TITLE: Confessions to a Wife (Part 2)

AUTHOR: Wic

WEBSITE: http://www.oocities.org/x_unleashed/Index.html

DISCLAIMER: The X-Men and all other Marvel characters belong to Marvel Entertainment.

RATING: PG for possible offensive language and terms (Mild)

SUMMARY: Jean confronts Scott about their crumbling marriage and the decision she's made.

FEEDBACK: I would greatly appreciate any constructive feedback or suggestions anyone may have. wic16@yahoo.com

CHARACTERS: Jean Grey and Scott Summers

AUTHORS NOTES: Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on the first chapter. It was read and very much appreciated.

Confessions to a Wife

Jean Grey-Summers sat on the bed she shared with her husband contemplating what her next move would be.

Earlier in the day she had returned home determined to reclaim control over her life and had been displeased to learn Scott was away with Emma. She had waited up for his return and had essentially ambushed him with the news that she was leaving after he tried to brush off her attempts to talk to him. She could see the anger in his face but wasn't sure what he was angry about. He could have been upset because she had slammed the door shut when he had tried to escape the room, or that she had told him she was leaving the school, New York and him, or that she had talked to Charles before him. Within moments she knew which one it was.

"You talked to Charles before you even talked to me?" Scott snapped angrily.

"Scott you were off with Emma and--"

"I was on a mission and you know it."

Breathing deeply she tried to settle herself down, not wishing to make this any harder than it needed to be. "Charles deserved to have me tell him I was leaving. I didn't know when you'd be back or if I'd get the chance to see him before I left in the morning."

It didn't surprise her that Scott seemed indifferent to the news that she was leaving. For a long time now their relationship had been deteriorating as the communication and connection essential for making any marriage work quietly began to disappear. He had become increasing distant, cold and unwilling to express any type of emotions he may have been feeling.

For her part Jean had been patient, well as patient as she could be given the circumstances. She had waited for her husband to open up to her, had even tried on many occasions to jump start dialogue between them, but he remained committed to shutting her out.

There had been times when his feelings toward her flooded her mind, but those were unguarded moments, usually when she was in some sort of mortal peril. But even in those moments, when his concern and affection was unobstructed, he always held a part of him back. Unwilling to allow that side of him to be exposed to her or anyone else. It was terribly frustrating.

She watched him, from her seat on their bed, cross the room and stare out into the endless sea of black that was night. His face hidden from her by the darkness.

"I don't get it. What's with the sudden decision? What happened while you were away that's making you run?" He asked evenly.

"Sudden?" Jean responded unable to disguise her surprise or irritation. "This isn't sudden. It's been coming for a while now. My trip had nothing to do with it, if anything it helped to clarify a few things."

She thought she saw him start to turn toward her but he stopped, sighing instead. "Then why now?"

To Jean it almost sounded as though he was bored, not really interested in their conversation but taking part because it was something he was expected to participate in. "Because" She began trying to keep her voice strong and composed "... I finally have the strength to go."

He said nothing, only nodded his head slightly and continued to gaze out the window.

As each moment of silence ticked by the red head could feel the increasing strain of the situation on her crumbling heart. They had been through so much during the years that it seemed impossible to believe they weren't capable of surviving this, what ever this was.

Finally he turned toward her, his features betraying nothing of what he might be feeling. "Well then at least tell me why you're leaving. I deserve that much."

"Why am I leaving? Because we're at the point where you have to ask me a question like that?"

His hand shot up and ran through his hair sandy brown hair in frustration. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"It means there once was a time when we knew exactly what other was thinking and feeling. There wasn't a need for--"

"That was a long time ago, a lot has changed since then." He interrupted his tone becoming almost regretful.

"Yeah I know. I just don't know why things changed."

He shrugged. "I guess sometimes they just do."

If that was suppose to offer her some type of comfort, it didn't. "That's it, they just do?"

"What do you want me to say?" He almost shouted.

Calming herself once more she replied. "I want you to tell me if you want me to stay."

"Of course I want you stay." He responded as if the question had been redundant.

"Why?"

Groaning Scott answered. "You're my wife."

