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X-Men: Evolution of the Heart: Chapter Twenty Three

A Terrible Event

The next day at school went terribly slow for Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Their minds couldn't have been more distracted by the events of the previous night. This was especially true for Jean because she still had that strange feeling of foreboding that had manifested the previous night. In addition to that she had some terrible nightmares that hindered her ability to sleep. She didn't remember the specifics on these nightmares, but they seemed to have a recurring image of Scott in pain and his presence fading from her mind. It was nothing like the normal bad dreams she had been having for years now. Jean hadn't told the Professor about this dream, only because she really wanted to forget it. It was her worst fear manifested in a dream and she hoped that's just what it was...A dream.

Scott had also been nervous about the previous night. After his conversation with Logan he had thought about how he was going to talk to Jean about this. He thought about confronting her last night, but he was just so tired after the danger room session and so nervous about it he simply didn't say anything. It was hard not to; he remembered Logan's little warning about how someone else may get to her before he ever said anything. This was something Scott did not want to happen, not after the terrible outcome of the whole Duncan thing. Scott had made a promise to himself that he would tell Jean before this day was out, but that alone was a very scary thought. Enough to occupy his mind for the whole day.

"Hey Scott!" came a voice from down the hall.

Scott looked to the side of his locker and saw Kurt running up towards him.

"Hey Kurt, what's the rush?" asked Scott.

"Have you seen Kitty? She wasn't at lunch today," said Kurt.

"No, sorry but I haven't seen her," said Scott as he closed his locker.

"Great," said Kurt in an exasperated tone, "I haven't seen her all day.

It's like she's hiding or something. I hope she's not hanging out vith Lance again."

"I thought she stopped talking to him."

"Ja, so did I. I hope she hasn't gone back on that," said Kurt in a worried tone.

"Don't worry Kurt," assured Scott, "I'm sure she has her reasons. Hell, the person she might be hiding from could be Lance anyway."

That did help calm Kurt down a bit.

"I hope your right, because I really don't trust Lance. Especially not vith Kitty," said Kurt.

"Yeah, I don't trust him either Kurt. If anything, he reminds me too much of Duncan."

"That's vhat scares me..." said Kurt ominously knowing how that ended.

Scott just sighed, for he could sympathize with Kurt's dilemma. He had know Kurt and Kitty to be very close for all they years he had known them. They understood each other and they cared about each other. He saw many parallels between him and Jean when he looked at Kurt and Kitty. And for that, he hoped for the best for both of them.

"Hey, try not to think about that Kurt. Trust me it's not a pleasant thing, but whatever you do...Don't make the same mistake I did a couple months back. It'll eat you up inside if you do."

"I'll try mien friend, I really vill."

"Thanks...Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you around Kurt," said Scott as zipped up his backpack.

"Ja, see you."

After that Scott made his way down the hall for the last class of the day. He hoped he hadn't been too obvious with his friend, but Kurt's situation was too much like his own for him to ignore. He hoped that the whole thing with Lance wouldn't end up like what happened with Duncan. Scott still thought about it to this day and he had yet to forgive himself for not doing something sooner. Then again if he hadn't taken action when he did, Duncan would have raped his best friend and that was much worse. In the aftermath of what happened at that party, Duncan faced criminal charges with the law. However, just as Logan had predicted, his parents bought their son out of his mess. It was a bitter disappointment for Scott and Jean, but Duncan had faced severe probation since then and has not been allowed to play football or do any other extracurricular activities.

As Scott walked in to his final class, he noticed Duncan Matthews sending him a death glare from the other side of the hallway. He still had a small mark on the side of his face from where Scott had punched him two months ago. And that mark seemed to well up with great anger as Duncan glared ominously at Scott.

***

"Good practice today Summers."

"Thanks coach," said Scott as he walked out of the locker room at school towards his car.

It was a little after 6 and the sun was starting to set over the horizon.

