With This Ring
Posted on Sat Jul 13th, 2024 @ 6:03pm by Jean Grey & Scott Summers & Bobby Drake
7,695 words; about a 38 minute read
Mission:
Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: Baxter Building/Central Park | Manhattan
Timeline: October 9, 1990 - Afternoon
X-Factor was on the forefront of preparing for the Mutant Registration Act to go into effect. Collecting and reviewing any information surrounding the act in anticipation of what was to come was critical. That left Scott and Jean with stacks of paperwork to review over the next few days.
“I’m missing the last five pages of these committee notes,” Jean murmured as she began to sift through the stacks laid out across the conference room’s table. “Have you seen them?”
There was a pause without an answer from Scott but Jean had moved on to another concern.
“Did you request a copy of the Department of Mutant Registration’s budget changes? That should have been faxed over already.”
Another pause and no answer from Scott. This time the silence caused Jean to look up from the papers on the table.
“Hey!” Jean’s tone changed enough to finally cause him to look up at her. “What has been up with you the past couple days?”
Scott had been distant and guarded, not just with his words but also with his thoughts. At first she had thought it was due to the passing of the Mutant Registration Act but the walls had continued much longer than she had expected. “You haven’t been yourself lately. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Hm?” A visible jolt passed through Scott as he realized he hadn’t been paying attention the past few minutes. “I’m sorry. I’ve just… been thinking. We took on a lot in such a short amount of time. All of this is so new to us. I feel like we’re doing too much and not enough. Even if we get through all of this, what then? Congress bypassed testimonies. At least the president is showing some hesitation but how are we going to influence him at all? He could sign any day now. The gears of war are already spinning. It would take a miracle for peace now.”
There was more to it. All of that was just what was staring him in the face. Other things tugged at his heartstrings. “I’m just wrestling with feeling like all this wasn’t how it’s supposed to be. I’ll be fine.”
Jean’s irritation softened a little as he finally admitted some but not all of his concerns. She could have probed and prodded for the answers, taking them without consent rather than being freely given. But that type of abuse of power was something Jean would never do.
“Hey…” The same word that she had spoken a moment earlier but much softer and kinder now. Jean walked around the table and placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “I know that this might not be how you envisioned things, but we can tackle this together. We can do anything.” A short testament in her belief in them and the strength they had as a united front.
“You’re right. I just need to get my head back in the game.” Scott placed his hand over Jean’s and leaned back into her body. “It's a long shot, but we've had worse. And the work doesn't stop even if the worst does happen. Segregation. Prohibition. Slavery. They all had a beginning and an end. We'll make sure Registration does too.”
“I hope so.” Jean picked up a list of names, mutants that had been incarcerated simply for being born different and now they were at risk of never receiving a trial. She ran her fingers through his hair while she read, a comforting act for both of them. “The best offense is a good defense, we’ll fight them for as long as possible.”
Despite his small confession, Jean still felt apprehension from Scott. He was holding back, hiding something from her.
“Do you want a minute to yourself?” A touch more to that question than a moment alone. “I can give you some space if you need some time to think. We’re together all the time, so it's okay to ask for that.”
“No. Maybe? No.” Scott scooted back in his chair so he could stand up. “I've spent more time away from you than I ever wanted. There's…”
There was something he wanted to tell her. That much was plain. It was also plain that something was holding him back.
“... I want things to be right. It's so frustrating when they're not. I'm scared, Jean. Of doing the wrong thing, making the wrong move, of ending up…”
Scott took a breath. There was no tactful way to say that his past indiscretions were catching up to him. Jean had been so wonderful and supportive. He didn't have the heart to make her feel insufficient, that her assurances weren't worth anything to him. There were things Scott had to work out on his own before he could move forward.
“Well… you know,” he said with resignation. Did she though?
Jean gave him a puzzled and concerned look. When Scott’s words failed him, his thoughts would simply fill in the missing descriptions, but he still held those back from her. He didn’t want to admit what he needed and that hesitation bothered her more than any truth.
“I don’t think I completely know.” She sighed in frustration, they had come so far together and this felt like a set back. “I don’t think you do either.”
There was another long pause between them, a space that unspoken words should have filled.
“How about this?” Jean offered a solution for him since he wouldn’t provide one of his own. “I’ll go for a run in Central Park and spend some time there this afternoon. Then I’ll pick up something for dinner on my way home. I’ll sever our bond during that time, so you can have a moment with your thoughts. I won’t hear or feel anything during that time. When I come home, we can take it from there.” This conversation was uncomfortable and to some degree it hurt Jean, but he obviously needed some space.
