Jonothon and Paige
A Love Story

Paige Guthrie walked slowly into the front door of the School, her eyes buried in her thick physics book, completely ignoring the screams issuing from inside. Barely showing down her pace, she reached out, turned the knob on the front door, and stepped inside. Almost immediately, she was thrown right back down the stairs as something roughly the size of the Eiffel Tower and weighing in at somewhere around the national debt plowed through her. Glasses went in one direction, the book, pages fluttering, off in another, and Paige herself tumbled backwards to land in a flower bed on the side of the steps.

"Oh, Paige! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" Jubilation Lee said contritely. She bent down and grabbed Paige's glasses, carrying them timidly over to her. "I just..."

"Wasn't paying attention, as per usual. I've told you once if I've told you a ga-zillion times, Ms. Lee...the behavior tells the age," Monet St Croix said haughtily. She landed right beside Jubilee, arms spread out for balance and her shirt ballooned like a parachute. Jubilee barely contained her laughter. Monet shot a frigid glance at her and peeled off her gloves, sticking her nose up in the air and glaring around indiscriminately.

"Aw, give it a rest, you snob," Jubilee said, putting one hand on her hip and shaking the other, still holding Paige's glasses, at Monet. Paige, trying to vainly grab her glasses and get up at the same time, fell backwards with a small squeal. Jubilee and Monet stared at her in astonishment.

"Oh, Paige," Jubilee said, shaking her head and giggling. Even Monet cracked a smile. Paige sat in the flowerbed, butt firmly buried in the dirt, hair tangled over her face. Almost reflexively, she pulled twigs out of her hair and glared at the two girls.

"Y'know," Paige began," Y'all have this distressing tendency to make me forget why I like you."

"Y'all?!" gasped Jubilee, laughing harder.

"Okay, now that you've had you laugh," Paige glared at Jubilee, "Will one of you please help me up?!"

A leather clad arm grasped Paige's hand and pulled her upright. Chamber stepped back and cocked an eyebrow, gazing at Jubilee and Monet with a maliciously amused face. "I dunno about yers, love, but if I were yer? I'd start running about now."

"I didn't do a thing! It was all her fault!" Monet pointed an accusing finger at Jubilee. Jubilee stuck out her tongue.

"Was not. It was...well, he was chasing me...It was all the fault of...ANGELO!" Jubilee suddenly screamed. A gray, compact figure rammed into Paige from behind, spinning her into Chamber's arms, before tackling Jubilee. Paige found herself with her head against Chamber's shoulder and his arm around her waist. Almost immediately, she jumped back, hiding her feelings. She hastily apologized before beating a fast retreat towards the biosphere.

"Jubilee sat up and spit out dirt. "Hey, Paige!" she hollered," you forgot your glasses!" Paige didn't even turn around.

Jubilee grinned, looking over at Chamber. "Well? D'you think it worked?"

Chamber narrowed his eyes and intently watched Paige scurry away. "I think it did. I really do think it did."

"Ha!" Jubilee crowed, jumping up, "did I not tell you it would work? Am I a genius or what?"

"Or what," Monet murmured.

"Great idea, Jubecita!" Angelo said, "but now what are we supposed to do?"

"Hey! Over here!" Jubilee said impatiently, "I tole' you I'm the one that thought of it! Where's my worship? My golden chariot? My COOKIE fer cryin' out loud!"

"I think you should go after her, Jono," Monet said, her eyes on the rapidly disappearing Paige and completely ignoring Jubilee.

Angelo suddenly got louder. "One more word about it, Lee, and YOU go into the flowers!"

"I'm going to go follow her," Chamber said decisively, retrieving Paige's glasses from Jubilee's gesturing hands. He folded them and stuck them in the pocket of his jacket as he strode off. Without breaking stride, he reached down and grabbed Paige's book as well. When he was finally out of sight, he heard distantly behind him the sound of raised voices.

"That's it, Lee, your toast!"

"No! Stop! HELP!"

CRASH!

The crash, Chamber supposed, was probably Jubilee hitting the flower bed at great force. Now, if it had been a pool...a sight to pay money for. It didn't take him long to find Paige. She was sitting on the edge of the small stream that ran through the biosphere, fitfully playing with a blade of grass. She gazed blankly off into the distance with a smile on her face. 'Thinking of me?' Chamber dared hope.

"'Ullo, luv. Yer left these behind...figured you might want 'em."

