The sound was like a gunshot ringing out in the stillness of the room. Jean looked up from the book she was engrossed in to see Scott drop a stapled document on top of the oak desk in front of the leather chair she was curled up on. Jean's eyes flew to the document. ACTION FOR DIVORCE. Jean's heart immediately lodged in her throat and her emerald eyes bulged. She dropped the book she was reading and reached for the document with trembling fingers. Her greatest fear was now realized. Although she knew that this was a route her marriage could have traveled, she had refused to believe that it was possible. That Scott could have gone to this extreme was something she strenuously denied. Now, denial was futile and she had no choice but to face her worse nightmare.

Tears pooled in her eyes and began running down her cheeks as her gaze darted back and forth between a silent Scott and the document. She replaced the document on the desk and stood, her feet taking her towards the room's bay window. She looked out the window, but couldn't see anything through her tears. The last time she had seen Scott was when he had walked into the room during her argument with Forge. That was a few weeks ago. She was hoping that that time had blunted some of the renewed animosity he had held for her. Apparently that wasn't the case now that she was being served with divorce papers.

"So this is how it ends?" She croaked.

"What did you expect Jean? You expected me to say all is forgiven and take you back with open arms?" Scott replied indifferently.

"No," she gasped. "I…I…I thought that we could have salvaged our marriage. Go to counseling, work it out. Whatever it took to get back what we had."

Scott for once had decided to do what was best for himself. It was time for him to be selfish for once. He was no longer going to be the sucker who refused to deal with his problems head on. After weeks of internal reflection, doubts and vulnerability, he had decided that divorcing Jean was the only way to put an end to the pain and dismay that was engulfing not only him, but the residents of the mansion. He could no longer go on feeling as if everything inside of him was not broken and he had no need to fix it. Their little utopia had been destroyed and was transformed into a world of doom and gloom. Their bond had effectively been broken and he knew that her actions had forever changed the landscape of their lives. He knew that he had to rid himself of the poison that Jean and her behavior had become, a poison that threatened to consume him. Thus, divorce was the only option. He was going to end this knowing that he was a good, loyal and trustworthy husband to her.

He peered at her through his ruby quartz glasses. She was the woman he had fallen in love with at first sight, the woman he had given his name too, the woman he was more than willing to lay down his life for. Looking at her now, he could clearly see that she was no longer that woman. Somewhere along the line, something inside of her had changed and she had morphed into someone no longer recognizable to him.

"I think too much damage has been done for us to get back what we had. And to be honest, I just don't trust you anymore."

She turned to face him. "Can't you give us another chance? Can't we work this out?" She asked pathetically.

He was shaking his head before the words were completely out of her mouth. "You hurt me, Jean. You also hurt Ororo, Logan and believe it or not, you've hurt the dynamic of this family," he replied spreading his arms out in front of him. "I loved you, loved you so damn much. I gave everything I had to you, but it wasn't enough. Why?"

And that was the question that had continually plagued him. Why had she effectively destroyed all that they had worked so hard to achieve as a couple? He needed to know why she had inflicted this kind of pain and damage just to get what she wanted.

"Why?" He repeated, plowing both hands through his hair, then covering his face with them, dragging them down over his eyes, nose and mouth before letting them fall listlessly to his sides.

"Just stupid, I guess," she gulped.

He sighed in exasperation. "Bullshit, Jean."

She turned widened eyes on him. It was still shocking to hear him utter such profane language. She knew that she had drove him to the usage of such language, if that night he found out what she was about was any indication.

Lowering her eyes, she began. "I…I…wasn't thinking clearly, Scott. Looking back now, I know my actions were dangerous, foolish and extremely spiteful. I have taken responsibility for all I've done." She raised her eyes to see how he was responding to her confession, but he remained impassive. "There is no defense for what I've done."

Scott shook his head, not satisfied with her answer. "Just answer the damn question, Jean."

Jean sighed, suddenly tiring of dodging his answer. She turned back to look out the window, unable to look at him as she answered his question. "I wanted attention, Scott. I've always craved it. When Logan first arrived and began flirting with me, I liked it. It showed me that I was still able to gain a man's attention, even if I was committed to you. Logan's flirtations became a constant in my life and when they stopped, I didn't know how to deal with it." She paused to take a deep breath. "I wanted back his attention at any cost. And I…I found myself doing anything to get it back. I wanted both worlds. I wanted the excitement of being chased and the passion that came with being married."

"At any cost?" Scott repeated. "So those costs were trying to seduce Logan, screwing with his mind, tossing our marriage out the window, hurting Ororo and luring Forge here?"

Her heart clenched and her head dropped in shame as he outlined every horrid thing that she had done in the past few months. "I'm not proud of what I've done," she mumbled.

Scott snorted. "Yeah right. I'm sure you would have continued with your sick games if you weren't caught."

"That's not true," she protested weakly.

