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"Stop it!" Jean dropped her purse and book bag as soon as she walked into the mansion she called home. All she saw was blue fur and a man, but she could feel the man's confusion about the fight. She hadn't even walked to the front door before their rampant emotions plagued her mind. Her shoes clicked along the hardwood floor as she ran at the two men. Her hand outstretched in front of her as she concentrated on Hank's body, pushing him away from the stranger. His back hit the stairs as glass showered down from the chandelier, caught in the cross fire of her still wild powers. Strands of stray fiery hair fell into her face, getting loose from the tight bun she had it in for her waitressing job. She stood between Hank and the man, panting from exhausting herself with her display of power. "Stop it and talk the situation out... right now..."

Hank rose from his ungraceful fall, wiping glass from his clothes. Having heard the commotion, a cranky Charles descended from the stairs in a robe, which told Jean it was not a good day, not that it ever was anymore. "Jean," he questioned, "What is going on and what did you do to my chandelier? And just who is that?"

"A guest."

"An intruder."

"A friend."

Jean, Hank, and the man all responded at once to the question before Charles started descending the stairs. "A friend? I don't have those."

A pang of hurt emanated from Hank and Jean felt her heart reciprocate the feeling. She hated how much he devalued her and Hank. To him, Hank was his dealer and she was the maid.

"I was sent here by you." There was a strange sense of comfort and familiarity pulsing from this man as he spoke.

"By me?"

"Yeah, about fifty years from now."

"Jean?" And now her job as a personal lie detector came in. She closed her eyes for a prolonged moment as she probed at him. 

"He's telling the truth..."

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Charles' exasperated look barely scratched the surface of shock Jean could feel. He shook his head, the brown man swiping at his shoulders. "You've overextended yourself, Jean. There's no way..."

Logan sighed with frustration, frantically searching himself for something to prove his sincerity. "I'm telling the truth. Why don't you read my mind?"

"He can't," Hank knew how much Charles hated explaining, how Charles hated himself, "The serum for his legs affects his powers."

In another attempt, Logan searched Charles' eyes with urgency, "I know you, Charles. We've been friends for years. I know your powers came when you were nine. I know you thought you were going crazy when it started; all the... voices in your head. And it wasn't until you were twelve that you realized the voices were in everyone else's head. Do you want me to go on?"

Charles as frozen, as were Jean and Hank, "I never told anyone that..."

"Not yet, no, but... you will."

"All right, you've piqued my interest. What do you want?"

"We have to stop Raven. I need your help. We need your help."

Waves of emotion wracked Jean as soon as the name Raven escaped the stranger's lips. Her hands immediately rushed to her forehead as she fought for emotional peace within her head. Charles looked at Jean for a second, beginning to feel a broadcast of her thoughts ensue, "I'd like to wake up now..."

With that, Charles retreated as Hank prodded further at him, "What does she have to do with this?"

As Hank's worry grew greater, Jean excused herself, dashing up the stairs and into a library on the highest level of the mansion. It was her safe zone to hide from others' thoughts. She wasn't sure how long she kept herself in there, reading to calm her mind and to rest her energy. She was surprised when the stranger found her.

"Are you Jean Grey?" Raw emotions assaulted her mind as she heard how heavy the words on his tongue were. She could feel his mind reach out to hers in a sense of familiarity that caused her to shrink further into her chair. 

"Just who are you?"

Hurt by the distance she was so desperately trying to create, he stilled his mind, "My name is Logan. We're very good friends in the future."

"I get the feeling we're more. How did you know where I was? This is a big place."

"You always go here when your powers are troubling you."

She felt sick to her stomach from what seemed to her like an invasion of her privacy. Yet, like Charles before her, she was curious. She leaned forward slightly in her chair, setting her book aside. "Just how good of friends are we?"

He began to invade her space again, closing their distance apart to lean down. His face was dangerously close to hers. She could feel his breath upon her like a predator watching his prey squirm. As much as she'd like to run away, the answers of her future were too good to resist. 

"Why don't you find out?"

He took her hands into his, resting them on either side of his head. For a prolonged moment, he kept his hands over hers and she swore electricity coursed through her veins. Even if it drained her, she had to see why this Logan could affect her so. She didn't like her answer...

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After seeing what she had in Logan's mind, even more than his memories of her, Jean had exhausted herself. If she pushed any harder, she knew she wouldn't be able to control her own beast within. After seeing how it has caused her own destruction, she refused to even try to use her powers, much to everyone's dismay. As her usefulness dwindled, her curiosity only piqued further and further. 

They were in a speedster's basement, pleading for his help. As he took their wallets, Jean swore she felt someone pinch her bottom. As she let out a yelp, Logan growled at Peter. It felt strange to experience how territorial Logan was of her firsthand. While they tried to get him on board, Jean was pulled out of her own mind with the mention of her.

"I want a date with her," the grey haired teen proposed.

All at once, Jean, Charles, and Logan shot him down, "No."

Jean's eyes shot to Charles. Why had he cared? He had never shown concern about the men in her life at any previous point. Not even when she knew him as the Professor. Why did her world have to crumble around her so suddenly again? The war had already shaken all their lives as so many went to fight.

