Two's Company

Posted on Sun Jan 26th, 2025 @ 11:30pm by Scott Summers & Jean Grey

10,600 words; about a 53 minute read

Mission: Episode 6: X-Fernus Agenda
Location: Mutant Research Center - Muir Island
Timeline: December 3, 1990

After saying good night to everyone, the door to Moira's cottage clicked shut behind Scott and Jean. The sound muffled by the cool, misty air of Muir Island. Scott adjusted his grip on the lantern Moira had offered him. Its soft glow flickered against the stone pathway that connected the various buildings of the Mutant Research Center. Beside him, Jean walked in quiet reflection, her face softened by the warm lantern light. The night was ominous and charged as the distant crash of an angry sea and looming storm made everyone hold their breath in anticipation.

Dinner had been… interesting. Moira, as always, had been a gracious host, her laughter and quips filling the gaps in conversation. Sean had gotten a bit too far into his cups, his Irish charm giving way to slurred jokes and a clumsy roast that Scott was certain neither of them would ever let him live down. And Aurora... Scott frowned slightly. She had been off even more than usual, distant without so much as an effort to be part of the group.

Then there was the troubled young woman upstairs, who had lingered in the back of his mind throughout the evening. The mention of taking her back to New York had been a casual agreement, but Scott knew what it meant. She needed guidance, a place to belong, and he and Jean had both silently taken on the responsibility to offer her that in their own way even though they no longer lived at the X-Mansion. The thought of it weighed on him, as most things did. But right now, he had another weight that seemed to sit between his ribs—a personal one.

He glanced over at Jean, the woman he loved, who had been through so much and somehow still stood strong. Her recovery from Krakoa was nothing short of a miracle. And now, here they were, walking together under the vast, dark sky, the path ahead of them illuminated only by these small lanterns and a glimmer of hope for the future.
"Are you cold?" Scott asked, his voice low as he shifted the lantern to his other hand. He could see Jean’s breath fogging in the air as she turned her head to meet his gaze.

“A little.” They rounded a corner and were no longer sheltered by the large buildings, so the winter wind and sideways rain hit them with a biting cold, the start of a storm that would only get worse. Jean lifted her hand and a telekinetic shield surrounded them, rain and wind bounced off of it but their frozen breath remained. “Thankfully it’s not too far of a walk.”
As they walked, Jean passively listened to the myriad of thoughts that passed through Scott’s mind. Ideas and feelings that would loom over him and consume him if left undisclosed. It was in his broody nature to mull things over until they became dark thoughts and worries. Admittedly, some of his concerns were shared by Jean so she reassured him with a brush of her hand against his own, they would face all these nagging feelings together.

Using the small silver key Moira had provided, Jean unlocked the door to the bungalow they had stayed in during her recovery. Its shutters were closed and its lights off, it was cold and dark inside.

“Ugh, it’s freezing in here,” Jean grumbled as a chill overcame her and caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. The closed drapes prevented the limited island sun from ever warming the interior, making it even colder inside than it was outside. Combined with the wind chill from the storm, it was a miserable setting. “We’ll enjoy the heater while we have it.” She flicked on the lights and turned on the electric radiator under the window as Scott closed and locked the door behind them. Jean examined the tight living quarters for a moment, they looked exactly the same as they had left them. The familiar space created a small sensation of dread inside of her, Jean’s time here had been hard and painful. She glanced back at Scott and corrected herself—not everything about this place had been bad; he had come back to her here.

Jean made her way over to the area of the bungalow that had been designated as a living room, its sad plaid loveseat and coffee table the only indicators of its predetermined purpose. She sat down on the small couch and gestured for Scott to join her before she made her familiar request of him. “Talk to me.”

Scott had just crisscrossed two small logs in the fireplace and ignited the kindling beneath them with a pinhole optic blast
whose friction nearly disintegrated the smaller brambles. But the whiff of smoke that came up was the promise of a small but warm fire to come.

“Okay.” Scott trudged his way over to the couch and flopped himself down next to Jean. “What are we really doing here?” The question was more to himself than to Jean. “I’m pretending to be a family man when I’m waltzing my… my… my ‘babymama’ out in front of people with my fiancée right next to me. Maybe she feels awkward too because she’s sure as hell acting awkward. And then everyone just sits there pretending like it’s not weird at all. We’re making small talk, having drinks, laughing it up.” He finally turned to look Jean in the face. “How are you supposed to feel okay in all this? I can’t even bring myself to!”

“Come here.” Jean opened up her arms and invited him to rest his head against her breast. It had admittedly been a long, hard day for both of them and that fatigue turned into charged emotions. She wrapped her arms around him as she shifted into a more comfortable position and ran her fingers through his hair. And just like that, despite the great distance they had traveled, Scott was home again.

“I don’t know if ‘okay’ is the best choice in words, I think it’s more along the lines of tolerance. I can’t change the past, I try to live in the present while I hope for a better future. I want you, Scott, I want my forever with you. If I am to have the things I want for myself, I need to come to terms with the good and the bad that are outside of my control.” Jean hugged him briefly and she let her words linger between them so Scott could process and accept what she was telling him. She loved him.

“As for our friends… they have known you for a long time, Scott. They have seen you do amazing things and they know your character. I think they were also capable of seeing how far you had fallen. But because they are true friends, they accept and forgive you too.” Jean tilted her head down and kissed his forehead as he finally relaxed and rested against her.

“As for Aurora… I think she always knew it wouldn’t work out between the two of you. She’s accepted her reality as much as anyone else has, my hope was that she would at least be civil with us and try to get along but all she does is smile and agree. She was incredibly distant tonight - like she couldn't wait to get away from us.” Jean paused before she continued she wasn’t sure if she should keep talking about the subject that was Aurora, her own opinions were dramatically skewed. “Was she… was she always so quiet and simple?”

