In The Heat
An X-men Evolution fanfic by Lavender Gaia
Editing and Assistance by Laine
Chapter Six: Hanging
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, any of its characters or Rachel Summers. They are all property of Marvel.
Bacon was the first thing she smelt as she regained consciousness. It brought back memories of Sunday morning brunch with her family before they went to Church. While she was never one who waited anxiously for Sunday School, Jean always went patiently. After the services, they would stop for ice cream and go to the park, or some other activity that makes your day at the age of eight.
Of course, she now realized that she was no longer the little girl that had squealed with delight as her daddy pushed her on the swings as her mother unpacked a picnic lunch with her sister Sara. In fact, she was a mother herself.
She cracked an eyelid opened, surprised to realize she was in her bedroom. Last she remembered, she had been with Rachel. There was a silver tray on her night stand. Jean picked up the note and read aloud, "Morning Jean. Thought I'd let you sleep in. I'll handle the class with the New Recruits myself; it's not a big deal. Hope you like your breakfast and it stays warm. I love you. Scott."
Lifting the top off the tray, she was practically salivating at the warm foods: pancakes dripping in sweet syrup, scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and toast with butter and strawberry jam. A thermos of coffee prepared just how she liked it was sitting beside it.
I'm the luckiest woman alive... She thought as the inhaled the breakfast, stomach almost demanding more than her mouth could hold. I have the sweetest boyfriend on Earth, a wonderful daughter, and I live with people I love, including Ororo who can cook like a goddess.
The food dulled her pounding headache slightly, and she started planning to keep an extra bottle of aspirin in her room. That itself was not a good sign. In the back of her mind she knew that these migraines were due to her powers, so any neurologist she saw wouldn't be able to help her.
It reminded her of the time she had lost control not long ago. But instead of things levitating out of control, when she got her headaches it inhibited the use of her telekinesis. She constantly heard people's thoughts, even ones she didn't know, even people thinking in different languages. This made her wonder exactly how far her reach was going.
She didn't want to talk to the Professor about this. Honestly, with everyone home every day he had enough on his hands. There had to be more work to be done that didn't include watching over errant teenagers.
The truth was, she didn't want to receive that look. The one of pity that he so often held for Rogue or the Brotherhood or anyone else that had trouble with their powers or lives in general. She just wanted help and a bit of understanding, not to be treated as less of an adult that she actually was.
Then it clicked and she realized how stupid she was. If anyone would understand, her daughter would. Maybe she could even get advice from her future self through Rachel. Quickly changing, she opened her door to reveal none other than Scott Summers.
"Hey, you're awake!" He greeted her happily with a kiss. "I was just coming to check on you."
"Well, I'm up. Thank you for the breakfast, you have no idea how much I needed that."
"No problem. I was worried about you, and a class with the kids isn't the best thing to wake up to after you've had a hard night," He sat down on her bed and pulled her down next to him. "Jean…what happened? I love you; I don't want you to be afraid to talk to me."
"It's nothing, Scott," she lied through her teeth. "My telepathy has been…weird lately. I just got a headache. In fact, I was going to go get some Tylenol when you came in. I'm really fine."
He pulled her in to a rough kiss, as if wishing her to spill all the kisses through the lip lock. She matched him passionately. Right now she desperately wanted to be loved. Scott rolled them over, caressing her face as his lips explored her sweet skin. The fire flowing through her body was not unwelcome. It was the heat of Scott's love, the pureness and passion they felt towards each other.
His hands slid up her back, tickling her skin with his cool touch. She captured his lips again, melding them together into one. "Jean…" He whispered hotly into her ear, letting the shivers run down her spine.
There was a loud thud on the wall outside her bedroom. "Sorry!" Rogue called angrily. "I've just got to kill a blue elf!"
"You can't do that!" Kurt protested. "It's fratricide!"
"Matricide, fratricide, it's all the same to me. I'll push you off a cliff too! Get back here!"
"Eep!" BAMF!
"Stupid fuzzy elf!" She cursed before running downstairs after him.
The mood was nonexistent. Carefully, the two untangled themselves and straightened out their clothes. "So…where's Rachel?"
