Summary: A single act brings hurt and grief

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men

Rating: T

Author's Note: This chapter is in relation to the six days Rogue and Scott were in Hawaii.

BETRAYAL

Chapter 7

Westchester, New York: Present Time

Frustration crowding her thoughts, Jean scribbled through the endless stack of Biology reports piled on her desk. Grading papers was easy; getting her mind to stay focused was difficult. Every so often her mind would flash with images. Of Rogue and Scott naked on the sandy beaches of Hawaii, kissing, and frolicking like two sea otters. Her mood grew foul. She gripped her red magic marker, slashing through one report at a time, pinpointing every tiny mistake.

Why did the Professor send him to Hawaii? Wasn't he getting the best medical attention here at the mansion? And why send that mousy little southerner? To give them some more alone time? Jean burned with anger as she worked tirelessly to finish the last two reports before class came into session.

"Terrible," she barked, combing her hand through her red hair, and stamping a big red C- at the top of Bobby's paper. "I expected a lot more from you Mister Drake."

She flipped his paper onto another pile and picked up and glared at Jubilee's paper. The girl had been troublesome, standing up for Rogue since this entire episode went down. She'd even spread that despicable rumor that she'd seduced Logan into bed. Well, naturally, it was true but it gained her ridicule and tainted the student's perfect image of her. And one thing Jean didn't like was to be viewed as a skanky little harlot.

Exhaling, she slapped Jubilee's paper down, twirling the marker in her fingers while her eyes blazed across the black letters page after page. Minutes later a large D- graced the Asian girl's paper and she tossed it aside. "Horrendous," she muttered, scowling. This was ridiculous. She had better things to do with her time. Rebuilding her relationship with Scott was more important than sitting here grading the papers of fifteen incompetent children. Had nothing she taught them this semester taken root?

She thrust the last of her toil to one side and etched the grade point averages into her manual. She noticed one students' box was empty and glared at the name jutting out at her offensively. Rogue. Damn that girl! She was the reason she'd done what she thought was necessary to save what future she had with Scott. Now she was globetrotting with him, tending to wounds she should be caring for. She blinked away the image of him lying downstairs in the medical ward, mangled, broken, and collected her workload together. She straightened as the first bell rang.

Exams had come to an end.

The semester was nearly over.

All she had to do was get through this last class, and she would see to the arrangements, and fly out to Hawaii on the first flight. She was going to put a stop this sick and foolish charade Scott and Rogue were playing. She was going to put that little tot on a plane and send her home, if she didn't strangle her to death first, and Scott would see reason. He had to. After all the time they'd spent and the hours they'd invested in their relationship. He was going to throw it all away? And for what a child?

She wasn't going to let him. She made one simple mistake. He had to forgive her for that.

Boisterous squeals and laughter invaded her solace as students trampled into her classroom. Wonderful, Jean huffed bitterly to herself. Easing out of her chair, she stalked to the front of her desk, leaning against the sturdy furniture.

"Alright," she sighed. "Settle down now."

The room grew deathly still as students hopped into their seats. Jean felt cautious glances, heard tiny whispers, and steeled her nerves. It was going to be a long hour. She zoomed in on Jubilee who'd made no attempt to hide her disdain. The cocky Asian was chewing and popping her gum with the slightest care. She rolled her eyes at Jean and turned to trade words with Kitty.

Jean cocked her head. "Miss Lee?"

Jubilee swiveled in her chair, tipping her head, eyes widening. "Yes, Ms. Grey," she responded sweetly, annoying Jean.

"Spit out the gum."

"Where would like me to put Ms. Grey?" she asked, batting her eyelids sweetly.

Surging, Jean stomped to her desk. "You can choke on it for all I care. Just get it out of your mouth." A wave of gasps erupted from the students and Jean glanced around darkly. Heads fell to their desks.

Casually, Jubilee opened her binder, tore out a sheet of paper and spat her gum into it. She crumpled the paper and tossed into a nearby trash bin. "Swish," she said triumphantly and turned to stare Jean boldly in the face.

"Well," Jean said, rankled, walking back to her desk. "If it weren't for this little disturbance, I would have told you all already that I've graded you're Biology reports and I must say I'm very disappointed." Moans resonated about the room.

Walking down the aisle, Jean dropped each student's report on the desk, receiving a cry of disappointment and dismay.

"C- !" Bobby gaped, gripping his paper.

"I had expected a lot more Bobby," said Jean. She circled by Jubilee and each time failed to give the girl her paper. Jean made sure to hand out everyone's report first before dropping Jubilee's like a useless scrap sheet of paper in front of her.

"D? What the hell?" Eyes wide, she looked her grade in pure horror. "Ms. Grey? This has got to be like a mistake?"

Jean folded her arms about her chest. "Oh," she said coolly. "It's no mistake. As it goes for the rest of you. I'm extremely disappointed in all of you."

"Ms. Grey, this has to be a mistake," Jubilee cried. "I busted my ass on this paper."

"So did I," added Bobby.

"Me too," a few other students concurred.

"Well, I was grading on a curve." She walked behind her desk and leaned forward on the back of her chair. "Some of you are lucky to receive the grades you have now."

"Or maybe you're grading out of bitterness and spite."

Jean arched a brow, eyes glittering. "Is that so Miss Lee?"

