by: JeanGreySummers
Jean Grey turned her face up to the sun, clsoing her eyes as she breathed in the bright summer air. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, that was for sure. A perfect day.
She didn't even notice when the tears started to fall...
"Oh, Scott..." she murmured, her head in her hands.
"Scott would have wanted you to be happy," a voice said from behind her.
Jean turned and even attempted a smile at her maid-of-honor. Ororo Munroe, the mutant known as Storm, sat down next to her best friend, putting a comforting arm around her.
"I remember when you and Scott got married," she said softly. "You were so happy to finally marry the man you love."
"When we took those vows, it was forever. It was supposed to be forever. He wasn't supposed to leave me so soon."
Jean, there's no denying that Scott is your soulmate. He will never leave you. He is a part of you now. And he would want you to move on with your life and be happy."
"I just still love him so much. I miss him every day."
"You love Logan too, Jean. He's made you happy these past few years. Logan knows he can't replace Scott in your heart; I don't even think he wants to. He just wants to be with you, and he wants you to be happy."
Jean took a deep breath. "You're right...I know you're right..." she said, then leaned over and hugged her best friend. "Thank you."
Ororo hugged her back tightly, marveling at Jean's strength through all these hard years. She hoped desperately that her friend will finally have some happiness. She certainly deserved it.
"Now...We've got a wedding to go to!"
Jean laughed through her tears. "God, I ruined my makeup."
"Don't worry about that, my friend," Ororo said as she led the bride back towards the church (Jean insisted on a church; she couldn't get married in the mansion- that was sacred to her and Scott). "I'll have you looking beautiful again in no time."
Scott Summers was in turnmoil. Jean was getting married? To Logan? How could this happen? When? And why?
In the end, he couldn't say that he was surprised. Logan had loved Jean from the first moment he saw her. And Jean...Jean loved Scott.
"She loves me," he muttered aloud. "And I love her. I can't let her marry someone else."
Suddenly he knew what he had to do. He jumped up, nearly knocking the table over, threw some money down and was out the door in a matter of seconds, with the entire room of the bar looking after him in bewilderment.
Without even looking or even thinking, he jumped into his Volkswagon and sped away.
"Jean, you look so beautiful!" Jubilation Lee, the youngest member of the X-Men and of Jean's bridesmaids, exclaimed. "Wolvie's gonna freak!"
Jean smiled at her calmly, somehow not feeling nearly as excited as Jubilee sounded. She was surrounded by her bridal party, who were each and everyone fussing over some part of her- her hair, her dress, her veil, even her shoes. They all talked amongst themselves, leaving Jean to her own thoughts.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
Relieved for a break from the primping, Jean called "Come in!"
A blond head stuck itself in the door. Alex Summers, Scott's babay brother, grinned at the scene in front of him.
"How's it coming, ladies?"
Lorna Dane, his green-haired mistress of magnetism girlfriend, gave him a wink. "You tell us."
Alex looked up at Jean, really looked, and his jaw dropped open.
"Jean, you look beautiful!"
She blushed demurely. "Thanks, Alex."
"Can I talk to you for a few minutes before we start, Jean?"
Jean nodded slowly, "Sure...Guys, do you mind?"
"Not at all," they replied, and chorused out, careful not to step on each other's dresses.
"Oh, for the love of- !" Scott Summers cried out as his car lurched to a stop inches before hitting the sedan in front of him.
He marveled at how he could have missed the endless tail-lights on the road in front of him.
Running a hand through his hair, he just barely curbed his instinct to rip off his glasses and blast every car in his way to kingdom come.
"C'mon!" he yelled, pushing down on his horn repeatedly, but to no avail.
Just as he was ready to give up and brood the hours away, the sedan in front of his car moved. It was just a few inches, but it was enough to give Scott hope. He inched after the cars, his heart already one million miles away.
"What's up, Alex?" Jean asked as he helped her off the little stool she stood on.
"Jean, I know you have reservations about today."
She looked sharply at him, then sighed. "Can you blame me?"
Alex shook his head sadly. "No...but you've got to get a hold of yourself, Jean. You've got to let him go. There's a church full of people out there who are expecting you to go out there and marry Logan- and want to, with your whole heart. Can you do that?"
