Chapter 117 – Report

[2009 – September]

Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, Jean understood what Elijah's words implied. She had heard about Laura's past vaguely from the Professor, not to mention that it was nearly impossible to keep secrets from her, even for the teachers in the mansion.

Her heart clenched somewhat painfully as she looked at the innocent and peaceful smile on Laura's face while she thought about the horrors the other girl had had to endure as a child. The fact that Laura might suffer from nightmares according to Elijah only made it even more obvious that Laura deserved all the care and affection she could get.

Shaking off these thoughts for the moment, Jean gently took hold of Laura's form with her telekinesis as she approached the two of them, which allowed Elijah to stand up from his seat.

Taking the levitating girl into his arms, Elijah used his own barrier to place the folding chair that Laura had sat on, back with the others before surrounding the three of them with it.

A moment later they disappeared from the storeroom and reappeared in their bedroom, where she helped Elijah slowly strip Laura of her leather jacket, before placing her down on the bed. Taking off her shoes, he tucked away her small feet under the blanket along with the rest of her lithe form.

Jean saw Elijah's concern and care for Laura in the warm glow of his eyes and his gentle movements. And even though she didn't want to be selfish, a part of her still found it hard to watch this.

Leaving the bedroom with quick steps, Jean brushed away the tears that had finally fallen from her eyes when a pair of strong arms embraced her from behind, Elijah's lips leaving a soft kiss on her neck before his lips came to rest right next to her ear.

She heard him take a deep breath as if he deliberately breathed in her scent before he whispered: "Close your eyes, my love."

Jean knew that her pain had not escaped Elijah's senses, and she could hear the underlying plea in his voice as if the mere thought of her hurting was seemingly unbearable for him.

Jean turned around in Elijah's embrace and looked up at her love with teary eyes, her hands balling into fists as she gripped his sweater. Unsure of what he wanted but also unable to deny him, Jean's eyelids fluttered close as she clung to the warmth Elijah's embrace provided her with.

In the next moment though, Jean felt the barrier enveloping her mind change right before waves of warmth crashed into her mind.

Jean felt as if she was in the middle of a firestorm, titanic flaming waves powerful enough to raze a city crashing against each other all around her. Nothing could withstand the force of this storm, the scorching wind alone enough to turn even the strongest of structures into ashes.

The flames were unstoppable as they swept out, devouring even space itself until the whole world was nothing but a blazing inferno.

Turning around, Jean looked toward the origin of those flames, and what she saw simply took her breath away. Her hands rose up to her lips as she tried to understand what she saw, tears falling like rain on her flawless features.

She saw herself.

But it wasn't through an illusion or a mirror, Jean saw herself through Elijah's eyes as she looked at the origin of the inferno around her.

She was laughing while at Elijah's side as they took a walk through the small forest that surrounded the Hellion Mansion, her smile seemed so incredibly radiant through his eyes and the fire around her pulsed with deep love.

A moment later, the scene changed. Suddenly she saw herself sitting at the table in their living room, leaning over some textbooks while absentmindedly chewing on a pen. Jean felt the immense tenderness that welled up inside Elijah's heart by merely remembering this moment and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.

At last, Jean saw herself sleeping atop Elijah's chest with nothing but a thin sheet wrapped around her bare figure, their naked bodies pressed against each other after a night of loving intimacy.

Elijah's fingers softly brushed over her cheek, her flaming hair strewn across his side.

And then a faint whisper reached her ears: "I love you, Jean Grey."

Eyes fluttering open, Jean watched herself look up at Elijah with sleepy eyes as she replied with a soft smile: "I love you more."

She understood that she was watching his memories and Jean remembered those moments too, and she knew that in the last scene Elijah responded to her reply with a kiss which led to them making love in a slow and gentle rhythm.

Here though, surrounded by the flames of Elijah's love, Jean could hear him utter a few simple words in the safety of his mind that had never left his lips in reality.

"That's impossible.", he whispered.

The next moment, Jean left the world of fire as Elijah once again closed off his mind to the outside world. Opening her eyes with tears streaming down her cheek, Jean locked gazes with Elijah, his beautiful green eyes pulsing with tender love.