“I honestly can’t say because we barely knew each other at all,” Scott admitted. The story was familiar to Jean by now. Scott had allowed himself to be abducted along with Myfanwy in hopes of finding the rest of the First Class among the mutant traffickers. They had found Bobby and Aurora. After recovering at the X-Mansion, Aurora had a clear attachment to him as her rescuer. From there it had only been a matter of days until she somehow channeled Jean’s outcries and fell unconscious. The rest of the story turned to infamy from there. “But she was always chatty, at least. She’s been keeping her thoughts to herself this whole time. I don’t know who this person is, and I admit I never did.”

That confession didn’t make him feel any better though. He felt like an even bigger fool. “You’re right about one thing, though,” he said, grasping at the lifeline of comfort and understanding she had thrown him. “Love and forgiveness isn’t worth much if I don’t accept them. I’m sorry for making this about me.” Scott looked through the locked door and back at the main lodge where the administrative center and residential suites for the Mutant Research Center were located. Aurora was there, doing who knew what by herself, while he was here in Jean’s arms. The shadow she had cast over their relationship was vexing him. “I’m just going to be glad when the baby is finally here,” he said. “I want this part to be over with. I want to move on. I want us to move on. We can’t survive in this limbo state forever. Nobody can.”

“You think it’s going to get easier?” Jean couldn’t help but chuckle. “Once Christopher is born he will be much more of a person. Someone for you to hold and to love. You’ll never want to put him down or let him go but you’ll always have to. He will leave and go back to Aurora and all your time will be spent missing him, wanting him near. It will hurt every single time you have to say goodbye. And the same thing will happen to Aurora each time she says goodbye. His time and your heart will be divided.”

There was pain in Jean’s voice because she understood what their future would be like, what it would feel like. A cycle of have and have not. She wasn’t sad about it not for herself but because Scott seemed so unprepared for it. Then again, no one was ever really ready to be a parent, it was usually thrust upon a person.

“But you will always have me.” She tried to find the positive in all of this. The good parts that made life worth living. “We’ll love each other and we’ll love him and that joy will have to sustain us through the dark moments. I suppose we are trapped in a state of limbo while we wait for Christopher to arrive... but not forever.”

Those painstaking words pierced the gloom that had been congealing around Scott’s heart. The sunshine of Jean’s mind warmed him enough to bring a wan smile to his face. “If I was going to be trapped, I’m glad it’s with you.” He set two fingers below her chin and drew her in for a soft kiss. “Forever isn’t long enough for that.”

Speaking as he did, Scott found himself cheered by his own optimism. Life was hard and became even harder because of present circumstances, but he could change those by making positive choices to better them all. He kissed Jean again, and as he did so, even more of his depression melted away, making it far more warm and free than before. “Because I’m a mess without you,” he said, adding to his sweet sentiment about forever.

Jean leaned forward and returned each of his kisses as they exchanged an avowal of love. “You’re a good man, Scott, and you’re trying to do your best for everyone involved in this messy situation. People can see that you aren’t running away or hiding from your mistakes, but you’re facing them and taking responsibility for them.”

She ran her hands down the length of his back, her touch finding the tension and knots from a stressful day. “Would it be better if you ignored Aurora or forgot about her? Pretended like none of this happened and left her at the school with Charles? No, you fly her out here for specialty medical care. You invite her to the table and include her in our normal conversations. As weird as it is, it’s an attempt to be civil and kind, to try and find a new normal with someone who will be part of our lives for a long time. We're excited to meet Christopher and to help raise him, all things considered it's one of the better outcomes.”

Jean’s hands lingered on his lower back as she continued. “As for our wedding… I refuse to stop or slow my life anymore than I have to. We promised ourselves to one another a long time ago and that dream was almost lost. Optics be damned, I want to take this next step with you — right now — because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.”

“You’re right,” Scott agreed. “About all of it.” Then why couldn’t he bring himself to hold onto the assurance she always brought him? At least the wedding was soon. It was something he regretted not doing already. “Today is almost over and I’m glad I spent it with you.”

Leaning in for another kiss, Scott said, “You give me hope for tomorrow…” Their lips came together and then separated. “Now I can’t wait to see what it brings.”

The windows rattled with the incoming gale winds. Almost in response, a loud crackle popped from the fireplace. Flickering lights overhead warned them that electricity might be short-lived. “Do you need anything?” Scott asked. “I’ll grab it now before the lights go out.”

“No, I guess we should get ready for bed before we lose power.” Jean sat up a bit and examined the bed and Scott felt a moment of hesitation and fear inside of her. His body tensed against her as Scott felt her less than desirable emotions.

Jean’s gaze returned to him and she let out a small sigh in defeat before admitting to what was bothering her. “I’m afraid I’ll have bad dreams again…” It felt like an incredibly childish thing to fret over which was probably why she hadn’t mentioned it sooner. “I’m worried that being back here will make my memories worse or that I’ll see something new.”

“I can see why you’d be worried about that,” Scott said. He hesitated before getting up to shutter the windows so he could comfort Jean in a firm embrace. “But I’ll be here with you just like before. We can dream together just like we did then. Whatever tonight brings, I’ll be right here. You won’t have to face anything alone.”

The reassuring kiss he gave her stretched out into a warm and prolonged creature comfort. Scott knew he needed to batten down the hatches before the power went out, but the way his lips rolled against Jean’s, opening and closing in alternating rhythm with her own, made that very hard to do.

~I should… do the thing~ Scott let his reluctance flow between them. Giving her comfort was what he felt made to do. It gave him such satisfaction that he didn’t want to stop, not even for a moment. ~But I don’t want to let you go~

Jean was about to reply when the lights dramatically flickered overhead and the wind began to howl outside. “We both should.”

