Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel. I'm using them without permission for entertainment purposes and am making no money off of them. The story is mine. Please don't use it. Questions, comments, and/or complaints are welcome; send them all to rayjo32@hotmail.com.
 

     I never eat cake for breakfast. I've always been a healthy girl, and since joining the X-Men, I've tried to stay in even
better shape. I could just imagine how awful I would look in my costume if I didn't work out, or how out-of-shape I would be. It would be terrible. Which was probably why Professor X always encouraged us to exercise a lot-so that we would be in top condition for the battle. So, I usually ate healthy things for breakfast, like a bowl of cereal and some fruit, or maybe some toast with peanut butter.
 
     Someone had bought a cake from the grocery store, one that said "Welcome" on it in huge green letters. Probably a salute
to Polaris' hair color. And, giving in to my sour mood, I carefully cut myself a leftover slice, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat it. For breakfast. I stared down at the cake, which had parts of a green "LC" on it and also a few pink roses. I hadn't gotten any welcome cake when I showed up. I shoved my fork through the white, pink, and green icing, and through the chocolate cake until it hit my plate. Then I ate the piece. My mind was screaming at me the whole time that I'd really be sorry if I put that chocolate cake in my mouth, but once it was there, all I felt was submission. Well, that and jealousy. I cut another mouth-sized piece and as I chewed on it, I thought about my sister, Sara. She had always said that chocolate-or sugar-would help just about any problem. Would it? I wondered now, as I ate my chocolatey breakfast. Or would I just get even angrier in two days when all that cake went to my hips? I bet She doesn't eat
chocolate cake for breakfast, I thought angrily, and cut another mouth-sized piece.
 
   Someone was coming into the kitchen. I paused for a moment, the bite halfway to my mouth. I knew I looked awful. I had been up nearly all night, glowering in bed, and reading magazines. I hadn't showered yet, or put on any makeup. I was wearing a ratty pair of sweatpants and a bright pink T-shirt-the things I had slept in. I scowled at my cake. I didn't care. Let them see me like this. I shoveled the bite into my mouth and concentrated on my plate as the person entered the kitchen.
     "Morning, Jeannie." Ah, Warren. He'd always liked me. He was right up there near the top of the list, right after Scott. I glanced up at him, watched him open the fridge and shove things around, looking for the orange juice. His blond hair needed combing. But even in this rumpled state, he looked like a million dollars, in his expensive, light blue, monogrammed pajamas. Even though the shirt had holes cut down the back (because he hated to sleep in his harness), he still looked wonderful. I glared back down at my cake. Did everyone look
better than me?
     I swallowed my mouthful of cake. "Hi," I said, a little stiffly. He hardly even noticed. I frowned at his back, and resisted the urge to mentally throw a chair at him.
     "Where's Scott this morning?"
Warren asked me, as he poured himself a glass of grape juice (someone, probably Bobby, had drank up all the orange juice and then put the empty carton back in the fridge).
     "Training, I guess," I muttered. With Him, no doubt. Not that I had anything against Alex. After all, he was Scott's brother, even if he had tried to kill us. It was just that Alex was the connection to Her. And I did not like Her at all. It was easy to pretend I did. All I had to do was throw on a smile and say, "Hi! I'm so glad you're here!" Yeah, right. Like I was glad to let some green-haired woman come in
and take my place!
     Speak of the devil. She came prancing in, no traces of brown dye left in her hair. She had left it loose, letting the green waves fall over her shoulders. She had showered and was dressed in a yellow blouse and black skirt. She looked perfect.
    "Good morning!" she said cheerfully. "Are you two the only ones up?"
     "Yes," Warren told her. "Jean said that Scott and Alex are training. Bobby likes to sleep in late. God only knows where Hank is."
     Lorna cast a sort of wary glance at me, probably taking in everything about me, from my tangled, greasy red hair to the half-eaten slice of cake on my plate. I completely ignored her, pretending to be absorbed in my cake. I wolfed down the rest of it, and excused myself, running back up to my room.