“It will only be for a few hours and if something happens, I’m still in the city and can contact you.” Her attempt at trying to reassure both of them that this was just a temporary situation. “Does that work for you?”
That suggestion caught Scott off guard. She wanted to leave him alone? To the best of his rapid recall, she had never proposed such a thing. Scott felt entirely off guard. “I… if you want?”
Scott didn’t want that. In fact, he wanted the opposite. But Jean was obviously upset. If she wanted to go for a run… “Maybe that would be for the best.”
She nodded her head in agreement. This didn’t feel good, but sometimes the right thing to do was the hard thing to do. Whatever was gnawing away at Scott, he didn’t want to share with her, so she would give him the space he needed. Jean had waited and she had asked and he had still pulled away. So she would try something different with him. “Give me a minute to get ready and I’ll go.”
Jean left the conference room for their condo, giving him a moment of physical distance between them. The room already felt bigger without her. She returned a few minutes later, dressed in layered athletic clothes for the autumn chill and her bright red hair in a high ponytail.
“Okay, I’m heading you.” Jean stretched up onto her toes and kissed him. There was affection but also distance in the gesture. “It’s okay to take a minute for yourself, especially if it makes things better. I’ll be back in a few hours. I love you.” She turned and exited the room and with her departure Jean’s presence in his thoughts was also removed. That spring sunshine that warmed him and welcomed him. It was gone, at least temporarily, leaving him alone with himself.
“I love you,” Scott said to the closed door.
Left to himself, he slumped his shoulders. But no man was ever truly alone. Scott was followed by the specter of his decisions. Without Jean to cast it out, it loomed large over his mind. After all the promises and special moments shared between them, Scott had lost faith in the match made in heaven that had carried him through adolescence. Life before Jean didn’t exist. It felt like a prologue, as if he hadn’t really started living his life until she’d entered it.
Was that the problem? Scott wanted to take the next step with Jean. Both of them had agreed not to wait any longer. Life was for the living and they had a second chance when so many people never even had the first one. Yet something held him back. It was his complete and total failure.
His brief time with Aurora was coming back to him. She was not the first girl to be enamored with him. Tammy had been similarly flirtatious, yet Scott had taken that in stride. He had only ever had eyes for Jean. So what happened that he compromised himself so quickly?
After meeting their neighbors, Jean had given Scott one of the most passionate nights of his life, and then Scott was hurling in the bathroom as he released the last connection he’d held with Aurora. Up until then, Scott had fully blamed himself for the preventable situation.
In the first emptiness without Jean he had experienced since his rescue from the bowels of Krakoa, there were details which were coming to him. There was no mirror to accuse him, no Jean to assuage his guilt. He had only the empty stillness of the conference room to hold back his memories. They failed.
“Enough questions for now, let’s just let you sober up.” She smiled excitedly. “I don’t suppose any of those chapels are open tonight? I don’t think anyone would miss us while they’re all at Bobby’s party.”
Scott hadn’t welcomed Bobby back. Instead he fled to the basement and got drunk. The guilt caught up with him anyway. After Jade confronted him for being a fool, Aurora found him and offered her sympathy in her sweet way. She offered to get him to bed, but he wanted to sweat out the alcohol and prevent a hangover that would affect his performance on the following day’s mission. He and Aurora had sex again in the subbasement hot tub. And then, right after his drunken orgasm, Aurora suggested they get married immediately.
That gave Scott pause. As the leader of the X-Men, he always took full responsibility for everything. Others held responsibility for their actions, but he also shared in the consequences himself. It was part of his leadership development. But he had been in no place to consent to sex, much less marriage. Either Aurora was a silly girl who could not be held accountable for anything or she had been in the wrong. Whatever responsibility Scott bore, there was an indisputable burden that remained on Aurora that couldn’t be shifted onto him. At least in this instance, she really had taken advantage of him in the name of loving him.
That introspection brought back the feeling from that moment. It was uncomfortable in his mind and heart, but Scott forced himself to contemplate it from a sober perspective.
There was no resisting her even when he wasn't intoxicated. Here and now, she would have her way with him and all he could do was enjoy it. There was attraction and then there was connection. This was the second. Even without his full bearings, Scott could feel something binding them together, like a force greater than themselves. And he surrendered to it without any resistance.
