Escaping the Past
Chapter 3
by
AnomalousGirl
This story contains characters that are the property of Marvel Comics and Fox Entertainment. This is in no way intended to be an infringement on their rights.
Charles Xavier was not an impulsive man by nature. Whenever possible, he preferred to examine a situation from every available angle before drawing a conclusion. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he listened to what Jean, Scott, and Genero were telling him about their trip into the city.
The situation with the girl was unfortunate but not terribly surprising. Over the years he had experienced both failure and success in his efforts to help young mutants. Time and repetition didn't make the losses any easier to bear, and he empathized with Jean's feeling of frustration. The mutants who had threatened Genero were another story. He would be very interested in Logan's insights on that incident, and was mildly irritated that he would have to wait to hear them. Which brought him to their final puzzle of the evening. He would needed a bit more information before he could simply dismiss that situation. He sighed; few things in his life were simple.
"While I tend to agree with Jean that this was simply a case of attraction and opportunity where Logan was concerned, I also recognize that it is a bit peculiar, even for him. It does not necessarily follow however; that this woman has any type of unnatural influence over him." He said, anticipating Scott's reiteration of his thoughts on the subject. "Perhaps her influence is very ahh...natural where men are concerned, which would explain what is really a rather small lapse of judgment on Logan's part."
"Wha' da chere look like anyway?" Remy threw in from where he was kicked back in a recliner. "You two carry on 'bout how fine she is, but you don' give us any details."
"Well, she was..." Genero began enthusiastically but quickly ran out of words. "Okay, you know that model who does those commercials for..." This time as the words failed him he looked to Scott for help, but if anything, the usually decisive team leader looked even more uncertain. For a moment, the two men simply stared at each other in bewilderment.
"You do remember what she looked like don't you?" Jean asked, looking incredulously from one to the other.
"Sure, I have a real clear picture of her in my head." Genero said after a moment. "It's just kind of hard to put into words is all." Scott nodded in agreement.
"Just start with the basics." Professor Xavier said encouragingly. He was very curious about this turn of events.
"Well...she was kind of small. You see she had on these wicked heels, and she was still a little shorter than Wolvie, which is saying something."
"They were Bruno Magli." Scott added looking thoughtful.
"What?" Genero asked perplexed.
"Her shoes, they were Bruno Magli. Just like the ones you spent an arm and a leg on last fall Jean. You know, with that little cutout design on the side."
"You were looking at her feet dude?"
"No." Scott replied in annoyance. "I just noticed the cutout thing, and after they left, I thought, what the hell is a woman who buys designer shoes doing leaving a bar in the middle of the afternoon with a guy like Logan."
"Whatever dude. Anyway, like I said, she was little, but she was built. She had long legs and an ass that you just wanted to..."
"Okaaay!" Jean interjected.
Genero laughed at her chiding expression but left the thought unfinished. "And she wasn't too bad up top either. Let's see, what else. She had hair that was sort of gold and brown. It came past her shoulders a ways, and it was so shiny she looked like one of those shampoo commercials. She had it parted on the side, and the front of it did this little whoosh thing."
"A whoosh?" Remy asked dryly
"Like a wave or something, you know. Instead of flat like most of the girls here wear it."
"Wait a minute." Jean said in a speculative tone. "Did she have on a pale lavender suit with a short jacket and a scarf tucked in at the neck?"
"Yeah, but how would you know? You were in the bathroom."
"That's where I saw her. She was waiting in that miserable line a few people ahead of me. I can see why Scott wouldn't think she was really Logan's type. She had uptown girl written all over her, right down to her Bruno Magli shoes." She said with a smile at Scott. "She seemed very nice though."
"She spoke to you?" The professor inquired.
"Mmm, no. She wasn't talking to me. She was talking to a young woman who was with her. I just happened to overhear their conversation. I got the impression that she was possibly a professor at one of the city universities. The other woman must have been an assistant of some kind. They were talking about mid-term schedules and lab exams, things like that."
"And what led you feel that she was 'very nice'." The professor asked, encouraging Jean to continue.
