Chapter 7

One week later

January 27th, 1999

"No, absolutely not, Scott! I won't do it," Jean said.

"Jean, you have to! There are so many things I should know to do but don't!" Scott yelled, exasperated at his wife's stubbornness.

"I will not telepathically go into your head and force you to remember everything you've forgotten. First of all, it may not even work, and second of all, the risks are too great," Jean answered.

"I can handle it," Scott said.

"And if the stress of it causes your brain to hemorrhage? You do know what that means don't you? That's a stroke, Scott! A stroke!" Jean yelled, throwing her hands up in the air.

"My last visit to the doctor's showed the injuries to my brain are almost healed-"

"Almost, Scott. 'Almost' being the operative word," Jean said, cutting him off.

"I thought my cutting off the tip of Nate's finger two days ago would be enough to convince you-"

"You're exaggerating, Scott. You nicked the tip of his index finger. He cried for like, thirty seconds and it's nothing that Polysporin won't fix," Jean said, rolling her eyes.

Two nights ago, Scott noticed a small scratch on Nathan's face and took it upon himself to cut the baby's nails. Had he had his memories, he'd have known that he should have filed the baby's nails.

"And last Tuesday, I drove around all day with the kids, and Nathan's car-seat was installed incorrectly the whole time. It wasn't until I got home that you noticed and pointed it out to me!" Scott said, bringing up another of his parenting faux pas.

"That was my fault for not showing you, Scott. It slipped my mind that it was another thing you had to learn again," Jean said, sighing.

"And you barely got any sleep last night because I accidentally woke up the baby," Scott said, feeling guilty.

"You and I have a very different definition of 'accidentally', Scott. You were poking Nathan while he was sleeping. What did you think was going to happen?" Jean asked, raising her eyebrow at her husband.

"I got scared, I wasn't sure if he was breathing anymore!" Scott said, defensively.

"Honey, it's sweet that you worry so much for the children, but next time you could just ask me what to do… A gentle hand on his back would have told you he was still breathing," Jean said, using her teacher voice.

"But that's the thing, I don't want to have to ask you about every little thing… These are all things I should know being a second-time father. But I don't, because I've forgotten them and it's so frustrating!" Scott said.

"Scott, I-"

"Mommy? Are you and daddy fighting?" Rachel asked, tugging on Jean's skirt.

Jean went on her knee so she could be eye-level with her daughter. "No darling, daddy and I weren't fighting."

"Then, how come you and daddy were yelling?" Rachel asked, innocently.

"Sweetheart," Scott said, picking Rachel up. "Mommy and I were just debating something."

"What's 'bating?" Rachel asked.

"It's when grown-ups talk… Sometimes loudly, about something, so we can come to a consensus," Scott explained, patiently.

"What's 'sensus?" Rachel asked.

"It means when daddy and I finally agree on something," Jean said, smiling at her inquisitive daughter.

"Now go on and play, sweetie. We'll be going home in a few minutes," Scott said, urging Rachel to go back to the playground. He and Jean decided to take the kids out for some fresh air, and so they ended up at the park not too far from home. Rachel seemed to accept her parents' explanation and went back to what she was doing.

When Rachel was out of earshot, Scott said, "I'm sorry I raised my voice at you, Jean. I just…" Scott paused, trying to find the right words. "I just sometimes can't believe this is all real… That I'm living the life I never even knew I always dreamed of… And I just don't want to do anything to mess that up. And I just feel like I'm messing up all the time-"

"Scott, you can't believe that I'd take the children and leave you if you made mistakes or never regained your memories-"

"It's not that, or at least not so much that. It's because I desperately want to be the husband and father you and the children deserve-"

"You are!"

"How can I be when I've lost ten years' worth of experience? They can't be bought back. I have to remember… I just have to!"

"You can't force it either, Scott. Look, it's been only three weeks since your accident, overall that's not a very long time. Let's give it a couple of months and if things don't improve with your memory, we'll reach out to the professor and see what can be done," Jean said.

That mollified Scott somewhat and he decided to drop the subject… For the time being anyway. "Thanks for being patient with me, Jean."

"It isn't hard, Scott, especially when I'm just so grateful you survived the accident… You're the one who has to learn to be patient with yourself," Jean said, taking Scott's hand in hers.