"You had no qualms about hurting everyone to get what you wanted. What it comes down to is that you are a selfish, insecure, jealous woman. You wanted Logan because Ororo had him." He eyed her closely and saw her body go rigid as he hit the nail on the head. He unleashed on her without mercy. "From the very beginning, you were always in competition with Ororo, always trying to best her. I've always thought that it was all about Logan, but once I got to thinking, I realized that it was your misplaced desire to be better than Ororo that drove you to do what you did."

She remained silent and Scott plowed ahead. "I thought that you would've long ago realized that there was no need for you to compete with her because you were a beautiful and wonderful woman in your own right. But you were too blind to see that. You allowed your envy and resentment for Ororo to cloud your judgment. So don't give me that bullshit story about your liking Logan's attention was the reason you caused the havoc you did. Don't insult my intelligence, Jean."

His words lanced her straight through the heart. Hearing aloud what she had recently admitted to herself was painful. She elected to remain mum, letting her silence speak for itself.

Scott could only shake his head and hope that she would finally see the devastation that resulted from her selfish actions. He looked across to where she was standing and had to resist the urge to go to her and hold her. Despite everything, the feelings he still held for her tugged at him. "There was no need to be jealous of Ororo or anyone else for that matter. But your own warped sense of entitlement made you throw all of it away and now you have nothing."

Jean's heart was shattering piece by piece, but she refused to show it. She took a shaky breath and assumed the same detached air he was showing. "I realize what my actions have cost me and I'm paying the price."

"I never thought that you and I would end up here. But, here we are. I realize that I shoulder some responsibility for how our relationship turned out and I've come to terms with that." He sighed then turned towards the door. At the door, he paused to toss one final knife into her heart. "You had it all Jean. Congratulations on throwing it all away for nothing. Please do the right thing and sign the divorce papers."

"Scott!" she cried, cramming a fist against her mouth. "I love you, Scott, always have and always will. You were always enough for me, please believe that!"

Scott didn't even pause to answer or acknowledge her impassioned plea as he closed the door softly behind him.

She stood as though she had grown rooted to the floor, staring after the figure of her husband as he disappeared through the door he came through earlier. The click of the knob as he closed the door behind him held an undisguised air of finality. She thought that her feet would be too heavy to move, but somehow, she managed to drag her suddenly lethargic body over to the seat she occupied earlier and plopped down. Burying her face in her hands, she released the tenuous hold she had on her emotions and the tears began to flow in torrents. Deep, harsh sobs tortured her body as she finally came to terms with all that she had lost.


Baby's into running around

Hanging with the crowd

Putting your business in the street talking out loud

Saying you bought her this and that

And how much you done spent

I swear she must believe it's all heaven sent

Hey boy you better bring the chick around

To the sad truth the dirty lowdown

"Taught her how to talk like that. Who…I wonder who gave her that big idea," Logan bellowed, singing along with the music blasting out of his satellite radio. He stomped his foot and whistled to the remaining lyrics as he fine-tuned his precious motorcycle. He was enjoying some free time before his mate returned from a conference she had attended with Xavier and Scott. His day was going good, until the faint scent of ginger and roses floated to him. He immediately took up a defensive, intimidating position and swore softly.

He had been successful in avoiding her for the longest and he had no doubts that Chuck had told her to avoid him as well. For 'Ro and Chuck he had denied his true nature and suppressed his extreme desire to seek the redhead wench out and confront her. And there were no doubts in his mind that if he had confronted her as he had wanted too, his claws would have done all the talking. Yes, he felt that wrathful and an immeasurable amount of disgust for her. How dare the conniving bitch screw with his mind? What he wanted to do to her when he had found out the depth of her scheming was illegal and it had taken a vast amount of self-control not to pursue her and end her life.

So he had stayed clear of her because he still felt his beast's all-consuming desire for vengeance. Now, here comes the bitch with a stupid and unbelievable level of gumption daring to approach him.

As she entered the garage and invaded his space, she saw his eyes, eerily bright, following her as she cautiously advanced to him.

Jean was no fool. She knew what she was up against and the risk she was taking by daring to venture into the Wolverine's lair. She licked her suddenly dry lips, knowing that this was going to be a tough battle. His feral eyes perused her derisively and she had no choice but to duck her head away from his intense stony gaze.

When she braved a glance at him, it was with a pitiful plea. "Please, Logan. Let me explain…"

"Take a one way trip ta hell, toots," he snarled in reply. "Save the damn theatrics. They ain't gonna work wid me."

"Please, just a few minutes of your…"

His roar was deafening, startling her in her tracks. "I ain't gonna tell ya again, Red. Get the hell away from me and leave me alone."

She was either all kinds of stupid or crazy when she chose to take a seat on the stool he kept next to the table. Logan's eyes narrowed in incredulity. Obviously she was choosing to ignore his warning. He took a few subtle whiffs to get a better read on the stupid woman before him. Anxiety and fear permeated the air around her. His eyes never left her as he went to turn the radio off and stood tall, folding his arms across his massive chest.

A low rumble made its way up his throat and he let it loose. "Ya have ta be nuts comin' here knowin' how much I wanna gut ya."