"I guess mostly it was the way she spoke her assistant. The younger woman was probably in her early twenties, most likely just a graduate student, but I got the impression that she was really listening to what the girl had to say. She was very considerate, and she seemed like a very empathetic type of person." Jean looked thoughtful for a moment. "Now that I think about it, I wasn't the only one listening in on their conversation. Everyone around her had sort of focused in. There was something about the way she spoke. She had a really beautiful voice, a little lower than you might expect from a woman that small, and very, I don't know..." Jean gave a little self-conscious laugh. "The word mellifluous kept running through my head. She could probably read a grocery list and make it sound absolutely fascinating. Does that sound totally bizarre?"
"Not at all." The professor replied, but the others looked rather skeptical. "What were your impressions of her physically? You seemed to recognize her from Genero's description. Would you say that his perceptions of her were realistic?"
Jean considered the question for a moment. "I could certainly see where men would be drawn to her. She was very attractive and had a stunning figure. As Scott said, she was a very striking woman, on many levels.
"Striking enough that you would consider maybe...having a three way with her?" Bobby slid this comment in with a look of contrived intellectual interest on his face.
"And if you did would you mind if we watched?" Genero added, and both of them dissolved into fits of laughter. Jean gasped in outrage and turned to Scott for support, only to find him studying the arm of the sofa with intense concentration, his face a dark brick red in color.
Professor Xavier's voice cut sharply through the mounting racket. "I will not have this discussion devolve into puerile innuendo. Apologize at once, both of you."
"Sorry Jean, I mean Ms. Summers." Genero said, his shoulders still twitching a bit as he stared at his shoes.
"Yeah, the next time we want to talk about the possibilities of you with another woman, we'll be sure to do it when you're not around." Bobby's comment set them both off again.
Scott stood up, his earlier discomfiture turning into anger. "Damn it Bobby..."
"Please sit down Scott." The professor said firmly. Then he turned his attention to the other man, using his code name to remind him of his reason for being present. "Iceman, if you can not conduct yourself in a manner appropriate to this meeting, I am quite certain that we can continue without you." Bobby sobered quickly under the professor's hard stare.
"Sorry Jean. I shouldn't have said that. It was really out of line." Jean gave him a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Let us continue." Xavier's voice broke into the ensuing silence. "Did you get any mental impressions from her Jean?"
"Beyond what we have already discussed, no. I had no reason to try and read her, but I didn't get the impression that she was exercising any telepathic abilities either, if that's what you were asking."
"It would be helpful to know if she had any mutant abilities."
"Well of course she was a mutant." Genero blurted out. Then he reddened as everyone looked at him in surprise. "I just figured everybody knew. I mean, with the way Scott was going on in the van about her being some kind of a lure for a trap..."
"You mean you scanned her, and you didn't bother to mention what you found." Scott gritted out, his patience at an end. "Everything else on God's green earth you can babble on about all damn day, including my wife with other women, but this, this doesn't seem important enough to bring up." Scott's voice has risen until he was almost shouting, and Jean put her hand on his leg to calm him. Genero shrank fearfully back in his chair, stunned by the normally imperturbable instructor's unexpected eruption.
"That will do Scott," Professor Xavier said evenly. "I am sure this is not a mistake that Genero will make again. Is it Genero?" Genero shook his head vigorously. "Now then, there is no damage done, so let's all take a deep breath and calm down. Genero, what made you decide to scan her?"
Genero's eyes darted nervously from Scott to the professor. "Well, when she and Logan first started checkin' each other out, I thought, hey, this is pretty weird, I wonder if maybe she's a mutant. So I just did a quick surface scan, and sure enough, she was. I didn't think about doing a deeper scan until I saw that Logan was going to leave with her. By then I didn't have very long to scan her, and she was really hard to figure out. Which was part of the reason I didn't bring it up right away, and like I said, I just figured that you knew."
"Why didn't you just tell me what her power was and let me take it from there?" Scott's voice was still colored with irritation though he was trying hard to regain his composure.
