The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #00 Prologue (“Only a Matter of Time?�)



Salem Center, New York
Friday, September 17th 2004
11:55 am EST


“…and that’s yet another reason why the issue of global warming and our impact on the environment is so important; not just to post-industrialized nations such as the United States, but the world community as a whole—“ Ororo paused for a brief moment, reaching out to the edge of her desk to steady herself. The room spun just briefly, and she had to take her eyes away from the silk screen projector image behind her. Leaning against the desk, she sat on its edge for a few seconds as she tried to remember the rest of her lecture.

The students must have thought it was time for last-minute questions, as several hands went up in the dimly lit room before her. Monet and Everett exchanged looks briefly when their raised arms weren’t acknowledged. Lowering her arm slightly, Monet craned her head around Jubilee’s teased pigtails. “Ms. Munroe? Are you alright?�

Turning away from the light of the projector attached to the ceiling, Ororo tried to compose herself as the room slowly stopped spinning. Carefully, she answered, “Yes Monet. I’m sorry I lost my train of thought there for a moment…You know, it’s close enough to lunch. If you guys don’t get in any trouble, I’m okay releasing you a few minutes early. Just make sure you’re in the Mess at 12 o’clock—sharp. Okay?�

She barely got the last word out before the room was a cacophony of chairs scraping the floor, books slamming and backpacks zipping. The heavy oak door to the spacious room was cast open like that of a prison finally escaped, and Ro was just quick enough to stop the inevitable bounce against the wall with a carefully constructed cushion of air. A little exasperated, she called out, “Slowly, guys. Don’t run anyone over.�

Beside her desk, Monet was slow to pass, finally stopping completely and waiting silently to be addressed. Looking up, Ro almost appeared not to have noticed her, lost in her own thoughts. “Monet?�

“Ms. Munroe, are you sure you’re okay? You look a little tired. I can go get Mr. Summers, if you want me to.�


The thought of Scott looming over her like a doting mother flipped her stomach. Well, she thought that was the reason she suddenly felt nauseous. