Chapter 1: Strategy X

The sound of cheering and screaming was too loud, Ethan thought. He was now in the age of seventeen and was enrolled in the town's high school, Bayville High School. Which he for that matter didn't like. The teacher shuck as much as the game did. Football was not his thing. He didn't see the point, all they did was running back and forth with a ball and made useless points.

"You look to be having fun." He looked to the side to see his very close friend coming walking over with her camera. It was Jean Grey, or 'Miss. Popular' at the school. She was wearing her normal long read hair freely down her back, a form-fitting pale purple shirt with a slight v-neck, tan khakis and brown open-toed sandals. Her normal gold bracelets on each of her wrists. Different from Ethan, who only had a normal long armed black shirt, rolled up to the elbows, dark blue jeans and black sneakers. A watch on his left wrist.

"Can you blame me?" he asked her. "You know I don't like this kind of things, so remember me again why I came with."

"To support your friends and school in the game?" she answered, a smile on her face, telling him she was happy he was here; whatever the reason was. He sighed and didn't really care about her answer. Looking around, he found Scott's friend Paul sitting by himself.

"Where is Duncan?" Ethan asked Jean and look over the field. "Should you not go and take pictures on your boyfriend?"

"He asked the coach for a brake, I don't know where he is." she responded. Great, Ethan thought and made his way over to their Paul sat.

"Stay here Jean, keep doing your work." he ordered her.

"Where are you going?"

"To find Scott." he answered and left her by the side field.

Ethan walked over and was on his way to ask Paul where Scott was but was stop as he could feel his presence close by, together with another mutant. He walked around the grandstand and found Scott under it, with no other than Duncan Matthews. Ethan walk over just in time as another boy jumped away, like a frog. Mutant, was what Ethan could feel from him.

"Do we have a problem here?" Ethan ask as he was close to the gang of fourth. Three players and Scott Summers.

"What do you want, Xavier?" Duncan ask. Ethan and Duncan might have Jean ask a common friend, but they so hate each other. You could put them in a classroom and they would not stop fight to make the other look bad. You could put them on a sport field and no of them would stop try to be better than the other. They did everything to get the other look bad, or at least it had been. Ethan had change and slowly stop care, but Scott had taken the rule to fight Duncan instead and now they were like black and white while Ethan was gray. Sure, they still hate each other, but they never talk anymore, or at least not if Ethan had a choice.

"Well, it looks like I have to become a babysitter after all," Ethan said and look at Scott, "come on Scott, let's go. Don't want to hurt them while they still have a game to win or lose." Scott nodded and they were both on their way to leave when Duncan jumped on Ethan and fell him. He changes so he sat above him and hit him in the face. Ethan however had train to fight on a whole different level than Duncan change and the upper hand. Ethan saw Scott fight the two others as he held Duncan down.

"Ethan, Scott!" Jean's voice call after them and they both look up. Duncan hit Ethan and he fell to the side as Scott was hit and his glasses was off and in a split second everything exploded.

Jean walk over to the boys and pick up Scott's glasses on her way. She sat beside him and gave them to him.

"Easy Scott."

"Jean?" Scott said and open his eyes. "Wow… is Ethan alright?" she nodded as she spoke to Ethan thought her mind. A thing they could do since they were kids. "You alright?"

"Yeah, if you count a lot of pain alright I guess I am." She understood his pain, another thing that bond them. They could feel the other's feeling. The strong ones like pain, sadness, anger and fear. The reason they were so close, they knew each other like everyone knew a pen would fall to the ground if you drop it.

"I will come and help you, just stay put." Jean told him and helped Scott to his feet. "I will help Ethan and Duncan, you should leave before anyone see you." Scott nodded and left. Jean sigh and walk over to their Ethan lay on the ground, Duncan not that far away.

"I'm fine-" he cut himself of by a sound of pain leaving his mouth.

"Don't talk." Jean ordered him and look to see that Duncan was unconscious. She used her powers and help him to his feet and then lay his arm around her and call for help. It didn't take long before people came running and help Duncan to an ambulance and Ethan to sit down.

"I told you I'm fine!" Ethan complain on the woman who try fix his wound on his leg from having a nasty hit. The fire was put down and the ambulance had left with Duncan after a lot of fighting about Ethan coming with them. He had of course fight back and got them away, but was now stuck with the school nurse. The police had decided it must have been an accident with kids playing with fire or something that hadn't work as it should, however; they put the case down.

"Please, sit still, Mr." the school nurse told Ethan, he didn't listen.