"It doesn't work that way, okay." Genero retorted defensively. "It's not like I can look at people and it's written on their forehead or something. 'Telepath' or 'Concussive Optical Blasts...caution reduced control due to injury."
"Watch it you obnoxious little...."
"SCOTT." The professor's voice reverberated through Scott' mind, then went on more gently. "I am aware of how provoking Genero can be, but this isn't helping. I would appreciate it if you could put aside your irritation. I know that it is difficult to see at the moment, but he does have tremendous potential. I fear we must simply endure his less endearing qualities until he matures a bit."
"It's all right Genero." Professor Xavier continued aloud. "You did very well in thinking to scan her. Now just relax and try to recall your impressions. Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained to the rest of the team how your power does work."
"Ummm, sure professor." The young man responded looking rather self-conscious. "Okay, it's basically like this. When I scan people, they have this sort of, I don't know, aura thing around them. With regular people, it looks white or sometimes light gray. The professor thinks that might mean something, but we're not worrying about it right now. Anyway, when I scan mutants, the aura is made up of colors. When I concentrate and do a deeper scan, the colors take on a more specific pattern of spikes or clusters. Sometimes it's just one small cluster if the person's power is relatively simple and clear-cut, but there are a lot mutants that either have a couple of different powers, or else their power is really complex. They can have several clusters in a real mix of colors and tones, which can make them hard to sort out."
"So deez differen' colors, dey tell you wha' kind of mutation somebody got?" Remy asked from his recliner.
"At first I didn't know what they were supposed to be telling me. Mi Abuela, she thought I was seeing people's souls." He added with an awkward little smile. "Which sort of made sense when I was just seeing gray and white auras, but when I started seeing people with colors in their auras, I didn't know what was going on."
"But you understand how to read the different colors now, right?" Jean asked in an encouraging tone. Beside her on the sofa, Scott looked calm enough, but she could feel his impatience at the circuitous route Genero's tale was beginning to take. He was normally much more even-tempered, and though she was a little puzzled by his current irascibility, she felt it would be wise to bring the young man to the point.
"Well... yes and no. Since I came here, me and the professor have been working on classifying the colors and figuring out what some of the different tones mean. What we have so far is that related abilities usually fall into a color family. Take psi powers for instance, all of them appear in different shades of green. Telepaths, telekinetics, psychometrics, empaths, whatever, each one is a little different, but I can pretty much tell it's a psi power if it's green. Like if I scan you Jean, I see two spikes in totally different shades of green, and I can tell that one power is more developed because the color is a lot more intense. Compared to most of the students though, both of yours are pretty bright, but not nearly as bright as Professor Xavier's. The professor thinks that some of the tonal qualities represent potential and development, and that eventually I'll be able to tell them apart."
"Okay, I get the basic idea now." Scott knew he should be more interested in understanding Genero's ability, and tomorrow he would pull up the kid's file and read the professor's nice concise analysis. But at the moment, all he wanted to know was what was it about the woman that was so...disturbing. And then he needed to take Jean upstairs and burn all thoughts of the little siren out of his head. "So what was it that you saw when you scanned this woman?"
"Like I said, she was really complex, and since I didn't have long to read her, I went for a full spectrum scan, which umm... turned out to be a mistake."
"In what way?" The professor inquired.
"Well, she turned out to be more powerful than I expected, and the intensity kind of overloaded me for a minute. By the time I could readjust, I hardly had any time to sort her out."
Charles leaned forward at the desk, keeping his voice level though concern was creeping into his thoughts. "Just how powerful was she?"
"I didn't mean that she had some kick-ass mondo power or anything like that." Genero paused for a moment looking a little unsure. "At least I don't think so, not with the colors she was showing. I got jammed up because of the glow. She has a couple of power clusters and almost all of them are developed to the max." He shook his head a little in wonder. "I've never seen an array like that, especially on somebody her age. Her aura was so clear and deep; it was like looking at a multicolor fire.
"What colors made up the fire?" Charles asked smoothly, trying not to disturb the boy's train of thought.
