Are You Kidding? (Final 2 parts)
Part 6
"How are we supposed to concentrate on lessons when we know she's fucking Frosty?" Bobby leaned over and whispered to Rogue, who choked on a giggle.
Jean's eyes flashed and she stood up, sending her chair flying back into the wall with a loud bang. "Bobby!" she yelled, struggling valiantly to keep the Phoenix force under control as she walked to his desk, put her hands on the edges of it and leaned forward so her face was only a few inches from his. At the surprised and terror-stricken look on his face, she almost grinned. "What? Did you think I couldn't hear you? Even if I couldn't hear you..." she said, and paused, then tapped her head and continued, "I could hear you." She slowly straightened up and headed back to the front of the room.
Kitty smirked and leaned over to whisper to her friends, "Rogue, are you sure she doesn't have your powers? I think she's absorbed some of Frosty's personality..."
Jean spun around and leveled a very intimidating gaze at Kitty. "The next person who speaks of my personal life..." she said, letting the threat hang in the air as she removed the ever useful paddle from her top drawer and set it on her desk, retrieving her chair and sitting back down.
They didn't look scared. They should have. She meant it. She was a teacher, and they had no business carrying on about her personal affairs. How did they know, anyway? Scott must have been an immature idiot and blabbed out of spite. How typical.
The remark came from the student Jean least expected it from. She almost couldn't believe her ears. Monet St. Croix, possibly the best student in the room. "Does she taste as good as she looks?" The question was directly to Jean.
Jean had to breathe before she turned her chair around to face the class. She was losing control fast - both of herself and of her students - and she needed to get it back. Now. So though she really didn't want to punish the girl, she had to. "Being a St. Croix does not excuse you from punishment," she said calmly. "Please come up here."
Monet walked with a swagger Jean hadn't seen before, her lips curled into a proud smirk. Was she going through some sort of hazing for a nonexistent sorority? What the hell was going on? She was about to order her over the desk when Monet casually draped herself across Jean's lap.
"Punishments are done over the desk," Jean informed her, masking her surprise effectively.
"The desk is indisposed," Monet replied, turning her head to look at Jean as she braced her hands against the floor. To illustrate her point she took a deep breath and sighed as she exhaled. "Hard to tell the difference between you."
Despite herself, Jean felt her cheeks heat up… damnit, a whole weekend had gone by, how the hell could the scent still be lingering on the desk?! Even with heightened senses. She so wished Emma were here to take half of this. Where the hell was she, anyway? She was supposed to be observing class again. And if the students were this bold, what was it going to be like facing the other staff members? She'd kill Scott. Rip him limb from limb. Take his visor and cut his dick off with his own eyes. Ooh... maybe she had absorbed some of Emma's personality. That was certainly not a Jean-like idea.
With an exasperated sigh, Jean picked up the paddle and brought it down against Monet's backside with a swift crack.
Monet, apparently not having expected Jean to go through with it, sucked in a sharp breath. "Fuck," she exhaled, staring at the floor. She debated apologizing - she had only been playing around a bit - but she couldn't resist showing off just a little in front of her classmates. Especially when Emma walked in.
"Sorry I'm la-" she stopped and looked at the front of the classroom, following the rapt eyes of all the students. "Hmm... what are you doing?" she asked, though it was obvious.
Monet looked up at Emma, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Besides you?" she asked.
Emma blinked, also finding this shocking coming from Monet. Kitty, yes. Monet, no. The class collectively gasped at Monet's affront. They only said things like that behind Ms. Frost's back. Well, except Kitty of course. "Excuse me?" she asked, just as Jean responded with another blazing crack of the paddle.
Monet gritted her teeth, looking back down, wiggling just the slightest bit with the discomfort. She should have quit while she was behind. Why, oh why had she decided to test her teacher? Maybe she was just a little sick of not having any fun. It was hard to be serious all the time... she deserved a break, didn't she? She worked so hard after all. She probably had the best grades in the class.
The paddle landed again and she squirmed harder, really regretting her decision. "Come on Dr. Grey, I was just teasing," she whispered. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to really upset you. It's... I mean it was halfway amusing, wasn't it?" She spoke quietly but Emma heard her and walked over, crouching down next to her.