There was the same reluctance inside of her as she let go of Scott and got to her feet. They were each other’s comfort and safety and Scott’s desire to be that for her in a moment of discomfort easily reminded her of how much he meant to her, how important they were to one another. That self-sustained circuit of love and affirmation hummed between them, making it so easy for them to forget about everything else.

“Besides…” Jean continued as she started to unpack their things for bed, “The faster we do it, the sooner it’s over.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Scott said. He pulled his jacket back on and stepped outside to close the storm shutters. Being awakened by shattered glass in the middle of the night was something he’d rather avoid.

By the time he had circled the bungalow and fastened the window shutters in place, the lights were already flickering again. Scott pushed the door shut against the howling wind with a grunt. “It’s already getting nasty out there,” he said as he slid his coat off.

Turning around, he paused in mid-step. Eyes fixed on Jean who had already made herself cozy on the bed. Her scarlet curls had been brushed into soft, smooth waves that flowed down over her bare shoulders and breasts. Jean was always a vision, his angel on earth. Scott was lost for all else in the world. His coat missed the hook on the wall by a foot or more. It fell to the floor and was met by the boots he kicked off. “Much better in here,” he said, his mouth curving into a smile.

Jean couldn’t help but giggle at his love-stuck carelessness. The way he looked at her made her heart flutter and she forgot about any fears or interpretations she had once had. She bit her lower lip as Jean’s giggle turned into a flirtatious lilt.

“You must be so cold.” She sat up straight and twirled one of her red curls around her finger with a playful smirk on her lips. “Let me warm you up!” Jean outstretched her arms and beckoned him to come to her. As she moved, the bedsheets fell and exposed more of her naked skin.

The following section contains mild adult content. Reader discretion is advised.

“Now that you mention it…” Scott had already lost his shirt and flung it behind his back. He was already moving for his belt buckle. “I am feeling a little nippy.”

He let his pants drop and paused long enough just to step out of them. Free from pesky, obstructive clothing, Scott crawled onto the bed and stopped just short of Jean’s reach. “I’m sure we could turn up the heat though,” he said in the vocal fry that he knew always stoked Jean’s fire. The smirk on his face was equal parts salacious and playful.

“Then come here!” Jean squealed as Scott felt a gentle telekinetic push against his back while she reached out and pulled him into bed with her. Warm sheets and soft skin greeted Scott as he tumbled into Jean. The lights flickered and finally stayed out for good as the bungalow filled with laughter.

Jean wrapped her arms around him as the dim glow from the fireplace became the only source of light and heat in the tight quarters. “Now you’ll really have to hold onto me.”

“Damn it all.” Scott chuckled while his arms enveloped Jean in return and held her close. Being so close filled his nose with the scent of her hair. The moisture from her hot breath rolled across his skin and gave him gooseflesh of an entirely different nature. With two fingers, he lifted her chin up so he could look her in the face.

“This was what I wanted all day,” he confessed. All the rigors of travel and social requirements of being a guest were laid aside along with their day clothes. Finally able to be unburdened, Scott let down his sardonic stoicism and gave Jean the one gift he had always ever reserved for her. His unmasked heart.

“During the long flight…” He kissed her forehead. “... the arrival…” And her cheek. “... dinner…” And then the other. “All I wanted was this.” Saving her lips for last, Scott savored that kiss like the pillow mint it was.

Jean’s body rose and pressed against him as their lips met and the kiss deepened. The last time they had been here they had denied themselves this part of their relationship. Things had been too raw and fragile and the idea of succumbing to those urges had felt like the wrong choice to make.

But so much had changed in the months that followed. Bodies, minds, hearts, and souls had healed; making Scott and Jean so much stronger and better than they had ever been. So now, when their bodies began to ache and their thoughts became fixated on the other they were allowed to answer that wanting call.

“I love you, Scott Summers.” Jean whispered the words against his lips as her hands began to roam every inch of him that she could reach. “And all I want is this.”

“You’ve got me,” Scott said. The words weren’t just a pledge of love but also a response to the complex feelings and painful recollections of this place. So much had transpired in the seven weeks since their stay that it felt like ages. They had truly been reborn as individuals and as a couple. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Jean’s roaming hands were as exhilarating as they were comforting. Scott rubbed his hands against her back, all the better to brace her while his kisses trailed down from her chin to her throat until she swallowed against them. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the reflex. Such delight was like music to Scott’s ears, and her dual enjoyment pushed Scott to continue. His lips move along her neckline, chasing the ring of pleasure that was long familiar to him but made new every time he traveled it. The faint mewling she made every time he reached her carotid artery lit him up inside and compelled him to linger his kisses there.

One of Jean’s hands traveled to the base of his head while the other clutched his backside in a possessive manner as both hands held him to her in a silent, hungry request for more of him. She gasped and moaned again and the rumbling sensation of his laughter moved through her.

The sound and his delight made her smile despite the tension building inside of her. “I remember the first time you kissed me like this…” Jean’s voice was nostalgic but heady in its tone as she combined past and current pleasure. “It was under the willow tree on a hot summer night. I was wearing a tank top and my skin was exposed. You kissed me like that and it made my whole body ignite.”

Jean gasped and writhed against him as Scott’s tongue traveled the length of her neck which made her shiver in delight. Her fingertips dug into his skin and she pressed her hips into his as Scott brought her whole body to attention. “I took my top off because of it, you and that mouth of yours.”

“I remember…” Scott had to pause for a moment for the grin that split across his face. “Your telepathy made me dizzy. We had to lay down and…”

It was a good memory and it gave Scott ideas. His mouth traveled down Jean’s collar bone to the top of her breasts. The breath of his mouth sent sensual gusts between them while his lips teased her skin. “... well, this feels familiar.”

Scott chuckled again as he brought his hands around from Jean’s back and held her at the ribs, just below her breasts. “Yeah, it’s all coming back to me now.” His mouth hovered over Jean’s breasts as he slowly and gingerly gathered them together. “I think that was also the first time I did this.”

