A/N: Okay all you Scott/Jean/Logan lovers, this chapter is for you! Romy lovers, it's coming. I promise! Just be patient. I swear that the next two chapters will be full of Romy. But for now, it's love triangle time! Enjoy.
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The bright light filtered through her half-open eyelids and she squinted as she tried to make everything come into focus. It took a moment for her to get her bearings, but Jean soon realized that she was lying on her stomach on a bed. She tried to roll over, but a burning pain shot through her back and stopped her.
"Whoa! Jean, stay still," said the voice of the Beast from above her.
"Hank? Where am I?"
"Stay still Jean," he said as Jean felt a large hand rest on her shoulder. "You're going to be all right. You just took a pretty hard hit during the fight. We're back at the mansion now."
Jean lay still for a moment and let the pain subside.
"What happened to me?"
"Scarlet Witch hit you across the back with a metal pole and cracked one of your vertebrae. You passed out from the pain and I took you back to the Blackbird. You're going to be okay, but it's going to be pretty painful for the next month or two."
"Where's the Professor?" asked Jean. She trusted Beast, but she wanted to hear her mentor say she'd be fine.
She heard the door open across the room and could immediately feel the Professor's presence.
"I'm right here, Jean. You'll be fine, but you gave us quite a scare."
Jean breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Professor."
"How are you feeling?"
"To be honest, it hurts and this isn't really the most comfortable position to lay in," said Jean who was well aware of how whiny she sounded.
"We can give you some painkillers to ease the pain. As for letting you roll over, you'll have to ask Hank about that."
"Well, I suppose it'd be okay if you sat up," said Beast. "I don't want you laying on your back though."
"Okay," said Jean.
She started to roll over but the pain was too much for her.
"Ow! Oh, that hurts," Jean muttered to herself.
It was clear to Jean that she couldn't roll over like that. She closed her eyes and her body began to rise into the air. She rotated in midair and landed softly back on the bed, sitting up and looking around the room.
"That's one way to do it," said Beast as picked up some painkillers from the cabinet.
"Jean, there are some people who want to see you if you're up to it," said the Professor.
"Sure. Let 'em in," said Jean as she pulled the blanket up to her waist.
The Professor rolled over to the door and opened it. No sooner had he done so than Scott and Logan entered the room and walked over to Jean's side.
"Scott! Logan!" said Jean with delight. She was glad to see both of them.
"Hey Red. Looks like you took quite a hit," said Logan as he put a hand on Jean's shoulder.
"Hey Jean. I was really worried about you," said Scott as he walked around her bed to stand on the other side of her.
Jean smiled at them both, then answered Logan. "Yeah, I guess I did. How'd we do? Did we stop Magneto?"
Logan and Scott both clenched their teeth inside their mouths. Of all the X-men, they were taking the loss the worst.
Scott answered first. "No. Magneto won."
"What?!" interrupted Jean. "What happened?"
"He killed a bunch o' people, includin' Senator Kelly," said Logan
Jean looked up at the gruff mutant in shock.
"The same Senator Kelly that proposed the Anti-Mutant Act? Magneto killed him?"
"Yep. Crushed him with a ceiling. It wasn't pretty."
Jean just stared at the wall in front of her as this sunk in. Of course, she didn't really care if Sen. Kelly was alive or not. In fact, she preferred him dead! But she knew that the fact that he was killed by Magneto could only mean bad things for mutants.
"So how are you feeling, Jean?" asked Scott.
Jean shook her head and looked up into his sunglasses.
"I'm fine. It hurts, but I'll be okay."
"Good. I couldn't believe it when I saw you passed out in the Blackbird."
Scott looked around the room quickly, then back at Jean.
"I'm glad you're doing okay, Jean. Now, I'm really sorry but I have to go find Kurt and talk to him for a little while. Apparently he broke the news about Evan to Pietro and he didn't take it well. The Professor wants me to talk to Kurt and find out exactly what happened. I really wish I could stay here, but…"
"Go find Kurt. I'll be here when you get back," interrupted Jean.