"You picked a bad time to try your hand at humor, Ms. St. Croix," she said. "Detention. For one week. And an essay on the evils of trying to outwit your teachers. A thousand words or more. Let her up, Jean," she said, just as the bell rang.
The rest of the students tore out of class faster than usual. Jean was not happy with Emma's interference, but she let Monet up and the girl walked quickly from the room. Once they were alone, she shut and locked the (repaired) door with her TK and turned to Emma. "Don't undermine me in front of the students," she said with a frown.
"What?" Emma asked, thinking she must not have heard right.
"You heard me. You just storm in here five minutes before class ends, come up and take away any respect I might have earned from my class? Do you know what they were saying? God damnit, Emma!" Jean felt bad as soon as she'd said it. She was frustrated with the situation and was taking it out on Emma, unfairly. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head.
"I should hope so," Emma replied coolly. "There were more important matters I wished to discuss with you. But now I have something even more pressing to attend to. Get your bottom up from that chair and go stand in the corner, little miss," she commanded, pointing to the closest corner of the room.
"What?" Jean asked, staring at Emma incredulously. She felt her anger bubbling to the surface, ready to spill over. "I am not some damn student!" she shouted. "I am not going to stand in the corner!"
Scott was walking by the classroom and heard yelling. He tried the door, but it was locked. Quickly he blasted it open, without a thought that it could just be a simple argument between lovers.
Jean spun around to face him, her fury barely contained. Her cheeks were red again, and not from embarrassment. "Scott!" she bellowed. "I am having a very disturbing sense of dé-ja-vu! If you blast my classroom door one more time I'm going to castrate you with your own power!"
Scott stood there, stunned into immobilization, his jaw dropped nearly to the floor. Emma was also in disbelief, though hers quickly turned into an ear-to-ear grin. Oh, she loved this. Jean's temper was thrilling. And she was the one that got to rein it in.
"I suggest you pick up your balls and retreat, soldier," Emma threw Scott's way, nodding toward the once again doorless doorway. "My darling's in a mood."
Scott was still too shocked to want to strangle Emma, and he actually stumbled backwards to the doorway, then backed slowly out of the room. Castrate him with his own power? Just... what the fuck?!
When he was out of sight Emma turned to Jean. "Put the door back together and do as I told you," she said in the coolest tone she had used since Friday afternoon. "I am very disappointed in you, Jean." She knew the last statement would upset her lover, but she also knew it would calm her down.
The fury inside her swirled and welled to an almost unbearable level, then started to wisp away like smoke at Emma's declaration of disappointment. That was an awful thing for her to hear. Anger she could deal with. Disappointment was much worse. She wrestled the Phoenix force back to dormant status, focused on the door and fixed it properly, then gave Emma a pleading look, complete with doe eyes that said 'please don't send me away when all I want to do is be near you'.
Emma just shook her head and glanced at the corner, then back to the mindless task of examining her manicure. She wanted Jean near her too, but she was not going to be disobeyed. She knew that if she looked at her, she'd lose her resolve and gather the gorgeous woman into her arms.
Jean dropped her head slightly as she shuffled to the corner, fighting back tears. She hadn't meant to get so upset... and to have Emma punish her like this was worse than any spanking or paddling she could imagine. She really wasn't sorry for what she said to Scott, though. He deserved it. But she was unearthly sorry for upsetting Emma enough to put her in the corner. Jean had been made to do it a few times as a child, and she always felt abandoned, like her parents just couldn't stand to look at her or something. She tried not to feel that way now, but she couldn't help it.
Emma could feel Jean's surface thoughts and she pushed lightly with her mind. **Darling, the purpose of this is to make you think about your actions... you disobeyed me and you cursed at me like a petulant child. Petulant children get sent to stand in the corner, and that is why you're being made to do so. Not because I don't want to look at you. I always want to look at you. I'm right here with you. Despite seeming to ignore you, I am not. Now be my good girl and stand still... put your hands on the back of your head, Jeannie.**
Feeling Emma in her mind calmed Jean's nerves, and she did her best to stand still, placing her hands on the back of her head as Emma instructed. She registered the pet name as well, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Emma had never called her that before. It just made her want to please her lover even more. She stood very still, thinking over what she'd done to get herself here. She had snapped at Emma for no reason, taken out her frustration on her instead of talking to her about it. Her arms started to ache, she'd been standing here for at least ten minutes. Just as she was about to ask if she could put her arms down, Emma called her.