At first it was just the tip of his tongue against her nipple, pressing as if to sample the taste of her pink skin. It rose up in response and met his open mouth, eager to be caressed by his kisses. Scott whorled his tongue about before taking the full nipple into her mouth. Closing his lips around her soft skin forced the pebbled texture of her nipple to slide across the full length of his tongue.

Jean moaned and arched as Scott’s attention shifted from her neck to her breasts. The moment had already been heated and exciting for her, after a long day of tension and charged emotions she welcomed this familiar release, so when his mouth traveled across her body Jean felt electrified by his touch.

She gasped and moaned once more as he continued to lavish attention on her soft, supple skin and Scott felt her undoing. Like the pop of a row of buttons, a rush of wanton desire spilled out from Jean.

“Scott!” His name was delivered with a sharp inhale of air as Jean’s breathing was already labored and quick from the arousal that flushed her skin and heated her core. She shifted and spread her thighs beneath him as the needs of her body took over and filled her thoughts with a singular urgent request.

The sound of his name on her lips was the cherry on top. Nothing aroused Scott more than the keening cry of her voice. Her desire for him passed through even her skin. Their touch called for a deepening need that could only be filled by one thing.

“Jean…” Scott whispered with bated breath, preparing for the piercing pleasure that always came with entering her. This time was no different, as the penetration sucked the breath right out of his lungs. When he breathed again, it was at a heightened rate with his body demanding follow through action. “Oh Jean… I love you…”

She rose up to meet him as Scott advanced on her and he felt Jean’s whole body begging to be closed to him. She lifted her head from the pillow as her mouth sought his and soft lips pressed against his own while the stain smooth skin of her naked body licked and crushed against Scott’s form. Jean warmed and wetted and parted for him, opening like a flower and inviting him to indulge in everything she had to offer. These moments were perfect and sacred between them as every part of them found its missing piece.

He began to roll his hips, slow and sensuous. His voice was troubled and his timbre low and tense as he breathed her name. Earlier events of the day peeled away like a rotten rind, easily discarded for the sweet nectar of their shared love revealed in the passion they evoked together. Scott’s hands slowly snaked up behind her back to cradle her head and shoulders while his smooth rolling hips added a thrust to the otherwise gentle rhythm.

She moaned and mewled in an almost ecstatic way as he filled her and satiated her. Their kisses turned deep and heated as Jean wrapped her arms around him tightly and her thighs clamped down on Scott all while her mind sang and called to him for more. Jean’s hips matched the slow roll of his own and she moved with him in silken smooth waves of pleasure that stroked and crashed upon him like gentle waves on a lake.

Her breathing grew heavy and ragged between long kisses as the overwhelming sensation of her desire for him consumed them. Words and thoughts left her as the euphoric highs of their coupling made her dizzy and Scott felt that psychic pull she had on him.

Their psychic rapport gripped him even tighter than her body did. Scott grimaced in a beautiful agony where the intense pangs of desire were soothed by the delight and fulfillment that were only found in moments like these. As was so often the case, there was a detachment from Scott’s sense of self, but rather than feel lost, Scott felt himself awakening to a higher state with every thrust.

~Nowhere else~ Even thoughts became scattered in the rushing avalanche of passion and joy brought on by their coupling. ~Nobody else~

Ragged gasps soon turned to drawn out moaning which lingered from one breath to the next. Scott shifted his body up and forward, propped on his elbows to put more pressure on his sprawled hips. Behind his glasses, his eyes widened and launched his brow into his forehead. Rows of worry lines flexed along with every muscle in his body.

Jean buried her face in his neck as tensions reached their apex and she tumbled into a little death. She moaned and gasped his name as the rush of pleasure and lust flooded her senses. Nails dug into his skin as Jean gripped and held onto Scott with such a dire need that it felt like she might drown without him.

The world stopped turning as euphoria and lust filled every inch of their bodies and Scott heard that beautiful psychic swan song that was Jean’s climax. Her soul called out for him and in those moments he relieved the miracle that had occurred when she reached out to him during her captivity. Jean clung to his thoughts as her body clenched and held onto him and Scott felt that perfect beautiful feeling of her unconditional love.

Hearing Jean’s climax from inside his own skull made Scott see stars. The way her voice screamed his name with and without the use of his hearing was a stunning harmony that captured his body and soul. His own finish sent him tumbling atop of her in a breathless heap. A small tear formed at the edge of each eye.

“Jean…” He wanted to thank her for loving him, but the feeling was so holistic and sublime that words failed to express it. Even attempting to try felt profane and cheap. All he could do was press his lips against hers and hope his heartfelt kiss could convey what his words could not.

Jean’s body softened beneath him as that hot and flustered tizzy of lust and passion cooled but that urgent need for him remained. As their lips met she felt his gratitude for her. Jean had been the person who provided him with hope and love, support and strength. In that moment she felt that scared, lonely boy inside of him with legs too long for his body and glasses too big for his face. There was the Scott that the world saw and then there was the Scott that Jean saw. She loved both sides of him but in these moments when he was free to expose himself and all his fragile pieces, that was what she loved the most.

“Scott, my love…” Jean reached out and held his head in her hands. The firelight was too dim for her to see through his ruby lenses but she found his gaze nonetheless. She looked up at him as her own feelings of appreciation and thanks mixed with his. Like paint on a palette, their emotions swirled and blended into a single vibrant color that brightened their souls. She felt her own happy tears begin to well and dampen her eyes.

She used her thumbs to wipe away the stray tears hidden under his glasses, an act that on its own spoke volumes. “We’ll do all of this together.”

