A/N: School is over! Meaning I now have a lot of free time on my hands, which means that until I begin to travel and lose computer access, I have a lot of time to write. )
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Ami Foster and the plot twists that you don't recognize.
"Normal speaking"
'telepathically speaking'
'thoughts'
XxX
The sun had just begun to rise as the Blackbird descended smoothly into the gap of a mountain. Four sleepy teens stumbled down the ramp, summoning enough energy to make their way to their rooms, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep before rising for school. Jean watched their retreating forms for a moment before turning to where Scott lay unconscious in the seat beside her.
"Red," Logan leaned over the seat, "You got enough energy to get Slim here to the med-lab?"
"I think so," she murmured weakly.
Ororo reached out a hand, lightly touching Logan's arm. "Why don't you go with her, just in case. I'll find Charles and Hank."
"Right," Jean suppressed a giggle as Logan looked down at where Ororo's hand had just been in awe, "Right, c'mon Red, get to it."
XxX
Twenty minutes later Hank McCoy stepped from the med-lab, only to be ambushed by a weary looking Jean. "Is he going to be okay?"
Hank placed two broad hands on Jean's shoulders, looking her in the eye. "Jean, when is the last time you got any sleep?"
"I'm fine," she brushed off the comment, trying to stifle the urge to yawn, "How's Scott?"
Hank sighed, knowing there would be no way to speak seriously with the girl until she was satisfied. "He's going to be fine. He has a mild concussion and a few broken ribs, but as far as I can tell there's been no further damage done, aside from the obvious fatigue and lack of proper nutrition. It's you that I'm worried about Miss Grey. You are going to burn yourself out; your body can't handle so much stress."
"Are you suggesting that I go curl up in my nice warm bed while Scott lays alone in the med-lab?" Jean stared levelly at the man, "I'm not leaving him, what if he wakes up and no one is there?"
"There's no use in trying to reason with you, is there?" Hank sighed as Jean shook her head defiantly, "Fine, but do try and get some sleep while your in there, all right? It won't do Scott any good if he finds out that you've become ill because of him."
Jean smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around her instructor, "Thank you."
XxX
"Good morning, children," Ororo stepped into the kitchen, smiling in a manner that was all too cheerful for someone who'd been on a mission to the early hours of the morning.
"Mornin' Miss Munroe," Kitty mustered a weak smile as the other X-men merely grunted their greetings.
"The Professor has asked me to drive you all to school this morning, so I'll be waiting for you in the van."
"Vhat about Jean? Vhy can't she drive us?" Kurt looked up from his cereal in surprise.
"Jean will be staying home today," Ororo said gently.
"What? Hey man, that ain't fair, we were out just as late as – OW!" Evan yelped in pain as he earned two kicks in the shin (one from Kurt and Kitty) and a slap on the back of his head (from Rogue).
"You were saying, Evan?" Kitty smiled sweetly over her bagel.
"Nothing," Evan muttered, glaring at the other three darkly, "Nothing at all."
XxX
A low groan stirred Jean from her restless slumber. She rolled her head around her shoulders, trying to stretch out the uncomfortable crick in her neck as she looked around, trying to gather her bearings. It was then that she caught sight of Scott, lying bruised and broken, pale against the bright med-lab sheets. His dark hair flopped listlessly over the stark white bandage around his forehead. A jagged cut ran from the corner of his lip to his chin, and dark blue bruises had begun to rise over his arms. Jean knew that if she peeked underneath his shirt she'd find bandages wrapped tightly around his abdomen, securing his broken ribs. Scott moaned again and Jean moved to sit on the bed beside him.
"Jean?" he croaked, his voice cracking.
"Hey," she smiled down at him, stroking his hair.
"Is that really you?" He reached out a hand.
Jean grasped it with her own, "Yes, it's really me." Suddenly she was all too aware of how close they were sitting, "Here, you must be thirsty," she stood, getting him a class of water from the sink.
