WHO:Emma Frost & Jean Grey WHEN: (backdated) Before Thanksgiving WHERE: On the road WHAT: Emma and Jean drive to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with Emma's brother WARNINGS: Shmoop STATUS: Complete
Jean was more than happy to take a trip with Emma. She hadn’t seen Christian in a long time, and wondered if he actually knew Emma was dating her or not. Or if he’d even be surprised. The trip itself was something to look forward to. They could take their time, get away for a few days. And considering Emma’s car was comfy it would be a very nice drive.
She wore a green skirt over leggings, with fuzzy boots and a nice turtleneck in a complementary color as she came down the stairs with a suitcase. “Did you tell him about us, or is this going to be a surprise?”
“He knows.” Christian was the one member of her family that Emma actually kept in contact with. It seemed to carry over in her dreams, although things were a little complex there and she’d been hinting at a lot of things during their phone conversations lately. “I’m not sure if he believes it yet, but he’ll find out when we arrive for sure.”
Because while they weren’t overly about the PDA, she was feeling a little festive. Things had been going very good lately; aside from the dreams being their usual awkward insertion into their lives, the world was still casually spinning and their relationship was building in strength and stability and really, Emma thought it was probably about time that Jean and her go ‘public’ with her brother at least.
Her own suitcase was by the door, coat hanging to the side while Emma fixed her hair in the mirror and made sure her grey pant suit and ice blue blouse were perfect. “His wife might be surprised.” Which was really why Emma was all about this ‘I am dating a woman and it’s okay’ because she really wanted Christian to know that he could tell her anything and she’d still love him. “But that’ll be half the fun.”
“Okay, that’ll be less awkward then.” Jean wondered if the belief was Emma with her, or Emma with a woman at all. “Should I wear flannel, would that help?”
She flashed a grin at Emma. While her dreams had stopped, she knew Emma’s marched on, and she tried to support her as best she could. She came over, carefully unfixing Emma’s hair just a smidge while she distracted her with a kiss.
It was a particularly sure fire way to distract Emma, not least because she was a hedonist at heart, and Jean’s kisses were exceptionally wonderful that only a fool wouldn’t enjoy them immensely. Emma wasn’t even too concerned with the slight disarray of her hair.
“As much as I’d love to see you attempt that, I think he’ll call you out for the fashion faux pas.” Because Christian was just as aware of designer trends as Emma was. Maybe one reason why they were so very close growing up. “Unless you’re in nothing but the flannel?”
Jean smiled, stroking Emma’s cheek lightly before stepping away from her. “It’s only a faux pas in some social circles, dear.” Planting her hands on her hips, Jean tilted her head. “Just for that, I’ll pack one.”
That she actually owned one was probably more of a surprise than anything else. But it was comfortable and warm!
Maybe it was just the wiring of a woman, but there was something just as sexy about Jean in nothing but a flannel shirt as there was Jean in lacy underwear. Maybe it was the comfort level, the fact that comfortable was just as nice as the wires and elastic. Either way, Emma just smirked before stealing another quick kiss.
“Well then, maybe we should get on the road, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get you comfortable.” And because they had the whole day to casually make their way to San Diego anyway.
Jean hoped their trip would meander a little. She’d never actually been to San Diego before, and she was sure there were neat little places they could find and be disgustingly domestic at. “We should do a proper cross country trip this year. Do you think you could slum it across country, Emma?”
Jean headed outside, making her way for the car, before Emma could steal another kiss and they got delayed further.
“If by slum it you mean rent the most luxurious RV known to man that is basically a palace on wheels, I could be tempted.” Not really, Emma didn’t mind shirking off her airs and graces, just enjoying herself from time to time, and really some time away from Orange County, some sightseeing and travelling, with Jean, it didn’t seem like a terribly bad idea.
Their bags were all deposited in the car, packed away neatly and Emma draped her coat over the back seats. “We could plan it for summer, while you’re on break.”
“I’m trying to picture you behind the wheels of any RV, and I just can’t.” But then the only RVs Jean could think of were basically winnebagos. Emma in a winnebago? “Summer would be perfect. I’ll probably need the time away by then. We both will.”
Jean slipped into the car. Emma knew the way better than her and Jean could handle the return trip. Besides, half the fun of distracting Emma was if Emma was driving! She did settle with putting a hand on Emma’s knee first chance she got.
“That’s why you hire a driver.” Which she would, even for a full summer driving around in a glorified hotel room on wheels. “Considering Orange County and work, yes, we will.” Because it wasn’t just the dreams, the weird things that just happened around Orange County were just as bad. Some time during the summer to not deal with that would be nice.
For the sake of driving to San Diego, Emma went for space and luxury over speed, the Mercedes was a far better car for long trips, and she could enjoy the drive with Jean without either of them feeling too cramped. The hand that appeared on Emma’s knee just had her smirking, especially glad that she wasn’t bothered with driving stick-shift.
“Hire a driver, really?” Jean wasn’t sure about that, but as long as they could block them out somehow, she could adjust. “I’m never going to get used to that kind of thing. But it will be nice to be away from California. The summer months seem to get hectic.” Jean rubbed her hand. “I’m nervous about meeting your brother.”