"The only cluster that I was able to sort out clearly was a bunch of spikes in the orange to yellow range. The spikes weren't huge, but it was a pretty significant cluster."
"Okay." Scott said as he massaged his temples. "If green is psionic powers, what kind of powers would you find in this orange-yellow range?"
"For the most part more physical types of mutations fall in that area. Enhanced physical abilities like speed maybe, or strength, or agility usually show up as orange. Yellows are sense enhancements. You know, sight, hearing, smell, whatever. Anyway, Logan has a cluster a lot like hers, which was why it was easier for me to pick out."
"Well well, dat explains a whole lot den don' it. Ol' Wolvie, he jus' heedin' de call of de wild." Remy's comment was greeted with laughter or smiles from everyone except Scott, who broke through the laughter with a question.
"You said she had a couple of these clusters. Where were the others located?"
"Well... I don't really know if I should say."
"What!?" Scott exclaimed in frustration. "Why not? That's what this whole conversation is about. That's why you're here."
Jean's hand was still resting on Scott's thigh, and she squeezed his leg in silent appeal as she tried to send calming thoughts to him. After a moment Scott subsided, settling back into the sofa with an exasperated sigh. She turned to offer a sympathetic smile to Genero whose expression had become sullen, not that she could really blame him. She would admit that there were times when Scott could be overly serious, but this irritability was so unlike him, and it was beginning to concern her. The sooner they finished this debriefing the better.
"There's no need for you to be uncomfortable about sharing your impressions with us, Genero." The professor said reassuringly. "It is obvious that this woman has a rather powerful appeal, but we are all adults here. I can assure you that whatever you have to say will be taken in a manner consistent with a fact-finding mission." The last sentence was delivered with a pointed look at Bobby, who's emerging grin immediately turned into a look of earnest consideration.
"It's got nothing to do with that Professor." Genero replied, his face lightening to its usual sunny expression. "Heck I'll admit right off that if she woulda picked me, I woulda been gone in a flash." His expression sobered again a little. "Nah, the reason I don't think I should say no more is 'cause anything else is just gonna be like guessing, and I don't want nobody freakin' out 'cause maybe I saw something that could be a problem. I rather just let it go then have everybody jumping on me if I get it wrong."
"I understand your concern, Genero, and I appreciate your candor, but I feel confident that your impressions, however ambiguous they may be, will still helpful in casting some light on the subject. Please continue."
After a brief glance at Scott, Genero complied. "Okay, like I said, the cluster that I was able to identify most clearly was centered in the yellow-orange range. So I was following it out in both directions to see how extensive it was, and I started to pick up on some spikes out on the far end of each color." He paused for a moment, and the professor motioned to him to continue. "Well that's where the problem starts. See, as you move further out this way in orange." He lifted his hands to demonstrate. "It starts bleeding into the reds, and when you go this way in yellow, it starts sorta mixing in with..." He held a hand out to Jean in an invitation for her to finish the sentence.
"Green." She responded tentatively, exchanging a meaningful look with Scott when Genero nodded his agreement.
"Now before anybody starts jumping to any conclusions, I didn't say it was green. Just like I can't say for sure that the other spike was actually into the reds. I kinda picked up on both of 'em at the same time and that's when she went to get her coat and stuff. When she came back to where I could see her, it was only for a minute and I didn't know which one to concentrate on because there was no way to tell what might be more important."
"Wha' kin' of powers show up in dis red color anyway, somet'in' dangerous?
"Remy, surely you are cognizant of the fact that virtually any power can be utilized in a dangerous manner depending on the objective of the possessor." Hank continued entering notes on his laptop as he spoke. "But please continue Genero, I am quite interested myself in knowing what abilities are encompassed by the red range."
"From what me and the professor can figure out, that's where some of the freakier physical mutations show up."
"Freakier?" Hank inquired dryly, looking up from his keyboard at last.
Genero reddened under the ironic gaze of Henry "Hank" McCoy, geneticist, computer wizard, one man science department, and all around genius. A genial blue-haired giant of a man who was also known by the code-name "Beast".