While it had seemed romantic in the moment, Scott looked at it differently now. Whatever attraction he’d felt toward Aurora was superficial at best. The connection that had formed was not based on anything good. It was based on Scott not being in his right mind, firstly with his depression and secondly being intoxicated. What had Professor Xavier called it? A trauma bond? A link formed between abuser and victim.
A woozy grin came over Scott's face as he removed his boxer briefs as well. "Smart and beautiful," he crooned. "I never stood a chance, did I?" A series of chuckles preceded a kiss.
Aurora returned the kiss with love and passion. “Maybe, Maybe not,” she smiled a wry smile. “All I know is you’re the one for me.”
That memory stung hard because Scott had to admit that his brain hadn’t filed it under Aurora. At that moment, sharing a kiss, Scott had been thinking of Jean almost entirely. There were times when he’d seen Jean’s face overtop Aurora’s, but in that moment, his mind had replaced Aurora with Jean altogether.
It was no wonder that the Professor had been so disappointed in them. They had hurt each other with both Aurora and Scott being culpable. All this time, Scott had been focusing on trying to forgive himself, but he had ignored a key point. He also needed to forgive Aurora. Only then could he move on.
Jean left the Baxter Building and made the short trek to Central Park on faster feet than were necessary, the desire to put physical distance between them was strong enough that she hurried through the crowded city streets until she reached the oasis of green that was Central Park. Once inside, she opted to run the full 6 mile loop of Park Drive, allowing her to see the whole park via its smooth and paved roads while she processed her thoughts. She started running counterclockwise, the direction all runners knew as being good etiquette. She found her pace and her breathing became labored, allowing Jean to enter that trance-like state where her body moved yet her mind could wander.
Jean couldn’t deny that Scott’s behavior the past few days had been distressing. Since her rescue things had gotten better and better with him. The constant psychic bond she had created between them had become more than just a landline, it had become a bridge that allowed for the rapid and easy sharing of thoughts and feelings between them. She had loved how fortified it made their relationship feel and how effortless their communication had become, that is until a couple days ago when Jean found barriers and blockades within Scott.
That change had hurt, not so much the need for privacy but because it had come on rather unexpectedly. Whatever was bothering him, he had decided to hide it from her, going against every proclamation they had made about not hiding from one another. And here he was, hiding from her. Jean wanted to believe that they were better than this, stronger than this. That what she felt for him and the life they had built together was what they both wanted. His thoughts, his words, his actions had all aligned with her own desires. So when Scott suddenly withdrew, it alarmed her and hurt her.
She had offered her the typical responses to behavior like this, space at first and then the request to share it. Historically, Scott had always obliged and discussed his feelings with her, no topic was forbidden. So when this happened, it rattled her. Jean offered the only other option she could provide, separation. Feeling a pang of distress in her chest, she ran a little faster until the physical exertion took over and forced her to focus on the needs of her body over the needs of her mind.
What was he so afraid of? Yes, he had lost himself, but Jean had shown him the way like she had always promised. Together there was nothing they couldn't do. His weakness was being apart from her. That was when his downfall happened. If he wanted to prevent future reprisals, then there was only one thing to do.
Scott got up from his seat, thumbed the inside of his pocket for the assurance its contents provided, and marched toward the elevator.
Down on the street, Scott caught a cab to Central Park. There wasn't a moment to lose. It took self-control not to rush the cab driver.
“Here's fine!” he said, slapping the window.
The cab pulled off and Scott parted with some cash before running toward the loop. If he was going to find her, he'd have to work backwards.
Jean had said she would take a few hours. That meant the full loop. She would've started on the east side and traveled counterclockwise like all seasoned runners in New York. If he hurried and took the shortcut that he was certain she would skip, then he could intercept her at the top of Harlem Hill and its overlook of the Hudson River.
It took him a moment to find her amongst the crowd. The autumn day was brisk but sunny, bringing a decent amount of New Yorkers to the park before winter came in, they littered the green spaces and roamed the trails, creating an excess of people for him to search through. After several minutes of combing the paths he saw her. Like the flagging of a deer in the woods, the vibrant red of Jean’s ponytail stood out as it bobbed and swayed amongst the more mundane colors of the people around her. With a handful of long easy strides, Scott was able to catch up with her.
Jean hadn’t been expecting Scott to appear, in fact it was the exact opposite of what she had been expecting him to do. So when she felt someone’s gaze by her side, those ruby lens-covered eyes were a rather surprising discovery.
