Marie and Scott, Friday morning

[x-traction.livejournal.com]

Marie goes to talk with Scott about the past week. She hesitates, but he knows her too well to let anything remain unsaid. He manages to shock her at the end of their conversation, but with some good news.



Rogue knocked tentatively on Scott's door. The past few days had been a whirlwind of activities: witnessing Marie-Ange and Doug's public fight/breakup, her jaunt to Egypt with 'Ro and Remy and then meeting Kevin. She felt like she barely had time to experience, let alone process, one thing before the next was already beginning. While all what she wanted to do was curl up in a ball in her room, she knew that what she needed to do was to talk to someone.

Scott was curled up on the couch in the living room, reading one of the books he'd been complaining about just last weekend. He looked up at the knock, then sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the couch. "Come in," he called, setting the book on the coffee table.

Marie slowly opened the door, peeking her head inside the room without fully entering. “Hey Scott…y’ busy?” she asked. He looked a lot more relaxed than the last time she’d seen him and she hoped that he had finally started taking better care of himself.

He gave her a crooked smile as he absorbed her expression, not to mention her body language. "Not particularly. Come on in…you okay?"

Marie tried to smile back, but failed miserably. “Yeah, Ah’m fine. Ah just wanted to check on you,” she said, running a hand through her hair. She hated the idea of burdening him with her problems…he already had plenty on his plate.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you sit down," he invited, a trace of amusement in his voice, "and try answering that question again?" Translation, I'm not fooled...

Marie sank into a chair, pulling her knees up to her chest. She once again attempted a smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace. “Ah…Ah’m not sure. This past week…a lot has happened. Some good…some not so good.”

“Why don't you start at the beginning?" Scott suggested, glad that she'd picked tonight to come and see him. The closer his and Jean's departure date got, the more clear-headed he felt, like all the weight was slowly being lifted from his shoulders. He would have hated to not be able to give Marie the attention she deserved.

She stared down at her knees. “Ah’m gonna assume you heard about Doug and Marie-Ange breaking up.” Because who hasn’t.

Scott nodded. "I heard you got the rough side of Doug's tongue afterwards," he said calmly. "That wasn't particularly fair of him."

“Maybe not…but Ah can’t help feeling like Ah was responsible for the fight. Angie…well, she said Doug’s been moping since Ah got back…an’ Ah never meant to cause any trouble between ‘em.” She swallowed hard keeping her gaze aimed anywhere but Scott’s face.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Frankly, Marie," he said, just as calmly but a little more firmly, "you didn't. You weren't gone two days, you were gone almost two years. If he couldn't get to the point that he could stop moping about you after that length of time, the problem's not on your part. You're just an excuse."

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Marie understood the logic of what Scott was saying, but she couldn’t make herself feel believe it. “Ah suppose,” she said softly. But if Ah hadn’t come back… “You of all people understand what it’s like to feel responsible for something that’s outta your control.”

"And you know, from watching me, just how destructive and wrong an approach that is," Scott said. "Besides, let's keep degree in mind, here. Doug and Angie broke up. Teenaged romances do that." It was a cold thing to say, but it was true.

“Yeah,” she said finally managing a rueful smile as she thought back on some of her more animated teenage moments. Especially those related to romances. “But you never expect them to, when you are the one in them. You always think it’ll last forever.”

"You're supposed to," Scott said, unthinkingly touching his wedding ring. But he shook off the moment's reverie immediately, focusing again on Marie. "That's not all of it. You'd said a lot had happened."

Marie finally looked him in the eye, though hers were full of uncertainty. “Well…you know that little experiment we tried? Ah did it in the field.”

Yeah, interesting how that 'investigative matter' turned into something going on 'in the field'. "I've read Ororo's report in the database," he told Marie, his lips twitching slightly. "Just to save you too much in the way of explanation. Why don't you tell me what you're thinking about it, right now?"

“Ah think it was the fastest way to accomplish what Ah needed to do…but Ah definitely was affected by what Ah took from him. Ah felt…angry. Wild. But Ah had enough control to channel it at him.” Rubbing her side, she added “An’ the healing was a nice side effect.”