Scott leaned down and kissed her quickly.
"I'll be right back."
With that, he nodded to Logan and left the room. Jean and Logan watched him walk down the hall through the windows, then looked at each other when he was gone.
"So," started Logan, "you, uh, you're feelin' okay?"
"I'm fine," said Jean with a smile.
Logan pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.
"Listen, Jean, there's somethin' I been meanin' ta talk to ya about."
Jean started to lean forward, but was stopped by a rush of pain and leaned back onto the bed.
"What is it, Logan?"
"I don' know how to say this, and fer all I know, you may hate me after I say it, but I gotta say it anyway."
"Logan, I won't hate you no matter what you say."
Jean noticed a smile cross Logan's lips. His smiles were rare, but they always made her smile back.
"Jean, I…I'm in love with you."
Jean sat in silence for a moment as it hit her what Logan had just said. She was just thankful she hadn't been standing at the time! He was in love with her? Her first thought was that she and Logan just weren't a good match. But as she sat there and thought about it, she began to see a relationship with Logan coming pretty easily! Her thoughts turned to Scott. They had been dating for over a year and it was pretty serious. It wasn't sexually serious or marriage serious, but for two people their age it was progressing pretty fast.
"Jean? I'm sorry. Forget I said that."
Jean looked at Logan. For the first time in her life, she really looked at him. He was very handsome. In fact, he was actually kinda…cute! Jean wasn't used to these thoughts. She began to worry about what was going through her head. Was it just the painkillers talking or was she actually attracted to Logan? She looked at him again and discovered that she was actually attracted to Logan! She couldn't believe it!
Logan stood up from his chair and began to walk away silently.
"Wait! Logan…"
He turned back around quickly.
"I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting that."
Jean searched for words. At the same time, she realized that she was searching her heart for a place for Logan there.
"Look Red, I get it. Yer in love with ol' One-eye. I'm sorry I brought it up."
"Logan, I don't know who I love!" Jean blurted out quickly.
Jean was just as shocked by her statement as Logan was. How could she be in love with Logan? She looked up into his eyes, though, and somehow everything felt right. She had longed for too long to be able to look into the eyes of the man she loved. As she stared into Logan's deep blue eyes, she felt herself get lost in them. At that moment she realized something that would change her life forever. As much as she loved Scott, she was just as in love with Logan!
"What?" said Logan after a long, awkward silence.
"Logan, I love Scott. Don't get me wrong. But I love you just as much! I just…never realized it until now."
Jean watched Logan sit back down in his chair and take a deep breath.
"So what now then?"
"I don't know," confessed Jean. "Give me time. I need to think about this."
Logan stood up again. Jean could see the shock registering on his face. She knew her face probably looked just as confused.
"Take all the time ya need. I'll be waitin'."
Logan reached down and put his hand over Jean's and held it there for a moment. Jean smiled at him and enjoyed the moment. When she felt his hand begin to pull away from her, she panicked. She wasn't ready for him to leave! She acted on an impulse and used her powers to force Logan to bend down towards her from his waist. When he was close enough, Jean leaned up despite the pain and kissed him. They stayed like that for a long minute, neither wanting to end the kiss. Finally, Jean dropped her head back to the pillow that supported her neck. Logan stood up and smiled at her.
"See ya later, Red."
"Bye, Logan," said Jean slowly.
*****
"What?!" cried Scott in confusion. "He said he loved you?! That's ridiculous!"
"Scott, calm down," said Jean, who was still stuck in a bed in the infirmary. "There's more."
"More? There's more? Hold on a second. I'm still trying to imagine Wolverine in love with you."
Jean was taken aback.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked in a defensive tone.
Scott was caught off guard by the change in Jean's voice and realized what he'd just said.
"Jean, I didn't mean it like that. I meant I just can't see you two together."
