A/N: Yes it's arriving late and it's short, but I'm sick. I'll be back soon. :)
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"All right, spill."
Ororo opened her mouth only to be cut off. "First of all, how could you tell Logan and not me?" It was an accusation but Jean was smiling a giddy, happy smile, reminding Ororo of days when the most serious thing they worried about was whether or not Scott would ask Jean out.
"I called the house last night…" Again she was cut off.
"Nevermind," Jean said waving her hand to shoo away her previous question. "Who is this guy?"
Ororo took a breath. This is what she had prepared for. "Jean, I can't tell you." She held up her hands at Jean's striking frown. "Wait. Let me finish. Last night wasn't planned. I ran into someone while I was hiking and it just happened. But it was very...let's see, inappropriate. We shouldn't have done it and I promised I wouldn't talk about it."
Jean stared at her in disbelief, her glow dissipating like a sad ghost. "Do I know him?"
Ororo paused, uncertain if she could even answer the question safely. She thought back to the woods, her flight there, the cabin, the form in the shadow of the trees. They were fleeting thoughts that spirited past her mind's eye. No! I can't think about this. Forcefully, she thought of the first other person she could. It happened to be Scott.
No! Not Scott. Don't think that. She pushed Scott back down into the murk and pulled up blindly at the next thing there: Logan. Logan. Yes, I can think of him. She tried to call up images of him, one after another: their conversations, his motorcycle tinkering, training together in the danger room. In the midst of this, she managed to speak. "You know of him, but you don't know him."
Jean's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean? He's a celebrity or something? Are you sure I don't know him?"
Logan. Logan. Logan. "Yes, I'm sure." A suspicious look passed over Jean's face and Ororo did her best to make her own face appear guileless.
"So it definitely wasn't Logan?" Jean asked, her eyes shooting into Ororo's as if daring her to blink.
Ororo's heart skipped. Why did she say that? He was right… But no. She stopped herself before her mind wandered too far. She could not think of that, of him, of last night. Concentrate on Logan. Logan. Logan. "Logan? What? Where did you get that idea?"
Jean shook her head. "Just…well, downstairs. You and Logan seemed jumpy around each other."
Logan. Logan. Logan. "Jean, Logan was jumpy because he doesn't want you to think any other woman may have caught his eye. He doesn't want you thinking you're not his one and only." Ororo laughed, but it sounded forced, or maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She forced herself to control her breathing and smile. "Now please, Jean. You're my friend. And we're friends enough for you to trust me and to…respect my privacy."
Jean glanced away for a moment, but exhaled and gave Ororo a little smile. "You're right. I just…" Her questions battled each other plainly on her face. Though Ororo could tell Jean was trying to contain them, they continued to push out. "It's just…why is it inappropriate?" Jean's smile dropped away and worry crept in. "It isn't a married man, is it?"
Ororo wanted to shout. It was too hard. This subterfuge, Jean's trolling, trying to think of anything but that which she most wanted to think about. But she wouldn't give up. Logan. Logan. Logan. Jean was her good friend, maybe her best friend. Of course she wanted to know. Of course she would press. But maybe, Ororo hoped, Jean trusted her enough to give her space.
"Jean, I can't talk about it!"
Jean's body stiffened and she looked away from Ororo. "'Ro, you wouldn't have an affair with a married man, would you?" Her words were quiet, almost fearful. They didn't even seem to be about Ororo anymore. Jean stared off in the distance as if Ororo had said something to hurt her, and Ororo gave in. An inch.
"No, I wouldn't," she said sighing. "All right? It's not a married man, but I still can't talk about it." Jean's shoulders relaxed. "Please Jean. I know this is strange. You're wondering why I would want to have a secret affair. It's complicated. Will you accept that, for me? And anyway, I might not even see him again. It's not…a sustainable kind of situation. I can tell you that much. So just don't worry, okay? Let me have this silly little private thing. You can still try to fix me up with those guys you meet at your conferences. Some nice, good-looking, responsible radiologist. That's what I need, right?" She smiled encouragingly at her friend.
Jean folded her arms and remained silent for a moment trying to decide whether or not to be upset. Finally, a crooked, begrudging grin broke through. "I never wanted to hook you up with a radiologist. He was a geneticist, and he was really nice." Ororo laughed and this time it felt natural.
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A/N: For those who aren't familiar with the comic book universe, Scott does think of other women, and does eventually leave Jean for another woman. The movie-verse is different but maybe there are whispers of the other timeline...