If You Pardon, I Will Mend pt 4


Kitty watched annoyed as Kurt's tail twitched back and forth nervously. She flinched as Dr. McCoy fastened the ace wrap bandage around her swollen ankle. It was all her stupid fault. She had been walking along the balancing beam, doing a few cartwheels. She was watching Jean and Scott over at the punching bag.

"Come on, Jean! You can hit harder than that," Scott taunted her.

Jean grunted and let loose a right cross that knocked Scott back a bit.

"That's it?"

Jean grinned and threw another right cross. The huge sand filled punching bag swung forward and knocked Scott off his feet onto his back.

Jean stood over him, her hands covering her mouth.

Scott rubbed the back of his head and stared up at her. "You used your telekinesis, didn't you?" he had asked her as he stood.

Jean smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Teach you not to mess with me!" She grinned and faked another right cross. He blocked it and the two of them began to spar playfully with each other. That's when Logan had called Jean's name.

Scott turned back to grab his towel. Kitty tried to catch his attention with a very impressive front flip. But by the time she landed, he had his back towards her, heading to the ring. Kitty scowled and stomped her foot on the beam. That's when she lost her concentration and slipped through, twisting her ankle on the landing. Now here she was in the stupid infirmary, watching Kurt pace back and forth in front of her.

"Kurt! Cut it out!" Kitty snapped at him.

He looked up at her, completely wounded.

She felt instantly ashamed. "Um, like, why don't you go up and see the fight? Let me know what happens, and cheer Jean on for me. Ok?"

Kurt nodded, "You don't want me to stay here with you?"

"I'll be fine, it's just a twisted ankle. Like, no biggie."

Kurt stood there for a moment, unsure.

Kitty smiled, "Just go, you fuzzy blue elf, I'll be fine."

Kurt flashed her a grin and ***BAMF*** he was gone.

Dr. McCoy came over and lay a bag of ice over her ankle. "Trouble on the balancing beam, my dear?" asked the doctor as he walked back over to his workbench.

"Yeah, just got a little distracted," Kitty replied faintly.

"Oh?" asked Beast in a suggestive tone.

Kitty quickly snapped out of it and put her head down, "Uh, a paper, for school. I was thinking about this paper I have to write this weekend."

Beast nodded as he lifted a test tube up to examine its contents under the strong light. "And what subject is this paper to be written on?"

"Shakespeare. Well, Shakespeare and his idea of "love." And we're, like, supposed to talk about our own personal definition of love."

"Ah, a most difficult subject," Beast lamented.

"Yeah, tell me about it. And I don't even know what love is! I mean, like, nobody's ever been in love with me, so how am I supposed to write about what love feels like!" Suddenly Kitty felt very embarrassed. Why did she just say that?

Beast sighed and took a seat on a stool beside her. "The depths of the human heart are imaginable. Man has sought to understand the concept of love since the beginning of time. Literature, poetry, music, even science have been the tools of understanding. Yet still we fall short. Even the professor and my recent endeavor to explore love and attraction through pheromones is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg."

"Pheromones?" Kitty echoed.

Beast smiled, excited that one of the students appeared interested in his work. "Allow me to explain…"


"That's it, Red, keep those hands up!" Logan shouted in encouragement.

Jean let loose another kick. Rogue caught it in the ribs and sank down to her knees, gasping for a breath. Jean stood over her, offering a hand up. Rogue just glared at her and slowly rose.

*Scott, this is really bad.*

Rogue swung wildly at the dodging Jean. Jean stayed on the defensive, never attacking Rogue directly.

*Scott, should I let her win?* Jean thought. Rogue threw a left hook, which clipped Jean on the side of the face. She stumbled back for a moment but recovered. Jean stood her ground, but was reluctant to take the offensive.

*Jean, just do what you think is right. But Rogue will never respect you if she thinks you lost on purpose.* Scott thought as he concentrated on the two fighters.

"Go Jean!" Shouted Kurt, "Dat one's from Kitty!" he added hastily.

Anger flashed across Rogue's face. She lunged, putting herself off balance. Jean took the opportunity to sweep Rogue's legs from underneath her and sat her down on the mat once again. Rogue slapped the mat with her gloved hands and jumped up.

*Nobody's cheering for Rogue. Scott, please cheer for Rogue. Come on, let her know somebody is backing her.*

Scott frowned for an instant. "Come on, Rogue! You can do it, don't give up!"

Logan and Kurt looked over at him briefly. Kurt just shook his head in wonder.

Rogue heard the cheer and also seemed momentarily stunned. But she dug her feet in and came at Jean with a flurry of punches. She connected with a straight left and went in for a kick to the body. Jean back flipped to avoid the kick.

Logan whistled loudly and Kurt cheered in approval, "Wundervoll!"

"Stupid cheerleader," muttered Rogue as she pushed her gloves together and advanced. Rogue put all her weight into a powerful uppercut.

Jean shifted her weight to her back foot easily avoiding the punch.

Rogue was thrown off balance. On pure instinct Jean let loose a six- punch combination. The sudden flurry of punches had Rogue doubled over, gasping for breath.

Logan watched in silent pride as Jean leapt into the air and finished the combination with roundhouse kick that knocked Rogue down onto the mat.

Jean was instantly on her knees next to the girl, "Rogue? Rogue, are you ok?" She was shaking the girl's arm lightly.

Rogue stirred a little and stared up at Jean with a bleary look in her eyes. She shook her head and grunted. Jean rose and took a step back. Rogue wobbled to her feet and shook her head once more. She spat to the side and took her stance once more.

Logan snorted his approval. "This girl's got guts."

"Ja," Kurt murmured in response.

Scott shook his head in wonder. Rogue was strong, very strong. Her will was truly amazing. Just like Jean, he thought with a grin. They were so alike yet so different. Scott's mind drifted back to years ago, when it had just been him and Jean. In their training with Logan, Jean had never given up.

They had just finished a practice session and were heading to dinner. As Scott walked by the gym and peered into the open door, he saw Jean, at work on a punching bag. He moved toward the door but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"You think you're gunna get her to stop, Slim?" asked Logan.

Scott just turned back and looked at the thirteen-year-old Jean.

"I know what you're thinking, but it ain't me that's pushing her, bub. That's her, she does it to herself."

"I know," replied Scott quietly. He knew all about that. Jean wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection. He knew it all traced back to the accident she had in her childhood. She still woke up in the middle of the night screaming. He knew because he would be the one to go to her, comfort her and tell her everything would be ok.
But no matter how much he tried, he could never quite convince her.

Logan patted him on the shoulder and walked away silently.

Scott continued to watch quietly as Jean attacked the punching bag. He knew she would most likely be there for hours. After only a few months of living together, they had become best friends. He could tell what she was thinking with a glance. She read his mind.

Scott smirked as he came out of the memory and looked up at the two girls in the ring. She could read his mind, but she didn't need to. She knew him and he knew her. It was really that simple.

*Hey, Slim, you zone out there for a minute or something? Rogue could use a little support here.*

*I love you.*

Jean instantly dropped her hands and turned to him, eyes wide.

Scott started for a moment and tried to say something out loud.

"Jean, look out!" Came Kurt's cry.

Rogue's right cross hit her in the side of the face like a freight train. She fell to the mat in a heap.