Promises

Posted on Sun Nov 19th, 2023 @ 8:34am by Scott Summers & Aurora Summers

3,838 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 3: X-Tra Ecclesiam
Location: X-Mansion/Salem Center
Timeline: August 16th, 1990

Scott didn't spend as much time in the garage as he used to. Hank had a real workshop in the labs below, Angel had his loft in the attic solarium, and Bobby was always out chasing girls, whether Lorna or some townie. This Jeep had been a labor of love between him and his long lost brother Alex who had been returned to him by the Professor. Most recently he and Connor had worked on it, which was what led to his current excursion. Now Scott was slowly undoing all the good will and trust between him and the Professor one bad choice at a time. But promises were promises.

The red Jeep roared to life. Scott let it idle only a minute before he put it in gear and drove down the rambling driveway toward the gates. They parted before him after a press of the remote control under the visor, but Scott slowed down anyway. He coasted through the gates, slowed to a stop on the other side, just before pulling into the country lane, and waited for Aurora.

Aurora was there pretty quickly, grinning from ear to ear as she slid into the passenger seat. “Nice Jeep, Scott, so what’s this trip into town all about?”

"Thanks," Scott said, dodging the question. "It belongs to me and my brother, Alex. He went missing on the same mission as the others..." Before he fell completely down that hole, Scott said, "We restored the Jeep together. Took awhile because we didn't really know what we were doing."

“Well you’ve done a wonderful job, I’m sorry about Alex.” She changed the subject at that. “So you avoided my question quite well, but you might as well tell me what’s going on. We’re partners in crime now.”

~Partners in the more than that~ Scott mused to himself. "I got my usual run to do that won't take long. But there's another stop that stays between us. I'm doing a favor for a friend that he can't do for himself."

Aurora nodded. “I promise not a word will leave my lips, and the Professor won’t find it in my mind either I’ll bury it deep.” She gave him a smile. “I’m enjoying us getting to spend more time together.”

Not half an hour ago, they had been moaning each other's name. Scott shot her a look and made a coy smile. He was doing bad and he knew it. From the sound of it, so did she. But neither of them could seem to bring themselves to stop. "Connor... apparently he is of the mind that he can be more verbal if he has some alcohol. I promised him I'd get a bottle to stash."

“Seriously!?” Aurora gave Scott a surprised look. “Should you be encouraging Connor to drink alcohol? You don’t want him becoming addicted to the stuff, besides that’ll give the Professor another reason to blow his stack at you. I’ve gotten you into enough trouble already.”

"He proved it, Aurora..." Scott stared straight ahead, his eyes unreadable behind his ruby-quartz glasses. "He said he'd already tried it. I gave him a beer. He said my name, Aurora." He looked away from the road in order to give her a glance. "I've known that kid for five years and haven't heard him say more than five words without his device. Yesterday he said my name for the first time." His mouth tightened up as he got emotional. "The Professor gave me these glasses just like he gave Connor that device. But if all it took for me to be able to walk around and see the world as it is without these..." He tapped his sunglasses. "... was a buzz, then I would have risked it. How could I look my friend in the eye and deny him that?"

Aurora nodded. “Perhaps it would benefit Connor to see what it is that changes when he’s under the influence, compared to when he isn’t.” She paused. “When we go back give it to me, I’ll deliver it to Connor for you.”

That made Scott's brow arch up over the rim of his sunglasses. Partners in crime indeed. "You sure about that?"

“Hell I’m already in trouble” Aurora shrugged her shoulders. “Besides I consider Connor to be a friend. We may not have known each other long, but I like Connor he makes me smile.”

"I'm glad," Scott said with a chuckle. "Connor has two modes. Laughing and groaning. Good that you've only met the first one. But he's one in a million. Before I met him, I had a lot of preconceived ideas. He shattered a lot of them and taught me never to judge a book by its cover. I'm better for knowing him."

“I think we both are” Aurora grinned as she sat looking at Scott. “I know things between us aren’t straight forward, I would never expect you to say or do anything you’re not ready for. This is good, us sharing time together, getting to know each other properly.”

She kept angling at that, Scott noticed. He might as well give her that. If he withheld something as innocent as his life story after giving her every inch of something else, what did that make him? "What do you want to know exactly?"

Aurora gave Scott a surprised look. “I wasn’t really angling at anything in particular, I guess it did sound like I was probing for answers.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Tell me about your family, you mentioned your brother do you have any other siblings?”

