I'm drowning in white silk and platinum blonde hair, lost in a sea of pleasure so intense I can barely breathe. Emma's perfect body writhes beneath me, her ice-blue eyes locked on mine with an intensity that burns straight through my soul.
"Harder, Jack," she moans, her British accent making even these desperate pleas sound sophisticated. "Show me how much you worship me."
I drive deeper into her, my entire body trembling with need. Her lips feel soft as I crash my mouth against hers, drinking in her gasps like they're life-giving water in a desert. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me deeper, claiming me.
"Yes, yes, YES!" she screams, her nails raking down my back, leaving marks I hope will still be there when I wake up.
I kiss my way down her neck, across her collarbone, treasuring every inch of her flawless skin. She tastes like salt and sweetness and something else I can't name but suddenly can't live without.
"You're mine," I growl against her skin, surprising myself with the possessiveness in my voice. "All mine."
Her laugh is breathless and triumphant all at once. "Oh darling," she purrs, "I think you'll find it's quite the opposite."
The room shifts around us, walls melting away like candle wax, and suddenly we're floating in an endless white void, still connected, still moving together in a hungry rhythm.
"Jack," she whispers, her voice somehow inside my head now. "Jack, wake up."
I try to hold onto her, to stay in this moment, but she's dissolving beneath my fingertips like morning mist.
"EMMA, NO!" I scream, lunging forward to grab her disappearing form. My hands clutch at empty air as I jolt upright, heart hammering against my ribs like it's trying to escape.
"Jack! It's just a dream, it's okay!" A voice cuts through the fog of sleep, urgent but gentle.
I blink rapidly, the white void of my dream re-forming into the familiar shadows of my bedroom. My sheets are tangled around my legs, damp with sweat. As reality slowly reasserts itself, I find myself staring into a pair of concerned hazel eyes.
"Huh?" I mumble, brain still half-caught in the dream. Then recognition hits me like a bucket of cold water. "Oh shit. Good morning, Kitty."
Kitty Pryde is perched on the edge of my bed. She's already dressed in her X-Women uniform, which means I've probably slept through something important.
"Bad dream?" she asks, her head tilting slightly as she studies my face.
I run a hand through my sweat-soaked hair, trying to banish the lingering images of Emma's body. "Something like that," I mutter, suddenly very aware that I'm only wearing boxers and that the dream has left me in a rather... obvious state. I subtly pull the sheets higher.
"You were making some pretty intense noises," Kitty says, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice. "Sounded like you were either being murdered or... well, something else entirely."
My face burns hot enough to fry an egg. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be," she replies with a casual shrug. "We all have those dreams. Though I gotta say, screaming 'Emma' at the top of your lungs might not be the best move in a house full of telepaths."
"Fuck," I groan. "Did anyone else hear?"
"Just me, I think. I was phasing through to tell you we've got an emergency meeting downstairs." She stands up, graceful as always, and takes a step back from the bed. "Scotty sent me to get you. Ten minutes, war room."
I nod, still fighting off the fog of sleep and embarrassment. "I'll be there."
Kitty turns to leave, but pauses at the door. "By the way," she says, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of her lips, "Emma's already down there. Try not to stare too obviously."
"Right," I mumble, watching as Kitty phases through my bedroom door with that ghost-like grace of hers.
As soon as she's gone, I throw back the covers and jump out of bed, my cheeks still burning from embarrassment. I grab my uniform from where I tossed it over my desk chair last night and yank it on, nearly tripping as I shove my legs into the pants.
The blue and yellow fabric clings to my still-sweaty skin as I zip up the front and adjust the collar. No time for a shower.
I sprint down the hallway and take the stairs two at a time, my boots barely making contact with each step. The last thing I need is to be late for an emergency meeting after already making a fool of myself.
The war room is already half-full when I arrive, slightly out of breath. Rogue and Gambit are off together on the side. My eyes immediately, treacherously, seek out Emma. She's sitting at the far end of the table in one of those impossible white outfits that barely covers anything. My mouth goes dry as fragments of my dream flash through my mind.
I deliberately choose a seat several spaces away from her, sliding in next to Jubilee, who gives me a curious glance but doesn't say anything. I keep my eyes fixed on the holographic display in the center of the table, studying the rotating 3D model of what looks like a warehouse complex with intense focus.
Movement in my peripheral vision makes me tense up. Emma rises from her chair with feline grace, that knowing smile playing on her lips as she approaches. She slides into the empty seat right next to me, her thigh brushing against mine as she settles in.
"Are you avoiding me, Jack?" she purrs, her voice low enough that only I can hear.
I turn to face her, suddenly emboldened by a flash of suspicion. "Were you playing with my dreams?" I demand, keeping my voice equally quiet.
Her eyebrows arch in feigned innocence. "Me? I would never do something so... invasive." The corner of her mouth twitches slightly, undermining her denial.
"That's not an answer," I press, leaning closer despite myself.
Emma's eyes catch the light as she leans closer, a predatory smile playing on those perfect lips.