"I know, you're right," Scott said. Then he decided to change the subject. "So… what are we doing today?"

"Rachel has a dentist appointment this afternoon. I was hoping I could leave Nate with you while she and I go to the dentist's office?" Jean answered.

"Of course… But Jean, why would Rachel have to go to the dentist? All her teeth will fall out anyway."

"It's still important because she could still get cavities, and I want to make sure she gets used to seeing the dentist regularly," Jean said.

Scott looked down at his sleeping son in his stroller and answered, "Alright then, you'd know better, you're the doctor after all… Nate and I will be just fine on our own. And don't worry about dinner, I'll have it ready for when you and Rach get home."

"Thanks, Scott," Jean said, kissing her husband.

Unbeknownst to the two loving parents, there sat a man on a bench not too far from them, gazing at their daughter. The man was observing, taking mental notes… Rachel Summers had the potential to grow up into the most powerful mutant on the planet. The man salivated at her potential as sinister thoughts danced through his head…

Two hours later

The Dentist's Office

Jean and Rachel had been waiting in the dentist's office for nearly half an hour already. The dentist, Dr. Wang was running behind. Jean looked at her watch and sighed. She wondered how Scott and Nate were faring at home. She hadn't re-established her and Scott's psychic rapport yet on the advice of the professor.

She missed their link greatly. Not only for the practical aspects of always being connected to her husband and being able to "talk" to him at any time, but also for the comfort and emotional support it provided for her. Lord knew, Scott would never have gotten so far on his "date" the week before had they still been connected.

"Mommy, ah wanna go home," Rachel said, resting her head on her mother's lap and putting on the Summers charm.

Jean bent down and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Soon, sweetie. The dentist will be with us soon."

"When is soon?" Rachel asked innocently.

"Soon," Jean said, chuckling at her daughter's impatience. Just like her father. "The dentist needs to see your teeth and to make sure everything is alright."

Rachel smiled at Jean, showing her mother her teeth. "You can look at them."

"I'm not a dentist, sweetie," Jean said, smiling.

Rachel tried a different tactic to get her mother to take her out of there. "Mommy, ah'm hung'y!"

"Nice try, Rach, but you're not fooling your mom. You just ate an hour ago, you're fine," Jean said, moving a stray strand of hair out of her daughter's face. "Why don't you go look at the aquarium over there while we wait for Dr. Wang."

Rachel gave Jean an exaggerated sigh then toddled off across the room to where the aquarium was. Jean observed her daughter from a few feet away. She knew Rachel would grow to be a tall young woman, with an inch or two on her mother. But at the moment, she barely came up to the bottom of the fish tank sitting on a stand beside the receptionist's desk.

As Jean expected, her daughter was completely mesmerized by the various fish swimming in the large aquarium. Rachel moved from left to right following the fish's movement. Jean soon joined her daughter and bent down next to her. "They're very pretty fish, aren't they?"

"Um hum," Rachel answered, too engrossed in watching the fish to say more.

"Which one is your favorite?" Jean asked.

"That one," Rachel said, pointing to the seahorse.

"That's not a fish, sweetie, it's a seahorse," Jean said.

"I like howsies," Rachel said.

"It's not actually a horse," Jean said.

"Oh," Rachel said, scrunching up her forehead. Then she turned towards a different fish and said, "I like that one too!"

"That's a beautiful fish, but I'm not sure what it's called," Jean said.

"It's b'ue! That's daddy's fave-rit color! Ah wanna take him home for daddy!" Rachel said.

"We can't take him home, sweetie, he's not our fish. And besides, we don't have an aquarium at home," Jean said.

"Rachel Summers," the dental assistant said, interrupting mother and daughter. "Dr. Wang is ready to see you now."

Jean took Rachel's hand, gathered her purse and coat from the chair and followed the lady. The dental assistant smiled at Rachel and said, "You must be Rachel?"

Rachel moved a little closer to Jean. "She's a little shy at first, but once she warms up to someone, you can't get her to be quiet," Jean said.

The dental assistant gave Jean a knowing smile, obviously having worked with many children. "My name is Karen. Would you like to take my hand, Rachel, and we can go see Dr. Wang together?"

