First I would like to start off by saying that this story is far from over. Next I would like to say that hope that all of the reading are enjoying it more with ever chapter. Next I will say that I love the reviews and to keep them coming. Now on with the story!

A Special Thanks To those who have reviewed.

Baby12, Ashnan, Harpiebird, Raniatlw, Chica De Los Ojos Café, Natalia, VanillaStrawberry, RKO, GottaLoveIt, BlackNightWolf04, Lily94, Samm16, TPolTucker,Cysefin, Jupiterhime

Never Forgotten – Chapter Seven

"Yes, Logan I will be sending Hank and Ororo in the jet to pick up you and Jean. They should arrive in a couple of hours. In the mean time I think it would be best to let me break the news to Jean about how long she has been gone…. Yes they have all been informed of that as well… No… No don't worry about that I will be sending along Kitty and Jubilee to drive it back. Yes… ok I will see you both soon… Oh and Logan… Thank you." When the Xavier was done speaking he hung of the phone with a sigh of distress. It was confirmed, Jean was alive. And while he was happier the words could express for her being found alive the effect it was going to have on Scott and especially Rogue would be devastating. But what scared him the most was the factor that Logan would bring into the already growing chaos of the twos life. Then with an unsteady hand he rubbed his already throbbing temples as he called Scott to his office. It was only ten minutes later that he heard a knock at his door. "Come in Scott… And please take a set. There is something very important that I need to tell you."

"I have some great news of my own." Scott said with a smile as he took his usual seat in front of the Professor. He and Marie had just come back for getting her engagement ring and he couldn't wait to share the information with the man he had come to think of as his father. "Rogue and I are getting married." He stated gladly.

"Scott… "The professor had started when he finally processed what it was the Scott had just said to him. He promptly bowed his head at what should have been the most excellent news to hear. Here he was a telepath, thinking that the situation couldn't get any worse than it already was and yet it had with out him getting the slightest premonition. He looked up at Scott with now sad eyes.

"Charles… are you… what's happened?" Scott asked suddenly going into fearless leader mode. He had seen these looks on the Professors face before and usual they involved the Mutant Registration Act or a mission that was imperative to the existence of all living mutants, which also meant dangerous as well.

"Scott, I have some very important information that I must notify you of. Unfortunately I fear I don't know how to give it except directly…Jean is alive… "Charles watched and waited for Scott to react to the knowledge of his though to be dead fiancée was in fact alive. But when no reaction came he decided to continue. "And she is on her way home as we speak."

"That's… that's impossible." Was all he could say as a thousands thoughts per second was running through his mind. He rested his head in his hands as he tried to slow his thoughts and understand what this all could mean. He knew that Charles would not tell him such a thing with out it being true and if the professor knew it to be true then it most assuredly was. Jean… Jean was… alive… that single thought alone brought a joy over him that was unrivaled, and in an instant he couldn't wait to see her, to hold her, to tell… Oh god… Marie…and as soon as her name came across his mind his gaze went to the professors: Wanting, needing to know, what this would do to Marie, how could he let her go, how could he not go back to Jean, how much pain would it cause Jean to know that he had loved another? The questions came one after another going as quickly as they came. "Professor… I …" He was at a lost for words his mind now drawing nothing more than a blank.

"I wish I could help, but this is something that only you can decide Scott. Although I must tell you that Jean isn't the only one returning home today…Logan will be returning with her." He could feel Scott fury as soon as he had said his name. He had expected this for Logan was the only man to ever turn Jean's eye's way from him and his new loves heart had once belonged the same man. And as sure as Scott detested Logan he knew Logan shared the same conclusion of Scott. How he was going to keep the two of them from killing each other was one of the many things now pressing on his mind.

"Why…is he with her." Scott asked with a low angry voice.

"Because I sent him to see if what I was picking up from Cerebro was in fact real. I too believed that it was quite impossible for Jean to be alive, Scott. But I just received a call for Logan not more than twenty minutes ago confirming that she is indeed alive."

"Why would you send him when I could have…?"

"I needed for make sure Scott. I didn't not want to give you any false hope; I hope that you can understand that… I also didn't want to worry Rogue… but it seems that is quite unavoidable now…" as he finished imagines of Rogue smiling and happy flashed though his mind. Life always seemed to be dealing her a bad hand and she always seemed to recover from it, only this time the professor wasn't so sure she would. "If you would like I can…"

"No… no I should…I need to be the one to tell her… I just… how am I suppose to…" he stood and slowly made his way to the door and for the first time in his career as the leader he knew what needed to be done, yet had no idea how to do it. Regardless, he wouldn't run away from it. Marie needed and deserved to know the truth and from him, even though he had no clue as to how he was going to answer the question that he was for sure to come. When he got to the door he paused and without looking over his shoulder he made one last request before leaving the office. "Will you let me know when she arrives?"