"No," Scott said. "Just the four of us. Dad, Mom, me, Alex. My dad was an Air Force pilot. When I was little, he was flying us back from vacation when some kind of craft not of this world started firing at us. Dad pulled what evasive maneuvers he could. Mom packed me and Alex in the only parachute before throwing us out of the plane. But the chute caught fire. Alex and I fell to the ground. I thought we were dead. It was then my power first manifested. My optic blast punched the ground, braced us for a landing that would've killed us otherwise. But we still hit hard. The next thing I knew, Alex and I were in an orphanage in Nebraska. He got adopted out almost immediately. I never saw him again until the Professor used Cerebro to help me find him."

“I’m so sorry Scott, I guess we both had a hard childhood.” She smiled a wry smile. “Now Alex is missing along with the rest of your team?”

Scott nodded. "He's braver than me. Dumber. But braver. I'm sure he's holding on, wherever he is."

Aurora nodded. “If he’s anything like you, I’m sure he’ll be putting up one hell of a fight.”

"I'm counting on it," Scott said.

The Jeep slowed to turn into a small strip mall at the edge of town. Small ships and storefronts dotted each section of the parking lot. A tax attorney. An ice cream parlor with attached arcade. A convenience store. Right on the end was a dirty beige building that has the word LIQUOR in big block lettering over the door. Scott parked the Jeep right in front and looked at Aurora. There was a distinct "No Persons Under 21 Years of Age Permitted" sign nailed to the wooden door.

"You want to try your luck or wait here?" he asked.

Aurora held up her hands as she shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll wait right here for you to come back.”

"Fair enough." Scott left the Jeep running. It only took a minute for him to be in and out with a brown paper bag in hand. He offered it to Aurora. "You sure about this, Aurora? Not too late to back out now if you wanted."

“No...” Aurora took the bottle. “I said I’d make sure Connor got it and I will.”

Scott gave her an unreadable look before cracking a smile. "I can tell this bothers you on some level. Thank you. It's not something I much like either but I gave my word." He backed up the Jeep and pulled away from the liquor store, hoping it would set Aurora more at ease. "Did someone you know have a drinking problem?"

“One of my foster parents, he liked to get drunk quite a lot, & he was a mean drunk.” She sighed. “Not that I’m saying Connor will be anything like that, I just hope he knows what he’s doing.”

And he had just dragged her right into the middle of this. "Aurora, I'm so sorry." Only a kid in the system could understand the nuances of what she meant. Even if that mean, old drunk had never lain a hand on her, it's likely his eye saw her as anything but a daughter. In any case, it would have been terrifying living with a man like that. "I didn't know..." He took her hand in his and gave it an apologetic and comforting squeeze. "If you ever want to talk about it..."

Aurora offered a nod of her head. “To be honest I never stopped running to think about it. When my abilities manifested I became more of a freak to my foster family than anything else, hence why I ran away. If I hadn’t then I just might have done something that I’d now be in mutant lockup for.”

"I'm glad you missed that fate," Scott said. "I wish we did more to help other mutants avoid that. We've saved a lot of lives, even the world a time or two, but none of that seems to matter when there is suffering in the streets."

“It matters Scott” Aurora smiled. “When I was kidnapped I was on my way back from sussing out the mansion from outside the boundary. All those mutants in the sewers have heard of all of you, of Professor X, and it gives them hope! It gave me the hope I needed to consider asking to be part of the school. Little did I know fate would get me just what I wanted.”

That wasn't the first time he'd heard such praise. Each time, Scott would look away and take it in stride. "We didn't do anything someone else wouldn't have done in our position," Scott said. "We just had the advantage, the opportunity, so we did what we did. But we're not special."

"Yes, you are!" Aurora nodded as she gave Scott a serious look. "You're an inspiration to lots of mutants out there, Scott. You give them hope of a better future."

Scott chuckled at her blind idealism. It reminded him of his friends so many years ago. "And now so do you, Aurora. What do you think of that?"

“Me?” Aurora paused, she hadn’t thought about that. “Nah, I’m just a student I’m still learning.”

"That's how it starts." Scott laughed. "Just you wait." He turned off the key as they pulled into the far side of the strip mall parking lot near the food. "What are you hungry for? There's cheeseburgers, pizza, ice cream, all the bad options."

“Ohh now you’re talking!” Aurora grinned. “A cheeseburger, fries, cola and a vanilla sundae please!”

The burger shack was an old fashioned drive-in style that was a leftover from the 50s. There was a squawk box near the window that broadcast more static distortion than actual words.

