Chapter 9

By her very nature, Jean was curious; she wanted to know everything - how things worked, why things were the way they were, what would happen if there was B instead of A. She couldn't stand being kept in the dark about anything, or not knowing something. Hank was happily convinced the girl had the makings of a top-rate scientist, what with her thirst for knowledge, her need to solve mysteries and her desire ask "What would happen if...?"

It was said curiosity that had Jean standing outside Professor Xavier's study, ear pressed lightly against the crack of solid mahogany doors in the hopes of being able to hear what was going on inside. To the best of her figuring, the staff had been sequestered inside since before she woke up that morning, and she was annoyed at being excluded. Jean suspected the boy Logan and Ororo had been sent to find was in there as well, but she couldn't tell for sure. The thick walls of the mansion ensured each room was sound resistant, so she could only hear a very faint mumbling from within the professor's study, and couldn't discern the different voices. This only frustrated her further - she was excited about having another student at the Institute, and was anxious to meet him.

She sighed in frustration, moving away from her post by the door to lean against the wall. Sinking to the ground, Jean drew her shorts-clad legs upwards, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on her knee. For long minutes she stared down her nose unseeingly at a mostly-healed scrape on her knee. When her eyes started to ache from her cross-eyed regard, she closed them and let her head drop backwards slowly until it was barely brushing the wall. Eyes shut to visual distractions, and listening to the silence of the old mansion, she tried to practice her meditation; instead, she let herself drift into a light doze.

The sudden motion of the door bursting open startled Jean so that she banged her head solidly against the wall as she jerked in surprise. Muttering an uncharacteristic curse under her breath, she winced in pain and rubbed at the spot for a second before opening one eye to squint up at Logan, who stood in the doorway chuckling at her.

"What're you laughing at?" she grumbled.

"Serves you right for spyin' on us," he smirked at her, shutting the door as she tried to peer past him into the room beyond.

"I wasn't spying, I was just trying to figure out where everyone had disappeared to," Jean replied tartly, getting to her feet so she could look down slightly at Logan. She was now just a hair taller than her instructor, and she liked it. It gave her some added presence, an illusion of strength, and it was the only time she was grateful for her height. "So, what is going on?"

"Stuff with the new kid," he replied simply before sauntering down the hall. Jean frowned at the lack of forthcoming information and jogged after him.

"What do you mean, 'stuff with the new kid'? What kind of stuff?"

"Y'know, the standard stuff."

"No, I don't know. God, Logan, why are being so difficult?"

He flashed her a grin and kept walking.

"You're just doing this to piss me off, aren't you?" Jean challenged, stopping in the corridor and watching him shrug non-committally as he continued to walk away.

Jean clenched her hands into fists and took a deep breath before running after him. "What's his mutation?" she asked, hoping to get at least some information out of the man.

"Force blasts – optic force blasts."

Jean blinked at that. "You mean the blasts come from his eyes? Wow."

"Yeah, 'wow'. Too bad the kid can't seem to control it."

"Not at all?" she asked, her tone softening.

"Only when he keeps his eyes shut. So it looks like yer new little playmate ain't gonna be able to see for a while. Least, not until Hank can figure somethin' out."

"Wait a minute. Did he have anything to do with that accident I heard about on the news? The orphanage, or whatever it was, that was destroyed?"

Logan nodded. "Yup. The kid's still kinda messed up about it, too. Blames himself."

"That's silly. If he can't control his powers, he can't hold himself responsible for something like that," she said, brows furrowed. Jean chewed on that tidbit of information while she continued to follow Logan through the corridor and down the stairs to the main floor. "Where are you going, anyway?" she finally thought to ask.

"Gettin' some lunch ready. 'Ro's gonna show the kid to his room, then we're gonna eat."

"Stop calling him 'the kid'," Jean scowled. "It's dehumanizing."

"Dehumanizing?" Logan repeated, barking out a laugh. "Christ, Jeannie, you've been hangin' out with Hank too much. You're startin' to talk like him."

She ignored him. "Doesn't he have a name?"

Logan smirked to himself. She was already identifying with the boy, which was good. Everyone agreed that, assuming Jean and Scott could get along, that they would be good for each other. Jean would be able to help Scott adjust to being a mutant, and Scott, they hoped, would become Jean's first real friend her own age – something she desperately needed.

"Scott Summers."

"Thank you," Jean smiled, patting his arm patronizingly. "Wasn't that painless? I told you that it wouldn't really kill you to be nice every once in a while."

"You've really turned into a smartass, y'know that?" the older man grumbled, and Jean flashed him a bright smile. "You don't talk to any of the others like that."

"Nope, just you. Don't you feel special?" she chirped.

*****

"I think the professor is planning on having Jean give you the grand tour after lunch," Ororo told Scott as she led him downstairs after showing him around his room.

"How old did you say she was?" Scott asked. He knew they'd told him, but he was feeling a little overloaded with all the information being thrown at him.

"She's 13, just like you."

"And what's her...gift?" Scott prodded, struggling to make himself refer to a mutation as a gift, but knowing it was important for him to start viewing it as such.

"Telekinesis," Ororo said. "She's also telepathic. Professor Xavier has recently resumed working with her to control her abilities."

Great, someone else who can go poking around in my head, he grumbled to himself.

Jean's head whipped around at the sudden thought that had been thrust into her mind, confused by the unfamiliar mental voice, searching the area for the source. She'd grown accustomed to picking up the occasional loud thought from the Institute's other residents when she let down her guard, though their mental shields were strong enough to keep her from being overwhelmed. This particular thought, however, was almost as if it had been shouted directly into her ear.