While most of his fellow teammates were driving off, Scott drove over towards the soccer field and waited for Jean. There was nobody on the field, so they must have been allowed to return to the locker room to change. Scott just sat on the hood of his car and waited, nervous about what Jean wanted to talk about. She seemed very distressed last night when she came to him and Scott knew her well enough to understand that something was wrong. He hoped it was nothing serious because he had something very important that he wanted to tell her as well.

In the locker room, Jean had just put her uniform away in her locker and grabbed her things. She was supposed to meet Scott outside any minute now where she intended to discuss something very important with him. She wanted to talk about the path of their relationship, both as friends and possibly as something even more. Jean could honestly say she had never been this nervous before and it had preoccupied her mind to no end for the entire day.

"Hey Jean! Got a second?" said Taryn as Jean closed her gym locker.

"Oh, hey Taryn," said Jean.

Jean was still friends with Taryn, but the lingering thing with her and Scott still tainted her views towards her. However, Jean had done her best to hide those qualms with her because she knew she had no right to judge...Not after what had happened between her and Duncan.

"You seemed a little distant today. Is something wrong?" asked Taryn not knowing how right she was.

"No, nothings wrong," said Jean quickly in response, "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Well, want to go with me and some of the others and grab a bite? Maybe that'll help clear your head," suggested Taryn.

"Thanks but...I'm meeting Scott outside. He said he'd give me a ride home," replied Jean.

Taryn's face then lit with intrigue up as she drew her own conclusions from Jean's words.

"Oh...Oh I see now," said Taryn with a suggestive look.

"What?" asked Jean who was immediately annoyed by the look she was giving her.

"Come on Jean, you can't hide it anymore."

"Hide what?!" demanded Jean thinking that she sounded just like her friends back at the institute.

"Jean...You and Scott have been acting so lovey dovey lately that it's disturbing. Don't think I haven't seen it."

"I don't what you're talking about," quipped Jean even though that was clearly a blatant lie.

"Come on Jean, don't play dumb with me. I ask Scott out on a date and he turns me down, not long after that you break up with Duncan. I'm not THAT stupid Jean," said Taryn trying to pry the truth out of Jean.

"Hey, I broke up with Duncan because that bastard tried to rape me!" replied Jean angrily.

Taryn stopped there, knowing that going any further on that path would only further enrage Jean. However, she was not done.

"As bad as that is Jean, you can't deny it. I was at that party and I saw Scott come in looking for you. And I saw you two leave together," said Taryn. "I'm surprised you remembered because if I recall, you were drunk," remarked Jean sarcastically.

"Hey, don't turn this on me Jean!" said Taryn who was beginning to get frustrated with her friend, "You know I'm right on some level!"

Jean was about to respond to that. But when she thought about what to say, she knew Taryn was right in at least some respects...In fact, she was more right then Jean was ever willing to admit.

"Look, I'm sorry Taryn. But I've just been under a lot of stress lately and it's really been getting to me. I just don't want to talk about this right now, okay?" said Jean in a calmer tone hoping to abet her friend's interrogation.

Taryn sighed, for she did believe her in those last words. However, there were still things that were left unanswered.

"Fine, whatever Jean. I promise I'll stop for now," said Taryn.

"Thank you," said Jean in relief.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, later Taryn," said Jean.

After that Taryn walked off to catch her ride back home. Jean stayed back, gathering her things and putting them in her backpack. She had taken her time, still weary of what she was going to say to Scott when she me up with him. By now the locker room was pretty much empty and she was the only one left. The time was fast approaching when she would confront Scott and it still left her terribly nervous.

***

Scott watched as most of the soccer team left. The sky was growing ever darker and the streetlights had come on. Soon, he was pretty much the only one left in the parking lot. Jean still hadn't come out yet, but Scott could tell she was taking her time. Scott was almost glad she was because he was overcome with nervousness about what she wanted to talk to him about. He was also weary of what he wanted to tell her, but he remained determined to let Jean know how he felt about her by the end of the day. Then...The calm of the nearly deserted parking lot was broken when Duncan Matthews approached him.

