Changes Chapter 13
The day after, Jean sat in the garden at the pond, thinking about her conversation, or should she rather call it fight, with Logan. She had done her best to avoid him the whole day through, had spent time with Rogue and had tried to calm the girl, who was pretty much at the end of her nerves. She had told her that Bobby had left the room without saying anything after she had told him the news. Jean had felt so sorry for the girl, who had mostly cried during their conversation.
"What kind of mother would I be if I'm not even able to touch my child?", Rogue had said during her several sobs and had clung to Jean.
"Rogue, it's possible that your child is immune to your mutation…there's always a chance for it…", she had said, even if she knew that this chance was very little.
"Thank you, Mrs. Grey", the girl had said before she had walked back to her room.
And at night, Jean gad pretended to be asleep, knowing that Logan was staring at her, until he'd finally given up…
Jean sighed and watched the water in the pond. She wished she could help her…
"Hey…", a well known voice suddenly said next to her.
She looked up, blinking against the winter sun. Storm was standing in front of her holding a package in her hands.
"Would you mind?", she asked cautiously and nodded towards the empty space next to Jean.
"No…", Jean said. "Sit down…"
The woman sat down, putting the wrapped package next to her. Neither of them said anything, nor were they looking at each other. Jean sensed that Ororo was nervous and wondered if it was because of her, During the whole time she'd been back, her former friend hadn't come to her to talk.
"Look…", Storm began looking down at her hands first, but raising her head slowly. "I know things have gone terribly wrong between us since your return. Mostly because of me."
Jean concentrated on the half frozen water again.
"I'm so sorry for being such a bitch, Jean, really…"
Surprised she looked up, looking skeptically into the desperate face of her opposite.
"I just…", Ororo began, shaking her head in search for the right words. "It was so hard after you all were gone… I felt so lost and…everything was just too much to handle for me…"
Jean watched calmly as tears began to run down the cheeks in her face.
"I hated Phoenix for taking away my friends…my family…for leaving me alone with all the mess she's caused…" Storms took a deep breath, trying to calm herself again. "Usually we talked if we had problems, but you were gone…and Logan was such a mess and bastard…so I had no one to talk to… I…I felt so lonely, Jean. So I got angry…" She looked at her opposite who was still watching her calmly. "When you returned… I thought it would start all over again… I just saw you standing in front of Logan and thought you would take him away from me, too…" Storm sobbed and took Jean's hands into her own. "Jean, I was scared! I thought it would happen again… I hated Phoenix, so I mixed up your two personalities. I only saw her, not you. So I accidentally began to hate you, but it was all because I was so scared!" She looked at her again, desperately trying to find the slightest sign of a reaction. "I'm sorry for treating you like shit, Jean. I really am and I can understand that you might not forgive me, but…I really miss you as my friend…and I know that I destroyed our friendship…but…can't we start all over again?"
Jean sighed, breaking eye contact. She was glad that she finally knew Storm's motives, she could also understand her fear, but still she didn't know what to say… The things Storm had done and said to her had hurt her very much… On the contrary, Phoenix had hurt Storm and Jean could never imagine what she'd been through, but still…
Storm looked down. "I see…", she said since Jean had shown no reaction and got up.
"Wait!", the other woman said holding her back. "I'm sorry for not saying anything. I was thinking." She took a step forward. "'Ro, I'd be glad if we could forget everything. I really miss talking to you, too."
Storm smiled gladly and hugged her opposite. "Thank you…"
Jean smiled back. "So what do you got there?", she asked curiously after a while nodding towards the package.
"Oh this…", Storm said taking the package into her hands again. "Well, actually we wanted to give it to you on Christmas, but we couldn't finish it until then."
"Who is we?", Jean asked taking the gift from her.
"Bobby, Rogue, Kitty, Peter, the professor, Logan and me,…so everyone actually. It was Logan's idea after you told him about your decision."
Jean frowned, wondering what might be in the package.
"Come on, open it!"
The red head sat down again and started to unwrap it. Her heart was pounding strongly in her chest.
"Oh, the small boy in it is from Logan alone", Ororo added.
"Oh my God…", Jean gasped as she finally saw her gift.
"You like it?"
"I love it!", Jean said with tears in her eyes. "This is wonderful…" Gently she ran her hands over the black leather uniform which she immediately recognized as a new version of her old one. Old, except the new golden emblem on the chest which resembled a phoenix with open wings. She couldn't help as a single tear ran down her cheek. Not only the suit made her happy, the message behind it said much more. She belonged to them again. She's finally arrived back home…
"Glad that you like it!", Storm said smiling brightly at her.
