"Jean?" Professor Xavier called as he floated through the open door into the dining room. Just inside Jean was on her hands and knees dusting the legs of one of the mahogany chairs. The chair was part of a set of twenty that surrounded the large, oval dining room table. In the center of the back of every chair a rose was delicately carves. The two bases that the table was held up by had the same carvings.
The lacy curtains had been pulled back and the windows had been opened to allow the stale air to dissipate. The dining room faced the West with large windows that allowed the pink, amber and scarlet tones of the sunset to drift in and reflect off the crystal chandelier. The entire room was enveloped in a tranquil beauty that would inspire any poet.
The Professor was stunned. The room was lovely in the soft light. The dining room was only used during the holidays or special occasions when most of the X-Men were present. He mused to himself that it was quite a shame that the room had so few opportunities of use.
Professor Xavier turned his attention back to his student. Jean had moved on to the next chair. She had finished dusting six of them and had fourteen more to go. Her red hair was pinned up and covered by a bandana. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee and a torn T-shirt of Scott's that he never wore any more. There was a dust smudge on one cheek and her jaw was tight with determination. Her movements were quick and on the border line of being rough as she wiped away the dust from the wood. She appeared to be absolutely oblivious to the beauty of the sunset, the tranquility of the room or of Professor Xavier's entrance.
"Jean." Xavier said yet again, this time a little louder. Her head jerked up and she finally saw the Professor.
Plastering a smile on her face she went back to what she was doing and explained, "I had an idea. I thought that maybe it would help if we all had dinner together tonight with Orion and Andromeda. It would be good for them to be exposed to the entire team in a social setting. I had started a roast chicken in the oven when it occurred to me that we haven't used this room since Christmas and it needed some cleaning."
"Excellent idea. It can be a sort of celebration for Jubilee and Gina's return as well." the Professor smiled in obvious approval.
Jean's smile faltered slightly which didn't go unnoticed, "Jean, you've seemed tense since the meeting in my study." The Professor's brow furrowed with worry.
"It's nothing," Jean replied. She pretended to be completely focussed on her work so that she could avoid the Professor's eyes, "I just have so much to do."
The Professor knew that she wasn't being completely honest with him and he was faced with a dilemma. Should he confront Jean saying that he was aware she was upset about being asked to work with Gina?
The Professor knew that Gina was a sensitive subject. Even though Jean had not confided him, he was able to read her thoughts and emotions during the unguarded moments of emotional distress. There had been many of those in the past year.
Sinister had used Gina as bait for Cable. The whole episode that followed almost cost Cable his life. For days he had lain in a coma, cut off from the rest of the world. Jean tried to reach out to him through telepathy and had failed. She had even destroyed Cerebro in frustration when she could not reach Nate Grey. She had nurtured the vain hope that Nate would be able to do what she had not and reach Cable.
Jean was a strong woman. For most of her life she had been able to protect those whom she loved. Then Nathan, the man that she looked upon as her son, had almost died. As hard as she had tried, Jean could do nothing for him. She had been completely helpless and could only stand by and watch. The fact that she had not been able to help hurt her far more than she was even willing to admit to Scott.
Once it had all past Jean wanted to forget it and yet, there was Gina. Her presence forced Jean to remember what had happened. Because Gina was a symbol of her inability to help her son, Jean wanted as much distance from her as possible.
It was not much better with the other X-Men either. To them Gina was a walking phantom of Rachel. They were afraid that if they became too attached to her it would be a form of disloyalty to their absent friend and comrade.
Some of the X-Men did not view it the same way. Wolverine and Bishop had been through a great deal with Gina and viewed her as one to protect and care for. Dana came after Rachel and therefore did not suffer the same feelings that the others did.
Bishop had taken a great deal of interest in Gina. Maybe he viewed her as the little sister he once had. In a way it was a disguised blessing for both because it allowed him to care for something other than the rules and regulations.
Xavier had asked Jean to work with Gina knowing full well of her feelings. It had been his hope that Jean would be able to at least push past her feelings towards Gina out of duty to the team. He assumed that if the two worked together Jean would come to accept and maybe even love Gina as he loved all his students.
