Hey. A wee bit more swearing in this chapter than the other ones. Also, I don't own Jerry Springer.
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(10 days later since the last chapter... It's almost September now.)
The car ride back to the Mansion was a strange and awkward one. Scott frowned as he tried to think of what could have happened that caused this eerie silence that permeated the car. He had asked Jean what was the matter, but her only reply was that everything would be explained when they got home. Scott looked in the rear view mirror and saw Marie sitting in the back seat, staring out the window.
"Is it Magneto? Did he do something?" Scott ventured to say.
Jean shook her head and continued staring ahead.
"No, not Magneto. Scott, it's nothing that bad. I'll explain when we get home." Jean stopped at a red light and looked at Marie in the mirror.
Maybe you should have waited till he was back in the house before you started to hint. Marie suggested in Jean's mind.
No. I've kept it from him long enough. I shouldn't fool him into thinking everything was like before.
The light turned green and Jean peeled out of the intersection at break neck speed. She was in a hurry to get home so she could end this charade.
Thanks for coming with me Marie. Jean's eyes met Marie's in the mirror and she smiled briefly.
Marie smiled back. Jean had asked Marie to come with her to pick Scott up. His flight arrived at the ungodly hour of four in the morning, and Jean had not slept at all before that. She needed Rogue not only there to make sure Scott didn't try to start any unwelcome conversation, but also to make sure Jean didn't crash her car into something.
Scott, clueless of the mental conversation between the two women, tried to break the strange silence.
"So, you've got more control of your powers now? I mean, you're wearing shorts and tank tops now."
Marie gave a slightly forced smile.
"Jean discovered my powers had matured and were triggered by fear. So long I'm not scared by something, I can touch people."
"Interesting." Scott said. "So I guess taking you out to a horror movie in hopes you'd snuggle closer might be a bad idea huh?"
Marie smirked a bit.
"Dr. McCoy and I watched a lot of horror movies to see if Jean's theory was right. I've become a little desensitized to them now."
"Oh." Scott said. The silence returned and Scott blew out a quiet breath. The drive between Mansion and airport usually took about half an hour, but by the way Jean blatantly ignored all speed limits the trip was definitely bound to be shorter. Still, Scott was too giddy from the flight back to stay silent.
"You seem taller Rogue. What are you at now? Five-eight?"
"Hmm? Ya. I grew a couple of inches after I accidentally put Jean in coma." Marie went back to looking out the window.
"Oh." Scott sighed as he surrendered to the fact that the rest of the ride would most likely be a silent one.
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Scott, Jean and Marie arrived back at the Mansion at six-thirty. Scott's luggage was moved into the room he thought he still shared with Jean and now Scott was in the their private washroom splashing water on his face. Jean faced Marie.
I need to tell him now.
Marie made a slightly sullen face.
Are you sure Jean? You haven't slept in almost twenty-four hours and he just flew back. Maybe you should wait a couple hours?
Jean shook her head.
I can't Marie. I can't lead him on like this.
Marie nodded.
Alright. I'll go back to our room. Call me if you need me. Marie kissed Jean deeply before she left, hoping to infuse some sort of courage through her love.
Jean kissed Marie back and sat on the bed waiting for Scott.
When Scott came out, he spoke before Jean could.
"Look, whatever the bad news is, it can wait." Scott sat beside Jean and continued speaking. "Jean, we've been together for a long time, and when I was in New Zealand without you I knew it wasn't right. I think we both knew we'd end up together, but I think because of that certainty we didn't do anything much about it. We just left it at the level it was at."
Jean froze. The ironic part of her mind started to laugh, but the rest of her just stared at Scott with growing terror.
"Scott..."
"Jean, I hated being without you and I don't want that to happen again."
"Oh god Scott." Jean stiffened and swallowed hard.
Oblivious to Jean's emotions, Scott moved to retrieve something from his pocket, and for the first time Jean forcefully used her telepathy on a friend to confirm what she feared.
"No, no Scott no." Jean sat away from Scott and shook her head. "Don't do this."
Scott's face fell and he nodded.
"Alright." He dropped his gaze and clasped his hands together. "Sorry, this was sudden. I shouldn't have thought you'd... I guess we need time to be with each other again."
"No... Scott, there's someone else." The words spilled out of Jean's mouth before she knew it and Jean mentally cursed for being so brusque in her delivery.
Scott stared at her for a second. The shock was clearly evident through his glasses.
"L.. Logan." He said, venom dripped off his voice like purulence off a pustule. Scott stood up and walked away from Jean.
Jean blinked but shook her head in denial.
"No. Not Logan."
Scott continued to face away from Jean.
"Don't lie Jean. I see the way you are around each other."
"That's unfair Scott. Don't assume something like that and besides, he went to Japan shortly after you left." Jean stood and walked up behind her former love. The X-Men leader turned and faced Jean squarely in the eye. The adoration for her that was in his features was long gone, and in its place was something cold and on the verge of seething.
"Is this a joke? What are you playing at Jean?"
Jean reached to touch Scott, but he pulled away.
"This isn't a joke. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to do it over the phone."
Scott's voice rose.
