what's his power again?"
"Optic blasts. You've been living in the sewer too long if you can't even remember that. You know, you're welcome to come back to the mansion if you want."
"Right now, I have places to go and you have to meet Evan." Scott hesitated for a moment. "Are you two – dating?"
Jean grinned. "Yeah. As soon as I realised what a jerk Duncan was and how Evan was always around for me I began to feel differently about him. He's so sweet, gave me the biggest box of chocolates for Christmas and this ring…" She extended her arm so Scott could see the slim gold band on her forefinger. "Anyway, I'll be late. See you later!" She hurried into the café and Scott looked through the window jealously as she went over to the corner table and Evan stood up to kiss her cheek, wearing ruby quartz shades and totally spikeless.
"Wow, look at that guy!"
The whisper brought him out of his reverie and he hurried in the direction of Forge's house, ignoring the stares that his appearance caused. He was almost sorry for Evan having to go through the same thing every time he left the sewers, until he remembered the boy kissing his girlfriend.
Forge's house loomed up in the distance and Scott ran up and banged on the door. It was opened a minute or so later by Forge's mother.
"Uh, hi Mrs Forge," said Scott nervously. "I need to speak to your son."
"Come on in," she said, letting him in and walking behind him. Too close behind him. Scott jumped as she pinched his butt.
"What are you doing?"
"My hand slipped," she said, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Right, OK, uh…FORGE!"
Forge appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down at him. "Scott! Haven't seen you in an age. Since when did your spikes go out of control?"
"It's not the only thing out of control," muttered Scott as he felt a hand creeping across his buttocks. "Look, I'm from another dimension and I need you to get me home!"
"Forge!" Mrs Forge put her hands on her hips, much to Scott's relief, and glared up at the boy. "Did you test one of your dangerous toys on this nice young man?"
"Not in this dimension…"
"I don't care what dimension you were in! You are not to use inter-dimensional devices on others! Get down here and send this boy back to his own world and as soon as you do you are grounded."
"Aw, mom." Forge shoved his hands in his pockets and disappeared back into his bedroom.
"Now – Scott wasn't it? Can I get you something? Coffee, tea…me?"
"NO! Uh, no thanks Mrs Forge." Scott fled into the living room and sat a chair that gave the woman no opportunity to sit beside him. It was like the gay Forge universe all over again.
Forge wandered into the room with the gun that resembled a pink hairdryer. His mother folded her arms and glared. "You make sure you send him back to the right universe this time. Why can't you ever play nicely with your friends? This is just like the time you sent your history teacher back in time when he gave you a bad grade."
"I was ten!"
"That's no excuse. Now send Scott home!"
"Fine." Forge glared at Scott. "What universe are you from?"
"I have optic blasts, I'm leader of the X-Men and I'm dating Jean Grey."
"Yeah right," laughed Forge. "You and Jean, that's likely – OUCH!"
Mrs Forge swatted him across the head again. "Send him back to that universe."
"Fine." Forge fiddled with the gun, his mother leaning over his shoulder the whole time. She slapped his head again when he tried to set it to 'boyfriend' and sulkily Forge set it to the right setting.
"I want the old Scott back anyway," he said as he aimed the gun. "He wasn't an asshole."
Scott didn't get the chance to reply as the gun fired and he disappeared in a flash of blue light.
Mrs Forge glanced at the spot where Scott had been moments before. "Did you send him back to the right place?"
"Yeah yeah," said Forge. "At least I think so."
"You'd better hope so," replied his mother. "Because if he didn't you're grounded for a year!"
"How will you even know?"
"I'm like Santa – I know everything!"