"I think it is too so," the girl raged. "You're just pissed off Mr. Summers finally saw you for the slut you really are and decided to move on!"

Everyone gasped in the room. Jean's face darkened; she was beyond livid. "How dare you speak to me that way in my classroom? And Scott move on? With who, Rogue, she's just child! What? Do you want to see one of your teachers in jail?"

"Who says they have to do anything? I know Mr. Summers isn't stupid. But he was dumb for getting involved with you!"

Jean could feel her anger boiling to the point of insanity. If murder wasn't a capital offense, she would suffocate the wench in a telekinetic bubble. "I'd watch my tongue if I were you Miss Lee."

Jubilee narrowed her eyes. "Or what? You can't hurt me." She scrambled out of her chair. "And as for this grade. It's bullshit! You did it on purpose to get back at me."

Jean walked forward, eyes dark and menacing. "Sit down Jubilee."

"No way!" She yelled shaking her head. "No freakin' way. It's the last day of school, I'm outta here." She turned sharply, snatching up her book bag, and kicking the door open she stomped out the classroom. A wealth of eyes followed the riling mutant; the last thing they saw was her yellow coat exiting the door.

"If anyone else feels the same way as Miss Lee," Jean remarked, doing her ever best to curb her temper. "Please feel free to follow her example." To her surprise, she heard the scratch of metal across the marble floor, the shuffle of books, and scornful muttering about grades. In less than five minutes her class was empty and she alone stood.

()()()()

During the past few days, Ororo spent her time confined to her bedroom. She came out only to teach her classes, oversee the reconstruction of her beloved greenhouse, and have a word or two with the Professor. Yet the rest of her hours were spent behind the safe closed doors of her room. It wasn't intentional but necessary. She just couldn't trust herself around Jean. Her deceit ate away at her like a festering cancer and her heart ached for Logan. Tender emotions combined, she was a force to be reckoned with. It took a lot to apologize to the Professor, and admit she was wrong in attacking Jean when in her heart she was merely justifying her pain.

Logan wasn't the moon to her, but he was sweet companionship. Her lover. When Jean wasn't swarming like a fly, displaying herself on a silver platter, he was fun and charismatic. He made her laugh and they had relatively good times together. He removed her safety net and pushed her to the edge a little. She discovered a wild side she never thought possible, and was stunned that she enjoyed a beer or two.

But all of that changed.

Jean was the cause; she created the rift. Ororo knew in her heart she could never be with Logan again, not after he slept with her. Why? She couldn't understand it. Disgusted, she ran her fingers into her white hair, and started pacing her room. She was too upset to sleep, too emotional to think. A queasy sensation gripped her stomach. Nauseous, she ran to the bathroom, and threw herself over toilette. She coughed and groaned as she emptied her stomach.

A little while later, she dragged her weary body out the bathroom and froze, stunned to see the Professor in her room. "Charles?"

"Are you alright my dear?"

Ororo quirked an eyebrow, tossing a damp rag onto the table. "That's understatement," she said in a snide comment and sat down on her bed.

Xavier disregarded her last statement and wheeled closer. "How are you? Really?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I almost killed my best friend, well, formerbest friend. How do you expect me to feel?"

"Ororo…I want you to know…"

"You know what," she spat. "Spare me any of your thoughts or sentiment. You could have stopped this…prevented all of this. You could have persuaded Jean in some way not to act like a brazen hussy!"

"It's not in my nature to get involved in people's private affairs," said the Professor, alarmed by her hostility.

"Please," she hissed. "You always doted Jean, pampered her, because you two were in sync it came to your powers."

The Professor frowned. "That's not true Ororo. I care and love you all as if you were…"

"But you fancied her the most, which is why you always let her get away with some…"

"Ororo, enough!" Xavier snapped.

She looked away sobbing quietly as she quenched her feelings. Suddenly, she covered her mouth with her hand. Sickness gripped her savagely and she rose to take flight into the bathroom. The Professor leaned back in his chair as if his suspicions had been confirmed. He wasn't certain, but he felt the faint emissions of brainwaves, billions of neurons growing at an alarming rate. He knew now what was troubling Ororo, besides this fiasco threatening to rip the mansion apart.

"Have you made any arrangements?" The Professor inquired his face grim.

"Arrangements to what?" Ororo asked puzzled.

"On whether or not you want to remain here to raise your child." She laughed as though the old man had lost his mind, yet when his expression didn't alter, she paled. "You don't know," he said simply.

"I…"

Ororo touched her brow, confusion and disbelief preventing words from forming in her brain. Could it be? The nausea. The inability to sleep. She thought it was anger and grief making her hormones all out of whack. Was she pregnant? Was it possible? Weak, she searched for the bed before sitting. She thought back to last time she had her period, which was erratic, even on birth control, it never truly regulated; it was a good long while since she had it. She wasn't sure because her thoughts were…elsewhere.

Could I be?

Was she pregnant?

No.

Impossible.

Logan…God…a baby. No! Wait…the Professor was joking. Was he? Surely there had to be some logical reason to this…her period would show. Would it?

Xavier felt her thoughts buzzing and inched closer in his chair. He reached out and took her hand in his. "You have to be sure Ororo?"

She took a sharp breath of air, trembling. "I…I, uh, need a pregnancy test."