Chapter Text
The tension between Charles and Erik was high and thick. Jean thought it was a miracle she could breathe in the plane as it seemed to shrink in size, even after Peter had left. She couldn't handle it and chose, yet again, to stay in the cockpit. She wanted to stay away from their rising emotions and the cause of her own, this Logan. Sadly, she realized this man would always affect her so. She could hide any further in her seat either as he entered the cockpit, attempting to give Charles and Erik some sort of privacy. She quietly cursed under her breath as she felt her heart race at his proximity, and the tempting lure of his mind reaching for hers once again.
The distance between them closed further as he began to project his thoughts at her. Promises of love, affection, and eternal loyalty, should she choose him this time around, were hurled her way. As Charles and Erik's anger grew, it added to her own growing anger. She violently pushed at Logan's psyche. Then Erik began to affect the plane with his powers, making them nearly crash. At the same time, his anger fed into her own emotions and she glared at Logan, a fire lighting behind her eyes. "I don't want your future!"
"Then make your own Jeannie."
She rose from her seat as the plane leveled out and settled, the crash avoided. It was her turn to be the aggressor as she got into Logan's face, "I will not give into your goading."
"I know, it's what makes the chase so fun."
His words, as arrogant as they were, couldn't hold back the hurt that came off of him in waves to her. In his future, she did not choose him, and he must have been afraid she would do so again. It was the only way she could explain why he suddenly captured her lips with his. What she couldn't explain was why she didn't fight it, or why she was driven to return it. For once in a very long time, she was thankful for Charles. He pulled Logan away before she could make a decision she might regret.
"Get off of her! You're here to help with Raven. That is all."
Did Jean feel jealousy prick at the back of her mind? Her brown eyes bore into Charles as Logan put his hands up in surrender. Charles was confusing the hell out of her today, as if any of them needed more confusion. She wondered what his eyes would tell her if he would actually look at her. "Jean," He sounded concerned, truthfully and sincerely concerned, "are you okay?"
She nodded slowly, "I think so..."
"Good, we don't need you bringing the plane down too."
There went any semblance of the man she once knew again. She sighed and pushed past the two men to sit at the back of the plane, in hopes of being left alone. Keeping her back to them all, she ran her fingers over her still tingling lips. She felt like he had seared her with his fierce passion. She hadn't stopped him, and if left alone, she may have ended up returning it and fueling it further. What was she doing?
If she thought logically, she knew to abandon any thought of being with Logan. When he was done here, he'd leave and she'd have to wait for years to be with him again. On top of it all, there wasn't a promise it'd be the same him she knew now. And what of Charles? Was he purely possessive of her or was he hiding something more? How would she even go about bringing it up? She was glad Erik and Charles had at least calmed down, no longer feeding into her own tempest of emotions.
"You like her Charles," Erik said quietly as they played a game of chess, "You're not trying to replace Raven are you?"
"I could never. She's my ward, nothing more. I'm protecting her from those who would take advantage of her, and from herself."
"You never learn, do you? You are replacing Raven. If you aren't careful, you'll drive her away too."
"No. You took Raven away, there's a difference."