“I know,” Scott whispered with a happy croak in his throat. “That’s what makes me so happy.” He rolled to one side so that he could look at Jean in the dim flickering from the fireplace. Even in the low illumination, the light from the flames danced in her eyes and caught fire inside him, the warmth driving out the frigid cold of the void he carried whenever she wasn’t around.

The assurance he saw in those beautiful eyes was not just about himself. Scott saw the trust which had been restored. As unbelievable as it sounded, he knew that he was an essential part of Jean’s personal strength and resilience. She could not access and become her true self apart from him any more than he could without her. He closed her eyes with a sweep of his thumbs and drew their moisture away. Being her rock was enough for him. Even if the world ended and there was nothing anybody else could do, Scott would die happy in Jean’s arms knowing that they were each other’s world.

“If there was something stronger than marrying you, I would jump on it.” He gave a wan smile that strained the humor out of his big feelings of adoration and intimate connection. “Guess we’ll just have to settle for marriage.”

Another howl of wind beat against the wall, strong enough to force narrow gusts between the gaps in the weatherstripping. Scott felt a brief chill from it and knew Jean would as well. He snuggled against her tighter to keep her warm. “Think the fire needs another log?”

“I’m on it,” Jean said as she sat up in bed and telekinetically moved two large logs into the fireplace. The fresh fuel ignited and the blaze renewed, filling the bungalow with more light and a touch of warmth.

“I know I said someplace warm for our honeymoon but someplace cold has its benefits.” She returned to their close cuddling underneath the down comforter, the tip of her nose was cold against his skin as she kissed across the length of his chest.

Sap on the new logs in the fire snapped and popped as it heated and the sound caused Jean to flinch. It reminded her of breaking bones and snapped necks, sounds and feelings that were a regular occurrence during her torture. She closed her eyes and repeated the mantra that Xavier had helped her devise.

She was safe, she was home, she was in control and most importantly she was alive.

At first Scott felt Jean’s heart race as a surge of fear and dread interrupted their content and happy moment. But those intrusive thoughts disappeared as she collected herself in a moment of meditation that Scott had seen Jean perform countless times before.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice as she hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. “I try not to let those feelings take over, I guess I’m still on edge.”

“Nothing to be sorry about…” Scott ran his hand over her head and down her hair in reassurance. She had every reason to be jumpy. What he was doing while that torture was happening, though, was another story. Guilt over that would consume him if he let it. Being away from Jean had nearly destroyed him. He wouldn’t let guilt create distance between them and finish the job. “Maybe it’s good we’re here together now. We’re on the far side of a lot of things. I think we’re both ready to heal.”

His hand rubbed her back as she clung to him even tighter. Scott kissed the top of her hair and let himself soak in the smell of her shampoo. She was more than beautiful. Everything about her was perfect, even the things that she would change. Where she saw personal flaws and difficulties, Scott saw handholds by which he would cling to her as surely as she clung to him now.

“You know, what feels insurmountable for one of us doesn’t really slow the other down…” Scott wasn’t really thinking about what he was saying. Now was one of the times he led with his heart. He wouldn’t know where he was going until he wound up there. “I’m a trainwreck without you. Somehow you switch my track away from the cliff and bring me home. I can’t undo anything from the past, but I’ll always be your detour around all these pitfalls and flashbacks, Jean.” Pausing to swallow the lump in his throat, Scott said, “I’ll always be your detour and I’ll always get you back home.”

“You are my home.” Jean professed as she squeezed him so tightly that it hurt her arms. “You aren’t a detour, you're my homestead. Sometimes the world feels so vast and endless. People and feelings become too big and too much for me and I drown in them. You make those infinite and ugly things go away, you remind me of who I really am. I am my best self when I’m with you, because of you.”

Jean lifted her head and kissed Scott with such confidence and assertion it was impossible to deny or question her. He meant everything to her, Scott was the beginning and the end of her happiness and all it took for him to please her was to remain by her side.

It was surreal how confident she made him feel. While her telepathy could certainly influence him on many levels from the subliminal to the coercive, Jean did not put things into his mind so much as draw out what was already there. Scott found himself revealed in the truth she said. The light she shined into the world removed the shadows of doubt and despair from his soul, and without her shining brightness he would succumb to them.

And so when he kissed her in return, it was with the full force of his love for her—his drive, his commitment, his deep longing to hold her and never let go. His mouth opened in his labored breathing like he had been running. In some ways he had. Day by day, though, he had been returning to himself as Jean reeled him back from his endless night to the light of day. Passion soared as their lips would roll and cling from one kiss to the next.

“I’ll never let you go,” he managed to whisper in the gaps when their lips weren’t meshed together.

Passion returned as they promised themselves to one another once more. That same vow to cherish and love the other that they renewed and affirmed every day. It was the beautiful thing about their love, how it managed to rise from the ashes again and again until it burned and blazed inside of them.

“You have me.” Jean’s voice became strained from the urges that began to take hold of her. “Forever.”

She pushed Scott onto his back and in the same fluid movement climbed on top of him. The insulated sheets dropped to their waists and the cold of the room nipped at the naked bodies but the chill was inconsequential compared to the heated desire that was returning to their loins.

Jean bent down and kissed him much harder than before as her demands for more of him became apparent. Devotion and want, worship and need, deep primal feelings of possession and desire that made their love dangerous yet beautiful. She pressed her hips and her aching thoughts against him as her body’s needs took hold.

Every feeling and desire which Jean evoked within Scott took form in the sultry writhing and grinding motion with her hips atop of his own. She was passion itself made flesh, love and life in a nubile form, and what's more—she was his.

Scott braced his hands along the curves of Jean's undulating body, providing support and balance as well simply enjoying the feel of her from every angle. Nothing was mundane. Every feature, inside and out, was beautiful and bright. And with every brush of her slick body against his, Jean drew out more of the deep inner thoughts that he kept withdrawn from the world. Scott didn't just express the pleasure Jean gave him; he offered all of himself through the fountain of their shared love, holding back nothing in exchange for what Jean gave him of herself. Every kiss, touch, and caress connected the circuit that flowed between their bodies and minds.

