FIC: When She Was Good
Oct. 1st, 2007 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ficwizeTitle: When She Was Good...
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wizefics
Rating: Teen
Word count: 1,000
Fandom: X-Men movieverse
Pairing: Jean/Scott
Recipient:modestroad
Request: Jean - Coming of age story. Extra points if it's a dark fic.
A/N: Many thanks todiabel_gt for the idea and catwomyn5 for betaing this fic for me.
******************
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(i)
John Grey held his infant daughter in his arms and blinked back tears. “Hello my sweet baby Jean,” he whispered, pulling her close and smelling the sweet baby scent that even the hospital couldn’t sterilize.
“She’s beautiful,” Elaine said and John turned to his wife and beamed at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he answered proudly.
The baby let out a squall that had the proud parents beaming, even as John crooned sweet words to his daughter. “Oh, Jeannie, you have a temper to match your hair.”
“It’s even worse,” Elaine brushed the infant’s silky soft arm. “She has curly hair, too.”
(ii)
“She’s growing up fast,” Elaine watched proudly as Jean toddled around. “She only took her first step three weeks ago.”
“Too bad we didn’t think to put a leash on her then,” John ducked away from his wife’s playful swat. “She’s into everything!”
“She’s a toddler,” Elaine retorted in defense of her daughter, who was currently pulling books off her father’s book shelves with abandon.
“Jeannie,” John went to rescue his copy of The Fall of the Third Reich. “I think you’re a bit young yet to care about world domination and eugenics. Wait until you’re at least in kindergarten.”
(iii)
“Mommy!” Jean barreled off the school bus and into her mother’s arms. “I made a friend!” The excited six year old was practically vibrating as she turned to wave wildly at a girl with brown pig-tails whose face was pressed to the window. “Her name is Annie. We have the same teacher! At lunch, she had graham crackers instead of an apple!”
Elaine smiled, not sure which of these attributes had earned Annie a place in her daughter’s life, but happy to see her child had done well the first day of school. “That’s great! Tell me all about her!”
(iv)
Jean screamed, the sound echoing off the snowy banks. She had her eyes closed, but she could still see the truck slamming into a tree. She could still feel the incredible pressure crushing her chest where the tire had run her over.
She could feel the blackness of oblivion smother her. No, not her, Annie.
Jeannie… The voice brushed her mind and Jean opened her eyes, astonished to be sprawled to the side of the road. She felt Annie’s mind die and Jean’s mind struggled to hold on to her until the darkness rushed up and claimed her too.
(v)
“Jeannie?”
“I told you I didn’t want you to call anybody.” Elaine winced as Jean’s bed began to vibrate.
“I know, baby, but… this man can help you.”
“No, he can’t.” Ten year old Jean’s voice sounded strangely old. “No one can.”
“Sweetheart, you couldn’t have saved Annie.”
Jean’s eyes flared and Elaine flinched. “It’s going to be fine.” Elaine prayed that her daughter wouldn’t know that she was lying. “Professor Xavier can help. Please talk to him, Jeannie.”
Jean’s head tilted. “He’s not alone.”
“He brought a friend.”
“I like him.” With that statement, Jean rose to dress herself.
(vi)
“She’s too powerful,” Charles’ was stern.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Charles. She’s just a little girl.”
“That little girl destroyed the living room.” Charles knelt to clean up the shattered remains of a vase.
“She apologized.”
“She always apologizes.” He sat on his heels. “She needs to learn control.”
Erik held out his hand and the remnants of a metal picture frame floated to him from the fragments of the bookshelf. The frame was bent beyond repair and Erik frowned. “Perhaps you are right… In time, she may have the control she needs.”
“In time,” Charles replied confidently, “she will.”
(vii)
The summer Jean turned sixteen was beautiful. She took full advantage and lay by the pool as often as possible. It didn’t hurt that that she was the object of attention from the mansion’s newest resident either.
Scott Summers was not at all what Jean wanted in a boyfriend. He was reserved, controlled, and too quiet. Still, Jean had seen glimpses of his mind, and she knew that he was intelligent, kind, compassionate, and fiercely loyal.
