Thank you for all the reviews they were wonderful!
Diaz F: You're right, the moment was moving a little too fast for Jean, like she'll say later, Scott is the first man she's ever truly found herself in love with and that she can actually love him an he loves her in return scares her.
Mark C: Thank you! Scotty is a sly one I like him that way, I like him all mysterious… No I'm kidding. This is something new for Jean and she doesn't want to get hurt she just wants to love Scott and have him love her in return for who she is, not what she is. And good luck on your new story!
Ingrid: Ha ha! Scotty "fell" for Jean. Don't say that about yourself, though, you sound like a very nice and splendid person and I also appreciate everything you have to say about my stories.
Wen1: Jean is just scared of where her reaction with Scott could lead, she doesn't want it to go too fast and then they break up and she's left with nothing but a broken heart and possibly a death wish.
Slickboy444: Hey, its you again! You're one of my favorites. I started reading the new chapter in "Hanging By A Moment" I got about halfway through it and then my darling mother came downstairs at 11 P.M. and told me to get my arse in bed and that I better drag it out in the morning. Well I did, at ten to six, and then got started on these. Yes there will be quite the spectacle with Duncan and Taryn don't you fret!
And thank you to Crystal, Elizabeth, Telepathic Angel, BookJunkie, and ww( )
All I Ask Of You belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber. For those of you who know the song you know that it's a duet and whose part is whose.
Chapter 5: Secrets Revealed
The bright moonlight that fell across the Xavier Institute grounds helped cast long shadows from trees. The grandfather clock inside chimed one A.M., as it finished its toll, the onlysource of noise around, a door opened quietly and shut just as quietly. A pair of bare feet plodded down the thickly carpeted hallway making not a sound. Moonlight filtered in through the long glass window at the end of the hall casting an eerie glow throughout the hall. Another door opened silently and stayed open. The figure lurking in the doorway stepped out and followed. A hand reached out and grabbed the wrist of the person walking down the hall. A gasp told him exactly who it was.
"Jean?" Logan was surprised to see her out of bed. "What are you doing out here so late?"
"I... Icouldn't sleep." Jean stammered.
"Where are you going?"
"I was just walking, Logan, please I just want to be alone." Jean turned but Logan wouldn't let her go.
"What's wrong, Jean?"
"Nothing…I…" Jean couldn't finish her sentence, she stammered out the last part so low that Logan couldn't hear. "Can I go, Logan?"
"Sure, Red." Logan released Jean's wrist and allowed her to go. "If you ever need to talk, Jean…" Logan left his sentence there.
"Thanks, but I'll be ok." With that Jean continued down the hall leaving Logan only to return to his room. Jean stopped and looked back to make sure Logan was nowhere in sight then opened the door before her and shut it. More moonlight poured in through the windows here and fell across the bed painting the figure asleep in it in a silver glow. Jean stood there her hands shaking and her breathing quick. She began walking over to the bed, but the figure moved and Jean took a step back. She suddenly forgot why she was there and it frightened her to be seen. Jean didn't know what to do, she began walking backwards toward the door watching the bed lest the figure shouldsee her, she wanted to get out before that happened. Jean didn't know, however she was already seen.
Scott lie in the bed facing the window and watching the clouds move across the moon slowly, hypnotically. He had heard his door open and rolled over, pretending to be asleep and only moving in sleep, and saw Jean standing there draped in a nightgown covered by a thin white robe. Scott's breath caught in his throat when he saw her and the way the moonlight fell around her making her seem like an angel sent from Heaven. Then to his surprise she began to back towards the door, opened it behind her, and disappeared through it. When she was gone Scott breathed deeply through his nose as he rolled onto his back and folded his hands behind his head. What had happened between them that afternoon that made her run, most likely in fear? That was why Scott couldn't sleep, his mind was continually running over the few minutes that they had had in the library together. Scott knew he did indeed feel something for Jean, but he just couldn't make heads or tails about what is was.
Scott lay there for another hour or so going over and over in his mind every scenario he could think of that would make sense as to why Jean would be scared. He ran through scenarios of what their kiss could have led to if she hadn't run out. Scott's mind began to wander down a road he had taken in his dreams several times; a road that included him and Jean together, happy and in love. Scott sometimes let his dreams just take him away and he saw himself with Jean sitting somewhere cuddled tightly in each other's arms and talking quietly of things, their future together perhaps. Scott didn't know, and he knew that tonight he wasn't going to be having those dreams, that tonight he was going to dream of a Jean that was horrified to even be around him.
Scott didn't want to dream about that, he wanted to dream about a Jean that loved him as much as he loved her. Scott wanted to tell Jean so many things yet he knew that there was the chance that she may run out again. Scott didn't fall asleep until almost three in the morning, he didn't want to sleep but exhaustion overtook him and his eyes shut behind his night goggles. His mind slowly sent him into a dreamy state and he saw himself and Jean sitting in the library exactly as they had been that afternoon. Jean appeared relaxed. The moment came when they shared that simple kiss, and Scott suddenly found himself seeing things from Jean's perspective. Jean had liked the kiss, had liked where it was leading, and then they parted and Scott saw himself try and kiss her again. Jean had pulled away only because their position suddenly reminded her of a situation from her past where she had been hurt, not only emotionally but also physically. That was why she had run, deep down she was afraid of being hurt again.