“I'm yours,” Scott pledged, feeling the end of himself as they became one in body and soul. His neck drew taught and snapped his head back in a sudden surge from a new height unlocked by his confession. “Ugh! Jean!”

They repeated those words to one another again and again as they performed the act they made them singular and unified. It was in this space and with these promises that they found themselves while also losing themselves in one another. The flood of need filled them both and they submitted to the heated passion and its apex.

Jean’s hips quickened until she found the rapid pace that made her heart race and made her thoughts cease. With each crash of her body against his, Scott filled her and stroked her until all she could do was moan and writhe in delight.

Pleasure found her in those moments and she felt Scott thicken and meld with her until their oneness was undeniable. Life and its burdens ceased as they found their next climax together.

Their joy could only be made complete with each other. As they collapsed together onto the bed, Scott tucked a lock of Jean's hair behind her ear, all the better to look into her eyes.

“I can't believe we get to spend our entire lives like this…” Scott trailed off while his finger dragged down from Jean's ear along her jawline to her chin. Propping it up, he kissed her. “What comes next? After the wedding, I mean? We have a beautiful home. The baby is coming and as important as he is…”

Scott hesitated, wondering to himself just what he was trying to say. If he were honest, he had more faith in Jean’s maternal instincts than Aurora's, but he didn't want her to feel trapped by a baby that wasn't really hers. There must be something he could give her, some gesture or action he could take that would compensate for her sacrifice.

“I want you to have everything,” Scott said at length. “I'd give you the world if I could.”

“You already have.” Jean rested her head under his chin, filling in the negative spaces and natural contours of his body in that perfect way. “I’m not asking for atonement or anything more than a life together. I almost lost you and this…” she squeezed him tightly “I’m not seeking more than simple happiness.”

Now it was Jean’s turn to hesitate, she followed Scott’s thoughts and the topics he dared to think but never to speak. She had come to terms with the path laid out before her and she had made her choices with all the love she could offer. But there was this lingering guilt in Scott. The idea that he had robbed her of something, that he now denied her of something that she had always wanted.

“You need to let go of that.” Jean finally answered his musings. “We both need to find peace with our situation. Those feelings of regret and wrongdoing, I don’t want them to sour our lives. I fight for our happiness because it represents so much more than personal gains, our story is proof that mutants can face adversity and still have a life worth living.”

“I'm trying,” Scott said. “You know I am. I just wish I could go back…” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No regrets. We have to look forward. And when I look there, all I see is you.”

After giving her a kiss to confirm his sentiments, he paused again. “Does…does it mean anything when I don't see…her there?” Aurora. There was no need to say her name. “I know she will be just because of the baby, but am I a bad person for not seeing her as part of our lives?”

“I wouldn’t consider you a bad person for that,” Jean shook her head in disagreement with the idea. “Especially when you better define what part of our lives means. I don’t see her at our dinner table or celebrating a holiday with us. I see things as being civil and cooperative for Christopher’s sake. So no, I don’t think you’re a bad person for not seeing her in the picture of our lives. I think…” Jean paused before she continued, her opinion was biased and the subject was sensitive. “If she had ever held herself accountable for any type of wrongdoing, if she had even considered and tried to learn or grow from the mistakes and choices she made, my own heart may have softened to her.”

It was hard to talk about those moments because they were tied to such painful emotions. Jean felt her chest tighten from the distress they created inside of her.

“She hasn’t even discussed the matter with Xavier, there has been no talk of ethics or abuse. Even if she disagreed with me, the accusations alone should have sparked some sort of introspection or consideration. I don’t believe she was just some dumb girl who made a mistake. Even now, when she’s barely participating in her own life… When given the opportunity to ask questions, all she asks about are the baby’s powers. What abilities he will have and how powerful he will be. That’s sick.”

Scott felt the tension that this conversation created inside of Jean. She was kind and hospitable enough for day’s events to not be a total nightmare but she obviously still held her own opinions on the matters. “I don’t think you’re a bad person at all for not seeing her as part of our lives. Whoever that person is, she has yet to show either one of us any redeeming qualities. The innocent life inside of her is her only saving grace.”

As hard as that was to hear, that Scott had consorted with a shallow individual whose maternal qualities were dubious at best, he had to admit the truth. “You’re right. From day one, all she’s ever talked about is the baby’s powers. What if he doesn’t have any? What if he’s just different? Or what if the X-Gene had skipped a generation and he wasn’t even a mutant at all? It hasn’t sat right with me either, but I guess it took saying it out loud for me to really look at it… and her… for the ugly truth that it is.”

And that really was the core of his underlying concern, the nagging itch that couldn’t be scratched no matter how much reassurance Jean gave. They had finally arrived at it. “She’s going to be a bad mother.” Saying it plainly relieved old stresses while generating all new ones. “What are we going to do?”

“Scott.” Jean said his name in the tone that told him he had gone too far. “Becoming a mother is the only positive Aurora is clinging to right now. If she cares enough to worry and fret over the baby now we have to have faith she’ll do the same once he’s born.”

Despite the chastisement, Scott chewed his lip in uncertainty. Jean saw the worst in people and still chose to focus on the best. And he couldn’t unhear the point she had made which prompted his conclusion.

“As to what we will do…” Jean paused for a moment, she had her own concerns about Aurora. Even on its own, being an X-Man stacked the deck against her. Jean was skeptical of how much time Aurora would be able to give a baby while still hoping on the Blackbird at the drop of the hat. “…We’ll just have to pick up any slack that might occur.”