Emma had grown up with drivers, butlers and maids, and while she didn’t utilise them all in her adult life, she had no qualms about using them. “Well, if we hire a driver then we can enjoy the ride and company.” And not be exhausted from driving when they wanted to explore places.
“You’ve met Christian, just because we’re dating instead of friends doesn’t change anything. He’ll still adore you, and let’s face it, you’re far too good for me.” Emma just smirked, because in some ways they both knew that Jean was too good for Emma.
“You might have me convinced,” Jean teased. “But you might also need to prod me a little more.” She let Emma interpret that however she wanted. She hoped Emma interpreted it in a way that involved leather.
“It does change things. It goes from ‘that friend of my sister’ to ‘that person who ties my sister up at night’. There’s a difference.” She didn’t argue the ‘too good’ thing, there wasn’t really a point and it would make the rest of the trip tense.
‘Prodding’ Jean about it could be very creative, and Emma sent along the image of just how she could convince Jean, a nice little throwback to when Jean was decked out in the Hellfire leather just like Emma. Perhaps if they hadn’t hated each other during Jean’s stint as Shaw’s Black Queen they could’ve ruled the world.
Alas.
“Let’s not inform my dear big brother about her night time activities then.” Even if he could probably guess, given Emma’s history and whatnot. “It’ll be fine. He’ll probably just be glad I’m not dating some asshole in a suit.”
The way the world had turned out, Emma and Jean as Queens of the Hellfire Club might have actually worked out better. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I think I can turn this to my benefit by embarrassing you. That’s the way into a sibling’s good graces.”
She’d always liked Emma’s brother.
Thankfully the roads weren’t terribly busy or fussy, leaving Emma the chance to split her attention between driving and Jean, a feat that she was learning for most things, splitting her attention so that something was regularly focused on Jean. “I sometimes forget how devious you can be.”
There was a mock glare directed at Jean, because really, she wasn’t too fussed. If it helped Jean feel comfortable around Christian then fine, they could tease her. It’d been a while since she’d Christian relax around people. If anyone could do it, it was Jean. “I’m sure you’ll be giggling like school girls in no time.”
It could be a distraction sometimes, but Jean was balancing it. She liked to think she was good at balancing relationships and the real world. Jean would probably be wrong about that. “Don’t want to giggle with us?”
“That will depend on just how much revenge I get.” Although being said, a friendly and fun Thanksgiving would be new for them, her family didn’t tend to have the best track record for not having some kind of event at gatherings. Hopefully with just Christian’s family and her and Jean it would be different.
“I am looking forward to this, no matter what happens.”
That had been something that had always been good for Jean. Holidays, and family gatherings. Emma might have had money, and while Jean hadn’t been poor, she’d had the kind of family that Emma never got. Probably in either reality. “You sound like you’re bracing yourself for a war.”
“Not war.” Really, she did think that Christian and Jean would get along fine, Jean tended to get along well with most, especially if they weren’t trying to rule the world. But Emma still had a mild apprehension about the acceptance of her relationship with Jean.
The fact that Christian had long ago come out in her dreams made her wonder about his lifestyle here, and just how he might react to Emma’s fairly blatant choice of partner. “It’ll be fine, I’m just not overly good with family events.”
Hopefully Christian had no nefarious plans to take over California, that probably wouldn’t go over well but it wouldn’t be the first Thanksgiving dinner of Jeans that had been ruined by villainy. She took Emma’s hand and started to stroke her finger across her knuckles. “Family things are something we can work on.”
It had never been something she’d worried on ‘working on’, even as she’d moved across the country, away from her father and his reach, taking over his empire and building it better, Emma hadn’t thought that she’d some how manage to work on their family relations to the point of it being bearable. No. She’d figured she’d just cut them out. But with Jean, maybe making new things wouldn’t be so terrible. Working on their own designs for family things, for those family angled holidays.
“You know, I wouldn’t be terribly against family being smaller. Maybe just two people. Three if you count that little mop of a dog.” Emma’s fingers squeezed at Jean, her attention slipping to the redhead for a moment before returning to the road, a small smile on her face.
Maybe making a new family, even if it was just the two of them and Christian’s family, could be something they’d do. But what was surprising to Jean was that Emma had broached that subject first. She felt suddenly nervous. “Well, he’s the closest thing to a son I have in this world.”
“Let’s not tempt fate, shall we?” Emma wasn’t sure just what would occur should Jean’s darling children from their dream world show up. As of yet Emma didn’t know if Jean and Scott’s time travelling children (or clones) were rumbling around Orange County. She’d done the occasional scan for her darling little Cuckoo’s since she dreamed of their origin, but so far she was getting nothing back.
She wasn’t even sure if it was a complication they should want either. But Emma was at least self aware enough to know she was ridiculously in love with Jean, in her own warped way of devoted at the very least, to the point where if Jean’s complex and awkward family from their dreams did arrive, Emma would batten down and weather that particular storm with her own effortless grace. And some snarking wit.
