A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews you've given me after chapter 26. I really appreciate you spending your time to let me know what you think about my work. I tried to hurry with this chapter, since I intend to finish this story before New Year's Eve. I hope it's good enough for you guys!

Again, please review.


Chapter 27 - Celebrations

Edinburgh, Scotland

A warm body moved beside him, waking him up from a pleasant dream. Scott leaned against the bed's headboard and carefully opened his eyes - first the right, then the left - a habit he had acquired after retiring his goggles six months ago. The wall in front of him remained intact, and the world was still colorful. Good.

He looked to his left. Jean was sleeping soundlessly on her stomach, her face turned to him, red strands in contrast to the white pillow. Her right knee was touching his leg, and a bare arm was partially stretched in his direction. Scott thought she'd never looked so beautiful. At the sight of her, flashes of last night's love making invaded his mind, and he smiled. He had dreamed off him and Jean so many times, especially during the past nights when they had shared hotel rooms all around the U.K. However, until yesterday, they had never shared a bed, nor their bodies... It had felt good, and natural, and so… right. It had felt damn right.

Scott turned on his left side, leaning his head on his palm and his elbow against the pillow. He watched Jean in her sleep, the same way he used to watch his deceased wife. He couldn't help but to compared the two women. The most obvious aspect, both being redheads, and as strong-willed as they come. Also, both were crazy about Nathan, and the boy about them; sadly, though, only one was his real mother.

Madelyne. She and Scott had fallen in love, gotten married and started building a family. Together, they were creating their own history. Scott loved a lot of things about her. Maddie was smart and beautiful. She was bold, adventurous, independent. Unfortunately, those three characteristics, added to a good load of bad luck, had turned him into a widow.

Jean, on the other hand, was more cautious, dependable, selfless - she had kept his son safe at the expense of her own security during the attacks to the mansion. He would always cherish her for it. But that wasn't all. She was funny, clever, gorgeous. And so, so very sexy, as she had taught him a few hours ago.

Unlike Maddie, Jean was a mutant. She was powerful and could be dangerous, just like him. Around her, Scott didn't have to pretend to be someone else, he could be himself. A mutant. An X-Man. Cyclops. During their marriage, Madelyne had never really accepted his mutation, and they had fought several times because of it. Whereas he and Jean had gotten along more than well since day one. It seemed as if he knew her forever, when in fact they'd known each other for barely two months. But so much had happened since… Nate's telepathy, Rachel's premature birth, Logan leaving, himself becoming an X-Man… Then there was the Hellfire Club's attack, Jean's nearly death, their escape to England. They had supported each other during all those bad times, and shared some few good ones. Or great ones, like last night.

But Jean already came with a history. She was a mother, and her daughter meant everything to her. On top of that, the father was no one less than Wolverine, the feral ex-leader of the X-Men. A man feared by enemies and admired by allies. A man who had broken Jean's heart over and over again. Scott wondered if, after Logan, the redhead had become distrustful of men. He hoped not.

He felt the urge to caress Jean's face, but didn't dare to touch her. She might wake up and realize that last night was a mistake. That she was still in love with Wolverine. That she wanted them to remain as friends only. But after last night, could he ever look at her as only a friend? Scott sighed. If she wanted nothing else with him, last night's actions might have ruined an honest-to-God friendship.

He turned around to glance at the nightstand's clock. 5:52 a.m. It meant that Nathan was about to wake up. It also meant that Jean had overslept and skipped Rachel's night feeding. She would blame herself. And maybe blame him.

Scott stood up and picked his sweatpants and shirt from the floor. After he was properly dressed, he retrieved a formula can from his backpack and prepared his son's milk. With a bottle in hand, he softly treaded into the adjoining bedroom and turned on the small lamp.

Under the dim light, he saw that Nate was still asleep. Rachel, however, was wide awake, her little arms waving around and her blue eyes staring at him. Scott smiled at the small being in front of him – he thought she looked adorable in her light green onesie. He rested Nathan's bottle on the coffee table and picked the girl up, noticing that her diapers were heavy. He took a clean diaper from Jean's backpack and silently changed the baby.

Now that she was dry and comfortable in his strong arms, Rachel started sucking her right hand. "Hungry, huh? I think it's time we woke up your mom. What do you say, Rach? You think she'll be mad at me?" Scott quietly asked the girl while he reentered the main bedroom. He turned on the lamp on his nightstand and sat back on the bed, holding Rachel against his chest. He softly touched the redhead's shoulder. "Jean?"

The woman drowsily opened a green eye and pouted. "Hmm?" Her eyelid closed again.