"Fine. I think you should sit down for the rest of this, though. You're not gonna be expecting the rest of the story."
Scott sat back in his chair beside Jean's bed.
"Okay. So what happened next?"
"Scott, you know I love you. But when he said that, it made me think about him in a whole new way. I'd never considered Logan to be someone I could fall in love with, but as I looked at him there, I realized that…"
"Jean, you're scaring me," said Scott as it dawned on him where this was going.
"I realized that I loved him! I can't explain it, Scott, but I love him. And it's not just a puppy love type of thing. I think I love him just as much as I love you!"
Scott sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Jean reached out and took his hand as she broke the quiet in the room.
"Scott? Are you okay?"
Scott raised his head a little and Jean could feel his eyes looking into hers.
"Is this a joke?"
"No joke," said Jean.
Scott sighed.
"This can't be happening," he said, more to himself than to Jean.
"Scott, I wasn't expecting this either, but now it's something I have to deal with. I need some time alone. By the time I'm out of this bed, I'll have a decision ready. I'll let you know who I choose then."
Scott's face changed into one Jean had never seen on him before and he jumped out of his chair again.
"Whoa! You'll let me know who you choose?! So then there's a chance you're gonna leave me for Logan?!"
"Scott! Settle down! I don't know what I'm gonna do right now. I understand if you're mad at me. I guess I'd be mad at you too if the roles were switched. But please don't get too angry. I haven't made any decisions yet."
Scott sighed and stood with his head hung low beside Jean.
"Is that all that happened?"
Jean bit her lip, which she knew she could get away with while Scott was looking down.
"Yeah. That's all that happened."
*****
Jean lay in bed for the next few days and simply thought. She had never guessed she'd find herself in this predicament. She had promised Scott and Logan that she would give them her decision in two weeks. She was beginning to think she couldn't decide in that time!
On one hand, Jean loved Scott. She had been dating him for a year and had fallen in love soon before they began dating. Jean had always assumed that Scott was the person she would love and there would never be another. Now, that assumption was out the window and she didn't know what to do. Scott was sweet. A look around her bed at all the flowers he had brought her was proof of that. And, Jean thought, he was also a great match for her. They both took up each other's slack in certain areas. Whereas Scott was a great leader when the X-Men were in combat, he wasn't so good dealing with problems around the mansion. Jean, though, was great at dealing with those problems and gave Scott tons of help and advice on those matters.
On the other hand was Logan. Ever since Jean first saw Logan in her parent's living room, she had never dreamed she could fall in love with him! But when he had talked to her just three days before, she had suddenly begun to look at Logan in a new light. He was just as sweet as Scott was, as evidenced by the single bouquet of flowers above Jean's bed. Though he hadn't brought her near the number of flowers Scott had, he had brought as many as his nature would allow. She would have worried about him if he'd brought more than a single bouquet. He was quiet and rough, but Jean was quickly realizing that she liked that. He was wild, but somehow that attracted Jean all the more!
She sighed and pulled her blanket up to her shoulders. She had no idea what to do.
*****
"Jean, I was wondering if I could talk to you," said the Professor as he rolled into the infirmary.
"Sure. Come on in," said Jean. She knew what he wanted to talk about.
The Professor rolled up next to her bed and stopped. He took a deep breath and looked at Jean with concern.
"There's a rumor going around the mansion about you that I just heard about today. The kids are saying that Logan said he loved you."
Jean smiled. The Professor was clearly uncomfortable.
"Yes, he did."
"And the rumor goes that you claimed to love him, too."
"That's right."
The Professor sighed.
"And you told Scott that you would think about the situation while you're down here and announce who it is you love when you're able to get out of bed?"
"I told that to Logan, too."
"Jean, do you really think this is right?"
"Do I think what's right?"
"What you're doing to both of them. If you love Logan, then it's your business, not mine. But to just string them along like this isn't right."
"Professor, I honestly don't know who I love more! I'm still trying to figure it out."