“Yeah,” Scott nodded his head in agreement. The pragmatism appealed to him. “All anybody can do is their best, us included. We’ll just have to hope that will be enough.” Somehow Xavier’s optimism had not rubbed off on Scott like it had with Jean, and so the words fell flat straight from his mouth before they were fully spoken. “Yep,” he said, hoping to add positive emphasis, though the unconvincing tone projected the opposite effect. “Just in case, we could hire a nanny to follow them around at the mansion and pretend to be a housekeeper. You know,” he added with a mischievous grin, “like the Professor did with Moira in the early days.”

“Moira was terrible as a housekeeper but she did make good grilled cheese sandwiches.” Jean said with a laugh before she had a moment of reflection. “I think there were times when Charles didn’t know what to do with us in those early days. He suddenly had all these sad broken children in his care, I bet he had moments where he was terrified.”

Jean leaned back a bit so she could look up at Scott’s face as she continued to remember those first few months at the school. “I can still see you at the top of that staircase peeping down at me.”

“I wasn’t peeping!” Scott protested with mock offense. “It was good, honest staring. You were the first soul I’d seen besides the Professor in over a week. And you didn’t look like the orphans I knew. I couldn’t look away.” He grinned for a moment before adding, “And I never have.”

Jean giggled from Scott’s reaction. It was the exact response she had hoped to achieve with her select choice in words. “No, you never have.” She agreed with him before placing a long sweet kiss on hip lips. “And that’s why I love you.”

“I thought it was because I wowed you with my powers and lit up the sky,” Scott teased before turning more solemn. “You were the first person who wasn’t afraid of me. Even the Professor was apprehensive at first. I put holes in the walls until I learned to discipline myself first thing in the morning. But not you.” He bit the inside of his cheek. “You weren’t scared of me for a minute.”

“How could I be scared of you?” Jean dared to laugh a little over the absurdity of his comment. The reasons to love him were so incredibly obvious to her. “You are amazing and perfect.”

Scott did his best not to roll his eyes. He almost succeeded.

“I love your noble heart.” Jean leaned forward and kissed the spot on his chest that aligned with his beating heart. “I love your brilliant mind.” She kissed him square on the forehead. “I love your strength and determination.” Jean kissed each of his solid biceps. “And I love your beautiful eyes.” With tenderness she removed his ruby glasses and sweetly kissed the tightly shut eyelids that always greeted her. Her lips were soft and warm against the delicate skin. She returned the frames to his face with the same gentle care so he could open his eyes again. “Because once they started looking at me, I knew I had found my forever.”

The playful skepticism Scott had flashed at the ‘perfect’ comment melted away beneath Jean's kisses. Especially when she kissed his closed eyes. That gesture only became meaningful with each time she did it. Scott's gift to the world had always felt like a curse in the form of a weapon of mass destruction that it took. Yet in the light of Jean’s love, Scott saw it differently, just as he saw himself differently.

“You know what you do to me…” Scott whispered the words while slowly leaning his head forward to press their lips together. “Don't you? Nobody has made me like who I am…nobody but you.”

The confession made his heart jump into his throat, driven by a need for her. Scott let out a slight yelp as he began kissing along her neck until he found the spot that never failed to elicit a squealing gasp.

~That’s why you're my forever~

“I know what I do to you.” Jean’s voice dropped down to a lascivious, honey-coated tone as Scott was spurred to take action. She gasped and then shivered in delight as his lips found their mark. Jean tilted her head to the side and exposed more of her creamy pale skin to him in an invitation to take more of her.

“You and that mouth…” her comment was interrupted by a compulsive little mewl thanks to the fresh kiss Scott lavished upon her. Jean cursed under her breath as a renewed surge of urgency overcame her and she felt that magnetic pull towards him.

Her body entwined with his as Jean craved the sensation of every inch of her body being consumed and filled by Scott. As she draped herself across him, Scott could feel her melting from each kiss he placed on her bare skin. Jean became supple and heated against him as she moaned and pawed at him out of desperation for more.

Scott spread his lips wide to take in more of her creamy skin. The taste and scent of her drove his already inflamed body wild. All he could think of was being close to Jean and even closer still.

“You want me?” Scott whispered. “You got me.”

His lips met hers once again as he returned her petting with strategic intent for more. Laying her back without giving an inch of distance, Scott drank kisses from her mouth like a fountain. Hips were rolled and repositioned for what they both craved in body and soul.

“Jean…” The sound of her name on his lips was like a prayer spoken in a fervent whisper. No matter how many times they became one, it never failed to take his breath away. “Please.”

He pleaded for her as they came together and Jean happily obliged his simple request as her hip lifted and settled beneath him and their bodies aligned. She gasped and sighed as he filled her and a faint smile curled the corners of her mouth. “I told you, you are perfect.”

The substance of his request was an ineffable desire to feel her in every way. Nobody could satisfy him like she could because nobody loved him the way she did. No matter how deeply he penetrated her, it was she who plumbed his depths deeper still. As he began to roll his hips in a slow and satisfying rhythm, Scott opened his heart to Jean once again.

Scott felt the subtle changes in Jean as her breath quickened and a quiver of tension began to tighten in her once soft body, her thighs squeezed him as her kisses deepened. Jean really did bloom like a flower for Scott as soft petal after soft petal opened for him.

As her arms hugged him tightly he felt the space between them disappear and their psyches melted and mixed together. Like the union of their bodies, this feeling of oneness never grew stale and the physical and mental acts worked together to elevate them to that state where they finally felt whole again.

“Don’t stop.” Jean pleaded against his lips as her own body fell into sync with Scott’s. The easy pace they maintained allowed her to keep her wits about and she savored the carnal sensation. ~* ‘It feels so good, don’t stop.’ *~

Those words echoed throughout his mind like a beautiful earworm. Rather than pick up the pace, Scott added a little more force to each movement and sank his weight into his thrusts. The greater friction drew his spine taut and lifted his head up with a beautiful agony on his face. After an involuntary grunt, Scott’s lips found Jean’s once more and lavished her with kisses where words failed.

