Great Minds

Posted on Sat Jul 6th, 2024 @ 10:38pm by Charles Xavier & Jean Grey

Mission: Episode 4: The Savage ConneXion
Location: X-Mansion | Xavier's Private Study
Timeline: September 20th, 1990

Jean made her way up to the second floor of the mansion and to Xavier’s private quarters. She placed a hand on the doorknob and mentally knocked, a brief brush of her mind to his to announce her presence before she opened the door and entered.

~Enter~ There was no need for Xavier to tell Jean he was in his study. He needed only bid her welcome.

Jean smiled as she walked in and greeted him. She looked more like her old self as she approached, a welcomed improvement from the battered and broken women they had left with Moira for recovery. The past several months had been a tempestuous time for Jean, the two had a lot to talk about, nevertheless it was good to see her mostly landing on her feet.

Xavier immediately noticed a change in her psychic presence as Jean settled and seated herself across from him, a bond with Scott that tied them together, a mental lifeline that allowed them to easily reach for one another. For a telepath it was a rather serious commitment and a telling indicator as to what happened on Muir after he left.

“You're looking well, Jean.” First things were always first. Charles grinned openly at the hale and hearty sight of her. “It's good to have you back.” The edges of his mouth ticked down in the makings of a frown. “But I fear it will be short-lived, won't it?”

“Poor choices were made and not without consequence. He’ll call me if he needs me, but I wanted to give them some space.” Jean looked out the window for a moment, a gentle supportive brush of her mental presence against Scott’s.

His mind was already tracking Scott even without the benefit of a renewed psychic bond between the two of them. What was happening outside was a brewing storm that had the potential of a hurricane. The look of wonder that came over Xavier’s face.

~You more than forgave him~ The realization was a profound one. ~You restored him~

A lone tear bubbled from the corner of Xavier's eye. “Thank you,” he whispered, pride plain in his voice, “for bringing him back…back from the edge.”

“The salvation was mutual.” Jean smiled at him as his swell of emotion passed through her. Xavier loved Scott like a son, while he had expressed some of his upset at Scott’s behavior as of late, the depth of that pain wasn’t known, that is until Jean felt his relief.

“He risked everything to find me, he called in every favor he had and even then his plan was one of desperate hope. And afterwards, I don’t think I could have come back from my abduction and torture without him. Those first couple weeks were a walking nightmare and he held my hand the entire way. He was the anchor I needed to keep from drifting away.” Jean shared the moment when she finally made contact with Scott, her love for him was enough to make that near impossible telepathic communication. Followed by moments during their time in Muir, how shattered and frightened she was and Scott held her and kept the haunted memories at bay. Jean had found the strength to come back and fight back because Scott had been with her.

“But he was so lost, Professor, his mental health, I’ve never seen it so poor. And then, to be taken advantage of during that time.” Jean shook her head and the missing pieces of what had happened between Scott and Aurora were provided to Xavier. “It's egregious behavior on her part... she’s lucky that you’re such a forgiving person…” He felt that surge of anger inside of her, white hot and vengeful, but Jean stifled it “…I hope she finds the self control she’s lacking.”

The Professor lowered his head and let the missing pieces soak in. At the time he had been aware of the dangerous combination arising between the two of them. What happened still had happened right under his nose.

“I knew of the dream sharing,” he said into his chin. “But not the rest. It was an old habit to turn a blind eye to the romantic. Even though I knew there was no sparing Scott the travailing that was before him, I still took their moral failures as my own.” He looked up and faced Jean. “I suppose Scott was not the only one who began to see you in Aurora. Your self-control was hard won from an early age. I cannot expect that of her, not just yet.”

When he looked back towards the window, a coldness settled into his eyes that contrasted with the white hot fury within Jean but was no weaker. It was rare indeed when telepaths played well together. Xavier’s relationship with Jean was special in more ways than one.

A name passed through his mind, shielded by tight barriers of fear and regret. Amahl Farouk. The name was whisked away as soon as it was thought of.

“Thank you for bringing those details to my attention.” His tone was cool and even. Aurora was his student. He would not fail her again, no matter what. The alternatives were too terrible to contemplate.

Jean noted the name of Amal Farouk but also Xavier’s desire to conceal it again. They had shared a lot together over the years but out of respect she didn’t pry further, his secrets were his own.

“She’s going to have to grow up quickly, being a mother does that.” Gut-wrenching sadness and anger knotted inside of Jean with that comment, to the point where Xavier’s own stomach twisted in response. She had forgiven so much and had so much to look forward to but that piece, a child that would forever bind Scott and Aurora, was a bitter pill that Jean was having a hard time swallowing.

