The day following the meteor shower, Storm is talking with Jean.
"How the beauty of the cosmos did shine last night," her voice fills with connection towards the woman before her, "it all but erases the sadness that you'll be leaving us for it."
Jean smiles deeply. "I can't say quite the same. Though I have felt...'switched on' since last night, not like I had the last time. It's different knowing some time ahead that it's approaching."
Storm gives a nod. "And how is it for Scott?"
Jean considers. "Actually, between the two of us, he may be accepting it more easily."
Speaking of Scott, at the point when his trig class is just letting out.
"It was nice to have you back as Professor, Cyclops," one student states, slinging their bag over their shoulder as they head out.
Scott answers them with a little smile; nice to be missed.
"Iceman was a good sub though," another student adds, helping their friend carry their stuff after their bag had accidentally gotten vanished.
"Egh, he took some acclimatizing to," the friend remarks.
Everyone files out, but Scott catches a fourth thought shared from out in the hall, "really though, with how he's gotten messed up by stuff lately, maybe Cyclops should pass the baton."
"He's the sub to most of us this semester, anyway," a fifth points out. "I mean it's my first trig year. I came in with Iceman."
"Same," a sixth and seventh can be heard chorusing just before their voices fade away with distance.
Scott frowns.
Later in the day comes Mechanics Class, which Jean had been fielding in Scott's absence though she might normally join him for a lesson anyway.
Today is one such day, as she uses her powers to deconstruct an engine in mid-air, separating the pieces enough that the students will have a good view of each as she makes to demonstrate the use of the individual parts, a complete 3D visual aide, in sync with Scott's explanation of their function.
Elias -a boy with the mutant ability to see mechanical objects as though with X-Ray vision, yet without an accompanying knowledge of the internal mechanisms he sees, is particularly attentive.
After his final explanation, Scott is silent for the few minutes more that Jean demonstrates the deconstructed workings. Then, as she halts their functioning and lowers the pieces onto a work table, Scott switches out his glasses for his visor -sure to keep his eyes shut tight in between- and steps over to a separate work table where a few assembled engines sit.
"So," he directs their students' attention this way, "now that you know precisely how an engine functions..." Raising his hand to his visor, which is dialed low, he discharges three successive blasts -one each towards a different part of the engines on the table. "Let's see if you can figure out what I just broke and what you'll need to fix it. You'll be working in teams."
The students however, not ready to move on from the powers portion of the lesson plan, do not begin partnering up -although Elias seemed like he was about to, at least.
Mechanics Student #1: "I think I could handle a bit more of a damaged engine."
Mechanics Student #2 (looking around): "There're enough of us, you could blast one more."
Mechanics Student #3: "I say we can all take one! Blast some more, Cyclops!"
Machanics Student #4: "Blast one to smithereens and let's see if Jean can reassemble it!"
Machanics Student #2: "Yeah! That would be educational!"
The hub-bub of students intent on anything other than the intended lesson plan goes on a little -Elias the only one among them looking disappointed while Jean and Cyclops exchange looks.
Jean raises the deconstructed engine parts off the table just high enough that they clatter over the chatter once she releases them.
That died down, Cyclops speaks again; no-nonsense: "You'll be splitting into teams and working on these three engines."
With groans and sighs, the students move in resignation to their scheduled learning, curiously none seeming to want to pair with the only eager one -Elias.
Scott speaks to Jean over at the other table for a minute: "The incorporation of your powers into a lesson always holds their attention. Mine only divert it."
Jean smiles understandingly towards the students: "They're just action-minded, first. They settle down quickly enough."
Somehow Scott doesn't seem satisfied.
Another day, we see Scott walking the halls when he comes upon Storm, Xavier and Magneto* having a conversation in an open room up ahead.
*Storm struck up an unlikely alliance with the leader of
The Brotherhood in Part 10 of Vol.#2! -Up-to-Dater Tra
Cyclops observes the latter two continue on after Storm concludes her part in the conversation. She now comes over to him.
"It's unusual to see Magneto casually here, isn't it? But things are going well."
"Well it never would've occurred to me to try striking up an alliance with him, though it does seem to be holding. . ."
Storm wears a contented look.
"Just tread carefully."
Storm's expression changes. "I am aware of Magneto's tendencies just the same. But people aren't always only the way we see them."
Down the hall, Scott now notices Logan talking with Jean, and watches them.
It isn't the fact they're conversing he's focusing on, rather on Logan himself -someone else Scott hadn't thought they could work with.
