Glennscm, I promised that I'd write it for you, and so here we go again, okay? You know I don't own nobody but Celestia and her mom.
Storm sprawled in front of the TV with a full pint of Ben and Jerry's mint chocolate chip ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other, fully enjoying the rare silence in the manor. She glanced lazily across the room at her best friend, who met her glance with an equally lazy grin. Jean was pulling steadily on a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew. Both women were in their pajamas, despite it almost being noon.
"I feel kinda guilty about this, you know?" Storm said into the silence, which was otherwise punctured only by the drone of X-Files reruns.
"What for?" Jean replied, almost drawling her words. "The world's at peace, the kids that are welcome at home are there for the summer, and the ones that aren't are in Florida with Scott on vacation. We deserve this break."
"No, it's not that…" Storm replied slowly. "It's just that Mint Chocolate Chip is the professor's favorite, and I'm eating the last pint."
The women's gazes connected, and then they burst into laughter, unable to speak, breathe, or do anything but cry with mirth.
"So much for being on call 24/7." The professor's disapproving voice preceded his entrance into the spacious rec room. Jean and Storm stopped laughing, but continued the consummation of their junk food.
"Aw, c'mon, Professor. We're just relaxing!" Jean said, taking another long pull at the Mountain Dew.
"In your pajamas, barefoot, and completely at ease!"
Storm sighed, resigning herself to business and her mentor's cranky mood. "Okay, what did Cerebro find?"
The professor eyed both of them for another moment before answering. "About 60 mutants. One of them I wanted you to check out personally, if you wouldn't mind."
"What's so special about a daily find?" Jean asked, confused by the professor's interest in one mutant.
"She's got too much power to be left on the street for long. I want her here as soon as possible." Professor X stated, placing a copy of Cerebro's finds on the pool table before hovering out of the room. "She's important, I just don't know why!" he called over his shoulder. "Find her!"
Jean sighed, and then extended her arm. The folder jumped to her outstretched hand. The redhead opened the folder, her brows furrowing in concentration. "Well, she's powerful, all right." She muttered, almost to herself.
"What can she do that makes her so special?" Storm asked her friend.
"Flight, transformation, and teleportation."
Storm gave a low whistle. "Okay, who're her parents?"
"Cerebro didn't know. That's not my question, though. What's with the professor's vested interest in this one, other than her powers?
Storm shrugged. "I have no clue. Any ideas in your caffeinated brain?"
"A few. Hey, do you think we know her family?" Jean asked, the question coming out so quickly that Storm barely caught it.
"If the professor's interested, maybe we do," she replied with another shrug. "He has a bond with each of us that he's taught, so maybe he's interested because tee bond is passed down through genetics. It wouldn't be the first time we've taught families."
Jean considered this with a creased forehead. "Okay, so maybe we should see if we can locate her. If we can get her to come with us, maybe we can figure this whole thing out."
Storm's shoulders sagged and she gazed at her ice cream.
Jean grinned. "You can take it with you. You're flying the jet, by the way."
Storm rolled her eyes. "I always do."
With that, the women swept out of the rec room to dress and embark on this new mission, this new mystery.
"And he owes us for this one." Jean muttered to Storm.
"Hell yes he does. Nobody takes me away from the X-Files and gets away with it."
Okay, Glennscm. There it is. Chapter two. It'll get momentum as it gets dusted off. Then it'll be smoother and less choppy. Stay with me, okay? -CP