Title: Underneath It All
Fandom: X-Men (comic verse with slight alterations)
Pairing: Jean Grey/Emma Frost
Rating: PG
Notes: Somewhat AU, basically after Genosha Scott takes off and Jean finds herself spending much more time with the Institute's newest addition, Emma Frost.
Disclaimer: Don't own them, though I do covet them.
xxx
Part 24
Epilogue
Two months later …
Jean smiled at the girls in front of her, her eyes momentarily drifting to the side as she felt a familiar presence, before she brushed a few strands of wind whipped hair off of her forehead and then slipped her tip of her sneaker underneath the black and white ball at her feet and flicked, easily catching the ball in her hands as it flew up into the air.
"I think we'll call it a day," Jean said dropping the ball and knocking it with her knee toward Sophie. "I know you've all worked up an appetite and this should give you just enough time to get cleaned up before the dinner stampede," she continued as the soccer team began to take off their pennies grumbling slightly. She knew that they'd rather stay outside for another half hour or so, but it was the there first outdoor practice since fall and she didn't want to push it.
"Aw, she said we'd scrimmage until someone scored a point," Amara grumbled trudging over toward the ball bag to dump in the ball Sophie had tossed to her after Ms. Grey began to walk and was a safe distance away.
"Yeah, but it has been about a half hour since anyone got close to scoring," Noriko added as the team began to clear the field.
"Whatever, that's totally not it. She just stopped because Ms. Frost showed up," Sofia complained. "She's around so much we should get her to be our mascot. We could change our team name to Xavier's Xirconia's."
"Zirconia is spelt with a zed dumbass," Cessily responded absently.
"Whatever, Detective Benson nobody called the spelling police. She could like at least keep score or something," Sofia retorted grumpily.
"We'd lose," Sophie told them kicking a ball over to Amara. "Ms. Frost's thoughts about Ms. Grey are often sweaty and inappropriate. She'd probably forget to keep score."
"Stepford," Sofia said slowly and deliberately. "Too. Much. Information. I know you and your sisters pretty much invented the over-share but there are certain things the rest of us never, ever need to know about our teachers. Mmkay?"
"Simmer down," Noriko responded before Sophie could. The last thing they needed was for those two too get into it. "I think it's sweet."
"What, Ms. Frost's Spice Channel fantasies?" Sofia asked giving Norkio a searching look as if she suddenly expected her to announce that she loved D.E.B.S. and listened to Tatu.
"No noob, that Ms. Frost comes to watch us practice. It's like really supportive. It's sweet. They're like totally in love," Noriko said. She wished she had a boyfriend that would come and watch her practice … and bring her hot chocolate or something.
"Yeah, alright, Ms. Frost and Ms. Grey are love. I'm totally onboard with that, I just don't wanna hear the words 'sweaty and inappropriate' used in relation to them again. It's like thinking about your parents doing it. It's disturbing," Sofia responded sighing to herself as she tried desperately not to form a mental picture in her mind … of either scenario.
"And inappropriate," Amara added smirking as Sophie closed her eyes and muttered under her breath.
"But not sweaty," Cessily continued helpfully laughing as her eyes met Amara's.
Sofie glared at them for a moment and then stomped off in front of them muttering, "I'm playing field hockey next year," under her breath as her teammates chuckled behind her.
xxx
~What's the matter with you?~ Jean asked as she approached Emma. The blonde was staring out onto the field watching the girls with a frown on her face.
"Apparently my thoughts about you are sweaty and inappropriate," Emma muttered as Jean came to a stop in front of her accepting the sweater that Emma held out for her with a soft 'thank you'. She had been in mental contact with Sophie and the rest of the Cuckoos to remind them of their session with her after dinner and had picked up the blonde's response as she left her mind.
"What?" Jean asked the blonde's words just barely registering with her as she pulled the sweater over her head. She hadn't been running around quite as much as the girls and the slight chill in the new spring air was beginning to get to her.
"Nothing," Emma muttered under her breath making a mental note to strengthen her shields while around the Cuckoos unless she was teaching them a lesson, and to give them all a long talk on how sharing people's behind-thoughts was completely unacceptable.