“Scott!” She abruptly stopped in her tracks in shock over his appearance. Despite his arrival, Jean maintained the telepathic distance she had previously offered. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Her thoughts immediately jumped to the worst possible situations.
“Yes,” Scott said, feeling slightly winded despite his shorter run. He'd put his all into catching up with her. “I've made a terrible mistake. Several, actually, but I want to start making them right.”
Jean’s brow furrowed in confusion from his cryptic response. Whatever doubts and concerns had made him so guarded and standoffish these past couple days seemed to be related to this proclamation, but the explanation he provided didn’t do a lot to ease her concerns.
He took a deep breath and savored the crisp autumn hair. “Gah! I ran too hard! But that was the first good choice I've made today. Maybe several days.” He slouched for a minute while he fought for air. “Hoo! There's something I want to tell you, but I let fear stop me. Fear of my mistakes. I see now that's only leading me into new ones.”
“Here.” Jean placed her hands on his upper arms and guided them both over a few steps, out of the main walkway so that the rest of the people using it could continue to walk or run without them in their way. Her look of confusion was replaced with one of genuine worry over his flustered, clumsy words and whatever sentiments were behind them. “Take a minute.”
Another deep breath, with hand upraised to hold her attention. “Okay. Let's start over,” he said. “I'm only myself when I'm with you. We're strongest together.” Almost as evidence of that, he stood up straighter. ‘You are my guiding light and my north star. Without you, I'm totally and utterly lost.” His voice was raspy but he no longer sounded short of breath. “Closing myself off because I'm afraid of doing everything wrong will only doom us both. I don't ever want to be apart from you again. I want you in my life and in my thoughts forever and ever. So… I have to ask…”
Palming the box out of his pocket, Scott dropped down to one knee and presented it to Jean in an open palm. “Will you make my life complete? Will you be my wife, Jean?”
“I… you…we…” Fragmented pronouns were all Jean could provide as she began to process everything he was currently saying along with how he had been acting these past few days. Her eyes softened and her worry became a look of relief.
Scott flicked the box open to reveal a rose gold ring. Though it was covered in crushed diamonds that glimmered in the sunlight, what really hit Jean in the eyes was the glare from the center stone, a square princess cut of a green diamond. Even without knowing its provenance, it appeared absolutely priceless.
Jean looked down at the small wooden box and the beautiful ring it held. Shock and awe took over and she unknowingly covered her gaping mouth with a hand as she took in the engagement ring presented to her and the question he had asked her. They had talked about this, planned for this, yet she had not expected that this was the reason behind Scott’s standoffish behavior. Jean remained frozen and fixed in that position of stunned disbelief for a little longer than expected until she finally realized that she hadn’t answered him.
“Yes!” Jean’s initial response was a little too loud and a touch too enthusiastic; if his gesture of dropping down on one knee wasn’t enough to collect a few onlookers, her shouting would. Her eyes left the ring and returned to his gaze.
“Yes.” She said once more. This affirmation was softer and sweeter now as it was directed more towards him than the ring. Jean leaned forward and embraced him, an enthusiastic crush of her body against his own. When she made physical contact with him, her telepathy reached out for him too. Her thoughts returned to Scott’s and they mingled together again, that comforting and essential mental bond between them restored.
~* ‘Yes.’ *~ Jean confirmed once more as she kissed him. The flood of passion and joy that came with that kiss was nourishing and restorative. Days of guarded and troubled thoughts were washed away and only that beautiful and perfect love between them remained. As easily as it had been to disrupt their happiness, everything fell right back into place as soon as the problem had been resolved.
She broke their kiss when she felt Scott’s hands moving, Jean watched as he removed the ring from its box. Without hesitation she offered her left hand to him and he placed the ring on her finger. The stunning green diamond fit her delicate finger perfectly, a unique and elegant piece of jewelry that seemed to have been made for her. While the ring was beautiful, it was the sentiment and the proclamation behind it that overwhelmed Jean. Long made promises turned real, the desire for a future together, a testament to how much they loved one another, their first step towards forever. The emotions of it all suddenly overtook her and Jean couldn’t help but sob happy tears over their engagement.
Although normally the person who kept his emotions in check and didn't show them in public, Scott abandoned all restraint and hoisted Jean in the air. His hands braced the small of her back in a physical gesture that encouraged her legs to wrap around him. They slid up to her shoulders, the better to embrace her body and hold it against his own.
