I know that chapters are few and far between but I hope you are still reading and enjoying the story anyhow, here is the next chapter.

THANKS TO:

Baby12- I am glad you like my work and I am hopeful that you will enjoy this chapter just as much as the others.

Ashnan- I believe that what Scott felt for Jean was very real and felt as a writer that I needed to stay true to that. However I am a huge fan of Scott and Marie so I didn't want to get too lost in the feelings he held for Jean either. I hope that I am giving a good balance and staying true to both Scott's character and his love for Jean, yet helping him move on. Any how I hope you are still enjoying the story as much as I love writing it.

Rainwater- I do what I can to stay true to the characters of whomever I am writing about, and I am very happy that you are loving my story.

Harpiebird- You need not wait any longer for here is the next chapter. I hope you continue to believe that it is a perfect story.

Never Forgotten – Chapter Three

"I had another nightmare last night… it was different from the other ones. And to tell you the truth I…." Scott spoke to Jean's head stone as he knelt in front of it, when her voice came from behind him.

"Scott… I haven't seen you here in awhile. Are you ok?" Ororo asked out of true concern for her friend as she put a hand on his shoulder. After losing her best friend Ororo would come to find Scott out here day after day, but after awhile it became a weekly visit then monthly, and for the past couple of months he hadn't been seen at all. She was happy for him, he was moving on with his life just as Jean would have wanted him to. And a lot of that was thanks to one of her now closest friends, Rogue. For some reason unknown Scott had felt he could only talk about his pain and lose of Jean with Rogue and she had never faltered to be there for him. But with Rogue away on her first real mission she would do her best to help Scott with whatever pain he was feeling now.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said rising to stand next to her, his gaze still fixed on the name of his lost love.

"You know Scott, you can talk to me." She stated softly as she looked at him. "I know that something is wrong, I can see it in your face." She waited for him to start speaking, then after a few moments she was sure that once again he wasn't going to confide in her. "Well if you feel uncomfortable talking to me about it, please at least speak with Rogue. Because I can see that it is eating you up inside. I have known you too long to not understand that look you had on your face when I walked up." With that said she turned to walk away only to be stopped by the sound of his voice.

"Ororo…" he said turning to face her, she was right she did know him; she was one of his best friends. And he needed someone to talk to about this, someone who could actually talk back and tell him that he wasn't betraying Jean in someway. So all the while his eyes down cast Scott spoke to her about the dream he couldn't bear himself to tell Marie this morning after he woke up to her gentle words of comfort telling him everything would be ok. "After Jean died I started having these nightmares…well not really nightmares so much as living that moment over and over again. Not being able to stop her… and in the end… never able to save her. I watched her die ever night. And every night I couldn't save her."

"Scott it is common to be having these dreams… I know I have had a few my self." She confessed to him. "But you must know that there was nothing that you…"

"I know… I've even understood for awhile now that... she chose to do what she did…" he said remember the same words that Marie herself had said to him the night before. "It's just that I haven't had the dreams in quite some time now, and last night… it started out the same way it always did… but in the end. When I watched as the water was starting to come down on her. It… it wasn't her standing there…it was Rogue." He said her name in almost a whisper as the feeling of the same desperation washed over him, that he felt had the night before when he watched Marie get crushed by the huge amount of water in Jean's place. He cared for her, that much he knew had always known. But the moment he had opened his eyes to see her sitting on the bed brushing her gloved fingers through his hair last night, after watching her suffer the same fate as Jean, he was confused about how much her cared. He couldn't lose her, the very thought took the breath out of him. Yet he wasn't suppose to feel these things for Marie, these feelings had always been for Jean and Jean alone. And even though Jean was gone, and he knew she would want him to move on with his life. He still couldn't help but feel as if; he was betraying her in some way by having all of these emotions for Marie.

"I see… I can understand now why you would be so upset with as close as you and Rogue have gotten. Plus the fact that she was just sent out on her first mission today with only Kitty, and Jubilee…"As soon as Ororo got the words first mission out she watched a completely horrified looked come over his face. She could believe that she had just said that.

"Wait, what mission?" He said as he took her shoulders in his hands. "Ororo what are you talking about? They can't be out there on their own. Why wasn't I told of this?" He didn't wait for her answer on the matter but instead ran straight to Xavier's office.

Xavier could feel his anxiety from across the mansion so he was not the least bit surprised when Scott came barreling into his office demanding answers, with Ororo close behind. Missing the new student he had dismissed in the middle of their conversation only by seconds.

"Charles. Why didn't you inform me that we were sending the newest member of the X-Men on a mission alone? I am their leader. So shouldn't I have had a say in this?" he more stated than questioned Xavier. Really, what was he thinking sending Marie and two other rookies out to do a mission on their own; it was just like asking for disaster. Sure they had been training and had even went on a few missions with him, Ororo, and Kurt but they were still too fresh to just be out there on a mission alone.

"Scott, please clam down and take a seat so that I may explain." He had known that this was how Scott would react as soon as he told him about the mission due to his feelings for the young Rogue. And as soon as Scott took his seat he began to explain to him why he handled the situation as he did. "As I told Ororo, the girls have been ready for quite some time to go on a mission of their own. And before you get yourself even more upset than you already are I must inform you that it is only the pick up of some important papers for Hank on the structure of mutant DNA, nothing too dangerous. And they didn't even have to take the jet, just the SUV." Professor Xavier said in his always clam and assuring tone, watching a Scott's face was already showing signs of relief. "And as for the reason you were not informed. I, as well as Ororo and Kurt agree that it would be easiest not to worry you about the situation because of your protectiveness and attachment with Rogue. And as for Rogue not telling you about it, she was not informed until it was time to leave, as were both Kitty and Jubilee." Just as Xavier finished speaking the very SUV carrying all the girls drove by the office window and pulled into the garage. "And as you can see you need no longer worry for their well being, and I can assure you that all three girls are fine." Charles stated with slime on his face.