"Someone's grumpy," Jean commented taking a step closer to Emma and slipping her hands in the opening of the blonde's jacket, her cool hands causing Emma to flinch slightly when they came in contact with her warm skin.
"I'm not grumpy, I'm … cold. Desist," Emma complained reaching for Jean's hands as the redhead laughed and pressed her hands more firmly against Emma's skin, her laughter only increasing when the flesh under her hands turned smooth and hard. Emma's diamond form was unaffected by temperature. "No moleste," the blonde muttered as Jean stroked her fingers over the shimmering surface of her skin.
"Cheater," Jean mumbled before removing her hands from under Emma's jacket, her attention turning to her team for a moment as they headed towards the gymnasium doors. "And that means 'do not disturb'," she continued a moment later turning to face Emma again.
"Of course it does. That was the genius of the response, it works on multiple levels," Emma replied releasing her diamond form as Jean stepped towards her once again, this time wrapping her arm around Emma's waist but outside of her coat.
"Or, you know … two," Jean replied smirking at Emma. The blonde had tilted her head to the side to press a kiss to her cheek but stopped when she heard Jean's response. Unfazed Jean simply closed the small distance that remained between them and pressed her lips against Emma, smiling into the kiss as the blonde immediately responded, her irritation with Jean instantly forgotten.
"It's so good when it touches the lips," Jean whispered softly as they pulled apart before leaning back in to kiss Emma again, only pulling back when her stomach growled softly. Jean looked down at her sweater clad tummy and then glanced back up at Emma. "Honey, do you think KFC is still open?"
"I'm sure a majority of the school would love to see you go streaking naked up through the quad and into the gymnasium. Myself included," Emma responded with a small smirk as she ran her eyes up and down over Jean's body. "But you should know that no amount of nude track and field is ever going to win you back the privilege of choosing the movie," she continued as they headed into the mansion.
"Not even if it involves in-ground equipment for shot put," Jean asked in a saucy tone as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and looked over at Emma sweetly.
Emma smirked as she pushed the doors to the mansion open. "You know I positively throb when you use that tone," she purred as they walked through the doors into the hallway that would take them to the dining room.
"Oh god!" Kitty exclaimed as she passed the blonde and redhead her hands flying up to her ears. "Why do you insist on saying things I can never unhear?" she continued glaring at Emma before looking over at an amused Jean who simply shrugged her shoulders. Being around Emma was having a bad effect on her. There was a time when she would have been painfully embarrassed by Kitty overhearing Emma's comment, but those times were gone.
"You do know that there was a sexual revolution, don't you dear?" Emma asked when Kitty dropped her hands from her ears. "Women have taken control of their bodies and sexual desires. There's no need to be ashamed. If you wish to reappropriate your sexuality and overcome the strictures placed upon women by heterosexual white male oppressors hundreds of years ago say the following after me. Vagina. Va-gi-na," Emma continued annunciating very carefully as Kitty glowered at her.
"Like, why don't you eat me, Frosty," Kitty responded before turning to Jean and shooting her an apologetic look for arguing with her girlfriend, smiling a little when Jean shrugged and gave her a look that said 'I know, I know' before she continued in the direction she'd been heading in before overhearing Emma.
"Ooh, she is a fast learner," Emma practically cooed with teasing glee as Kitty retreated, turning to smirk at Jean as she spoke.
"Well done," Jean muttered shaking her head as Emma continued to grin. The blonde had gotten much better in general about minding people's feelings, but there was something about Kitty that always made Emma try to push her buttons.
~Honestly~ Emma began placing her hand on the small of Jean's back to get her moving again before simply allowing her hand to rest on Jean's hip. ~Considering her boyfriend's nickname is Colossus you'd think she'd be interested in learning some relaxation techniques to…~
~Stop!~ Jean thought repeating the word over and over again in her mind to block out Emma who had continued to chat despite her mental holler. ~I will not be able to have sex, possibly ever again, with that mental image in my mind~
A second later Jean smirked to herself when silence met her reply. Much to her amusement though not to her surprise Emma quieted down immediately once she had shared that thought.
