Malice, Hulk and Spaghetti

Confused, I looked at Susan who made herself visible in front of me and put a finger to her lips.

" Calm down Dean. I just want to talk to you!" she said and made the gag disappear but still I was tied up.

"What are you doing Ms. Storm-Richards?" I asked nervously. If she could tie me up so easily what else was she capable of.

"I just want to talk to you about what happened yesterday. I mean...what happened between us." She said calmly and the way she spoke at least calmed me down.

"And for talking I have to be tied up?" I asked, trying to sound at least amused, even though I was sure you could sense some fear.

"Oh... sorry." She said and immediately I felt the pressure around my body ease. "I guess it was just a reflex. We really need to talk about yesterday!"

"I..."

Immediately she raised her hand and interrupted me. "Dean. It's not your fault. I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday, what I put you through. I... had a... weak moment yesterday, I guess!" she smiled. "But there's something you don't know, or can't know."

"I don't quite understand." I said openly and truthfully as she pointed to the chair and I took a seat. She herself then leaned against the wall and exhaled audibly. Apparently, it was hard for her to talk about it.

"A few years ago...there was some kind of...accident. I had a nervous breakdown." She finally said with a heavy breath. "In the process...I had a schizophrenic episode. Another personality manifested itself in me. It ... uh ... is quite ... similar to what happened yesterday."

"You ... slept with your husband?" I asked, a little confused, and she had to laugh. The first time since I had seen her today. She shook her head and smirked.

"Even though it's hard to believe... every now and then the two of us actually have sex. Nothing to compare to yesterday, but well... and no. We didn't have sex, but I became a sadistic, brutal and completely cruel dominatrix. And as nice as that may seem in your head, I mean the kind of dominatrix that doesn't whip you but rips your heart out and makes you watch it stop thumping. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"That.... You could lose control if we...?"

She came up to me slowly and stroked my cheek, smiling down at me.

"Dean. I can't tell you how good it had felt...to.... have sex with you... You are a marvelous lover. But I can't risk letting myself go like that. If I ever become Malice again there can be terrible consequences." She smiled and gave me a long kiss. "But it really made me feel so good! Thank you! And now I have to go."

A bit perplexed I stayed behind and then after a few minutes I went to the library and luckily met Colossus there.

"Hey Dean! What are you doing here?" asked the huge Russian in his strong accent.

"Hey Piotr. Still up? Listen. I've got a question. I'd like to find out something about someone. Is there any way I can get on the internet here or something?"

"Of course, you can get on the Internet here, Dean. I mean, we're not hillbillies here. If you want, I'll help you. What are you looking for?" he asked as he sat down at a desk and started up the computer.

"All the information on a person named Malice."

"Great... A whole name!" he laughed out loud and typed in the name and apparently this was no ordinary access. When I asked him about it, he told me it was a special school account. This was linked to various databases to which normal people had no access.

Shortly thereafter, the screen went black and a SHIELD icon slowly rotated on the screen. A female voice sounded from the speakers.

"Mr. Rasputin. This is SHIELD Agent Hill. The person you are looking for is under SHIELD protection. I advise you to call off the search immediately before I have to report you to the professor." The icon went off and Pietr looked at me sourly.

"Dude! What are you doing?" he asked me angrily and I hunched my shoulders and stared at him, unknowing. "Do you know who that was just now?"

"Agent Hill?" I asked, a little confused, and as Pietr stood up and pressed against my forehead with one finger.

"Agent Hill, is Commander Fury's second-in-command. Dude. Who is this Malice? If she's covered from this far up, she's a big shot. If you get me in trouble, you and I are going to go a few rounds!"

"Rounds?"

"Boxing dude! We're going to box!" he said as his body turned into solid metal and I took the hint more than clearly. Intimidated, I looked up at him and nodded eagerly.

"Sure... No trouble... not me!" I stammered as he walked past me. By now I understood why some mutants were scarier than others. Pietr was clearly the kind that could be scary.

So, everything Susan had said about Malice was true. So, it was extremely dangerous if this Malice showed up. "Lucky once again!" I grinned and went back to my room. Exhausted, I fell into my bed and immediately fell asleep. My last thought, as far back as I remembered in the morning, was that I would enjoy falling asleep unfucked.

When I woke up it was early noon and I felt wonderful. A quick jump in the shower and a hearty meal and I was ready for the day. But as I walked down the hall of the school, my feet led me as if by themselves to the teachers' housing wing. When I realized where I was Jean opened the door and smiled at me. It was almost as if she had been expecting me.

"Well, awake?" she smiled softly and stepped aside to let me in. "Do you want to come in Dean?"

"I'd love to." I smiled and as soon as the door closed, she leaned over and gave me a gentle kiss.

"I'm glad you're here. I hope you slept well, Dean?" she smiled and then stroked my cheek apologetically. "I'm sorry I just fell asleep like that last night."

"It doesn't matter. Did you at least sleep well?" I asked, smiling as suddenly Scott came through the kitchen door.

"Hey Dean! There you are. Did you two have a nice practice while we were gone?" he asked, still wearing his uniform. However, it was a little torn at the top but apparently, he wasn't hurt. Still, I was a little surprised he was here.

"Scott. You're back?" I asked and inwardly I sighed a little since that meant I would have less time to spend with Jean. I had actually hoped that I would have more time alone with her.

"Yes, it went faster than expected, but we have to chalk that up to Emma. She managed to calm the Hulk down. Unfortunately, poking around in the Hulk's mind took quite a toll on her. She's in the infirmary right now recovering." Smiled, but when he saw my worried look, he immediately smiled and raised his arms placatingly. "Don't worry about it. It was just mentally draining. She just needs some rest."

