In Vino Veritas

Posted on Tue Nov 21st, 2023 @ 12:04pm by Scott Summers & Jade Farwynd

1,809 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 3: X-Tra Ecclesiam
Location: Wine Cellar | X-Mansion
Timeline: August 19th, 1990

Things were happening so fast. Professor Xavier was on his way to Boston to prepare for a public clash of ideologies. Jade had returned along with Bobby who seemed to be more or less his old self. That thought filled him with foreboding. What should have been a joyous occasion was terrifying because it reminded him of obligations both old and new.

Scott came down to the basement just for some space and some quiet in which to think in it. But then he saw the locked wine cellar. And he had a key.

Minutes later, Scott was in the corner with an uncorked vintage from one French chateau or another. He didn't bother reading which one. Without any wine glasses at hand, he sipped from a little tastevin cup before he finally tossed it aside and drank straight from the bottle.

Jade was happy and not happy at the same time. Happy to be back, to see this group of people who surprisingly didn't mind having her around. Happy to be going on a date date for a change, even if he was a Pommie bastard. A cute, funny, Pommie bastard. A smile formed on her lips at the thought.

She was decidedly not happy with Scott and Aurora. How the hell did she get pregnant so quickly? She hardly just started at the Mansion? And it was Scott's? Of all the stupid shit people pulled, this had to be one of the stupidest.

So, once she was ready for her date, she set about finding Scott. She turned off one of her noise cancelling earbuds in order to better focus her senses. Under ground...basement. Blood was mixed. Ah, the wine cellar.

So, she grabbed her over the shoulder bag, dressed in a floral summer dress that wrapped around her torso with ruffle sleeves and which fell just above her knees and a pair of closed toe platform wedges, Jade made her way down to the cellar. Her red hair was in a half up do, with the rest freely flowing, minimal make up on, starkly different than her look a mere thirty minutes ago.

She didn't waste time on knocking, she let herself into the cellar and had to turn the second earbud back on to tune out the intoxicated noise of his blood.

"Try the Shiraz. Or the Tempranillo, they'll juice you up good, mate." She said to Scott as she stepped close. Her tone held little joke as she spoke the words.

"Cheers." Bottle raised to her health, Scott cracked an embarrassed smile. He didn't bother getting up. There was nothing else he could possibly be doing other than what it appeared he was doing. "I'm doing good with this..." He checked the label. "... Cabernet Sauvignon." Nodding toward the assorted racks, he said, "Help yourself."

Jade shook her head, "Alcohol doesn't do squat to me, but I can still reek of it. Not a good date look." She said as she stepped closer to him. He was drowning himself. Because of the baby? Because of Aurora? Both? Jean? All of it?

Awkwardly she lowered to the floor away from him, trying to tuck her legs away so they weren't overly uncovered and that she was at least semi comfortable. "So, do you want to go first? Or shall I go first?"

"Go first with what?" Scott asked. "This was my plan for the evening. You can do whatever you came to do."

Jade sighed. "Fine. What the fuck did you do, Scott?" Her tone was one of calm exasperation, one disappointed mothers would get when they were about to scold a child. Except the cursing. That was just where she came from, Australia.

"I was born," he said into the mouth of his bottle. "All downhill from there."

So the tone would be set that way. Jade sighed.

"Scott, biologically and legally, you classify as an adult. Aurora is only legally an adult." Jade's look turned hard. "Three years may not seem like a big deal, but where you two stand biologically it's a big fucking deal. Bottom line is, she's a child, you're an adult. She's a student and you are staff. She's pregnant and you forgot to use fucking protection. You, as the adult, should have known fucking better."

Scott let out a deep sigh. How did so many people know about this already? It had literally just happened. "You, too?" He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Is someone going around hanging fliers or something?" After another swig, he said, "You aren't telling me anything I haven't already said six inches in front of the mirror, Jade. You left out the part where Jean is out there somewhere suffering who knows what and I'm in a cozy mansion with her replacement all nicely bed and bred. If you've got something else, I might need a second bottle. Otherwise, I'm going to finish this one so I can figure out how not to fuck up the new path in life I've made."