“It is not our mistakes which come to define us but rather our responses to them,” Xavier said. His reply was meant to apply on many levels. “So far, I have nothing of which to be ashamed for how anyone has responded after taking accountability. My hope is for that to remain so.”

With that said, Xavier put it aside for now. Jean had flashed the tip of her pain to him. He would offer her a lifeline to see if she would take it.

~You have carried great pain~ The thought was less of a probe and more of a warm breeze on a chilly day. ~Share it with me as you once did~

She shook her head at first, continuing to deny herself everything that she had been feeling. The anger was pointless, wasted energy over things that could not be changed, but it still persisted inside of her. Today, she would force herself to confront these selfish, hostile, ugly feelings because with Xavier, she felt safe. Jean’s bottom lip quivered before she started to cry, heavy, jagged sobs that heaved and trembled with the weight of emotions she had been suppressing. The thoughts she stopped herself from thinking flowed freely to Xavier.

~* ‘That was our promise, our future, our lives together. Things I wanted so badly for us, for myself, now spoiled.’ *~

Her head fell into hands as her tears continued.

~* ‘I was taken, forced to die over and over again, ripped apart and put back together. All while my partner is seduced and manipulated, he fucks her while thinking about my face, tells her he loves her while wishing it was me. I didn’t deserve that, I didn’t deserve to have my dreams taken away from me because of a stupid fling.’ *~

Her internal voice dropped into that deep wailing tone that comes from heartbroken sadness.

~* ‘If we marry, will he look at his wedding band and think of that moment in time when he had that cheap gold ring on his finger? If I ever have his child, will he compare their birth to this one? I will have to raise a child that will forever remind me of the darkest and hardest time in my life. These happy moments I wanted so badly for myself, for us. They are forever tainted, ruined by some idiot girl who couldn’t keep herself under control.’ *~

Xavier watched her body gasp and heave for breath as her tears continued.

~* ‘I love him with everything that I am, when I lost all hope and thought I was going to die, coming back to him was what kept me alive. Only to find that I was so close to being forgotten, in several months time I had been degraded to a memory and a ghost. Something to move past, not seek out. All while I was being slaughtered…’ *~

Her stomach turned from the emotions that clawed at her insides.

~* ‘Part of me hates both of you for that. For him to fall so easily and so quickly, for you to let that happen right under your nose when you knew how badly he was struggling. This place is supposed to be a safe haven, a sanctuary where we can be vulnerable and trusting, a place where a damaged soul can be healed. I trusted both of you… the two men I love the most… who were meant to protect me, to honor me, to advocate for me… you both betrayed me.’ *~

Xavier felt that deep and dangerous rage inside of her, that powerful and otherworldly presence which had always lurked in her mind. It delighted in her anger and asked her for more and he was disturbed by how easily Jean answered its beck and call.

~Know my mind, Jean, and you will see there is not a day which went by where you were not in our thoughts~

Scenarios rushed into Jean's mind. The sleepless nights Xavier spent on Cerebro searching for everyone who went missing. Contacting everyone from the FBI to Interpol in hopes of catching a lead. Parleying even with the likes of Magneto for any information whatsoever.

There was a great battle over the school at that time. Xavier showed Jean how Scott had instigated that battle by overhearing Magneto and mistaking his banter for a confession. He had blown Magneto out of that very room into the lawn outside and fought through a gauntlet of Brotherhood mutants to get another crack. She watched through the Professor’s eyes as Scott's rage seemed to make the dawn come early that day as he lit up the sky again and again until Magneto finally subdued him within a makeshift sarcophagus of metallic scrap.

Although the Professor had placed him on sabbatical following those events, Scott had volunteered to be taken hostage by mutant traffickers in a vain hope of being sent to wherever Jean was. They had rescued a number of mutants that day, Bobby included, and everyone except Scott rejoiced because Jean was not among them.

~You know my policy of non-intervention. If I act, it is only because there is no other way. Scott was unduly influenced but in the end the choice was still his to make, including the one not to come to me as he had in the past. A man may not have control of himself when drunken, but he did when he took up the bottle~

It wasn't an excuse. It was facts. Xavier regretted what happened, yet he would have regretted violating Scott's mind and free well all the more.

Then he reciprocated her pain with his own, creating solidarity between them as fellow partakers of suffering.

