Every girl loves the boy next door, the boy they spent their whole lives chasing after only to find themselves wrapped up in his arms when they needed him most. They love his natural shyness, but even more so they love the openness that he radiates when in their presence. They secretly love his playful teasing, though they pretend that it drives them crazy. They are crazy about the little quirks that define him, the ones that are so adorable yet infuriating at the same time.

For me, I loved the way his bangs fell across his glasses when he tilted his head, how is brow creased and lips pursed when he concentrated, how is lips would quirk upwards slightly when he found something amusing but was trying hard not to smile, and how he'd look at me with that intensive gaze of his, as though I was the only girl in the world. Though I always chastised him for it I loved the moments when he'd sneak up behind me and just stand there until I turned around, stifling a scream as I found his face just inches away from mine. And above all else I loved how he protected me, more so than even a brother would reach out to protect his sister. Though I would deny it, our relationship was never simply platonic. I would call our deep connection the product of a true friendship, while he would jokingly call it fate. Perhaps it was fate. Two strangers thrown together by circumstances beyond their control? It certainly sounds like something a true believer in fatum would consider the workings of some higher power. I'd been against our friendship from the start, determined to never establish more than a mutual acknowledgement towards another mutant, but it had happened anyway.

I'd loved him for longer than he would ever know, longer than I cared to realize. But I'd done a wonderful job of dimming those feelings, quashing them to a point in which they were nearly extinguished. By the time I'd finally come to realize what my heart was trying to tell me, I was afraid he was no longer in the cards for me. And then he was taken from me, something which hurt so much I was afraid my heart had been ripped from my chest. It was in that time that I realized what I had to do, what I should've done long ago.

I almost let Scott Summers slip away from me, I almost lost him because I was too afraid to admit my own feelings for him, I was afraid of being rejected by my best friend. But I guess that wasn't what fate had in mind. Scott Summers was my boy next door, the boy down the hall, my best friend; he was everything I ever wanted but never realized I could have. Some girls go for the popular guys, the tough football players, the ones that offer the clichéd high school experience. But what girls never notice is that the boy the really want is waiting for them just next door.

XxX

A/N: After much deliberation I've finally come to a conclusion. Before you all flame me, this is not the end of the story, it is simply the end of "The Boy Next Door". Out of all the fanfics I've ever written this one means the most to me, it's the one I'm proudest of. And because of that, I'm terrified of making the mistake of letting it get away from me. I don't want to extend it to the point that it begins to lose its plot. So, in order to keep it sacred to me, I'm stopping here. I will, however, be writing a sequel, it's more of a companion, a continuation of the story. It will pick up right where this bit left off. Those of you who still want more JOTT are welcome to read it, and those of you who are content with how this ended are welcome to stop reading here. For those of you who are curious of where the next story is going to go, it will most likely cover the reactions of Bayville to the new Scott/Jean. And, due to popular demand, it will include the search for Dr. Foster. I hope some of you decide to read it! Thank you all so much for staying with me this long! Hugs to you all – DOJ

Diaz F: I'm glad you liked the bit with Scott seeing in color again, I've actually had that bit written for awhile. I'm quite proud of it.
Wen1: Cuteness is all I ever need, glad you liked it!

Marvlix: When I'd originally written the passage I'd had Scott's eyes as blue, that's always how I pictured them to be, but the picture I saw looked brown so I went with that.

Mark C: I always love your reviews! I'm glad you liked the bit with Evan, that's always how I've imagined his character. And if you are interested to see where their relationship goes, make sure you check out the sequel! Once I get around to posting it . . .

Strayphoenix: don't worry, there will definitely be more! I can't give this up now!

Lavender Gaia: I love Kitty, she was originally my favorite character when I first saw X-men Evolution (the first episode I saw being "Spykecam") I hate how people always make her out to be a brainless ditz. You'd think that a moment as important as Scott without glasses would certainly deserve a close-up. I guess the animators' minds just don't work the same way as mine.

Ingrid, Helen, pinkpunkmonkey, Deh Maia, jacx, and ssummers1986: I'm glad you all liked it, sorry it took so long to get up!

Emily, bookjunkie, and shield-maiden: Thanks for your opinions on his eye color, it really is too bad that the animators didn't color his eyes well. Wouldn't you think that a moment that important would deserve a bit more attention?

Amber Moons: I'm glad that moment worked well enough to please you! It's so hard writing that bit, 'cause you know that's what everyone is waiting for . . . talk about pressure.

GothikStrawberry: I'm happy for them too! Thanks for the sweet review! I'm glad you think it ended well.

Sweetmidnight: Yeah, I've noticed there are some unanswered, including Ami (not that I was ever planning on leaving her like that). So if you want them answered, make sure you check out the next installment! And yeah, I did mean for the Logan/Ororo hint, I'm not planning on going into them in detail, but I couldn't resist that bit.

Telepathic Angel: Yeah, the episodes are delayed here too! They played the first two seasons repetitively, took Evolution off air, put those two seasons back on again though they included the third season this time, and then took it off again. So I still haven't seen the fourth season.

Iceglitter: Aw, thinks for the sweet review, I'm glad you thought it was perfect!

Crystal: It's your favorite Jott? Really? Aw, I'm blushing now!