"I don't need this!" he yelled and was going to stand up. Being weak on his leg made him almost fall, lucky Jean was ready to catch him.

"Don't be stupid and lie, I can feel your pain." she told him though mind and turn to the school nurse. "I will take care of it, you can go and help the others." the school nurse nodded, happy to leave Ethan in the hands of someone else. "You really need to train on your sociality skill." Jean told Ethan as she put him down again and start to fix with his foot.

"Why would I care?" she sighed of his comment. It didn't surprise her, Ethan was not the one to be with others and he had hard to connect with people. "Can we go home now?" he asked like a five-year-old wanting a lollipop.

"Not yet, when I'm finish." he grown and lean back. "What happen back there?"

"Would you believe me if I told you Duncan was an ass?" Ethan asked, making Jean sigh again.

"He isn't always that bad, you should try to get to know him. He can be real nice sometimes."

"When it suits him." Jean didn't reply as she finished his foot and stood up. "Looks like I get to drive home."

"Where is Scott?"

"I told him to leave before anyone came. Why?" Ethan shook his head and was on his feet. Jean catch him again before he fell and us little of her powers to help herself hold him. "What is worry you so much?"

"I think we have another mutant at Bayville High." Ethan answered.

"We will tell your father than we are home, okay?"

"He already knows."Ethan answer and nodded to a car driving away.

"Well let's get you home and in bed, then." Jean said and help him to the car.

Ethan shut his eyes open as the sun hit his eyes. He saw Jean standing at the window, just pulled the curtains away and let the sun enter his room. He grown and turn around to get away from the light. Jean however wasn't pleas by that and walk over to pull his blanket away. Ethan only sleeping in a pair of jogging pants start to freeze. He rolled to the side to get warm but didn't thought how long out in the bed he already was and fall on the floor.

"Jean!" he complained.

"It's school soon and you shouldn't miss breakfast." Jean said. She walked over to his closet and start taking out some cloth for him. "How is your foot?"

"Better if I get to sleep." he grown and lay himself in the bed again, ignoring the fact that Jean was throwing him cloth. "Ugh…"

"Come on, Ethan!" Jean use her power and made him levitate in the air.

"Oh, you don't!" Ethan complain and made the air in the room change. He landed nice on his bed and Jean couldn't move.

"Serious!" she complained as he stood up and took the cloth she had chosen for him on. When he finished, he let her move again. "Don't ever do that again!" he just smiled at her and left the room to walk down to the kitchen. Jean walk to the bathroom and he was stop outside one of the many study rooms.

"Ethan!" his father call from the room and he walk in.

"What?" he asked as he enter the room. Charles was in his wheelchair and had a book in his lab. Beside him by the fire stood a boy in a cape so Ethan couldn't see who he was. He could however feel the power from him. He was a Mutant.

"Jean told me about last night, your foot okay?"

"Yes, it's fine." Ethan answer and look at the boy who stared at him. "What?" he asked, "Do I look funny or something?" the boy didn't respond but backed. Charles look at his soon with a disliked look, or at least no happy.

"Ethan, be nice." he told him. "Jean can't have you control all the times so please try to be nice." Ethan grown. Charles knew his son had hard time with new people but this was getting ridiculous. Ethan couldn't be nice for a second without Jean to have him chain. Still, Charles was impressed of how his son hand bond with the girl. They would almost never be seen without each other and they acted like they always read each other's mind, which they were able to since they first meet. No matter the distance they seem to find each other and speak though thoughts.

"He was the one starring on me, not the other way around." Ethan told his dad and gave the boy a gaze of dislike. Charles shook his head and sigh.

"Kurt, this is my son, Ethan. I apologies for his behavior, he isn't usually around new, or people at all for that matter, without Jean. She keeps him in cheek you could say." the boy only nodded.

"Ethan!" Jean call and enter the room. She stopped as she saw that Ethan wasn't alone. Charles and the boy, Kurt, look at her in question. Scott also enter soon after.

"Scott, Jean." Charles greeted them, "I was just telling Kurt here about how I plan on making this to a school for people who don't always know how to control their gift, like some are not in control and need aid." he said and look specifically at Scott who understood his message.

"So, you heard about last night." he asked.

"Hard not to, it was all over the news."

"It was an accident, Professor." Scott told him. "I'm packed with bazookas behind these," he pointed at his glasses, "what do you want from me?"

"Control Scott." Charles almost yelled. "That's what you are here to learn." he then turned to Kurt and told him about Scott's power. "Scott eyes can concussive optic blasts." the boy took his hoodie off, apparently liking the boy Scott more than Ethan and felt ready to show himself. He was all blue and had pointed ears, except that, he looked normal.

