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10. Forgive the Lies

Neither Logan nor Scott came back home that night or the next day for that matter. Jean hadn't left her room since the day before and Ororo only left it to tend to her greenhouse garden. However, she still had her meals in her room, which Jubilee or Marie were gracious enough to get. Everyone was feeling the effects of the events of the day before.

It was the third day and the rest of the residents of the mansion had just finished dinner when Scott Summers walked in through the front doors. His forehead was bandaged although apart from that he appeared to be uninjured. Everybody present rushed to meet him.
“What happened homme?” inquired Remy.
“Yes my friend, you seem to have to taken a nasty hit. Maybe I should take a look at it in the infirmary” This was the doctor in Henry speaking.

Scott simply shook his head slightly in denial, “It’s alright Hank. Logan cleaned and bandaged the wounds.”
“Logan?” came the collective gasp.
“Did he hit you?” came a new voice.
Turning to the source of the voice Scott came face to face with Robert ‘Bobby’ Drake.
“Hey Bobby, how are you and what are you doing here?” asked Scott, shaking his hand.

Bobby Drake flashed a smile. “Well the Professor called me about a needing a substitute teacher. And I wanted to get away from Massachusetts for a few days. Working with Emma Frost takes a lot out you sometimes”, he said jokingly. “And its always great to get back home.”
Robert Drake had been one of Charles’s first students at the institute along with Scott, Jean, Ororo and Henry. He was now residing in Massachusetts, with his Fiancée’ Emma Frost. They both had started another institute like Xavier’s but aimed towards younger children. Both of them had planned with Xavier, that graduates would then be admitted at Xavier's for higher studies.
“Scott you just said Logan bandaged you? Did he hit you? Did you hit him back?” asked Marie.
“No, nothing of that sort. But I wish he had.” He said.
Ignoring the confused looks, he looked around “Where’s Jean?”
“She hasn’t left her room since you left” responded Marie.
Scott nodded and started moving towards the stairs.

Bobby was about to say something when he was stopped by Hank. “Let them go Bobby. “They need time *alone* to work things out.”

Five minutes later Scott stood outside his and Jean’s bedroom door. Making up his mind he turned the knob and opened the door.

The room was dark, but the bathroom light was on and Scott could make out the prone form of his wife. ‘His *wife* who had lied to him for over ten years.’ He thought, getting angry. Calming himself he spoke,
“Jean”
At the sound of his voice Jean lifted her head. “Scott……Scott is that you?”
“Yes Jean.” “Jean we need to talk.”
Jean lowered her head, “Yes, of course.”

Standing with this back to the door Scott took a deep breath and started speaking.
“What happened in the Professor's office the other day is regrettable, but in a way I am glad it happened. Things have been going downhill between us ever since Logan came here.”
“Scott….” started Jean, but he interrupted her.
“Please Jean. Let me finish first.”
“When we met for the first time I thought that you were single. I didn’t know that you were living with, leave alone dating someone else. And even when you told me about Logan before he came here, you said that he was an ex – boyfriend and that you guys had broken up on abruptly and unfriendly terms. I couldn’t think of any man who would be stupid enough to leave you. So I blamed Logan and even before I came I had developed a dislike for him. And that only increased after he arrived. His getting close to Ororo didn’t help matters either. I thought he would hurt her like ‘he’ hurt ‘you’. What I didn’t know was that it was the other way round.”
Jean simply lowered her head in shame.

“Jean, I am a man and I know how I would feel if I came home one day to find that my girl has left behind my back with another man. I cannot even bring myself to think that you would do such a thing. I thought if you could do such a thing you could the same to me. Maybe if tomorrow someone smarter and richer than me came along, I’d come home to find a note for me too.”
“No……….Scott….I lo……”

“Jean I trusted you. I trusted you enough to tell you my deepest, darkest secret. I trusted you enough to make you my wife and best friend. And you abused that trust. God knows what other secrets who have kept from me.”
Jean said nothing. Tears were flowing down her face. She realized that everything Scott was saying was true. If only she had been brave enough to tell him the truth. But now it seemed it was too late.

“I will be moving to the next room. I don’t want everyone else especially the students to know about our personal matters, not that they are private anymore.”
“You…You are….leaving me” said Jean between sobs.

“I would be lying if I said the thought didn’t cross my mind. I had made up my mind to get my things and move out, but something or rather I should someone made my rethink.”
“Who?” asked Jean softly.
“Logan” Scott spoke quietly.

At Logan’s name Jean winced as if she had been slapped. Scott had talked to Logan before coming here. What had occurred between those two?

Scott turned on the light and came towards Jean. Jean’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the bandage on Scott’s forehead.
“Scott…What happened?” she asked pointing at a bandage.
“Oh…this, I got drunk, fell down, hit my head on the curb, got knocked out. Logan saw me lying there, took me to his motel room, cleaned and bandaged my wounds.”

Jean was shocked by Logan’s actions towards Scott just a couple of days after they had almost been at each other’s throats.
“He did that?” she asked not believing what she had heard.
“Yes” said Scott lowering his head. “And you know what; his actions made me feel ashamed of myself and the way I treated him. But it was what he said to me that blew me away.”
“What did he say?”
“He said that I should return to the mansion and work out things with you and that its wasn’t worth losing each other over something that happened a life time ago.”