*Perhaps I was mistaken.* he inwardly thought to himself as he left Jean alone in the dining room.
Just as the Professor was about to go back to his study he said telepathically, *Call me when dinner is ready.*
Jean assured him that she would before she vainly tried to lose herself in the mundane task of cleaning.
The first thing that Jubilee did when she got back to the mansion was run up the stairs to her room. Flinging her bag onto the floor she dove for her bed and carelessly pulled the comforter around her. She closed her eyes and breathed a deep sigh of contentment. She was finally home!
Being a foster child for most of her life, Jubilee had never felt a sense of home so acutely as she did at the X-Mansion. This was where she belonged and what she loved more fiercely than anything else. Nothing could destroy the loyalty for this place or the love for the people she considered her family. They were the only certain and stable things for her in this world.
Gina peeked through Jubilee's open door as she walked past her room and headed towards her own. Jubilee looked so happy and Gina could feel the things that Jubilee was thinking. Inwardly she envied the joy and feelings of belonging that Jubilee received in this place.
Gina trudged to her room, shut the door gently behind her and placed her bags neatly by the door. She opened a window in the corner of the room and a breeze came through momentarily giving a breath of fresh air. Turning, she went back to the center of the room and forlornly examined her surroundings. This was not home. It was merely another place of being that she lived in when it was convenient.
Maybe she could pretend. Maybe if she pretended long enough and hard enough she could convince herself that she belonged here. That she was welcomed and valued here. That she was actually loved for a change and not merely used for her powers. Perhaps it would actually work someday.
She squeezed her eyes shut. *Why am I doing this to myself? This is hopeless.*
There was a heavy knock on the door and Gina composed herself before answering. When she opened the door she found Bishop on the other side. He looked somber as usual but he was the most beautiful sight that Gina had seen in the longest time.
"I was told that you had returned. I just wanted to welcome you back and..." Bishop had started to say when he was cut off by Gina wrapping her thin, willowy arms around his middle and leaning her head on his chest. He had not expected the hug and had not received one in a long time. for a moment he floundered within himself, not knowing what to do or how to respond to the teenage girl who seemed so small and delicate next to him. Eventually he wrapped his arms awkwardly around her shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her bright, red head.
Gina held on tightly to him and could feel him relax slightly. For once in her life she knew that someone actually cared and had really missed her.
Wolverine absent-mindedly sniffed the air while he sat in the lounge and smiled slightly. Jubilee was back from the Academy. He was able to smell her from a couple of halls away. The smell of excitement mixed with the unmistakable odor of the bubble gum that she chewed. It was typical of her.
He got up from his chair in front of the television and braced himself for her entrance. She rounded the corner in a matter of seconds. Upon seeing Logan, Jubilee pounced on him with a hug.
"Wolvy!" she squealed before she started talking so fast that Logan could just barely make out what she was saying.
"I missed you too, kid."
With that Jubilee abruptly pulled away from the embrace and regarded him with sudden disdain. She placed her hands on her hips and fire flared in her eyes as she cried indignantly, "Don't call me kid!"
"Alright, alright," Logan put his hands up and chuckled, "whatever you say.....kid."
Jubilee gave an exasperated sigh and stalked over to the nearest easy chair, collapsing into it. She did not realize it, but she ended up sitting on the remote that had been precariously perched on the edge of the seat. The television clicked and started to flicker to life.
Suddenly, without warning, Logan grabbed a ladder back chair and hurled it through the television screen. Jubilee jumped up with surprise and shrieked. for a moment Logan just stood there and stared as the sparks flew from the wreckage. Eventually the fireworks fizzled out and died.
"What did you do that for? That was a large screen TV!" Jubilee gasped in disbelief.
Jean came running in at that moment. She gaped at the broken television set a moment before asking, "Are you two alright? I was finishing dinner in the kitchen and heard the crash. What happened?"
Logan regarded the television silently a moment longer before answering darkly, "Sorry Jeanie. Reflex."
With that he left the room to find Professor Xavier and report the damage. Jubilee followed close behind firing questions that Logan didn't bother to answer.
*Never did like the damn thing anyway!*
End of Chapter 10