"You were going to lie to me for another month? Jean, are you crazy? Why didn't you tell me? Who...?" Scott spun around and threw his hands up in frustration. "Why?!" He shouted.
Jean went forward to try to get Scott to sit, but he only slapped off her grasp.
"How long?" He asked icily.
"About a month and a half now. But I think it started before that."
"Dr. McCoy?" Cyclop's curled up his lip in disdain. "What? Because he's got a doctorate he's more interesting to you? I always knew you wanted someone more mentally on par with you. Of course, Logan threw me off for a loop."
Jean's eyes widened at the accusation.
"Scott, you don't mean that. And it's not Hank."
"Then who? Who the hell is it Jean? Stop fucking around with me! You didn't tell me for more than two months because I was gone, but now I'm here, so stop beating around the fucking bush!" Scott was yelling now.
"Scott, sit. I need you to calm down first."
"No! You try to be calm if you were in my place! Go in my fucking head and be me, and you try to be calm!" Scott grabbed Jean tightly by her shoulders, and in a tight, strained voice asked again. "Who is he?"
Jean swallowed hard, but held Scott's terrible gaze.
"Marie. It's Rogue." She said in a shaky voice.
Scott dropped his arms and stumbled away from Jean. Momentarily, the rage in his face subsided and in its place was pure and utter confusion.
"What? Marie? You're a... she's a... Marie?"
"It's complicated." Was all Jean could say.
To Jean's astonishment, Scott suddenly started laughing.
"That's funny. That's really funny. This has got to be a joke." Scott turned and began opening the closet doors. "You got a hidden camera in here or something? What? The kids wanted to know what would get me pissed off?"
Jean frowned. She telekinetically closed the closet doors and used her power to turn Cyclops to face her.
"Scott. I'm not joking. I could never do that to you."
"Don't talk of things that you could never do to me, Jean. Who else knows? Do the students know? Am I the last fucking person to know that my relationship with you ended?"
Jean shook her head.
"No. Only Hank and Charles know. And Marie..." Jean flinched as she caught the mental surge of hate that emanated from Scott when she said Marie's name. "Scott, they didn't tell you because I told them not too. This is my life and they didn't have the right to meddle in it."
"Jean, it's my life too and you fucking kept me out of it!" Scott turned around and shouted out his frustration
"Marie? You're gay? For fuck's sake Jean, she's a student! You're a teacher!" He slammed his fist down on the table and Jean jumped in shock.
Jean? Are you okay? Came Marie's cautious mind voice. Marie didn't know what was happening, but she could feel what Jean felt.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Jean accidentally answered out loud and Scott whirled around to face her.
"Who are you talking too? Xavier? Xavier's wondering if you're the one who's okay?" He shouted in fury.
"No! Not Charles." Jean held up her hands to try to pacify Scott but her reply only enraged him further.
"Marie? You... linked?" Scott's face distorted from the betrayal he felt. "You're made a rapport with her?" His voice tapered off as the depth of Jean and Marie's relationship came to light.
"Scott," Jean floundered for something to say, but came up with nothing. "It's complicated."
"I'm sure it is! She's a fucking student! Is she even of consensual age? Oh my god Jean! This is sick! You're going to be on fucking, Jerry Springer!"
"It's not like that Scott! Scott, I love her! I love her more than anything in the world."
"Is this some sort of phase? You wanted to do something like this in university but never had the chance because we were together?" Scott, still clutching to denial, searched for some sort of sign from Jean.
Jean shook her head.
"No Scott. It isn't. I love her, and she loves me."
"You're gay? You're a fucking lesbian?" Scott's voice was laced with every negative emotion possible.
Jean wrinkled her brow in desperation.
"I love her. I love her." Jean repeated.
Scott made a choking sound and dropped to his knees. When Jean came to help him, he angrily pushed her away.
"Don't touch me. Don't ever fucking touch me." His voice was low and dangerous.
For two minutes the ex-couple just stayed where they were on the ground. Scott, on his knees, his arms tightly wrapped around his stomach as if he were trying to suppress the urge to vomit and Jean on her bottom, propping her weight up with her arms after Scott had knocked her back.
It was times like this that Scott hated his mutant power. It didn't bother him much that he could never look into someone's eyes without his visor or glasses; it was the urge to cry that made him resent his existence. Scott just wanted to cover his eyes with his hands in the effort to block out the horrible reality that was confronting him, but he couldn't without blowing his hands and a large portion of the room up. He let out a shuddering breath as he felt the last of his heart harden from the cruel actions of the woman he once loved and stood stiffly to walk out the door.
"Wait. We should talk more Scott. I don't want leave this like this." Jean scrambled up and moved to go after him, but Scott kept on walking away.
"Forget it Jean. There's nothing to talk about. You lied to me for two months."
Jean searched for something to say. For some reason, she couldn't accept Scott's reaction. She needed to talk to him. She needed to make him understand why she loved Marie, but he kept on walking.
"Where are you going?" She asked desperately.
Scott stopped for a second to reply. His voice dripped with resentment.
"To meet the students I'll be teaching this term. Unlike you Jean, I'll be teaching, not fucking, them."
And then he was gone.
Off with ye to review. Fuel my addiction and review... Flaeron the Review crack addict.