Beyond Evolution

That morning, Madelyne rose earlier than usual. She took her time in the kitchen, brewing a cup of black coffee for herself to start so that she could drink while she put together the necessary ingredients for her pancake batter. Sunday mornings were good for pancakes. It wasn't often that Madelyne cooked, but when she did, she often found it soothing to measure out tablespoons and crack eggs, approximating exactly the right parts to make a delicious final result. The process calmed her. She even hummed a little as she worked, not seeming to mind the streak of flour on her forehead either. Few people were awake to see it anyway. More importantly, Nate and Rachel Grey were not. She wanted to surprise them, after all, and there was nothing quite like waking up to breakfast in bed.

She shifted together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then cracked the eggs and measured out the proper amount of milk to blend in another bowl. Before she combined the two, she reached for the small bag of special ingredient that she'd brought along to make the recipe just right and added it to the other white powders. Much better. When everything was whipped together into a smooth, creamy batter, she poured in the melted butter and set a pan on the stove; in no time at all, she'd put together a gorgeous stack of pancakes, golden-brown and fluffy. A little bit of butter added on top and a steady drizzle of syrup over the pile finished off her creation. It looked almost good enough for her to want to keep them for herself. What a shame. The dirty bowls and measuring cups flew into the sink on cue from a dismissive wave of her hand for someone else to deal with. After all, she had to get the pancakes to their destination before they got cold. There were more important tasks at hand than dishwashing.

At Nate's door, she knocked politely with one hand, but her real morning greeting was telepathic. Nate? she murmured quietly with an accompanying mental stroke, not unlike a mother's hand against her child's forehead. Nate was hardly her child, but she felt that he deserved that kind of gentleness nonetheless. When she felt his mind stirring questioningly awake, she let herself inside his room and carried the plate higher so that the delicious aroma couldn't possibly be missed. "I woke up early today and made myself some breakfast, and while I was whipping up these pancakes, I realized you might like some," she explained as she came to sit down on the edge of his bed. "It really wasn't any trouble and I have to admit, they're really perfect this time. I think I outdid myself." She laid the plate on the coverlet and stood up, absently wiping off that streak of flour from her cheek with those long fingers of hers. "I hope you like them."

Pausing by the door, Madelyne glanced thoughtfully back over her shoulder, her green eyes focused on the pancakes. "There really are a lot." Her tone was doubtful. "You should share them or you'll just get sick. Maybe Rachel..." It was a stretch -- Rachel was suspicious of her at best, and Madelyne let leak her slightly hurt feelings about the other Grey-Summers' judgment and her hope of possibly winning over at least a tiny bit of Rachel's potential friendliness, just enough for Nate to feel before she tightened her emotional shields again and smiled. "Enjoy." And then she let herself out.

Ground glass wasn't enough to kill either telepath while they were still at Xavier's with their healers and medlabs, but it would do the trick.

When this was all over, she would have to find a way to make Nate forgive her.


[Narrative, closed.]