Scott rubbed his forehead with his hand, fighting the feeling of a coming headache that had started the moment he had found out that Rogue was out there alone with out him to protect her. Then looking back up he found Xavier coming around the desk to settle he wheelchair next to his own as Ororo let herself out of the office quietly, when out of no where he found himself saying, "Charles do you think I am wrong… for… for…"

"For falling in love with her?" The Professor continued for him as he laced his own fingers together and placed his hands in his lap. "No. In fact Scott there are a few of us who are quite delighted about the joy that you two have given each other, we knew it was coming. The two of you falling in love is something that from where I sit was expected and undeniable. Just as it was with you and Jean… She would want you to find that kind of love again, and I believe that you have found it with Rogue. So no my son, I don't think that you falling for her is in any way wrong, I think it's astonishing, a second chance that you should not denied yourself or Rogue." With that said and done Xavier patted Scott and the knee and started to move back behind his desk once again. "Go to her, I know you want too." He said tapping his head a Scott gave him a look of gratitude for his understanding.

"Thank You Professor." Was all Scott said as he paused to look at him before walking out of the office. Something had hit him sitting there listening to Xavier, something that he hadn't expected. He did love her, somewhere between being there for her and letting her be there for him, he had fallen in love with Marie. He would always love Jean but she was no longer the woman he pictured holding in his arms forever. It was…. Marie.

Meanwhile at the Med Lad

"Here you are Hank, singed, sealed and delivered." Rogue said with a smile on her face as she placed the large vanilla envelope in Hanks blue furry hand.

"Rogue, could you wait a minute I would love to have a word with you if I could?" Hank asked respectively as he pushed his small glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Sure, what's up?" She said as she hoped up in the exam table with a somewhat confused look on her face.

"Well, I don't want to speculate at this point but let's just say that the papers that you just handed me are not only important for my research but also hold some answers to handling your mutation." He stated as he took a seat at his desk and began to look over the papers he had just pulled out of the envelope that had carried them. "Now as I don't want to get your hopes up to high, but with the kind of information that is in these papers, I am going need to know if you are willing to do a few test maybe even have some blood work done, things of that nature… I would not want to put you through anything that you are not willing to do. So… "Was all he got out before Rogue could no longer contain her excitement.

"Yes, of course I will, I would love…" She almost shouted in joy as she jumped from the table and run over to Hank, hugging him around his neck.

"Settle down now, settle down, and listen. I can't promise anything ok. But we are going to see if we can't get this to work." He said as he pulled out a bracelet from the top compartment of his desk. Then standing he looked down at her and gave her the finest hopeful smile, before saying "Ok, lets get to work shall we?"

"Let's" Rogue said grinning from ear to ear as she replaced herself back on the exam table she had just jumped off of only moments ago.

Six very long and somewhat painful hours later it was almost 10 o'clock, and even though both of them were hungry from missing dinner neither could bring themselves to stop. Feeling as if he had finally made a big break through this time Hank clasped the bracelet on Rogue's wrist for the fifth time since they had started earlier that day. Then turned around and picked up another worm with his furry fingers.

"Now, if it doesn't work this time Rogue I must insist that we stop for today." Hank said looking into her tried eyes. She was exhausted, and even though she would never admit to it she was also hurting. He had done quite a few series of test on her and even though she was as eager as he was to get this damn bracelet working, her lose of blood combined with all the other test were starting to take there toll and he couldn't let her continue to push herself any further. "Are you ready?" he said as he held the squirming worm above her hand.

Marie took a deep breath and said a small prayer that is would work this time, she knew she shouldn't have her hopes high as Hank had told her it could be months before they could get the bracelet he had designed to work properly, but she couldn't help but want her torturer of being imprisoned in her own skin to be over. So for the fifth tonight she closed her eyes and nodded for Hank to place the worm in her hand willing the little creature to continue to move and keep its life within instead of letting it seep into her deadly skin.

"It's working." Hank said in almost a whisper almost in shock from what he was seeing before him.

Marie's eyes snapped open as she looked down at the worm in the palm of her hand. It was in fact still moving and trying to inch its way up one of her fingers. Her eye's started to gloss over as she watched it continued to move. It had worked, she could touch, and she was free again. She then looked up at Hank as the tears started to fall from her big brown eyes. "It's working… I… I can touch again…." She said picking up the worm with her fingers and placing it on to an empty tray sitting by the examining table she was sitting on. Then she wrapped her bear arms and hands around Hanks neck pulling him into a hug that could have cut off a smaller persons air supply. "Thank you… thank you so much… "Was all she could get out in between her heart felt sobs of happiness.

"It's what I am here for my dear." Hank replied as he rubbed her back softly, with tears of his own threatening to spill over with his happiness for his friend's new found freedom.

"I don't know… Scott… I have to go find Scott and tell him everything." Marie stated more to herself than to Hank as she jumped off the table and headed for the door. Just before she exited she paused at the door and looked at Hank once more and blew him a kiss and another heart felt thank you, before she all but ran out the door to find Scott and share her enormous news with her best friend.