"Of Course." Charles simply replied, knowing no more could be said.

She hadn't meant to over hear their conversation, she wasn't tiring to ease drop to see what was being said between them. But she has heard none the less, she had heard the devastating facts that would fever change their life, her life. She didn't stand around to hear any more that was said and honestly she wished she hadn't heard anything at all. Jean… Jean was alive and she was coming home. Coming home to all the people she loved, coming home to the man she loved…Scott. The words haunted her replaying over and over in her head as she walked upstairs to their room in a silent daze. She took a seat on their bed, the same bed he had asked her to be his wife in just the night before, and lifted a picture of them together at the last school baroque. Jubilee had taken the picture without either one of them knowing, they had been sitting under the big willow tree, she was sitting in his lap as she usually did, and her head was resting against his chest as he had one hand in her hair and the other in one of her knees, and they were laughing at some silly joke he had made about professor head putting off more glare than the sun itself, it was a day she would never forget. She gazed at the picture as her chest tightened and her eyes filled with tears when she reached the realization, days like that, her time with him, it was over. She wasn't going to waste her time fooling herself she knew Scott loved her but this was Jean, his first and one true love. Marie looked around their room, as everything started to finally sink in. She felt it deep inside, she shouldn't be here. She had only had that feeling one other time in her life and this time she was going to leave before she was forced to go, maybe not forced but at the very least asked. Flashes of her parents handing her the green duffle filled with her clothes and what little money they were willing to give her flowed through her mind, as she walked over the her closet and pulled the same bag out from the top shelf and started stuffing her belongings inside of it as fast as she possibly could. To her surprise she was still able to fit almost all of her things into her cherished green bag. As she wiped a few tears away then reached down and slowly zipped up the duffle that now held what little life she had left, and she caught sight of the ring she was just given this morning by the man she was suppose to spend the rest of her life with. It was just as beautiful to her as when he slipped it on her finger only a few hours ago, yet looking at it now as she held her hand out in front of her it carried sadness to it, because she knew it no longer belonged there. She slipped it off her finger and her heart broke at how willing it slid from its place there.

"Marie, I…" Scott began as soon as she walked through the door and then froze as his eyes came to her bag packed and resting on their bed. She knew, and she was leaving. For a moment he couldn't breathe. Then he knew very questions he wasn't ready to answer weren't going to be asked, and somehow he was hurt by that. Again he looked bag at her packed bag and then turned he gaze back to her, and his heart broke at the pain he saw in her eyes. And even though it was obvious that she was leaving he could help but find himself asking her what he prayed wasn't true. "You're leaving?"

"Please, Scott… I can't… I can't do this. Don't make this any harder on me than… than it already is, ok… Here… this… this belongs to you." Marie could barely breathe much less talk at this point. Tears now cascading down her now pink cheeks, she held the ring out to him, and when he made no move to take it she turned and set it on his nightstand where their that she had packed in her bag had once sat. She then went back to her bag and lifted up off the bed, only to have Scott stride over to her and throw the bag back on the bed. Then putting both of his soft hands on each side of her face he pulled her gaze up to meet his own. She cherished the way his hands felt on her face, the way his thumbs brushed away some of her continuing tears, the way his palms cradled her cheeks lovingly, knowing that this was probably the last time she ever feel them there she tried to engrave to feeling of them in her memory. But at the same time his touched burned, she knew the longer he had her here the harder it was going to be for her to walk away. And although it pained her more than words could describe she knew that walking away now was the right thing to do. Because if she stayed and waited for him to leave her when he finally realized he wanted Jean, it was destroy her.

"Don't do this… don't…" Scott tired to plead with her, but he was at a lose for words. He wanted to promise her everything would be ok, that he would stay with her forever, that Jean coming back meant nothing. But he couldn't because he didn't know that everything was going to be ok for them, if there was a them any more. He wanted to stay with her forever, but truthfully he wasn't sure if he could. He wished his love for her was strong enough that Jean's coming home alive didn't mean anything, but that was wasn't true. Yet he was terrified of losing her, of watching her walk out on their life they had built together, of not waking up to her smile everyday. How can he ask her to stay with him, when he himself couldn't be sure that he wasn't going to leave in the end. So since he couldn't say what he wanted with words, he decided to beg her to stay with his touch. Lowering his lips to hers, he slid his hands down her neck to her back and pressed her body against his. He tasted the salt from her tears on her moist full lips and deepened the kiss willing her at the same time to stay.

