Subject: [OTL]: Home Truths Date: Sun, 17 Oct 1999 20:08:17 +1000 From: "Mel" Disclaimer: These are Marvel's. No money is gained. Credits: To Brucha and Falstaff again, who helped nudge my ideas to life. To Dyce and Samy, who along with Falstaff helped make this readable. However all blame is mine. Home Truths By Mel It was a beautiful morning. Jean had the morning off from training, which in her opinion, made the morning even more beautiful. She hummed to herself as she carried the empty washing basket inside. In this sunny weather it shouldn't take long at all for the clothes to dry. Jean plopped the basket down and headed into the lounge to see if there was anything she could do in there. She was halfway through the room when she saw the interloper. "Why hello, sister dear," Madelyne Pryor, Goblin Queen, Black Queen, and clone said sweetly. Jean's clear green eyes flashed. "You aren't my sister, Madelyne." "You know what they say, sister dear. You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family." The glint in Madelyne's eyes wasn't anger. Amusement coloured her tone and pulled at the corners of her mouth. "What, no affection for the mother of your child?" "What kind of mother are you?" Jean asked scornfully, determined not to react to the needling. Madelyne's smile grew a little more open. "One that has felt a child grow beneath my heart. A mother with a child, Jean Grey." Jean's eyes widened, a visible sign that Madelyne had found a heart-shot. She recovered quickly though. "A child you hurt, and who considers me his mother now, Madelyne. Her eyelids lowered, and Madelyne sighed mournfully. "Oh yes, you have everything now -- loving son, loving husband." Her melancholy tone didn't waver as her lips twitched again. "Even if they are second hand. Pre-loved, as it were." She surveyed Jean from beneath her lowered lashes. Jean didn't react visibly this time. Anyone viewing her on an astral level would have seen her armour grow that bit thicker, and her opponent saw and her smile returned. "I loved Scott first, and I love him best," Jean said aloud. "Of course." Madelyne bowed her head in sardonic agreement. "Who could love Scott Summers more than Jean Grey. And indeed, who could Scott love more than Jean. Girl meets Boy and so on, it is destined." Finally Jean was collecting herself. "This is what this visit is about, isn't it. You want to shove your ancient grievances at us again," she said, her voice growing firmer by the word. "It's not going to work. You aren't going to hurt us now." Madelyne sank into the sofa, making no indent in the cushions, and pouted. "You mean I put all this effort, got my nail and hair done," she flicked her black-painted nails and shook down her hair. "For nothing? Do you know how much this outfit cost me? All this wasted? Oh poot!" Her glare got harder as Jean realised that she was being laughed at. She rested her fists on her hips and demanded, "What is it then? What are you here for?" "I want your body, Jean," her tormentor said, with a lavicious wriggle of her eyebrows. Jean gulped and stepped back. "Oops, I shouldn't joke about that in our family. I must write that down somewhere." Madelyne waved her black-tipped hand airily. "I'm here for something much more subtle. Have a seat." "Scott's mine," Jean said, having made what she thought to be the final connection. "He's my husband, the better woman won him." "I have no doubt. The question being, better at what?" Madelyne's voice was finally serious. "I don't want him anymore, Jean. He's a weak man." If possible, Jean became even more outraged at this slight of her husband than to the insults previously aimed at herself. "He is not!" Madelyne rolled her eyes. "Get off your high-horse, sister dear. He is. I know it, you know it, and I know why." Not taking her eyes off Madelyne, Jean sat down carefully into one of the chairs. "What are you talking about?" "It took a long time for me to work it out, but then I was not exactly a dispassionate observer." Madelyne inspected her nails. "However if there is one thing that being, literally, the bitch queen from Hell, is good for, it's thinking about grudges." She looked up suddenly at Jean, a very thoughtful look in her eyes. "I must admit to some curiosity about who exactly you are, but I would understand if you didn't wish to tell me." Jean frowned, confused. "Madelyne, if you came here just to confuse me--" "Oh, my dearest sister, not at all. In fact how about you stop acting like driven snow and listen. I know. It's no wonder that Scott will choose you over anything else. You've wound yourself so deep into his mind that he wouldn't