She moved with him and obliged his silent request to hold her. Jean wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up and kept her close to him. The physical matching his mental request to support her and elevate her, to be her guardian and protector.
“I love you, Jean.” The words slipped out between the broken kisses that were salted by the trail of tears flowing openly from Scott's eyes. He didn't care who saw or heard. Let them gawk. The only person that mattered in his world was wearing the ring of their promise of forever love.
~I don't ever want to be apart from you again~ Shameless public affection made words impossible. That was fine. With their connected space restored, words were superfluous. It held the hope of the first day of spring, the relief of the first day of autumn, the joy of the first day of summer, and the wonder of the first snowfall of winter. Maybe that's what made their love a forever one. Their connection brought eternity into a moment and drew out a moment into an eternity. ~I don't need space from you. I don't want it! Only you!~
~* ‘I’m so glad to hear you say that. I don’t want you to go, I don’t want distance between us. I love you with everything that I am.’ *~ Jean’s happy tears stopped and the tidal wave of emotions was replaced by something hotter and lust filled. Her kiss matched the change in her desires, a deeper and more fervent expression that requested for them to be as close as possible to one another.
While there had been a few happy claps and cheers of encouragement from the onlookers, like everything in New York, their enthusiasm soon petered out and they returned to their own routine.
“Get a room!” a heckler yelled from the now dissipating crowd. Before he could savor the reaction to his shouting, he was suddenly struck with the sharp jabbing pain of a headache. “Owww…” he exclaimed while touching his temple. “My head!” he murmured before wandering off.
A faint hint of delight passed through Jean and Scott knew exactly what she had done. ~* ‘He deserved it.’ *~
There was a flash of excitement through Scott's abdomen and lower. He was already a hotbed of emotions over finally doing the one thing he'd dreamed of doing for ages. But then Jean let her deviant side show just for him in a naughty act reserved only for him in the privacy of their psychic bond.
~He deserved worse~ Scott let a mischievous chuckle pepper their kissing. Like so many things with Jean, he just couldn't stop. ~We should get out of here. I want to celebrate~
~* ‘Me too’ *~ Jean shared the thought of wearing her ring and nothing else which created another thrill between them. She let go of his waist and dropped down to her standing height before begrudgingly letting go of her hold on him. They took the same shortcut that Scott had used to reach her. Jean reached out for his hand and held it tightly as they began to walk towards the exit of the park.
“You scared me!” she said while playfully swatting him with her free hand. A mixture of tease and genuine upset in her voice. “I thought something was seriously wrong with you.”
“Something seriously was,” Scott said, taking her playful chiding in stride. “Now that I've come to terms with it, I feel ready to be the husband you deserve.”
~I had to forgive myself~ It felt good once again expressing himself so directly in a way that Jean could receive with little to no chance of misunderstanding. ~And then Aurora. I carried her fault along with my own and it was making me doubt myself. No more. She hurt me just as I hurt her. But I've let all of that go. I'm ready to believe in us again without fear or hesitation~
Scott gave Jean's hand an affirming squeeze. “From now on, Jean, it really is just you and me. No more grief, no more distractions, no more third wheels.”
“No more.” Jean agreed before bringing his hand to her lips for a brief kiss. The idea of being free of grief, distractions, and third wheels made her steps a little lighter. They had been recovering and rebuilding since she had returned, but now Jean finally felt free from all of that trauma and hardship. For the first time since everything had occurred, it felt like the distress was behind her rather than around her.
They left the park and returned to the concrete jungle of the city, their steps in time with one another as they continued their walk home. Jean lifted up her free left hand and examined the ring, a motion he would catch her doing at random moments for the next few weeks.
“It’s beautiful,” she remarked while still gazing at the ring. “Is it an emerald?”
“No…” Scott's voice turned uncharacteristically coy. The smirk on his face betrayed his nonchalant demeanor. “It's a diamond. A rare green one cut from the Dresden diamond kept in Germany. It's a Graymalkin family heirloom.”
Closing his eyes for a moment, Scott recalled the conference at the Baxter Building between the allied groups and teams to discuss the new political climate that was forming against atypical humans and mutants alike. Everyone gathered had known it wouldn't stop at the X-Gene.
What Jean hadn't known was at that time, Charles Xavier had stolen a moment away with Scott. The conversation had been brief. His blessing was given. And then Scott freeze-framed on the first time he'd seen the ring himself. It came to Xavier through his maternal Dutch grandmother.
He wanted them to have it, Charles had said. They were the children he had always wanted. It belonged with them now.