Before she knew it she was lost in his kiss, the way his lips were moving across hers, he was showing her how much he loved her, the way she always asked him to. But this time it was different because no matter how he loved her, and she knew he did, he loved Jean more. And it was only a matter of time before… Cutting the thought short Marie put her hands against his chest and pushed him away, taking a step back herself to father the distance between them. "Forgive me… please… God Scott I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… but I can't… I… I have to be realistic here… don't you see… there's… there's no chance for us…"

"Why… Why would you say that… You know I love…" Scott started now infuriated by Marie words, only to be cut off by his young southern beauty.

"Yeah, you love me… I get that… don't you think I know that you love me…Well guess what I do… I know you love me… and I love you… but this isn't about us Scott." She started yelling in between sobs.

"Really…well, you sure as hell could have fooled me." He said in a sarcastic tone adding in a smirk to top it off.

"Don't you give me that look….you know… you know my leaving isn't about us… you know it's not… it's not about me doubting your… your love for me… it's… it's about knowing how… how much more… you love her." Marie was hardly even able to finish in a whisper, as she continued to sob uncontrollably.

"Baby… I…" Scott started as he took and step towards her and reached out to her again. Her words had cut him deep, deeper than she would ever know. Mainly because he knew they were true. Yet the fact that she knew it made it worse. He did love Jean, but he didn't love her more than Marie, and the fact that she thought that brought a pain to his heart. He loved both of them, and that was the problem. He didn't love one more than the other, he loved them both for the people they were, and how they made him feel.

"No…" she taking another step back swiping his hand away. "No… I … can't you understand… I don't want to leave… I have to… because if… if I have to watch… to watch you… choose her…I …" Marie tried to explain now gasping for air in between her words. The pieces of her heart that had already broken were breaking yet again; she had been hit, kicked, and slammed into by some of the strongest mutants in the world. Yet there was still no pain that come close the aching was feeling now, and it seemed to be growing stronger with every second.

"You know what… that's fine… looks like your more like your pal Logan than I thought…you want to run Marie… go ahead… I don't want anyone who's not willing to fight for us anyways…" Scott said as a rage greater than he had ever know came over him, when he realized she was going to leave any ways. No matter what he said, nothing short of tying her to a chair or the bed was going to keep her here. And the realization made him snap for the first time in his life. "I think you know where the door is." He delivered the final blow as he turned picked up her bag, and held it out for her to take, his face hard and devoid of any emotion.

She didn't know she could, but she started crying even harder when he more or less order her out of his room. She was frozen for a moment at his harsh words. Then her eyes focused on her bag that he now held out to her and she grab it with haste, not wasting any time she all but ran out of the room still in tears. "Rogue, please come to my office, I know what had happened my dear. And I must at least speak with you before you go." The professor's words filled her head as she descended the main stairs.

Scott slammed the door shut and locked it into place. Leaning his back against the door he rubbed away the now wetness on his cheeks. It was quite now, she was gone, and Scott looked at the desk and saw a picture of him and Marie, sitting happily together after a successful mission. Taking another look around the room it seemed to be the only one she had left of the two of them. It was a simple snap shot Kitty had taken with her camera, but Marie had been so excited about having a picture of them together that she'd had it blown up and framed. It had been their first picture together, when they were becoming close friends, before he had fallen in love with her. He pushed himself off the door and walked over to the desk. He picked up the picture and ran his finger over Maries face, tears started burning his eyes, and when it accrued to him that with the harsh words he had just spoken to her out of his uncontrollable rage he had probably lost her forever, he threw the picture across the room and watched as it shattered against the wall. Never in his life had he snapped the way he had just done with Marie, in fact this was probably one of the most heated arguments and harsh words he had ever said to any one, he hadn't even blown up at Logan the way he just had with Marie. He hung his head and walked over to the bed taking a seat, when her ring caught his eye. He just stared at it a moment as he remember how Marie had smiled when she had found this "prefect ring" , then picking up he let it rest in the palm of his hand. How could he have lost control over his temper like that, how could he have said those things to her when she was already hurting so badly, how could he have said those things to her at all, if she never forgave him he would completely understand why. She was really gone, and not only had he let her go, he had helped to push her out the door. "God, how am I going to live with out her?" was all he could think as he held on to her ring for dear life, letting the pain he felt inside him finally take over as he broke down and cried.

Marie walked up the same door she had knocked on for the past four years whenever she was having a problem, or being informed of a mission. Wiping the tears from her eyes she took a deep breathe and knocked on it for the first time this day. She heard him yell it would be a minute which was strange sense he usually replied with them to come on in.. When he finally answered the door she looked down at him and was glad to see he had concern written on his face, which was a good sign that maybe he understood why it was that she had done what she just did, and was about to do. "You said you wanted to see me Professor." She said choking back her sobs to try and sound as normal as possible. And before she knew it he pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him, then guided her in side as he shut the door.