know where he stopped and you began. The fact that your high and mighty Professor never noticed is amazing. Not that he helped. From what I've seen Professor Priss wouldn't know spontaneous affection if it materialised and pissed on his shiny head." Jean gaped for a second. "You bitch! The Professor has been very good to us!" "Sure. Absolutely wonderful. In a stand-offish, don't touch me or you'll get my soul dirty kind of way. So you wandered in, and decided to play with Scott? Why pick him? No, don't answer that. I can only assume that he was the most vulnerable. Really, I don't condemn you at all. I can only imagine what he would have been like. Especially when he saw you, beauty that you are. It must have been nearly too easy." Her head tilted on one side, she looked Jean up and down carefully. "Considering that you got your hold on him when he was a teenager, when his hormones ruled, it's not surprising that he would happily abandon anything else. And of course, you didn't want him to get too strong. That wouldn't serve the purpose." "Bitch. What do you think you're-" Jean managed before Madelyne spoke over her. "Don't stop me now. Let me tell you exactly what I've worked out, after thinking about it properly. Logically, the place to start would be before me. So-called Phoenix seemed like a good beginning. I've learnt a lot, in my short life, but one of those things is what psi power can do. It just doesn't sit that Phoenix, which was not only selfish, but so extremely powerful that the Shi'ar were afraid of it, should kill that easily, or voluntarily. A pretty story, but not terribly realistic. Which begs the question now, who exactly are you? And if no psi could tell you from the original Jean, who was Phoenix?" Madelyne tilted her head to the side questioningly. Jean was sitting silently now, her eyes wide in disbelief. Her hands, folded neatly in her lap were twisted around each other. Madelyne smiled at her and continued. "All this is very good, but what is the next step? Naturally, why, if this is true, did you not tell Scott, your beloved, about how you escaped the Shi'ar? The loving Jean, who cried his name with her supposed last breath would have. Perhaps a Jean which had kept secrets from Scott before, that had manipulated every single step of his life, wouldn't want to though. This might make him question other things. Other truths. Like what exactly was Phoenix?" Jean's jaw had dropped, and only the faint movement of her eyes gave away the stream of thoughts that were flashing though her mind. "I just came to tell you that I know. I know why Scott, despite everything, still is the weakest man I've ever met. Why he would pick you over his child and I. Why I'm who I am, in fact. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Who would believe me? After all, I am known to be a touch bitter about you. Not to mention the fact that my credibility is a little marred by being a mere shadow of a clone." Madelyne stood, wiping her hands a little down her thighs in a habitual gesture to smooth crumples. There were none. At that moment, Scott and Cable, warned of Madelyne's presence, burst into the room. She smiled. "And Nathan too, you are clever. You should be proud of yourself, Jean. Not to mention your timing. I applaud you. I could almost admire you." "Madelyne! What are you doing here?" Scott demanded, striding over to stand beside and slightly in front of Jean. "Oh, my dear ex. So typical. Can't even be in the same room as me without acting defensive." She put a delicate hand over her heart. "I was going to sue for joint custody. I see that our baby is doing quite well, so I relented. I'm just leaving." "You're mad," Jean said in a quavery voice. "That's my name, don't wear it out, sister dear." Madelyne gave them all a brilliant smile, blew kisses at Nathan and Scott and blinked away. Jean took a deep shuddering breath, and Scott wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Jean. That shouldn't have happened." Jean wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face in his shoulder. "She's insane." Nathan, deciding that discretion was the better part of valour in this instance, nodded to his father and left as well. Scott stood, holding his wife in his arms, and cursing himself for everything he had ever done to get his life in this much of a mess, and letting Jean be hurt by the mad woman he had once married. He sent his regret along their link. As she sent back distress about the incident and her breath shuddered, Phoenix smiled secretly into her husband's shoulder and accepted his guilt. *** Feedback would be appreciated. Honestly.