"Hey Summers! I got a bone to pick with you!" yelled Duncan as he walked towards Scott's car.

"Great," muttered Scott as the former jock approached.

Duncan hadn't spoken to Scott or Jean in the months after the whole party incident. He only watched them from a distance, shooting death glares towards him and Jean whenever he found the opportunity. Right now, he looked extra pissed with an enraged look in his eye.

"Congratulations shades, you've ruined my life," said Duncan angrily.

"What makes you say that Matthews?" replied Scott in an annoyed tone.

"Don't play dumb with me Summers!" yelled the enraged teen as he stood mere inches from Scott. "Because of you and that bitch of yours, I've been stuck with probation, my parents took away my car, and worst of all I got kicked off the football team! Now how am I going to get in to college huh?!"

"Study maybe?" replied Scott.

"SHUT UP! This is all your fault!"

"My fault!" said Scott who was getting irked by Duncan's tone. "You tried to rape my best friend!"

"You should have stayed out of my way! It was none of your business!"

"Not when it involves Jean!" yelled Scott in reply.

"Aw, what the matter? You've got a soft spot for the prude little redhead?" remarked Duncan sarcastically.

Not many people could make Scott real angry, but Duncan was seriously pushing it.

"She's my best friend you asshole! And you tried to rape her! I didn't ruin your life and neither did she! You did this all to yourself! You ruined your own life..." said Scott sternly, but Duncan didn't flinch.

"It wouldn't have been ruined if you hadn't butted in," said Duncan angrily.

"You play with matches, you get burned Duncan. You can't lie to me. I overheard some of your ‘conversations.' I know what you wanted when you saw Jean and I'm willing to bet that she isn't the only one you've tried to take advantage of," said Scott in a calmer tone, which only enraged Duncan once more.

"That's none of your business!"

"No it's not...But you made it my business when you messed with Jean," stated Scott.

Duncan didn't say anything. He just stood before Scott with a look full of rage.

"So that's it? You ruin my life all for some stupid bitch who won't even put out...You're pathetic Summers," said Duncan sternly.

"Yeah? Well I'm not the one who made you do what you did and now you have to pay the price for your actions Duncan. No matter how rich your parents are or how popular you are in this school, you can't escape it...Because what goes around comes around."

Scott didn't flinch in the slightest with the boy's angry stance, but Duncan never expected him to do so. He only stood there, looking back at his reflection in Scott's glasses and showing him the angriest look he could muster. Unknown to Scott, Duncan was fiddling with a small object in his coat pocket.

"What goes around comes around huh? Well guess what? It works both ways." Suddenly, Duncan threw a single punch to Scott's face and knocked his glasses off. Instinctively, Scott slammed his eyes shut, but Duncan didn't stop there. He went on the punch the blinded teen again, but Scott was able to block them with ease. With a raw new sense of rage, Duncan let out an angry yell and continued to beat on Scott. The two teens fought it out, but Scott had trained with Logan on fighting before and he hadn't forgotten his skill. Duncan's attempts were in vain even though Scott couldn't see, but this only made Duncan madder. When he tried to deliver a heavy punch to the face, Scott was ready for it and used the opportunity to block and respond with his own knock out punch. Duncan fell back on to the ground, still brimming with anger.

"ERRR! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" yelled Duncan as he stumbled back to his feet. Then, the still blinded Scott prepared for another barrage of hits...But Duncan had something else planned. He reached in to his pocket and grabbed the object he had been fiddling with earlier. It was a large, sharpened, switchblade knife. With rage consuming him, the blond haired teen grabbed the knife and prepared to attack Scott once again. Scott was still blinded without his glasses, but he could sense something new about the situation. He tried to hide his panic and prepared to fight Duncan off again, however it was already too late. In one quick motion, Duncan lunged forth...And plunged the knife in to Scott's stomach. Red-hot pain followed.

"Now we're even Summers..." said Duncan with a half-grin as he twisted the knife that was still embedded in Scott's body.