Scott couldn't help getting choked up again. “I still can't believe it. After everything the Professor’s already done … he managed to one-up himself again.”
“He gave this to you...” Jean’s smile turned into yet another lip quivering moment of emotion. The engagement ring suddenly became so much more sentimental than it had been a moment before. Xavier had saved them, raised them, and eventually loved them like his own children. His blessing and approval of their marriage struck a different chord inside of Jean, a reminder that they were all family and that she and Scott were his legacy. “As if I didn’t need another reason to cherish this ring. It symbolizes so much more now.”
She let go of his hand and wrapped that arm around his waist, hugging him closer to her as they neared the Baxter Building. “I love you, Scott, and I am so looking forward to becoming your wife… Mrs. Jean Grey-Summers.” She chuckled at the sound of her married name, she would be lying if she said she hadn’t written it inside of hearts in her notebook as a teenager but saying it out loud as an adult felt a little surreal.
“I like the sound of that,” Scott said, returning her embrace. He didn’t remember the last time he'd been so happy. Seeing the full gamut of emotions cross Jean's face had made every dark cloud worth it. There was just one more expression he wanted to see, but it wasn't one that would ever be visible on a public sidewalk. “Come on,” he said, his voice taking on a sultry rasp that always meant just one thing. “Home is waiting.”
Jean girlishly giggled from the rasp in his voice and what it implied. She nuzzled his neck as they walked and placed a few small kisses on the sensitive skin, her own wanton need to celebrate shared through the flirtation.
“Hello, Lovebirds!” The doorman of the Baxter Building opened the door to them. Dressed in his antiquated coat and white gloves, he offered them the hospitable and welcoming smile he was known for. “You two seem awfully happy this afternoon.”
“Hello, Sal.” Jean returned his gracious smile as they entered through the opened door. The doorman made the effort to know everyone who lived and worked in the Baxter Building and he had given the two of them that amorous nickname. “Yes, today is a good day.”
Looking like the cat who ate the canary, Jean wiggled the fingers of her left hand to Sal who in return offered a boisterous fit of laughter.
“You finally took my advice!” Sal looked up at Scott with a grin. Sal’s long term joke had been to greet Scott with a hello and the question of when he was going to marry his beautiful girlfriend. A cute but slightly annoying joke that continued for a touch too long. “Now you gotta' listen to me again, happy wife means a happy life.”
Scott rolled his eyes behind his glasses but didn't say anything. He just smiled.
Sal returned his eyes to Jean. “Congratulations, Darling,” he said with a wink.
“Thank you, Sal,” Jean said with a continued grin. “Any packages or priority mail for us?”
“Yes!” He said with an exclamation of recall. “You must have a sixth sense about mail, Jean, because you always know when you have something.” Sal wandered off to his desk and came back with a small box. Inside were papers, the proposed budget changes for the Department of Mutant Registration.
Jean thanked him for the package and was about to head to the elevator with Scott when Sal stopped them once more.
“You two also have a guest.” Sal seemed a little uncomfortable as he continued. “He, ah… showed up right after you left, Mr. Summers, and ah… he was on the list you gave, so I let him up. He was a little hostile and ah… well… I didn’t want him to scare anyone, so he's up there now rantin' and ravin' instead of down here. You two gonna be okay?”
Jean’s eyes looked upwards as she telepathically probed who was upstairs waiting for them. “It’s Bobby.” Slight relief between them from that realization. “Thank you, Sal. He's an old friend and he’ll most likely be staying here. I’ll send you his paperwork once it’s official. I’m sorry we didn’t prepare you. We were expecting him but also not expecting him.”
Sal nodded his head in agreement and relaxed a little knowing that letting Bobby upstairs wasn’t going to end too messy. “Thank you, Jean, you’re an angel like always.”
Jean swiped her keycard to summon the elevator to take them up to the 29th floor. Once inside the elevator she looked over at Scott, the heat that had been building between them had been dramatically cooled. “He’s pretty upset.”
For most of that interaction, Scott was mourning the loss of the special celebratory time that would be postponed, perhaps indefinitely.
“That's Bobby for you,” Scott said, his disappointment melting away into his stoic game face. There was a Cyclops monotone to his next question. “Any idea what the reason is?”
“What isn’t he upset about?” Jean sighed as the last shred of romance left their shared space. “Bobby has been avoiding every hard question and decision since his father died. It’s all starting to catch up with him and he can’t run away from it anymore. The inability to save Lorna is the latest, but there's a lot for Bobby to unpack.”
