[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/X-Men_movie_logo.png[/img]        [img]https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-xSlpxnZdQxgrTeZw9CGxG53uRBKy5zY6ra9Wnav3FOFsPlpU7A[/img]
[i]“Mirror, mirror on the wall...who will shatter you today..?[/i]

Charles Xavier Institute for the Gifted. Year 2012. 
Jean's bedroom. 8am.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_XhPkxnQDw]Shades of Grey[/url]

It had been a couple of months since she’d been back at the institute for gifted youngsters. Jean made herself ready for the busy day ahead, quietly humming a sad song as she brushed her long red wavy locks with one brush in hand, her other holding her hair in place and looking into a floating hand mirror. Although she had made her peace with Scott's romance with Lee Forrester, she still found herself feeling lonely.

And suddenly out of nowhere, a flashback. Her childhood friend Angie screaming. Car tyres screeching to a halt. Jean drops the brush and the mirror shatters on the floor as she holds her hands to her head.
[img]http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100520091611/marveldatabase/images/b/b4/JeanGreyUXM241p15f2.PNG[/img]

“Ungh!” It was like a stab to the mind. A brief reminder that she'd never really gotten over the trauma. She opens her eyes and sighs at the mirror, tilting her head to look at it. With a flick of her fingers, all of the glass pieces float upward and she moves them across the air and drops them into the bin. She stands up and brushes down her signature [url=https://cdnd.lystit.com/photos/2012/08/02/tahari-red-by-asl-suit-threequartersleeve-jacket-shell-pencil-skirt-product-1-4370315-808977495.jpeg]red pencil skirt dress[/url] and pops her matching red blazer over it

“Right then, ready Jeanie?” She asks herself in the tall standing mirror and checks each side and nods. She pulls down her blazer lightly and steps toward her bedroom exit in red heeled shoes. As she shuts the door behind her, she looks down the hall to see all the mutant pupils scrambling to get ready for their classes. Today Jean was covering Hank's class as he prepared his speech for tonight's university fundraiser with Harvard, Princeton and Yale professors, to which he was the guest of honour, along with Jean. 

Class  flows rather smoothly, the kids enjoying Jean's quirky take on the sciences rather than Hank's drole ramblings. Jean takes out an ordinary cardboard box. “Now I was shown this when I was at school. It's pretty neat.” She cuts a hole in one side of the box. She then points the hole toward a tower of foam cups. “This is called a Vortex Canon.” She then smacks each side of the box and the cup tower falls down. “Just the power of compressed air.” The kids were awed and clapped. She then gave them a box each to play with, along with smoke machines so that they could see a circle of puffed smoke shoot out. 

Each pupil had a different colour of smoke. It wasn't long before a rainbow of smoke exploded out of the science lab, shocking a poor Ororo Munroe into a complete fright as she walked past. Jean emerges laughing her head off to get out of there and let the kids play. Storm chuckles as Jean brushes off the coloured smoke out of her red curls. “Kids.” The two laugh as they hear the commotion. “Coffee?” Jean offers Ororo as the break bell rang. “God yes!” 

“Fundraiser tonight.” Storm turns to Jean as they stand leaning on the balcony. Jean nods and looks down into her cup of Java. “You know who's going to be there, don't you?” Storm asks her. Jean looks at Ororo as if knowing. “Sinister.” Jean utters his name. “I cant believe he gets so much funding just to experiment on mutants.” Ororo complains. “Makes me so mad!”

Jean nods in agreement. “It's the Friends of Humanity. They want him to find a “cure” for the X gene.” she explains and Storm laughs. “How absurd. There IS no cure.” Jean turns around and leans the small of her back against the railing. “Treating it like it's a disease that needs an antidote.” 

In the forecourt below, Lee and Scott could be heard laughing as they walked through the gates hand in hand, they'd spent the weekend somewhere no doubt. Jean looks over her shoulder, somewhat glaring. “You alright, Jean?” Her best friend asks with concern. Jean winces and sighs. “Yeah. Break's over.” She heads on inside, leaving Storm behind with a worried expression. Just then the Professor's wheelchair electronics are heard approaching. “Charles. I'm concerned for Jean. This morning I heard smashed glass and a groan coming from her room....” Charles nods. “I felt it. A psychic blast. They're getting stronger again. It's not been this bad since she first came here.”