"Thanks," he whispered, drinking greedily. When he'd finished, he looked up at Jean again. Scott didn't want to take his eyes off of her, he was afraid that if he did she'd just disappear. He reached his hand out, grasping hers tightly once more. "Are you sure it's really you?"
Jean laughed, "I'm sure."
"I'm sorry," Scott said somewhat bashfully, "I'm just . . . afraid of losing you again."
"You never lost me, Scott." Jean whispered, bringing his hand to her lips and kissing it gently. A moment past as they sat there, smiling at each other. Jean cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks beginning to burn, "So, um, how are you feeling?"
"I'm all right for the most part. Something feels different though," Scott mused aloud, his brow furrowing. "My head feels lighter, clearer. And the red . . . it's not as intense as it used to be."
Jean eyed him curiously, puzzling over something in her own mind. "Scott, can I try something for a second? I promise I won't look at anything you don't want me too."
Scott considered this, "All right, I trust you."
She smiled at him, "I want you to relax."
With his safety in Jean's hands, Scott knew that nothing could be easier. Slowly but surely he felt a familiar presence in his mind, one that seemed to caress his every thought with a tenderness he always imaged as Jean's touch. Yet almost as quickly as she'd entered his mind, Jean pulled out again, leaving him with an aching emptiness.
"I don't know how long this is going to last so you're going to have to trust me now and ask questions later." Her eyes were filled with a dancing excitement that Scott had never seen before. He parted his lips to speak, but she cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. "Trust me," she moved her hands from his mouth and lifted his glasses off his eyes.
"Jean, what are you doing?" He panicked, clamping his hands over his eyes.
"Scott," Jean was beginning to sound irritated. "I told you to trust me; I know what I'm doing."
"I don't want to hurt you," he replied stubbornly.
"You won't," she placed a comforting hand on his bare wrist, "You're only hurting yourself. Please, Scott, just trust me." Tightening her grasp on his wrist, Jean lightly tugged Scott's hand off his eyes, suppressing a laugh as he squeezed them shut like a small child. "I'll be okay, Scot, just open your eyes for me, please."
There was something about the way the word 'please' followed so desperately after "for me" that made Scott cave inside. Though fear still laced his insides, Scott found himself opening his eyes, only to find himself staring into Jean's emerald green ones. Green? Scott's eyes widened in surprise as he looked around, colors colliding at all angles. Jean's hair was a rich and vibrant red, her eyes an astonishing green, her shirt was a pale purple, her pants khaki, the med-lab's sheets were white, and the lights cast a golden halo on the steel counters. Scott glanced down at himself, noticing for the first time the blue of the sleeves on his tan pajamas and the paleness of his skin. He looked back at Jean in wonder, "Your eyes are green. I always knew that but . . . I never realized . . ." he trailed off, looking around the room again, trying to absorb all the colors he could.
Jean, herself, was in awe. She was in aw of the wonderment that possessed Scott, the way he looked on the room as though seeing everything for the first time. But most of all she was in awe at the color of Scott's eyes, the warm color of hot chocolate that seemed to contain all the depth of the world. He had the kind of eyes that she could imagine getting lost in for hours. The kind of eyes that deemed a boy worthy of a double take.
When he had absorbed all he could, sucked the vibrancy of each and every color, he finally turned back to Jean, a tinge of sadness in his eyes. 'What color are they?" he whispered.
"What color are what?"
"My eyes," he gave her a sad smile. "I've forgotten what they look like."
Jean could feel tears pricking the back of her eyes as she cupped Scott's face in her hands. "You have the most beautiful brown eyes that I have ever seen." She slid her hand into her pocket, extracting a small mirror for Scott.
