1. Chapter 1

**ANOTHER LIFE**

**Chapter One: Falling**

Scott thrashed about in his bed as images of Jean flashed through his mind again. He reached out, trying to touch her before she left, wanting to make her stay with him. It was no use. She was getting farther away from him. She was leaving him.

"Jean!" he cried out. The ground underneath him shifted and he felt his hip hit the ground. The momentary pain brought him back to reality. He was in a bedroom, not by the shore of Alkali Lake.

"Scott?" He heard someone enter the room. It was Emma. "Are you all right?" she asked him, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah," Scott replied. "It was just a bad dream."

"Sit down," she told him. He did what he was told. His legs felt like jelly. She went outside and spoke softly to someone; one of the servants, no doubt, Scott thought.

When she came back inside, she sat down beside him. "Was it about Jean?"

Scott nodded. He could still see her in his mind's eye. "I guess I still miss her."

"I know..." Emma hesitantly put a hand on his leg. "I miss her so much too..." She leaned against him. "Jean was one of the best friends I ever had. She was like a sister to me. We grew up and went to school together. It feels as if there was never a day when we were apart while we were growing up..."

To his surprise, Scott found himself putting an arm around Emma as she spoke. "When she moved to New York to attend Professor Xavier's school, we promised each other that we would keep in touch. And I told her that one day I would go to New York to visit her."

Scott nodded silently. He could still remember those days when Jean would read Emma's letters to him, sharing news about her best friend. And then the day came when he finally got to meet Emma in person. She turned out to be warm, sweet, and caring, even if she was a bit shy. In many ways, she was just like Jean, except without the moments of melancholy that seemed to plague his beloved near the end.

He heard Emma sobbing. Again, to his surprise, he turned towards her and took her into his arms. He held her close as she wept for her friend. Finally, her tears subsided. Scott let her go a little.

"Are you all right?"

"Y-yes..." She laughed softly. "I came here to find out if you were okay...instead it turns out to be the other way around." She looked up at him. Scott looked back at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"Scott..." she whispered and to him it sounded like an invitation. His face drew closer to hers. She closed her eyes, as if afraid of what was about to happen but didn't do anything to stop her.

A soft knock came from outside. Emma stood up quickly—but not quick enough to keep Scott from seeing the blush that felt as if it was burning her face. She opened the door and took a glass of water from one of her maids.

"Here," she said, handing it to Scott. He took it and drained half. "You too," he said. She finished the rest of the glass' contents and put it on the nightstand next to his bed.

"I'd better go," Emma said quietly. She was about to go out the door when Scott took her by the arm and turned her around to face him. All of a sudden, she was very conscious of the fact that he had no shirt on. All he wore was a pair of sweatpants and his glasses—the ones that kept him from obliterating everything around him with his optic blasts.

"Emma..." Scott looked at the woman in front of him. She was wearing a long robe but it was open enough near the top for him to glimpse a silk camisole. Her clothing was all white, of course. She preferred white over any other color. Briefly, he felt as if he was betraying Jean but Emma was a good, strong, and lovely woman in her own right.

"Wh-what is it, Scott...?" Emma heard herself ask. She was trembling. Her heart felt like it would triphammer her chest open.

After several moments of silence, Scott drew her close and embraced her again. "Thank you," he told her softly. "Thank you for being here for me."

"You're welcome, Scott..." she told him. "Anything for my best friend's beloved."

With that, she left the room. Scott lay back down in his bed. He was falling for her. For all that he still loved Jean, he knew that he was starting to fall for Emma. He closed his eyes. This time sleep came easily and dreamlessly. Even then, he could still feel the warmth of Emma's body against his.


	2. Chapter 2

**ANOTHER LIFE**

**Chapter Two: A Morning Run**

The following morning, Scott and Emma ran into each other in the hallway on their way out of the Frost Manor.

"Good morning, Scott," she said. She was dressed in exercise clothes.

"Uh, good morning," he said. He was still feeling a bit embarrassed about last night; one of the things he wanted to do when he went on his morning run was to sort out how exactly he felt towards Emma.

"Going for a run?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's one of those things I got used to back at the school," Scott replied.

"Mind if I join you? I usually go for a run myself before I exercise at the gym."

She didn't seem to be uncomfortable in his presence—that was something, Scott noted. Apparently, she'd already gotten over the events of last night. And besides, what did happen last night anyway?

"Sure—if you can keep up," Scott said with a wry smile.

Emma gave him a smile of her own. "You're on, Scott Summers." They went outside and did some stretches. Scott glanced at Emma while she was limbering up for their little race. She caught him once but didn't seem to mind. She simply smiled at him and put on a show if ignoring his attention.

"Ready?" Scott asked her as they stood side-by-side.

"When you are," Emma answered.

"Go!" They began to jog at a fair but deliberate pace that left no chance for either of them to fall back to a slow walk. Each one of them had a goal in mind and that was to beat the other, even if it was a friendly competition.

They were well into the third lap around the Frost estate when Emma's mobile phone rang. She picked it up without breaking step. Eventually, however, she stopped.

Scott looked back and noticed her talking heatedly with whoever was at the other end of the line. He stopped and walked back to where she was just as she was putting her phone back onto her armband.

"What's the matter?" he asked her. She had a frown on her face that was rapidly turning into a scowl.

"Damn board of directors," Emma said, more to herself than to him. Then she turned her attention to Scott. "Sorry, Scott—it's business, I'm afraid. I have to referee a row among the board at Frost International."

"Really?" Scott said. "Well, just so you know—you lost."

"Did I?" Emma said. "I suppose I did. I suppose a reward or a rematch, if you're so inclined, will have to wait until I get back."

"You're on," Scott said, smiling at her again. Emma blushed and looked away. She began to run back to the manor.

"Come on, Scott! See if you can beat me on the way back!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

Scott stood on the tarmac of the Frost estate's heliport. The ground crew was readying Emma's chopper for flight. Her personal assistant, Angelica Jones, was standing close by.

'No need, Scott," she assured him. "I can take care of this myself. Besides, I have Angelica with me."

"Okay," he said. "But call me when you get there...before you go to your meeting. That way, I know you arrived safely."

"All right, I will." The head of the ground crew approached her and told her that the aircraft was ready. Angelica moved to her position near the chopper's cabin door. "What will you be doing while I'm gone? I don't want you brooding or anything, Scott. Jean wouldn't want you to spend your days doing that."

Scott thought about it and knew that Emma was right. However, he didn't exactly know how to occupy his time.

He felt something being pressed into his hand. It was a ring of keys. 'It's for the boathouse," Emma told him. "There might be something there for you. Think of it as part of your reward for winning the run this morning."

Scott put the keys in his pocket. "You be careful, all right, Emma?" She nodded. Scott gave her a hug; she kissed him on the cheek. Then they bade each other goodbye. Angelica held the cabin door open while Emma boarded the helicopter.

"You take care of her, all right?" Scott said.

Angelica created a small flame on the palm of her hand and smiled at Scott as if to prove that she was more than capable of protecting Emma. Scott nodded solemnly. She entered the aircraft. In a few moments, the engines whined, the rotors whirled, and the helicopter was airborne. Scott watched it leave. When he could no longer see it, he went back to the manor, thinking about the keys in his pocket.


End file.
