Not much Rogan interaction in this chapter. Just some story history/info that will help set us up for future chapters.
Marie spent two nights tossing and turning as she thought about her options where Jean was concerned. She couldn't imagine carrying her baby to term, then giving it away, even if it was for Logan. Maybe she could get the upper hand on Jean...
There was no way a woman as bitchy as Jean Grey-Howlett kept a perfectly clean nose. Despite her penchant for looking the part of the perfect, high society wife, Marie was almost sure that Jean had a dark side...well, she was completely sure. The woman was blackmailing her into giving her baby up. Someone willing to go to lengths as desperate and evil as that probably had some serious skeletons in her closet.
Marie knew she couldn't give her baby up to be raised in a household with Jean...so she decided to fight fire with fire.
One evening, after putting VJ to bed, Marie went back to her room, closed and locked the door, then opened up her laptop.
"Jean said that Logan was an irresponsible playboy..let's see if any of his old girlfriend's have any information", she said as she typed James Logan Howlett girlfriendinto the search engine.
She saw a few pictures of him with random models, and every image seemed to feature him with a different woman...until she saw him with a beautiful woman with perfect, caramel colored skin.
Marie saw several pictures of him with the same woman. They went out, were on vacation, and there were a couple of pictures of the woman at his games, cheering him on.
She opened up one of the pictures and read the attached article:
Logan "The Wolverine" Howlett has been linked to Ororo Munroe, who is a meteorologist with Channel 2 New York. Despite being photographed together on multiple occasions, including on vacation in Tahiti last month, the two have yet to confirm their romance. Sources close to the alleged couple claim that, although The Wolverine cares deeply for Ororo, he isn't ready to give up his playboy lifestyle. That source may be right, considering that he was photographed with a statuesque redhead just one week after this picture was taken.
The following week, Marie traveled to the Channel 2 news studio to participate in one of their daily studio tours, which they offered to the public in order to see the inner workings of a news station.
Marie entered, got her name tag and was placed with a visiting group of elementary school kids. As they made their way through the halls, the guide stopped, "...and this is where our on-air talent dressing rooms are. They do their make up and hair here."
She took note of their location, then, a couple of minutes later, asked where the nearest bathroom was. She broke off from the group and returned to the dressing room area.
Marie walked down the hallway until she found the door marked 'O. Munroe', then knocked.
The caramel skinned beauty was dressed and ready to go on air. She smiled a megawatt smile, "Hi...can I help you?"
Marie stuttered and fidgeted with her hands a bit, "Um...yeah. I'm really sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me."
Ororo's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, despite the fact that she kept a pleasant smile on her face, "Um-"
"My name is Marie D'Ancanto...I'm friends Logan."
She narrowed her eyes, "Ok...did he send you or..."
"No, no...nothing like that. I just...I really need your help. His wife, Jean-"
Ororo stiffened and crossed her arms, "I have nothing to say about her."
"Ms. Munroe, I'm not trying to cause any trouble here, but I really need to talk to you...I...Logan...I had an affair with him."
The pretty woman's eyebrow raised quickly before she started smiling mischievously, "Come in..."
When they were settled in her dressing room, Ororo cocked her head to the side, "So...you slept with Logan. You're a little young..."
Marie nodded, "I know..."
"Does Jean know?"
Again, she nodded, "That's what I was hoping you could help me with."
"The she-devil knows...I don't know how much help I can be. If you cross Jean Grey, only God can help you."
"Yes, well, my situation is very complicated."
Ororo sighed, "It always is." She noted Marie's pained expression and cocked her head to the side, "Are you in love with him?"
Marie quickly looked down, "I don't know...I think so..."
"I'm very sorry for you then, Marie."
"Why do you say that?"
Ororo shrugged, "Jean is ruthless. She's callous, evil and mean-spirited, and there's not a thing anyone can do to tear that man from her grasp."
"I'm pregnant", Marie suddenly blurted.
Ororo's look of shock quickly faded into one of sorrow and pity as she looked away, "You're in trouble..."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm about to go on-air...but wait here. I don't want to talk in here."
A couple of hours later, Ororo had taken Marie back to her stylish apartment on the upper east side. She gave her a bottle of water and sat her down in her living room, "How is Logan, by the way? Is he happy?"
"No."
"Hm. That doesn't surprise me."
"It doesn't?"
Ororo sighed, "When Logan and I were together, I knew he wasn't ready for much more than fun and flings...and I was OK with that. I didn't want to change him or force him to grow up the way Jean apparently did...I never saw him as a suit and tie type of guy...oh well. He had his fun, I had mine. It was a trade off."
"When did he meet her?"
Ororo took a sip from her drink, "About six months after we met. He and I started to get a little more exclusive. We had so much fun together..." She smiled at the memory, "He told me I was the only woman he ever took on vacation..." Ororo paused for a minute before bringing herself back to the present, "Well, he'd stopped seeing a lot of women, then, I introduced him to Jean, my old college roommate at a birthday dinner of one of our mutual friends. She'd always been a man eater, but I thought it was safe since she was engaged to her college sweetheart at the time."