Looking in the mirror his eyes widened in surprise. It had been so long since he'd seen his face without the obstructive glasses. He smiled at himself liking, for the first time, what he saw. He knew it was too god to last, however, as he felt the familiar pressure building in his head and the pricking at the back of his eyes. Sighing, he took one last look at himself, at the colors around him, and turned to Jean. "It's over," he whispered, taking his glasses from her hand. He slipped them on just as the first blast threatened to break from his eyes. He turned to face her, her angelic features bathed in red, the red he was doomed to see for eternity. Impulsively, he reached out his hand, caressing her cheek. He tilted his head down as Jean lifted hers up, pausing with only a fraction of a centimeter between their lips. "Thank you," he whispered, his breath warm on her face. His arms traveled down to her waist, pulling her close as her arms snaked around his neck.
The kiss was unlike anything Jean had ever felt before, unlocking feelings she'd never known she'd had. It wasn't that this was her first kiss, no, Duncan had kissed her numerous times before, but those kisses had never felt anything like this. She felt a fire burning in her chest as she melted into Scott's arms. Her own body fit perfectly in his arms, Why didn't I ever notice that before?
The kiss stopped almost as suddenly as it had started, with Scott pulling away, his cheeks burning. He removed his arms from around her back, and began nervously playing with his fingers. "Uh, Jean?" He ran his fingers through his hair, then moved his hand down to the back of his neck.
Jean had never seen Scott look so nervous before, if she hadn't sensed that what he was about to say was going to be completely serious she would have laughed. "Yes?"
"Look, when I was . . . y'know, with Trask . . . I had a lot of time to think. So many different scenarios . . . different possibilities of what could happen to me, entered my mind. I was afraid that I was going to die," his voice cracked and he looked away for a moment. "But what scared me more than that was, well, was the idea that I might never see you again." He sighed, finding enough courage within himself to finally make eye contact with Jean. "You see, the thing is . . . I love you Jean, I always have, I've just been too afraid to tell you."
Jean smiled, brushing his cheek with her hand. She kissed him softly, gently, before looking up at him. "Scott, I love you too."
XxX
A/N: I still haven't seen the episode where they reveal Scott's eye color, but from looking at pictures I gathered that they were brown. So, um, I'm sorry if I was wrong, please feel free to correct me!
Wen1: She may have administered the serum, but see what good came from it?
williz: Believe me, I'm just as happy as you are that Scott's safe.
Iceglitter: As long as you keep reviewing, there is no way I won't continue.
GothikStrawberry: Thanks )
ssummers1986: Glad you like it, I hope there wasn't too much of a break between the updates this time
Demonestress: I'm thinking that if the X-men have anything to say about it Trask won't do anything to Foster's kid. Besides, it's not really Ami's fault that Scott got away.
Diaz F: Nope the serum isn't permanent, though that would be interesting. And as for Ami Foster, I'm not entirely sure what to do with her yet, though I do think the X-men should help her . . .
jott luuuuuuuuuver: Thanks, I'm glad you like it.
Mark C: I'm glad you liked the bit with the mission, I always think I'm horrible at writing those. I think I'd like to see them help Ami Foster as well.
Helen: Thanks
Mystic-nightmares: Wow, you've only seen the movie and you still like my story? (blushes) Thanks so much! X-men Evolution really is great if you ever get the chance to check it out, it's so cute. But thanks so much for the sweet review!
Ingrid: don't worry, I wouldn't even think about abandoning this story now
sweetmidnight: I think everyone feels a bit sorry for Ami, which is good 'cause that's kind of what I was going for. I didn't want a typically cruel and unfeeling "bad guy".
Lavender Gaia: I'm glad you liked the bit with Kitty and Rogue. Kitty has got to be one of my favorite characters, and I love how brilliant she is despite the fact that most people make her incredibly ditzy in their stories.
Telepathic Angel: Thanks for being so understanding, I honestly don't know how people who update more than once a month do it.
Amber Moons: Thank you so much. I know I sound down a lot of the time, but I'm really critical of my own work. I don't usually let people read my work because I hate "constructive criticism," so I guess that just makes me overly critical of myself.