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Standing on the balcony attached to her room, Anna Marie let her gaze sweep over the extensive grounds of the academy. The gardens were pretty enough, and there seemed to be enough entertainment options for a herd of hyper-powered people. But something about it all felt so empty. Maybe it was the cycle of loss and suffering that seemed to be par for course when you were a mutant. It sucked the life out of them – like her powers.
Hah.
The irony.
Her eyes caught on the vivid red of Jean’s hair, and she felt her breath catch. Everyone saw Jean and thought of fire – probably because of her tangled history with the Phoenix Force in addition to her appearance. If only they knew the omega-level mutant the way Anna Marie did; the way she couldn’t help because of the powers she had absorbed. She shook her head. People only saw what they wanted to, not what was really there.
That evening, after dinner, Marie found herself wandering those self-same gardens. Somehow the moonlight seemed kinder for the way it gently caressed whatever it found instead of burning the way the sun did. And, all the good little mutants were getting ready for either bedtime or movie night, meaning the gardens were blissfully empty.
Well, almost.
Stopping short, the redhead eyed the familiar figure on the lip of the fountain. “Y’know, honey, the movie ain’t showin’ out here,” Anna Marie drawled.
Jean flicked her fingers across the surface of the water, clearly unsurprised by the other woman’s presence. “I know,” she said simply.
With something of a mental shrug, Anna Marie moved to sit on the cold stone a few feet away from Jean. But, she was stopped by the feel of the telepath’s hand on her sleeve. An auburn brow rose in a fine arch as Jean carefully pulled her down to sit beside her, their thighs nearly brushing. “I’m not afraid of your powers, Rogue,” she said, answering the unspoken fear that had instinctively flared up from the base of Anna Marie’s spine.
“Awful cocky of ya, don’t you think?” Anna Marie tried to play the comment off as a quip, but her emerald eyes were too sharp for the joke to work.
Jean laughed a little. “Maybe. You’re a lot stronger than people give you credit for.” Her gaze fell to rest on the brick path that circled the fountain. “In a lot of ways, I think you’re stronger than I’ll ever be.”
“That’s rich,” the Mississippian mumbled under her breath. “Especially given what you do on the regular, darlin’.”
The empath shook her head. “Not our powers, Anna Marie. Though yours are very impressive. I mean…” She took a steadying breath. “You love whoever you want. Even if you can’t touch them, even if society tells you it’s wrong. You love them anyway.” Jean glanced up at Anna Marie through her eyelashes. “I wish I was more like you.”
A frown furrowed Anna Marie’s brow. “But you love Scott. Everyone knows –“
“Everyone says I belong with Scott, so I’m with Scott,” Jean corrected. “They’d never let me be with who I really wanted. I’m just … a pretty bauble – powerful, valuable, rare – meant to belong to somebody. Without any autonomy.”
“Honey, if you feel that way, you should –“ Anna Marie’s thoughts ground to a halt when Jean laid her hand on top of hers. There was an initial spark of Rogue’s powers trying to draw Jean’s life force, but then it whispered to a stop.
“Force field,” Jean explained softly.
Green eyes met green eyes as the two women, who to so many would seem like two sides of the same coin, looked at one another with understanding. In that brief contact Jean had shared the thoughts, feelings, and preferences she had determined had to be hidden. “You don’t have to belong to him, y’know,” Anna Marie murmured after a moment. “You’re Jean Grey. Strongest mutant alive. Nobody could stop you from bein’ whoever you wanted.”
“That’s sweet of you, Marie. To believe in me that way.” Jean leaned a little closer. “I wish..”
The pair were so close, they shared breaths. “Wish what?” Anna Marie whispered.
“That I believed you.”
Jean rose to her feet, breaking the contact with a suddenness that stole Rogue’s breath. “You going to come watch the movie, Rogue?” Her voice echoed – too bright – across the garden. “I promised Scott I would sit by him, so I should really get going. But you should come join! It’s super fun.”
White noise echoed in Anna Marie’s head as Jean took another few steps away, the distance between them gaping wider and wider with each breath. Ducking her head, she blinked back the tears that had started to gather in her eyes. “No thanks,” she croaked. “I’ll stay here. Where I belong.”
As Jean walked away – nearly ran – Anna Marie buried her face in her hands. Everyone was wrong when they compared Jean to fire. But she was cold and untouchable, sharp and hard. And oh, how she loved that diamond-hearted woman.