Storm continues: "Different eyes bring value. And perhaps that's what the X-Men need going forward."
She recaptures the better part of Scott's attention.
Storm: "I haven't found it disagreeable to lead in your absence. Maybe the time for singular leadership has passed."
This seems to be something else that had never occurred to him.
And he doesn't have an answer for it.
Meanwhile, over with Jean and Logan.
Logan: "So that was some meteor shower last night."
"It was."
"Ya' know, since the first time you went up there, they make me think of you."
Jean looks at him, then smiles; not a bad association.
"This one kind've played like a 'welcome back'. Never seen one like it." And he's seen more than most.
"Mmm, maybe."
Logan reads her disposition. "Hey -each time now we've let you go we've been proven wrong on it being forever." He smirks. "Maybe you'll be like Halley's Comet and come around again in a few years."
This succeeds in getting a smile out of Jean.
Then she looks at him squarely. "I'll miss each one of you."
Logan holds her gaze steadily...before his eyes shift beyond her; Scott being in his eyeline down the hall. "So Scott," he calls, "ready for Danger Class?"
Danger Class: not the Danger Room training sessions the X-Men undergo.
This class was designed for graduates with potential to be future or reserve members.
Recently it has also been opened up to younger hopefuls, or those who just want to learn how to use their powers in a constructively reactive way.
Usually lead by Cyclops, while he'd been recovering it was taken over by the unit of Nightcrawler and Wolverine.
Today, Cyclops still isn't here to participate, but to see where the class is ahead of his taking it over the next time. While it may be the last of the classes conducted by Wolverine and Nightcrawler, it's the first Cyclops is observing.
And to his eye, it's chaos.
The simulation is some swashbuckling kind complete with gigantic sea monsters the students take pleasure in seeing Wolverine finish off each time they have them subdued
--Nightcrawler throwing additional surprises into the mix as he BAMFs back and forth, sometimes with helpful instructions, other times playing the part of an adversarial trickster; keeping the students on their toes --to the result of some falling overboard.
While it seems like an out for the individuals, they rally as a team to bring all their comrades back onto the vessel and kept in the fray until it's won.
At the class's conclusion, Cyclops, who had been observing from the Control Room (and looking like it took some will not to shut the sim down), walks past the departing students into the Danger Room proper -now devoid of any simulation- to have a word with the professors.
"Tell me that was some one-off and not the way you've been teaching them?"
Nightcrawler: "A bit of both. As this is to be our last, ve vent out vith a bang."
Cannons-all. Cyclops clearly is not impressed.
Wolverine: "What? It's gotten the results."
Now Cyclops scoffs, requiring a moment to find his words - or govern himself accordingly. "These classes are supposed to prepare them for realistic scenarios!"
"A couple months back*, you and Jean were fighting with trees and a kid who could reach through your body. Then you took a blast from a giant gun fired from a weather balloon." He shares a look with Nightcrawler; "realistic" has a wider breadth when you're a mutant in a mutant world.
*a.k.a. Vol.#2.
~Tra
Cyclops closes his mouth. He turns away, but adds before leaving: "I'll see what kind of results those are after Review."
Day of Review Class, we first join Xavier and Magneto in Cerebro.
Magento (using his powers to shift around pieces of the device): "It should be readily apparent to you, after this calibration, if this experiment I agreed to with your pupil is worthwhile."
Xavier wears a certain smile. "I doubt if you would've agreed if you really believed it wouldn't be."
"Well certain endeavours do not show their worth until they're undertaken. Not to mention there may be something to gain aside success." He continues his recalibrations while Xavier makes his own to the wiring.
Xavier: "In any case, it's been too long since we last worked together like this, old friend."
Magneto actually smiles back at him, before continuing in companionable silence.
Then comes Cyclops' Danger Class Review.
Jean meets him just afterward, reading the look on his face.
"Did Logan and Kurt's technique throw them off that much?"
". . .No. They passed with more flying colours than they ever averaged under my instruction."
This is a revelation he's going to need some time with.
As they're exiting, Magneto is also coming out of Cerebro.
Pausing, Cyclops looks at him as Magneto heads for the elevator.
Magneto: "Still not used to my presence here, or still questioning it?" Unconcerned for an answer he doesn't wait for one, turning towards the shaft.
Jean looks from him to Cyclops, who looks like he's questioning more than that;
his disposition reading: 'this isn't the place I've known'.