Rachel seemed to have decided she liked Karen, and slowly put her hand in hers. The two made their way to the third room on the left with Jean close behind them. "Dr. Wang, this is Rachel Summers, she's here with her mom to get her teeth checked."

"Well, hello, Rachel. I understand this is your first time here?" Dr. Wang asked.

Rachel gave the dentist a small grin and nodded her head. "Well, don't be afraid, I'm just going to check your teeth and make sure everything's okay."

Jean whispered in her daughter's ear. "Sweetie, can you sit in the chair in front of Dr. Wang, so he can look at your teeth?"

Rachel nodded her head obediently and with Karen's help, sat on the chair. She didn't seem to be scared, but Jean stood close to the entrance in case Rachel decided to take off. Dr. Wang raised Rachel's chair and she seemed to enjoy the ride.

"So, Rachel, how old are you?" Dr. Wang asked.

Rachel answered, "Ah be fouw!"

"It's her birthday next month," Jean added, smiling.

"My God, four already? How the time flies!" Dr. Wang exclaimed. "It seems just like yesterday your father was in here right after you were born. I've never seen a man so proud. I could barely get his teeth cleaned, he wouldn't stop talking about you."

Jean was touched by what the dentist said. Her husband wasn't a man of many words, which made the story even more remarkable. Even after years of marriage, her husband never ceased to amaze her. She loved him so much.

Two hours later

The boathouse

"Umm… that's one massive aquarium, honey," Scott said, marvelling at the 80-gallon fish tank his wife brought home.

"Rachel insisted we stop at the pet store after our visit at the dentist. She promised me we were just going to look. Then she saw this tank with a label of $199 and told me she had $1.99 in her piggy bank and she wanted to buy this for you," Jean said, sighing.

"Ahhhh… I see…" Scott said.

"I wish you hadn't started teaching her how to count money yet," Jean said.

"See, I can't remember doing that. Obviously, I didn't do a good enough job, she was off by $197. Why didn't you just tell her it was a hundred and ninety-nine and not one dollar and ninety-nine?" Scott asked.

"I didn't have the heart to, she just looked so proud that she could buy this for you," Jean said, an embarrassed look on her face.

Scott laughed out loud. "And you say she's got me wrapped around her little fingers?"

"I know… I'm just as guilty," Jean said, putting her face in her hands. "Are you upset I didn't consult you first, Scott? It's an expensive purchase that we didn't plan."

"Of course, not!" Scott said, taking his wife in his arms. "Tell me your heart didn't melt when Rachel showed me the aquarium. She was so happy and proud when she "buyed this" with her own money." Jean chuckled at her husband's impersonation of their daughter. "You made that happen, Jean! And when she's older, she'll understand what you did, and she'll love you even more for it, if that's possible."

"She was so happy…" Jean agreed.

"And when my family's happy, I'm happy," Scott said. "Besides, I think it makes a nice addition to our living room. I love you, Jean, you are a wonderful mother, please don't stress out about the purchase. Two-hundred dollars isn't going to break the bank."

"Thanks, darling," Jean said, standing on her toes to give her husband a kiss.

Later that night

Ever since finding out he was both a husband and a father, Scott found there wasn't much each day he wasn't looking forward to. He loved getting up first in the morning and preparing breakfast for Jean and Rachel. He enjoyed the time they all spent taking their meals together. He looked forward to playing with Rachel as well as caring for little Nate, even though the latter often left him with bodily fluid all over his shirt and Lord knew where else. He and Jean would often spend the afternoons together talking about everything and nothing at all.

But he would have to say without a doubt, his favorite time of the day was when the children were fast asleep at night, and he had his gorgeous wife all to himself. Scott looked up from his musings and watched as Jean gently closed their bedroom door behind her.

"You finally got her to sleep?" Scott asked.

"Yes, finally. If only Rachel fell asleep as easily as her brother," Jean said, sighing.

"Still excited about her new pet fish?" Scott asked.

"So excited that she insisted I read her 'One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish' as her bedtime story," Jean said, smiling.

Scott laughed. "Well, Jean, whatever it takes to get her to sleep, I'm all for."

"Oh?" Jean said, raising her eyebrow at her husband. "And why is that?"

"Because I have plans for you, Mrs. Summers," Scott said, gently taking Jean's hands in his and pulling her towards him.