"Last I saw she was downstairs with the girls. I'm really glad they're getting along. I want her to be happy here," Scott explained.
"I know, me too. Let's go see her," Jean took her boyfriend's hand as they went downstairs.
Rachel was braiding Amara's long thick hair when Kitty looked up from her magazine. "I'm bored. How about we go swimming?"
Bobby looked up from the video game he was playing with Sam. "Alright! And I can cool off the pool if it gets too hot!"
"Nice try, Drake," Ray smirked, pushing past his friend to go upstairs.
"Oh, hey, Jean!" Rachel smiled. "Sleep well? Sorry I fell asleep last night. Think we could watch the movie again sometime?"
"Sure, it's no problem. Could I talk to you for a second?" Jean nodded towards the medical ward, where all the aspirin was kept.
"Alright. What do you need?" her daughter asked as they started walking.
She threw back the Tylenol. "I was just curious if you've ever had trouble with your telepathy?"
"Not really. Telekinesis was always more of my problem. My telepathy came pretty early, and we weren't even sure if I had TK until I accidentally pulled a chair towards me while I was falling. My mom had some difficulties, I guess. Hers was a lot more powerful than mine, so sometimes she'd pick up things that she didn't want to," Rachel explained as she took a seat on one of the counters.
This caught Jean's attention. It seemed she really was like her future, alternate reality self. "Did she ever tell you what she did to get it under control?"
"Driving. She'd take her car, usually the convertible, and just go for a drive. A nice trip through the woods, no one around thinking except her…A few hours later, she'd be back and fine again," she shrugged. "Mom and Dad acted like newlyweds on those nights. It was kind of disturbing."
Jean laughed. "Thanks, Rachel. I think that'll help a lot."
"No problem. Just, if you and Scott are going to act like newly weds, try to keep it down. I'm right next door."
She hugged her daughter, laughing again. "I'll do my best. C'mon, let's go swimming."
The two changed before joining the group in the backyard. Kitty was lying on a raft in the pool, while Rouge (who wore very light material over her bathing suit as not to die of heat stroke or hurt anyone else) and Amara sunned themselves on the deck. Bobby was looking at the princess and her gold bikini appreciatively; she didn't notice, or at least pretended not to.
The guys were playing volleyball in the water, each side having lost count ages ago. Scott waved to his girls before spiking the ball back over the net, causing Roberto to miss it and be splashed. He picked it up and tossed it to Jamie, the team's only decent server.
"Where were you guys?" Amara asked as the redheads joined her, looking up from her magazine. On her other side, Rogue's eyes glanced up from her novel to acknowledge their entrance before becoming absorbed in it once again.
"Having a mother/daughter moment," Jean said, picking up the sunscreen and squirting some in her hand before passing it to Rachel.
"Oh. That's nice." Amara whispered, looking back at her magazine quickly.
Suddenly the professor contacted everyone telepathically. "X-men and New Recruits, I would like to meet with all of you in the Danger Room in one hour. I know you're swimming and enjoying your summer, but this shouldn't take too long and it is quite important. Don't be late."
"What's this about?" Rogue asked Storm, who smiled mischievously.
"Jean, am I supposed to go too?" Rachel asked quietly.
"If you want, I guess. Unless you have something better to do."
"Aaah!" Everyone looked towards the pool where Kitty was resurfacing, holding the volleyball and looking pissed. Apparently, from what they could guess, she had meant to phase through the ball and phased through the float.
She served it back furiously before climbing out of the water, waving off Kurt's apology. "I'm gonna go take a shower."
Eventually, people followed suit until everyone met up in the Danger Room, teachers and Rachel included. "Thank you all for arriving promptly," the professor said with a smile. "Logan, Ororo, Hank, why don't you pass them out? I'm sorry I don't have one for you, Rachel. I wasn't expecting you."
The kids whispered among themselves as they each got a soft paper wrapped bundle with their names on them. "What is this?" Scott finally asked.
"Those," Xavier said, "Are your new uniforms."
They ripped into the packages and Ray frowned. "What's the deal? We all still have the same things." The rest of the new mutants murmured in agreement.