"I uhhh... what I meant was uuhhh... more unusual?"
Hank shook his head as he laughed. "Carry on my purblind young friend. It was not your lack of politically correct phraseology that caught my attention. I merely wished to ascertain what constitutes 'freaky'. Should I infer from your discomfiture that mayhap I fall into that contumelious category?"
Genero struggled for a moment to find words to answer the question that he only partially understood. "Ummm... actually uh no. All your spikes are orange. I mean sure you got one or two up toward that end, but umm... still definitely orange."
Hank chuckled quietly as he went back to typing.
"What about me?" Bobby asked as he flourished a hand that he had transformed into solid ice. "Am I freaky enough?"
"Everybody knows you're a freak, dude." Genero laughed in reply. "But you read mostly as an energy power, lots of blue, kinda like Cyke and Gambit. Actually though, you do show a couple of red spikes."
"Most likely they represent his body's ability to withstand the temperature extreme, not to mention of course the actual transformation of tissue into ice." Jean said in an effort to keep the discussion from wandering too far off course. "What other powers might show up as red?"
"Well, mutants that can change into other stuff, like metal or rock... shapes-shifters... Kitty and that phasing through the wall thing that she does...and teleporters, but they usually have some other clusters too though. You get the idea anyway"
Jean nodded. "So let's get back to this woman. Would you say that what you briefly saw was perhaps a reddish-orange?" Genero nodded, but not with a great deal of conviction. "From what you have said, that would suggest a slightly more unusual physical variation, but not the radical adaptation that is required for dealing with a more extreme mutation." Jean could almost see the thoughts spinning across Genero's mind. He nodded slowly at first, then faster as his face split in a brilliant smile.
"Exactly! Whatever she's got is a little weird, but not too far out there. Cool."
Jean smiled at Hank who good-naturedly shook his head as he typed. "Can you think of any other mutants who have similar clusters?"
The smile faded from Genero's face and he sighed as he shook his head. "I keep trying. I know there's somebody, but I keep drawing a blank. I've scanned so many people today, and I feel like everything is just jumbled together."
"It's all right Genero, I feel like that a little myself. I think we're all suffering from exhaustion." She added with a small smile for Scott. "Maybe after a good night's sleep, everything will be a little clearer."
"Before we call it a night, can we talk about the possible psi power that he picked up on for a minute? Personally I'm a little more concerned about that than whatever it is that she's packing physically."
Genero's head fell to his hands at Scott's words. "Madre de Dios, here we go again."
"Welcome to the team 'Nero. You better get used to it." Bobby said with a laugh as he shifted sideways in the oversized lounge chair. His legs dangled over one wide arm as he rested his head on the other. "And here you thought it was all chicks and glory."
"Chicks and glory my ass." Genero mumbled in reply, causing a small ripple of laughter among the older team members.
Even Scott smiled half-heartedly. "Believe me Genero, I am as eager to get out of here as you are, but Bobby's right, you better get use to comprehensive debriefings. They come with the job. Any idea what kind of psi power we're looking at here? Could she be a telepath?"
"Huh uh." Genero replied with a shake of his head. You can rule out telekinesis and telepathy. They're way too far the other way. What she's got is barely in the green, though it's either a strong natural talent or one that she's really developed...or both. It stood out even more than her other ones. Actually..." He paused for a moment, biting his lower lip in thought as an unfocused look passed over his face. After a moment he shook his head. "Never mind, I have to be remembering it wrong."
"What did you see Genero?" Charles asked gently
Genero continued to hesitate for a moment, then surrendered to the professor's expectant gaze. "Remember when I said that the glow from the full spectrum scan was so bright that it overloaded me?" The professor nodded. "Well, I mean I'm not real sure of this, but now that I think about it, most of the light seemed to be coming from a greenish-yellow cluster. I think what I might have seen on the narrow scan was just the leading edge of it."
The Professor exchanged glances with Scott. This was going to take awhile.