"Red, you ok?" Logan prodded, concerned by the look of confusion on her face. He quickly put down the dish he'd been carrying and was beside her in two long strides.

She shook her head silently and shut her eyes, trying to refocus and strengthen her shields.

"Ah, it would appear that lunch is ready," Ororo announced as she ushered Scott into the kitchen, then stopped short as she took notice of Jean's obvious distress. She glanced quickly at Logan for an explanation, and he mouthed the word "Shields". Ororo nodded silently in understanding.

Scott was confused by the sudden silence. "Um, what's going on?"

Jean's eyes popped open, and she suddenly knew who had been shouting in her head. She allowed herself a good look at him, taking in everything from his mop of reddish brown hair to his too-small clothes hanging on his tall, skinny frame. Her gaze kept returning to the silver duct tape across his eyes, and the grim line of his mouth.

Don't tell him, she pleaded silently with Logan, then Ororo. He was projecting. He's freaked out that I'm a telepath - doesn't want me going into his mind.

"Nothing, Scott, everything's fine," Ororo reassured him with a hand on his shoulder. "Scott, I'd like you to meet Jean Grey. She's been with us for more than three years now."

Jean stepped forward, intent on shaking his hand, as she'd always been taught was polite. She hesitated when he made no move, then determinedly reached out and grasped his hand in hers and shook it firmly. "Hi, Scott," she said, forcing the smile into her voice. "It's nice to meet you."

Scott was taken aback by the delicate hand that shook his so confidently, but quickly recovered. "Hi," he replied simply. Her voice was sweet, but he remained cautious; people weren't always as they seemed.

Jean's smile faltered at his lukewarm response, and she pulled her hand back. He doesn't even know me, and he already doesn't like me, she thought sadly. She dropped her gaze to the floor, her cheeks burning in embarrassment; she was thankful for the tape covering Scott's eyes. Logan and Ororo exchanged another quick glance and made an unspoken decision.

"Jeannie, you sit in your usual spot. Scott, you can sit next to her," Logan told them. Jean looked up quickly, a slightly stricken expression on her face, but obeyed as Ororo gently directed Scott to his seat.

Charles and Hank joined them shortly thereafter, and Charles carried much of the conversation for duration of the meal. Jean remained silent, eyes on her plate, not speaking unless asked a direct question; even then, she kept her responses as concise as possible without appearing rude.

"So, Jean, I thought it would be nice for you to give Scott a tour of the school and the grounds this afternoon," Charles told her once everyone had finished their meal.

Jean glanced at the professor and then at Scott, whose mouth was once again set in a thin line.

I think he'd prefer it if someone else took him, she told the professor silently.

Don't be silly, my dear, Charles chastised lightly. It will simply take him time to grow accustomed to us.

Jean wasn't sure whether the "us" in question referred to the Institute's residents in general, or specifically to telepaths.

"Um, sure, that would be fine," Jean said, trying to sound cheerful, but then continued, determined to give him an out. "That is, unless Scott would prefer someone else...?"

Scott was surprised by that, wondering what would have given her that impression. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have a problem with it. But if you don't want to –"

"No no, that's not it," Jean hurried to correct him, not wanting him to feel like she was avoiding spending time with him – even though that was, in fact, what she'd been trying to do.

"Wonderful, it's decided then," Charles smiled. "Jean, for your reference, Scott's bedroom will be across the hall from yours, and two doors down. You might want to consider using that as your starting point."

Jean nodded, pushing her chair away from the table and standing. "You ready?" she asked the subdued boy next to her.

Again he shrugged. "Sure." He stood and then paused awkwardly, not quite knowing how to proceed.

Without thinking about it, Jean took Scott's hand and led him from the kitchen, maneuvering him around any obstacles. Scott tried not to show how flustered he was by the gesture; he had never held hands with a girl before, and was once again struck by how delicate her hand was in his own.

As they were climbing the staircase, Jean suddenly became aware of what she had done, and stopped, quickly dropping his hand. He stumbled slightly from the sudden loss of contact.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she blurted out, embarrassment making her words rush together.

"Huh?" He had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry about just grabbing your hand like that. I just didn't know how else to show you around without the chance of you bumping into things, and –" she trailed off, rambling out of nervousness.

"It's ok," he told her, offering her a slight smile. "You're right, it makes the most sense."

Scott reached out towards her, hesitantly, and Jean smiled in relief. Maybe this will be ok after all, she mused silently. She reached out and took Scott's hand, and led him up the rest of the stairs and down the hallway to his bedroom.

"Um, how do you want to do this? Should I just tell you were everything is from this point, and then I can take you wherever you want to go?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah, I'll pace off the distances."

Jean looked at him sharply, and he sensed the movement. "What?"

"You've give this a lot of thought," Jean observed.

"Not really. Back at...um, before I came here, my best friend was blind. He taught me how to get around blindfolded - it was a game. This is basically the same thing." Then he added softly, "Only this time it's not a game."

Jean looked at his sad face and felt her heart reach out to Scott. "If anyone can come up with a way for you to control the blasts, it's Dr. McCoy. You'll see again, Scott, don't worry."

"Why do you sound so sure about that?" he asked, wanting to believe as she did, but at the same time afraid.

"Because I know Hank. When he's faced with a problem, he won't rest until he comes up with a solution. Just give him a little time." She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and they started their tour.

~~

Coming soon, Chapter 10

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