Chapter 1

The knock on my door that woke me up sounded more like a train crashing through my room. I brushed my fiery red hair out of my face and trudged to my door, I opened its lightweight, but durable maple structure to find Scott waiting patiently for me at my door. As soon as he saw me he gave me a quick nip on my lips and said ''Morning Jean, are you up for a quick brunch before our Danger Room session with the others?'' Brunch? Did I really sleep that long? ''Sure Scott, let me just get dressed and we can head out'' He smiled and replied ''When you're ready I will be out by the garage'' I closed the door after waving and almost sprinted over to my dresser, this was the first time in awhile me and Scott have had and possibly will have for awhile, being a X-Man doesn't leave very much luxury time. I examined my dresser for a second and picked my fall drawer, I like things being a bit neat, so I always label my drawers for the different seasons, I sorted and scanned through my clothes, trying to pick out exactly what I should wear, I decided I would go for a small emerald button up blouse, comfortable blue jeans, and black flip flops. I rushed out my door after brushing my teeth and hair and ran into Kitty, literally, who was carrying some muffins for her home etc. class project, which almost tumbled to the ground before I gestured my hand a split second before they hit the ground and they hovered there, until I made them float up onto Kitty's plate. ''Thanks Jean! Also do you have a clue where Kurt is? He is supposed to be my official taste tester!'' I thought about it for a second thinking back to two days ago where I remembered Kurt saying something about a training session with Beast in the small wooded area around the mansion, ''Yeah Kitty, he's with Beast in the woods in a training session, but I'm sure he'll find some time to taste your muffins'' She waved and ran off through a wall, probably headed straight to the woods to find Kurt. Poor Kurt, Kitty has had an infamous record filled with less than savory muffins, and Kurt's tried all of them. Although he does seem to like Kitty a lot, much more than a friend, I remember when Scott and I were teenagers... I let the thoughts slide out of my head and I once again continued on my trek to the garage, this time uninterrupted. I poked my head through the door to the garage and found Scott by his black 1969 super sport Camaro; sometimes I wonder how much time he spends on his car. ''So Jean ready to go?'' I smiled in response and we jumped into his car and buckled up. He put his car in reverse, backed out into the drive way, and we sped off.

On our way there Scott turned down the radio, which was playing Pink's ''Raise your Glass'' and decided to ask me about my telepathic training sessions with the Professor. ''Jean, I was wondering if you had made any progress with the professor on your telepathic training?'' I tilted my head over to him and replied weakly ''Some, but I still feel like I can do better, when I try and get through some of his most basic psychic shields I always lose my concentration and I falter'' He looked over to me and ran his hands through my hair and consoled me ''I'm sure the Professor had the same problems as you are having, and plus I don't think he ever had a teacher to guide him and give him support, besides he helped you control your telekinesis, didn't he?'' My emotions immediately were lifted, Scott had a way of doing that, and soon my mind began to wander back to when I first met Professor Xavier, and Scott.

9 years ago…

''Daddy! I can't stop it! Everyone's voices are in my head they won't stop!'' as soon as I said that my family picture with me and my parents, John and Elaine Grey, flew across the room and broke. ''Jean,'' my dad grasped my shoulders and looked at me with his deep brown eyes, ''Jean I'm calling the Professor, he will find a way to stop it, he will just put those psychic blocks in you again, then everything will be all right!'' My head was throbbing, I couldn't control it! Ever since my friend died in that terrible car accident in front of our house, and I tried and save her, I've been hearing people's voices in my head, hearing their darkest secrets, and things have been floating and flinging themselves around me. The last time Professor Xavier tried and help me he offered me a place at my institute, but my dad refused, he didn't want people to know that his daughter was a mutant, he wasn't ashamed of me, but he didn't want me to grow up in a world where people hated and feared me.

