"Girls flirt with the dangerous guy"
by: Rin Sakaguchi
WARNINGS: This fic is Scott/Jean.. with a twist. Anything else will give away the ending. Not a fic for the closed-minded.
Note: Comments welcome, however any flames will be read, laughed at, and whapped to death with a shovel!Inspired by X-2 (X-men United), and especially this scene.
Jean: Girls flirt with the dangerous guy, Logan, but they don't take 'em home. They marry the good guy. Logan: I can be the good guy. Jean: The good guy sticks around.
******************
" 'Morning Jean." Logan says as she passes him on his way out of the Danger Room.
She smiles warmly at him. "Good morning, Logan."
He is bare-chested, as he always trains that way, carrying his shirt under one arm, and a towel wrapped around his neck. She lets her eyes take in the tight muscles of his upper body. She feels her heart start to speed up, just a little bit, although she's too well trained in schooling her emotions to allow herself to blush. He smirks suddenly, and she wonders just how good his hearing really is, and if just maybe, he can hear her errant heart beating faster in his presence.
"You're up early." she says, deciding that she's found a safe-enough topic.
"So are you." he points out, smiling back at her in a way that makes her feel like a young school-girl again. "What, did ol-one-eye keep you up again with his snoring?"
Ouch. Obviously, the topic was not safe enough.
She answers the rhetorical question anyways. "No, I had to be up early to get my lesson plan ready for today's classes."
"Right." He grins, clearly unconvinced. "Sure you didn't just want to see me shirtless again?"
She laughs, wracking her brain for a comeback, however before she gets the chance, they are interrupted by a stream of children running down the hall, talking and laughing as they head down to breakfast. The moment is lost, and after a brief goodbye, they part ways, both continuing on to their originally intended pursuits.
As she walks down the hall, she lets her mind rest on the enigma that is her relationship with Logan.
When they are on a mission, or in their teaching duties in the mansion, he is always professional. However, when they're not, a very different side of him comes out. She sees the way he looks at her when he thinks no one else is looking. Though if asked she'd never admit, it flatters her. She likes the way he flirts with her, never in front of anyone else, because then she would have to rebuke him outright, instead of teasingly, and that would spoil it for both of them. It is like an unspoken agreement between them.
She knows that she would never openly pursue anything with him, she loves Scott too much to mess around with another man, but that doesn't stop her from wondering. and dreaming.
In her fantasy, she and Logan have both come in from a dangerous mission, covered in blood and sweating from their exertions. They enter the mansion, which seeing as it is a fantasy, is blessedly empty of anyone else, and he takes her, right there, in the main entrance hallway. She can imagine his taste under her lips, breathing in his scent, as they make passionate, totally unrestrained love. Unlike the gentle, slow love that she shares with Scott, this is rough, almost violent in it's intensity at times, with his teeth bruising her, her nails raking his skin.
She shakes her head, and turns her concentration to other things. The rest of the days passes calmly, and she forgets the early morning exchange.
That evening, she finds herself alone in the kitchen, having volunteered to wash the dishes. Everyone else is off, doing other things. She fills one of the large sinks with water and pours in some dishsoap. The last thing she does before reaching for the pile of dirty dishes on the counter, is take off her diamond engagement ring, and place it on the countertop to keep it from getting wet. She takes the dishes, and places them one by one, into the lukewarm water, humming softly as she washes them. Finally, she found herself on the last plate in the pile.
"You know, you never answered my question this morning." a voice comes from behind suddenly.
She starts, nearly dropping the plate in her hand. She whirls, plate still in hand, even though she already knows for certain who it is.
"Logan. you startled me." She tells him, in a tone that isn't quite a scold.
He smiles. "Sorry 'bout that." He tells her, as he leans casually against the counter. A slight frown appears on his face as his eyes settle on the ring.
"You know. this looks better here than on your finger." He says, in a tone not-quite teasing.
"Logan.."
He leans towards her, until their faces are only inches apart.
"You can't tell me you aren't interested." he whispers, reaching out a hand to smooth back her hair.
