"I'm afraid someone came to the opposite conclusion," Peter said. "You think Scott was ready to give up on you, but couldn't accept that decision, so he took his anger out on Wolverine. But I think he was never prepared to give up on you. He just didn't love you the way he used to, realized he didn't love you enough, yet didn't know how to make up for what was missing. He attacked Logan only because he wanted more room to hold on to you."
Jean stared blankly at Peter, as though she had never expected him to say something like that. Her shoulders began to tremble. Peter reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be nervous. This is actually good news for you. If Scott's diminished love may have partly come from manipulation by the mastermind behind it all, while he himself never wanted to give up and was still struggling, then there might still be a chance for the two of you."
Jean swallowed. "You mean someone was influencing and guiding him, gradually weakening his feelings for me. But he didn't want that, so he was doing everything he could to win me back. And to keep Logan from taking advantage of the situation during that time, he kept targeting him?"
"Yes. Like an injured beast. To keep rivals from setting their sights on it, even when wounded, it would still bare its fangs and claws to show its strength."
"But I don't understand. Can one person's love for another really be influenced so easily? If someone could just say a few things and make Scott love me less, doesn't that mean he didn't love me enough to begin with?"
"I don't think so. As you said before, your need for security was almost