~Would that I could have traded places with you and spared you both such misery. I still don't even recall why you were sent and that fact torments me still. So much loss stems from that day. And yet so much is being rebuilt as well~

Xavier's pain turned bittersweet as with the contractions of childbirth. His agony always pointed upward for a better tomorrow. He had no other choice. Existence would be a living hell otherwise for a man of his telepathic endowment.

~Like a beautiful stained glass window in a cathedral that is built with the shards of shattered panes, the future is bright and so full of hope, Jean. Do not give in to despair. Choose life and be free with me~

Jean shuttered and wearily sighed as her jags of crying slowed and eventually stopped. He had always offered her that freedom of choice, that ability to crawl out from the darkness and live a better, more fulfilling life. Xavier felt that dark and terrible force return to the shadows it lived in. He felt that hope inside of her, Jean’s optimism returned and she felt more like herself again.

She pulled a tissue out of her purse and dried her eyes and sniffled before sitting up again. Jean felt better but also exhausted, as one often does after crying. While she was honest and open with Scott, she had held back the full brunt of her heartache. Things were so terrible after her rescue and Scott was so remorseful and supportive. She knew he was sorry and how much he loved her. They had agreed to repair the damage done to their relationship, to move past it and heal. To overwhelm him with her resentful emotions over events that had already happened, it felt like kicking him while he was on his knees. But she needed to tell someone, Jean needed to get those sad, selfish, angry feelings out of mind before they festered and turned into something much uglier. She felt lighter now, a weight taken off her shoulders.

“I do.” She finally spoke out loud again, her voice small still. “I am happy to be alive and to have a second chance. I choose to focus on the good and not dwell on events I cannot change.”

“You can do more than not focus on them,” Xavier said. “Every experience, the good and the bad, becomes part of us. We must leverage each and every one as another brick in the building of our lives. Love is pain, Jean. If we deny that pain, then we will eventually forfeit the power of love as well. Scott has learned that lesson and I hope it sticks. But Rome wasn’t built in a day. Small steps toward happiness begin with small acts of kindness and there is no greater kindness than to forgive.” He smiled at her, his delight in sharing her presence again radiating from him. “If I can ever be a help to you, please let me. Even if you go through with your plans…” His smile turned coy as he had gleaned a few surface thoughts from her mind during their exchange. The X-Corporation financial statements also told the tale just in themselves. “... you will always be a student here.”

“Always.” Jean affirmed his words as a smile returned to her face. There was gratitude and appreciation for Xavier in her eyes. Children grow up and leave home. It’s a natural progression but still a sad one at times. “Just because I’m living in New York doesn’t mean my time here is done. This will always be my home.”

Her thoughts returned to New York and the already promising future she had there. “What you did for Scott, when he left… you saved his life. Access to X-Corp and the doors that opened for him, for us.”

Jean shared a handful of memories with him. Her adoption of the Fallen Angels, their lease at the Baxter Building, Scott’s exuberance as he walked the office space voicing his vision for the work they could do there, drinking champagne in their condo, joyful and excited about everything they were going to accomplish together.
“I know it doesn’t need to be said, but thank you. Just when I think you’ve done so much for us, you do even more.”

“No thanks is needed, Jean.” The Professor beamed at her gratitude anyway. “You, Scott, and all the others are my legacy. When my life is over, you are what I will leave to this world. I couldn't be prouder of the ambitions you both have undertaken.”

His thoughts turned to another matter. “Would there be room for some others in your new operation? I don't intend to be presumptuous, so please refuse if you desire. But I have some names of people who may benefit more from the work you intend to do than from training here. If this is a discussion that should include Scott, then we can table it for later.”

“I think that’s more than fine, we have the whole floor and the apartments in it for that exact reason.” Jean telepathically showed Xavier the spaces available on the 29th floor of the Baxter Building. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Bobby... I can feel how fractured he is. I think he should come to New York with us, it would be good for him.”

Xavier grinned at that. “Bobby was actually the primary name on that list. He is in need of healing and purpose. I cannot give him both at once, but perhaps he can find it with you.” X-Factor. The words were like a scrolling ticker in Jean's mind. He gave a bemused chuckle. “And I'm rather flattered by the tentative name of your new organization.”

“A name we’re proud of,” Jean said with a nod of her head. “But to confirm, yes, if you have anyone you’re recommending for X-Factor please send them our way.”

Jean’s thoughts went back to the whole reason they needed to establish X-Factor.

“Is there anything we can do for Lorna?” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. They knew where she was but couldn’t reach her. It was a cruel discovery.