~You know there are much more pleasurable ways to make me stop talking~ Emma said finally as began to cross the front foyer.
~Oh I know~ Jean replied smirking a little her eyes scanning the hallway around them looking completely bored to anyone who might have been looking at her as she project an image to Emma of the blonde kneeling in front of her with her mouth occupied doing something that wasn't talking though it was most certainly oral.
As Emma responded to her mentally calling her a 'wanton hussy' Jean spotted Scott casually leaning against the banister, his feet crossed at the ankles as his head tilted up towards the stairs. However despite his casual demeanor he was wearing what Jean knew he considered one of his finer suits and she found her eyes following his gaze. Almost immediately she spotted Betsy coming down the stairs. Not surprisingly the Brit was wearing purple, though she was dressed in a form fitting cocktail dress rather than her usual attire.
Slowing her stride slightly Jean watched as Betsy reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped closer to Scott who straightened up as reached him. The purple haired woman then leaned up slightly and brushed her lips against Scott's cheek, a slight blush dusting his features before he reached for her hand.
~Are you coming or should I send for provisions?~ Emma asked as they slowed to a near stop, her gentle pushing on Jean's back having absolutely no effect whatsoever. ~Oh, I see~ Emma continued a moment later following Jean's gaze to watch as Scott and Betsy headed for the front door hand in hand. ~Can I stop being nice to him now?~
~You were nice to him?~ Jean asked chuckling slightly as she finally allowed Emma to manhandle her towards the dining room once more.
~There was the one time. It taxed me~ Emma responded smirking over at her lover.
~I must have blinked~ Jean replied even though she knew that Emma had been on good behavior while dealing with Scott over the past few months. There were times when they were forced to interact with other that she could see her girlfriend just barely holding back a number of scathing comments, and she suspected that when they bumped into each other when she wasn't around to mediate that their interactions were even less civil.
~You wound me, Tiger~ Emma sent not sounding the least bit upset.
~I suppose I'll have to find a way to make it up to you then~ Jean responded sending a few additions to the earlier scenario she had sent Emma a few minutes before.
Emma smiled widely as they walked through doors to the dining room.
"I do love you," Emma breathed out as they started towards the kitchen, her words loud enough for Jean to hear but soft enough that the buzz of mealtime conversation that surround them drowned out the comment from the people that walked and sat around them.
~I love you too, baby~ Jean sent to the blonde her hand finding Emma's as they walked through the faculty entrance to see what was on the menu for the day.
"In that case, dinner's on me," Emma replied sweeping her hand in front of her chivalrously allowing Jean to walk in front of her.
"Careful, you're going to spoil me," the redhead responded dryly.
Emma smiled as Jean greeted the chief and struck up a brief conversation with the woman, leaning herself artfully against the wall so that she could observe Jean as she spoke. A few moments later she dutifully reached out in front of her taking a tray Jean held back for her absently as she continued to speak. Emma pushed off of the wall taking the few steps necessary to get her to the counter joining the other two women, her hand resting on Jean's hip lightly as she peered over the glass to see what was for dinner.
Emma barely resisted the urge to sigh dramatically as she saw the meal selection. Working at the institute was destroying her well cultivated palate. She was going to have to talk to Charles about the menu, because she simply couldn't stand the thought that she was actually beginning to look forward to meatloaf night. However, as Jean leaned into her body and pressed a soft kiss to her check when Mabel or Margaret or Maylee or whatever the hell the cooks name was moved to the side to prepare their dinners, Emma to admit ... life was good.
The End
Well, that's it. We've finally come to the end of this crazy ride :D I hope you all enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
xxx
Footnote:
The following lines were taken from Joss Whedon's "Astonishing X-Men".
"Ms. Frost's thoughts about … are often sweaty and inappropriate" "I positively and "Why do you insist on saying things I can never unhear?"
I just absolutely loved them and thought they were hilarious so I included them in my story. So there is my disclaimer.