Despite the slower, more sultry pace, the end loomed near, like a wave on the ocean building toward a crash against the shore. Scott snaked his arms around Jean even tighter. A throaty growl began building in his gullet, rising in its intensity until the little death called to him and demanded full release from head to toe. Jean’s name touched his lips but never crossed them, swallowed up as it was in his passionate shout.

Jean held his head in her hands as the throes of passion and their sweet release claimed Scott. She watched as he winced and grimaced from the pleasure that claimed him and it made her heart beat all the faster.

~* ‘Don’t stop’ *~ Her request was desperate as the early stages of climax began to take hold of Jean. Her whole body became tense and tight below him as she heated from the steady pace Scott continued to provide. ~* ‘Touch me’ *~ She mentally whimpered as Jean began to gasp for air.

Scott’s deft fingers found their mark with the same skill he had used to kiss that part of her neck which made her quake. The combined efforts elicited deep throaty moans from Jean as she reached her own apex of pleasure. Her now limp hands dropped as her whole body rolled and undulated as wave after wave of pleasure consumed her. Scott watched her writhe and gasp beneath him as each strum and thrust caused her to plummet deeper and deeper into a well of divine euphoria.

Each wave of pleasure washed over Scott as if they were his own. Connected as they were, their pleasure was shared as intimately as a blood transfusion. They tumbled together into a timeless moment that stretched out forever in each other’s arms. As strong as the winds buffeted against the bungalow’s windows, they fell short of the intensity that swirled inside.

With trembling fingers, Scott slowly released his clutch of Jean’s hair. He gently stroked her locks while his senses reset and returned to him. Breathing was hitched from more than just exhaustion. Scott felt touched in his soul by the beautiful essence that made Jean so alluring and irresistible to him. Words that he had said so many times came back to him with fresh vigor and sincerity.

“I love you, Jean…” His whisper was almost a cry, faint though it sounded, yet still carried the weight of sincerity. Inside, his heart was practically shouting.

“See? Perfect.” There was a faint smugness to her comment but the same heartfelt adoration was expressed. Those feelings of love and total satisfaction flowed between them. Despite the troubles they had discussed earlier and the storm that howled outside, everything felt right and good between them at this moment.

“I love you, Scott.” Boneless and euphoric they melded together in that blissful peace that filled their minds and relaxed their bodies. Jean nestled into the familiar contours of his body until she felt cocooned as protected in Scott’s arms.

~* ‘Show me something…’ *~ Her request was simple enough, Jean wanted Scott to share pleasant memories or fantasies with her as she fell asleep. She wanted his protection and safeguarding when she was scared and vulnerable.

Scott’s eyes grew distant as he allowed himself to drift back to that day in the Savage Land, a moment he rarely spoke of but held tightly to, a memory that felt like warm sunlight in the coldest nights.
He had always remembered the battles—the fierce encounters with Sauron and Zaladane, the relentless fight against the Savage Land Mutates. They had fought tooth and nail to rescue Magneto’s former researchers, knowing that leaving them in the hands of the Mutates would be a disaster for the entire world. But the memory that lingered most for him wasn’t the victory. It was the quiet, peaceful moment that came after.

The X-Men had emerged victorious, their enemies subdued, and the researchers freed. They had been welcomed as guests by Ka-Zar and the Fall People, given a place to rest and recuperate after the grueling fight. The battles were behind them, but Scott’s mind kept replaying that beautiful moment under the endless Antarctic twilight. He and Jean had found a small space atop one of the thatched roofs in the village, the jungle around them teeming with sounds of life that felt oddly calming after the chaos.

The sky above had been painted in the deep oranges, purples, and soft blues of an extended sunset. The Antarctic winter spelled only six hours of daylight, but twilight seemed to stretch on for an eternity. They had spent that time just lying there together, nestled against each other, breathing in the cool air and basking in the glow of their hard-fought victory. Jean’s head rested gently on his chest, and Scott had wrapped his arm around her, feeling her warmth seep into him as they snuggled close.

He remembered the way her hair caught the fading light, strands of red glinting like fire as she looked up at him with those green eyes that tinged yellow through his visor and had always been able to see straight into his soul. They hadn’t spoken much. They didn’t need to. There was something sacred in the stillness, something beautiful in the way they could just exist together, without the weight of the world on their shoulders for those fleeting hours.

Scott recalled the sensation of Jean’s fingers tracing small patterns on his arm, her touch tender and grounding. The exhaustion from battle had tugged at them both, but there was a deep contentment in that moment, a kind of peace they rarely found. They lay there atop the roof, listening to the distant sounds of the village below, the chatter of the Fall People, the rustle of the jungle around them. Above, the sky slowly dimmed as the sun dipped lower, but the light never quite disappeared.

They had shared a smile, one of those smiles that only came after a shared triumph, and then, slowly, they had drifted off to sleep, the twilight still hovering above them like a soft embrace.
It was a perfect moment—a rare, uninterrupted space where they could just be Scott and Jean, not Cyclops and Marvel Girl, not leaders of a team that carried the world on its back. Just two people, in love, finding solace in the aftermath of battle.

“That is a good one…” Jean murmured in a voice barely above a whisper as she began to drift off to sleep. Scott felt her body relax in his arms as her breathing slowed and deepened. “They had the best mangos.” She mumbled in a semi-lucid state before finally falling asleep.

Scott felt her mind slip into that unconscious state, it wasn’t a total absence of her but rather Jean’s telepathic presence fell into a soothing state of mental white noise. It was calming and serene, it took on an almost dulcet tone that beckoned him to do the same.

At one point Jean had been nervous, almost scared, to sleep for fear of the memories and trauma the night might bring. But thanks to Scott and the way that he loved her she had found peace and rest in his arms.

 

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