Jean Grey was worried.
Okay, so she was basically always worried about something, but she was particularly worried about this: ever since she and Scott had started this...flirty, not-dating-but-totally-dating thing, she felt her relationship with Rogue, which had always been rocky, was starting to deteriorate even more. Jean had an eye for subtext, and Rogue's attitude towards her had only gotten worse after Scott and her started their... thing. If anyone teased them for it, Rogue would glare at them and tell them to shut up; whenever she asked for alone time with Scott, Rogue would look the other way and bore her gaze into the wall. So Jean came to the only logical conclusion.
Rogue had a thing for Scott.
Well, Jean Grey hated it when people hated her, so she decided one day to have a heart to heart with Rogue. She came into Rogue's and Kitty's room one evening, and announced loudly that she was going to go buy some more groceries for the mansion, and one of the girls had to go with her.
As she expected, Kitty refused. The girl hated shopping unless it was for clothes. So Rogue was elected, and though she glared at Kitty the entire way out, didn't argue one bit.
Jean and Rogue got into Jean's new SUV and drove in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes, before Jean pulled into the parking lot.
"Rogue," she said suddenly, before the younger girl could get out, "Do you like Scott?"
Rogue gave her a perplexed look "Well, yeah, course Ah do."
Jean sighed. "No, not like that, I mean... do you like him? Romantically?"
Rogue stared at her for an entire minute, and Jean fully expected her to explode and rage at the telekinetic, but Rogue's reaction was the last she had ever thought would happen.
"Meh, lahke Scott romantically? Ew, gross! Ah would nevah!" She declared, with such vehemence that Jean couldn't help but believe her.
"What's so gross about liking Scott?" Jean asked, a little hurt.
Rogue screwed up her face. "Ah mean, it isn't gross for you, you an' him have that kinda relationship goin' on. But meh an' Scott? Ick, neither of us'll evah let that happen!"
And Jean was perplexed, for if Rogue didn't care for Scott, why did she hate Jean so? "But Rogue, you obviously hate that I'm going out with him!" She burst out, for once forgetting about propriety.
Rogue sighed, her childlike disgust forgotten. "Look, Ah don't hate that yah're goin' out with him, not really." She bit her lip. "Ah'm just...scared."
"Scared of what?"
Rogue didn't answer, and her eyes took on a faraway look. It took all of Jean's power to not try and use her telepathy.
"Scott an' Alex basically adopted meh last Christmas," Rogue said quietly. "Ah spoke with Scott, an' he didn't want me tah have no family, so he told meh he'd be mah family, he an' Alex'd be mah brothahs."
"Oh." Jean wasn't expecting that.
"He called Alex up the next day. Yah know last summer, when he went tah Hawaii tah see him, and was gonna drop me off at school on th' way for a roadtrip with Risty?"
"There was no roadtrip?"
"Nope. Turns out, Scott told Risty he was gonna surprise meh, an' not tah break it tah me. Risty apparently didn't seem too happy, but there wasn't anything she could do, so she agreed. Well, anyway, Scott had Alex's parents buy meh a ticket as well, an' when we got there, Alex introduced meh as their little sistah."
Jean smiled widely - that was just too sweet!
"So Ah fahnally had mah own family, two brothahs, and then Ah found out Mystique was mah momma all along and Kurt was mah brothah rahght there, under mah nose, th' whole tahme." Rogue shrugged. "So th' tahme Ah spent with Scott decreased a lot, 'cause Ah was tryin' tah bond with Kurt, an' then you an' him happened, and Ah guess Ah was just afraid o' losin' mah brother." Rogue looked down, shamefaced. "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't mean tah be selfish, but... he an' Alex were th' first people tah wanna be mah family because they lahked me! Ah mean, even Kurt, who Ah love tah bits, didn't consider meh his sistah until Mystique told us we were siblings. But Scott an' Alex wanted meh, when nobody else did." Rogue smiled sadly. "Ah didn't mean tah be selfish," she repeated, quieter this time, "But Alex lives so far away Scott an' Ah can barely talk tah him, an' now even Scott doesn't have tahme tah spend with meh... Ah'm sorry," she apologized again.
Jean was shocked. She understood completely where Rogue was coming from, and now, with a stab of guilt, realized that she was monopolizing Scott's time at the mansion by going out on dates at least three times a week.
"It's okay," she told the southern girl, "You have every right to feel that way. I didn't realize -"
"We didn't want anyone tah know," Rogue said, "'Cause it would look weird."
Jean didn't mention how it looked weirder when they were left to assume that the quiet, sardonic, rebellious goth girl was crushing on the strict, militant golden boy. "Well, either way, I guess I didn't help much, taking Scott's spare time to go on dinner dates."
"Not yah're fault," Rogue muttered quietly, "Ah was bein' stupid."
"No, Rogue, you weren't," Jean replied earnestly, "It's natural to feel upset if your brother suddenly has less time for you," she said, wincing at how her phrasing turned out. Rogue didn't seem to notice.
"Well, it was unfair of meh tah take that out on you," she said, uncharacteristically pacifistic. "I guess." There it was, the little rebellion.
Jean smiled at her. "How about this - you already hang out with him Tuesday nights on your DR sessions. What if we add every Thursday afternoon through night, when I usually get him to take me out, as free time? You can spend that extra time with him, if you both want. I have Friday and Saturday for dates anyway." Jean paused. "And if you ever feel like I'm taking some of your time away, tell me, and we'll work something out."
Rogue gaped. "Jean - what can Ah say?" She smiled. Sure, it was a bit condescending of Jean to give her some time with Scott, but she recognized the girl's good intentions for what they were, and Jean didn't have anything to feel guilty for anyway. After all, she and Scott did have a thing going on, and last Rogue checked, girlfriends normally didn't have to ask permission to spend time with boyfriends.
Jean just winked. "It's not completely selfless. After all, I have to get on the good side of Scott's sister if this is going to work."
And with the innocent, pure look of gratitude Rogue sent her, Jean could understand exactly where Scott's brotherly feelings came from.
"So," she said, changing the subject, "Lucky Charms or Coco Puffs?"
"Ugh, Coco Puffs for sure!"