"You're right, I can't." she admits, feeling suddenly freer for admitting it, and at the same time, guilty for feeling that way. She forces herself to continue, "You know I think you're attractive Logan. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it.. about what it might be like for us to be together. However, I love Scott, and I have every intention of marrying him."
She places the last plate in the rack to dry, then grabs the ring off the counter, slipping it back onto her finger before turning to face Logan again.
"And now, I'm going to go up to bed. Goodnight, Logan." She says, walking out of the kitchen.
She forces herself to walk normally, and stop herself from fleeing the room, and the temptations being offered. Once out of his sight and safely in the darkened hallway, she allows herself a few moment to get herself fully under control before making good on her word, and heading up to her room.
The lights are off in the room that she and Scott share, but enough light is coming in from the hallway to make out the fact that he is the room.
"Scott?"
She flicks the light switch, and shuts the door behind her.
He is sitting on the edge of their bed. Even though his eyes are totally hidden behind his dark glasses, years of time spent together make it easy to recognize that his expression is dark, clouded over.
She bites her lip, worriedly. "Scott, what's wrong?"
"I saw you two.. downstairs in the kitchen.." he replies, and she can hear the hurt in his voice.
She curses internally, as the guilt washes over her again.
"Look, Scott-" she begins, only to be cut off.
"No Jean." He interrupts, and there is an edge in his voice she has never heard before.
"I've had enough."
She blinks in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asks, bewildered.
"I'm tired of this! I'm tired of looking the other way and pretending I don't see the way you look at him Jean!" the words tear out of him in a rush."I kept telling myself it was harmless..that nothing would come of it."
"Nothing has come of it!" she cries, suddenly desperate to make him understand. She tries to embrace him, only to find herself abruptly pushed away.
"I can't do this anymore!" he shouts, rising from the bed.
"You're jealous."
"Yes, I am!" he admits, his voice getting louder.
"You have no reason to be jealous!"
"No reason? .Oh, so I should just continue to sit and do nothing while you throw yourself at him like a dog in heat?" he says,
She slaps him, hard, leaving a harsh red mark on his cheek.
"How dare you!?" she shouts, anger rising in her, "How dare you. How DARE you!"
She catches a wisp of a thought passing like lightning across his mind, then disappearing, hidden under his own normal mental shield. She senses only that it is something he wants to keep hidden from her, and that realization only maker her angrier.
"What was that?" she asks angrily, glaring at him.
"Nothing." He turns away from her.
His emotions swirl around her, anger, betrayal, guilt, ..and the absolute last thing she would ever have expected to find, a deep, yearning, sexual desire - directed at someone else.
"You. you can't mean.." horrified, she is unable to continue.
She shuts her eyes in a futile attempt to block out images that are in her head. Images frighteningly similar to those she has imagined in her own head.
Opening her eyes again, she stares at him in disbelief.
"This is a joke.." she whispers. "This has to be some sick joke.."
"It's not a joke." He manages to say, his voice barely audible.
"It has to be." She denies it with everything she has, because the alternative is too much for her to deal with.
"It's not a joke." He repeats, his voice getting a little stronger..
"What are you saying?" she asks, knowing the answer, but unwilling to believe it.
"I'm saying I want Logan."
There is no doubt in his voice. From behind his glasses, he looks her straight in the eyes.
The words spoken aloud, make further denial impossible.
"I was going to tell you." he says softly. "But I didn't know how."
The genuine regret she hears in his voice is even more painful than the admission itself.
"Get out Scott," she whispers.
"Jean.."
"We'll talk later." Her voice makes it a promise. They need to talk, to figure out where to go from here, but not now. now while the pain is so overwhelming.
"Please go." It's as close to begging as she'll come..
"Alright.." he makes his way hesitantly to the door. He pauses in the doorway, looking back at the woman who for years was the sole owner of his heart. "I'm sorry." He whispers, before he shuts the door behind him.
Only when she is alone do the remnants of her self-control collapse, and the tears begin to fall.
