Fighting the Nightmares Ch. 1

      Feeling the bed tremble beneath him, Scott Summers wearily opened his eyes. Their deadly power was harmless when contained; shielded by the red quartz that he always kept over them, even to sleep. It would not be good if he accidentally punched a hole through the wall when he woke up, after all.

The bed shook again, and Scott sat up. He reached over, fumbling for the lamp. It clicked on, its warm glow illuminating the dark room. Rain lashed the windows, thunder cracking faintly in the distance. Scott froze, worry prickling in his veins.

Beside him lay Jean Grey. Her thick red hair was tousled, her skin pale and slick with sweat. Her forehead was crinkled in worry, a frown hardening her pretty face. She tossed and turned, the blankets twisted around her body, writhing in silent agony. Small, keening moans escaped her lips.

"Jean?" Scott said anxiously, putting a hand on her too-warm face. The bed trembled violently in time to her movement, the lamp bouncing on the stand, chest of drawers thumping up and down, and floor vibrating. The bed rose off the floor – "Jean!" Scott said more urgently.

      I watched the two men as they sat there, looking at me. Didn't they understand who…or what I was? What I could do? Play with minds until they unraveled like balls of yarn…Didn't they realize they should stay away from me – like everybody else did? I scrutinized them with a level gaze. The bald one looked welcoming, like a grandpa, ready to help and take care of me. The other looked calculating, as if I was an old science experiment he wanted to look at. Neither made me feel comfortable. I concentrated, ready to probe into the older one's thoughts…Professor Xavier's…His words jolted my mind.

AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!! Couldn't-stop-it AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Operating table was cold and hard against my back. I wasn't conscious but I could AAAAAARGH! Make – it – stop! Probe things stuck to my forehead, chest, couldn't move a muscle to rip them off but I could feel their chilling presence on my skin. Why had my parents let them take me away to this place? What were they doing to me?! Energy buzzing through – around – over my skull… mind ripping in half AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! Oh God! Can't – won't –

Walls sectioning off parts of my mind. Couldn't reach to the power that was bursting within my own brain, contained utterly. Blocked. Couldn't remember….how to use…functions slipping away, farther and farther from my mental grasp. AAAAAAAAAAAH!! I – I –

        Scott. His warm hands on me, concerned and loving gaze. Scott firing at me, slamming me into a hard wall as I struggled to hold his deadly optic blasts. So hard. SCOTT! AAAAAAAAAAAH! Logan. Glaring at me, his hands tightening around my throat as I choked. His long sharp claws buried in my own flesh. His eyes looking at me with a strange mix of sympathy and shock…as if he didn't know me. His lips briefly on mine – Wasn't – Didn't feel – Not right. Stop. I – I – LOGAN!!

Fire. Explosions. Death. Couldn't stop it. Uncontrollable. Trapped in my own mind, watching the destruction. Scott's look of stunned surprise. Logan's loving gaze before he – pain. Couldn't – Let me in! Too weak to stop – stop – Phoenix. Too – too – Oh God. Oh no. What – how – AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

      "Jean!" Scott gasped. His hands moved frantically, one to smooth her tangled hair from her sweaty face, the other cupping her chin. "JEAN!"

      Her eyes shot open as the bed hit the floor. "Scott!" she breathed. Her arms went around him instantly. He tightened his hold on her instinctively; almost fearful she would vanish from his arms, like a ghost.

       Slowly, Jean loosened her grip and leaned back from him. Her eyes were wide with fear, tears beginning to spill down her face.
"Jean…what's wrong? That must've been one heckuva a nightmare," said Scott softly, his eyes watching her expression from behind red lenses. "The whole bedroom was shaking." "I – I can't. I don't -" She gulped back tears. "I can't lose you."

His eyebrows went up. He hesitated for a moment, at a loss for words. "Oh God, Jean. You know I can't survive without you. But what -"

"I keep having these really confusing, terrible dreams. Things I don't understand. Bad things. Death…operations…something inside…and fire and you…dying…" Fresh tears dripped down her cheeks.

"Jean," Scott whispered. He brushed the tears off her face. "I will never let anything happen to you," he said firmly.

"I love you so much," Jean said, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

      "I love you."