X-Fans! Thx for your patience and for your loyalty.
I am determined to have this be only a partial gap-week with Part 5 releasing latest Monday.
Ahead of it, however -I believe I mentioned in an early X-Talk a curious fact about the creative process: that clarity might only be gained after something is put out there and not before.
While most of the needed edits I'm enlightened to go into the "something for the rewrite" box, occasionally there are ones that are a bit more immediately necessary and caught in a timely enough manner to adjust right away.
Below you'll find 2 such edits pertaining to the last two scenes of Part 4:
-The Angel Med Bay discussion
and
-Jean's confrontation of Cyclops afterward.
Both present a different tone to the original scenes which I wanted to correct before going forward.
So, without further ado:
====
The quintet enter.
Jubilee: "It wasn't even an accident! Just like what we heard happened with Wolverine!"
Jean briefly casts her a doubtful look; mostly focusing on Angel. "There's nothing between Scott and Warren."
Warren makes a pained utterance before chiming in: "He didn't have a great view down in that pit he got himself in. I probably came out of no where to him."
Iceman insists: "No, she's right. Cyclops did this on purpose."
Rogue (impatient): "We saw on the monitors. He wasn't surprised or anything when it hit you."
Jubilee (indignant): "Not even a little!"
Angel pauses, a conflicted look crossing his face.
Jean is disturbed. "Where is Scott, now?" A glance towards the door, as if just realizing how he should be in here with them.
Rogue: "Still in the Danger Room ah guess."
Jubilee: "If I didn't have to go find you I would've given him more a piece of my mind!" -minor sparks fly as she clenches her fists- "He just watched while Rogue and Iceman helped Angel!"
Jean looks like she can't quite comprehend what they're relating.
And as for Angel, his prognosis isn't good. Though it also isn't the worst. If he can manage to keep his wing relatively still and absolutely unstrained, there's a good chance he'll be able to regain the use of it.
Jean exits the Med Bay afterward, intent on finding Scott, and now that she's concentrating knows exactly where to find him.
Scott is standing in something of a daze after switching from his X-Men uniform back into civilian clothes.
Jean watches him a moment before approaching. Her disposition softening somewhat by the affected look of him. "Scott, what is going on? I've never known you to act out like this."
". . .I don't know."
"That's not good enough."
He seems like he's about to say more, his mouth moving with the beginning formation of words -He exhales instead, massaging his forehead with the L of his hand.
"My head doesn't feel right."
Jean looks at him, concerned. "Let me see." She steps closer, raising her hands when Scott turns to her, allowing her to place them on each of his temples.
Eyes closed, concentrating, Jean tilts her head a little at the unusual trouble she's having getting anywhere. She opens her eyes. "You're blocking me."
"I'm not. How would I?"
Jean considers him a moment, then starts over. . .
. . .this time. . .'Bad idea' 'Bad idea' 'Bad idea' --Suddenly she feels his hands on her forearms pulling her hands away from his head.
"Stay out!"
"Scott!"
They stand staring at each other in this close proximity a half-moment, his hands flexing tighter before he lets go and turns away. "We shouldn't make it stronger."
Jean is perplexed: "Make what stronger?"
"Our psychic link."
"I wasn't using our link. You know I can do this with anyone."
"Even still, it's a psychic pathway. It's going to make things different this time, who knows how. . ."
Jean realizes he's talking about her leaving and is surprised; their deepened psychic link not being something she'd considered. "Let's go to Charles, then."
"No."
"You said your head doesn't feel right, Scott, and you're acting out. We need to look into this."
"I'm fine."
"You've been hurting people we both care about."
A new disposition takes hold as Scott practically scoffs: "Logan?"
Jean stares with a cross and questioning look: "Who are you right now?"
"I was right about him being fine, wasn't I? I didn't hit Warren that hard."
Jean corrects him: "He may not fly again."
Quite a different disposition rises in Scott, as if someone's just told him what he thought was a game is actually reality. Rather, like he's waking up to that reality.
Jean watches as he stands there, breathing in a more stressed manner, conflicted in himself, and her own disposition changes again. "Let Charles see--" she gently tries again, taking only one step towards him when he cuts her off -"I don't need anyone messing any more around with me"- and starts to move past her towards the door.
Jean makes to halt him with her hand: "Scott--"
He pushes her aside, roughly- -and not three strides later finds his movements suddenly arrested.
Jean stands with her hands positioned out towards him, obviously using her telekinesis. "Something's clearly wrong with you--"
"Let me go."
"Not until you agree to let one of us help you."
"Let me go."
There's a level of threat in his voice that alarms her.
That alarm might be increased if she could also see the purple glow growing behind his ruby quartz lenses, but their angle to each other shields this from her view.
"You wouldn't hurt me," Jean states, as though in reminder to him and affirmation to herself.
The glow dies down. When Scott speaks next, the firmness in his voice is mitigated by insecurity: "I just need some space to figure this out myself. Just let me go, please."
Jean does.
We see Scott hesitate, looking like he may want, or thinks he should, say something more. Instead he only leaves.
Jean left deeply troubled.
Soon it becomes apparent by telepathic perception, that Scott has left the Mansion premises altogether.