He finally kissed her on the Forth of July. Jean didn’t really care what the fireworks looked like, but they sure felt damn good.
(viii)
“Make it stop!” The wail echoed down the hallway and the three men cringed.
“Please,” Scott begged, “help her.”
“Her powers surged; she can’t block anyone out. Every thought is hurting her now.” Erik answered mildly, his eyes sharp.
“We’re in a mental hospital! Can’t they help?”
“No.” Erik was glaring at Charles, who avoided his gaze. “She isn’t capable of controlling her full powers. She never learned how.”
“It was necessary,” Charles snapped. “To avoid this moment.”
“Do something!” Scott demanded harshly.
With an angry look aimed at Erik, Charles wheeled himself into Jean’s room. “I intend to.”
“Fool.”
(ix)
“Scott!” Jean raced through the front door, shutting it with a soft push of her mind. Seeing the familiar profile of the man she was looking for, she waved the envelope in her hand excitedly.
John’s Hopkins! I got in! His face lit up and she forgave him the jolt of dismay that he felt when he realized she’d be leaving.
“Congratulations!” He picked her up and twirled her around. “You’ll be an amazing doctor.”
“You really think so?”
He smiled in the sexy way that was just for her. “I don’t have to be a telepath to know so.”
(x)
“You’re home!” Charles’ greeted her and Jean smiled, tightening the shields in her mind automatically. The Professor kissed her cheek when she leaned over to hug him. For a second, he thought he felt a flare of something in his mind, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you,” Jean’s eyes glowed in the mirror and she struggled to subdue the power threatening her control. It was always worse when she was tired. She had been tired lately; unsurprising since she’d just finished her boards.
Surely it would be better now that she was home. Surely.
Author:
wizeficsRating: Teen
Word count: 1,000
Fandom: X-Men movieverse
Pairing: Jean/Scott
Recipient:
modestroadRequest: Jean - Coming of age story. Extra points if it's a dark fic.
A/N: Many thanks to
diabel_gt for the idea and catwomyn5 for betaing this fic for me.******************
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(i)
John Grey held his infant daughter in his arms and blinked back tears. “Hello my sweet baby Jean,” he whispered, pulling her close and smelling the sweet baby scent that even the hospital couldn’t sterilize.
“She’s beautiful,” Elaine said and John turned to his wife and beamed at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he answered proudly.
The baby let out a squall that had the proud parents beaming, even as John crooned sweet words to his daughter. “Oh, Jeannie, you have a temper to match your hair.”
“It’s even worse,” Elaine brushed the infant’s silky soft arm. “She has curly hair, too.”
(ii)
“She’s growing up fast,” Elaine watched proudly as Jean toddled around. “She only took her first step three weeks ago.”
“Too bad we didn’t think to put a leash on her then,” John ducked away from his wife’s playful swat. “She’s into everything!”
“She’s a toddler,” Elaine retorted in defense of her daughter, who was currently pulling books off her father’s book shelves with abandon.
“Jeannie,” John went to rescue his copy of The Fall of the Third Reich. “I think you’re a bit young yet to care about world domination and eugenics. Wait until you’re at least in kindergarten.”
(iii)
“Mommy!” Jean barreled off the school bus and into her mother’s arms. “I made a friend!” The excited six year old was practically vibrating as she turned to wave wildly at a girl with brown pig-tails whose face was pressed to the window. “Her name is Annie. We have the same teacher! At lunch, she had graham crackers instead of an apple!”
Elaine smiled, not sure which of these attributes had earned Annie a place in her daughter’s life, but happy to see her child had done well the first day of school. “That’s great! Tell me all about her!”
(iv)
Jean screamed, the sound echoing off the snowy banks. She had her eyes closed, but she could still see the truck slamming into a tree. She could still feel the incredible pressure crushing her chest where the tire had run her over.
She could feel the blackness of oblivion smother her. No, not her, Annie.
Jeannie… The voice brushed her mind and Jean opened her eyes, astonished to be sprawled to the side of the road. She felt Annie’s mind die and Jean’s mind struggled to hold on to her until the darkness rushed up and claimed her too.