     I must have spent nearly an hour in the shower. I washed and conditioned my hair, scrubbed my body down with flower-scented soap. Then I got out and blow-dried my hair until it was dry and full. I dressed in blue-a navy blue dress with a skirt shorter than hers. It was a dress that I knew I looked great in. A white scarf tied around my neck completed the outfit, along with a white belt buckled around my waist. I brushed my teeth, and sprayed on clouds of perfume. I had to be better than her. I was Jean. Everyone loved me. I
had to be better.
     I stayed in the bathroom until my hair had that perfect flip, until every time I spun around, the scent of flowers reached my nose.
Finally convinced I looked better than she did, I flung open the bathroom door. Bobby was out there, leaning impatiently against the wall.
    "How long do you have to stay in there?" he demanded.
     My only response was a glare. Bobby was the only one who hadn't been taken with me from the start. I didn't mind that at all, but the real burn was that he liked Her a lot. As though I wasn't good enough for him. Bobby coughed loudly. "How much
perfume'd you put on?" he demanded, pretending to choke.
     I stared at him, thrown off for a minute. Then I replied, "None," and flounced back down to the kitchen.
     Scott and Alex had joined Warren and Lorna by now. I smiled, pausing in the doorway. Faithful Scott. He had loved me from the
very beginning. I knew he wouldn't end up in the thrall of the green-haired siren. Yet...he was awfully glad to see his brother, Alex. They had been spending a lot of time together. I tried not to mind that. After all, Alex was his brother, and they hadn't seen each other in years.
     I wrapped my arms around Scott's waist and kissed his cheek.
    "Morning, Scott," I said into his strong shoulder.   I felt his arm circle around my own waist.
    "Morning, Jean," he replied. "Alex and I were just talking about the four of us going out to dinner later. Would you like that?"
     I guessed that "the four of us" didn't mean that Alex was taking Hank as a date. That meant that She would be coming along. But I was Jean Grey. I was the first woman here, and no green-tressed girl would be claiming my territory. I was perfect. Everyone loved me. I wasn't called Marvel Girl for nothing. So I beamed at Her first, and then at Scott, playing the perfect girlfriend.
    "I would love that!" I exclaimed. "That'll be so much fun, Scott! It'll be...perfect."
    "Great," Alex said, giving Scott a brotherly clap on the shoulder.  "There's this little cafe in New York City that Lorna loves."
     Lorna nodded, smiling. "Is around seven all right?" she asked.
     Scott turned his head to look at me, and I forced a perky smile. "Seven's fine," I told her.
     {You don't like them.}
     I managed to hide my surprise at hearing a mental voice in my head. I calmed myself down and spoke back,
without showing that I was having a conversation in my head. {I don't mind Alex, Professor. In fact, I like him. He's nice.}
     {And Lorna?}
     I heaved a mental equivalent of a sigh. {I'm sorry, Professor. I guess it'll just take some getting used to.} He probably already knew why I didn't like Her, but he wasn't saying anything. He probably didn't know what to say. I usually took care of my own female problems, and my own authority had never been tested like this before. {But I am being nice to her. That has to count for something.}
     I could feel his smile. {Effort is not everything if you don't mean it, Jean. Which is why I would like you to take Ms. Dane
on a walk through the grounds. Get to know her a little better.}
    {Professor!} There was a tone of whine in my mental voice. He knew how I felt; how could he do this to me?
     {I mean it, Jean. The X-Men have been a family up until now. A few more members will not change anything. I want you to accept Lorna as a member of the X-Men.}
     {Oh, fine.} I knew I sounded sulky, and I probably looked sulky too. But the Professor was the boss. What he said would happen. There was no point in arguing with him. I loved him, he had gone in my head and turned off my powers when I was twelve. How could I be angry with a man who did that for me? {I guess I can. If you really want me to.}
     {I do. I think that it is important that you give Lorna a warm welcome. After all, someday you could be sisters.}
     I shuddered and severed the mind-link quickly. Even though the thought of getting married to Scott made me want to laugh-how ould I even try to think that far ahead?-it still pleased me to sometimes think that someday I might be Mrs. Scott Summers. But if that happened, and then Alex and Lorna got married, then we would practically be sisters. And I already had a sister. I didn't need another one, especially not Lorna!