"Yeah..." Scott said, not knowing exactly what was said. "Let's do two cheeseburger combos with Coke and a vanilla sundae on the side."

More squawking. Cyclops looked at Aurora and shrugged. "Uh, that's it."

Squawk.

"Shouldn't take long," Scott said. "We hope."

“Fingers crossed because I’m absolutely starving!” Aurora grinned as her stomach rumbled. “See what I mean?”

Scott gave a wan smirk at her grumbly tummy. Her rumbles only pointed to the elephant in the vehicle. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Really."

“Really?” Aurora’s smile wained a little. “I’m afraid, afraid of what the Professor will say and do, and afraid of what the future holds for our baby.” Her smile returned. “Besides that I’m tired, hungry, and I guess excited in a way. I’m going to be a mum.”

"Sounds like a lot of feelings," Scott said. He could relate to most of them. "I—"

"Okay, we got two cheeseburgers, two fries, two Cokes, and a vanilla sundae." A middle-aged woman on roller skates had come up to the window and she looked about thirty minutes late for her cigarette break.

"That's us," Scott confirmed. He fished a few bills out of his pocket and handed them to the woman. "Keep the change."

The woman sniffed the bills, rolled her eyes, and stuffed the small wad into her bra. "Gee, thanks, big spender..." And then she skated back to the kitchen.

"Nice woman," Scott said with sarcasm. "Anyway, you said you were starving. Here you go." He set everything out as best he could between the stick shift and dashboard.

“Thank you!” Aurora grinned and politely tucked into her cheeseburger and fries, she would have gulped it down but she didn’t want to be rude, it wasn’t nice or lady like. “Mmmm...delicious!”

The wolfish way Aurora savored her food by trying not to devour it too quickly made Scott briefly forget about his own. Her bites, her satisfied smacking, her jaw moving and chewing. He quickly realized he was staring. ~God damn it, Scott, what is wrong with you?~ he scolded himself. ~You're acting like an idiot teenager~ He quickly bit into his own cheeseburger in hopes of hiding his idle indiscretion.

Aurora couldn’t help but giggle as she paused eating to sip her drink. “I’m really having an effect on you aren’t I?” She gave Scott a knowing look. “Just don’t get distracted when we’re out with the team, I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to you because you’re worrying about us.” She motioned to her stomach.

Right. Telepathy. Scott didn't bother hiding his face behind his food. Chewing gave him a few precious seconds of reprieve. "Aurora... I haven't been myself, not in months now. I don't know who I am anymore and I don't know who I'm becoming. Honestly... I don't think I like him."

Aurora frowned. “Does that include this part of you? The one who spends time with me?” She ate some more of burger needing to get it finished so she could move onto her sundae.

"That's..." Scott set his burger down and took a sip from his Coke to clear his throat. "That's not it. I'm sneaking around with you and buying Connor alcohol after giving him a beer the other day and it's all so complicated that 'right or wrong' is slipping away into 'better or worse' and where that could lead..." He looked right at Aurora. "... it scares me."

Aurora nodded. “You’ve had a terrible time lately Scott, our relationship is something I started by wanting to help you. It’s not...entirely that though, I’ve just felt drawn to you ever since we first met.” She paused to sip her drink before politely wiping her mouth. Burger already done she picked up her sundae. “I guess channeling Jean didn’t help much, I wish I could help you find her.”

"I don't know what I'd do if we did." The words came out flat and expressionless, but as soon as he'd said them, he started pounding the steering wheel in anger. He'd said if. Not when. If. "The Professor is right. I really am spiralling." His demeanor was calm again but voice was a little shaky.

Aurora had jumped in uncomfortable fright as Scott had started pounding on his steering wheel. Taking a deep breath she reached out he hand and gently rested it on his arm. “You’re not spiralling Scott, you’re trying to keep going. We’ll find Jean, and when we do I’ll step aside and let you be with the woman who holds your heart. Until then I’m at your side, as a friend, lover and mother of your child.” She smiled a wry smile.

Looking at her, Scott could only shake his head and bite back the tremor of his jaw. His breathing caught short for the emotional strain. "Don't you get it, Aurora? You deserve better." He he looked away for a moment before burying his face in his hands. "How could I take from you what I did only to make you step aside? That's... I can't think of a worse man. I don't want to be that man." But if he was not that man, then who was he?

