"Hey, Scott." Bobby opened the fridge and pulled out a Sprite. He sat down at the kitchen table and smiled as the can opened with a satisfying hiss. He quickly gulped down half the can.

"So, Bobby, did you and Jean have a good time in the city?"

"Well, I enjoyed myself, but I don't know about Jean. You'll have to ask her when she gets back. That is, if she hasn't already returned."

Scott frowned. "I thought Jean was going to ride with you."

"Yeah, well, she wasn't sure how long her business was going to take. She said that if she didn't meet me for lunch, to head back with out her. She'd get a cab or something."

"What's so important that she'd go to all that trouble?"

"Don't know. She wouldn't say. Some sorta of secret. Real hush-hush stuff. I have no idea as to what it's about. Anyway, I get the feeling that it's one of those women things that I wouldn't understand even if I did know." Bobby gave a philisophical shrug.

Scott offered him some potato chips, which Bobby proceded to munch thoughtfully.

"Maybe that's always been my problem."

At the mention of a problem, Scott turned all leader. "Bobby, if you're having problems, you really should discuss these with someone."

Bobby dismiss Scott's concerns with a wave of his hand. "Oh, same old, same old. I really don't think anyone wants to listen to me complain about the smoldering ruins of my love life."

Scott reached over and gave him an encouraging pat on the back. "I'm sure you'll find a way to solve your problems someday."

Bobby quietly commented to himself, "Maybe I already have." The paper with Ann's number was burning a hole in his pocket.

Scott rose from the table, and tossed the now empty potato chip bag in the garbage. He looked over to see Bobby staring out the window, a silly smile on his face.

He started to leave the room, but as he reached the door, he paused and glanced back at Bobby. There was something going on with the young man.Perhaps he should try and find out what was....Someone grabbed him from behind, and he stiffen in suprise.

"Hey, did you miss me?"

Scott relaxed. He turned around and kissed the red-haired woman standing there.

A wadded up napkin came flying in their direction. "Come on, I don't begrudge you your euphoric happyness, but kindly remember that some of us are not so lucky."

Jean smiled at Bobby's sarcasm."Well, it's nice to see that you got back safe and sound. Been home long?"

"Acually, I just got back ten or fifteen minutes ago."

"I take it you found something to keep you busy."

Bobby shook his head in disgust. She was obviously digging for information. As much as he loved the sense of family that came with living in the mansion, he hated the fact that it was nearly impossable to keep a secret for long. "I found stuff to do."

Jean's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're hiding something."

"That's right, I am hiding something. And there's no point in asking what, you gossip monger, I'm not going to tell you."

The phone rang. Scott reached over and picked it up. "Hello? Yes, he's here. Just a second, please."

Frowning, he held out the phone. "It's for you, Bobby."

Now who would be calling him? "Hello, this is Bobby."

"Hi, Bobby, it's Ann. I hope you're not busy or anything. If you are, I can always call back."

"No, I'm free to talk." He glanced over at Jean, who was smiling at him innocently.

"Um, can you hang on for a sec?" He placeed his hand over the mouth piece. "Scott, could you remove your wife? This is a private conversation."

The X-men's field leader lead his protesting wife out of the kitchen.

"Sorry about that, Ann. I had to get rid of the local eavesdropper. So, did you call for a specfic reason, or did you just miss the sound of my voice?"

"In all honesty, a little of both."

"Well then, I guess I should ask what the specfic reason is."

"My friend, Lynn, bought a couple of tickets for a benefit concert for a local charity, but it turns out she can't go. I ended up with the tickets, and I wondered if you wanted to go."

"A benefit concert, huh?"

"Yeah, the money goes to support shelters for runaways. The concert its self is an annual event. It's a mish-mash of local groups, and usually a lot of fun."

"Sounds great. When is it?"

Two weeks from Saterday."

"Well, I don't have anything scheduled. I should be able to go. Unless, of course, an emergency comes up and I have to go save the world from the clutches of evil."

"Yeah, well, maybe we'll get lucky. I mean, even evil takes the occasional Saterday night off."

"Who knows? Anyway, I'll see ya. 'Bye." Bobby hung up the phone. He turned around to find Jean stand in the door way, grinning, the cordless phone in her hand.

"SCOTT!!!!!"

Ann hung up the phone. She turned around to see Lynn standing there, frowning.

"What?"