"I think that Scott at least deserves more than this. You have been dating him for over a year. Don't you think he deserves more than a sudden 'I might be leaving you in two weeks?'"
"Professor, when I make my decision, I promise to let you know first. But the fact is I haven't made it yet. I don't know who I want to be with and I'm not going to rush this decision. This is something that I need to deal with in my own time."
The Professor turned around and began to roll towards the door.
"Be smart, Jean. I don't want to see you get hurt by this."
Jean frowned at the Professor's final words. She could tell that there was more he had wanted to say.
*****
"Wow! Like, I can't believe you have a thing for Logan!" cried Kitty.
She and Rogue had come to visit Jean when they heard the news. Jean had explained to them the situation and now they were both trying to understand it.
"So…so yer in love with Logan?" asked Rogue for the fifth time.
"Yeah, I am!" said Jean. She was getting tired of that question. "I can't really explain it but I love both of them."
Kitty was getting wrapped up in the whole thing and was obviously enjoying it immensely.
"This is so romantic! And look at all these flowers! They're gorgeous! So who are you gonna pick?"
"I don't know," answered Jean.
Rogue was just staring at Jean while Kitty examined the flowers around her bed. Jean decided to change the subject.
"So how are Remy and Kurt doing? I haven't seen them since we were in Chicago."
"They haven't, like, come to visit you?" asked Kitty in surprise. "I'll tell them to come next time I see them."
"Why? She'll jest fall in love with them, too," drawled Rogue harshly.
Jean frowned at the sarcastic comment and tried to brush it off.
"Thanks, Kitty. I'd really like to see them."
"Ah bet…" mumbled Rogue low enough that no one heard her.
Kitty sat back down, but was still obviously excited.
"This is just too romantic. I can't wait to see what happens!"
"Kitty! You do know that this isn't some kind of bedtime story or anything, right? This is actually my life."
"I know!" said Kitty with a dreamy look. "But it's just so cool! I totally wish I had two guys fighting over me."
"Fighting?" asked Jean.
Rogue smiled.
"Yeah! Those two haven't spoken ta each other since the day they talked ta ya. Scott told Logan ta back off and now they jest frown at each other all the time."
Jean was shocked to hear this. She hadn't thought about how Scott and Logan would act around each other.
Just then, Hank entered the room and told Rogue and Kitty to go meet everyone else for dinner.
"Great!" said Rogue with fake excitement as she smiled in Kitty's direction. "Ah can't wait for those delicious meatballs."
"What?!" cried Kitty in disbelief as they left the room. "Who cooked meatballs?! They better have something vegetarian for me!"
Hank shut the door and Jean could no longer hear the two girls arguing.
"And here's your dinner, Jean," said Hank as he handed her a plate of lasagna.
"No meatballs?" asked Jean with a smile.
Hank smiled too.
"They're having lasagna, same as you and me. I cooked it myself. But Kitty is just too easy a target for Rogue not to have some fun with every now and then."
Jean laughed out loud as she picked up her fork and started eating the delicious Italian dish. Hank sat down next to her and began eating as well.
"You know you don't have to eat down here," said Jean.
"I don't mind. I wouldn't want you to have to eat alone. And since Charles has banned Scott and Logan from coming down here…"
"What?!" interrupted Jean.
Hank stopped his fork in midair and realized what he'd just said.
"No, it's not what you think, Jean! It's only during meals. They can come visit whenever they want to, but the Professor wants everyone at the dinner table together."
Jean eyed him suspiciously. Somehow she didn't think she was getting the entire truth. As Hank went back to eating his lasagna, Jean decided to scan his mind quickly to find out the complete truth. Soon, she knew that Scott and Logan were each allowed to visit Jean once a day, though never at the same time, so that there wouldn't be any sort of competition to be with her. Likewise, they weren't allowed to stay with her more than 30 minutes.
Jean couldn't believe the Professor would do this to her! She was getting angrier by the second and Hank eventually figured out what she'd done.
