Okay so I kind of posted this story without much of an author commentary. Anyway. Scott and Jean ARE together in this story, but obviously they've got their hands a little full to be doing any fluff or romance at all.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Just the plot.

So Jean has had some sweet moments with Rogue, but don't worry, Jean and Scott are NOT picking favorites. Each of the kids is special in their own way, and will have their time to shine. (Well maybe not Gambit. I mean, how do you write that guy as a kid? Just kidding. I've got my plans. MUAHAHAHAHA).

XxXxX

It was the middle of the night. Jean and Scott had turned in around eleven after scouring the kitchen and dining room. They were wiped out and ready to go to sleep. Jean crawled into bed and fell asleep immediately. Her counter part, on the other hand, tossed and turned.

Scott could hear the snores of the boys in the other room. He kept thinking about what he had told Jean earlier, about them being the same teammates, just younger. The fact was that he didn't believe it himself. They may have the same powers, but they were so… little. Even Kurt, who he didn't think could GET any younger, was so different.

He knew how uncomfortable Jean was because he felt the same way. The closest thing to a father her had was the Professor. And as much as the Professor tried, there was only so much the man could do. As a mentor he excelled, but he lacked a certain air that Scott had always believed a father needed. Hank, Piotr, even Logan would make a better father than Scott. Why had this happened?

Finally giving up on sleep, Scott rolled out of bed and threw on a pair of green and black flannel PJ pants. He didn't bother with a shirt knowing that no one else would be up. Opening the door to the other room, he quickly made sure all of the boys were still there. Counting all four heads, he wandered into the kitchen to get something to eat.

Sighing, he made himself a sandwich and poured a glass of milk. He was starring into the distance thinking about his past when a soft grumble caught his attention from the other side of the room. Scott jumped to his feet, ready to attack, when he saw the source.

"Peter, what are you doing up?" Scott scolded quietly. After he said this, Scott noticed that Piotr had red eyes and tear streaks. Scott walked over to him and kneelt down. "Peter, what's wrong, buddy?"

"I… I had a… a… "

"Did you have a bad dream?" Piotr nodded and inched a little closer to Scott. Without understanding why, Scott reached over and picked up the boy, surprised by how light he was. When Piotr was all grown up he weighed over 250 pounds, but as a child he was much less. Scott carried him to the living room leaving his late night snack behind.

Scott grabbed a book of the shelf and sat down with it. "Peter, do you want to talk about you're dream?" Shaking his head, the boy just curled up closer to Scott. The older man was struck by just how weird this was. Piotr was older than him and MUCH bigger, but here was just a child, scared out of his mind by a bad dream, and all Scott wanted to do was make him feel safe. "Do you want me to read you a story?"

Piotr nodded and listened to the book Scott had pulled out; a fairy tale about a hansom prince fighting dragons, evil sorcerers, and rescuing the pretty princess. At the end of the story, Scott noticed that Piotr had dozed off and that it was still dark outside. Knowing that both of them were going to need the rest for tomorrow, Scott gingerly carried the boy to his room and laid him back down on the bed he was sharing with Kurt.

Glancing around the room, Scott couldn't help but grin at the boys. Piotr had immediately curled into a small ball while his friend sprawled out as far as his 5 limbs could go. Scott smiled, glad that the boys were so small it didn't really matter how much room they took up.

The older X-Man had to hold back a snort as he looked at the bed housing the most… well… lets just call them eccentric of the gang. Remy had one arm under his pillow with the other hanging off the bed with the company of a leg, and drooling. Logan on the opposite side was laying facing the wall, sucking on his thumb. Scott wanted nothing more than to take a picture and save it forever, but knew that, once again, it would be much harder to get any rest the next day from any of the kids. So instead he crept out of the room and finally fell asleep in his own bed. The last thought he had was about how natural it had been to comfort Piotr.