"How's it going, Red?"

"Fine, 'Ro."

"You look awfully sad today."

"I don't suppose you'd buy it if I said it was just the weather?"

Storm laughed and hooked her arm through her best friend's and they walked down the hallway together.

"Are you steering me toward the kitchen?"

"You make a mean mug of hot chocolate, Jeannie, and I think we need to talk over a couple."

"It's sunny and 82 degrees outside!"

"Lemonade then! We just need to talk before it starts raining inside."

"Why do you have to be so cryptic?"

"You know what I mean--we've got troubles."

"Logan and Rogue?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah, I know. I've tried to talk to him but he gets so defensive."

"Logan? No..."

"I'm serious, 'Ro. I don't want to go straight to the Professor because I think that would be jumping the gun, but I'm very close to being at my wit's end."

"I'm sorry. I can sympathize. He won't talk to any of us but I've seen him stop by a certain young lady's room some nights."

"Rogue?"

"None other."

"You don't suppose..."

"What?"

"You don't think they could be...doing anything... Do you?"

"Now who's being cryptic?"

"Well, she can control her powers and it's no secret that she never really got over him like we thought she would."

"True. Here we are."

They entered the kitchen and Jean set a pot of boiling water on the stove, having decided that hot chocolate was permissible in warm weather.

"So, Jean, exactly what do you think they could be doing."

"I don't know. Maybe I've got it all wrong and they just talk. But I don't think he'd be so sullen and she'd be so tired-looking if that's all they were doing."

"You think they're doing it."

Jean rolled her eyes and took two mugs and a covered plastic pitcher down from a cabinet.

"What's with the pitcher?"

"Oh, you shake up the water and the powder, then you make it half milk, half chocolate-saturated water and heat it up again. Can we get back on the subject?"

"Yeah, answer my question. Do you think they're having sex," said Storm, lowering her voice. Jean paused and glanced at the water on the stove before answering.

"I think that's a definite possibility."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. But I don't think he would take advantage of her like that. He may seem angry and mean, but he's a good person."

"Maybe he's not," Ororo said slowly, her eyes cast downward.

"A good person?"

"No, I mean maybe he's not taking advantage of her. Jean, I honestly think she'd do anything for him."

"Even let him--"

"Fuck her?"

"Storm!"

"Look, Jeannie, just because you and Scott 'make love' doesn't mean other people don't fuck. It's an escape mechanism sometimes. Maybe that's what it is for both of them."

"So now you're assuming that they're definitely having sex?"

"Now that you've brought it up, yes. I am."

Jean mixed up the chocolate and water in the pitcher and shook it thoughtfully. As she added milk to each mug, she continued.

"What makes you assume that?"

"Well, you mentioned Logan's feeling sullen--maybe it's guilt. And I'll bet you can now hazard an educated guess as to why she looks so tired. I'll bet the man's a tiger in bed."

"Ororo Munroe! How can you joke about a thing like this! It's unhealthy physically and emotionally for both of them, their conflict is going to bleed over eventually and everyone will be affected, Rogue is unstable enough as it is... I would worry about what she might do to herself..."

"Okay, alright, Jean, I'm sorry! Can I have my hot chocolate now?"

"No, I have to reheat it still. And is that all you can say to me? Can I have my hot chocolate now? You're the one who said we needed to talk."

"I know I did and, Jean, I also know you're worried but I think this is something that we should let them try and work out for themselves first. Let's give them a while."

"Storm, do you know how long they've been like this?"

"I know it's been a few months. How long have you been seeing it?"

"Almost since he got back. That's almost two fucking years, 'Ro, Jesus!"

Storms eyes widened at her friends use of the words "fucking" and "Jesus" in such rapid succession. Jean never swore unless she was tremendously upset.

"You're right, but if they've been doing this for so long and we're just now figuring this out. Maybe they can handle it a little longer, until they fix it."

"You think they're going to 'fix it,' just like that?"

"I think we should give them another month maybe, then you and I should try to talk to each of them or something."

"Or something?"

"We'll figure it out if we have to. I think being aware is okay, but at this point, meddling in the situation could make things worse."

"So we just wait..."

"I think so. For now."

Jean didn't say anything and merely sipped her finished mug of hot chocolate. The sun dimmed a little as Ororo drained her own.

*End.*