Ghosts in Westchester - REVIEW THIS STORY

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

Chapter 2

Logan

Jean had been hard to isolate since she returned to Westchester. I wasn't pressing her to be alone with me. No matter what I wanted I knew she wouldn't appreciate it if I jumped on her as soon as she walked through the gates.

I hadn't seen her in almost a year, except for that brief trip to Moscow about nine months ago. I backed off after Scott died. She wasn't available for much of anything then. She needed the time to deal with it all in her own way. Everyone knew that. I certainly did.

But I still tried to keep tabs on her. Scott dying the way he did... Scott dying period... it shattered her. All I wanted was to know that she'd be okay. I needed her to be okay. So I stayed close those first six months visiting her at her parents house or in Alaska when she went to take care of the house there.

Then she went off to Venice to meet LeBeau with Cable, 'Ro and Hank. From there she went to Moscow. Our group wandered over there early on in their stay. Jeannie looked as beautiful and tough as ever. I wish to hell I'd had more of a chance to talk to her. Things went down that took all of our attention and then Rogue brought us back stateside. After

that all I had to go on were the calls they made to update us on what was going on. I talked to 'Ro to make sure Jean was doing all right. I talked with Jean herself at times. She shuttered her reactions from me.

I'd be lying if I said that didn't bother me. I was used to being able to read Jeannie like a book. After Slim died the only way I could read her when she was working so hard to hide what she was feeling was by sense of smell. Talking to her over a vid-phone or a regular phone didn't give me the chance to use that sense. I had to take my queues from her and she wasn't giving me any.

When she came back to Westchester with the others she still kept her distance. She walked around the grounds like she was wishing she were any where but here. I guess I understood. Everything was a reminder. It was a little hard for everyone much less for Jeannie. She lost more than most of the others. I let her have her distance.

But when I saw her jogging up to the mansion glowing like a star I couldn't stay away. Maybe I should've known something was up right then. She hadn't looked like that in a long time. But she looked so beautiful at that moment that I didn't want to think about anything else.

I intercepted her before she reached the front steps. "Hey Jeannie."

She smiled at me but seemed to guard herself a bit. Her eyes flickered towards the door anxiously. I tried to figure out a way to let her know I wasn't trying to push. I took a deep breath trying to put my thoughts together just right.

And the smells washed over me.

There was the musky scent of sex mixed with Jean's distinctive fiery aroma. It was the other odor that hit me in the gut.

Spices and sweat, and as conspicuously male as an alpha wolf. The Cajun.

Her eyes met mine and I knew she knew what I had just been confronted with. Those emerald eyes held mine solidly, refusing to look away, refusing to be embarrassed or ashamed.

I almost didn't trust my own voice. "Can we talk, Jeannie?"

Her eyes moved towards the door again. "I was just going to talk to Nathan."

I shrugged. "Not a problem. I'll wait at the boathouse for you." It was a challenge. It was as clear as I could manage. 'Talk to me or I'll go talk to him. Your choice, Red.'

She sighed and I could practically taste him on her breath. "All right. Where do you want to talk?"

"Walk with me."

She nodded and came with me as I walked towards the woods. I didn't know exactly how to broach this. I didn't think I could even make the words form in my mouth. They scarcely formed in my *head*.

We walked for quite a while in silence. Finally I came out with it. "The *Cajun*?"

"Yes."

I glanced at her but she was looking straight ahead. Her voice was low and steady. I felt a tornado of emotions whirling around in my gut. *Not Jeannie... not with him.* I wanted to see some sort of regret about her, something that would tell me that this was just a meaningless fling. Anything to assure me of the fact that Jeannie *hadn't* really meant to be with him. The scents of the two of them mixed together, fire and spice and sex... female and male combined to create something so primal and beautiful I wanted to tear my heart out at the thought of it being *them*. "Jesus, Jeannie, it smells fresh."

She sighed. "It is."

"At least you ain't tryin' to hide it."

"I wouldn't insult you like that."

I turned sharply to face her. "Am I supposed to take this as anything *but* an insult?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Logan," she replied firmly. "This isn't meant to insult you or please you or anything. It's between Remy and me."

She was right, of course, because if we really wanted to put things in perspective this *didn't* have anything to do with me. But she was wrong, too. It had a lot to do with me. It had to do with me and Jean and everyone else that was a part of this group. This was going to affect everything.

She could see that, couldn't she? She wasn't blind. Jeannie could always see what was really going on.

"You talk like this is something serious between the two of you," I murmured.

Her eyes finally left mine and looked up into the trees. "Serious... well," a small smile played at her lips. "I don't know if it's there yet. Maybe it is. We aren't sure."

"We?"

"That's right," she nodded, then turned her eyes to me. "We've been involved for a couple of months now, Logan."

"With LeBeau?!"

Anger flashed her in eyes. "What is so unbelievable about that?"

"How much time ya got?"

"Look, I'm not stupid enough to think that everyone is going to accept this without question," she tossed her hair over her shoulder in an irritated gesture. "But maybe I'm hoping that the people who love us will give us the benefit of the doubt."

The benefit of the doubt? Was she kidding? There were too many things wrong here. This was LeBeau. Even on his best day he gave the impression that he'd as soon sell you out as watch your back. That was his game, to always keep you guessing.

I could appreciate it when he was just a teammate but I'd seen what his game had done to Rogue. I couldn't let him do the same thing to Jean.

"So what's the attraction?" I folded my arms across my chest.

Her eyes snapped. "Don't."

"Don't what?" I asked with all the innocence I could muster. It sounded like a mockery. How fitting. This entire conversation was a joke. The entire situation was a joke. LeBeau, for Chrissakes.

"Don't go there," Jean's voice lowered to something close to a growl.

"Hey, I'm curious," I shrugged. "I'm more than curious, I'm mystified." And everything started to snap into place. I'd seen the way she looked at him and the way he looked at her. I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it before. I couldn't believe I'd been blind to what was right in front of me. Anger boiled within me. Anger at Jeannie, at LeBeau, at myself, at everything.

At losing her again.

She was shaking her head, green eyes almost begging me to stop. Everything about her was screaming at me to not say another word. Jean always knew me so well. I guess she could see I was heading somewhere dangerous.

"LeBeau doesn't really have a lot in common with Scott, does he?" I raised one fist and snapped my fingers. "Ah, except for one thing...

now."

Her cheeks were flushed and she nearly quivered with anger. "Logan..."

I kept going. "He's a leader now, isn't he? Is that all there is to it? Take the helm and get you, too?"

She closed her eyes. There was a sick sensation in my stomach seeing her like this and knowing it was me that was doing it. Something wouldn't let me stop. Some piece of pride too wounded to back down. A heart too broken to not fight back.

"This is some revelation, Red. Here I thought there was more to you than that."

She opened her eyes and finally spoke. "What do you mean by that?"

I shrugged. "Just that if I'd known that all it took to win you was take over the position of leader I'd have done it myself. Maybe I would have found you in my bed."

Her lips tightened and her chin lifted. She was angry. I could smell it coming off of her in waves. I could see her debating what to say or do in response to that. I wanted her to. I wanted her anger to come back at me. I could deal with that. That was the Jeannie I knew. I wanted her so much to be the Jeannie I knew.

But she stopped quivering and just looked at me for a moment. Then she turned her back on me and walked away.

I could have gone after her.

I could have apologized.

I could have.

No. I couldn't. I let her walk away from me with my own hurtful words still fresh in her mind and I could smell salty tears as she disappeared from view.