Not knowing what to say Jean kept quiet.
“He said that he had loved you once and although he will never forget the way you left him, he has forgiven you and moved on with his life.”

After a few moments of silence Scott asked, “Jean I want to know something.”
Jean looked up at him questioningly, “What?” she asked softly.
“Did you love me or was I a better deal than what Logan had to offer at the time.”
“I loved Scott and I still do.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me the truth.”
“In the beginning we were just friends. Logan was away on his work contract and I was lonely. But as we got closer, I fell in love with you in a way I was never with Logan. But I was afraid that if I told you about Logan and me, I’d lose you.”
“Then we moved away, and I still couldn’t gather the courage to tell you what I had done. And as years passed it didn’t matter so much, until…..”
“Until Logan came back” said Scott, completing Jean’s sentence.
Jean merely nodded her head.
“But you could have told me about it when I asked you about Logan for the first time.”
“I was afraid……”
“So you lied. And look where that lie has got us. It has got to a point I am not sure what to believe. I am not even sure if you are telling the truth now, that you love me.”
“Scott……please give me another chance. Please, I beg of you.”

Scott stood up from the bed.
“That’s why I am here Jean. But it is not going to be as it was earlier. I need time to heal and to learn to trust you again.”
Gathering his clothes, pillow and bed sheet he moved towards the door separating the two rooms.
“Good night Jean. Try to get some sleep.”
With that he moved into the other room and closed the door behind him.

It was Friday morning and Xavier had asked the senior teachers to come to his office.
Scott and Jean entered together and sat next to each other. Xavier could sense the tension between the two, but the fact they came in together meant that there was hope for them. He was still worried about Ororo. She had retreated into a shell and had stopped talking to anyone except Jubilee and Marie. It was Forge all over again.

Ororo entered the a few minutes later. From her bloodshot eyes and dark circles under them he knew that she hadn't been getting proper sleep. She took the seat to the far right, not even looking at Jean.
“Thank you all for coming. I have asked you here to take action against the two teachers we have discussed about.”
“As soon as Logan is here we can start.” As of on cue the deep thumping of Logan’s motorcycle could be heard.

Minutes later he entered the office. “Mornin’ Chuck. Let’s get this over with.” He said not looking at the other people present in the room.

Five minutes later Marie Darkholme knocked on the door of the professor’s office.
“Please come in Miss. Darkholme” answered Xavier.
“Professor you asked me to come immediately to your office. Is everything alright?”
“Miss. Darkholme a disturbing piece of information has been brought to my notice. It seems you had lied to us when you joined the institute.”
With that he began to tell Marie about what Logan had discovered. Marie had lied about her parents in her personal file. She had said that they had died in an accident, while in fact she was the adopted daughter of Raven, one of the most infamous Madams of New York. She work with Erik Lehnsherr and used her call girl business to persuade Erik’s business clients and then if need be blackmail them.

Xavier then showed the others the information Logan had given them. On seeing her photo Ororo realized she was the woman with Forge. That Forge had been was with another woman was bad enough but a call girl. It crushed her even more.
“Miss Darkholme do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Tears had welled up in Marie’s eyes. Wiping her eyes she told them the truth.
“Mah’ mama adopted me when ah was ten years old. But when ah was going to be eighteen she tol’ me about the work she did and that she was goin’ to put in the same line once I turned eighteen. Ah got afraid and ran away the very night Ah turned eighteen. Ah changed my last name and appearance. Then you found me and I was afraid if ah told you the truth then you would throw me out or worse send me to her. So I didn’ tell anyone.”

The Professor was quiet. He understood the Marie’s point, but the events of the week had greatly shaken him up.
“I’d like to believe you Ms. Darkholme but knowing your possible contact to Erik Lehnsherr it is very difficult for me to do so. However, in view of your past performance I will not be firing you, but you will be placed under probation for a period of six months. And you will need someone to vouch for you.”

Before anyone could say anything, Logan came forward “I’ll vouch for her and her actions” he said placing one hand on Marie’s shoulder.
“Logan you are a contract employee.”
“Yeah. But it was me who got you that info and anyways I am goin’ to here for a year. Enough time for her probation.” He said looking directly at Xavier.
“Very well. Ms. Darkholme, you will be under Logan’s supervision. And remember that any wrong action on your part will not only affect you but him as well.”
“Yes Professor” she said weakly.
“You may go now.”
As Xavier dismissed her, Marie turned around and hugged Logan tightly. “Thankya Logan. I promise I won’t do anything to cause you trouble.”
“I know darlin’. Now go rest. We’ll talk about it later.” He said trying to calm her.

Ororo’s felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. Logan used to talk to her that way, and she had gone and destroyed it. Just because she thought Logan to be the same as Forge.

After Marie left Xavier turned to the others. He had a serious look on his face “This next one may cause some problem” he said picking up the phone and dialing the extension.
“Mr. Creed please come to my office immediately.”





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