"Well, I'm sure most of you aren't finished growing yet. After you are, then you can get your own personal uniforms," Ororo explained. "They should all fit, but why don't you try them on."
Xavier signaled to Rachel, having her stay behind as everyone else went upstairs to try on their new uniform. "Rachel, if you like, I can make you your own outfit and you can join the New Recruits in their training. Or, even your parents if you think you're up to it."
"Can I think about it?" She requested. "Mr. Logan's training me, and I just…haven't really wanted to do Danger Room or anything like it since…I'll get back to you, ok?"
"Of course, dear. Just let me know and I'll order you a suit."
"Thanks, Professor. I'll see you later," she waved to him before going upstairs and knocking on her mother's door.
"Come in," Jean answered, looking at herself in the mirror. This was different from her old green and black uniform. It was a full black body suit, without any sleeves. The shoulders were a solid gold armor with the X symbol, the same that was on her gold belt. There was a line of gold under her collar, and gold lining on her fingerless gloves. There was still a black band around her face, and her black boots reached up to her mid-shins.
"Wow, you look great!" Rachel told her, wishing she had the body her mom did.
"Thanks. What'd the professor want to talk to you about?" she asked, stretching out in the new material.
"He wanted to know if I wanted to join the Danger Room sessions," Rachel replied. "I told him I'd think about it. I'd probably go with the New Recruits though. You guys don't need two telepathic telekinetics."
"Don't think like that. According to Logan you're also good at hand to hand," She ran a brush through her hair, liking the shorter cut.
Scott poked his head in. "Hey. Jean, you're gorgeous."
She grinned. "You don't look too bad yourself." It was very true. Though it was a lot like his old one, his uniform also didn't have sleeves, though his shoulder pads were black, like his gloves and visor. His boots were more or less the same, though he now had a gold belt and shoulder equipment holder.
"That's awesome, Scott," his daughter grinned.
He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Rach."
"I'm gonna go see the other guys," she said, going to Kitty and Rogue's room.
Kurt teleported next to her before she knocked. "Man, I love this thing!" His new uniform was a lot like the old one, but instead of the long v-shaped strip of red, it was just down the arms and the sides to his boots. There was a circular X logo on the upper left side of his chest, as well as the clasp on his belt. His knees had extra padding, and his boots and gloves were light gold.
She toyed with his tail, then tapped on her friend's door, coming in when they said to. "I just wanted to see your new uniforms."
Rogue's was simple. It was completely black, with strappy boots and a belt like the others, though she wore the logo on her right hip. She had put a large trench coat over it and currently wasn't wearing any gloves.
"I totally love mine!" Kitty told her, and it was easy to see why. It was two pieces. The top half was a shirt that came to about her sternum, and was long sleeved. There were shoulder pads with the logo on it, and her wrists had gold armor that looked like it could be computerized. The pants fit her snug, yet comfortably, hanging down to low boots. There was a holder for something strapped on her right leg and her belt logo settled on her left hip.
"Those are both wonderful and look great on you," Rachel laid back on Kitty's bed.
"Excellent!" Kurt told his sister and best friend.
"You look good too, Elf," Rogue said, adjusting her coat.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" He asked eagerly.
"Not a chance."
"What'd he do?" Kitty wondered, looking back and forth between the siblings.
"I don't want to talk about it," her roommate grumbled. "Now, get out so we can change," she ordered her brother, closing the door behind him. "Ya can stay, Rach."
"Thanks," she grinned, looking at the book Kitty had on her nightstand. "So, what do you guys want to do? I don't think dinner's for a while."
Kitty glanced outside where a storm was forming. "I think swimming is out of the question. We could like play a game, I guess."
"Like a board game?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.
"Sure," Kitty shrugged. "We've got tons; there must be something we all want to play. Plus, you know the guys have already taken over the video games."
"Might as well," Rogue sighed. "You coming, Rachel?"
"In a second. Set up a place for me," She requested, then went to see her parents, who were eagerly kissing against Jean's wall. "Um…hey."
They looked at her, quickly jumping apart. "We were, um, just discussing going to the art festival tomorrow," her father explained.