"Come here baby," she said from her perch on the teacher's desk, holding out her arms. Oh dear... baby? Where had that come from?
Jean turned and immediately walked over to melt into Emma's arms. She didn't know where it had come from either but she really liked hearing Emma call her baby. She almost called her Mommy in response - almost. "I'm sorry," she said instead, hugging her lover tightly. "It won't happen again."
Emma's eyes glinted with mischief. "You really do need to put up better shields, dear. They fall to pieces around me."
"Huh?" Jean asked, tilting her head to the side, a bit confused.
Emma stood up and took her by the chin, looking straight into her eyes. "I'm very glad you're sorry, little girl, but did you think Mommy was through punishing you?" she asked as if speaking to a very naughty child.
Jean's face paled and her throat went dry. Her mouth dropped open and she just stared at Emma. "Upstairs, wait for me on your bed," the White Queen continued, pointing at the classroom door.
Jean opened her mouth to argue, and Emma stood with her hands on her hips, giving the redhead a very motherly look. "Yes Mommy," she mumbled instead, hurrying past Emma and up to her room.
The White Queen chuckled to herself, then went in search of a few things. About five minutes later she knocked on Jean's door and then entered, holding her hairbrush, two rubberbands, and a storybook along with a pair of Care-Bear pajamas she swiped from Betsy.
Jean had had five minutes to sit on her bed and accept the fact that Emma was playing Mommy. It was hard for her to sink into the role of a child, but she did her best. Emma was boss, after all. So she was currently sitting in the middle of her bed, knees drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on them, with her arms folded around her shins. "Am I gonna get a spankin?" she asked in the tiniest voice she could manage, trying to sound like she didn't want one. She didn't figure a little girl would want one, after all.
Emma sat down on the bed next to her and shook her head. "No baby, but you are going to take a nap."
Jean's face soured... she wasn't tired in the least. "I'm not tired," she whined.
Emma ignored the protest and turned Jean to face the window so she could brush her hair. She took her time, careful of any tangles, and then pulled the doctor's hair into two pigtails. Jean whimpered and squirmed throughout the whole process, getting into her role a little bit. This could actually be pretty fun.
"I'm not tired!" she whined again, this time louder, spinning around to face Emma once her pigtails were in place.
Oh God, Jean looked adorable... Emma had to will herself not to smile - her 'daughter' was misbehaving. "Do you need help getting your pajamas on?" she asked patiently, again ignoring the whine.
"No I can do it myself!" Jean yelled, grabbing the pajamas from Emma and scooting to the far side of the bed.
"Hey," Emma said in a tone that Jean thought sounded like she'd make a great mother someday. "I know you're upset with me, but if you keep behaving like this then you'll get a spanking and a nap. Now come over here..."
Jean pouted as she complied, making her lower lip tremble. "Uh-uh," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want neither one."
Emma gently took the pajamas and helped Jean undress, then slipped the cotton shirt over her head and helped her into the cute little shorts. For all intents and purposes, Jean looked like a little kid, and Emma laughed at herself internally for having the thought that her kid was the cutest in the world. She had to remind herself that motherly pride should be reserved for actual mothers. "Okay sweetie, climb into bed," she instructed, pulling back Jean's covers for her.
Jean really commanded the pouting to a level of excellence. Emma had to look away. With a sigh, Jean crawled under the blankets and then pulled them up to her neck, snuggling down into bed. "Can I still have a story even though I was a bad girl?" she asked after being quiet for a few moments.
Emma leaned down and placed a kiss on Jean's forehead. "You weren't a bad girl, honey, you just made a bad choice. You're never a bad girl, and don't you forget it." She tapped her little girl's nose for emphasis, smiling at her. "And you always get a story, don't you?"
Jean bit her lip and nodded. Was Emma actually going to read her a story and make her take a nap? Apparently she was, because she picked up a book from the floor and started to read. Jean really wasn't tired, but Emma's soothing voice relaxed her and she let her eyes drift closed anyway.