As the elevator slowed and opened, Jean looked up at him. He watched as her eyes lingered on his mouth. ~* ‘Later. Okay?’ *~
Scott nodded. There was always later. Now they were on mission.
“Bobby!?” Jean called out for him as she exited the elevator, her telepathy doing the same. ~* ‘Bobby, we’re back’ *~
“Yo, guys!” Bobby greeted them both with his hands hanging from the air over his head. “Wazzup?” He hopped off the sofa in the common area and made a dramatic spin with his hands still outstretched. “I dig the new crib! Little Bohemian, little ritzy, just a step above ghetto. I like!”
When Bobby grinned at them, it was as fake as a $3 bill. “Hope you don't mind me crashing the joint. You said I was welcome anytime but your doorman had other ideas. Said I should wait for you to come back. Might want to have a chat about that.”
Scott couldn't take it anymore. “Cut the shit, Bobby. What's wrong?”
The pointed question caught Bobby off guard. He didn't like it. “Yo, I don't need this. Come all the way out here and this is the treatment I get? I'll just bounce...”
“No.” Scott put his hand on Bobby's chest and set him down on the sofa again. “I've got a bottle of Cognac with your name on it. You're going to tell us what's bothering you if it takes all night and the whole bottle.”
“Scott…” Though Bobby had meant it as a warning, it came out more of a plea. He looked at Jean. “Jean?”
~* ‘Scott.’ *~ Jean chided him mentally for his curt approach ~* ‘Ease up a bit, okay?’ *~
“It’s nice to see you Bobby. Sal the doorman is just doing his job so don’t hold it against him, he’s very nice once you get to know him. I’d offer you a tour, but it seems you’ve explored every space you can get into.” Jean started to walk down the hall towards their condo in the back corner. “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I think there’s a few slices of pizza in the fridge.”
She swiped her keycard again and opened the door to their new place. Large windows framed the walls, already dressed with sheer curtains that softened the sunlight, some of the stock furniture had been replaced and a few boxes were scattered around the condo. All telltale signs of them moving in and making this space their home.
“Have a seat, Bobby, and we can talk, okay?” Jean set down the package in the kitchen as she made her way to the fridge. “Do you want something to drink?”
Bobby meekly shuffled into the condo with Scott on his heels. A few furtive glances set him at ease. This smaller space seemed more like a home. It was certainly far less imposing than the vaulted ceilings and glass offices from the common area.
“Not bad,” Bobby said. He was less ostentatious but more sincere than when putting on the spectacle before. Looking at Jean, he said, “Do you really have Cognac?”
“Way ahead of you.” Scott pressed a chilled bottle against Bobby's chest.
Bobby checked the label and laughed. “Sparkling grape juice. Scott, you idiot, did you really think I wouldn't know the difference?”
Cracking a smile, Scott countered, “Would you have cared?”
“No…” Bobby smiled for real this time. “No, I wouldn't have. Thanks for letting me in.”
Scott clapped Bobby's shoulder. “You really are welcome anytime.”
The gesture turned Bobby rigid. His face jerked down and away. “Anytime? I thought…”
“He means in our home.” Jean attempted to clarify. Scott’s terse words were his attempt to establish boundaries, that this place wasn’t like the mansion. “You’re welcome to come and visit us here, in our condo, but you’ll have your own to live in. A space that belongs to you.”
Jean felt Bobby’s relief in her comments. That there was still an offer for him to stay here. But she understood what Scott was trying to get at and what living here required of Bobby. “This place isn’t like the mansion, communal dinners and group movies, required training sessions and a scheduled routine, none of that exists here. You’ll be responsible for all of that for yourself and if you decide to work for X-Factor you’ll be expected to show up on time and pull your own weight.”
All of that set Bobby's mind to racing. He blinked repeatedly as Jean outlined the terms and conditions. He stopped at the last part.
“Work? Like a job?” Bobby looked back and forth between them both. “You want to hire me?” It was a surprising thought that he hadn't expected. “Doing what?”
“How's executive assistant sound?” Scott posed. “We're missing out on phone calls and mail parcels and all else because we can't be everywhere at once. Think you could manage our appointment book, take and send messages, that kind of thing?”
Bobby wrinkled his brow. “Like your secretary?”
“No.” Scott shook his head. “Like a partner. The more involved you get in the day-to-day operations, the more slack you can pull.” He stuck out his hand. “What do you say?”
