Calling the Shots

It seemed like everyone wanted to be somewhere else. Even though Alex had been just fine with Lorna's getting married, he still decided to get away for awhile. Alex had given Scott a call, letting him know that even though he'd be finding a nice remote corner of nowhere to go hiking, Alex would still be reachable in an emergency. Scott, for his part, had found himself sort of looking forward to the ceremony itself, and when that didn't happen, his mind just seemed to refuse to get off the track. It had been the reason Scott had done the asking, wondering if his brother would let him and Emma use the guest room at his place in Hawaii, something Alex didn't have a problem with.

So, that's what brought them to the beach house, taking a couple of days off from shepherding the small and crucial remaining generation of mutants. It rarely took much convincing to get Emma to go on vacation, and this time was no exception. Of course, Scott continued to wonder just how much of his recent preoccupation his girlfriend had picked up on lately. Hopefully, he mused, not too much.

Scott hated spoiled surprises.

Lounge chair set up under an umbrella, glass of iced tea set on the table beside, Scott had parked himself out on the sand to page through a novel that Hank had recommended. He and Emma had arrived early in the morning and had simply crashed on the guest room bed. Scott had left her still mostly asleep when he came out to read and relax, but now, a half hour later, he could hear the door open behind him.

Scott grinned as he looked out of his office window at the mansion grounds, cell phone to his ear. "Well, if nothing else Alex, this definitely proves that you got all the luck when it comes to exes." He laughed, a low but thoroughly enjoyed chuckle. "Okay. Okay, that's fine. Yes, I'll talk to her as soon as I hang up, I promise." Sighing the exasperated sigh of an older brother, Scott nodded to no one. "I promise. All right, little brother. Bye."

Turning off his phone, Scott slipped it back in the holster on his belt. Scott leaned against the window frame, shaking his head at the way things could almost be depended on to go in the direction you didn't expect. And now, not only were his brother and Lorna back on good terms, it looked like he was going to be attending her wedding to another man. An invitation was likely to be extended to Scott, but not necessarily Emma, considering the... chilly way Scott's girlfriend had treated Lorna.

Although he understood that it had been Emma's way of looking out for her extended family, it could be a problem. Scott and Alex wondered if something might be salvageable there, if someone brought it up to Emma. Both Summers had agreed something like that would be best coming from Scott.

So Scott took a deep breath and left the office, heading for the small apartment he and Emma shared, making sure that thoughts of Alex were on the forefront of his mind.

"Alex says hello," he told Emma once he found her, hoping he was catching her in a good mood.

After listening to Lorna's ramblings on the phone Sunday, he started laughing. Just laughing in that sort of way that meant he should have known better than to try and be optimistic. No, better yet, he never should have come back from Hawaii.

No, better yet, he never should have come back with Lorna to the Institute at all.

He'd spent the better part of the day in his room, but finally emerged Monday morning to see if he could talk to Scott. When he saw his older brother, Alex's eyes were dull.

( Alex tells Scott everything, they talk about women, and brood a lot before Alex decides to leave... )

Scott closed the bedroom door and, not even bothering to kick off his shoes, dropped into the closest chair. He sighed, stretching his neck and wondering just how the Institute had gotten so behind in paperwork during summer break.

Emma had finally unpacked everything and turned to look at him. They hadn't talked since they'd arrived back home, but perhaps now would be a good time to let Scott know a few things. "Care to chat, darling?"

( Living Right )

OOC: Crossposted to queenemma

173 - Write a fan letter.

((A letter dated about four years before Scott came to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.))

( Flashback )

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171 - What is the biggest mistake you've made in a relationship?

What is it about little brothers? You do your damndest to watch out for them, give them a hand when they need it and hand out all the advice that you wish you had a big brother to give you instead of having to take your lumps and learn from them. And what do they do? They get pissed off at you, walk away from you and resent you for just trying to be a good brother.

But you do it all anyway, because he's your brother. And just maybe because if he just took things without question or standing up, you'd be disappointed in him then, too. So where do you draw the line?

When it comes to me and Alex, that line usually ends up somewhere on the far side of "blasting at each other with our mutant powers" with plenty of crossed arms and tough words leading up to it.

( He ain't heavy )

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