******************************************************
Scott dialed the showerhead up to massage and stood letting the force of the hot spray pound against his neck and back. His head throbbed from a combination of tension and fatigue that the shower could do little to alleviate. He rotated his neck a few times and reached for the shampoo, mentally reviewing the debriefing session as he washed his hair.
They had covered nothing concrete after Genero's little bombshell. What had followed was a protracted discussion on exactly where sensory ends and extra-sensory begins and what powers might be included in a cluster straddling that fine line. In the end, the professor had agreed to a cursory scan with cerebro to ensure that nothing dire had befallen Wolverine. It was obvious though that he still did not see the woman as a threat. Jean had decided to accompany the professor, leaving Scott to return to their quarters, alone, and unless he missed his guess, it was unlikely that she would be any more available to him even when she returned.
The rational side of him understood. She was depressed over the situation with the girl and exhausted from lack of sleep and the strain of opening her mind to the thoughts of so many strangers. Understanding did nothing to assuage troubling desire that coiled within him.
But that was part of marriage wasn't it. The balancing of wants and needs so that neither party feels unduly imposed upon. It was a nice theory, but tonight it just felt like he was in a no win situation. He had a strong suspicion that if he even suggested sex he would come off looking like an insensitive prick, especially after coming down so hard on Genero. Besides, even if he could cajole her into it, half-hearted responses were not what he needed. With a resigned sigh he grabbed the soap and began to lather up.
He really couldn't complain. On the whole, he and Jean were very compatible, both sexually and in other aspects of their relationship. They could still make each other laugh like little kids, and he could still get hard just thinking about her. People often said they acted like newlyweds, even though they had recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary and had been a couple for several years before that. He had loved her even longer.
He thought back to the day he met her and his hands stilled as he recalled the dark weeks after his world had come crashing down around him, both figuratively and literally. After suffering several weeks of baffling migraines, the explanation for the headaches came in an uncontrolled explosion of concussive energy from his eyes. He had blown a huge hole in the roof of his high school and several people, including himself, had been injured in the resulting collapse. One day he had been popular, president of his sophomore class and member of the honor society with varsity letters in three sports. The next day he was a mutant.
He had refused to open his eyes, terrified of what lay behind his tightly closed lids. He even refused to sleep until his father agreed to tape his eyelids shut. At sixteen his life was over. Even his parents were afraid of him. Who could blame them? They hadn't known that the beautiful little boy they had adopted was a mutant.
At first the authorities had been unable to determine the cause of the blast. Scott had claimed that he had no recollection of the explosion, and the only other eyewitness lay in a coma. Frantically the Summers had searched for somewhere to send their mutant child, afraid of what would happen to him when the truth came out. As it happened, Professor Charles Xavier came to them.
Adjusting to his new life had not been easy. Over a year passed before they found a way to control the energy streaming from his eyes, and during that time, Scott had learned what it meant to be blind. But through all the frustration and failed experiments, there was Jean.
Jean was a few years older than Scott, and even though she was quite busy working on an accelerated pre-med program, she always took time for him. She read to him and helped him learn his way around the school. There were even a few times that she took him to football games at her university. She would describe the game in dramatic detail for him, and what she lacked in knowledge she made up for in enthusiasm. This often lead to both of them laughing so hard that people stared.
He could vividly remember the day Hank had presented him with the ruby quartz visor to control the energy beams. After he had gotten over the initial shock of being able to open his eyes without destroying something, the first thing he wanted to see was Jean. Even tinted red she was beautiful. With her glorious flame-colored hair and radiant smile, she was more beautiful than an angel. She had hugged him that day, and he thought he had gone to heaven.
Scott smiled for a moment at the memory. Several years later he discovered that heaven could indeed be found in Jean Grey's arms, and it was a whole lot better than a hug. He conjured up a memory of Jean, her fair skin flushed and damp as she moved beneath him, his hand tangled in her hair as he tasted the slender column of her neck. She was so achingly beautiful. He allowed his hand to drift down his soapy torso, his body responding to the mental images and the prospect of release.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd even thought about jacking off. He rarely did, even when he and Jean had to be apart. For one thing it took him forever, and it always left him missing her even more, so what was the point? But tonight it was different. His body ached with the hunger that he had been fighting all evening, and he felt like he was already more than halfway there.