"You know as well as I do that we are not alone in this universe," Charles said. The X-Men had fought against the Siris alien Mutant Master during the Factor Three ordeal a couple of years ago, and Xavier himself had contended with the Quist agent Lucifer a decade before that. The X-Mansion's advanced upgrades were stripped from the bones of their failed conquest. "But I fear that Lorna may be beyond the edges of even that. We may need the special assistance of more than conventional science in order to aid her. What that may look like... I cannot say." For as many words as he used, Xavier's grief was rather singular. "I will continue pulling the threads and see if this endless knot will not untangle."

Much had been revealed within the Savage Land, yet little of it made any sense. Had Charles been present, he may have been able to divine more. What little he could glean from the minds of those present only brought more questions.

Jean somberly sighed, Lorna was like a little sister to her. To think that she was beyond their help was disheartening. But if anything Jean had faith that they would be able to do something, if not now, then someday. She wouldn’t give up on her.

She wondered about her own unknowns and if Xavier had made any progress since they last spoke on Muir.

“The power I exhibited when freeing Scott from Krakoa and again during my rescue. Were you able to find anything about the Phoenix Force?” She had mentioned that this was what her abductor was looking for inside of Jean, that it had been the reason for her torture.

“Nothing concrete, I’m afraid.” That question would be a welcome change if not for the fact Xavier felt he had nothing to show for it. “As fond as I am of classical studies, there isn’t much to be found outside of mythological references which span from the mundane to the esoteric. I’m not prepared to suggest we are contending with something that would require the aid of a mystic or extraterrestrial specialist, but at this point I would trade Cerebro for a genuinely functional crystal ball.” He smiled at the metaphor but didn’t quite chuckle.

She smirked but he felt her disappointment. “It doesn’t mean anything to me either.” Jean’s thoughts continued to dwell on those events and Charles picked up on more sorrow and remorse from her. “I’ve never taken a life before, in all my years and all our missions, I’ve always gone above and beyond to spare lives. And in the blink of an eye… I took so many. That power scares me.”

"Power is not what should be feared," Xavier said. "But rather the desire to wield it. Do you trust your motivations? They will be what rules your fate."

“It’s not like that.” She shook her head in disagreement. “That power isn’t part of me, I have no desire to wield it. My motivations are no longer my own, it fills me with such anger and such hate. The limits of my body are the only thing that stops it, if it could supersede that… I don’t know what would happen.”

Charles frowned. "Are you certain, Jean? There are corners and depths to all of our minds that we would rather not acknowledge and rather pretend do not exist. Refusing to face them may actually empower them, even if denying them a direct outlet, they can have unchecked influence throughout every other aspect of our consciousness." His eyes were keen but compassionate. "You need not face them alone. I am always here for you, even in the darkest times and in the most shameful spaces."

“I’m certain,” she said, confirming his concerns. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to face it just yet. I would rather we at least know what this Phoenix Force is before we go any further. If it’s as dangerous as I fear it to be, we should be prepared. Until then, the barriers you placed in my mind will have to do. It’s quieter with them in place, it has a harder time connecting with me.” Jean had shown him that terrible power when they connected on Muir and he had graciously agreed to help wall off that part of her mind while she recovered, it was with the intention of it being a temporary solution, now she was asking to keep up these walls indefinitely.

"Understood," Charles said with a nod of understanding. "It stands to reason that your mysterious abductor has an interest in it as well. That you recall the events of that rueful day and we do not adds further weight to that likelihood."

“Despite my intact memories, we have a few leads following my abduction. But, leave it to Scott to turn my memories into a resource. He’s been taking notes on everything he’s seen and we’re trying to look for an Essex Corporation.” Jean took a breath as she prepared to share the rest. Xavier felt a nervous, uncomfortable feeling from Jean, maybe even fear. “I remember what my captor looked like, we have reason to believe that he too is a mutant.”

She showed him the man in black, his pale white skin and red eyes, the diamond in his forehead as a chill passed through her. “Have you ever seen that man before?”

There were few times when Xavier visibly panicked. This was one of them.

“Essex, you say?” His words were vacant. All his focus was on that face. “Jean, I'm sorry but I cannot reveal to you what I know. You will have to speak with Aurora, though I will be present if I may. I have seen that face before, though it is not my place to reveal where.” He took a steadying breath. “I fear the three of you may have one more connection than you knew.”

Jean looked stunned by the information and lack of information. “Why can’t you share it? If you know something, tell me. If there’s another lead we could follow, we need to know now.”