"Jean, don't get mad about it. He's just trying to keep everything peaceful."
He paused as he considered that statement.
"Or at least keep it civil. There's nothing peaceful about how those two have been acting lately."
Jean looked up at Hank in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"They haven't talked to each other since the day you woke up, but you can feel the tension between them every time they're in the same room."
Jean considered this for a moment. Kitty and Rogue had mentioned something like that, but it didn't really hit her until now.
"I'm driving them apart," she said more to herself than to Beast.
Hank tried to think of a good response to this, but couldn't come up with one.
"In a way, yes."
Jean tried to finish her meal without thinking of the conflict she was causing in the mansion. She felt like a stake being driven through the core of the X-Men. After all, Scott and Logan were the main combat leaders of the group! She started to wish none of this had ever happened.
*****
Jean's two weeks in the infirmary seemed to fly by. Every day saw Scott coming to see her in the morning and Logan visiting in the afternoon. Kitty had made it an annoying habit to come down and gush about how romantic it all was. Kurt and Remy came to visit her often, but they told her that it might be best if they didn't come by too much as Logan and Scott were both fairly paranoid as it was. Jean thought that statement was a little rude, but she figured it was probably true.
Finally, the day came that Hank told her she could get out of bed and return to her normal life, or as normal as life in a sub-basement underneath a huge mansion could be while hiding from the government for your life. Jean had been both dreading and looking forward to this day for a while. She went to visit the Professor in his office when she first got out of the infirmary. She was surprised by how unhappy he seemed. The whole situation between Scott, Logan, and her seemed to really unsettle him. Finally, Jean went to her bedroom and sat down on her bed. It was finally time.
She called telepathically for Scott and Logan to come to her room, which they both did promptly. As they stood in front of her, Jean could see what everyone had meant about the tension between them. She took a deep breath and began the speech that she had planned.
"I wasn't expecting to ever be in this situation. It's been as much of a surprise to me as it was to both of you. I've made my decision, though, and I promised that I would announce it today.
"Scott, we've been together for over a year now. I've told you that I love you many times, and I have always meant it. I still do mean it. You've been there for me more times than I can count and, as you once said, you know me better than anyone ever has or ever will. I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't had you in my life for so long. I still remember when I first came to the Institute. We were the only teenagers here and we grew really close because of it. But for some reason that I still don't understand, I started dating Duncan not long after I started school. Eventually, I figured out what I needed to do and I left him so that we could start our relationship. And that relationship has been the most sacred thing in my life for over a year. I love you more than you know and I always will.
"Logan, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with you! You're not the guy that I always dreamed about, but then again, you are. As a little girl, I always imagined myself with a big strong man who had all the rough, masculine qualities that he should have, but still had a soft spot in his heart that I could fit into. When we were talking two weeks ago, I realized how well that description fits you. Over the last two weeks, we've actually gotten to know each other really well and I've been shocked to see how sensitive you can be. You put up a tough exterior, but you've let me see how sweet you can be and that only makes me love you more.
"So now it's time for me to make my decision. I've been thinking with all my heart for the last two weeks and I've finally made up my mind. Whatever the outcome though, I beg you two not to hold a grudge. Please don't fight with each other over this. Whatever happens, I, as someone who loves both of you, am asking you two, who love me, not to let it interfere with your friendship or the lives of the X-Men. Can you promise me that?"
Scott and Logan looked at each other quickly and both nodded slightly.
"Yeah, I promise," said Scott.
"Same here," answered Logan.
"Good. Thank you," said Jean with relief.
Now her only question was if they would keep their promise.
"Then now it's time for me to announce my decision."
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A/N: Yes, I am actually evil enough to end the chapter right there! I realize it's a horribly evil cliffhanger, but I don't care. I already know who its gonna be anyway! lol. The question is, who do you want it to be? Let me know in your review. Will it change the outcome? Probably not, but I want to know who my readers are pulling for.