"What was his name?"
"Scott Summers...really sweet, super sensitive, naive guy. He's an artist." Ororo laughed bitterly, "That bitch...I was such an idiot. I didn't watch for any of the signs...she was able to just scoop right in and snatch him from under me."
"When did you two break up?"
Ororo sighed, "I saw their picture in a magazine, confronted Logan, and told him it was off. We got into this huge fight and I ended up breaking his finger when I threw a snow globe at him...he had to sit out for a game. He was sooooo furious." She shuddered before continuing, "Jean broke up with Scott around the same time, then, a few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't think I should keep it, but I just thought it would be responsible to tell Logan. I kept trying him on his cell phone, but I never got in touch with him...come to find out, Jean had convinced him to change his number and leave the bimbos behind. I thought it was really ridiculous that she was keeping me from even talking to him, so I cornered her outside of the hospital she worked at...she told me that Logan didn't want to see me anymore, and if I tried to contact him again, he'd place a restraining order against me."
"Wow..."
"Even though things ended really bad, I still thought that he was my friend. After all we'd been through, I thought he'd at least speak to me. I told her to please tell Logan that I was pregnant...and that I thought he should know...and that if thinks we should talk about it, to call me. A few days later, Jean called me and told me that Logan thought it would be best for me to have an abortion...so I did, and that was that."
Marie put her head in her hands, "Oh God..."
"So...that's why, when you told me that you were pregnant, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you what you're dealing with."
"Oh, I know perfectly well now. Their marriage is a sham. She's holding onto him for the money she could get from that company."
Ororo nodded, "Makes sense...the economic climate is probably sucking everyone dry right now and she always did love dollar signs..."
"Well, somehow, she found out about the affair and my pregnancy, and now she's threatening to suck him dry if I don't hand my baby over."
"Sounds like she's really stepped her game up."
Marie nodded, "That's why I needed to find you. You know Jean. You know some of her secrets and what she's capable of. I need dirt on her so that I can keep my baby and ensure that Logan doesn't lose everything he's worked for."
Ororo stared at her for a while before a soft, genuine smile spread across her lips, "You do love him..." There was a moment of silence before Ororo stood, "I can tell you a few things: One- Jean has never been faithful to a man in her entire adult life. I used to have to cover for her with her boyfriends when we were in college. Two- She'll do anything to get what she wants. Three- Keeping up appearances is her bread and butter. If she loses face, she's finished...and Four- Scott Summers has and always will be her old faithful lap dog. If she has any dirt, he's probably guarding it."
"Do you have his address?"
Forty five minutes later, Marie was in Brooklyn, knocking on Scott's apartment door. When he answered, he wore a bright smile, "Hey..."
"Scott?"
"Yeah. Are you answering my ad?"
Marie smiled, "Would you let me in otherwise?"
He raised a brow and flashed his dazzling smile again, "That depends..."
"Then yes."
He let her in and closed the door behind her. She looked around the small studio apartment that was littered with paint supplies as he guided her to a curtain that hung from the ceiling, "You can take off your clothes behind this."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"My ad...it was for a nude model."
Marie laughed, "Wow...well, I don't really-"
"You want to get paid up front, right?"
"Um...that's not-"
Scott dug in his pocket, "Half now, half after."
Marie held up her hands and laughed nervously, "Whoa there...back up...let's rewind and start again, OK?"
"You're not answering the ad, are you?"
She shook her head, "No. My name is Marie...I'm a friend of Logan Howlett."
Scott sighed, "Oh. I see...I guess I know what you're here for then..."
"Well-"
He cut her off before she could say anymore, "She and I agreed it would just be sex...but I'm not afraid to admit that I still love her...I know I shouldn't, but I do." Marie stared at him with an open mouth. His eyes widened, "Oh shit...you're not a private investigator?"
"Um...no."
"Is there a way we could keep this between us?"
Marie sighed, "Scott, you seem like a nice guy...so I'll give you a heads up. Jean is bad news-"
"People have been telling me that since we met."
She shook her head, "Well, you should listen...now I don't know what she's told you about a possibility for a future between the two of you, but right now, she's in the process of blackmailing me for custody of my unborn child..."
"Your chil-wait, you mean...you and Logan?"
Marie nodded and sighed, "Not my proudest moment..."
"Blackmail? No way."
"I don't know how, but she found out that I was pregnant with Logan's baby, and she told me that if I don't hand my baby over to her and Logan to raise, then she'll ruin him. Now, I know you said you loved her...has she told you that she was trying to adopt a baby with him?"
"No...it's supposed to just be sex", he said as he looked down.
"Scott...I know that, for whatever reason, you have this blind loyalty to Jean, but this is my baby we're talking about...is there a way you could talk to her?"
He threw his hands in the air, "I don't think I should get involved."
"Scott, like it or not, you're already involved."
"I love her...I know I shouldn't...but I do. I'm sorry, but I can't help you. Now please...go."
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