"All I want is to apologize to you," she started. "I was wrong to do what I did."

"Go sell that bullshit ta someone else, Red," he hurled back at her. "I ain't interested in anythin' yer triflin' ass is sellin'."

She turned on the waterworks and the crocodile tears began to flow down her face. Logan looked at her. If his disgust for her didn't consume him at that moment, then he would have laughed at her sad attempt to sway him. "Why did you stop wanting me?" she asked unsteadily. "What happened to make you stop wanting me?"

Logan continued to stare at her and it was at that moment he realized that he was really seeing the real Jean Grey for the very first time. Sure, he had her pegged for what she truly was before everything happened, but he knew that he had never had the opportunity to truly see the real Jean she cleverly kept hidden. Until now. He was positive that he had a disbelieving look on his face. Yep, she was definitely one for the loony bin.

"I…I…" she broke off and took a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm sorry, Logan. What I did to you was…wrong and I…"

"Wrong?" He barked callously. "Wrong? Ya gotta be kiddin' me. What ya did was way past wrong. Ya manipulated my mind. Ya tried ta turn me inta yer puppet, hopin' ta con me inta screwin' ya and leavin' 'Ro."

Jean visibly stiffened as he threw the truth into her face. Meekly she continued, "I know you wanted me, Logan. But for some reason you decided to go to her."

Logan stalked over to where she was perched on the stool and bent over her, forcing her to lean back. His face was pure menacing fury, as he spoke through clenched teeth. "Get this through yer telepathic head, I never wanted ya. She was the one I've always wanted. She's all the things ya ain't, Red and will never be."

Jean forged ahead unwisely, a crazy need to know why he had stop lavishing her with his attention. "I know you had to have felt something for me, Logan. You can't just let feelings like that go overnight."

"Fer a telepath, ya're a damn idiot. There was nothin' between you and me ta let go. We both played a game, with our own rules. Like I told ya before I got fed up wid the game and the chase stop bein' what it use ta be. Ya could never have given me what Ororo gives me. Ya could never fulfill my needs like her."

Jean in a show of an utter lack of common sense extended her hand imploringly to touch him. Logan's jaw hardened with rage and he maneuvered away from her touch. "I was…am enough woman, just as Ororo is ."

Logan let out a roar of mirthless laughter. The sound was harsh in the stillness of the garage. "Ya will never be able to measure up ta a woman like 'Ro. Not even if ya practice fer the rest of yer miserable life. Ya see, Red, where ya're selfish, connivin', petty and spiteful, 'Ro is selfless, sincere, valuable and kind. Ya don't have a snowball chance in hell of ever bein' a woman like 'Ro."

His aim was to attack her vanity and hurt her. He couldn't hurt her the way the Wolverine desired, but he can sure as hell hurt her in other ways. He knew he was successful when she went ballistic.

"You really are a sonofabitch, Logan! No wonder everyone only looks at you like an animal, a disgusting filthy animal!" She paused to take a breath and then continued to rail against him. "You can say whatever you want, but I know you wanted me too and given enough time, I would have had you…" she stopped abruptly, clicking her mouth shut as her anger caused her to reveal what her true intentions were, thus inadvertently showcasing her lack of repentance.

Logan shook his head. He had just about had enough of this bitch and her obvious mental imbalance. Outwardly, he showed a calmness even he wasn't aware he was capable of, but inwardly he was seething with a desire to sink his claws into her chest. Choosing to smother his urge, he replied, "Ya're obviously sick, so I ain't gonna waste anymore of my time wid ya. Ya had it all, Jeannie. Ya have amazin' mutant abilities, ya're beautiful, ya live in a damn mansion and ya have e'vryone carin' 'bout ya. But fer whatever reason, ya feel threatened by 'Ro, but ya was ta stupid ta see that ya had no reason ta feel that way, cause 'Ro loved ya like a sister and was willin' ta go ta the ends of the earth fer ya." He paused, thinking about how much of his confrontation with Ororo in this very garage to reveal. From the look on her face, he decided to keep his trap shut. Jean was never going to realize the depths of the feelings everyone around her had for her. And he had his doubts as to if she truly did care about anyone but herself.

Logan speared her with intense gray eyes and he watched as the tears ran down her face and something akin to understanding seemed to finally take hold in her addled brain. Her gaze fell beneath his powerful stare, but he raised her head by tilting her chin up with his thumb and index finger, so she had no choice but to look into his face. "It'll be in yer best interests ta let go the jealousy and other shit and move the hell on wid ya life. And stay the hell away from me and 'Ro!"

They glared at each other over the span of several seconds. He took in her deflated posture and the defeated air around her. Then muttering a litany of curses, Logan stalked away from her. He shot her a fulminating glare before he stamped his way to the exit and slammed his way out of the garage.

She turned on the stool, watching as he stalked across the room and slammed his way out. Lowering her face in her hands, she cried, knowing that Logan spoke the undeniable truth.


The Song referenced in this chapter is called The Lowdown by Boz Scaggs. The lyrics are courtesy of Google Music Play.