Nodding a small sad grin crept upon her lips. For a long time that answer would have been enough for her, but not now. Being his wife seemed to be just something she acted out because she was so use to playing the part. His ever-increasing distance from her and their marriage destroyed any sentimental or emotional value it once had. She needed to know what 'You're my wife' meant to him. "What does that mean?"

"Oh come on Jean!" He said nearly yelling again.

She ignored his increasing anger and tensing muscles determined not to let him deter her resolve on the matter. "No, seriously Scott. I want to know what you think being you're wife means."

But she didn't give him the opportunity to respond; instead she succumbed to the pain and frustration she'd been enduring for so long, and lashed out. "I'll tell you what it means for me. I wake up each morning next to a complete stranger who would rather face death than talk to his wife. A person that hasn't shared one fear, one dream, one conscious thought with me in what seems like forever. Someone who doesn't touch me unless it's for sex, and that's all it is just sex. There's nothing more to it, it's just two people going through the motions. A man that has been on the verge, if not already engaging in an affair with Emma Frost for months. Is that wha..."

Scott didn't notice the sudden haunted look on his wife's face, he was too preoccupied with trying to defend or excuse all the accusations Jean has just flung at him. "Oh not this again. You wanna know why I can't talk to you? Why you make it so impossible? You have all these delusions running around inside your head that you can't let go of. Delusions of the past, of the way things use to be, the way things can never be again. You want me to be somebody that no longer exist and the thing about Emma you don't get... the reason it's so much more easier to talk to her than you, is because she doesn't have any expectations. She doesn't need me to be someone I'm not. I can be whoever I am when I'm with her without having to worry and that's something..." His voice just died away.

He hadn't recognized her pain expression, he had been to wrapped up in his own anger. But now he could see it, as plain as the morning sun in a clear blue sky. "Jean? Jean what's wrong?"

She didn't respond, couldn't. She was too focused on trying to keep control of her mind and body. So Scott just watched, helpless to do anything for her until finally, after several minuets, she was herself again. The same woman he had just been arguing with. "Jean are you alright?"

For the first time she noticed him beside her, his left hand at her back and his right tightly gripping her shoulder. "I'm fine." She managed weakly.

"Yeah I can see that." He replied unable to mask his sarcasm. "It's your powers isn't it?"

"No... I just... I need--."

Stepping in front of her, he lifted her chin with his thumb forcing her to look at him. "You told me everything was alright. That you had control over all this. Why'd you lie to me?"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled bitterly amused by his assertion that she had lied to him. Then she pulled away from his grasp. "I didn't lie to you. Things were fine. Everything was fine, everything made sense. I never felt more in control or saw things more clearly but lately... it's been different."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Although he was being sincere the question angered her. Not ten minuets ago the man had tried to flee from the room when she had tried to talk to him and now he was asking her why she hadn't told him. "You haven't exactly been making yourself available for open and honest conversations recently. Look I don't want to talk about this, alright."

"No it isn't alright Jean. You're acting like this is no big deal. That it doesn't matter, but we both know it does. Ignoring it, or pretending it's not happening isn't going to make it go away. You can't run from it, it's always going to be there, lurking, just waiting for the perfect opportunity when you're powerless and can't to do anything about it."

"Are you talking about me or you now?" She asked.

"This isn't about me."

Jean only grinned slightly, angering Scott even more. "We both know what happened last time the--"

He's forced to stop mid sentence when his wife crossed the room and exited into the hallway. For brief moment he stood in the room alone, stunned that his wife just walked out on him and then chases after her.

She can hear his hurried footsteps behind her, but he doesn't say anything. Too afraid he'll wake the other X-Men or some of the students. The last thing he'd want to do is have this out in front of other people.

They get to the garage and Jean walked toward her car with every intention of just driving off into the night and leaving all this behind her but when his hand tightly grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her, she acted without thinking. Using her telekinetic power she slammed Scott into the concrete wall some ten feet behind him. He hit with a hollow thud and fell in a heap to the floor, fighting to catch his breath and shake off his disorientation.