"Dreams are fascinating things, Jack," she whispers, her breath tickling my ear. "Sometimes they show us what we're too afraid to acknowledge in our waking hours."
She reaches for my collar, brushing against my neck as she straightens it with deliberate slowness. The simple touch sends jolts of electricity racing down my spine, making it hard to breathe normally.
"And sometimes," she continues, her voice dropping to a silky purr, "they're meaningless. It's up to you to decide what the dream meant, darling."
I reach up and wrap my fingers around Emma's hands, momentarily distracted by their softness. They feel cool against my skin, like silk-covered marble. For a brief second, I almost forget what I'm doing, just marveling at the sensation of her skin against mine.
"That's enough, Emma," I say firmly, gently removing her hands from my collar.
Movement at the door catches my attention as Kitty phases through the wall and slides into an empty chair across from us. She gives me a knowing smirk, and I feel my cheeks heat up again. Great. She definitely heard my dream.
The mechanical whirr of Xavier's wheelchair announces her arrival before she appears in the doorway, Scotty walking alongside her with that rigid military posture she always has during official business.
Scotty remains standing next to Xavier as the Professor positions her wheelchair at the head of the table. The room falls silent immediately, everyone's attention fixed on Xavier's serious expression.
"X-Women," Xavier begins, her voice carrying that natural authority that makes everyone sit up straighter, "after months of searching, I've finally located Angel."
A murmur ripples through the room. I've heard stories about Angel from the others, Wren Worthington III, a winged mutant who went missing during a scouting mission.
"Using Cerebra," Xavier continues, "I've pinpointed his location to what appears to be an oil rig off the Gulf Coast." She gestures toward the holographic display, which shifts to show a massive offshore platform surrounded by churning waters. "However, this is no ordinary oil rig. It's a facade, concealing an A.I.M. research facility beneath the surface."
"Advanced Idea Mechanics," Scotty elaborates, noticing my confused expression. "They're a terrorist organization specializing in weaponizing advanced technology and scientific breakthroughs."
Xavier nods grimly. "The psychic signature I detected was weak but unmistakable. Wren is alive, but I sense she's in considerable distress."
"Is he being held prisoner?" I ask, leaning forward to study the hologram more closely.
"That's our working assumption," Xavier replies, her eyes meeting mine briefly.
"I see," I manage, feeling a strange mix of dread and excitement building in my chest again. This is what being an X-Woman is really about, rescuing our own.
Xavier's fingers tap against her wheelchair armrest as she continues. "We're going to approach this as two teams," she announces, her gaze sweeping across the gathered mutants. "Kitty, Scotty, Emma, and Jack will infiltrate the base directly. The rest of you will remain in the Blackbird, ready to provide backup if needed."
I straighten in my seat, surprised to hear my name among the infiltration team. I'm still the rookie here, but I guess killing Shaw and Mastermind earned me some field cred.
"Absolutely not," Kitty's voice cuts through the room like a knife. She's standing now, hands planted firmly on the table, her expression thunderous as she glares at Emma. "I refuse to work with Emma."
"Kitty," Scotty says, her voice carrying that no-nonsense tone that brooks no argument. "Gene's out on another mission. We need a telepath in there, and Emma is our only option."
"Are you kidding me?" Kitty fires back, her face flushing with anger. "She tried to kidnap me the first time we met! Have you all forgotten that?"
I glance between them, feeling like I've walked into the middle of an old movie without seeing the first half. There's clearly some serious history here.
Emma sighs dramatically. "Water under the bridge, Kitty," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. Her brow furrows slightly as she seems to calculate something. "That was... my God, eight years ago?"
A nostalgic smile plays across her flawless lips as she shakes her head. "Where has the time gone?"
"Where has the…" Kitty sputters, looking like she might phase through the table just to strangle Emma. "You tried to brainwash me into joining your evil little Hellfire school!"
"And now I teach at Xavier's," Emma replies smoothly. "Funny how life works out, isn't it?"
Kitty turns to Xavier, desperation evident in her eyes. "Professor, please. There has to be another way."
Xavier's expression remains impassive, though I catch a flicker of sympathy in her eyes. "I understand your concerns, Kitty. But Wren's life is at stake, and Emma's telepathic abilities are crucial for this mission."
"Besides," Emma adds, her voice dripping with false sweetness, "I've been on my best behavior lately. Haven't I, Jack?"
"Probably not," I mutter.
Scotty's jaw tightens as she turns to Emma. "Stop playing around," she says, her voice sharp enough to cut steel. "If you're going to be an X-Woman, you have to act like it."
Emma's perfect posture somehow becomes even straighter as she inclines her head slightly. "Of course you're right," she concedes, though that mischievous gleam never leaves her eyes.
She turns to Kitty, who's still fuming across the table. "I've grown since I tried to kidnap you," Emma says, her voice softening slightly. "I truly want to help mutants now."
Kitty's glare could melt adamantium. She shakes her head slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I still don't trust her, Scotty."
"Don't worry," Scotty replies firmly. "I'll be there to keep her in line."