Categories > Cartoons > X-Men: Evolution > Aftermath
DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
SPECIAL DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
CHAPTER 10
Telepaths, of all mutants, should know about the pros and cons of their powers, Jean Grey had decided.
People would just assume at first that in order to read other people's minds, she would have to use her powers to pry into them. Not true at all. In fact, the trick was for Jean to have to shut out the thoughts of all the other people around her. She didn't like having to hear other people's thoughts at all - everyone was entitled to their privacy, and there were some things which you just didn't want to know.
When Jean was about seven years old, her life had changed forever, and not exactly for the better. She had been playing with her childhood friend Annie when she had been accidentally hit and killed by a car. Jean could feel Anne die. Such a terrible and tragic event was bad enough for any child, but when compounded with how her telepathic powers manifested at that moment, and the first thing she felt was her best friend's death... it was truly horrible in a way which was beyond words.
But to actually feel the deaths of all of her friends still inside the Institute when it was bombed... it was at that point when Jean felt that should rather be dead than have to feel that kind of pain.
She had mourned... she had fought... she had even been shot in the leg... but in the end, the reward for surviving this whole ordeal was nothing to shrug aside.
At least now, after a dark period in mutant history, there was a much brighter future to look forward to.
And yet... while winning the struggle was one thing, trying to pick up the pieces would prove to be equally daunting in its own way.
Once everything had settled down, one of the first things Jean did was call her family to let them know she was alright. Her parents may have been tearful and hysterical, but she knew it only showed just how much they loved her and cared for her. They were even so happy that they hardly even objected how Scott Summers proposed to their daughter.
Well, at least my leg is better, so now I can walk down the aisle, Jean thought optimistically.
A few times, she had wondered if it was right to celebrate or even be happy after all the bad things that had happened. But then again, there were always bad things happening out there, and the fact that so many were dead was no reason not to get on with her life.
Besides.../ I somehow doubt that they would have wanted me to spend the rest of my life mourning them./
Jean intended to honor their memory by setting out an extra chair for each of them, which would be empty save for a photograph of them. At least they would still attend her wedding in spirit, even if not in person.
Of course, Jean also considered how she made some new friends, so to speak, even if they couldn't replace the ones she lost. For the longest time, she had hated Magneto and Mystique - especially Mystique. However, the master of magnetism and the shapeshifter she despised and fought against were dead - it could be said they had died when Apocalypse had made them his slaves. Now, Eric and Raven had their places at the Xavier Institute, not as former enemies, but also as friends as well. Jean had learned about the events early in their lives which made them so bitter, and while that may not have excused what they had done, it did help her to understand it better.
Also, Jean knew she was far from alone when it came to being in a romantic relationship and trying to make it work. Ever since that awful night when they were all killed, new couples had begun to emerge. Kurt and Wanda, Piotr and Kitty, Alex and X23... heck, even Logan and Raven. She wasn't alone when it came to trying to make a romantic relationship work.
Again, her mind now went back to thinking about Scott, and the future they were about to share together... and for what felt like the first time, she thought about having a family with him.
Jean didn't want children at that moment, but she was pretty sure that she would children in the future. But as she thought about it, she realized something... one day, her children would come to know and learn about this horrific event, what some people were already dubbing "the Mutant Holocaust." How would she, or anyone for that matter, be able to explain it?
If anything... all of this has taught me to take life one day at a time, and cherish each day for what it's worth.
With such wisdom in mind, she ceased to gaze out the window of her new room and went downstairs for dinner.
A/N: Well, I hope this one turned out well...
Note about the thing with Annie: While Jean's childhood friend and her death from the comics might not have been canon or whatever in the XME series, it still seemed like something to put in.
Note about the thing with the empty chairs having pictures of deceased friends on them: I got the idea for that from the wedding at the end of the movie /Armageddon/. Somehow, it just seemed fitting here.