Scott grinned. "You might want to wake up. I've changed Rach's diaper, but I don't think I can help her any further."

That made Jean shot up in bed. "Shit. What time's it?" She realized that she was naked and quickly covered her chest with the sheets. "Shit."

"Almost six," he handed her the baby.

"Damn! I should've woken three hours ago," she took her daughter from his hands. "Thanks for changing her," she placed Rachel's mouth around her left nipple and flinched when the girl started sucking.

"You okay?" She heard Scott asking.

"Yes. I'm just a little… sensitive," Jean admitted, making the man blush.

"I…" Scott hesitated. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh no. You didn't," the redhead said. 'Quite the opposite,' she thought, but didn't dare to verbalize.

"What about your thigh?"

"It's fine, it's not hurting," she gave him a faint smile. "I'm fine, Scott."

"Okay. So, uh… J-Jean… About last night… I uh… I had a real good time. I… I-I like you… a lot. We're good friends… right? And I… I-I don't want things to get… awkward… between us. I mean… if you want it to be a one night thing… I'm fine with that. I am," he nodded.

The redhead watched him at loss of words. Had he just said that he liked her? She had gotten that impression when he'd let her see the attacks to the mansion in his mind. She thought she'd sensed his despair when he saw the Black Queen sucking the life out of her. But then… why would he… why would he say he was fine with being just friends?

"Okay then," Scott couldn't hold her gaze any longer. Why wasn't she saying anything? He stood up. "I have to wake Nate now... give him his bottle. We should prepare to leave soon. Warren's supposed to find a boat to take us to Muir Island first thing in the morning."

"'kay," she nodded in response, distractedly. Scott walked away, but she almost didn't notice. Her mind had drifted away, recalling last night's events. Hadn't their love making been good? Jean thought it'd been more than good. She had felt so much pleasure… And she'd felt cared for, she'd felt… loved. Like she hadn't felt in a long time. Since…

Logan. He'd loved her once, like that. Passionately, without restraints, and so deeply they couldn't get enough of each other… They had been in love back then. Before she'd found out about the feral inside him, before she'd gotten pregnant, before she'd seen his claws unleashing six feet across from her. Before she'd became… afraid of him.

Jean drew in a breath. She had given a lot of excuses to why she had ended her relationship with Logan. He was always away. He was always lying. He didn't want to become a father. He would never leave the X-Men. As much as some of it was real, the truth was she had grown fearful of him. Deep down, she knew he'd never hurt her, and she knew he'd tried to patch things up between them the best he could. Yet, she'd pushed him away. And now he was the one pushing away. The pictures. She remembered those awful pictures.

And who had been slowly picking up the pieces of her broken heart? Who had helped her through the darkest hours, when she thought her baby girl, the same baby girl who was now eagerly sucking breastmilk, wouldn't make it? Who had made her feel wanted and loved again? Scott had.

Scott. And herself. Last night.

It had been perfect. Perfect motion, perfect synchrony. He'd been tender but assertive, thoughtful but bold. Scott was masculine and handsome, and those abs… Oh, those abs. Perfect.

But even before last night, Jean already felt a great deal of admiration for him. Scott was intelligent and chivalrous. He was a more than competent leader, a good friend and a great dad. He was good to her and to Rachel. And most of all, he didn't lie.

So, if he said he liked her, he did. A lot, she remembered him saying. And she liked him as well. A lot.

They liked each other. He was a widow with a toddler, and she was a single mom to a baby daughter. They were both mutants, and young. And they liked each other. A lot. So why should this attraction between them be a one night thing? What was Scott afraid of? Was there anything to fear?

Jean realized she was tired of being afraid. She refused to let fear destroy another relationship. She heard water running in the bathroom and looked downwards at her daughter - she had stopped sucking. She picked the baby up in her arms and softly patted her back for a couple of minutes. Then she stood up and took Rachel back to her crib, laying her inside of it. Nathan looked up at her from his spot in the second crib and smiled. "Ma-ma."

She smiled back, caressing his hair. "Morning, baby." Nate's attention soon returned to the plush bear inside the crib. "Now you two behave. I need to talk to daddy."

Jean padded to the bathroom. She slowly opened the door and closed it behind her.

"Jean? Is that you?" She heard Scott asking from behind the shower curtain. He pushed some of it aside to pop his head out. "Is everything all…"

His question was interrupted mid-sentence as he drew in a breath to assimilate what his eyes were witnessing. Jean was standing in the center of the bathroom, fully naked. Now, under the bright incandescent light, he could see all of her. His brown eyes traveled up and down her body, admiring every curve and marveling on the sight of her beautiful red hair cascading over her shoulders and breasts. She slowly approached him, using her telekinesis to push the curtain all the way aside.