“I’ve not sensed Nate,” Jean assured her. “Or any of the others.” There were too many of them to really deal with. “Kitty told me Rachel had been here, but she…”
Jean waved her hand, “Vanished into the timestream. Since there’s no record of her she probably managed to alter things somehow. Not a pleasant thought.” She almost sounded disappointed. There was a lot of mistakes she’d made with Rachel, that she’d like a chance to fix.
“It’s probably best, she’d have some kind of heart attack at us dating.”
Considering how their lives there had played out, the alternates, the dimensions, the time travel, it was probably too complex to really pin down and consider. Probably for the best really. “Knowing your offspring, she was probably saving the universe from something it didn’t realise would destroy it.” Hero complexes, that’s what they were all full of.
Although hopefully they maintained more sense than their father did when it came down to things, really came down to things, the harder choices. “We’ll deal with it if it happens, dear.” Because no, Rachel likely wouldn’t be too thrilled, nor would Nate if Emma had to guess, but really, it was hardly their business anymore.
“Although if any of my girls appear, I doubt they’d be too shocked.” Because Emma had come to think of the remaining three Cuckoo’s as hers, even if being a mother was thrust at her rather suddenly and in the midst of a broken relationship with her protege. They all seemed to have complicated relationships with their offspring.
Jean threaded her fingers through Emma’s, squeezing them lightly. If nothing else, Emma was right. They all did have hero complexes. “They’d probably had bets on when we’d have hate sex.”
And Jean wasn’t even entirely joking about that.
Emma didn’t doubt that at all. Least of all with Esme, her girls were just as devious as she was, “I believe that was part of the point in informing you of Scott and I’s affair.” And while yes, it was still a sore spot, it was no less true. Really, Emma wasn’t sure how much of her relationship with Jean in the dreams was rivalry, jealousy or want. Complicated didn’t begin to cover things.
She’d give them maybe an hour, maybe less, before they stopped for something; stretching their legs, wandering a little, something to eat. But really she was content to wait it out for a while and enjoy the easy drive.
One of Jean’s eyes twitched. It was still a sore spot, Emma and Scott. The dreams had been nothing but mistakes in that regard, but what had happened couldn’t be undone. She had to look forward, rather than back. Still, Jean had...unresolved questions. “Ever wonder if we should have just shared?”
“It crossed my mind,” years before she’d actually made attempts to ensnare Scott, she was certain her former White Queen self had the notion, Jean and her power over the greatest cosmic power in the universe was just as much of a turn on as Scott and his unlimited optic power. And Emma never denied that vast and unquantifiable power was a turn on of hers. But… “But I wonder if we were perhaps too possessive for such a thing.”
At the very least, she wasn’t entirely sure a three-way mind link would go terribly well.
“We might have been. But we’re also telepaths. It’s easier to see into all of our minds. Less secrets, less of the things that cause relationships to go belly up.” Though that hadn’t actually been enough in the end anyway, Jean thought that no secrets was still the way to go. It was better than letting ill feeling take hold, and with her temper that was probably a good thing to avoid.
All in all, Emma was finding that even with her mind wide open to Scott, things weren’t exactly perfect. Those pitfalls were still there, and all the love in the world couldn’t entirely pad that over. Sometimes the personalities weren’t built for long term, and she was already noticing a few cracks in her relationship with Scott, primarily with their leading styles.
“Then perhaps all we need is simply to remove the third in the equation.” Emma knew that both she and Jean loved Scott, as problematic as he could occasionally be and as removed as they were from it all here, it didn’t change things. But Emma was also aware that right now, she loved Jean in an entirely more tangible way than Scott. “No secrets or lies here.” She had very little concern about opening her past up to Jean now.
“Third already removed,” Jean assured her. While a part of her would always love Scott, she had moved on, and she had the benefit of dream hindsight. They weren’t meant to be together. And in this world, they weren’t. This world she had Emma. “The only secret I’m keeping is your Christmas present.”
And maybe how worried she was about the Phoenix, but that was less a secret and more trying to figure out what was going on then talk to Emma.
“Well, I am hoping that it’s you, wrapped in a bow and little else.” And Emma smirked at her own mental image there. Although she could honestly say she would hardly mind if the bow wasn’t there at all too. She wasn’t terribly fussy about the decoration after all. Really she was just hoping the Jean would be alright with the ridiculously extravagant gifts that she’d bought her.
“Once we’ve had our ‘Very Frost Thanksgiving Special’, of course.”
“This is why you can’t keep a secret from a telepath,” Jean joked, flashing Emma a telepathic picture very close to that effect. And whether or not that was true, the seed had been planted. Though of course Jean had something a little more material to give her. Or at least a plan for it.
Oh, holiday celebrations didn’t stop from making Emma grin at that image, because she could be just as filthy as needed when it came to a certain redhead. “And this is exactly why I won’t go hunting,” Emma just gave Jean a cheeky smile, even if there was a slight blush to her cheeks at the images. “I do like surprises.”
Jean reached over to take Emma’s hand, squeezing it lightly. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ms. Frost. Remind me to get some mistletoe for next month. So I can ambush you.”
She fell silent for awhile, alternating between looking out the window or at Emma. It was stupid and romantic and she didn’t care. Jean Grey was a not-so-secret romantic.