[Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters - Professor X's Office]
The Professor was surprised when I entered his office with Emma Frost, but he quickly recovered and welcomed us with a smile. I could see the empty cup and stacks of paper piled on his desk. It was already 5 in the morning and after that botched mission, not to mention that stack of papers, he got his hands full, he hadn't got a shut-eye.
"You should really sleep sometime, Professor. The kids would be worried if you collapsed from overwork," I said, pointing to Emma to take a seat. So, how's Jean doing?" I asked.
"She's stable for now. Thanks. If not for you, the situation could have become worse," He replied, his gaze lingering on Emma for a moment. "So, we meet again," He said to Emma.
"Two years, three months," Emma replied.
"You two know each other?" I asked.
"Yes. I wanted to recruit her in X-Men, but she was already working for Shaw. She outright refused," The Prof. replied as he stretched his arms.
"I had my own reasons," Emma said, her voice clipped.
"Don't we all?" The Prof. mused. "So, how can I help you?"
"I want you to use Cerebro and find someone," I said as I leaned near the window. "Sophia Sanduval."
The Prof. narrowed his eyes as he thought. "Is she in danger?" He asked.
"Yup! The Hand took her, probably because of her unique mutation to converse with animals. I was wondering if you could track her whereabouts?" I asked.
The Prof. looked at me for a moment before he nodded. "Alright. But right now, as you can see, I'm barely awake. I'm too tired to keep my eyes open. So, let's find her around noon. Till then, why don't you show Miss Emma around? Or maybe take a nap? You look like you need it too," He said.
I cracked my neck. Yeah, I'm sleepy alright. With all the energy spent today fighting and running, I'm deadbeat. A nap sounds good right now. But, I want to check on Jean and the others first. So, let's take Emma to my room first.
"Alright, thanks Professor," I said as I ushered Emma out of the office.
-----
As soon as we reached my room, Emma looked around the room.
"You live in this hole?" She said.
"Hey! This isn't a hole," I defended. "This is cozy."
"Cozy? You mean cramped. This place is tiny!"
I shrugged as I stood at the door.
"Stryker blew up my house, and I haven't had the chance to buy a new one. So, this will do. Anyway, sleep or walk around, I don't care. Just don't cause any trouble. It's your room for today," I said as I stepped out of the room and walked toward Jean's room.
Jean's gonna be fine. But if I were a bit late, she might have gone berserk and possibly killed everyone at the warehouse.
As I reached her room, I noticed Psylocke sitting near the door on a little chair. She looked at me with a tired face.
"How are you doing?" I asked.
"Well, we nearly got ourselves killed and Jean almost went berserk. We were careless. I was careless," She replied with a dry smile, grabbing her shoulder where that sniper shot. "Thanks for saving our asses."
"No need to thank me. I did what I had to do. How's she?"
"Sleeping. She's gonna be fine. She just needs rest. We all need it," She replied with a sigh.
"You should go rest then. Don't worry, I'll take care of her," I said as I extended my hand toward her.
Psylocke took my hand and stood up with a grunt.
"You know, I was kinda worried about you back then. That expression on your face... I thought you were going to slaughter everyone at the Hellfire Club," She said as she leaned against the wall. "You didn't do that, did you?"
"You think I'm some kind of maniac who would slaughter everyone related to Shaw?" I asked raising a brow. "And before you say anything, those guys in the warehouse deserved it. You know it too."
"Won't argue with that. They deserved it. And once again, thanks. Shaw's offer was too good to throw away, yet you still chose to help us. Don't you want to know your true identity or the secret behind your situation?" Psylocke asked, her eyes narrowing. "He called you a clone. As far as my memories go, you are an orphan with ice-control powers. But... I get these weird visions, you see... About us training together. So, if I were to guess, the Professor messed with our memories, right? To hide you, the real you, from the world. Am I right?"
"Well, no point hiding anymore. I was planning on telling you and a few others the truth eventually. The Professor did it to keep me and you all safe. But as things are right now, I don't have much choice," I replied. "The more you know about me, the more danger you're in."
Psylocke smiled and patted my shoulder. "I trust you. Tell us when you are ready. I won't pry. And don't worry about the danger. Next time, things will be different. I won't make the same mistake again." She began to walk away.
"Why don't we train together sometimes? I could use some pointers," I asked as she walked away.
She looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Sure. If you want, you know where to find me."
"Yeah! Get some rest," I said as she disappeared near the corner.
I entered Jean's room.
---
As I stepped quietly into Jean's room, the soft light from the morning sun filtered through her curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. She lay motionless, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, her face softened in the embrace of sleep. I stood by her bedside for a moment, watching her peaceful expression.
Haaa... I'm so relieved to see her alright.
Maybe, it's time to help her with her Phoenix Force.
I took a seat in the chair by her bedside and leaned back, exhaustion finally catching up with me. And before I knew it, I had dozed off. I don't know how long I was out, but why do I feel so heavy? It's like someone or something was lying on top of me. I strained my eyes open, only to find Jean lying on my chest with her arms around my neck. Wait! I was lying on her bed? Did she?
"Jean?" I whispered as I glanced at the table clock. It was 9 in the morning. Dang! I'm still sleepy.
No response. She's sleeping like a baby.
This isn't a bad feeling at all. I wrapped my arm around her waist as I stared at the ceiling. The warmth of her body pressed against mine was soothing and comforting. And I fell asleep again.
The soft beeping of the clock finally jolted me awake, although I didn't feel like moving. Jean was still curled up against me, breathing peacefully, and her hair tickled my neck as it fell over my shoulder. I didn't want to break this quiet moment, but I had to check in with the Professor about Sophia. Then, there's Emma too.
Carefully, I shifted so I wouldn't wake her, but her hand tightened around my shoulder, pulling me back down. Her voice was barely a whisper, still hazy with sleep. "Don't go just yet," she murmured, nuzzling closer.
"Didn't know you were awake," I replied softly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?"
She took a deep breath as if testing her own strength. "Better," she answered, opening her eyes to meet mine. "You know, that power inside me, Phoenix... She talked to me today."
"Really? What did she say?"
"She said she wants to protect me... and you."
"That's good, I guess," I said as I ran my hand through her hair. "But why me?"
"Because you have a part of her in you and your body is special. It can contain and control the Phoenix Force without any drawback like me. That's what she said anyway," Jean replied as she propped up on her elbow, looking into my eyes as she sat on my waist "And... Ahem! Nevermind." She was about to say something, but she averted her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I brushed her cheek with my thumb. "You know, you can tell me anything, right?"
She sighed and looked at me. "It's... Promise to not get any weird ideas," she said.
"I promise," I said with a chuckle.
"Alright..." She took a deep breath. "Phoenix told me to have a baby with you."
...
...
...
My mind went blank. That Phoenix! Don't tell me it brought me on the bed and even put her over me to spice things up? Eehh!
"You alright? Say something," Jean said after a while.
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[13 advance chapters] [No double billing]
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AN: Double chs, I better see some more powerstones