"Hmm… That's Dr. Grey to you," Jean answered coyly, removing her husband's shirt.

"A doctor… Even better," Scott said, divesting his wife of her nightgown.

Soon, the two were engrossed in exploration of each other. Time passed with passionate kisses, warm caresses, sighs and gasps. After some lengthy foreplay, Scott rolled his wife under him. He kissed her passionately and when he ran his fingertips down her neck, she bit down on his lip and held her breath.

That was all the signal he needed, and he joined his body to his wife's. Scott still couldn't get over how amazing being with Jean felt. Each time felt like it was their first time all over again. He didn't think it would ever become old-hat to him. All thoughts fled his mind as he continued to make love with his wife.

He could feel Jean clutching him, a sign she was close to fulfilment when suddenly, "Daddy, how come you and mommy gots no clothes on?"

"Rachel?!" Scott yelled. He was so caught off guard he practically jumped right off Jean and fell to the floor on the other side of the bed. He and Jean were so engrossed in each other, neither of them heard their bedroom door open.

"Oh my God!" Jean gasped, scrambling to cover herself with the bed sheets. Scott managed to find his boxers on the floor and quickly put them on.

"Rachel, honey, why aren't you sleeping?!" Jean asked, looking more mortified than Scott had ever seen her before.

"I woked up," Rachel said, innocently.

"Why, honey? Did you have a bad dream?" Scott asked his daughter.

Rachel shook her head. "There was noises."

Scott noticed Jean's face turn crimson before she buried her face in her hands. Scott would have laughed if he wasn't feeling so embarrassed himself. "I'm sure the noises were just from your dream," Scott said, picking himself up off the cold floor.

"Daddy, how come you and mommy don't gots any clothes?" Rachel asked, insistent on an answer.

Jean, seemingly finding her courage again said, "Well… you see… we were looking for them… they went missing and daddy and I thought it might be on the bed somewhere."

Scott rolled his eyes. Jean must have sensed it because she practically hissed to him telepathically, **You want to explain sex to a three-year-old? Be my guest.**

Rachel had a confused look on her face, obviously sensing there was something wrong with the explanation her mother gave her, but in her innocence, couldn't begin to guess what it was. Scott sensed more questions about to be thrown their way and so quickly said, "Rach, honey, why don't you go back to your room. Mommy and I will quickly find our missing clothes, then we'll tuck you back in okay?"

"Can I have a bedtime story?" Rachel asked, an eager look on her face.

What the hell, Scott thought. It's not like he was going to get any kind of relief anyway. "Sure, but just one book, okay, sweetie? It's getting late."

"Okay!" And Rachel ran out of their room and back to her own.

Jean, still red in the face, turned to look at her husband. It was a look that told him she couldn't believe what just happened.

Scott snickered. "Hey, don't look at me, you're the noisy one."

Scott didn't even see the pillow smack him in the face.

The next morning

"It's so good to see you looking more like your normal self, Jean," Raven said.

"Yes, meine freundin, I agree. You look less stressed now that Scott's back home," Kurt added.

Raven, Kurt and Peter came over that morning for breakfast. For whatever reason, since she and Scott moved into the boathouse almost four years ago, their friends made it a tradition to join them for breakfast on Thursday mornings.

"Did I look that bad a couple of weeks ago?" Jean asked.

"No, no, that's not what we meant-" Kurt started.

"You looked like something the cat dragged in… except you were in such bad shape, a cat wouldn't even consider you worth dragging in," Peter said, interrupting Kurt.

"Thanks, Peter. Charming as always," Jean said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't listen to him, Jean," Raven said, taking a bite of her waffles.

"Yes, you're always lovely, Jean. Even when you are a little… overtaxed. But more importantly, Scott thinks you're the most beautiful woman ever," Kurt said, always eager to please.

"Thanks Kurt, but I think we can all agree that Scott sees the world through rose-colored glasses, and not just literally," Jean said, smiling.

"Where is ol' fearless anyway?" Peter asked.

"He's giving Rachel a bath upstairs. They'll be down soon," Jean answered. "By the way, will Ororo and Hank be joining us?"

"They were sent out on an assignment by the professor early yesterday morning. It seemed urgent. All I know is that they were sent to Alberta," Raven answered.