     "Jean? Are you all right?" Scott was asking, concerned.
     "Fine," I answered, and wormed my way out of his grasp. I grabbed a startled Lorna by the hand, and dragged her towards the door. "Let's go for a walk," I said.
     Lorna shouted a goodbye to Alex over her shoulder, and once we were outside, I released her hand and slowed my pace. We were silent for a few minutes, while Lorna looked around at the wide blue sky. "Where are we going?" she asked.
     I paused. I hadn't thought that far. "Breakstone Lake," I told her at last. "It's...it's really nice."
     Lorna nodded. "I want to thank you for taking me out of there," she said. "I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."
I cast a suspicious glare at her. "Overwhelmed? Why?" I wanted to give her mind a quick little scan, but then the Professor would get angry, and that was the last thing I wanted.
     A small smile crept over Lorna's face. "You never feel it?" she asked. "Living with all of those men all the time? It doesn't get to you?"
     Get to me? Why should it get to me? Was there something wrong with being the only woman in the entire house? Being the one
that they all loved, the one that they all wanted? I was nearly the center of their universe. If I wasn't adored by one of those men back up at the mansion, I was at least like a sister. To Bobby at least, and maybe Hank too. But the important thing was, they all loved me. They would keep me safe. I was the most important woman in their lives. Even when Scott made it clear that he and I were dating, I was still loved by the rest of them. I was the first woman. The only woman. And now Lorna was there. I realized I had been silent too long, and I shrugged. "I guess not," I said. "I don't really know what you're talking about, I guess."
     Lorna smiled. "I'm an only child," she said, "but I had a friend who had three brothers. They lived in a small house, and it always smelled like nachos or feet. Her brothers were always running around and not giving her any privacy and being-well, being men."
     I blinked. I couldn't imagine that sort of thing happening at the mansion. We were very neat and orderly. The Professor made us keep the house clean, and we always listened to the Professor. But-if the Professor hadn't made us keep everything clean, what would the
mansion look like? I had always been certain, before, that the boys would pick up after themselves, and that none of the rooms would smell-God forbid-like feet or some other manly smell. But now that I thought about it, what would it really be like? No doubt Bobby would wreck the house, and maybe Warren too because he wasn't very used to picking up after himself. Scott and Hank would probably keep things in some kind of order, but Bobby alone could destroy the "Better Homes and Gardens" look that the mansion had. Warming to the subject a little, I asked, "What do you mean, being men?"
     Lorna raised her eyebrows and she was smothering a laugh. "You know-complaining when you take too long in the bathroom, always watching or playing sports, eating up all the good junk food before you can even get a handful. Leaving dirty plates around, or wet towels on the floor in the bathroom, or using up all the hot water. Stuff like that."
     I didn't talk; I wanted to think. I could think of a dozen times when the boys had gathered in the backyard to play football. It seemed so stupid to me, so mindless. Just throwing a ball around. It was preposterous. But I sat on the back steps, or in the grass, and cheered for them when I thought it was necessary. I remembered walking into a room when they were watching football once, and asking what was going on. I had been greeted by the sound of four men shushing me. There had been empty bags of chips and dirty plates
everywhere. Sure, they had cleaned it up later, but...
     A giggle escaped my mouth. "I guess I do feel it. A little. Sometimes." What I mostly felt was immense love coming from those four boys. Love that wouldn't just be mine anymore. I would have to share it with Lorna. The laugh died in my throat.
     Lorna glanced sideways at me. "What, you never walk into Scott's room and trip over a month's worth of dirty laundry?"
     I shook my head. Scott was a very neat person. He had always been that way. "Never."
     Lorna laughed. "Oh, I wish Alex was that way! He's always got dirty laundry lying around, and no matter how much room spray you use, you can't quite get rid of that foot smell. Ever."
     I couldn't hold back my smile. "Maybe it will change, now," I suggested slowly. "Maybe the Professor will convince him to clean up after himself."
     Lorna shrugged. "Maybe." Then she shook her head. "I can't believe these guys are so orderly. You hardly feel left out? If they're talking about their dates or something? You never just want to have another girl to talk about the article you read in Cosmo last week?"