Yet, Scott had told her that he wouldn't hurt her, but Jean didn't trust people until they trusted her. She honestly had forgotten how to trust. Now Scott had something else in his hands, a mission. He would help Jean learn to trust again, he would help her learn to love again. He knew that it could take him down that road, but he also realized that while he would try and help Jean that she may fall in love with someone else and forget about Scott completely. But if that should happen and Jean was happy, Scott would feel content knowing that he had helped Jean be that happy, and to finally see a true smile on her face, not one that she put on simply so everyone thought she was happy, would be the greatest reward Scott could receive...
The next morning after his shower, dressing in some clean clothes, and feeding himself, Scott went in search of Jean. It took him nearly an hour before finally tracking her down to the one of the more secluded common rooms, whose only other occupant was a white grand piano, at which Jean sat with her back straight and fingers playing melodically over the keys. Scott recognized the music almost immediately.
"Good morning." He said quietly as he walked in.
Jean looked up in surprise, she hadn't "heard" him coming, nor had she sensed him in the doorway. "Hey, you can sit." She offered him the seat next to her on the bench, Scott took it. After a minute of uncomfortable silence Jean turned to him. "About yesterday,"
"Don't worry about it, I understand."
Jean seemed surprised. "You do? I mean, you're the last person I would expect to understand being that you're the one I ran out on."
"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal. So what are you playing?"
"The Phantom of the Opera. Just some pieces."
"All I Ask Of You?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
Scott shrugged. "Amara and Kitty have been playing the movie soundtrack incessantly."
"Well then I have an unfair advantage over them."
"What would that be?"
"I own the DVD." Jean began to relax after their small conversation, but Scott's presence his proximity made her stomach turn. Why did he always make her so nervous? Jean took a deep breath before she spoke her next sentence. "Do you know the words?" she asked when she caught Scott humming.
"Yes, actually I do. Would you?"
"Oh no, I don't sing."
Scott scoffed. "Come on, I was just standing in the doorway. I heard you, sing with me."
With a sigh Jean began to play the song that she knew would be her wedding song. She knew it from the moment she heard it. "You start." Jean reminded Scott.
"I know, and don't laugh at me."
"Only if you don't laugh at me."
"No more talk of darkness forget these wide-eyed fears/ I'm here, nothing can harm you/My words will warm and calm you/ Let me be your freedom/ Let daylight dry your tears/ I'm here with you, beside you/ To guard you and to guide you"
Jean took her breath just before Scott stopped then began her part.
"Say you love me every waking moment/ Turn my head with talk of summertime/ Say you need me with you now and always/ Promise me that all you say is true/ That's all I ask of you"Scott had never heard such a beautiful voice before. Jean made his breath catch in his throat he nearly missed his queue.
"Let me be your shelter/ Let me be your light/You're safe, no one will find you/ Your fears are far behind you""All I want is freedom/ A world with no more night/ And you, always beside me/ To hold me and to hide me"
"Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime/ Let me lead you from your solitude/ Say you need me with you here, beside you/ Anywhere you go let me go too…That's all I ask of you"
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime/Say the word and I will follow you"
Now came the time that they sang together.
"Share each day with me, each night, each morning"Jean sang her part gently, passionately, while glancing up at Scott.
"Say you love me"Scott sang back to her in return with equal passion.
"You know I do"And then they sang together once more.
"Love me/ That's all I ask of you…Anywhere you go, let me go too / Love me, that's all I ask of you"
When Jean finished playing she closed the cover over the keys and gathered the music she had brought with her. "Where are you going?" Scott asked watching as she got up.
"I need to be alone right now." Jean said hurriedly as she gathered her things. "I'll talk to you later, Scott."
Scott just quite couldn't put his finger on it, he didn't know what he was doing wrong. For the second time now Jean had run out on him and this time nothing intimate had happened. They had only sung together, but it hit Scott that the song had been personal and had touched a nerve within Jean. It had gone somewhere that she didn't want to go. Scott then realized he would be able to only go so far with Jean at one time or another. There was a very clear line in front of him now that he couldn't cross without Jean's permission. This would be yet another task he would help her to overcome, hopefully. Scott sat at the piano for over an hour, thinking. He wasn't a piano player, more of a guitar guy, but his fingers still played a slight tune on the shiny keys. He only stopped when he heard someone walking down the hall. Jean appeared in the doorway looking somber. She had been crying but had cleaned herself up.
"Hey," Jean whispered gently.
"Hi." Scott replied.
"Sorry."
Scott shrugged. "I don't know why I get so emotional. I've always had a problem with intimacy with males. Every time I get close to one I become terrified… And my instincts tell me to run before I can be hurt." Jean walked over to Scott slowly sat down beside him wrapping her arms around his middle in a way so that she could rest her head sideways on his shoulder and not have to look at him. Jean kissed his neck lingering for only just a moment. "Help me, Scott." She whispered. "I need help. I trust you and only you alone."
Scott sat there allowing his mind to register everything that Jean had spoke and asked of him. To his surprise it only took Scott a few moments to sort through it all then come up with his response. "If I help you, you have to swear you'll put forth your all. There's nothing I can do for you if deep down you don't truly want this."
Jean kissed Scott's neck again. "I promise." She whispered. Jean shut her eyes tight allowing a tear to slip down her cheek, a tear of relief not fear. "Thank you."
A/N: Sorry its been a while I had finals in school to get out of the way first but now that summer vacay has officially started for me I can focus on my stories! REVIEW PLEASE! I always appreciate feedback.