“I think she's hurting deep down.” Storm began to walk alongside the Professor. “Yes, I believe so. When Jean's heart breaks, so to does her mind. Fragile. Like glass. Don't worry Ororo, I will talk with her. I'm planning a trip Muir Island, I think she should accompany me. It might take her mind off things her for a while....”

---

Later that night, Beast and Jean made their way into a very fancy mansion in higher Belleville. A Sebastian Shaw was its owner, and he was throwing the fundraiser for the most elite colleges. Only he most renowned professors and scholars attended. VIP Dr Hank McCoy was much admired for his work in bio-chemistry and the study of the X-gene. Closely followed by the up and coming, newly published Dr Jean Grey. Hank in his bow tie and Jean adorned a long [url=http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140512184623/wolverineandthexmen/images/4/4a/245px-Jean_Grey_animaated.png] red satin gown[/url] You couldn't miss the huge blue fuzzball. And Jean, looked almost like a supermodel with her astounding figure. She had her arm firmly linked with Hank's, she felt safer that way with all the men ogling her. She spotted Warren's father in the midst of the suits and boots of elderly and middle aged men. 

They mingled for a while until everyone in the room fell silent and turns to watch a tall, pale, vampiric looking man enter. Adorned in a long purple tux coat, he was still very intimidating. “Sinister.” Hank mumbles under his breath. Everyone knew his work. But what they did not know was his insane obsession with creating the ultimate mutant. Jean narrows her eyes at him and did her best to avoid him for now. That was until Hank had to leave her side for the spotlight. 

Jean was on edge, uneasy. Not only did she feel Sinister's eyes burning through the back of her head, there was the gentleman who was hosting, who had not stopped staring at her all evening. Suddenly she felt all alone. Her heart rate and respiration increasing with each second. She chugged a glass of wine down to calm her nerves. 

Sebastian Shaw finally made his way over to the lady in red. “Good evening Dr Grey. I knew your father well, we went to college together. He is quite a remarkable historian. An expert in his field.” 
[img]http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c3/1e/b4/c31eb4d3fbf73ecb7e2d448d9003b58b.jpg[/img] 
“H-How do you know my father from university?” Jean was confused, this man looked in his 30's but he talked as if he went way back with her father who was now in his 60's. 

“Surprised my dear? My mutant ability allows me to absorb energy and heal. I don't look at all my age. But with that, comes wisdom don't you think?” His egotistic nature coming across quite strongly.  Jean remained unimpressed, looking around, hoping Hank would hurry up with his speech already. “I see.” Shaw offers her a champagne flute. “I hear you're quite the rising star in the field of genetics.” He swirls his bourbon liquid in his short glass. “Although, I do hope that Harvard will allow you to keep your Doctorate.” He mused as she was taken in by his manipulation. “WHAT?!” This was the first she'd heard. Shaw acts shocked. “Oops. You didn't know yet? Me and my big mouth.” 

That was it, Jean was angry, she couldn't tell if he was lying but why would he. She spots the Harvard university headmaster and storms right over to him, causing quite a commotion. “Principal! When were you going to tell me my Doctorate was in question?” She demanded to know, fuming with her hands on her curved hips. The principal was taken aback, he gently took Jean to one side. “I'm really sorry Jean...some of the Executives are doubting your credibility since we found out that you are a mut-....telepath. Some of us feel you may have..used your powers to cheat your way through Harvard.” 

Jean couldn't believe it, all her hard work, for nothing? She never once read anyone's mind without their permission, let alone her tutor's during tests or class work. She did her own research and wrote every word herself. But instead of exploding here at the party, she needed some air. Her eyes well up with water and she bursts out of the conservatory doors in floods of tears. The day started badly, but only got worse.
 
Shaw smiles to himself. “First we break her into tiny pieces. Then we remake her in our image.” He tells Selene, a member of the Inner Circle. 

Outside the Shaw mansion:

“Poor, poor Jean Grey…” Came a dark sarcastic voice behind Jean. Jean turns around wiping away her tears. “Save it Sinister!” She warns him as she backed away from him.

“Do not despair. I come with glad tidings…” His grimace showing his pointed teeth as he laughs menacingly. “I’ve come to offer you the position of Chief of Genetics with my team on Genosha.”

Jean raises an eyebrow at him, sincerely doubting it. “You mean experiment on mutants more like...”

Sinister walks towards Jean, with each step he took, she took one back. “You put it so harshlyyy.”

“Save it Sinister! Not interested.” Jean holds her hand up at him and storms off down towards the mansion's gate, never feeling this angry before. Sinister narrowed his eyes as he watched her leave...