"I don't want us to be a one night thing," Jean told him as she stepped into the shower. She placed her hands around his broad shoulders and felt how his body instantly reacted to hers.

Scott didn't utter a reply. Instead, he pulled her under the water with him, kissing her hard on the lips. He then lifted her up in his arms and pressed her back against the tiled wall. Jean's arms held onto Scott's neck and her legs encircled his hips. In a swift move, their bodies were joined once again, and two synchronic gasps echoed in the bathroom to celebrate the beginning of something intense and new.

xxxxx

Forty minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom's door.

"Guys? Are you up?"

"Hey Warren," Scott greeted his teammate as he opened the door, his hair still wet from shower. "Come in."

Angel entered the room, taking in his surroundings. The sheets on the queen-sized bed were completely rumpled, and some of them were scattered over the carpeted floor. Next to the sheets, the blonde noticed a piece of clothing that looked a lot like a woman's night shirt. He glanced down the room and saw Jean retrieving some baby stuff from the coffee table and putting it inside her backpack. Her hair was also wet.

"Hey Scott, do you mind if I put Nate's toys in my bag, next to Rachel's?" Warren heard the redhead asking from the adjoining bedroom.

"Whatever's easier, Jean," the other man replied while he finished separating dirty baby clothes from clean ones.

The woman joined them in the main bedroom, holding each baby in one arm while using telekinesis to carry her backpack. Warren looked to and fro between them, and cocked a brow. "What happened here?"

"What?" Scott and Jean questioned at the same time, staring at his face.

Angel held back a grin. "Never mind. So, I found us a boat. It leaves to Muir Island in half an hour."

"Good work, Angel," Cyclops said. "Are Beast and Iceman ready to go?"

"Yes. They're waiting in the lobby," he replied, watching as Scott closed the zipper on his bag and took Nate from Jean's arms. The redhead then addressed him.

"Hold Rachel for a sec, Warr," she said, depositing the baby in her godfather's hands before he could react. Warren was relieved that Jean was on speaking terms with him again, and clumsy held the small girl as the telepath helped Scott secure Nathan against his chest in the baby carrier. "You're good to go," she told Cyclops with a smile. Angel's eyes attentively followed her movements - her hand had definitely lingered longer than necessary on Scott's biceps. He cleaned his throat.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked, pointing at the forgotten shirt on the floor.

"Yes, thanks," Jean replied, quickly picking up the attire from the floor, together with… oh yeah, black panties. She shoved the items in her bag, her cheeks turning an incredible tone of red. She then took Rachel from Warren's hands and laid her in the stroller.

Scott checked the adjoining bedroom and the bathroom for neglected items once again. "Everything's packed. Let's hit the road."

"I'll bring your luggage downstairs, Jeannie," Warren said, taking the roller bag from her hands and exiting the bedroom. "Unless Mr. Kirby fancies to carry it himself," he smirked from the hallway.

Scott and Jean exchanged a look. 'He knows,' the telepath sent into Scott's head as she telekinetically lifted her backpack from the floor and pushed Rachel's stroller out of the bedroom.

'How?'

'Warren's… perceptive. It comes with the tailored suits, I guess.'

'Perceptive, huh?' Cyclops asked. "Not at all, Angel. In fact, you can carry mine too," he pushed his roller bag towards the other man and adjusted his own rucksack against his back. Now, with both hands free, he used the right one to grasp Jean's rucksack from mid-air before she could put it on her back, and the left one to hold onto the redhead's right hand. "Let's go, Ms. Kirby," he said smiling as they walked down the hall hand-in-hand, leaving a dumbfounded angel behind to carry their luggage.


Muir Island, Scotland

Three and a half hours later, a white rent boat unshipped seven passengers in Muir Island. It was the New Year's Eve, and the marina was completely empty. No local inhabitants dared to enter a boat in such a bad weather. Miraculously, it had stopped raining, but the cold wind was still blowing fiercely.

"Where to now?" Angel asked after he had paid a considerable amount of money to the boat's pilot.

"According to the instructions Dr. McTaggert has kindly provided me when we last spoke on the phone, her institute is only a few miles to the west of this marina," Beast informed his teammates. "I took the liberty of printing a map back at the hotel, since I wasn't confident about the reliability of this island's internet range," Hank told them as he struggled to keep the map opened before him.

"Hurry up, genius, before this place becomes too cold even for me," Iceman said as he put his jacket over Jean's shoulders. The woman had used her coat to cover Rachel's stroller and was shivering with cold.

