X-Men MUCK - Friday, September 12, 2003, 6:35 PM
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Alone in the lab, Moira's choice of company is understated: a light classical piece plays in the background just audible in the silence, enough to make the lab seems ... well, less like a sterile environment and create a more welcome atmosphere. Head bowed down over a clipboard, Moira even humms a bit with the tune, calmly sipping at a cup of thick coffee as she reads over various charts and figures. Her fingers lift up one page and go over a 3-D scan of dence muscle tissue, most likely from a leg... all in all, the lab is quiet, serene and peaceful. For a change.

Scott chooses this quiet time to pay a call to Moira. The leader is clad in a black tee shirt, khaki pants, sneakers, and his usual sunglasses. He made the point to be clean before he came down, he spent enough years with Jean to know to shower before he headed into the lab. "Ms. MacTaggart, are you down here?" he asks, breaking the silence with his own soft voice. Or what he deigns to be silence with such soft music. Madelyne has been blaring the rock in the garage lately.

Moira turns to face the lad with an honest and open smile. "Och, Scott! Aye," she answers in her usual brogue, rather plased to see the boy down here for a change. If Xavier was right, he was starting to become another victim of the isolationist trend she saw with Hank. And if the local scuttlebutt is right, he has well enough good reason. "Come in, lad!," she invites, "Anythin' I canna help ye with?"

Scott looks a little abashed that he's resorting to talking to Moira about this, but he isn't sure who else he can really talk to. "Actually... yes there is. I need some advice really. Or some help. I know you're well aware Jean broke up with me, and that the last few months I've locked myself away. Ororo made some good points to me last week, and I'm trying to become the leader I used to be around here, but I'm having a hard time. A lot of it stems from Jean leaving me, and me just plain not understanding it. I was wondering if perhaps you could give me some advice. I can't really talk to anyone else because they are much more biased I think, and well. You're a woman."

Moira looks concerned from the outset of this request, setting down her clipboard and gesturing for him to sit in a nearby chair. Apparently isolationism is exactly the case as she listens intently to his explaination, unable to repress that small sigh when he mentions the break-up. The woman hates to think of anyone in pain and she only imagine how devistating the entire situation was for the young man. An eyebrow lifts at the mention of her gender. "Aye," she answers, "but I am also a doctor and I'd like tae think tha' should ye have any sort o' problems ye can come te me anytime. Here noo, sit down an' tell me whit's on yuir mind..."

Scott nods at the doctor. "Alright." He takes a seat and looks over at Moira. "Well. I know you are a doctor too, but well... I don't know. I just didn't know who else to go to really. Jean told me she left me because I wasn't being my own person anymore. I was her cocker spaniel I think she put it. And well... I know she loves Logan. And I'm slowly starting to accept that is a decision she made, and that we can possibly move past this. And I'm sure you've heard the rumors about me and Madelyne. And I really have fallen for her. Badly. I hate to say it, but everything about her that is different from Jean is why I adore her. Even little mannerism..." He pauses, realizing he's rambling. "I just don't understand what I did wrong, that Jean thought I was a pet... I don't want to make this mistake with Madelyne."

Moira sighs, leaning forward with the mug of coffee in her hands. Wincing a bit at the 'cocker spaniel' remark, she listens paciently through the rambling, a small scientific twinge in the back of her mind about the Madelyne's effect of Scott. If she remebers the files correctly, this girl went under some osrt of conditioning to make herself think she was Jean by the man responcible for playing with Scott and Jean's DNA... this is a might messy. "Well," she starts, "ye've always been a bright lad since ye've come to the school, eager tae learn and do right by th' man that took ye in." She looks away in thought, "Ye're strong minded, carin' aboot those under ye as a leader, consciencious of what others think of ye an' ye try tae... set an example f'r other by how ye act an' behave. Sound right so far?" She looks back towards him.

Scott shrugs a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess. I mean, I know I'm not the smartest in some things. Especially not in medicine like you or Jean, but I know a fair share about mechanical things and vehicles, and I'd do anything for the Professor. He's been like a father..." He drops his hand. "I guess so," he states to the rest of it, waiting to see where Moira is heading with it.

