Someone said there weren't enough Jott fics around. I agree. Another missing scene that I made up after re-reading Uncanny X-Men #1 (1963).

Again, the X-Men are Disney's and I don't make any profits with them.


Debut Missions, Favorite Authors, and First Impressions

Not once in her yet short life had Jean Grey imagined that she would fly from Manhattan to Cape Citadel in a telepathy-commanded private jet. Nor had she ever conceived that she would use her mutant powers to end a terrorist threat by telekinetically hurling a missile into the ocean. Sure, wearing an X-Man's costume wasn't exactly what regular teenage girls dreamed about on career-day at school. But Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters couldn't be regarded as a common high school, the same way that Marvel Girl couldn't be considered a regular teenage girl.

'At least I don't have to hide who I am here,' Jean thought as she ascended the stairs towards the mansion's library. If her memory didn't fail her, Professor X possessed one of the most incredible American Literature collections she'd ever seen. And after all the excitement the redhead had gone through earlier that day, she doubted she'd be able to find sleep anytime soon.

However, as soon as she stepped into the library, she noticed it was already occupied by one of her teammates - the shyest, most serious one, for that matter. The only boy she hadn't had the opportunity to talk to yet, aside from during the fight against Magneto. The young woman stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't know there'd be someone in here," she apologized.

Cyclops, who was sitting at a dark oak desk in the end of the room, jumped at the sound of her voice. A pen dropped from his hand and rolled over the notebook on the desk until it hit the carpeted floor. "Uh, hello Marvel Girl. Yes, I uh… I-I was just finishing here," he stuttered and looked up timidly at her face, unsure if he should bend down to retrieve his pen or stand up to properly address her. Sharing Xavier's common rooms with female students was something new to him.

"Sorry, Slim. I didn't mean to startle you. Here, let me pick it up," Jean offered, giving a step forward and pointing her right hand towards the pen. Scott's eyes widened behind his glasses as the object started to raise from the floor, its movement slow and a bit unsteady. He glanced at the redhead's face - a frown had appeared on her forehead, and she was unconsciously biting her lower lip. The pen finally stopped midair, but the leader of the X-Men didn't notice it because he was still gaping at the girl. "You can grab it now," he heard her saying, but only snapped out of his trance when she let out a giggle.

"Oh, right," his hand darted forward to securely grasp the pen. "Thanks."

"Telekinesis might not be as amusing as red optic beams, but it comes in handy sometimes," she told him playfully.

"It surely did this afternoon," he replied, remembering how she'd used her mental powers to direct the missile Hank was holding with his feet into the sea.

"I guess it did," Jean nodded in agreement.

Scott nodded back, unsure of what to say next as an uncomfortable silence gradually filled the room. His face quickly moved down to stare at the books in front of him and he tried to resume his reading. But truth be told, he could no longer concentrate, and the words and phrases before him stopped making sense altogether. He then heard a quiet sigh and his eyes moved up to peek through crimson lenses; he watched in silence as Marvel Girl turned around and headed towards the bookshelves.

'Damn! Why is it so hard for me to talk to this girl?' Cyclops scolded himself. Of course, the fact that she was beautiful was probably the main reason. No, that was the understatement of the year. Ms. Grey wasn't only beautiful, she was simply gorgeous - probably the most gorgeous young woman he'd ever met. 'And superhot,' his male psyche quickly added as it recalled Marvel Girl running in her tight new uniform. 'Stop it, Summers,' he admonished his teenage hormonal mind. 'She's a teammate, and this is her first night at the mansion. Stand up and go be a gentleman already.'

In the meantime, Jean's green orbs were scanning book titles when they spotted Jack Kerouac's 'The Subterraneans' on the top shelf. She grinned - beatnik ideology seemed appropriate for her first night in mutant school. The redhead stood on tiptoes and stretched her right arm, but still wasn't tall enough to catch it. Before she could resort to telekinesis, Cyclops' voice interrupted her.

"Let me get that for you," he said from behind her, easily reaching the book and handing it to her.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"I-I know you could've picked it by yourself… with your powers, I mean. But I thought you might be too tired to use your abilities since it's past nine and we had an agitated day."

"That was very thoughtful," Marvel Girl responded, and added, "I am tired. I was just thinking about turning in… reading usually helps me sleep."

An eyebrow raised behind quartz-ruby glasses. "Even Kerouac?"

Jean let out a laughter. "Why? Don't tell me you're more of a Capote appreciator?"

They were facing each other, barely three feet apart, and Cyclops' heart skipped a beat at the sight of her smile. He quickly recomposed himself. "It is better writing," he defended with a small grin of his own.

