"So as you can see in frame two the clash between Christianity and Paganism took many forms. If you look here in the lower corner you can see a satyr shrinking from a woman bearing a cross while in the upper right hand field you see a cross aflame." The lecture broke off as the door opened and Rhian looked expectantly at the interloper. "Can I help you?"
Jean gave Rhian an odd look. She'd been away at a medical conference in England for the last two weeks. She'd heard about the new Comparative Religion and Art Appreciation teacher but was curious to see the woman for herself. She was surprised. The woman had skin the color of liquid paper but it was natural from what Jean could tell. So was the pitch black hair that had the natural blue and red sheen under good lighting that all natural black hair has. What struck Jean as most peculiar looking about the woman were her black eyes. There was no distinguishing between her iris and pupil. She looked like a black and white photograph. "I asked if I could help you. You're interrupting my class." Rhian said impatiently.
Jean snapped out of it. "I just wanted to introduce myself I'm..."
Rhian cut her off. "It can wait until after class. Please either sit and listen or leave."
Jean frowned but left. The woman was also rude. She wouldn't be surprised if Logan had brought the woman back to the Mansion with him. She carried her suitcase to her and Scott's room and set it on the bed. She heard the toilet in the bathroom flush and smiled. She had missed Scott.
Scott smiled when he saw her standing by the bed. She moved towards him and they embraced one another for a long moment. "I missed you." He said.
"I missed you too. So I see there have been a few staff changes while I was away." She replied tilting her head up so she could look at his face.
"Yeah. Rhian. She's good at what she does but she's a little creepy." Scott replied gently kneading her spine.
"She's also rude. I tried to introduce myself and she told me it could wait until after class." Jean pursed her lips when Scott gave a small smile.
"Don't judge her too harshly. She only gets three hours a week with them and she says she wants to make every minute count. She's a good teacher." Scott leaned his head down to press kisses along her neck and Jean trembled slightly.
"Where did she come from?"
"No idea. She just showed up one day and said she wanted a job." Scott said distractedly kissing the column of her throat. He nipped her neck and Jean forgot about Rhian.
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Rhian hadn't forgotten her however and when Jean finally pulled herself from Scott's arms and went to find a cup of coffee she met Rhian in the kitchen. Rhian had filled a cup and handed it to Jean as Jean walked in. "Sorry if I was abrupt with you earlier. I only have three hours a week to teach them to appreciate what Art and the science of Religion can mean in their lives. And I want to make it all count."
Jean added cream and sugar to her coffee. "No problem. Scott explained it to me. My name is Jean."
Rhian waved her hand over her nearly empty cup of coffee and it refilled before Jeans eyes. "I'm Rhian. I've heard a lot about you. I'm glad I get to finally meet you." She took a sip of coffee.
"What exactly is your mutation?" Jean asked watching the coffee cup.
"I channel the energy present in the earth through my body and bend it to my will. Call it spell casting or magic or whatever you like. I can sometimes see bits of the future if I'm feeling spunky. I just used a Duplication to refill my coffee cup." Rhian replied.
Jean was flabbergasted. The woman before her had one of the most powerful mutations she'd ever witnessed and she was using it to refill her coffee. "Are you on the X-Men team yet?"
"Not yet. I haven't finished my trials yet I guess. I'll get there eventually. I've only been here two weeks. I'm actually going out for a while tonight. It's Friday and I'd like to spend the weekend out in nature. It's been a long two weeks." Rhian sipped at her coffee to hide the tremor in her lips. She missed Victor painfully. She'd only been able to slip out to see him once in the last two weeks.
Jean was carefully trying to probe Rhians thoughts but she was met with a blank wall. Rhian gave her a knowing look. "You can't read my mind Jean. Not even Xavier can read my mind. It's a by product of the intense meditation process I had to go through to learn to control my powers."
Jean felt her suspicions mounting but apparently Xavier trusted Rhian enough to let her teach. Rogue walked in just then and made a beeline for Rhian. "He's coming back tonight Rhian."
Rhian took another sip of coffee and raised an eyebrow at Rogue. "And what am I supposed to do? I told you you have to get a little more proactive about your approach."
"But Ah don't know what to do!" Rogue wailed.
Rhian smiled slightly and gave her an indulgent smile. "Give me the weekend to think things over. I'll come up with a fool proof plan for you and we'll go over it on Monday ok?"
"Why the weekend?" Rogue asked.
"Because if I don't get away from the students, the noise and the unruly energy here and meditate in the peace of nature I will start slipping and I don't want to loose control here." Rhian replied. "Now scoot. I'll find you Monday."
Rogue gave her a quick hug and left. Jean gave Rhian another appraising look. "You've made a fast friend in Rogue. Is she still trying to win over Logan?"
"Yes. I've been trying to help her but she's so timid. She needs to take a stronger approach to the man or he'll never take her seriously." Rhian knew this wasn't entirely true but it was all Jean really needed to know.