The door bell rang and Professor Xavier came rushing in, but someone else was with him, a boy around my age who was wearing these odd red glasses. ''Charles,'' my dad exclaimed, ''I need you to keep this under control, ever since Erik came for her a few weeks ago she's been on edge, I think your psychic blocks failed. Professor Xavier wheeled over to me and placed his hands on the sides of my head and closed his eyes, by now this had happened three times and so I was familiar with the feeling that came with this procedure. Relax, the professor reassured me telepathically. He accompanied me into my mind and we saw flashes of memory, fragments of my past floating about, occasionally one would alter my mental landscape to match itself, but one thing stood most prominent among the landscape, several huge metallic doors that towered over me and the Professor. This time though they were cracked and there were several holes in them, the Professor waved his hands in the air for a few seconds, soon I joined in as have previously had the last few times, and soon the doors began to repair themselves, almost like a piece of Jell-O rejoining the original piece of larger Jell-O. After we were done, the landscape fizzled and became blurry; soon we were back in my living room with my dad and the other boy. The Professor begged my father ''Please John, allow Jean to come stay with me at the Institute, I can protect her and help her control and focus her abilities!'' my father looked at me solemnly and pinched the bridge of his nose ''Jean, this is your life and you deserve a say in it, what do you want?'' I thought about it and quickly became elated at the thought of finally being able to control my powers. ''Dad, I want to go with him, I want to go to the Xavier Institute'' He smiled weakly and replied ''If it's what you want, who am I to stop you'' Professor Xavier's face lit up like a Christmas tree and shook hands with John and then gestured towards the so far mute boy behind him to come forward ''Since you are going to be joining us I believe it necessary to start out knowing someone at the institute, allow me to introduce you to Scott Summers, my newest student, behind you of course''

''Jean, we are here'' Scott's voice snapped me out of my daydream. ''Oh sorry Scott I was just daydreaming, I hope it didn't bother you to not talk all the way here'' Scott chuckled '' It's ok Jean it wasn't that far, and besides you looked so beautiful sleeping, as always'' I smiled Scott had a way with words. We entered the building labeled ''Da'Vinci's dream cuisine'' it was a small, but very welcoming café downtown the rather large town of Westchester, only about a 10 mile drive from the mansion, just close enough to get food and what not without traveling too far, but just far enough away that the residents won't notice, let's say a giant black jet rising seemingly out of nowhere in the forest that surrounds it. As soon as we entered the café the waiter greeted us with a smile, Paul Ashford, the owner who was there recognized us as we used to be regulars as teenagers and a bit after, ''Jean! Scott! It is delightful to see you again! It has been a long time since we last saw you, how have you been?'' I gave him a quick friendly hug, and Scott gave him a handshake before saying ''We've been very good, how about you and the wife?'' He smiled and replied '' Well, I'm a father now! Our son Timmy is 3 now and he is absolutely delightful, what about you two? Are you two planning on getting married and having little ones anytime soon?'' Me and Scott glanced at each other uneasily, this was a sore subject for me and Scott, however we were spared the pain of making up a excuse because Paul picked up on the soreness of the subject and checked a table and said ''Oh you two can tell me later! We really are quite busy right now, enjoy your meal though!'' He vanished somewhere in the kitchens located at the back of the café and one of the waitresses seated us at a booth in the corner of the café, near the windows, for drinks me and Scott both ordered a Sprite, mine and his favorite and within a minute or so our drinks were brought to us. However no amount of Sprites could dissolve the upcoming conversation's awkwardness. ''Scott…'' I was about to start the conversation, but he decided to take the lead ''I know what you're going to say Jean, until mutants and humans find peace, we must carry the burden of not having children, unless we want them to live in a world where they are feared and discriminated against'' he read me like a book, although that could either be because he knew me so well or our psychic connection with one another. ''Scott, you know that the Professor is getting closer all the time to establishing a stable peace between mutants and humans, we just need to give it time…'' I was pleased with my answer, it only seemed logical however Scott disagreed, and slammed his fist on the dining table ''Jean, I love you, I really do, but our jobs our dangerous, being a X-Man is dangerous, and I love doing it, but we need our life too! What about us, our dreams,'' He grabbed my hands and held them in his, ''our future… what if Xavier never finds peace and then we never get married or have children, then we would have wasted our life!'' I tried and formulate a rebuttal, but Scott had already made up his mind, he slammed the money required for our drinks on the table and stormed out. I know Scott wants to get married and have kids, I do too, but we must wait for the hatred between mutants and humans to quell, and as much as I believe in my statement I still sometimes wonder if Scott's right…

Authors Note:

Just to clarify, Jean, Scott, and the not yet met Storm and Wolverine are all adults around 24 or so while Kitty, Kurt, Iceman, and Rouge are all teens around 15 or 17. Sorry for not including any action, but I promise I will put in action in the next part!