“I can’t.” The Professor shook his head with a pained apologetic expression. “It’s a matter of ethics, Jean. I can’t reveal what is not mine to share, not without permission from Aurora.”

“He’s down there handing her annulment papers, I don’t think she’s going to be too amicable to helping us any time soon.” Jean let out a frustrated sigh through her nose. There was no one else who understood Xavier’s ethical choices more than Jean. “Would you at least broach the subject with her? Make her aware of what we need before I ask?”

The grave expression still had not left Xavier’s face. “Oh, annulment or no, I am quite certain if you showed her that face, it may be her questioning you rather than the other way around. That is why I believe I should be present for that…exchange.”

“Yes, alright.” Jean rubbed her temple in frustration but she would always listen to Xavier. “I had planned on coming back in a couple weeks. Maybe we can all talk about this then?”

Jean sighed once more, this topic had riled her up and that fact that there were potential answers available, she stopped herself there, it was decided, she would have to wait to know more.

"Yes," Charles said, "or sooner if you prefer." He loathed being in between the proverbial rock and hard place but his personality ethics weren't something he would violate. "I am sorry, Jean." Out of curiosity, he said, "Perhaps in the meantime, if I were to reach out to my contacts regarding this Essex Corporation, I may turn up another lead that isn't... privileged information."

“Yes, thank you.” Jean agreed to the assistance he was offering but he felt her disappointment and her pain over what had been done to her, what had been done to all of them, and what answers this mystery man might provide. But she no longer pried or pushed him for more, Jean understood where he was coming from and respected his decision. “We’ll take any help we can get, any lead that can be followed. Warren and Alex are still out there, if any of this helps find them it’s worth it.”

Charles rubbed his chin. Now that he had a fellow Cerebro user at hand, he was ready to get down to brass tacks. "It concerns me greatly that I could not locate any of you all this time." His expression turned from solemn to grave. "While I did not give up hope you were alive, Jean, being unable to locate you filled me with despair. That you report this internal change within yourself could be part of it. But that would only mean Warren and Alex are not who they were either or they are being detained under heinous conditions. Or both."

It occurred to him that he wasn't saying anything that wasn't obvious or that Jean herself wouldn't already know firsthand. "I've asked Mara to stay on and help with continuing upgrades to Cerebro, just to give us an edge. The fact of the matter is that finding the others will not matter much if we are up against a foe who could simply abduct everyone again."

~I do not know if I can fathom such power as we have witnessed, much less defend against it~ It was an admission that he could not bring himself to say out loud.

A cold chill passed through her and Jean couldn’t help but shudder. The very idea of being abducted again, of being taken and forced to endure that same agonizing torture, it made her blood run cold with absolute dread. Charles felt that primal fear inside of Jean as a new type of nightmare began to manifest in her subconscious.

“The facility I was in kept it, it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The whole building was a fortress for keeping mutants in and out. Telford met his end thanks to the elaborate systems they had in place.” Jean shook her head in disbelief, whoever had devised and executed the abduction of the First Class was someone who knew mutants and their abilities inside and out. And judging by the way Jean had been treated, that information had been gathered through cruel and devious methods. “The change in my psyche, the equipment and defenses set up to hide from the world. It’s no wonder you couldn’t find me.” She couldn’t help but feel a little hopeless at that moment. It felt so overwhelmingly impossible.

“After Mara has finished upgrading Cerebro, we’ll try again.” Jean’s hope prevailed despite her disillusionment. “I can try to find something or someone, maybe my time in that facility could provide an advantage in finding them again.”

Charles nodded with reluctance. "Perhaps so. I know I don't need to tell you to be careful, yet—"

There was an emotional flare that sounded off like a mortar. It was impossible to miss. The sound of a devastated, broken heart often was. And then there were resulting feelings of anger and betrayal.

"Oh, Aurora..." whispered Charles. "'All those moments lost in time, like tears in rain'."

“I should go.” Jean stood and collected her things including the documents he had asked her to read. “If I don’t get to see you again before we leave, I’ll at least say goodbye. We’ll be back in a couple weeks, of course I’ll be in touch.” Jean placed a hand on his shoulder and he felt her gratitude along with that beautiful, radiant light that had always emanated from her.

"These doors will be forever open to you, Jean." The Professor's smile was wan from holding back his mixed emotions.

~* ‘Thank you again’ *~ She said before departing. A touch of sadness in the room as one chapter ended in both of their lives, Jean was no longer a resident of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.