"Good luck with that. Logan is stubborn as a mule."
"Thanks Jeannie. Nice to know what ya really think of me." Logan growled as he walked in.
"You're back early." Rhian commented.
Jean couldn't help but notice the way Logan watched Rhian. It was a look she'd seen turned in her direction a few times but this was more serious. Logan really wanted Rhian. Rhian for her part seemed unaffected. "Yeah. Couldn't stay away fer some reason."
'More like he wanted to get back and see her.' Jean thought with an odd sense of relief. It had been flattering to be the center of Logan's very alluring attentions for a while but she had tired of the overwhelming intensity. She was happy with Scott.
Speaking of Scott. She stood. "Hey Rhian, could you maybe conjure up another two cups of coffee. I want to take some up to Scott. I think I wore him out."
Rhian peered into Jeans cup. "I think I can oblige. Hand me another cup will ya?"
Jean handed her another coffee mug and Rhian poured a little of Jeans coffee into the empty cup then waved her hands over both cups. They filled quickly and Jean left with the steaming drinks. Logan watched Rhian for a long moment before moving towards her purposefully. Rhian watched him knowing better than to try to bolt. Better to out think him than fail to outrun him.
"I'm not for you Logan." She said quietly.
"Why not?" He asked.
She smirked. "Because you're destined for another and I'm not interested in you."
He scowled. "Don't tell me yer more interested in someone like Scooter?"
She laughed. "Not a chance. I just don't want you."
He closed in on her and she held herself still not challenging or submitting. He pressed up against her enjoying her warmth but her passive unresponsive attitude annoyed him. He wanted to smell her arousal. He cupped the back of her head and dipped his head down to kiss her. Her mouth was slack and unresponsive. He growled in frustration and stepped back. Grabbing a beer from the fridge he stomped out of the kitchen.
"You can take the Wolverine from the wild but you can't take the wild from the Wolverine." She murmured and slipped out the kitchen door.
She'd told Xavier she was leaving for the weekend to meditate and she'd left Scott a note just in case Xavier didn't tell anyone that she'd be gone for the weekend. She gathered her will and in a breath she was standing three yards from Victor. "Victor." She murmured and smiled when he spun round his claws slashing at the air between them.
"Make some noise damn it Rhia. I don't want to hurt you again."
She felt the faint twinge in her abdomen at the reminder of the one time she'd failed to keep out of arms reach when approaching him. He'd slashed her belly to ribbons and it had only been her will that had saved her life. "That's not going to happen again Victor. I learned the first time."
He stalked forward and grabbed her up into his arms his mouth crashing down on hers and this kiss she opened herself to. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as they kissed trying to cleave to him so they were one body. Victor broke the kiss panting. "It's been a week." He groaned.
She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder as he shifted his grip on her. "It hurts." She murmured.
He nuzzled her neck breathing in her scent. He could smell Logan not precisely on her but his brother had been close to her recently. He didn't care, he had no doubts when it came to Rhia's loyalty. "It hurts." He agreed.
She lifted her head and stared into his amber eyes. He gripped her hips firmly and held her so they could stare into each others eyes, their hearts synchronizing until they beat in unison, their breathing synced as well. Rhian felt the tension and the dull throbbing in her head abate. This was her meditation now. Becoming one with Victor was better than any meditative trance she'd ever put herself in. When she broke eye contact he growled and grabbed the back of her head. He hated it when she broke eye contact during their sessions. He kissed her forcefully as if he could possess her soul if only he could get to it. They crashed to the ground, her astride him until he rolled so she was under him. He wanted to dominate her, to own her body and soul but with a enormous effort of will he fought the urge. She reached up as he fought with himself and cupped his face. "Enough my love. You won't break me. Let go." She whispered and he let go.
He always felt dirty and unworthy of her after letting go. She never came away unscathed. This time was no different. She lay asleep on a pile of ferns beside him five long red welts marking the perfect white of her ribs. They would be gone by morning and her skin would be as perfect as ever. She didn't heal per say. She merely willed the wounds away. There were bruises on her hips and thighs and he knew he'd torn her a few times. But sure as the sun rose in the east she'd wake and tell him she didn't care. That she loved it and him.
He watched her sleep and tried to ignore the feeling that he didn't deserve her. Eventually he settled on the thought that no man ever deserved the love of a woman and the only way to even come close was to continually try to deserve them. He lay down and pulled her closer to him. He thought of Logan stubbornly refusing this kind of salvation and smiled slightly. No one held out long against Rhia when she set her mind and will to a task.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm feeling generous to Jean right now. I've been reading the comics again and she wasn't so bad in the comic-verse. Also there's a little implied smut between Jean/Scott and Rhiannon/Victor. Sorry there's not much Logan/Rogue stuff yet. The next chapter will focus more on them I promise!
Chapter End Notes:
As always, Please Review! I really want to know how you feel about this story!