Scott bit back the immediate reply to that. "Then it was a successful test. No lasting aftereffects, I'm presuming? I'd say that's something to chalk up in the 'success' category."

Nodding, she said “That was one of the good things. It was nice seeing some good come from my…skills. I talked about it with the Professor, an’ it doesn’t feel the way it did before. Ah mean, Ah still feel it in my head, but its not overwhelming like it was. Ah’m still in control.”

Scott smiled. "Well, you'll probably be processing that for a while longer," he pointed out, "but it sounds like you're well on your way on that front."

Relaxing, she dropped her feet to the floor. She had worried that Scott would tell her it wasn’t responsible for her to try use touching in the field yet…especially with a mutant like Sabretooth. “Ah think Ah am. Ah just need to make sure Ah keep processing things as they happen and don’t let ‘em build up like before.”

"And abandon the tried and true ways of repression? Traitor," Scott accused, his lips twitching again.

That earned a laugh from Marie. "No, Ah'm moving on to sublimation." While doing some prep work for beginning her courses at Pace, that particular term had jumped out of her. After all, most of the X-Men seemed to deal with conflict this way. "Ah'm also trying to be more social." She smiled, thinking about her visit with Amanda. It felt good to be renewing that friendship.

"Social is good," Scott said with a certain amount of straight-faced hypocrisy. "So was that the sum of it, then? Doug and Angie, and what happened in Egypt..." He didn't think that was quite all of it, and while he would be more than willing to let her divert the conversation if she wanted, he needed to make sure she did.

He knows me too well. “Ah met Kevin.” She began smoothing her gloves as soon as she said the new student’s name.

"I suspected," Scott said simply. "And I know it probably wasn't... easy, but I wouldn't have pushed the idea like I did if I didn't think the two of you might be able to help each other."

“He reminds me so much of myself. Scared, vulnerable…not feeling safe or wanted anywhere. He needs the school just as much as I did,” she said. “Ah just hope he has better luck than Ah,” she added under her breath.

Scott blinked, tensing a little at her quiet rejoinder before common sense kicked in and he reminded himself that Marie, of all people, certainly didn't blame the school for her bad luck. "I hope so too," he said, and didn't quite manage to keep the steady, positive tone he'd had earlier. "We'll do our best for him."

She smiled, and though the expression contained a touch of sorrow, it was genuine. “Ah know we will. There is no place he would fare better.”

"You've had a busy week," Scott said a bit wryly. "It's no wonder your head's still spinning a bit."

She nodded fervently. “Tell me about it. Add that to getting set up on the student floor…at least it’s the summer an’ Ah don’t have classes too.” She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “Thanks for listening. Ah think Ah just need to say all that aloud, y’ know?”

"That's what I'm here for," Scott said, "although I'm glad you came when you did. Another few days and I wouldn't have been here. Jean and I are going away," he explained.

Marie clapped her hands together in glee, almost leaping out of her seat. “It’s about damn time.” Waggling her finger, she chided him “You better not take any work with you.”

"Hello, no. We'll be back at the end of the month," Scott said wryly. "I'm sure there will be plenty of paperwork waiting for me."

"And it will wait very patiently, Ah'm sure. Though if you would allow, Ah'm sure some people could at least take care of part of it." Marie looked out the window to check for flying pigs. Scott was taking a vacation, not taking work with him and planning on being gone for a few weeks? Looking back at him, she smiled solemnly, though there was a twinkle in her eye. "Why Mr. Summers, there's hope for you yet."

"I can be taught. And hell, if there's hope for me, there's hope for anyone, right?" Scott said with a smirk. "We're going somewhere exotic, too. Where no one will look for us."

Marie quirked an eyebrow at him. "And who exactly would be looking? Anyone who gets that bright idea would get a beating from several people Ah could think of at this mansion." Myself included. "You two better spend a lot of time in the sun and come back tan..." She paused, as an evil grin spread across her face. "Or not...” It was clear from her intonation just what she was insinuating.

Scott waggled an eyebrow. "I don't tan, remember?" he said with a straight face. "One of the fringe benefits of absorbing sunlight. But point taken." He couldn't believe he'd just made a joke about that. But maybe being able to joke was a good start.