And in the darkness, Jean Grey holds her engagement ring in her hand, and sobs.
by: Rin Sakaguchi
WARNINGS: This fic is Scott/Jean.. with a twist. Anything else will give away the ending. Not a fic for the closed-minded.
Note: Comments welcome, however any flames will be read, laughed at, and whapped to death with a shovel!Inspired by X-2 (X-men United), and especially this scene.
Jean: Girls flirt with the dangerous guy, Logan, but they don't take 'em home. They marry the good guy. Logan: I can be the good guy. Jean: The good guy sticks around.
******************
" 'Morning Jean." Logan says as she passes him on his way out of the Danger Room.
She smiles warmly at him. "Good morning, Logan."
He is bare-chested, as he always trains that way, carrying his shirt under one arm, and a towel wrapped around his neck. She lets her eyes take in the tight muscles of his upper body. She feels her heart start to speed up, just a little bit, although she's too well trained in schooling her emotions to allow herself to blush. He smirks suddenly, and she wonders just how good his hearing really is, and if just maybe, he can hear her errant heart beating faster in his presence.
"You're up early." she says, deciding that she's found a safe-enough topic.
"So are you." he points out, smiling back at her in a way that makes her feel like a young school-girl again. "What, did ol-one-eye keep you up again with his snoring?"
Ouch. Obviously, the topic was not safe enough.
She answers the rhetorical question anyways. "No, I had to be up early to get my lesson plan ready for today's classes."
"Right." He grins, clearly unconvinced. "Sure you didn't just want to see me shirtless again?"
She laughs, wracking her brain for a comeback, however before she gets the chance, they are interrupted by a stream of children running down the hall, talking and laughing as they head down to breakfast. The moment is lost, and after a brief goodbye, they part ways, both continuing on to their originally intended pursuits.
As she walks down the hall, she lets her mind rest on the enigma that is her relationship with Logan.
When they are on a mission, or in their teaching duties in the mansion, he is always professional. However, when they're not, a very different side of him comes out. She sees the way he looks at her when he thinks no one else is looking. Though if asked she'd never admit, it flatters her. She likes the way he flirts with her, never in front of anyone else, because then she would have to rebuke him outright, instead of teasingly, and that would spoil it for both of them. It is like an unspoken agreement between them.
She knows that she would never openly pursue anything with him, she loves Scott too much to mess around with another man, but that doesn't stop her from wondering. and dreaming.
In her fantasy, she and Logan have both come in from a dangerous mission, covered in blood and sweating from their exertions. They enter the mansion, which seeing as it is a fantasy, is blessedly empty of anyone else, and he takes her, right there, in the main entrance hallway. She can imagine his taste under her lips, breathing in his scent, as they make passionate, totally unrestrained love. Unlike the gentle, slow love that she shares with Scott, this is rough, almost violent in it's intensity at times, with his teeth bruising her, her nails raking his skin.
She shakes her head, and turns her concentration to other things. The rest of the days passes calmly, and she forgets the early morning exchange.
That evening, she finds herself alone in the kitchen, having volunteered to wash the dishes. Everyone else is off, doing other things. She fills one of the large sinks with water and pours in some dishsoap. The last thing she does before reaching for the pile of dirty dishes on the counter, is take off her diamond engagement ring, and place it on the countertop to keep it from getting wet. She takes the dishes, and places them one by one, into the lukewarm water, humming softly as she washes them. Finally, she found herself on the last plate in the pile.
"You know, you never answered my question this morning." a voice comes from behind suddenly.
She starts, nearly dropping the plate in her hand. She whirls, plate still in hand, even though she already knows for certain who it is.
"Logan. you startled me." She tells him, in a tone that isn't quite a scold.
He smiles. "Sorry 'bout that." He tells her, as he leans casually against the counter. A slight frown appears on his face as his eyes settle on the ring.
"You know. this looks better here than on your finger." He says, in a tone not-quite teasing.
"Logan.."
He leans towards her, until their faces are only inches apart.
"You can't tell me you aren't interested." he whispers, reaching out a hand to smooth back her hair.
