Ghosts in Westchester - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Dandelion
Last updated: 07/18/2007 10:21:38 PM

Chapter 6

Ororo made me change from poker to gin where the odds were a little more in her favor and the conversation could flow more smoothly. She’d been filling me in on all the goings-on I had been too busy to notice since coming back. Apparently, Rogue and Katie were planning on competing against one another over who could create the best drink and Logan, Nate and Kurt were roped in to be the judges.

I hoped Hank was going to be on call for that one.

Conversation turned to Forge and ’Ro’s voice warmed up noticeably. Seemed like they were getting along again. I grinned at that. Stormy deserves to be happy and if Forge is the guy to do it, fine.

Like I had any room to casts aspersions. Maybe in the safety net of ’Ro’s affection I could fool myself into thinking that everything was going to go smooth when Jean and I told everyone about us but I couldn’t do it for long.

My mind wandered to the object of my affection and I wondered how she was doing. Jean had been gone a while and I didn’t like the way Logan had been hanging around outside the house before Stormy showed up.

Not that I thought he’d do anything to her. I just didn’t like it.

Jean came through the door then, though, and leaned against it after she shut it. ’Ro and I both looked up. "Hi Ororo," Jean smiled.

"Jean," Stormy’s lips twisted into a smug grin. "You’re just in time to witness Remy’s defeat at my hands."

"You’re sure of yourself," I grumbled. I hadn’t been paying any attention to the game, though, so it was my own fault.

"Yes," ’Ro replied simply. "I am."

Jean came over to the table, slipping her arms around my neck from behind and dropping a kiss on my cheek. "Hello, cher."

She started calling me that a while back and I have to admit I like it. Jean always did have a good sense of humor. She stayed like that for a while, her cheek pressed against mine, arms hung loosely around my neck and eyeing my cards. "How long have you all been at this?"

"Remy started off with poker," Ororo replied, "but I can only take being beaten so many times before I try to level the field, so to speak."

"So ’Ro comes up wit’ dis garden party game," I sniffed. Jean pinched my cheek affectionately.

"No need to prolong your misery," ’Roro grinned, laying her cards down.

"Gin."

"Merde. Guess I owe you dinner, huh, Stormy?"

"Stop calling me that," she gathered the cards neatly into a pile. "And yes, you owe me dinner. In the city."

"Right."

"You aren’t trying to steal my man, are you ’Ro?" Jean teased.

Ororo paused and looked up at us, her smiled widened. "I wouldn’t dream of it." She pushed herself away from the table. "And now, I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave."

Jean straightened, her brow furrowed. "Not on my account, I hope."

"Not at all," ’Ro stood up and hugged Jean tightly. "I’m very happy for the both of you but I know very well what a third wheel is. Besides, I promised Logan some of my time this evening. I think I have kept him waiting long enough."

Jean’s face was expressionless as she nodded at that.

I didn’t like that at all. Something had happened between Logan and Jean that was certain. Whatever had happened wasn’t good, that was even more obvious. I felt my chest tighten. ’Course, I was kidding myself if

I thought that would go smoothly. I knew how Logan felt about Jean and I knew how he felt about me. I could pretty much guess how he felt about the two of us together.

I stood up and placed my hands on Jean’s shoulders, leaning down by her ear and whispering: "You okay?"

She nodded briefly touching one hand to mine.

I caught ’Ro watching us by the door with a smile on her face. I grinned back at her and she waved goodbye as she left.

Jean looked up at me. "This isn’t going to be easy."

"Think I didn’t know dat already?" I snorted. "Though I did notice that Nate didn’t come gunning after me, how much did you have to pay him?"

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "I didn’t. You don’t have anything to worry about in regards to Nathan."

"Don’t know about dat," I sighed, running my fingers through her hair. "But if you tell me I don’t have to worry about him smothering me in my sleep I might believe you."

She was silent for a moment. "Logan knows."

The playful mood vanished as I nodded. "Yeah, I saw him hanging around outside looking more pissed off than usual. Couldn’t t’ink of many reasons for it."

She sighed and her brow creased. I felt the anger swirling around in my guts. Logan had done something that really upset her.

And that upset me. "What happened?"

Her eyes flickered to meet mine. "Nothing worth talking about."

"Jeanne..."

She shook her head. "All right, it is worth talking about but I’m not ready to do it. Not now." She sighed deeply turning to me and taking my hands. "Do you have any regrets?"

I shook my head. "None."

"Maybe I should ask you in a couple of weeks," her voice was touched with bitterness.

"Hey, Green-eyes, what are you thinking here? People don’t accept this with open arms and I’m gonna walk out on you?"

"I don’t think that."

"What is then?"

She reached up and touched my cheek, looking into my eyes. I felt her powers envelop me. She doesn’t read me, our powers don’t mesh that way, but sometimes she just touches me with her mind. It’s a mental embrace

every bit as real and strong as the physical. "I know you don’t like the way they treat you."

"Old news."

"Old wounds, you mean."

Damn, she was good. No, I didn’t like it, I never did. I didn’t do a thing to get anyone to think better of me but I figured that putting the time in would count for something. With some it did, with others... "I

have no illusions who’s more cherished by the team, Jeanne. I know there’s going to be a strong feeling among the team members that I’m sullying you with my presence."

"That’s their problem," she said fiercely, pulling away. "That is their. goddamn. problem."

"It’s different for them, Jeanne, you know that. They don’t have to let go." That was true, everyone else could hold onto Scott’s memory and it wouldn’t really interfere with their lives. It wouldn’t stop them from living and loving. Jean would have suffered holding on the way she was.

"I know," she leaned her forehead against my chest. "I wish you could do for them what you did for me."

I laughed at that. "I don’t think I’d be able to get away with it. Besides, you were willing to listen. The rest came later."

She pushed away and looked up at me again. Her eyes sparkled and I felt the overwhelming desire to postpone the rest of our conversation and just whisk her to bed. I also didn’t relish going back up to the mansion now that the news was out. I certainly preferred to stay in the boathouse with Jean and the specter of Scott hovering faintly about than

deal with the very real reactions of everyone else. At least Scott might get a chance to see that I was good to her.

"You’re spacing out, cher."

I met her eyes. "I was just thinkin’ ’bout Scott."

Her eyebrows lifted.

"Kinda hoping he’d think I was doin’ all right by you."

A smile spread across her lips. I thought about kissing her but she beat me to it. "You’re doing all right by me." She kissed me again. "Stay with me tonight, Remy. I promise to keep the ghosts away."

I looked down at her for a long time. There were still times when I was just floored by the way this had all turned out. How the hell had I stumbled into this? I tried to be a friend and a leader to this woman who had seen and lost so much and I ended up her lover. "I do believe you would."

But I realized that the ghosts didn’t bother me so much anymore.