'Thoughtful, cute, and cultured. This guy isn't half-bad,' Jean thought. "Is that what you were so focused reading?"

"Oh that? No, not really. I've just finished our mission report and was looking through some piloting manuals," he explained.

"Really? Are you studying to become a pilot?" she asked with interest.

"Kind of, yes. I'm still trying to convince Professor Xavier to let me take the piloting exam, though. He does have a jet, you know?"

"Yes, as I've found out just this afternoon. You know, I think traveling on a plane guided by thought impulses has gotten me more scared than facing Magneto," she admitted, and patted his shoulder next. "You've got my full support if you want to learn how to fly, Slim. The X-Men could use a real, human pilot."

Her brief touch felt warm against his shirt. "You're right. That was scary," Scott agreed, and soon added. "By the way, you were very brave today, Marvel Girl."

Jean furrowed her brows, her grip on the book tightening. "Weren't we all? Or are you telling me this just because I'm a girl?"

"W-What? No, that's not… I mean, yes, the guys were also brave but… you had barely arrived at the mansion when the professor summoned us to the mission. You didn't have the chance to practice with the rest of us," he let out a sigh as Jean's expression softened. Redheads. He should have guessed she came with a temper.

"Hum. I'm assuming I'll be put through a lot of practicing with you and the guys from now on, then," she said.

"You bet," Cyclops replied. "Speaking of the others… why aren't you in the rec room with them? I'm sure I heard Bobby saying something about arranging a welcome dinner for you."

Jean chuckled softly. "And he did. Pizza and ice cream. You were the only one missing."

"I'm sorry, I was sort of busy here," he pointed to the desk. "I lost track of time."

"It's okay, the three of them kept me company. But between you and me, listening to Warren and Hank bickering about who has the most useful skills throughout the evening has given me a mild headache."

"I'm sorry. Those two can be hard to handle sometimes," Scott said, adding in his mind, 'especially when they get caught up in an ego contest to show off to the new girl.'

"So I've noticed," the redhead smiled again. "So, Slim… I should leave you to your studies now…"

"Scott. My name's Scott, Marvel Girl," he informed her. "Slim's just a silly nickname the guys have given me a while back. Go figure," he explained, motioning to his lean figure while slightly blushing.

"Well, at least you're tall enough to reach the top shelf," she replied kindly. "All right, Scott it is. Call me Jean, then. Marvel Girl isn't exactly the greatest codename of all."

"I think it suits you," Cyclops blurted out, and it was Jean's turn to blush. He went on. "Do you need any help with finding your room? Or any other room? I-I mean, it's a big house," he added quickly before his intentions could be misinterpreted. "I remember it took me a couple of days to find my way around the mansion when I first arrived here."

"Oh, I'm fine, Scott, thank you. It's not my first time at Xavier's."

"It's not? How so? I thought you had met the professor today," Scott inquired in surprise.

"No, not really. Me and the professor go a long way back. He's a friend of my dad, and he helped us when my powers first manifested," the redhead clarified.

"Oh."

Jean noticed that the information had made Cyclops uncomfortable. Was it because Charles had made the boys believe it was her first time around - and only God knew why? Or because Scott had discovered he wasn't Xavier's very first student? With her telepathy shut down, she couldn't tell. Still, the young woman felt like her team leader deserved to be told the whole story.

"I met the professor six years ago… after my best friend was hit by a car and died in my arms."

"I'm sorry to hear it," he told her truthfully. "It must've been hard."

"It was, but I'm better now," she drew in a breath and continued. "The accident… it triggered my psychic abilities. I couldn't handle them, and I ended up in a catatonic state for months. I was ten."

"Ten?" Scott asked in disbelief. He'd never heard of such an early mutant power manifestation. Hell, his own destructive mutant powers hadn't manifested until he was fourteen. Poor girl.

"Yes. My dad contacted Professor X, and he started working with me. After I got a little better, my folks began to drive me here twice a week so that Char… I mean, Professor Xavier… could continue to teach me how to control my powers," she revealed. "That's why I'm familiar with the mansion's halls."

It was certainly a lot to take in, and Cyclops felt honored that the redhead had decided to share such personal information with him. "Even so… if you need anything, Marvel Girl… don't hesitate to ask."

"Jean," she corrected him, smiling.

"Jean," he repeated with a nod.

"Thank you, Scott. I guess we'll be seeing each other around."

"I guess so. Good night, Jean. And welcome to the X-Men."

* The End. Or in this case, the Beginning.