     I pressed my lips together, feeling as though she was trying to force me to accept her. I did feel that way-more than I wanted to
admit. I plunged my hands into my pockets, and tried not to think about it. "I don't read Cosmo," I told her.
     "Uh-huh. Right." The sarcasm was practically dripping from Lorna's voice. "Well, these boys must love you a lot, if you never feel like you're getting left out of something. Like, a secret club or something, you know?"
     I stared at the ground. They did love me a lot. I knew they did. I could feel it, not only in all of their minds, but also in their hearts. Scott more than the others, but the love was still there. But I did know how that felt. God only knew how Lorna even knew what she was talking about. Hadn't she said she was an only child? I did miss those days when I used to skip to the store with my best
friend Annie. But now Annie was gone. I had made a few other friends, but I never loved them as much as Annie. Sometimes I wondered what would have happened if she hadn't been hit by that car. Would we have had sleepovers and spent the entire night giggling over the "How to Please Your Man" article in Cosmo? I had always known I was different from everyone else. My parents never hid from me that the Professor had had to turn my powers off when I was twelve. Maybe it was Annie's death, or the fact that I knew I was
different, that had kept me away from the others. I was a loner.
    And then I came to this wonderful place, and I was immediately accepted. I was loved. I was cherished. Even though I looked and dressed like a woman, they treated me like one of them. The poor boys-they hadn't known what to do when a pretty face walked in on their training session! "Yeah," I said softly. "A secret club." A club where the members had to understand things like football and how to drive the woman in their lives-me-insane.
    It would have been easier if Lorna really was Magneto's daughter. It would be easier to hate her, and no one would blame me. But, no, she had to be a normal person, just like the rest of us. And why did she have to know so much, have to get on everyone's good side? I was the woman here! I was the special one! Lorna could walk right in and have everyone's attention, with her green hair making her stand out a mile away. Red hair would never do that for my boys again.
     "Here we are," I said, with fake cheerfulness. We stood before Breakstone Lake, staring out across the surface.
     "It's beautiful."
Lorna stared into the sky rather than at the lake. It was about nine thirty, and the sun was nearing a high point in the heavens. It cast a golden light all over the lake. It truly was beautiful. Lorna's hands slid into her pockets, and she gave a contented sigh. The breeze ruffled her long green hair, and I sighed too, but for a different reason. I found it ironic that the color of her hair was the same color that could sum up my feelings about her-green envy.
     "You know," Lorna said slowly, "I was having my doubts about coming here at first. I was afraid. My powers aren't so hard to
hide, as long as I dye my hair. I thought life would be so much easier if I stayed at home, or finished my degree."
     When she didn't continue, I prompted, "And?"
     "And now I'm glad I came. I didn't feel it till this morning. This place is full of peace and welcome. It's like-like a haven, for
mutants. Only they all become one family. Like you, and Bobby, and Scott, Hank, and Warren. Last night, I was so uncomfortable-I didn't know what to think. Alex was so happy to be with Scott that he wasn't paying much attention to me. But now, today, I really think I'm going to be happy here." She laughed. "Although I do still feel as though I'm intruding."
    "Intruding?" I repeated, and turned my stare at her. She hadn't seen the things we had. She was perfectly innocent, gazing out across the lake and up at the sky, as though she hadn't had a care in the world. Give her a week in our place, with our team, and then how would she feel? Would she be amazed, or frightened by all the things she had seen? Did it really matter anymore? I smiled, and this time it was genuine, and friendly. "You're not intruding, Lorna," I told her, to reassure her. And I was only half-surprised to realize that it was true. I nearly laughed aloud at my own stupidity-just because there was another woman here didn't mean that anything should
change. I was Marvel Girl. I would still be the carrier of the flame, the only and only woman in the X-Men's hearts.
    We headed back to the mansion, and we somehow got into a conversation in which we compared Scott to Alex. It was obvious that Lorna loved Alex; I had nothing to worry about. She would not take my boys from me. She was my friend. And that evening, we
went out to dinner with our lovers, and had a great time in the city. It wasn't really all that bad. I had never had anything to worry about.