Horrified by her actions Jean can do nothing but just stand there watching the man she had pledged her soul to years ago struggle to get back on his feet. A tear followed by more begun to fall down her cheeks. "Scott?"

Supporting himself on the wall he picked his head up, still in some pain and looked to his wife. "Jean don't go."

"I have to. Everything's too complicated, too hard. I need time to sort through it all, away from here."

"Jean I'm scared of what will happen if you leave." He said his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm going to be fine. I promise."

Shifting his head slightly to the left he confessed "I know you will be but it's not you that I'm worried about."

All of a sudden she felt like she couldn't breath, like someone had punched her in the stomach. For him to admit such a venerability, especially now, sent a terrified chill up her spine. "What are you talking about?"

"You're the only thing I got stopping me from throwing away everything in my life that has ever meant anything to me. If you leave I won't be able to stop it from happening."

She stepped closer to him, taking his hand in hers and holding it firmly. "No that's not true Scott."

"You don't get." His voice is ripe with resentment.

"Don't get what? Scott you've been keeping me at arms length since--"

Pulling his hand from hers he turned away. "You want me to be someone I'm not."

"No. I want you to be who you are." She tried to reassure him.

"You won't like who I am." He said gravely.

She'd never seen him like this. So lost and distant. "That's not true Scott."

"Yes it is." The bitterness and anger returning to his voice. "You have no idea what I've become."

He was so desperate, so broken that she worried that maybe he was right. Maybe she didn't have any idea of what he had become. She pushed aside her doubt and fear and placed her hands on her husband's face, forcing him to face her. "You're still the man I fell in love with all those years ago."

"No." He smiled grimly. "I'm not. I can feel it in me. Coursing through my veins eating away at everything good and pure in me. Destroying all that I have ever loved or cared about. Just waiting to take me."

She didn't understand. "What is?"

"Evil."

"No. You'll never let that happen Scott." She told him believing it.

Without warning he takes her up into his arms and pulls her tightly to him, scared that if he loosened his hold she'd bolt. "I need you to stay." He breathed.

She couldn't tell him no, her heart wouldn't allow her to do that, not after what he had just confided to her. She had achieved what she had set out to do in many regards, but her main goal, to get away, sort out her own life and deal with what was building inside of her, had become a victim of her heart. She could not leave him like this but she just prayed this was a beginning of something more and not just another cruel glimmer of the man she married.

**************************

Stirring from her restless sleep she reached for her husband but touched nothing but the soft cotton of the bed sheets. So many times in the past she had woken to the same need to have him next to her and been disappointed. Turning to the clock on her nightstand she adjusted her eyes to read the bright red neon numbers, 5:29 am. She called out to him but there was no response. Getting to her feet Jean pulled on her uniform sweater and went in search of Scott, a part of her still concerned over what he had told her last night..

Stopping at the bottom of the staircase she started to turn right to head for the kitchen, but a noise to her left diverted her attention. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see if she could find the source of the sound, but saw nothing. So she moved quietly in the direction the sound had resonated from until she was standing in the doorframe of the common area, it's door slightly closed but open enough to see most of the room. She peered inside, not wishing to disturb anyone who may be in there and not her husband. But he was in there, however he wasn't alone.

In the center of the room stood her husband embracing the women Jean knew wanted nothing more than to seduce her husband. His hands were at her waist, and hers touching his cheek. Jean didn't want to see anymore but couldn't tare her eyes from the sight. And as she stood in the doorway she watched as the nightmare she had always feared played out. Emma, smiling shyly pulled Scott to her until their lips touched and he didn't pull away.

Every fear, horror, and nightmare Jean Grey-Summers ever had came true in that one moment, and as the rage at being betrayed consumed her, she no longer had a reason to fight the demons within. The unknown darkness that she feared was the manifestation of something she had been long ago, which had been seducing her finally claimed its vessel.

The door ripped from its hinges and exploded into a thousand splinters as it smashed in the stone fireplace. Scott and Emma both turned in surprising alarm at the sound but neither had time to notice the cracks forming in the floor above them. Nor did they have time to react as the room violently imploded and the ceiling came crashing down on top of them.