"No, I can just sense it it in her blood and your genetic markers mixed with hers, believe me I want to gouge that out of my memory, but sadly I can't." She reached over and pulled another random bottle of red wine and handed it to him. "Don't get me wrong, I don't care who you shag behind whose back. I don't give a shit. The problem becomes when it crosses borders, where despite whatever pain one feels one needs to be the fucking adult that they are. You clearly failed, and Aurora...well, we all have moments where we will do anything for the bloke we fancy and he shows even a sliver of interest in us, whether or not he actually has feelings for us. Because we are in love with the idea, not the reality. Eventually both of you will come to realize the reality, and you'll have to deal with it. Be there for that poor bub, but don't lead Aurora on down a path that will not result in what either of you want. Don't chain her to a dream."

Scott's face contorted in agony for a brief instant, but he reined it in. "I won't be leading her on," he said at length. "So you need not worry about that." Whatever else he might have said got plugged by the wine bottle. Those ruby-quartz glasses obscured the storm of emotions in his eyes.

"Make sure she doesn't chain you to one either, you both made this choice. The responsibility is on both of you. Not just yourself." Jade's tone softened a little when she stood up. "If you need to talk, I'll listen. Just can't promise I won't chew you out in the process."

"After I talk to the Professor, I'll tell you anything you want to know," Scott replied. "As active as the grapevine around here is proving to be, I just can't afford to say anything more until then. I owe him that." He took a deep swig that polished off the bottle. "He deserves at least that much."

"Except if you wait too long and he starts detecting brainwaves. I'm going to have to examine her tomorrow and get her under monitoring. Children of mutants can be unpredictable." Jade said, "and at the rate you're going you might start looking sus sooner rather than later. Talk to me so I can cover for you until he gets back."

Scott took a deep breath. "Yeah..." He let out the sigh. "We're all going to him tomorrow. He's accepted another debate from a mutant hater up in Boston. It's all he's talked about for days. One time he got kidnapped by Sentinels in a public debate with their creator, Bolivar Trask, and we had to go rescue him." The shook the bottle for good measure and got a few more drops for his effort. "Should be a memorable evening one way or another."

Classic avoidance. "Scott...why do it? What overrode all good sense?"

For a long while, Scott said nothing. "I don't know," he said at last. "Not really. I don't understand it. Somehow, Jean talked to me through her. Maybe that's when it really took hold. Jean called out to me when Aurora was using Cerebro. It was Jean's voice in her mouth. And then Aurora passed out. When she woke up the next day, I helped her back to her room. She invited me to stay. Then I saw her. Jean. Aurora's face was replaced by it. And... And I kissed her."

Scott punched the floor. He hadn't gone through the explanation in synopsis form yet. Why did it have to sound so crazy?

"I ran away. The next night, I saw Aurora in my dreams. We...commingled. Next thing I know, the dream was real. She was at my door. I let her in. And, for a short time, she took my pain away. Now here we are."

"And nowhere in there did you pause and think - hold on this isn't right? Scott, you know better than me how many mutants are out there who can manipulate the mind with ease." Jade pulled over a high chair and leaned against it. "What do we know about Aurora anyway? Could she be manipulating you?" Jade spread her arms. "We're not without enemies, Scott, and the best way to screw with us is from within." Farwynd sighed, arms crossed on her chest looking down at him. "You're in a dangerous spiral, Scott."

Scott shrugged. "Maybe. But that doesn't change a thing. Not with a baby on the line." He looked at her directly for the first time. "I won't leave a baby to grow up the way I did."

"It would, a lot, mate." Jade sighed, "it changes the whole dynamic." She looked at him with a sigh and paused for a moment before she re-adjusted her bag. "You're just too blinded by pain to see straight." With that said she straightened out. "I have to go. Send Aurora down to the Infirmary when you've spoken to him, alright?"

Scott made a drunken chuckle at that. "You're the school nurse. Tell her yourself. She won't refuse. She'll do anything for that baby." Looking down at himself, he let out a scoff of disgust. "Obviously."

"Get fucked, mate." Jade threw over her shoulder as she walked out. Of all the storms to come back to, Jade really wasn't looking forward to this one. The eye was here and it was about go get bad.

"Done and done!" Scott called after her.

"Means 'fuck you' in adult!" It echoed down the hall, following the the hallway as her footsteps grew quieter.

Scott popped the cork on another bottle. "I know what it fucking means," he muttered.

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