Jean took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I'm ready, Alex. I'll always love Scott, but I want to move on. And Logan's been an absolute angel through all of this. How can I not love him for it?"
He smiled, maybe a little sadly, but relieved. He kissed her forehead. "I'm glad. And Jean...I'm happy for you."
She could only smile back, hoping it was the smile of a woman about to marry the man she loves, and took his arm to lead her out to the church.
Now this is just getting ridiculous, Scott thought to himself, having stopped at a railroad crossing precisely twenty minutes ago. There was no end in sight to the train.
Alex left Jean at her father's side, who beamed at her, having no idea of the turmoil going through his daughter's head.
"You look beautiful, honey," he whispered, drawing her hand through his elbow.
Jean blinked back her tears adn smiled bravely for her father. "Thank you, daddy."
"You ready?"
She nodded, looking ahead, and said nothing.
Scott heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped down on the gas pedal for the first time in what seemed like hours. There were no cars in sight, and that was just fine with him.
"I might just make this wedding after all," he muttered, stepping hard on the gas and grasping teh steering wheel.
The band struck up the wedding march, and there was no turning back now for Jean, as her father walked her down the aisle for the second time in her life.
She could see her new husband-to-be standing next to the priest, looking rather short and uncomfortable in a tux, but ecstatically happy nonetheless. She couldn't help but remember the way Scott had looked in his tux- handsome, elegant, like he was born for it, born to one day stand at the end of the aisle, waiting for her.
She didn't want to let go of her daddy's arm when they neared the end of the aisle. Her father kissed her cheek, beamed at her once more, and was gone from her side.
What could she do now? She stepped up next to Logan, placed her hands into his, and smiled down at him as the priest began to speak. They were going with the traditional vows; she wouldn't have it any other way.
He couldn't believe how smoothly things had gone for him since the unfortunate train incident. Befor he even knew what he was doing, Scott Summers found himself parked in front of the church where the love of his life was at that very moment preparing to marry another man.
No backing out now, he thought to himself as he practically tore his door open and ran towards the church.
"...Speak now, or forever hold your peace..." the priest was saying.
Talk about perfect timing, he thought as he crashed through the doors, then wondered briefly how he was able to think in such logical terms.
The whole church audibly gasped as Scott Summers, the lost X-Man, hurried down the aisle, not even looking at anyone besides Jean Grey, looking every bit as beautiful as she had on the day they first met, the day they got married, and the day before the last day, when she kissed him goodbye and had begun to cry for no apparent reason at all. It was, after all, just going to be another routine mission...How could he have forgotten how beautiful she was?
She was looking at him silently, not quite believing that he was there.
"Sc- Scott...?" her voice was soft, and held so much love and hope and longing that he felt tears spring to his eyes.
He smiled at her, said simply "Jean...", and reached out a hand.
She looked at him for a moment longer, glanced at the hand, then back at him. Slowly, so very slowly she reached out her own hand, almost afraid he would disappear if she got close enough to touch him. After all, that was what happened in her dreams every night. Was this just another dream?
Their fingers inched towards each other, the rest of the world having fallen completely away, their eyes locked even through his dark red sunglasses.
She had so many questions in her head- how? when? but she didn't care if she never found out how he came to be there. All she cared about as that he was.
Finally their fingers touched, entwined together, the way ti always used to. Scott gave a gentle tug and jean gladly stepped closer to him, still baffled and ecstatically glad he didn't disappear. Without a word, they turned and began to walk away from the priest and a bewildered looking Wolverine, who couldn't even comprehend what was happening enough to try and stop his bride from running away with another man.
Unconsiously their strides began to quicken, until at last they were running down the aisle, Jean tearing off her veil, letting the bejeweled ornament fall to the floor before pushing the double doors aside to burst into the sunlit afternoon, finally embracing at the bottom of the stairs. They embraced with more love and passion than they ever had before, and Jean knew she had never felt as free and loved as she did at taht moment. She was home.
When the churchful of mutants and humans alike finally got over their state of shock and ran outside to see what was happening, all they caught was a flashof red hair and sunlight glinted off red sunglasses as the silver convertible sped off into the distance.
The End