Never before had Elijah allowed her such deep access to his mind and memories, and what she saw in just a few moments was simply indescribable.

The depths and intensity of Elijah's love were like a force of nature, it burned brighter than the sun itself. Jean had never felt such longing in the heart of another person. It was as if Elijah's whole being longed for her more than he longed for life itself.

"Y-You love me that much?", Jean asked with a whisper, her voice trembling as her heart threatened to collapse under the weight of his love. Her own yearning for Elijah only added to her burden, and she wished she could find the words to tell him that she didn't love him any less than he loved her.

His yearning for her was so great that it bordered on despair but Jean likewise hungered for his mere presence, every touch of his only increasing her tender desire.

Smiling lightly, Elijah looked at her with such gentleness that her breath got caught in her throat.

"How could I not?", he asked while lowering his head to leave another kiss on her soft lips, "Now, please stop crying, Firefly. Your tears are killing me."

Unfortunately, his actions only caused her to cry even harder as she wrapped her arms around his neck and dug into his embrace, finding her home while surrounded by his warmth and love.

She no longer thought about him and Laura as she understood why he had opened himself up to her telepathy, something he had a strong aversion to in any normal situation. It was to tell her something.

In the same way that she had chosen to be Laura's friend, despite knowing about the latter's feelings for Elijah, he had chosen to be with her. He might care for Laura and even hold affection for her, but it was her, Jean, to whom he had chosen to give his heart to.

"I love you.", she voiced out softly, trying to pour every ounce of devotion and love she had into those three simple words as she tiptoed and reconnected their lips in a deep kiss.

His rich and wonderful taste on her lips and tongue made her shudder all over as she pressed herself deeper into his embrace, moaning lightly when she felt his tongue push forward and plunder her mouth without restraint.

Jean wanted to give her everything to Elijah, knowing that this was the only way to show him how much his love meant to her, as words just didn't seem enough.

She pulled him towards the soft leather couch, his hands roaming all over her body while hers did the same on his, their clothes falling to the floor piece by piece.

And when finally, Elijah's larger frame pressed her into the soft leather while his hard shaft pushed into her depths, she couldn't help but look up to her love breathlessly as she whispered with devotion overflowing from her enchanting eyes: "I belong to you."

…

Ending the video call with Agent Romanoff, the Director of SHIELD couldn't help the deep frown that had settled on his face.

Nick Fury wasn't the Director of SHIELD just because of his achievements or because he had served the organization for a long time loyally. While both of those were true, he was the Director because he was the best goddamn spy this organization ever had.

And with that came an infallible instinct that told him when something wasn't right.

Looking down at the report on Elijah Frost, that one of his best Agents had sent him, his gaze fixed on one particular line.

'Threat-Level: Extreme(Do not approach under any circumstances. Target has proven itself dangerous beyond compare and will use lethal force without hesitation.)'

How could a mutant with an unknown ability be classified as an Extreme-level threat? Even Erik Lehnsherr, a.k.a. Magneto, was only on this level after several incidents that had cost dozens of his Agents' lives, and SHIELD knew basically everything about his power.

What was truly disturbing though was that Natasha had seemed absolutely beside herself, even though she had tried to hide it. She might have been able to fool anyone else but he had seen with a single glance the barely concealed sheer terror in her gaze when he mentioned that further investigations may be necessary.

What could a seventeen-year-old newly-awakened mutant possibly do to make one of the toughest people that he knew almost catatonic with just the mere mention of his name?

What kind of monster was Elijah Frost?

And the more important question: Could SHIELD afford to provoke him by trying to find an answer to this question? Somehow, something in his gut told Fury that they couldn't.

Sighing to himself, Nick Fury couldn't help but feel a headache approaching with breakneck speed as he thought about informing the Council that he would not risk his Agents' lives unnecessarily to provoke an Omega-level mutant needlessly.

It seemed to be the logical thing to do, considering the sheer destructive power this category of mutants usually possessed. Still, somehow he also doubted that the Council would see it his way.

Logic, unfortunately, was not their forte, at least not when it didn't concern their own power or authority.