"Thanks, Bobby."

"You're welcome," he responded with a smile.

"I'm going to look for a taxi," Cyclops said, motioning for the others to follow him as he moved towards the road. Nate was strapped against his chest, and he closed his coat over the boy's back.

"I don't see any cars passing by, Scott," Warren noted. "And not a living soul on foot."

"Let me check if there's someone nearby," Jean offered, casting a telepathic net over the neighborhood. It took her a while to pinpoint the closest mind. "Oh my God!"

"What? Don't say we're stranded alone in this ghost island!" Bobby exclaimed.

"It's Xavier. I've touched his mind. He's here!"

Cyclops walked back to her and held both her forearms. "Jean, are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm familiar to his mind. It's him."

"Can you reach him again? Tell him we're here?" Scott asked.

"I think so. Let me try," the telepath replied, closing her eyes and directing her thoughts to Charles Xavier. 'Professor. It's Jean. Jean Grey. Can you hear me?'

'Jean? Thank God you're alive, child. Where are you?'

'I'm in Muir Island, at the marina. Scott, Warren, Bobby, Hank and the kids are here too.'

'I'm so very glad to hear this. We've just landed on Muir Island. Stay there. The X-Men are coming to meet you.'

'Okay. Thank you, professor,' Jean said and severed the mind link. She opened her eyes and looked at Scott's face "The X-Men are here. They're coming to get us."

"All right!" Bobby exclaimed and high fived Hank and Warren. Cyclops embraced Jean and placed a kiss on the top of her head; Nate whined between them.

"We did it," the team leader said with emotion, relieved that he would be soon reunited with his brother.

Five long minutes passed, and the Blackbird finally landed on the empty road. When the hatch opened, Storm was the first to exit the jet. She was holding her ribs.

"Ororo!" Jean ran to her best friend, hugging her tightly. Both started crying.

"Praised be the goddess! I thought you were dead!" The white-haired woman mumbled into her friend's hair. "What about Rachel?"

"She's fine," the redhead told her, disengaging her arms from Storm's to telekinetically pull her daughter's stroller closer. She uncovered the baby. "Look Rach, your aunt Ro's here!"

"You are a miracle, little miss," Storm said, patting the girl's legs over the pink blanket.

"This is all a miracle indeed," Xavier's deep voice was heard by everyone. "Come aboard, my friends," he invited. "It's too cold to celebrate outside."

The five X-Men quickly entered the jet. Rogue and Gambit embraced Beast while Jubilee piggybacked Iceman.

"Hey Jubes! I've missed you too," Bobby said, freezing one of the girl's socks.

The teenager jumped off his back and yelped. "Argh! I'm gonna kill you, popsicle!"

"Better be killed by you than by Magneto. What's bucket head doing here?"

"Old Mags's rescued us, Bobby. Believe it or not, he saved our lives," Rogue told them.

"What about the big guy over there?"

While Anna introduced the new arrivals to Piotr, Cortez and Amelia, Kurt and Forge were talking to Jean and Angel. Ororo was holding her godchild in her arms, and Cyclops walked over to Professor X's wheelchair to shake his hand.

"I'm glad you are fine, son," Charles told him, stroking Nate's hair.

"Likewise," Scott replied. "I don't see Alex around here, professor. Where's he?"

"We haven't seen your brother or Lorna since the mansion was attacked."

"W-What?"

"I'm sorry, Scott. Alex didn't board the Blackbird with us that evening. I was hoping that the two of you were together during this past week," Charles said.

Scott's heart sunk inside his chest. He'd lost his little brother. The redhead sensed his sadness and silently approached him. "I'm so sorry," she embraced him from behind.

"I… I had so much hope, Jean… I was so sure I would meet my brother here," he turned around to face her. "But Alex's gone, as well as Lorna. Oh God," his eyes became moist with tears.

"You don't know that," she tried to reason. "They might've escaped together. They could be hiding somewhere."

"Jean… We were nearly killed that evening. You… you were barely alive when Angel rescued us. What makes you think my brother would have survived?"

"Faith. You said it yourself. We were nearly killed, yet here we are… alive, with our kids safe and sound," she wiped a tear from his jaw. "I promise you, we're going to find them. Have faith, Scott."

xxxxx

Nightcrawler flew the Blackbird directly to McTaggert's Institute of Genetic Research. Moira received them with open arms, happy to see her old friend Charles Xavier again. Introductions were made, and X-Men and acolytes chatted over lunch about what had happened to them during the previous week. Forge and Hank were pleased to learn that the X-Men finally had the conduit and the antidote.

"We should return to America and launch the antidote over the country once and for all," Storm said with enthusiasm.