"Canada?" Jean asked.

"That's all we know," Kurt answered.

"Any progress on Scott's amnesia?" Peter asked, changing the subject.

A sad smile crossed Jean's face. "No, I'm afraid not. Sometimes, I fear I made things worse by telling him too soon."

"You can't regret what you did, Jean. Circumstances pretty much took the choice out of your hands," Raven said.

"Yes, Jean, I agree. If you had not found out about Scott's night out, he would have seen that woman again…" Kurt said, not finishing his sentence. He didn't have to, they all knew the potential consequences of that happening.

Jean nodded. "I know. With what almost happened… I feel ill just thinking about it."

"And you wouldn't even be able to take out your anger on Scott," Peter added.

"Says who?" Jean asked, raising an eyebrow at Peter, daring him to contradict her.

Before Peter could answer, a sharp squeal rang in the air and a butt-naked, and still-dripping-wet Rachel ran into the kitchen, her disheveled and equally soaked father close on her heels. "Rachel Summers, you come back here right now!" Scott said, using his I'm-not-kidding voice.

"Ah don' wanna" Rachel said, running behind her Uncle Kurt's chair.

"Rachel, do what your daddy says, right now," Jean said. "You're wet and you have no clothes, you could catch a chill. I mean it, young lady."

Rachel shook her head defiantly. "Looks like you two have met your match," Peter said, snickering. "Couldn't you just yank her telekinetically and put her clothes on her?"

"I could, but it's more important for her to obey. Besides, I can only use my powers on her for so long before she eventually grows up and becomes more powerful than me. It's not a long-term solution," Jean answered.

Raven tried helping. "Rachel, this is a big mess you're making dripping water all over the kitchen. Why don't you let your daddy put your clothes on, so you can join us for breakfast?"

"I don't like clothes. It's hot," Rachel argued.

"Meine kleine, everyone wears clothes. They are wunderbar! See? We all have them," Kurt said, trying to cajole Rachel into wearing the clothes her father was currently holding.

"My mommy and daddy don' gots to wear clothes! They gots on no clothes las' night when they was s'eeping," Rachel said, innocently.

Jean and Scott were frozen speechless. Peter choked on his bite of muffin and was coughing violently. Kurt suddenly found his waffles incredibly interesting. Raven had a small smirk on her face.

When Peter finally got over his coughing fit, he turned to Rachel, a serious expression on his face. "Why do you say that, my dear?"

"Peter!" Jean yelled, completely embarrassed.

Rachel, oblivious in all her innocence, answered, "Cuz they lost them. And daddy was helping mommy look for them in the bed, but there was no clothes on the bed... I wanna lose my clothes too."

Jean snuck a look at her equally mortified husband. Jean would have burst out laughing at Scott's expression if the embarrassing situation wasn't at her expense as well. His cheeks were redder than his glasses. Too bad she just wanted the floor to open up from under her and swallow her whole at the moment.

"I see…" Peter said.

Kurt seemed to be their only friend who wasn't enjoying seeing Scott and Jean squirm. He got off his chair and bent down to be eye-level with Rachel. "Meine kleine, would you like to go for some ice-cream with me later?"

"Umm hum," Rachel said, nodding her little head.

"But only little girls with clothes on are allowed to have ice-cream. And you don't have any right now," Kurt said.

"Oh…" Rachel said, contemplating what she was just told.

"Go with your daddy and put some clothes on, then later we'll go for some ice-cream at the park," Kurt said in his thick German accent.

"Okay!" Rachel ran towards Scott and allowed him to pick her up.

Scott turned to Jean and said, "I uhh… Still have to bathe Nathan too after this. I won't be down for a while." Scott quickly turned and practically ran back up the stairs, Rachel in his arms.

Coward, Jean thought. She turned around and looked back at her friends. She had no doubt her face was as red as her hair at the moment.

"Kids say the darndest things, huh?" Peter said, taking a sip of his coffee. He was completely enjoying this whole thing. Before Jean could answer, a mental summons invaded her mind.

**Jean, I'm sorry to intrude like this, but I need you in the med bay right now.**

**Of course, I'm on my way. Who's hurt, Professor?** Jean asked, telepathically.

**I believe you've met our guest once before, a very long time ago… His name is Logan.**

To be continued…