Rebirth

"Jasey!" Anni was breathless when she looked up at me. I frowned at my sister. She, too, had lost a lot of weight, and her coloring was all off. Her eyes were surrounded by black and rimmed with red, and she looked stressed as all get out. She threw her head onto my lap, and began to nearly scream through her tears. "They almost killed you Jasey! They almost killed you! They almost took you away from me!" Feeling tears in my own eyes, I placed my hands over hers, and squeezed.

"It's okay, Anni. I'm here. We're here. It's okay." She seemed to calm down, and wiped her eyes. Anni looked back up at me, then down at her lap, and finally she just threw herself into my arms, and I held her despite the fact that my whole body ached. Anni sighed in my arms, and pulled back enough to glare at me.

"You ever do that again, and I'll kill you." Her voice was full of emotion that I was glad to hear, and I smiled, holding out my hand in a fist. She took the picture and hit it with her own fist, then jumped into the middle of the room and threw her hands up in triumph, dancing in joy. When she looked back at me, she had that joy in her eyes I hadn't seen in a while. Then she screamed and yelled loudly, "I have to go tell people you're okay!" Then, before I could speak, she ran from the room while crying and smiling.

I sighed and fell back into the pillows, smiling softly. I was tired, but I knew people wanted to talk to me, maybe even chew me out, and I had to be awake for that. I was thinking of what might happen when the infirmary doors blew open, and Scott ran into the room. He was far worse than Anni, and I couldn't stop my heart from clenching in pain. He was paler then I had ever seen, and his face was creased in worry. Tears had ran down his cheeks when he saw me, and I whimpered before closing my eyes. I really had thought that me leaving would be better for people, yet all it did was hurt them. Two large, fat tears ran down my cheeks, and I heard Scott take a strangled gasp of air.

"Jasey?" His voice was laced in pain, and that hurt worse than anything. I threw my face into my hands, unable to hold back the sobs. Scott walked quickly to where I was sitting, and wrapped his arms around me, muttering my name over and over again, and kissing the top of my head.

"I'm so sorry, Scott. I didn't mean to hurt anyone." My voice was muffled, and I turned my face into his chest, where he held me tightly.

"Why, Jasey? Why didn't you let us help?" His entire frame was trembling with suppressed sobs, and I gripped his shirt tightly in my hands. I needed this, even if I didn't deserve him. I just, needed his touch.

"I didn't want them to hurt anyone, Scott. If they did, I would never be able to live with myself." He nodded into my hair, and held me tighter. I was trembling, and his warm frame provided some heat to me. Then, slowly, he shook his head.

"Jasey, you almost died. You were.. so horrible beaten." His voice broke, and I pulled myself away from his embrace to kiss away the tears that fell at a rapid pace. I looked up at his eyes, and even though I couldn't see them, I knew he was looking at me, too.

"I'm not going anywhere, Scott. I can't. I can't leave this place, even if I wanted. I need to be here." Scott laughed slightly, and nodded before leaning down and kissing me straight on the lips. Unable to hold back, I kissed him with as much passion, and I smiled when I felt the way his tongue very gently licked my lip, and I allowed him access. Our tongues fought for dominance when I pulled back and smiled, unable to take much more happiness.

Scott felt the same, and his smile was large and filled with happiness. With another kiss, he pulled me into a large hug where his arms went around my middle and help me to him, as if I would leave again.

"If nothing else, stay for me, Jasey. You're in too far to just leave like that. Please." I smiled and kissed him once more before placing my hands on both sides of his face and kissing his nose.

"I'm here to stay, Scott. I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon. I promise." Scott nodded in approval before kissing me again and smiling, and then pulling back.

"Good, because you're not leaving until you're better, anyways. What were you thinking in doing that, Jasey?" Frowning, I looked at my hands, unable to completely answer him. Scott, being the gentle person he was, titled my chin up to him. "Was it our kiss?" Him saying it so easily made me freeze, and he smiled. "I was a real dick, Jasey. But I'm not going to throw this away. You're here for a reason, and I've opened up for the first time since Jean. I need you more than ever."

With a laugh and a smile, I hugged him tightly and then gasped when pain shot out from my back. "Maybe I should just heal a little more, huh?" My attempt at humor wasn't seen, but then a huge group of people burst through the doors with smiles on their faced.

With one glace around me, from Scott, Logan and Anni's faces, to everyone else, I knew this was our home. Maybe we were blessed, after all.