X-Men: The Gifted Ones

11. XAVIER MANSION, WEST CHESTER, NY

Jane often dreaded and anticipated their physical training exercises. She looked forward to jogging with Sway, who always insisted that Jane call her Suzanne, but Polaris often joined in. She seemed to enjoy out-running Jane and Suzanne. If Jane had her way, she would go jogging on her own. It helped her think, but Suzanne often appreciated the company and Polaris often enjoyed the friendly competition when she was in a better mood. She was starting to warm up to Polaris and realized the woman was simply more competitive in nature.

"I'm surprised you're running with us today, Sway," Polaris teased, despite the exertion from running. "Usually you're always trying to run with Hank!"

Sway glared at Polaris, "He's the fastest runner; I need to be in top shape!"

"Or perhaps you just have a thing for hairy blue men?"

"He's brilliant!" Sway replied indignantly.

"Ok," Polaris laughed, OK, so you have a thing for brilliant hairy blue men! What do you think, Jane?

Jane had been enjoying the exchange between the two women. They had met Hank McCoy and Jane could easily see how he had earned the name Beast as his X-Men name. He was tall, muscled, and covered with shaggy blue hair. He looked menacing yet his eyes appeared gentle, intelligent. And he was a very fast runner. "Brilliant hairy blue men who run fast!"

Sway looked over at Jane, stunned. "You're a fine one to talk!" Sway fired back, her voice teasing. "You're in love with the Professor!"

Jane could hardly believe her ears. She stopped running. "What?"

Sway and Polaris stopped, too, and took advantage of the small break to take drinks of water and catch their breath.

"I may not be telepathic like he is," Sway chided her, "but when you just come out of a training session, your psychic energy is unreal. And so is his. I get flashes of what happened that made you all flushed."

Jane felt her face go red, "Nothing has happened!"

"Not yet!" Polaris smirked.

Jane turned on Polaris, "Just what do you mean by that?"

Polaris tried to backpedal. It was clear that she had crossed the line and Jane was mortified at the suggestion. Surely, she wondered, Jane was not so oblivious to how the Professor seemed to look at her, single her out. "Give it time. Everyone sees how he looks at you. Something will happen."

Jane blushed and smiled, "I never realized he looked at me a certain way."

"Jane, everyone knows," Sway confessed.

Jane gulped, "Everyone?"

"Everyone," Polaris replied. "Question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Jane felt the ground beneath her spin. "I don't know. I never thought about him, things, that way." She truly had not. The Professor seemed to act more like a big brother toward her rather than a lover. And there was the matter of his spinal injury. She was certain he could never be a lover in a proper sense, and he gave off the sense of someone who was almost asexual, who had shut himself off permanently from getting close to someone. Her mind reeled. Why was she thinking all this?

Sway seemed to notice, "Well, now you're thinking them aren't you?"

Jane sighed, "Suzanne! That is not right! What about you and Hank? When will you make a move? It's clear he likes you!"

The chance to tease Sway was almost too much for Polaris to pass up. "Yea, Sway! You need to make the first move because Hank is scared of pretty girls!"

Sway squared her shoulders and looked defiantly at the two woman, unhappy about being their new target. It was so much easier to tease Jane. She always seemed so modest, so wholesome. She was an easy target and she took it in good nature for the friendly teasing that it was. "Fine!" Sway announced, "I just might go right now!" She took off running.

Jane and Polaris looked at one another and resumed jogging, but decided to let Sway run ahead.

Polaris shook her head, "Some women come here and find love; I come here and hope I find a fight. I'm not going to let Magneto destroy everything. The rest of you may conquer the world with your love, but I intend to survive with my anger. I manipulate metal, you know. I want to destroy Magneto with his own power!"

"Why are you so angry with Magneto?" Jane asked, surprised by the vehemence in Polaris' voice. She had never heard such anger.

Polaris looked over at Jane, her face serious. The time for teasing was over. "You'd be angry, too, if someone killed your family right in front of you because you refused to join his Brotherhood. Yes, I refused. I wanted to stay with my family, not be part of some 'master race' of mutants. He killed them to scare me into joining him. I can make force fields; unfortunately I could only protect myself at that time. The Professor is helping me change that. No one I care about will ever be killed by Magneto again!"

Polaris picked up her pace and ran off, leaving Jane behind. Jane stared at the back of her friend. She was stunned. The horrors she must have witnessed! And the helplessness she must have felt! Jane understood that all too well. She may not have had her family killed in front of her, but how often had she stood beside men who were wounded beyond saving? How many lives did she fail to save? She had to remind herself that it was not her fault, some wounds were beyond her skill at that time.

Suddenly, she understood why Polaris was the way she was, and why she was here. Why they were all there.

The Professor would keep them from ever feeling powerless and helpless again.