They managed to lure the teen in with the possible achievement of breaking into the Pentagon, and once again boarded the plane. Jean knew Logan was staying much closer to her with the addition of the speedster on board. Already overwhelmed by him once today, she moved from his spot to sit in the co-pilot seat next to Hank. As he put the plane into autopilot, he gently took Jean's hand. "You okay Jean? You look like you're somewhere else right now."

"Do you think you know too much about the future now?"

"Yes," she was relieved by his nod, Hank had always been far smarter than she, "What did he tell you?"

"Everything," she pointed to her forehead, "but in here."

"I don't make it... in the future..."

"Neither do I."

"Well, it's a good thing we're changing it, right?"

"But I caused my own death..."

"Your powers?"

"Yes, but I still don't want a serum, Hank. We don't need a cure."

And they hit the wrench in their friendship that felt like it would always be there. She may have been understanding of their serums, but she didn't approve of them, not after the change it allowed in Charles. The Charles she had met was kind and helped her with her control. Now, he ran from her rather than feel a telepath's pain again. Charles entered the cockpit, eyes finding Jean but not seeming to see her. "There you are. Ready to charm some guards?"

Of course. He wanted the convenience of her powers, not to check on her. "I can't Charles, I've already exhausted myself and you know what it's like when I push too hard. We're more likely to get caught if I go."

With a sigh and an attempt at puppy dog eyes, Charles silently pleaded with her. He was trying to mentally guilt her into it, using her wild powers against her. The more he tried, the angrier she felt until her powers lashed out and pushed him back. "I said no."

Hank rose out of his seat, trying to be the glue between the two again, "I'll need her help anyways."

Charles nodded once as he exited the cockpit, mumbling, "Fine with me."

Jean could tell it wasn't and she wanted nothing more than to fight him. The hand upon her shoulder calmed her, and she turned to thank Hank, only to see Logan. In her anger, she had missed his approach. He offered her a small smile and she kept her face blank. She knew she was a disappointment compared to her levelheaded older self. She stayed close to Hank as the others went to get the Erik she had only ever heard about. While it happened too fast for her to do anything or process it properly, there was a moment where she thought she would lose Charles and Logan. It made her question how much she cared for the stranger. No, not stranger, but usurper of her emotional foundations.

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The tension between Charles and Erik was high and thick. Jean thought it was a miracle she could breathe in the plane as it seemed to shrink in size, even after Peter had left. She couldn't handle it and chose, yet again, to stay in the cockpit. She wanted to stay away from their rising emotions and the cause of her own, this Logan. Sadly, she realized this man would always affect her so. She could hide any further in her seat either as he entered the cockpit, attempting to give Charles and Erik some sort of privacy. She quietly cursed under her breath as she felt her heart race at his proximity, and the tempting lure of his mind reaching for hers once again.

The distance between them closed further as he began to project his thoughts at her. Promises of love, affection, and eternal loyalty, should she choose him this time around, were hurled her way. As Charles and Erik's anger grew, it added to her own growing anger. She violently pushed at Logan's psyche. Then Erik began to affect the plane with his powers, making them nearly crash. At the same time, his anger fed into her own emotions and she glared at Logan, a fire lighting behind her eyes. "I don't want your future!"

"Then make your own Jeannie."

She rose from her seat as the plane leveled out and settled, the crash avoided. It was her turn to be the aggressor as she got into Logan's face, "I will not give into your goading."

"I know, it's what makes the chase so fun."

His words, as arrogant as they were, couldn't hold back the hurt that came off of him in waves to her. In his future, she did not choose him, and he must have been afraid she would do so again. It was the only way she could explain why he suddenly captured her lips with his. What she couldn't explain was why she didn't fight it, or why she was driven to return it. For once in a very long time, she was thankful for Charles. He pulled Logan away before she could make a decision she might regret.

"Get off of her! You're here to help with Raven. That is all."

Did Jean feel jealousy prick at the back of her mind? Her brown eyes bore into Charles as Logan put his hands up in surrender. Charles was confusing the hell out of her today, as if any of them needed more confusion. She wondered what his eyes would tell her if he would actually look at her. "Jean," He sounded concerned, truthfully and sincerely concerned, "are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, "I think so..."

"Good, we don't need you bringing the plane down too."

There went any semblance of the man she once knew again. She sighed and pushed past the two men to sit at the back of the plane, in hopes of being left alone. Keeping her back to them all, she ran her fingers over her still tingling lips. She felt like he had seared her with his fierce passion. She hadn't stopped him, and if left alone, she may have ended up returning it and fueling it further. What was she doing?

If she thought logically, she knew to abandon any thought of being with Logan. When he was done here, he'd leave and she'd have to wait for years to be with him again. On top of it all, there wasn't a promise it'd be the same him she knew now. And what of Charles? Was he purely possessive of her or was he hiding something more? How would she even go about bringing it up? She was glad Erik and Charles had at least calmed down, no longer feeding into her own tempest of emotions.

"You like her Charles," Erik said quietly as they played a game of chess, "You're not trying to replace Raven are you?"

"I could never. She's my ward, nothing more. I'm protecting her from those who would take advantage of her, and from herself."

"You never learn, do you? You are replacing Raven. If you aren't careful, you'll drive her away too."

"No. You took Raven away, there's a difference."