(v)
“Jeannie?”
“I told you I didn’t want you to call anybody.” Elaine winced as Jean’s bed began to vibrate.
“I know, baby, but… this man can help you.”
“No, he can’t.” Ten year old Jean’s voice sounded strangely old. “No one can.”
“Sweetheart, you couldn’t have saved Annie.”
Jean’s eyes flared and Elaine flinched. “It’s going to be fine.” Elaine prayed that her daughter wouldn’t know that she was lying. “Professor Xavier can help. Please talk to him, Jeannie.”
Jean’s head tilted. “He’s not alone.”
“He brought a friend.”
“I like him.” With that statement, Jean rose to dress herself.
(vi)
“She’s too powerful,” Charles’ was stern.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Charles. She’s just a little girl.”
“That little girl destroyed the living room.” Charles knelt to clean up the shattered remains of a vase.
“She apologized.”
“She always apologizes.” He sat on his heels. “She needs to learn control.”
Erik held out his hand and the remnants of a metal picture frame floated to him from the fragments of the bookshelf. The frame was bent beyond repair and Erik frowned. “Perhaps you are right… In time, she may have the control she needs.”
“In time,” Charles replied confidently, “she will.”
(vii)
The summer Jean turned sixteen was beautiful. She took full advantage and lay by the pool as often as possible. It didn’t hurt that that she was the object of attention from the mansion’s newest resident either.
Scott Summers was not at all what Jean wanted in a boyfriend. He was reserved, controlled, and too quiet. Still, Jean had seen glimpses of his mind, and she knew that he was intelligent, kind, compassionate, and fiercely loyal.
He finally kissed her on the Forth of July. Jean didn’t really care what the fireworks looked like, but they sure felt damn good.
(viii)
“Make it stop!” The wail echoed down the hallway and the three men cringed.
“Please,” Scott begged, “help her.”
“Her powers surged; she can’t block anyone out. Every thought is hurting her now.” Erik answered mildly, his eyes sharp.
“We’re in a mental hospital! Can’t they help?”
“No.” Erik was glaring at Charles, who avoided his gaze. “She isn’t capable of controlling her full powers. She never learned how.”
“It was necessary,” Charles snapped. “To avoid this moment.”
“Do something!” Scott demanded harshly.
With an angry look aimed at Erik, Charles wheeled himself into Jean’s room. “I intend to.”
“Fool.”
(ix)
“Scott!” Jean raced through the front door, shutting it with a soft push of her mind. Seeing the familiar profile of the man she was looking for, she waved the envelope in her hand excitedly.
John’s Hopkins! I got in! His face lit up and she forgave him the jolt of dismay that he felt when he realized she’d be leaving.
“Congratulations!” He picked her up and twirled her around. “You’ll be an amazing doctor.”
“You really think so?”
He smiled in the sexy way that was just for her. “I don’t have to be a telepath to know so.”
(x)
“You’re home!” Charles’ greeted her and Jean smiled, tightening the shields in her mind automatically. The Professor kissed her cheek when she leaned over to hug him. For a second, he thought he felt a flare of something in his mind, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you,” Jean’s eyes glowed in the mirror and she struggled to subdue the power threatening her control. It was always worse when she was tired. She had been tired lately; unsurprising since she’d just finished her boards.
Surely it would be better now that she was home. Surely.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-10-02 04:40 am (UTC)Thanks so much for filling in!
(Small note, there's a little problem with the coding or possibly the cut tags at the top).
no subject
Date: 2007-10-02 03:40 pm (UTC)And I'm glad you liked it. It was fun to write. I've actually enjoyed all the fics I wrote for the ficathon.
Go you! Good job organizing it!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-02 07:30 am (UTC):-) Extra points for that. I loved it. It was sweet, and funny and dark. Everything I asked for.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-02 03:41 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I had several false starts on this fic, so it's a relief that it was even close to what you wanted.
And that is my favorite line, too. *grins*
no subject
Date: 2007-10-02 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-02 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 09:08 pm (UTC)Awww, love it!
I love this whole look at Jean and the effect she had on namely Charles and Erik.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 05:37 pm (UTC)