Archive of Our Own ^beta

They’re close -- Even when they’re miles apart.

They’re always near each other, in their minds. Jean can always feel the cooling energy Emma provides, tending to the flame that constantly burned in the other woman, and Emma can feel the warmth Jean provides. Even when they’re lying in different beds on the other side of the country -- Emma can swear, if she just extends her fingers just a little bit further Jean is right ---

There.

The room constructed in Emma’s mind is shared between them. Pure white and seemingly unending. They’re sharing the bed, a touch larger than the one they have at the Jean Grey Institute, and this one is covered in silk white sheers. Emma extends her fingers, and Jean is right by her side.

“Guess you missed me too,” Jean’s voice is nothing more than a whisper, and Emma nods a little bit. Shifting her weight to be closer, her face tucked against Jean’s neck. A tender arm wraps around her and pulls her in close; the only sign of difference between the two women is the difference in temperature. Jean is always hot. Emma is always cold.

“How long will you be gone?” Jean fills the comfortable silence that had taken them, and Emma shrugged. There was a lot of work to be done in order to get Utopia up and running again - and as much as she would’ve liked to bring Jean along with her, Erik and the Cuckoos made good company, and someone needed to stick around and make sure the school didn’t get destroyed in the meantime.

“Hard to say. Could be days. Could be weeks.” It could be months, for all Emma knew, but she also figured that if her absence was going to extend that long, she’d make a trip home for a couple of days, just to be with Jean again.

“Better not be. I’m gonna go crazy without you, Em.” Jean tells her with a little laugh, and Emma has to roll her eyes.

“Oh, darling. You already are crazy.” Her tone is teasing, and is matched with light kisses onto a bare shoulder. Until the kisses spread, towards her collarbone, where Emma sucks light marks that will be non-existent come morning.

“Mm. Guess so.” Jean hums, her eyes falling shut as she succumbs to Emma’s ministrations. “I mean, who would’ve thought I’d end up dating the big bad White Queen?” She taunted playfully, and was met with a nip near the top of her breast.

“And who would’ve thought that the big bad White Queen would hold you down,” She moved again, straddling Jean at the waist. “And kiss you until you’re begging,” Emma’s voice was sweet as honey, and Jean couldn’t help but let out a groan.

Their lips met, and their hands connected. Fingers lacing together as the kiss grew more heated and desire filled both women. Emma parted from Jean’s lips, attacking her neck in her passion, and slowly trailing her lips down her chest, towards her navel, and further down until they were as close as they could be.

When Emma woke up, her bed heavily lacked silk and Jean. And for a moment, she had forgotten that the previous night's encounter had only been a construct of her mind. A memory she would share with Jean, but it didn’t completely replace real contact with the woman. She curled herself up tighter in her blanket, wishing it was her girlfriend next to her.

”Emma? Are you awake?” Came the familiar voice in her mind, and Emma hummed to herself. At least there was that; they were always just a thought away.

”Yes love,” Emma responded.

Back in New York, it was already a little past noon - meaning Jean was already up for the day. She was down in the labs, working with Hank on a new experiment when the time occurred to her and she realized Emma must be just waking up.

”Did you sleep well?” She asked, and Emma hummed to herself.

”As good as I could without you.” She remarked, a small smile on her lips.

Jean found that sweet as well, a light smile tracing up on her lips which earned a strange glance from Hank, but he didn’t directly comment.

”You’ll grow used to it again.” Jean pointed out. ”You’ve spent more nights sleeping without me than sleeping with me.”

”And now that I’ve done it I don’t want to stop, not ever.”

At that, Jean felt her cheeks heating up a little bit. Butterflies igniting in her stomach. That earned a another look from Hank, and a comment.

“Distracted, Jean?” He asked - his tone bordering on amusement. It wasn’t the first time he had caught Jean getting caught up in a conversation with Emma, and he suspected it wouldn’t be the last.

“Huh--” That seemed to snap her out of her temporary daze. “Distracted? Oh, no. Sorry. I’m completely paying attention.” Jean assured, and Hank chuckled.

“I’ve asked to borrow your pen four times,” He teased lightly.

This time, Jean’s blushing was no fault of Emma’s. Sheepishly, she handed over the pen with an “Apologies, Hank.” Which he simply let roll off his shoulders as he returned to peering through a microscope.

”You know you’re incredibly distracting.” Jean shot to Emma, and she could almost hear the grin that would be forming on the blonde's face at hearing that. ”I love you.” Jean added, before Emma could quip back at her.

”I love you too, darling… Now, get back to work. Hank wants to know your opinion on the rate the cells are splitting.”

”How did you--”

“Jean? Thoughts?” Hank interrupted, and naturally, Emma had been right.

It was going to take a long time to rebuild Utopia. But Emma and Jean never drifted, spending their nights as close together as they could despite the thousands of miles placed between them. Visits became more regular as the days stretched into weeks, and the weeks into months, but finally, and alternate and more isolated school; the Emma Frost Academy, was complete. A nearly perfectly parallel to the Jean Grey Institute which stood in New York.

Six months later, and Emma finally returned home, back into the loving arms of Jean Grey.

Their embrace was tight; pressed together and connected at every point they could manage; and still, it wasn’t close enough.