"Cool." he said. Jean walk over to stand in front of Ethan. She understood he had said something to make the boy afraid of him and she understood the Professor had told him about Jean being the one having control over him, or as much as you could. By standing in front of Ethan and between them she signs that she wouldn't let him hurt anyone. Ethan understood her movement and roll his eyes, he however, didn't move.

"What about you, do you have any cool gift that broth you here?" she asked Kurt and he smile before disappearing and reappearing a bit from there he had stood.

"Maybe." he answer and made Jean and Scott make a sound of war. Ethan though it was kind of cool, but didn't say anything. Jean could feel his thought almost and smile. Maybe she was making progress with the heartless boy.

Nothing interesting happen the day except that Kurt had join their team, for Ethan. He had walk with Jean to classes, had his own class, lunch with Jean and when seen Scott talk to the Mutant Frog. He had taken Scott's glasses and apparently known what would happen if Scott opened his eyes. Ethan had decided to join in and made Todd give Scott his glasses back then threaten the Frog to be careful with who he is messing with. The Frog had jumped away and the day continue as normal, boring. When Ethan came back home he change and went for a long run. The sun had started to get down when he was going back and he meet another man on his way back to the mention.

"Logan." Ethan said to the man who jumped off the motor bike. "Long time no seen."

"Kido?" Logan ask and raise an eyebrow. "You have grown."

"Well, I believe that's what kids do, don't they?"

"Guess so." he responded. They just stood there and look at each other until both felt the new present. Logan having his good smell and Ethan his power to locate a Mutant. They gave each other one more look before they split up and took each side of the house. Ethan was the lucky one, as he found the intruder. He let his Fire manipulation take over and his hands was set on fire as the Frog fall back by his feet and crawl back. He could feel his father want to enter his mind but shout it out.

"You are not going to hurt me, are you?" the Frog ask. Ethan smile.

"A good thing with my powers is that my emotion isn't as similar as yours, I don't feel pity for people I don't know or care about. I would be able to kill you like you were an insect." Ethan threatened. "I warn you not to mess with the wrong people."

"Please, I do anything. Just don't hurt me!" the boy cried.

"Ethan, stop!" Jean had entered his head and he hated it for the moment, she had become stronger with time and he could no longer shout her out as when they were kids. He however had start to not always listen either. He took a step forward at the Frog when he felt Jeans power affect him and throw him back to a tree. "Don't make me hurt you, Ethan, take control!"

"Release me!" Ethan yell and try to use his powers, but he found it meaningless. Like they were lock to another part of his brain and he was on another.

"Todd, go." Jean appeared from the sky and ordered the Frog to run, he didn't hesitate. "Ethan, calm down." he didn't listen and try to fight to just move a little. Jean sigh in sadness as she let her hand touch his forehead and remove his hair from his face. "Seems like we will have to do this more often." she whisper before closing the space between them and kiss him. It wasn't a kiss-kiss, both knew it. It was a kiss to let Jean enter his mind. Even if they both in secret did enjoy it, the kiss wouldn't mean anything as Jean had Duncan. This was just to get a connection as she entered his mind and like his head was a hall filled with doors which was open, she one by one close them and put a chain to them. Each door was for his powers, feelings and memorize. Locking the doors for his powers meant she was helping him keep them down on a safe level for him to be able to control them. The door of feelings did the same thing as his feelings controlled his power she just lowered them a bit. And the memorize, to keep them there for him to remember who he was and not let him become someone she didn't knew. There was a last door too, a door she had to put down not so often. It was connected to feelings and it was to stop him from killing, to get the blood thirst. For normal humans, it was close until they killed once, when it opened and they would maybe not have problem to kill again. For Ethan, it was just like he wanted to kill, like it would feel good.

Jean broke the kiss and the connection as she had lock the doors. She still held Ethan up with her powers and her hands over his ears. His brown eyes look at her green. He felt the power in him be lower as the stranger and anger.

"Thanks," he whispered before he fell into unconsciousness. Jean held him up and had a smile on her face. They were bond on a way more than friends. More when she was with her parents or even Duncan and the Professor. The kiss might not symbolize their love as a couple, but it was still a lot for Jean as Ethan meant a lot for her. His world from when they were kids always echo in her head. I will not let you feel this pain again, I promise. It was a promise he had made as she had made hers. She wouldn't let him lose himself for his power and she would never let him get hurt if she could do anything about it.