Jean and Scott

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Stupidly late, Scott finally makes it to bed. Jean's still awake and, in spite of all of the stress in their lives, they manage to be cute, on a small scale, at least.



It was stupidly late. Really, stupidly late, Scott thought, blinking at the clock as he moved through the darkened suite and into the bedroom. "Hey," he said quietly, seeing Jean sitting up reading in bed. "I was hoping you would be asleep."

"Hi," Jean said, placing her bookmark and closing the book, setting it on her bedside table. "Couldn't drift off," she admitted. "And I was cold."

"You have to love the change in the weather," Scott said wryly. He got changed, a bit slowly, and then got into bed next to her. "I can't promise warm feet," he said honestly. "Was down in the Situation Room."

Turning, Jean curled closer to him, stealing what warmth he did have. "Is there any news?" she asked quietly.

Scott shook his head, as much as one could shake one's head while one was lying down. "Nothing," he said quietly. "Trust me, you would have heard about it, otherwise."

Jean sighed softly. "Terry asked to speak with Tommy," she said, changing the subject. "Charles and I both think it would be good for her. She needs closure. And the boy didn't object, which was a little surprising. I think he has a thing for redheads."

"Closure would be good," Scott said, somewhat neutrally, "if she can find it. I suspect Jay's reaction will be somewhat more problematic."

"Mmmm, I think that may be an understatement." Another sigh escaped her. "I feel like I should be perpetually watching over my shoulder, just waiting for when the next blow comes..."

"I think this is ranking up there with last fall," Scott said, not quite flippantly. "Any minute now I should be screaming at Jubilee in the halls and holing up in my office plotting doomsday scenarios."

Jean slipped an arm around his waist, holding him close. "Let's get some variety in there. You can yell at... hmmm, Catseye, perhaps, or Jamie. Someone they won't expect. And hole up here for you plotting, please. If you make me break down your office door to get to you, people will stare."

"We can't have that." Scott's eyelids were drooping quite determinedly, even though his mind was still racing, trying to process all that needed doing, everything that they didn't know and needed to know... "But holing up here for the plotting... that works for me. You don't mind my maniacal laughter, do you?"

"Not in the least," Jean said. "So long as you keep it to normal hours and don't start pacing up and down during thunderstorms at midnight or something. I'm fond of sleep, you see. For both of us."

"Quoth the Raven, nevermore... damn, I think I'm worn out. Poe is coming back to mind. That's a bad sign." Worn out and rambling...

"Go to sleep, love," Jean said, moving to kiss him softly. "I can feel how tired you are..."

He put his arms around her, and if he was holding her a little more tightly than pride dictated... well, screw pride. "I can't do anything," he said very quietly, his eyes opening again as he stared up at the ceiling. "Stay here and wait, and try to put as composed a face as possible on all of this. There's nothing else to do."

Jean snuggled into his arms, breathing deeply. "For all of us." They were back to the waiting game, the lot of them. And Jean hated the waiting.

"This really is getting ridiculous, you know. At this rate we're not going to have any staff members left who haven't had their fling with the Dark Side," Scott said wearily.

Jean's arm around him tightened as the memory of brilliant, blinding red force striking out at her came back, although she buried the thought as far back in her mind as she could. "We need to stop getting brainwashed, I think," she said, keeping her voice level.

"That would be a good start, yeah." Of course, that led back to wondering about Lorna and what was going on, which was somewhere his mind really didn't need to go just now. "I wonder if Charles would provide an incentive program. Bonuses for every six months you remain unbrainwashed, or telepathically controlled, etecetera..."

Jean's shoulders shook slightly with a muffled laugh. "I think this is a plan. Possibly a deranged, you-need-sleep style plan, but a plan non the less. We can mention it to him in the morning."

"I'll put it on my to-do list," Scott murmured, his eyes closing again. There was more he could have said, some really good one-liner that would have made Jean laugh, and that was definitely worth fighting back sleep for a few moments longer... but sleep won.

Jean watched him, feeling his mind slowing farther and farther into sleep, his breath evening out. She reached up to softly cup his cheek, smiling at the rough feel of his skin before pillowing her head on his chest. Closing her eyes she let the steady beat of his heart lull her into the sleep which had escaped her before.