Emma finished the story and set the book on Jean's nightstand, kissing her forehead once more and making sure she was properly tucked in. Her lover's breathing had changed and Emma was surprised to find that she was actually asleep. "Good night," she whispered, and headed for the door. She stopped and turned when she was halfway out, and after a moment's hesitation whispered, "I love you," before turning out the light and closing the door behind her.
Part 7
"Where's Jean?" Scott demanded angrily, standing over Emma at the dinner table in the cafeteria.
"Napping," Emma replied, forking a carrot and taking a dainty bite. "Would you wake her for me please?" She gave Scott a sickeningly sweet smile.
Scott grunted and turned around, heading up the stairs and to Jean's room. He burst in without knocking, as Cyclopses tend to do, and blinked in disbelief yet again at the sight before him. Jean was wearing... were those Betsy's pajamas? And her hair... what the hell was that?
Jean stirred at the opening door, squinting against the flood of light Scott let into the room. "Scott? What are you doing?" she asked, slowly pulling the rubberbands out of her hair and letting it fall gracefully across her back and shoulders once more.
Scott squeaked.
"What was that?" Jean asked, running her hands over her face in an attempt to wake up faster. "Didn't catch it." She blinked then, focusing on her ex. "What are you doing in my room, Scott?"
Scott's neck twitched like he was developing some sort of nervous tic. "Emma asked me to wake you up," he ground out between clenched teeth, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Why are you dressed like that? And why was your hair in... pigtails?"
Jean sat up and stretched. "I don't believe that's any of your concern anymore," she said casually, running her fingers through her hair. And just to be mean, she asked him, "Where's Mommy?"
"What?" Scott spluttered, shaking his head and making an unintelligible noise. "What kind of sick shit are you two doing together?!"
"Again, none of your concern," Jean stated, climbing out of bed and walking past Scott toward her closet.
"I still care about you, I think it is my concern," Scott started to say, but Jean turned on him and projected an image into his mind. It was the most horrible memory she possessed, and she was delighted to share it with him in case he'd forgotten. Scott in bed with her mother.
"Enough said," she retorted, pushing past him and stalking down to the cafeteria without bothering to change clothes.
Scott growled and slammed his fist into the wall. Good thing he wasn't Colossus. The wall suffered not. But Scott may have broken a knuckle or two.
Nobody wanted to mess with Jean when they saw the look on her face, and the way she was stalking into the cafeteria with a purpose. Except Betsy - she stood up and shouted, "Hey!"
Jean stopped and looked at her, an unwitting accomplice in the pajama theft. "What?" she snarled.
"Oh dear God," Emma said, slapping her forehead lightly. Why had Jean come to dinner in those pajamas? It was wrong on so many levels. "Betsy, dear," she called over to the next table. "My fault." She turned to Jean with a quizzical expression as her lover reached their table. "I took the liberty of fixing you a plate. Sit down and enjoy it, then we'll discuss... this." She waved her hand to encompass Jean's attire.
Jean sat down next to Emma and started picking at her plate. Why couldn't Scott just... fuck off? "Thanks," she sighed, taking a bite of chicken.
Betsy frowned and sat back down. "Those are my pajamas," she said flatly to whoever was listening.
"You won't want them back now," Kitty said, causing a few of the other students at her table to spew milk out their noses.
Betsy turned on Kitty. "That is not amusing," she informed her, then gave Jean one more evil eye before resuming her evening meal.
"Why did Dr. Grey break up with Scott?" Bobby asked suddenly.
Kitty and Rogue gawked at him. "You don't know?" Kitty asked, and when Bobby shook his head, she continued, more quietly so as not to be overheard by Jean or Emma. "He slept with her mother!"
Bobby choked on a lump of chicken, and when he finally managed to dislodge it from his windpipe it shot across the table and smacked Kitty right in the face.
The uncontrollable laughter from the students' table caught Emma's attention and she glanced their way. She saw the piece of chicken plastered to Kitty's face and was satisfied that the laughter wasn't directed at Jean. She put her arm around Jean, settling her hand on her lover's waist, and whispered into her ear. "I have something for you to wear... it's laid out on my bed."