Then, Scott Summers keeled over in pain and fell to the cold, hard street below. However, it wasn't over yet. Still consumed by rage, Duncan withdrew the bloody knife and began to stab him again over and over in the stomach and the chest. Scott couldn't fight back, for he could barely stay conscious through the intense pain. Each plunge of the knife in to his body bought a strange flash of light before his closed eyes. His head began to spin and he could feel his blood spilling on to the ground. Then, Duncan withdrew the blood-soaked knife once more and stood over the now bloody body of Scott Summers.

"See you in hell freak."

Then, Duncan pocketed the knife and ran. Little did he know, Scott was still conscious, but he wouldn't stay that way for long. Scott tried to breath, but he only coughed up blood; he tried to move, but his muscles were shot. There were now numerous stab marks all over his torso and his blood loss was growing ever more severe. Slowly, Scott felt his world collapsing around him...Spinning in to darkness. He tried to fight it, but it was futile to do so. He had to stay awake...He couldn't let this happen.

"No...I...Can't...Jean," but those were all the words Scott could manage. He wanted to tell Jean how much he cared about her today, but now he may never be able to tell her. She may never know. Scott tried not to think about it, but everything was fading too fast. He had survived a terrible plane crash, spent months in a coma, lived through three years of hell in a violent foster home, survived on the streets with no vision and no hope, and beaten Magneto only to have it all end like this. His world was fading to black and there was nothing he could do about it. Through this a last, single, blood-soaked tear fell down the side of Scott's face before he felt his body go numb.

***

Jean Grey was just about ready to leave the locker room and meet up with Scott...But then something happened.

She yelled out as she keeled over in pain from a sharp sting that surged through her mind. It had come out of nowhere and suddenly she felt as if somebody just set off a bomb in her head. Jean closed her eyes to try and filter it out, but to no avail. She stumbled over to the sink and splashed some water on her face. It helped a little, but it was still there. It didn't feel like one of her seizures that she had been having for years now, it felt completely different if not worse. Then, Jean started breathing hard and tried to catch her breath again. Then...She had a vision. She saw something flash in front of her eyes. It was like the dream she had before, but it was far clearer and far more vivid. Before her she saw an image of Scott lying on the ground, bloody, and in pain. She saw a blurry image of somebody standing before him and stabbing him over and over again. She heard the sounds of agony and the feeling's of great pain. Then, it all stopped...

Still short of breath, Jean rose to her feet and ran out the door and towards the parking lot where Scott said he would be waiting for her. As she exited the front door, she saw somebody running away from the scene. The figure looked back briefly in her direction, but it barely registered in Jean's mind as she circled the corner and was met with a grizzly sight.

"Scott...Oh my God..."

Jean ran over to his car to see him lying deathly still on the pavement.

"Scott?! Scott!!!" yelled Jean as a terrible new fear consumed her.

It was truly a ghastly scene. Scott was lying in a small pool of his own blood with many wounds scattered all over his body. His skin tone was growing paler and his breaths were short and highly labored. There were many wounds all over his body, each one of them bleeding profusely. Jean felt in horror as his mind, which had shared a special link with hers for years now, began to fade.

"No...This can't be happening. Scott hang on! I'll get you home just hang on!!!" cried Jean through her tears as she carefully lifted Scott's body and laid him in the back seat and sped off back towards the institute. "Come on Scott, don't do this! Stay awake and fight it! PLEASE! I can't lose you...I can't...Lose you..."

Jean's pleas devolved in to sobs as she tried to keep Scott from fading away. His mental signature was getting so weak, that she could barely find him at all. The pain Scott's wounds seemed to be projected in to Jean's mind as she pushed the car to its limits, running red lights and going in excess of 100 mph. Through this she tried to keep Scott alive, for every second was getting worse. This had been her nightmare and now it had become her reality. Jean prayed that she would wake up from all this and it was just some horrible dream, but it wasn't...It was far worse.

chap twenty four

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