"Of course you were. I suppose that's easy to do while you're making out if your girlfriend is telepathic."
Jean blinked. "I never thought of that."
"I want to know how you thought of that," Scott frowned.
"Anyway," Rachel rolled her eyes. "Kitty, Rogue and I are going to play a game. You want to join us?"
"I have to rematch Bobby at foosball," Cyclops said. "Another time." He kissed his girlfriend and daughter lightly before leaving them, announcing to the house that Bobby was going down.
"I'll play with you. So what are we-Aah!" Jean held her head, balance lost as she fell to the floor, crying out in pain. The thoughts were so overwhelming, so strong…
"Jean!" Rachel cried out, supporting her mother. She tried to get into her head, to find out what was wrong. The feeling of confusion was so intense that she could only hold on for a few seconds before she felt that her brain would explode.
In a moment, it was over and Jean's breathing slowly returned to normal, though her heart rate was still off the charts. She clung to Rachel as the smaller girl kissed her head, protecting her. Her head rested against her daughter's chest, sweat dripping off her face.
"I felt that too…" Rachel whispered, hardly believing the pain she felt from a second of trying to get into Jean's mind. "Are you ok?"
She shook her head, pale skin gradually gaining color. "I…That was the worst one I can remember. It was like everyone in the entire world wanted me to hear their thoughts at once. I thought I was going to die…" Tears spilled down her cheeks as she sobbed.
Rachel hugged her tightly, stroking her thick red locks. "I'm so sorry…I wish I could help. I really do."
"You already have, sweetie," Jean forced a smile. "In fact, I'm going to go out for a drive. Hopefully it will clear my head."
Rachel nodded and used her powers to get Jean's keys from her dresser, glad that her mother had already changed from her uniform. "Go ahead. I'll tell everyone and save you some dinner if you're not back yet."
"You're the best, Rach," she told her, hesitantly standing up and regaining her equilibrium. "I shouldn't be gone too long."
"Jean? If you get back and it's late and I'm in bed…will you come in anyway, to say goodnight?"
If she thought this was an odd request, she didn't let on. "Of course." She kissed her forehead. "I love you, Rachel."
She blinked. "Love you too, Jean."
Jean gave her one more quick hug before going downstairs quickly. She didn't want anyone to find her and ask where she was going; she wasn't quite sure if they'd understand. Luckily, she had filled up the gas tank of the SUV after their mall trip and was free to just drive.
Unfortunately, she made the bad choice of driving right into the storm. Heavy raindrops poured from the sky on to her windshield. She wasn't quite sure where she was anymore. Besides that she was on some sort of mountain or cliff, the rain impaired her vision, limiting any signs from view.
I'll wait it out at the nearest rest stop, she told herself, squinting at the road through the swish of the windshield wipers. A flash of lightning illuminated the way, showing her that she was indeed on a cliff. This assured her of her location, though where the heck it was she hadn't a clue.
She didn't notice the tree falling until it was too late and had crashed through the class of the windshield. It was large, bending the metal as it and the airbags pressed her into her seat. Her lungs could barely take any air as she fought for breath.
Jean struggled not to lose consciousness as the voices in her head started again, digging into her psyche and causing her to lose control. The tree that had started to lift off with her telekinesis crashed back down again, causing her to gasp for air.
The screams in her head got louder and louder, not allowing her to concentrate on anything but the pain. Fresh tears rolled down her face. She was trying not to cry, knowing that would just make it harder to breathe. Please…She willed the universe. Make them stop…the voices…they're tearing me apart…
Soon it was desperate screams for help. And she recognized them. Her friends. Scott. Rachel. Calling for her. Screaming frantically, as lights of pain flashed in front of her closed eyelids. Help me…help them...Someone…
She opened her eyes to see herself, floating in the air, looking at herself in the car and wondered if she had died and was looking at her soul. "You need my help?" The flying girl asked herself.
"Yes,' Jean managed to choke out, attempting to ignore the screams of her friends and the rest of the world. "Save them."
"Not yourself?" The other her asked, surprised. It was only now Jean noticed that the other her was floating over a gorge, which the SUV was leaning dangerously towards.
