Disclaimer: I own no part of this and actually got the idea from the Onslaught series, which I wish I still had, and Astonishing X-Men, issue 11, near the end where Cerebro says to the Professor, "The X-Men. They don't have the slightest idea who you really are? Do they?" And the Professor replies "I'd like to think that Jean knew. Knew and understood." While the rest of the book was filler with ties to too many other things to make for a great read, that one page got me thinking. Read on, please, if you care to.
Father Figures.
"Hello, Sir, I've brought you your tea." A short, but beautifully built red head says as she enters the old study.
"Come here Jean." The aging bald man in the wheelchair requests as he pulls her to sit down next to him on his couch. He holds her hand as he has for so many years. He's known her since she was a small child and he wasn't anything more than nearing middle age. "I understand that you've gone through much after your return to Earth. Was there anything weighing heavy on your mind?"
"Nothing more than the usual, Sir" She sighs. She's getting married, again, tomorrow. This time, not to a Summers, but to a man with no real name, He's just known as Logan. This time, though she'll keep her maiden name.
"Are you certain you want to do this?" He asks as he pulls himself out of his wheelchair and onto the seat beside her. They talked like this before every major and several minor event in her life. He had never had a daughter, and she was the closest he'd ever come to anybody comprehending him. That was so rare to him that one time, a long time ago, he had come to believe that he loved her. Onslaught had let that demon out of it's cage, when it had held several X-Men hostage and took particular interest in Charles' favorite student and confidant, Ms. Grey. It had even offered her a seat of power next to it, and when she refused, tried to kill her. She'd been a little uncomfortable in his presence for years. Only in the past two years, on her return from the stars, and finding her first husband, Scott had divorced her, and married the woman that ruined them, had she even began to confide in him again.
"Of course! This past year with Logan has been the best of my life!" She hotly replies as Charles' hand moves to her shoulder, seemingly as a gesture of comfort. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you are in my office pacing the floor." He tells her as his hand moves to her back, almost fatherly, the other hand moving a piece of hair away from her face.
"I just don't want another Scott, is all." She should be getting uncomfortable with him touching her like this, but she's not. She feels like she's been drinking, but she hasn't touched a drop in days. She knows that he's neutralizing her mental abilities with his, and she tries to pull away, but her body won't let her. "What are you doing, Charles?" She demands as she grows alarmed.
"Shhh.. Jean. It will be alright. You always were the only one to understand me." He says as he pulls her closer and begins to caress her vibrant, red hair. Because his legs don't work, he's like a dead weight. And because his legs don't work, his arms are exceptionally strong for an old man. "I can wipe your memory, Logan, you, none of them will ever know. It's not like this hasn't been done before. Betsy, Storm, Kitty, no one ever knew, and no one got hurt."
"Charles! Stop!" She begs as she fights to regain control of her body. She's a high level psy, she should be able to get free, and soon she can move a pinky.. " How many times have you done this to me?" She asks as she tries to breathe under his heaviness.
"Never." He purrs as he unbuttons her blouse. "I wanted to save you. You're like a china doll. There to give you visual pleasure, but not to touch, not to play with."
"You won't get away with this!" She screams, but no one else can hear her, Charles made sure of that. "Why are you doing this to me? Why now?"
"Because, tomorrow, you'll be married, I don't have relations with taken women." He drawlingly replied. "Do you remember when you were Phoenix and you're clothes burned off, and you were naked across my lap? I thought your body was spectacular! These are still just as magnificent.
She raises her voice to yell again, but he covers her mouth with his and kisses her deeply while one hand caresses her breast, and the other reaches for her white cotton covered sweet spot. She manages to break his mental hold, which is a near impossible feat, just long enough to make a fist and crack him diagonally along his old face. She pushes him off and starts to run, but he regains himself and mentally stops her in her tracks.
He erases all that had happened here from her mind and has her button up, and restart from where she came in, bringing him his Earl Grey tea.
"Hello, Sir, I've brought you your tea." She says without a memory of the last fifteen minutes.
"Come here, Jean. I understand you've gone though a lot after your trip, anything weighing heavy on your mind?