He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, summoning up memories of what it felt like to slip into the moist warmth of her, what it felt like to lose himself in the sensation. His breathing became thick as he increased the pace, and he thought of the way Jean's breath grew quick and uneven when he touched her, the soft sounds of pleasure that she made. He stopped directing his thoughts and just let his imagination flow. Memory and fantasy begin to blend together. He and Jean on a blanket in the woods, Dr. Jean Gray in nothing but stockings, heels, and a lab coat, Jean on the bed with the woman from the bar. Shit! Where did that come from?
He tried to push the thought away, but it took on a life of its own. He was on the bed touching both of them, breasts and thighs and backs. Smooth firm skin, fair and fairer. Red hair and golden brown mingling on the crisp white sheets. He lay on his back, their hands caressing his body, his eyes closed as he let himself drift in a sea of pleasure. She came over him then, sheathing him within the snug wet heat of her body. He felt himself trembling on the edge of release. He opened his eyes and looked into the face of the stranger.
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly in denial, but couldn't stop the climax as it shuddered through him. He groaned, an excruciating fusion of gratification and anguish that tore itself from deep within his chest. For a moment he could only continue to lean against the wall as guilt washed over him like the water from the showerhead. What kind of power did this woman have that she could so easily destroy his control? He had always been faithful to Jean, even in his mind.
He thumped the back of his head against the wall several times in disgust, then straightened to briskly finish washing. He turned to face the specially reinforced section of the shower, shut his eyes tightly, and removed his goggles. After washing his face, he stood for a moment, letting the water cascade through his hair. It ran in warm rivulets across his unshielded eyes. Carefully he relaxed his forehead, savoring the feel of the water on skin so often bereft of stimuli. He was aware of the dull thudding sound that was the result of minute amounts of energy escaping from around his loosely closed eyelids and striking the adamantium clad wall. Reluctantly he closed them tightly again and reached for the goggles.
Jean returned a short while later and found Scott sitting up in bed, his hair still damp from his shower. He had his computer journal open on his lap, but was staring off into the middle distance, obviously a million miles away. He was dressed only an old pair of running shorts, and as tired as she was, she still felt that familiar little thrill at the sight of his lean, sculpted body.
She was reminded of the day she returned to Salem Center, medical school and her internship behind her. Scott had been away on her last visit to the school, and even though they hadn't really kept in touch, she was curious to see the changes six years had wrought in the quiet youth who was now Charles' second in command. With an enigmatic smile, Charles had sent her to the gym. It soon became apparent that the joke was on her. At 18 Scott had been an attractive young man, but the intervening years had changed the rather lanky teenager into a vision of masculine beauty.
He was playing basketball with a small group of male students and was apparently on the 'skins' team. Clad only in sneakers and shorts, he was 6'3" of hard muscle and smooth skin, covered with a sheen of perspiration. Jean had watched him with a growing feminine awareness until they broke for water. Her appreciation of the view increasing even further when he removed the protective sport goggles to reveal a pair of fashionable, streamlined glasses in place of the bulky visor that Hank had originally devised. It had become difficult to reconcile her current emotions with the sisterly feelings she'd had for him before. One of the boys had brought her presence to Scott's attention and he turned to look over at her. She might have been embarrassed at being caught staring, except that he had been struck into a similar state of speechlessness. Jean's reverie was broken by a vast, uncontrollable yawn.
The sound jerked Scott back to reality. A strange expression clouded his handsome features as he turned to look at her, and she wondered what thoughts he was hiding behind those red lenses. The emotional bond that she shared with Scott made her aware of much that he was feeling and enabled her to pick up thoughts that he consciously sent her, but whatever was on his mind tonight was being intentionally held back. As a telepath, she was of course capable of finding out, but doing so would be a serious violation of trust. She would just have to go about it the old fashion way.
