[Author's Note: Behold part one of the exciting conclusion. I've been setting this up for long enough. Read and enjoy. And then review. Seriously.
Jean dizzily wandered into her quarters. She felt a little noxious from her appointment with the Professor. He didn't have anything helpful for her. She couldn't even remember anything that happened in the last few hours. All she wanted was a nice, hot bath. She needed to relax—she had never been so stressed before.
Scott looked up at her from the floor. While she was with the Professor, he busied himself with some exercises. Xavier recommended something called "yoga" to him. They were the most peculiar exercises that Scott had ever tried, but after a little more than an hour of doing it, he no longer doubted its effectiveness as a training regimen. He tried to greet her, but the contortion in his torso did not allow for any kind of speech.
"Scott, what are you doing?"
He freed himself from the stretch and took a breath. "Camel pose. I don't understand it either sweetheart."
She wandered past him and went into the bathroom. With no semblance of grace, she began filling up the bathtub and disrobing. Scott followed her, wanting to talk to her. It seemed like forever since they had a pleasant conversation. "How was your appointment with the Professor?"
She took a minute to pull her sock from her foot before answering. "Useless, completely useless. All it gave me was a headache and an upset stomach." She unceremoniously took off her shirt, pants, and underwear and dipped into the tub. Scott was amazed at how unsexual her stripping had been. Taking a seat on the edge of the tub, he took one of her legs and starting rubbing her foot. "Ooohh Scott. It's been such a rough couple of days."
"I know. But soon we'll be clear of these troubles. Xavier always finds a solution to problems relating to your powers. I guess I never thought about how lucky I am that my powers aren't centered in my brain."
"This time feels different. You know I've never had an incident like the one in the danger room. I almost killed you, me, and Logan. Even the Professor was knocked out."
Scott was worried that he wouldn't be able to comfort her. He couldn't tell her a thing about what she was really going through, he couldn't explain to her how the Professor was working to make things alright, and worse yet he couldn't tell her just how dangerous Logan's presence was. All he could do was reiterate his own reassurance. "I promise everything will be alright, Jean."
Dismayed, she quietly agreed. The water filled almost to the top of the tub before she turned it off. Scott was at a loss for what to do, and just lit some aromatherapy candles to help her relax. "I have to go see the Professor. Will you be alright here?"
"What happened in the Danger Room?" she asked in a hushed voice.
There was no good answer to that question. He could tell she knew something about what happened. Maybe Logan told her something. After choosing his words carefully, he said, "I can't tell you exactly what happened in there Jean. Not yet."
"When can you Scott? I'll never be okay until I know."
"I don't know. The Professor needs to figure it out first. Just… please don't talk to Logan about this. It'll just make things worse."
"Fine. Just go."
He cursed under his breath. He left her to her bath and prayed she would stay there. Part of him knew she wouldn't.
Scott found the Professor tinkering with his psychic simulation machine, the neuro-conduit-array. Without looking up to acknowledge Scott's arrival, Xavier said, "This is the last simulation I'm going to prepare for you Scott. I think you should be ready for it."
"The last one?"
"Yes. It's going to be a minute, I had to make some pretty significant adjustments to it earlier today. Let's thank our lucky stars that Phoenix isn't as wise as she is powerful."
"Professor, I have an important question for you. In fact, I have two. Is there such a thing as a Self?"
Xavier stopped his work and turned to Scott. "What do you mean?"
"I mean behind the veneer of personality traits—is there anything left of a person once you take from them their emotions and thoughts?"
Xavier grinned to himself as he turned back to the machine. "Yes Scott, there is. This isn't a scientific statement, you know, but everyone has something special deep inside them. I'd like to go on, but this is hardly the time for a lesson in consciousness theory."
"It's just… I met Jean's Self the other night. Phoenix tried to trap me, trick me, and even kill me. But after she got tired out, all the elements of Jean's psyche withered away, except for her Self."
"Well, that's a rather privileged experience Scott. The Self doesn't get to make an appearance very often. Usually there's a personality running all the operations of a mind: telling it what to think, what to feel, what to believe, sometimes even what to see and hear. I'm glad you got to meet Jean's self. Did she tell you anything interesting?"
"She told me she loved me, and that she was counting on me. She told me we had to overcome Phoenix."
Xavier sighed. "If I had listened to my own Self all those years ago, we wouldn't be in this predicament. I contained Phoenix out of fear, not wisdom. But then again, maybe my fear was right. Maybe she would have killed me and many more people if I hadn't done what I did. All we can do is hope for the best now."
Scott sat quietly for a few minutes while Xavier finished his work on the machine. He had been taught so much in the last few days it was hard to even remember what he'd actually learned. He was definitely going to talk to the Professor about philosophy more often. Maybe he'd even do some reading.
"Okay, it's ready. This is going to be a little different than usual. I'm not going to disrupt your consciousness stream when you enter the simulation. You're going to know it's all fake. It'll be like knowing you're in a dream while you're dreaming. But you need to embrace it, to accept it, in order to understand what this simulation is all about. Are you ready?"
Scott took a deep breath. Even though he was just running a simulation, something felt different. It felt real. "Yes."
At first Scott couldn't tell what was different. The world seemed the slightest bit larger. He felt heavier, but also stronger. His arms itched, and when he scratched them they were absolutely covered in body hair. Shocked, he felt the rest of his body. His chest was much thicker, as were his arms and neck. And his facial hair was scruffier than ever. Slowly it sank in: Charles turned him into the Wolverine.
