It was a stare-down

Ch. 7: Danger. In a sense.

When he reached the Danger Room, Logan pressed his hand to the palm scanner. It quickly scanned and authorized him. He walked through the sliding doors, into total blackness. It wasn't until the reinforced steel doors had closed behind him with a schick that the room began to reveal the location it was set to. Autumn in Central Park. Touching.

Jean would have to be here already. Logan had programmed the Danger Room to simulate Scott's office as soon as it had authorized his handprint. He would make a point of storming in, right up to the desk. He'd grab Scott by the lapels, and a brawl would ensue.

It wasn't really procedure to have virtual clones of staff members in the system for battle practice. It was a good thing Beast was such a good friend, to whip up something so truly amazing.

No, this setting was to make Logan feel sentimental. This was where he and Jean had gone on their first real date, a million years ago. This is where he started to fall in love with her.

Indeed, the locale pulled sharply at his heart. Jean was like a tumour there, burrowed in too delicate of a spot to be removed. Logan felt that if he ever stopped feeling for her, he would certainly die. It was infinitely better to change feelings of longing to ones of resentment.

Jean was perched on a small virtual bench, her hair still in the virtual breeze blowing leaves past her face.

"Danger Room, end simulation," Logan barked at the system.

Jean stood up as the bench faded from beneath her and the breeze turned into a whisper and then into nothing. The beautiful and blazing colours of fall melted into the dullness of industrial chrome.

"I've missed you Logan," she began as she stepped towards him earnestly. "You left for so long."

Logan grit his teeth and urged himself not to give in to her. Not to her beauty, not her brain, and certainly not her body.

"Listen," he said, trying to sound as gruff as he could. "You need to stop this. You need to stop 'missing' me and 'caring' for me and trying to be my 'friend'. I don't want to be your friend. Stop trying to reach out to me."

"I don't know how to let go of you," she said with tears welling in her eyes. "I never stopped loving you. I don't think I ever can."

Logan snarled in frustration, throwing his arms in the air.

"If you love me so much, why did you run off and marry Wonder-Boy? Why didn't you wait for me? You knew what we had was real. You knew you'd never find anything like it again." He grasped her by the arms now and shook her lightly.

"You were gone for two years, Logan. I needed stability, and that's one thing you could never give me," she shouted, half-sobbing.

He let go of her, and ran his hands roughly through his short thick hair.

"I could have loved you. And you're the only one I could have loved. It could have been wonderful, amazing. But that will never happen. Never. I used to have hope," he met her eyes with his own, they seemed vulnerable. Which was strange for him. "Thank you for taking that away from me."

He turned to leave, and she grabbed his hand.

Don't leave like this.

He jerked away from her.

"Stay away from me Jean. Don't talk to me, and keep your voice out of my head."

He stormed out of the Danger Room, and his conscience was not all that bothered by her tortured weeping on the other side of the door.