He set the laptop aside as she crossed to him, and pulled her onto his lap. For a few moments he just held her, his lips pressed to her hair as she rested her head on his broad chest. Being in Scott's arms always made her feel cherished and protected, and she let the thought of how lucky she felt to have him flow between them. He hugged her tightly in response, but didn't invite her into his mind.
"I'm guessing that everything went okay downstairs then." He asked after a moment.
She laughed tiredly and lifted her head a little to look up at him. "From what we could tell, everything's just peachy with our wandering Wolverine. In fact, he was feeling quite mellow when the professor located him, and there didn't seem to be anybody else knocking about in that convoluted mind of his. Which was pretty much what we expected. You know that Logan is not an easy person to manipulate... telepathically or otherwise."
"Was he still with her?"
"The professor got that impression, but since he was doing a minimally invasive scan, the only thing he can say for certain is that Logan wasn't interacting with her at that moment. Most likely she was in another room or something"
"So I guess that means he didn't try for a scan on her."
"Don't you think that would be a little unethical? Especially since there was nothing suspicious about Logan's scan." He was biting the inside of his cheek in the way that meant he was irritated but trying not to show it, and Jean didn't have to read his mind to know what he was thinking. She sat up so she could see his face more clearly and studied him for a moment. "Is it really Logan you're concerned about, or is there something else about this woman that bothers you?"
"My concern is for the security of the team and the school." His harsh tone took Jean by surprise, and the hurt must have shown on her face because he was immediately contrite.
"Honey... God I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." He pulled her close again. "I'm sorry I've been such a prick all evening. You've got enough on your mind tonight without me adding to it." He gently stroked his hand down her back. "Let's just forget about all this for tonight. I'm sure the professor's right. I'm just...." He sighed deeply. "I just need a good night's sleep...in my own bed...with you." He kissed her gently on the top of the head.
She nodded in response. His smooth warm skin felt so good against her cheek, so did the strong hand that caressed her back. She nodded again and brought her hand up to his chest. She felt so relaxed.
"Jeannie... sweetheart... let's at least get you out of these clothes. You'll be more comfortable"
She lifted her head, feeling a little disoriented. "Wow, I was out like a light."
"I'm not surprised. You're exhausted. Raise your arms up." She complied, and he tugged her shirt off over her head. She cuddled back against his chest. Skin to skin was even nicer. She felt him laugh. "Come on, let's get your slacks off; then you can go back to sleep."
She sat up. "No wait. I want to take a shower. I've had these clothes on for two days and I feel icky" She slid off his lap and staggered toward the bathroom, trying to unfasten her pants as she went. Scott grabbed her just before she walked into the doorjamb.
"Do you want some help?" She barely had the energy to nod. Gently he finished undressing her, and helped her into the shower. When she just stood there under the warm spray, he pulled off his shorts and came in to wash her with soothing hands. He wrapped her wet hair in a towel and carried her to their bed, laughing softly when she refused to let go. "I just need to get the lights."
"Promise?"
"I promise Green Eyes." He ran the back of his fingers lightly down her cheek. "I'll just be a second."
A moment later he climbed into the bed, and she cuddled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. She let her fingers wander softly over the muscles of his chest, and sighed. She loved the feel of his body next to hers. There was no place in the world she'd rather be. He murmured something under his breath and shifted the lower half of his body away from her. "It's all right honey. We can if you want to." She said, ending with a yawn that she couldn't quite suppress.
He shifted a little so he was looking down at her, and she could just make out his smile. "That's very sweet of you, but it's not going to do my ego any good to have you falling asleep right in the middle."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He traced the lower curve of her lip with his thumb. "I'll make you a deal though. We'll both get a good night's sleep tonight, and then in the morning, you better watch out, because I'll show you no mercy."
"Mmmm, that sounds like my kind of deal." He grinned and brushed a light kiss across her lips. She smiled sleepily in return, her eyelids growing heavy. "I love you Scotty-bear."
He chuckled in response to the silly pet name they had started a long time ago as a joke. "I love you too Jeannie-bear." He kissed her once more, long and slow, and she felt herself drifting away.
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