This pairing hasn't been done, so I decided to take up the burden myself and write it. If you don't like it, don't read it. This is a one-shot about what Bobby lost after Jean died.

Post X2, pre X-men: The Last Stand.

Bobby looked over at the shell of the man who stood in front of the class. When he spoke, it was only to be quick and to the point, and in one of the saddest voices Bobby had ever heard. Scott Summers was a broken man.

Bobby felt a surge of anger at his teacher. Did he really think he was the only who was hurting? Didn't he realize there were others who had loved her as well, some more than others?

Tears filled his eyes and he had to shake his head in order to stop himself from crying. Unfortunately, Ororo was observing Scott for the day, determining whether or not he was fit yet to teach, and saw Bobby. She made her way over to where he was, unnoticed.

"Bobby? You okay?"

A tear he had worked hard to keep hidden slipped down his cheek. Her face changed from concern to sympathy, "Bobby, why don't you take the rest of the day off? I told Charles that two days after the crisis was too soon to start school up again."

He nodded and gathered his stuff to leave. Marie shot him a look of concern, but he pretended not to notice. She was dependent and immature. Nothing like her.

A headstone for her had been set up in the garden, which had been cristened 'the garden of memorial'. That's where Bobby decided to go. The garden was out of view of the rest of the students, not that anyone would have paid much mind to him visiting her grave. Many had done so already.

Everyone felt bad about what had happened. There wasn't a person who had known her, let alone lived at the school, who wasn't affected. Jean Grey had been one of those rare and amazing souls whom everyone seemed to like. One of those people who always put others first, and seemed to love everyone and everything.

It was that level of love and self-sacrifice which led her to leave the Blackbird to face a raging wall of water in order to lift the stuck plane out of the mud, the whole time knowing she was going to die.

Their history together was a long and awkward timeline of events who's dates would have meant nothing to anyone else, but to them meant the world. No one knew of their relationship, and would probably have shunned the two of them, thinking that their love was impossible and the stuff of fairytales.

That's right. They'd been in love, and anyone who wanted to tell him different would have to go through him. Unfortunately, unless someone read his journal, they would never know how much he had cared for the older mutant, and she had cared for him. Neither knew just how much farther their relationship would have gone had they lived.

After she returned from a particularly good ass-kicking in Congress, she had come to him. He had held her, not saying much unless she wanted him to, which was more than enough. Scott hadn't even been able to give her that, and Lord knew just what Logan would have given her after he arrived, but it probably wasn't appropriate.

She had looked up at him, the green irises of her eyes brighter than they would have normally been from unshead tears, looking like lime Skittles, and said, "After you graduate and go to college."

"What?" Bobby said, not quite understanding.

"You asked me the other day if and when we could be together," she started, sitting up so she could let her green eyes meet his brown. "After you graduate and go to college we can be together. We'll still have to be extremely careful so no one suspects us."

Bobby nodded, "Of course. I'll probably end up actually moving to the college so as to provide us another curtain of defense."

Now Jean nodded, "We'll have to take it slow after you come back."

"We would have to anyway. I would have been gone for...a while," Bobby finished.

Jean cupped his face in her hands, bringing their faces so close that when she spoke, her lips brushed his, "I'll lead Scott on, just like he's leading me on thinking I don't know about how bad he wants to be with Ororo. You need to get yourself a girlfriend in the meantime. Make sure it's someone you can keep."

Bobby averted his eyes, "I feel dirty. Like I'm cheating you and everyone else by doing this."

Her eyes looked sadder, making Bobby kick himself as he remembered the toll thes lies would have on her. After all, she was the heart of the X-men, "I know, but I love you. I would rather lie to all seven billion people on this Earth than go without you."

Bobby met her eyes once more, "Being without you and still alive would be worse than death could ever hope to be."

She smiled, "My thoughts exactly, love."

He cupped her chin and brought his mouth down to hers in response, telling her through his brainwaves how much he truly loved her, much better than words could have ever expressed.

Now, kneeling in front of her grave, letting his tears water the grass in front, he came to know he would have lived an eternity living on Earth and not being able to see her rather than live with the knowledge she was gone and would never be coming back.

Death was an easier option, for the one who was dead.