Jean shivered, her nipples hardening beneath the pajama top, straining against the fabric.
Emma's hand slid beneath the table, caressing Jean through her shorts, and then she stood up. "I'll be waiting for you upstairs in my room. Don't be long."
Jean had no intention of finishing her dinner after that. Maybe a cold shower instead of warm chicken? Emma had bought her a gift? She could only imagine what sort of outfit Emma had gotten... she hoped it wasn't too similar to the Hellfire garb. She watched Emma walk out of the kitchen just as Scott walked in. Oh no...
Emma saw Scott coming and just hoped he would leave well enough alone. He didn't. "What did you do to her?" he shouted, blocking Emma's path out of the cafeteria.
"Nothing she didn't beg for," Emma answered quietly, aware that all eyes were on them. "She's a big girl, Scott, she can make her own decisions. She doesn't need a daddy to look out for her. Leave her alone if you know what's good for you."
"Is that a threat?" Scott asked in his inherently macho way.
"Not from me, dear, but I can't be held responsible for Jean's actions if you continue to hassle her. Or have you forgotten already that you almost awakened the Phoenix? If you do it again, I won't calm her down."
It infuriated Scott that Emma was the one to calm Jean down these days and not him. "You know-"
"If I were you, I would take responsibility for my actions and start acting like a man, Scott."
"What act-"
"I wonder what your mother looks like naked?" Emma mused, cutting him off...
Scott's face went red and he looked like he was about to explode. "You bitch!" he hissed, and Emma saw his right hand heading toward his visor. She was about to try to stop him when he suddenly flew upwards and crashed into the ceiling of the cafeteria, then fell back down to the floor, sprawled out on his stomach and unconscious. She didn't have to turn around to know what had happened, but she slowly turned anyway.
Jean was certainly a sight to behold, hovering in mid-air, a bright orange flame surrounding her body. Her eyes were black, furious... Everyone in the room had hurried to the other side, as far away from her as they could. Some of the younger kids were crying, some of the kids were mesmerized, some were terrified and some thought it was awesome. Even the staff had moved away.
Emma cursed their skittishness and slowly walked to Jean. She stopped a few feet in front of her, looked into those deep, black eyes, and held out her hand.
"Emma, no!" Betsy yelled in warning, covering her face against what she was sure to become of the blonde.
The Phoenix bubbled and swirled inside of Jean's consciousness, creating a void, yearning to suck everything inside it and shatter it into a million pieces. Jean struggled to surface, but her vision was blurry and she didn't have control of her limbs. The sight of Emma standing there, however, where no one else dared to stand, holding out her hand, risking death to bring her back, made her struggle harder and she managed to extinguish the flame surrounding her and take Emma's hand. Her body slowly descended back to the floor, her eyes their rich, warm brown once again, and she collapsed into her lover's arms. "I'm sorry," she choked out in a heartbroken sob. "He was-he was going to hurt you, I..."
"Shhh," Emma cooed, stroking Jean's hair as she held her tight. "It's all right."
"But I just-I couldn't let him because-"
"Jean, honey, it's all right," Emma repeated, shaking her head. "I've got you. Just calm down, take a deep breath... Everyone's fine, even Scott. It's okay."
"Let me finish," Jean pleaded through her tears. "Because I-I love you," she whispered, clinging tightly to the White Queen.
Emma was vaguely aware that they still had an audience, but her heart melted anyway and she kissed Jean fiercely, brushing her hair back from her face and then looking into those beautiful eyes before she responded. "I never thought I would say this to anyone, but I love you too, Jean." She was going to be hounded mercilessly about this, she knew it, but the look on Jean's face was worth anything she might endure in the coming weeks.
"You do?" Jean gasped, staring at Emma in wonder. She had certainly not expected Emma to reciprocate.
Emma gave a slight nod and a half-smile. "Don't rub it in," she said, her smile growing a bit.
Jean grinned like a schoolgirl on her first date. She was... well... giddy. Not only had Emma just said she loved her, but she had said it in front of the entire faculty and student body! It had to be true then, and she was going to spend the rest of her life making sure Emma never had one regret about falling in love.