"Nothing important. Just wondering how long this one is going to last."

"I'm not going to second guess fate."

"What do you think will send him running into the hills? You gonna break his bones, or wait till your 'radical ideas' scare him off?"

"Will you stop that? Bobby isn't like the others. He's sweet, and gentle, and kind."

"And he doesn't know, does he?"

Andreana didn't say anything at first. She just shook her head. Then, slowly, she said, "Not yet."

"So you are going to tell him."

"Lynn! Of course, I'm going to tell him. It's just... Well, I'm worried that if I tell him to soon, he won't be able to see past it to who I am. And if I wait to long, he'll think I don't trust him, and...This whole thing is a mess, isn't it?"

"Let's just say I'm glad it's your life and not mine."

Ann gave a weak laugh. "Oh god, Lynn, what am I gonna do

Bobby glared at Jean. "I can't belive you did that. You've done some low things before, but this... Eavesdropping on a private conversation? Practical jokes and teasing are one thing, but this time you've cross the line."

Bobby's voice was dangerously calm. She wished he'd scream and yell, get the anger out in the open, where it would disipate into nothing. Jean couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She was too afraid of the pain and betrayel she knew she'd see there.

"Jean, would you ever use you powers to do something like that?"

She glanced at him in suprise, then quickly looked away. Unsure of her voice, she just shook her head.

"But what's the difference between using your powers and what you did? The methods are different, but the results the same."

Bobby was right. What she had done was unethical, and greatly over-stepped the boundries of friendship. Finding her voice, she opened her mouth to say something. Bobby raised a hand to stop her.

"Right now, I don't want to hear it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somethings to do."

After Bobby had left the room, Jean sat down in a nearby chair. Burying her face in her hands, she began to cry in shame.

Bobby had spent the last two hours memorizing his ceiling. Considering that his ceiling was nothing more then a flat, white surface, he was surprised it had taken him that long.

After the fight with Jean, he went looking for the Professor. Turned out he'd been called away on business. Bobby figured he should have stayed in the city with Ann, instead of coming back to the mansion and fighting with Jean.

He realized something. His ankle itched. He sat up and reached down to scratch it. While he was taking care of this, someone knocked on the door.

"Yeah? Who is it?"

"Bobby, it's Jean. Can I come in?"

"Does my answer make a difference? If I say no, you'll just talk though the door."

The door opened and closed. Jean stood just inside the room, looking at her feet. "I'll take that as the closest thing I'm gonna get to a yes."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Bobby looked up at Jean. She cleared her throat and scuffed her feet. She took a few deep breaths before beginning. "Bobby, I'd just like to say I'm sorry. What I did was way out of line. I hope you can forgive me."

Bobby didn't say anything, just continued to look at her.

"What?" Jean asked, clearly confused when Bobby didn't acknowledge her apology.

He smiled, an evil gleam in his eye. "I'm waiting for you to grovel."

She threw a pillow at him.

Bobby hung up the phone. "I can't do it."

"Are you turning chicken on me?"

"Yes."

Jean looked at him in disgust. She held out her hand. "Give me the number. If you think you're gonna get out of it that easy, you've got another thing coming."

Bobby handed Jean the number. She dialed the number, then placed the reciver in Bobby's hand. When all he did was stare at it, she moved his hand to his to place it against his ear. She then leaned close to hear when someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello, Andreana Willkins speaking." This was followed by a long silence as Bobby stood there like an idiot. Jean nudged him in the side.

"What?! Oh, hi, Ann. It's Bobby. I was thinking, the concert isn't for two weeks. I'd like to see you sooner then that. I thought, maybe, we could have lunch, maybe a movie...."

"I'd like that. I don't have any plans and you're right, two weeks is a long time. How does Saterday sound? We could meet at the park, say elevenish?"

"That'd be great."

"Look, I'd better hang up. I have to go pat myself on the back. Of all the guys in the park, I was lucky enough to run into you. A guy intellegent enough to follow my suggestions, instead of trying to do the macho thing and pick me up. My apartment building is not easy to find on your own. The last person to try ended up in Maine."

"I should probably going, too. I have some stuff I have to do. 'Bye."

"Yeah, 'bye."

Bobby slowly hung up the phone. He turned to see Jean stifling her laughter. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just...you should see your face. You have the biggest, sillest smile plastered on it."

"You know, Jean, there are times when I really don't like you."