“I don’t know how to answer that, Scott.” Aurora offered an apologetic gaze. “I knew what I was getting into when I came to your room that night, I’m not regretting any of this. I’m enjoying every moment with you for as long as I have that time.”

Her assurances now only made Scott feel worse. "Less than an hour ago, you wanted to get married. Now you're telling me you're happy with whatever you get. You might not have any regrets now..." Scott didn't want to look her in the eye. "... and I'd like to keep it that way."

“I know I got carried away earlier.” Aurora offered a wry smile. “But I’d willingly run away with you, make no mistake on that Scott, and I know I’m contradicting myself.” She tucked into her sundae as it was rapidly melting. “I’m sorry if I’m proving to be a handful.”

Scott chuckled ruefully at that. "Stop thinking of yourself as a burden. You're a person, Aurora, not an afterthought. Running away wouldn't solve anything. I don't think either of us have anywhere to go anyway." Looking at her, Scott said, "If you're going to do this..." He slipped his hand down near her womb. "... all of this... then I need you to be up front with me about what you really want. Not some bargain or compromise or whatever you're willing to settle for. Tell me what you would fight for."

Aurora placed her hand on his. “What would I fight for? I’d fight to my last breath protect our child, I’d also fight to keep what we have. If we could marry then I’d do it in an instant without any regrets, because I know how I feel for you.”

"How?" Scott asked, his mind a swirling torrent of thoughts and feelings which made it as unreadable as his stoic face. "How would you fight for us?"

Aurora gave Scott a serious look. “How? I’d willingly stand right in-front of Professor Xavier and declare my feelings for you. Hell I’d fight to my last breath to protect you, and this baby!”

A whiff of smoke wafted under Scott's nostrils. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, a snap of flame had come into being and winked out. The intensity of her declaration had seemingly made her powers manifest. He believed her, then, in that moment, that she would stand down the Professor and face his consequences. And all for him. It brought into focus what he was willing to do for her.

"That clears some things up," Scott said. Looking down in his cardboard basket of cold food, he saw a loose onion ring. "So, I guess there's only one thing left to say." He took her hand and slid the onion ring onto her finger. "Aurora... will you marry me?"

Aurora sat wide eyed and open mouthed for a moment before nodding. “Yes!, Yes I will Scott.” She smiled the biggest smile yet.

Relief over Scott. It was the hardest question he'd ever asked, and now that she'd said yes, a weight fell away from his shoulders. Things were going to be more complicated than ever, but at least now, he had a clear path forward.

"Great," Scott said, his relief bleeding over into a smile. "If we're going to do this, we should do it right." Even if so many conventions said they were wrong...

Aurora nodded. “I want to do it right Scott, but I don’t want anyone to stop us either.” She gave him a confident, reassured look.

"Nothing can stop what's already happened," Scott said. "Nor anyone." Not the Professor, not Jean. "This is fate now. We might as well start being smart about it."

Aurora nodded. “Okay, So I guess the next question is when and where?” She looked at Scott curiously.

"I'm not sure yet," Scott admitted. "Time is against us but we can't afford any mistakes. As much as elopement might solve some problems, they could end up creating all new ones."

Aurora nodded. “I understand. To be honest I’d shout it from the rooftops if I could but I know that’s just me.” She grinned. “So are we going to be open about it when we get back, or this is strictly under wraps for now?”

"We've got some things to figure out first before we do any shouting." It felt surreal. They were doing this. Scott was going to marry the mother of his child. Maybe he couldn't fix everything, but he could make this right. "I'm on the board of trustees for the X-Corporation, though I've not occasioned a need to do much in the role other than fill a seat for the Professor. Maybe I'll reach out to the lead counsel and see what options are available should the Mansion no longer be... hospitable."

Aurora nodded. “Of course I...didn’t think about that.” She offered a smile. “It’s all so surreal, I’m not only going to be a mother, I’m going to be a wife as well.”

Her joyous smile was infectious. Storm clouds followed Scott on his best of days. Recent months had been a persistent monsoon. Maybe this really was the way it was meant to be. Aurora, the only ray of daylight in his darkness, would be his to love and protect until a second sunny beam came into the world. Until then ... It was anyone's guess.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, you will. I promise."

Aurora nodded as she looked into Scott’s eyes. “I believe you Scott, and I can’t wait until then.” She put down her sundae and leaned in closer before giving him a loving kiss. “I will be forever yours, Scott, For better or worse.”

With that kiss, Scott felt his final doubts and inhibitions fade away. For better or worse, this was life now and he would make it right.

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