"No. They need you. Save…my friends…" she choked out, feeling the tree poke into her flesh.
"Especially Scott?"
Jean managed a slight nod. "Yes. Scott. And Rachel. Save my family." She felt the vehicle tip drastically, rocks that had been holding it were sliding down the canyon.
There was no answer, but then, none was needed. The floating Jean burst into flames and flew through her, taking a piece of Jean's soul with her. There was a scream, though whether it was her cry of flesh searing agony or the primordial call of life she couldn't tell.
As Jean lost consciousness, the SUV fell down the cliff into the rocky chasm below.
A/N: Yes, and chapter six is done! Yes, the drama starts now, people.
I had surgery on Wednesday, which is going to keep me pretty much bed-ridden for some time because of the nature of my injury. This will either mean a lot of updates or very little, depending on how I feel. I still have to do school work, unfortunately and need to save some strength for that.
Questions, comments, reactions and reviews are greatly appreciated.
Review Responses:
DOJ: Every girl needs a guy like Scott. Too bad all my ex-boyfriends are like Karl…and are Karl…We just need to find a way to bring him to life and clone him. Sigh.
Diaz F.: The future Scott and Jean will be mentioned in chapters, but not for a while. For now our Scott and Jean are going to be a lot more interesting.
Wen1: He'll get over it. Too young for them to have a daughter anyway, and I'd hate to see what Logan would do to him if he knocked her up before marriage. Actually, that would be enjoyable to watch…
Slickboy444: I love to tease Scott. It provides endless hours of pleasure. Writing scenes with Rachel and her family are fun too. And here is your phoenix action. Enjoy!
Ingrid: The Summers family is great to write. And yes, Emma really really needs to die. Hurry up and kill her off, Whedon! Thanks for reading.
Elizabeth: I'm glad you enjoyed it.
StarStar16: Thank you!
Helen: Ah, yes, the mall was a fun place to bring Scott. And I loved writing the JOTT moments, there are even more in this chapter.
Agent G: Scott complains no more than any of my friends do. My guy friends would have snuck out of the first store and found the nearest game shop. And Avalanche Alley might have been direct to video, I'm not sure. I changed her future from the comics since the comic ones were majorly depressing and I didn't feel like explaining all of that to everyone who wasn't completely comic literate. I like mine too. Thanks for reading.
Jenskott: I'm trying to make it as different I can while staying with the themes, though I'm having a difficult time finding a suitable XME version of killing 5 billion aliens. I'll just have to work harder. And yes, I very much agree with you on those subjects. I did read your fic and thought you kept Emma very in character while essentially doing as much pain as possible to her. I commend you on that.
Strayphoenix: Emma needs to die and Joss Whedon needs to figure that out. Kirby Morrow is still the sexiest man alive in my book, though I agree with you that Jason Marsden is very hot. Kirby gives the best hugs though.
Rogue14: Yes, poor Scott. Oh well, he'll get over it. Yep, the serious stuff happens now, I hope you like it.
Telepathic Angel: I haven't been to the mall in MONTHS. And you should definitely check out Avalanche Alley if you see it, if only to watch Kirby in it (like I did). I think everything is more interesting with Rachel in it. I'm a huge sucker for her character. Enjoy this chapter!
Goblyn-Queen: Well, the fact that first Emma kidnaps the X-men, and then steals Scott away from Jean and is now sleeping with him (even though Jean is dead) kind of puts her on the black list for JOTT fans. That and she's really just a bitch—she's totally mean to Kitty (my favorite character)—in Astonishing X-men and Phoenix: Endsong.
Whylime: I brightened up Rachel's life from the comics. That's just suicidal depressing. I never meant to make it seem like she doesn't have a childhood. She doesn't have that many outside friend since she's home schooled and she trains a lot, but she has wonderful, loving parents and when she goes to the Institute she always hangs out with the kids there and still talks with them on the internet and on the phone with the students, Xavier and Logan. Plus, you know when Alex is babysitting her she's not doing anything but having fun. Yes, if her whole body fell through the cracks of time so she isn't in the future. You'll find out more about her parents later, I promise. I hope you keep reading.