“Partner?” Bobby repeated, sampling the word. “Hell yeah!” He slapped Scott's hand and tried to give him a dap.
“Yeah, no, none of that.” Scott grinned but forced a proper handshake. “This is serious work, Bobby. Every bit as serious as our time with the X-Men. We're counting on you.”
“And, of course, if we are called out on a mission that requires all of us to don our suits, you would join us as Iceman.” There was some appeal in that for all of them, the original class of X-Men at least partially reunited. Bobby would be on a team with Scott and Jean again if he stayed here and joined X-Factor.
“I can do it!” A burst of excitement made Bobby sound off. “You guys can definitely count on me!”
“My proposition also still stands.” Jean directed their conversation towards the next glaringly obvious issue that needed to be addressed with Bobby. “I can feel how much you’re struggling, Bobby, and I can tell it’s affecting you mentally and physically. I would like you…” She stopped herself, she was just as much a partner in all of this and her expertise mattered. “I need you to make the effort to work on all that. I want to help you but if not me, we’ll find you someone else. But you can’t keep avoiding all of that pain Bobby, it’s making you a hazard to yourself and to others.”
Bobby froze up a little at being called out. “I don't know how,” he admitted at length. “Every time I… I…” Lowering his head, he said, “I'm stuck. I keep chasing people away. I can't stop.”
“You came here,” Scott pointed out. “That's a start. Keep following that instinct.”
“How long have we known each other? How many terrible things have we faced together?” Jean countered his fear of rejection and abandonment with the history they had together. “I’m not asking you to face this all at once, recovery time and it happens in metered steps. This conversation on its own is a step in the right direction.”
Bobby nodded. “I'll try, Jean. I don't know what to do, but I'll try. I'm tired of…of being everybody's fuckup!”
“Wanting that change for yourself is the first step and honestly the most important one. It doesn’t matter what I say or what other people think. You wanting that change is more than enough to ensure your success.” Jean shrugged as she considered everything that was being offered to Bobby and what a good opportunity it was. “Working on yourself, taking on more responsibilities, being more accountable, those are all very good steps towards no longer being a fuckup.”
“Okay.” Bobby shrugged. Not much he could do but keep doing what he was doing. “When do I start?”
Scott couldn't help feeling excited himself. “You can start by picking a condo,” Scott said. “Welcome home.”
“Yeah?” Bobby had lived at the mansion for so long that having his own living space felt surreal and a little intimidating. “Sure… I'll get right on that…”
Jean felt Bobby’s trepidation, how coming here had been such a big step for him and the idea of being alone was the exact opposite of what he needed. She sighed heavily while looking down at the ring on her finger. Scott was going to privately roil over this.
“You can stay here, with us.” Jean proposed to Bobby. “The spare bedroom is empty because we’re converting it into a nursery, but you can sleep on the couch until you’re ready for your own place.”
“Yeah?” Bobby perked up at that. “Okay. Maybe just to start out. You can show me how things run around here and then I'll be out.” Then he looked at Scott. “Is that alright with you?”
~No. No, no, no, no!~ Scott's mind screamed.
“Absolutely, Bobby,” said Scott, forcing out each syllable. “Stay as long as you want.”
“Really? That's awesome!” Bobby beamed from ear to ear. “I'll go get my duffel!” He ran back out to the common area.
“Wow.” Scott crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “That happened fast.”
“Thank you.” Jean said while moving over to Scott and placing a hand on his chest. “I know this isn’t how either one of us had planned on spending this afternoon, but he needs us. Plus, he won’t be here forever, hopefully just a day or two until he gets settled.” The compassion Jean showed was one of her more admirable traits. She would never turn someone away who was hurting and asking for help. “Besides, he’ll go to sleep at some point. How bad could it be?”
Bobby ran back inside and flipped into the couch. “Hey, does this place have cable?”
Scott looked at Jean. “You were saying?”
Jean pursed her lips and patted Scott’s chest as a mantra of sympathy and tolerance ran through her head. While she might be a saint, she was still human.
“Yeah, Bobby, there’s a TV Guide on Channel 3,” Jean sweetly replied, the moment of regret undetectable to the currently content Bobby. “Dinner is at six.”
She realized that she hadn’t stopped patting Scott’s chest, maybe with a little more force than was necessary. Jean stopped and looked up at him, a touch of remorse in her voice. “Back to work?”
The smoldering look on Scott's face was decidedly unromantic. “Yeah.”
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