I looked uncertainly at Jean, who after all didn't like Emma very much, and even she smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about its dean. Emma may be..." she swallowed the word and continued. "But she's a pretty tough telepath. Hanks already checked her out. There's nothing physically wrong with her and she's just mentally exhausted. From the way Scott told it, the Hulk must have been a real tough cookie."

"Exactly. If you want Dean, I'm cooking my famous spaghetti carbonare right now. I'm sure there's enough for one more mouthful. If you don't mind darling?" he added quickly and then Jean grinned at me.

"You see Dean. That's what they call it in the jargon.... Saved by the bell." She grinned and then nodded. "Have you eaten anything yet Dean? I can say that his cooking skills are really incredibly good! You've already had a chance to try it."

"If I'm not interrupting...happy to?" I said, looking toward Scott who just smiled.

"Why would you disturb. You're my wife's student after all. I hope you've been practicing and making progress in my absence?" he asked kindly as he walked with us into the kitchen. It smelled wonderful there and there were freshly cut herbs all over the table next to a pot of sauce.

"Of course, we did Scott. Dean really is a very good student." Smiled she and seemed to like the smell as much as I did. "This smells wonderful. You have to know Dean, it's a tradition. Whenever Scott or I return from a mission that was dangerous, my husband cooks up one of his masterpieces."

"Yeah. That really smells great!" I admitted, bending over the pot where the sauce was simmering away. Immediately Scott smacked me on the fingers with a wooden spoon.

"Fins off or else!" he laughed, shaking his head. "Just like Jean! Tztztz!"

Jean just grinned broadly and put her arms on my shoulders. "The master cook does not wish his ingredients to be groped!" she grinned with a laugh and I looked up over my shoulder at the beautiful face. That smile I was so addicted to made me smile too as Scott smiled.

"So... dinner is ready! What do you guys think about a movie night at dinner?"

"Well, I'd love to know what happened on the mission. Especially what kind of monster the Hulk really is and why Stark was so intent on protecting him?" smiled Jean and my eyes shone too. I had heard so many stories about this monster that I could hardly believe how it could be protected.

"Well then... Jean. Can you set the table?" asked Scott and before Jean could answer I jumped up.

"I can do that!" I smiled and started setting it while Jean and Scott watched me.

"Good boy." Smiled Scott and then during dinner he told us about the fight against the Hulk. What was most impressive to me were the mentions of the creature's power. Apparently the angrier he got the stronger he became and unfortunately Logan was probably pretty good at making someone angry.

"Why do you think Mr. Stark wanted to protect him?" I asked and Scott smiled as he clasped his hands together.

"I think because the Hulk is more than just a monster. When we arrived, he was in the process of fighting the military. However, it was the Hulk who protected the villagers while General Ross opened fire."

"Thunderbolt Ross?" asked Jean, leaving me looking questioningly.

"That's the one. Apparently, he runs Taskforce Hulk and is quite thuggish about it. However, I've seen the Hulk throw himself in the path of missiles to save bystanders. So, we made sure Ross left and his troops called off the attack so we could give the Hulk a chance to run."

"How do you get a general to stop?" I asked, amazed.

"By having an Emma Frost with you." Grinned Jean for once, and Scott smiled with a grin.

"Exactly. Dean you'll be surprised once you see what Emma or Jean or the Professor are capable of. And of those three, Emma is still the weakest." He spoke. Even though this statement might sound a little insulting, it was understandable on the other hand. Astonished I looked at Jean and even without the help of her telepathy she smiled at me.

"Surely, you're asking me now why I wasn't there and why Emma went, right?"

"Yes."

"That's very simple Dean. Because I'm dangerous." She smiled, trying to put on a reassuring face, but failing. "As you've learned, I'm a little different than Scott or Emma or any other mutant in this world. I am the Phoenix."

"I've... heard that before, and that you're the most powerful mutant in the world... but what does that mean exactly?" I finally asked, and their faces grew a little more serious.

"It simply means that Jean has control over life and ****. The phoenix is not of this world. He is an existence that comes from outside our world. He is inside Jean and only comes out when things get dangerous or Jean has a breakdown." Said Scott and Jean smiled at him.

"More or less, he's right about that. You could also see it as me having a split personality. One is me...the other is the Phoenix. Its power is...infinite...we don't know ourselves how strong it really is. Only that I have not yet managed to control this power. The professor and I are still working on it, but I am not strong enough yet. That's why I'm mostly kept away from missions. For security reasons."

"That sounds terrible." I said sadly and she took me in her arms.

"Don't worry about its dean. The Phoenix is an opportunity I hope to use someday. If I make it someday, such threats as this Galactus would not be much of a threat anymore. Unfortunately, that's still a long way off, I'm afraid."

"Maybe we should send Dean to Galactus sometime. He could ask him to just leave. Maybe it'll work." Laughed Dean and Jean had to chuckle at the thought.

"So, Dean. What do you think about a school trip to space?" Jean asked me amused and I didn't even know what to say to that joke. Therefore, I tried to steer the topic away from me back to the Hulk.

"So... where is the Hulk now? I mean, if he's that strong...?"

"It's complicated. When Emma calmed him down, he changed. From a being that seemed to be all muscle, he became a human named Bruce Banner. I'm not sure if the Hulk is a mutant or not, but in any case, he's a pretty interesting being. That's all we know. Right now, he is in a secret place with Hank who is studying him. We didn't dare bring him here. He said something about anger would trigger the transformation."

"So, you got him as far away from Logan as you could?" chuckled Jean, and this time even I had to laugh.

"He just happens to be the best at what he does. Busting people's balls!" laughed Scott along and with that the bad news was gone. With that, nothing stood in the way of the delicious meal.