Moira speaks with sympathetic care. "Ye've been so since ye came here an' I've had a chance tae know ye. But sometimes...," How to put this?, "th' morre ye put more stock intae other's opinions of ye... ye may lose sight of what *ye* want. Make sense? Ye're a good man, Scott, ye really are. Ye put so much time an' energy intae yuir work, th' school, th' team... it's easy tae f'rget yuirself in everthin' ye try tae do." A sigh. "Now, callin' ye a 'cocker spaniel' was a terrible thing tae do," she says, sounding a bit snappy for a moment, "an' it was probably said in th' heat o' th' moment, so dinnae ye mind her words. But whit she was probably tryin' tae express is that ye wan' so much tae do righ' by those ye love, ye stop actin' on their behalf alone instead o' yuir own..."

Scott looks thoughtful for a moment. "But I thought thats what you do when you care about people? You put them, and their concerns above yours?" he asks, not quite getting it. And this has been his problem the entire time. "I don't understand how putting the good of everyone else above myself is a negative."

Moira explains, "Balance, Scott, *balance*." then tries another approach. "Ye put th' concerns o' those ye care about above yuir own and while tha' *is* a noble thing tae do... they care about *ye* f'r a reason. Because of who ye are and what ye mean tae them, not because of whit ye do. An' how wuild ye feel if the Professor tried tae shoulder yuir burdens without takin' care o' himself?"

Scott scratches at his 5 o'clock shadow that comes from not shaving for a whole week. The joys of not being hairy. "So you mean to say sometimes it is a good thing to put myself, and what I want first? And that those around me will still respect me for it?" he asks, seemingly startled by this revelation.

Moira closes her yes with a soft sigh. "Aye." She smiles warmly at him, if not a bit wearily. Please, for the boy's sake, Lord, let him understand....

Scott seems to slowly be digesting it. Slowly... but at least gears are starting to slowly turn in his head. "So Jean left me because I did anything she asked, instead of saying I wanted something..." He murmers this almost softly to himself. By George I think he might have gotten it. "So you think if I'm more vocal about my wants, I'll be happier and so will those around me..." He's basically repeating what he said earlier. It's still sinking in. "Huh. I never looked at it that way."

Hallelujah. "See?," Moira smirks, "I told y'ye were a bright lad." There's a wink there, and the more the young man seems to turn the thought over in his head, the more relieved she feels. Hrm, more situations like this and she's going to have to write a book on mutant psychology. She's already got a few good notes and theories... "Think on i', Scott. There are people, mutant an' not alike, still wrestling with th' same concept. Some o' them even live in this mansion..." A deep breath, she stands and rests a conforting hand on his shoulder. "I know ye'll be fine."

Scott smiles up at the older woman as she rises and lays a hand on his shoulder. "You don't know how much I appreciate you sitting down and taking some time to talk to me Ma'am. You gave me a bit to think about, but a lot of it makes sense. Even when I look at things in the past now. Won't help me with the Nate situation, but I think Jean and I can start being civil now that I understand where she was coming from. Thank you." He stands himself then. "I shouldn't waste any more of your time. I'm sure you have some important sciency things to get done."

Moira makes a face at this 'ma'am' business. "Och, 'ma'am'," she says with a teasing tone and roll of her eyes. "Ye make me sound old." A small 'hrmf' of a chuckle, she gives his shoulder a squeeze and lets him go. "Take yuir time, Scott. It's nae easy tae do, but ye have all th' time in th' world. An'... take yuir time with Madelyne, too, aye?" Carefully, she broaches the subject. "Ye've jus' let go of a long relationship with someone ye care f'r verra deeply... make sure ye're dooin' right by th' both o' ye." A scoff at the idea of having better things to do. "An' dinnae think my 'important sciencey thing' cannae take a back seat tae any o' ye."

Scott chuckles. "Yeah well. I need to show Madelyne I want her too though. But thank you Dr. MacTaggart. I really do appreciate this. And we are gunna take it slow. But... I guess I can still be more forward with my feelings." A soft smile is given. "Maybe I'll give her flowers or something when I take her flying tomorrow." His smile brightens. "I need to get going. See if any of the florists have any roses," he says, dashing out of the medbay then.

*fin*