Chapter Nine- M2


““Can’’t we just stop for a minute, Scott?”” Jean whined. She hasn’’t always been the one to whine, but she was so tired. Her legs felt like jelly, and her whole body ached. Cyclops glanced at her. He knew they couldn’’t stop. Because if they did, Scott had the feeling that he’’d never be able to get up again. ““Jean, c’’mon. Just a couple more miles……””

““What? Just a couple more miles? Are you serious?? Scott, I’’m so tired! I don’’t think I can go on anymore,”” Jean whined again. Cyclops said nothing, but rolled his eyes and kept on walking.

““Scott Summers, I know you. You just rolled your eyes at me,”” Jean said, her tone changing completely.

Scott grinned. ““I can’’t decide which one’’s worse: the Jean whiny voice, or the Jean strict voice ,”” he said to her jokingly. This time Jean rolled her eyes, but the comment made her smile. ““C’’mon, Scott. Just two minutes, okay? Just two minutes. You can even time it if you want,”” Jean pleaded.

For a while, Scott hesitated, but finally he agreed, as Jean always knew he would.

A few minutes later, they were sitting opposite each other, their backs leaned against two trees. Scott watched as a red convertible drove by, its current speed twice more than the regular speed limit. ““I miss my car……”” Scott murmured. ““I wonder what ever happened to it? I hope it’’s okay. Y’’know, the professor bought it for me a year later after I first moved at the institute. I was 16. I told him I’’d get a part-time job and pay him back. He told me that it was a gift, from him to me. From a ‘‘father’’, to a ‘‘son’’ . ‘‘It’’s nothing’’ he said. He even-- ”” He stopped as he saw Jean looking at the stars, her eyes secretly telling him that her mind was……somewhere else.

““So……what are you thinking about?”” Scott asked Jean, after noticing that she wasn’’t listening to anything that he said. ““Huh?”” she asked, blinking. ““Sorry……”” she apologized.

““It’’s okay. I said, what were you thinking about?”” Scott repeated. ““Um……nothing,”” Jean answered, ““nothing important, really.””

““Oh, okay…….well, in that case,”” Scott said, getting up, ““Our two minutes are up. We need to get going.””

Jean groaned. But Scott had already been more than fair. ““Fine,”” Jean replied, also getting up. ““Let’’s go.””

After a few steps, Jean heard Scott moan in pain as he fell to his knees. Alarmed, she was at his side in a blink of an eye. As her hand brushed by his torso, she felt a wet, warm liquid touched by her fingers. Hoping it was not what she thought it was, she lifted her hand to the moonlight.....she was right, it was blood.

==

““Make yourself at home,”” Magneto said, as he watched the weather goddess look around her. Her nephew, Spyke, stayed close to her, his bone spikes itching to get out. They were in the enemy’’s lair. He was ready.

““Are we…….in space?”” Ororo asked, taking a look at the glass window. She saw stars all around. She put her palm against it. It was cold.

““Yes,”” he answered.

““But I thought Scott and Alex destroyed your asteroid --””

““I made another base on one of the pieces that resulted from their blast,”” he cut her off. Suddenly, the tall metallic doors slid open, revealing five mutants. Allies, friends. ..

““Mr. McCoy?”” Evan asked as he saw his huge figure at the doorway. ““Yes, it’’s me. I’’m glad you’’re alright, both of you.””

““Goddess, it’’s so good to see you, my friend,”” Ororo replied, giving him a warm smile.

““Now that you know that everyone’’s okay, you can go to your quarters and rest,”” Magneto said, his voice serious, but……soft.

““What’’s this all about, Magneto? Why are you being nice to us? We are your enemies...”” Ororo’’s words trailed off.

Magneto took off his helmet and turned away. ““My plans……they didn’’t turn out the way I planned. I never meant for any of this to happen. I want to fix it, I guess. I will explain more when your other friends arrive.””

““Our friends? Where are they? Do you know? Are they alright?””

““Yes. One of my new recruits told me. They’’re staying in a place called Muir Island. Do not worry about them, they will be here soon. I promise.””

==

““So they’’re still in Bayville?”” Moira asked Kitty, just as she finished her story. They were in the kitchen at Sean and Moira’’s manor. ““Yeah, somewhere…….we wanted to go back and look for them, but we couldn‘‘t even fly the helicopter very well and um, Logan was still out cold,”” Kitty answered, still in her uniform. She was holding a mug filled with hot chocolate. She took a tiny sip. The other students were below, in the underground quarters, getting ready for bed. Logan was in Moira’’s medical lab. Only Kitty, Sean, and Moira were up. ““Don’’t worry about it, lass,”” Sean assured her, ““we understand. I just can’’t help thinking, though. What if I came with you? Things would’’ve been very different. I could’’ve flown that plane.”” His face showed regret, and weariness. ““Sean, don’’t blame yourself,”” Moira told him, ““I know Scott and Jean. Those two will find a way to contact us. I know they will.””

==

““Scott?”” Jean asked, as they walked slowly, Scott’’s arm draped over Jean’’s shoulder. She wasn’’t sure, but somehow she felt that she had to keep Scott talking. And keep him conscious.

““Y-yeah?””

Jean hesitated. ““Do you ever……””

““Ever what?””

““Ever wonder about Taryn……””

““Taryn?”” Scott repeated. The truth was, he had never even thought about her ever since their whole world turned upside-down. Never until now, that is.

““Yeah, Taryn,”” Jean said.

““Uhh……to be honest, no,”” Scott said uncertainly, hoping that Jean wouldn’’t get mad. Taryn is her best friend after all.

““Oh……””

““Why?”” he asked, suddenly noticing that he was getting tired.

““Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering, that’’s all.””

““Okay……well, I was wondering about something, too.””

““Yeah? What is it?”” Jean asked, already half-sure of what he was going to say and dreading it.

““Do you ever think about Duncan? I mean, ever since this whole……thing, happened?”” Scott asked.

““Um, well……””It’’s always better to be honest, Jean reminded herself. ““Yes, I have. Er, quite a lot actually,”” she answered nervously.

““Ah, I…….see,”” came Scott’’s reply.

Jean flinched.

Whoever said that it’’s always better to be honest, is stupid.

==

Duncan shot up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen counter, where he quickly grabbed his keys. Then he went to his room to get his red and yellow jacket. After that, he went outside, started his car, and drove to the institute. When he got there, he rang the doorbell nonstop until an annoyed Summers opened the door. Duncan smiled casually, but pushed Scott out of the way, letting himself in, just as Jean was stepping gracefully down on the stairs. Their eyes met, then she ran towards him, her arms wide open. Then, they went somewhere private where they talked, and she explained to him all the weird things that have been happening. When she finished, Duncan felt relieved and told her that he could now go home. Jean begged him to stay, but he said he really did need to get home. She kissed him good-bye as he got in his car. Then, he drove home.

That’’s what Duncan imagined would happen anyway. What really happened was this:

Duncan shot up from the couch and tripped over the remote. What the hell is this doing here??, he thought, as he threw it to the sofa. He got up and snatched his keys from the kitchen counter. Then, he ran to his room and grabbed his letterman jacket which lay on his unmade bed. He took a quick glance at his small alarm clock: 11:52.

I hope Jean doesn’’t mind me dropping over this late, he thought to himself as he headed to the front door. As he turned the golden doorknob, Duncan suddenly had the feeling that something was wrong. As he opened the white door, everything stopped as he stared at the shocking sight before him, his mouth agape.