Next chapter is, obviously, about another X-Man... -Quillian
SPECIAL DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
CHAPTER 10
Telepaths, of all mutants, should know about the pros and cons of their powers, Jean Grey had decided.
People would just assume at first that in order to read other people's minds, she would have to use her powers to pry into them. Not true at all. In fact, the trick was for Jean to have to shut out the thoughts of all the other people around her. She didn't like having to hear other people's thoughts at all - everyone was entitled to their privacy, and there were some things which you just didn't want to know.
When Jean was about seven years old, her life had changed forever, and not exactly for the better. She had been playing with her childhood friend Annie when she had been accidentally hit and killed by a car. Jean could feel Anne die. Such a terrible and tragic event was bad enough for any child, but when compounded with how her telepathic powers manifested at that moment, and the first thing she felt was her best friend's death... it was truly horrible in a way which was beyond words.
But to actually feel the deaths of all of her friends still inside the Institute when it was bombed... it was at that point when Jean felt that should rather be dead than have to feel that kind of pain.
She had mourned... she had fought... she had even been shot in the leg... but in the end, the reward for surviving this whole ordeal was nothing to shrug aside.
At least now, after a dark period in mutant history, there was a much brighter future to look forward to.
And yet... while winning the struggle was one thing, trying to pick up the pieces would prove to be equally daunting in its own way.
Once everything had settled down, one of the first things Jean did was call her family to let them know she was alright. Her parents may have been tearful and hysterical, but she knew it only showed just how much they loved her and cared for her. They were even so happy that they hardly even objected how Scott Summers proposed to their daughter.
Well, at least my leg is better, so now I can walk down the aisle, Jean thought optimistically.
A few times, she had wondered if it was right to celebrate or even be happy after all the bad things that had happened. But then again, there were always bad things happening out there, and the fact that so many were dead was no reason not to get on with her life.
Besides.../ I somehow doubt that they would have wanted me to spend the rest of my life mourning them./
Jean intended to honor their memory by setting out an extra chair for each of them, which would be empty save for a photograph of them. At least they would still attend her wedding in spirit, even if not in person.
Of course, Jean also considered how she made some new friends, so to speak, even if they couldn't replace the ones she lost. For the longest time, she had hated Magneto and Mystique - especially Mystique. However, the master of magnetism and the shapeshifter she despised and fought against were dead - it could be said they had died when Apocalypse had made them his slaves. Now, Eric and Raven had their places at the Xavier Institute, not as former enemies, but also as friends as well. Jean had learned about the events early in their lives which made them so bitter, and while that may not have excused what they had done, it did help her to understand it better.
Also, Jean knew she was far from alone when it came to being in a romantic relationship and trying to make it work. Ever since that awful night when they were all killed, new couples had begun to emerge. Kurt and Wanda, Piotr and Kitty, Alex and X23... heck, even Logan and Raven. She wasn't alone when it came to trying to make a romantic relationship work.
Again, her mind now went back to thinking about Scott, and the future they were about to share together... and for what felt like the first time, she thought about having a family with him.
Jean didn't want children at that moment, but she was pretty sure that she would children in the future. But as she thought about it, she realized something... one day, her children would come to know and learn about this horrific event, what some people were already dubbing "the Mutant Holocaust." How would she, or anyone for that matter, be able to explain it?
If anything... all of this has taught me to take life one day at a time, and cherish each day for what it's worth.
With such wisdom in mind, she ceased to gaze out the window of her new room and went downstairs for dinner.
A/N: Well, I hope this one turned out well...
Note about the thing with Annie: While Jean's childhood friend and her death from the comics might not have been canon or whatever in the XME series, it still seemed like something to put in.
Note about the thing with the empty chairs having pictures of deceased friends on them: I got the idea for that from the wedding at the end of the movie /Armageddon/. Somehow, it just seemed fitting here.
Next chapter is, obviously, about another X-Man... -Quillian
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