"You're right, I can't." she admits, feeling suddenly freer for admitting it, and at the same time, guilty for feeling that way. She forces herself to continue, "You know I think you're attractive Logan. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it.. about what it might be like for us to be together. However, I love Scott, and I have every intention of marrying him."
She places the last plate in the rack to dry, then grabs the ring off the counter, slipping it back onto her finger before turning to face Logan again.
"And now, I'm going to go up to bed. Goodnight, Logan." She says, walking out of the kitchen.
She forces herself to walk normally, and stop herself from fleeing the room, and the temptations being offered. Once out of his sight and safely in the darkened hallway, she allows herself a few moment to get herself fully under control before making good on her word, and heading up to her room.
The lights are off in the room that she and Scott share, but enough light is coming in from the hallway to make out the fact that he is the room.
"Scott?"
She flicks the light switch, and shuts the door behind her.
He is sitting on the edge of their bed. Even though his eyes are totally hidden behind his dark glasses, years of time spent together make it easy to recognize that his expression is dark, clouded over.
She bites her lip, worriedly. "Scott, what's wrong?"
"I saw you two.. downstairs in the kitchen.." he replies, and she can hear the hurt in his voice.
She curses internally, as the guilt washes over her again.
"Look, Scott-" she begins, only to be cut off.
"No Jean." He interrupts, and there is an edge in his voice she has never heard before.
"I've had enough."
She blinks in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asks, bewildered.
"I'm tired of this! I'm tired of looking the other way and pretending I don't see the way you look at him Jean!" the words tear out of him in a rush."I kept telling myself it was harmless..that nothing would come of it."
"Nothing has come of it!" she cries, suddenly desperate to make him understand. She tries to embrace him, only to find herself abruptly pushed away.
"I can't do this anymore!" he shouts, rising from the bed.
"You're jealous."
"Yes, I am!" he admits, his voice getting louder.
"You have no reason to be jealous!"
"No reason? .Oh, so I should just continue to sit and do nothing while you throw yourself at him like a dog in heat?" he says,
She slaps him, hard, leaving a harsh red mark on his cheek.
"How dare you!?" she shouts, anger rising in her, "How dare you. How DARE you!"
She catches a wisp of a thought passing like lightning across his mind, then disappearing, hidden under his own normal mental shield. She senses only that it is something he wants to keep hidden from her, and that realization only maker her angrier.
"What was that?" she asks angrily, glaring at him.
"Nothing." He turns away from her.
His emotions swirl around her, anger, betrayal, guilt, ..and the absolute last thing she would ever have expected to find, a deep, yearning, sexual desire - directed at someone else.
"You. you can't mean.." horrified, she is unable to continue.
She shuts her eyes in a futile attempt to block out images that are in her head. Images frighteningly similar to those she has imagined in her own head.
Opening her eyes again, she stares at him in disbelief.
"This is a joke.." she whispers. "This has to be some sick joke.."
"It's not a joke." He manages to say, his voice barely audible.
"It has to be." She denies it with everything she has, because the alternative is too much for her to deal with.
"It's not a joke." He repeats, his voice getting a little stronger..
"What are you saying?" she asks, knowing the answer, but unwilling to believe it.
"I'm saying I want Logan."
There is no doubt in his voice. From behind his glasses, he looks her straight in the eyes.
The words spoken aloud, make further denial impossible.
"I was going to tell you." he says softly. "But I didn't know how."
The genuine regret she hears in his voice is even more painful than the admission itself.
"Get out Scott," she whispers.
"Jean.."
"We'll talk later." Her voice makes it a promise. They need to talk, to figure out where to go from here, but not now. now while the pain is so overwhelming.
"Please go." It's as close to begging as she'll come..
"Alright.." he makes his way hesitantly to the door. He pauses in the doorway, looking back at the woman who for years was the sole owner of his heart. "I'm sorry." He whispers, before he shuts the door behind him.
Only when she is alone do the remnants of her self-control collapse, and the tears begin to fall.
And in the darkness, Jean Grey holds her engagement ring in her hand, and sobs.