Jean's eyes caught the smaller package. She wondered what Logan might have gotten her… She unwrapped it and opened the small blue box, which had been hidden in it. She gasped for air again as she saw the content of the box.
"Gosh…that one is beautiful!", she heard Storm saying as the woman had bent forward to see what she had gotten.
Slowly, Jean took the pendant into her hands, looking at it from all sides. It was a silver bird, which she immediately recognized as a rising Phoenix. Its head looked towards heaven while its wings were spread proudly. Dark blue shimmering mussel shell stones were inlaid into the wings, making it even look more beautiful than it already was, while two golden stones were shimmering at its tail. Lost in thoughts, Jean ran her thumb over it. Immediately her memories of their fight returned to her.
"You don't like it?", Storm asked surprised, since she'd immediately fallen in love with the pendant.
"No, I love it…", Jean said. "It's just…"
"What?", the other woman asked worriedly.
"We had a fight and I haven't talked to him since yesterday…"
Storm nodded "Well, I already knew it…he'd looked pretty pissed yesterday in the kitchen."
"Yeah, he was…", Jean said still looking at the Phoenix. She'd never know Logan had a sense for the things she liked…
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She sighed, lowering her hands. "Depends if you already know about Rogue…"
"Yeah, I do", Storm said bitterly. "I've found her sitting in the kitchen and crying very early this morning."
"Well, Logan accidentally found the pregnancy test in our bathroom which she's gotten from me and thought I was hiding something from him."
"Oh…", Storm said nodding. "But he can't have still been pissed off after you told him, right? Or haven't you told him about Rogue?"
"I had to even if I'd promised her not to tell anybody."
"What's the matter then? I don't understand…"
Jean took a look around the garden, looking for the right words. "He couldn't understand how things like that can happen, so we ended up fighting about the nature of humans to pass on their genes…" She still felt the pain in her heart.
Storm frowned. "And?"
Jean looked at her sadly. "Well, he made pretty clear that it's not in his nature to pass on his genes…", she said bitterly using his words.
Ororo still frowned and looked at her friend. "But where's the problem…?" she asked and waited for an answer that could make her understand.
Jean stayed calm and looked at the Phoenix again.
"Jean…are you pregnant, too?", Storm finally asked.
"No…", her opposite said after a few seconds.
Storm looked at her skeptically. "Well, you don't seem to be so sure of it…"
"Can we just leave it?", Jean asked stressed.
"Okay."
"Have you seen Logan lately?", she asked after a brief moment.
"Yeah, he was in the kitchen before I came here. Being-an-asshole-mood included!"
"Thanks!", Jean said and got up, taking her presents with her. "So, I think have to talk to him now…"
"Well, I'm pretty sure he feels sorry…", Storm smirked. "You know that he's a softy around you!"
Jean smile. "You coming?"
Storm got up, too, and they walked back towards the mansion. Neither of them saw how the ground began to split up near the single stone…
Jean finally found Logan in the library. He sat in a chair and was reading a book. Even if she knew that his senses gad already told him that she was there, Logan didn't move a bit. Her heart was racing as she stepped closer. She knew that hew was angry, since she'd ignored him, nevertheless, he'd hurt her, too. Jean sighed and sat down on the armrest. He still didn't look up.
"What are you reading?", she asked cautiously, hoping that she'd get his attention.
"A book…", he grunted, still not looking at her.
"Can we leave it, Logan?", Jean asked frustrated.
Logan turned over a page. "Leave what?"
"Hurting each other?"
"Can't remember doing that…"
With a blink she made his book crash against the wall. "Then think again!", she hissed, feeling that her anger overwhelmed her. Jean blinked again. "Sorry…"
Logan turned his head around and they were finally looking at each other. "Well, I can't pretend that I'm reading anymore, can I?"
"Pretend?", she asked raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged. "Don't ask me what that damn book was about. I was thinking about you…"
Jean blushed. "So are we good again?"
"No!", he said seriously. She looked down offended. He put two fingers under her chin and raised her head up. "At least not as long as you just sit there without kissing me!", he smirked.
"Oh, damn you, Logan!", Jean cursed and slapped him against his chest which made him chuckle.
With a simple move of his arm, she was sitting astride on his lap and he kissed her. "Now we're good again."
"Jerk!", Jean cursed smiling down at him. Just as she was about to kiss him again, the door slammed open and Storm stood in the doorway. "Jean…", she said breathlessly.
Jean looked at her frowning and suddenly felt fear climbing up to her heart. By only looking into Storm's eyes, she immediately knew that something terrible must have happened. Despite the distance she could see Ororo's tears. "What happened?", Logan asked, since Jean didn't react.
Storm swallowed, still gasping for air. "It's…it's Scott…"
http // (the phoenix pendant)