Paige looked up, a blush staining her cheeks. "Th-thanks," she stuttered, taking her glasses and book. Subconsciously, she folded them into her lap, gazing off to the side. Pretending she didn't know he was there. Chamber smiled easily, dangling his leather-clad legs into the water. Paige glanced over, then looked up at him. "You'll ruin those."

"Got plenty more," Chamber shrugged. Paige went back to ignoring him.

His smile almost wicked, Chamber delicately picked up a strand of Paige's hair. "This is the first time in my life that I've held a beautiful girl in my arms and haven't been able to kiss her."

Paige's eyes went wide, but she didn't say a word. Chamber continued. "I've always wondered how yer'd have felt about me if yer'd met me before. When I wasn't this, uh, different."

"Well, your not TOO different, Jono." Paige said, "Sure, your not normal, but then again, I really doubt being able to rip off your skin is normal either. Or throw fireworks without a permit. Or growing skin faster than most people can think. Even normal isn't normal! Besides, anyone who watches Beavis and Butthead is normal."

Chamber snorted. "Who told you I watch that?"

"Jubilee. She snuck down into the basement on a dare one day."

"Monet, huh?"

"Monet."

"Figures. There can't be on thing that goes on here but that someone else hadn't started it."

"Hey, Jono." Paige asked seriously, "Why are you talking to me right now?"

"Whaddya mean?" asked Chamber.

"I mean...why did you follow me out here, and why are you talking like this to me?"

"Because I wanted to apologize," Chamber said slowly, "After that LA thing, when we got back here and I went back to ignoring yer. Just when I'd finally got what I wanted....well, anyways. I wanted to tell yer that it wasn't yer fault, it was mine. I got so scared of finally being happy that I didn't even try to change things. I know I screwed it up but maybe do yer think...we could still be friends?"

Paige was silent for a moment, her head down. Almost shyly, she glanced up at Chamber through the corners of her eye. "Is that what you want? To be friends?"

Chamber cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if I have a choice....I'd like to be a little bit more than friends. But basically, yes, that's what I want."

Paige smiled a little. "I...think I could handle that."

"Good!" Chamber said brusquely, "Then let's get back to the buildings before Frost or Irish finds out we're not there." He stood up and held out his hand for Paige.

"Frost and Irish?" Paige laughed, grabbing Chamber's hand and boosting herself up, "You have been spending too much time around Jubilee!"

"She's a little hard not to listen to!" Chamber winced as Jubilee's voice, raised in a shriek, reached them.

"Just one teeny, tiny little question for you," Paige began, smiling, "Just who was it that helped you set up this little scenario?"

"Uh, scenario? Whaddya mean?" Chamber asked guiltily.

"Earlier. Jubilee was 'contrite'. Jubilee does contrite just as well as I do neatness." Paige giggled. "I've already figured that she's in it, but who else was?"

"Everyone. In fact, Angelo wanted to be the one who got to knock you down the steps, but Jubilee beat him to it."

"Oh, your all some lovely friends! What if I hadn't gone along according to your plans?"

"Then Everett over there in the bushes was ordered to knock you out and tie you up in the basement.""

"WHAT?!" Paige said in shock. She leapt at the bushes, Synch crawling out and dodging at the last minute. Chamber, almost laughing to hard to do it, yanked her against him and held her, tight. "Let me go, ya big lug!" Paige yelled, jamming her elbow hard into Chamber's side. He let her go.

"You...You....Ah'm spittin mad now!"

"We can tell. Quite a lovely accent yer got, Paige," Chamber said, still laughing. Paige glared. "Yer got a flower in yer hair."

Paige, still glaring, reached up and ran her hand through her hair. The flower didn't budge. Chamber reached over, running his hand down her hair, smiling at her, removed the flower with a flourish and handed it to her with a bow.

"I'm still mad," Paige said, calmer. She glanced over at Chamber, then turned away quickly and walked the few paces more to the main building. Chamber stopped about two paces away.

"G'bye Paige...see you later?" he asked.

"You bet!" Paige chirped. She smiled at Chamber...then, moving so quickly he didn't even realize it, she kissed his nose and then dived into the building, giggling. Chamber stood there, stunned, before a big smile broke over his pace, and he turned to walk off.

This fanfic is by Jeanne aka FlameWraith. She has six Generation X fanfics on my page. Through our correspondence, we have become good friends. She's great!