Logan killed the time in the Danger Room while he waited for Jean. He knew she'd come, and when she did he wanted to have the proper ambiance. He programmed in a moonlit forest, which was actually quite romantic when it wasn't a combat zone. To get himself psyched up for what he knew was going to be a dangerous fuck, he reloaded the katana master he sparred with earlier. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he pit himself against the best the Danger Room had to offer.
All the power in his senses almost overwhelmed Scott. His brain almost couldn't handle it: his eyesight was sharper, his hearing was clearer, and his nose was so much stronger. Deciding to give his new sensations a whirl, he took in his surroundings. Tall trees in every direction, orange and brown leaves covering the ground, and the peaceful sound of contented wildlife. He recognized this peaceful wilderness—he was only a few hundred yards from the Xavier Institute. Instinctively, he crouched and made his way towards the mansion, stalking as if he already had his prey in mind.
Countless strikes and feints, dodges and dives, blocks and parries. Wolverine loved this program. He spent most of his life feeling like an animal, concerned primarily with survival and pleasure. Now he had to test his skills. He knew the limits of his strength and speed, but his technique would decide victory or defeat. And, with the safety parameters disengaged, victory or defeat meant survival or death. As the minutes wore on, he found holes in his opponent's defense, but whenever he tried to exploit it he received a vicious slash for his efforts. But he finally found the pattern, and the next wound the robot dealt him was its last. Wolverine stood over the decapitated automaton with a katana protruding from his side. He grasped the hilt and removed the blade, the pain barely noticeable amidst the glory of victory. With immaculate timing, Jean entered the room.
He came upon the back fence, sneaking quietly through the brush. She lounged by the pool, wearing a bright red bikini that left little to the imagination. He could smell her, only faintly. Every whiff of her scent made his heart beat faster and made his mind race with thoughts of hot, sweaty sex. But instead of feeling weak from thinking about Jean, he felt each heartbeat empower him from his loins all the way up his spine. This was a great feeling, to feel like a powerful man and a sexual conqueror. He vaulted himself over the fence, making as little sound as possible. She didn't hear him, so he continued sneaking up, stalking his prey.
Still breathing heavily from his struggle, Logan turned to Jean with a smile. "Red."
His mental state was obvious. His body covered in minor injuries and sweat, his heart racing with adrenaline, and his psyche energized by the thrill of violence and victory. He simply doesn't get any more ready than this. "Logan, I don't know what you're expecting here. I just came here to figure out what happened that night." Her body shook, and she didn't know why. Logan had a habit of making her weak in his presence, but now she felt completely powerless. She worried about what could happen next.
"Well, you know what to do. C'mon up here and take a peek in my brain."
Scott interrupted Jean's repose, bracing his heavy body over hers. Alerted, her eyes opened and Scott saw an unfamiliar look of shock in her eyes. But with fear came excitement. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her hungrily. She pressed against him, and after some struggling broke free from his advance. "What do you think you're doing?!"
What did he think he was doing? It all felt so natural. He smelled her deeply and she smelled of arousal. Backed by a deep feeling of power that he could identify only as arrogance, he said, "I'm doing exactly what you want me to."
She didn't resist the way he expected her to. Was this supposed to be Jean when she wasn't committed to Scott? Would she be so receptive to the Wolverine if she wasn't involved with Scott? He bit her neck just hard enough to satisfy his dominant instincts and then went for more. His teeth closed around the cloth of her bikini top, and he snarled, pulling away. She gasped as he bared her breasts to the world, and she breathed in with excitement as he fondled, licked, and nibbled her. His mouth explored her chest and midriff, going past her belly and to the bikini bottom below. He sniffed her, delighting in the scents of her juices. So many senses working so sharply, Scott was almost overwhelmed by the experience. But he kept his cool and closed his teeth around the cloth, ready to tear it away. "Oh God Logan, give me more. . ."
Jean couldn't believe it when she looked through his memories. The strength of the feelings, the horror of the experience. It seemed like a nightmare, a massive betrayal to her love. She stumbled back, quickly losing balance and consciousness. A strong hand grasped her wrist.
"Jean, snap out of it!"
"Let me go! I love Scott too much to be doing this!"
He pulled her to him, and held her close as she struggled weakly to get away. "This isn't about Scott, Jean. It's about you. Somewhere deep inside you, you need me. That's what's doing this to you. Just accept that you need a real man." He kissed her firmly. She couldn't push away, and opened her mouth to a deep, wet kiss. She felt herself eagerly kissing back, even though every thought wanted only to escape. She wasn't in command of her body anymore, and could only watch as Logan ran his hands up and down her sides, feeling the contours of her chest. She would have screamed when his hands grasped her shirt and tore it from her body. As her body shook with excitement and her loins ached with anticipation, something dark and terrible began to overtake her consciousness.
"More, Logan. Give me more."
Scott had never tasted her like this. He salivated all over her clitoris, licking her up and down her slit and enjoying every sensation. Her moans, her gasps, the energy she radiated, the smell, the taste, and the burning desire in his heart, it all felt so powerful. He tongued her opening, salivating even more as he gauged her arousal. She was ready. God was she ready. He stood himself up, tore his shorts from his waste, and picked up her slender frame. Her legs wrapped around his body eagerly and she carefully guided herself down onto his cock. The pleasure washed over him, but he grinned when he realized he was still in control. The strength in his body and the power of his confidence kept him focused, and he began driving himself deep into her. She leaned back, moaned and started breathing heavily. Her eyes closed, her mouth fell agape, and--
And that's when the alarms went off in the basement of the X-Mansion.