"That would be superb, Ororo, but I'm afraid we don't have enough samples to cover the whole American territory," Beast informed.

"But we do have the means to reproduce your molecule, Dr. McCoy," Dr. McTaggert told him. "My molecular biology lab is equipped with the most cutting-edge technology. I believe we could have the five thousand samples produced within six to eight hours."

"That would be wonderful, Moira," Xavier said. "Although there is one detail we would need to discuss before resuming the production." He glanced at Magneto.

"One detail, indeed. Charles has enlightened me about your plan to immunize all American mutants against the cure. I would like to be a part of it, and I think my power would be quite useful. Tell me, McCoy, Forge… is it possible to include an iron atom in your molecule?"

"Why? What you have got in mind?" The Indian man questioned.

"Isn't it obvious? With metal attached to the molecule, I could command more than one conduit at a time and spread the antidote much quicker and more precisely over the States."

Beast considered Magneto's idea. He took a pen from his pocket and draw a formula on a napkin. "Chromium."

"What?" Forge asked.

"Not iron. Chromium. Chromium is lighter, and its structure would fit my molecule impeccably," Hank explained.

"We do have chromium in the lab," Moira said.

"Perfect! We should start the production a.s.a.p." McCoy retorted.

"Agreed. My acolyte Scanner has intercepted some communication between Sebastian Shaw and Robert Kelly. The government intends to launch the cure into the United States' water basins tomorrow night. If we manage to spray the antidote in the air before the Hellfire Club can spread more cure into the water, we'll prevent thousands of American mutants from losing their abilities."

"And if the antidote turns out to be effective enough, the mutants who have already been forced to take the vaccine and lost their powers may reacquire them," Beast added. "Shaw's vaccine will become discredited."

"But it won't change how de humans regard us," Gambit pointed out.

"You're right, Remy. Still, preventing the extinction of mutants amongst our countrymen is imperative, and should be our imminent goal. We'll worry about the public opinion on mutants later," Xavier declared.

"Very well. Let's go to work then," Beast said, standing up from the table. "I would appreciate Jean's and Forge's help. And Dr. McTaggert's, of course."

The three helpers stood up, Moira guiding them to her lab. The remaining mutants stayed around the kitchen table to discuss the next steps.

Three hours had passed. Jean glanced at her watch and excused herself to feed her daughter. She'd been working automatically, repeating the motions Hank had taught her without paying much attention. Her mind was focused on Scott and his grief.

Ororo had been watching Rachel for her, and in her way to the women's dorms, Jean passed by Xavier. He was talking to Amelia Vought in an office.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Come in, Jean," Charles replied politely.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you," the younger redhead said.

"I'll come back later," Vought excused herself.

"What's bothering you, Jean?"

"Scott. I want to help him find his brother," she explained.

Professor X sighed. "I'm not sure there's much to do about Alex and Lorna."

"But we have to try, professor. I was thinking… If we joined our powers… if you and I used our telepathy together, one amplifying the other's powers… maybe we could find them."

"Maybe," Xavier contemplated. He recalled how Jean had told him that, at the young age of ten, she had reached her father's mind across a different U.S. state. If she added her powers to his… the possibilities could be endless. "All right, Jean. However, if Alex and Lorna have perished…"

"Then Scott can have some closure. It's better than not knowing the truth."

"Agreed. Have a seat, dear, and follow my voice."

xxxxx

"Scott! Scott, we've found them," Jean jogged into Moira's kitchen, where said man was sitting at the table, giving his son a bottle.

"What?"

"Me and Professor X… We've found Alex and Lorna. They're alive, but they're under another mutant's influence. A telepath."

"Emma Frost," Cyclops tightened his jaw. "Where are they?"

"At the Hellfire Club's headquarters in New York," Jean told him. "I'm sorry, I have to go back to the lab now."

"Wait," he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. "Thank you," he placed a long kiss on her lips.

"We'll have a lot of time for that later," she promised with a smile. "See you."

xxxxx

It was past eleven o'clock when Hank, Forge, Moira and Jean finished the five thousand samples, chromium atoms included. In the meantime, the X-Men had reunited again to debate a rescue plan for Havoc and Polaris. They would be departing back to New York at the first sign of sunrise.

Nonetheless, now it was time to celebrate. The X-Men were alive and together. Plus, by tomorrow night, their two missing team members would be joining them again. The Hellfire Club would be defeated, and the American mutants wouldn't have to worry about the cure anymore.

Midnight. Scott grasped Jean's hand as Jubilee's fireworks illuminated the sky. The year to come would be better. The two of them would make sure of it.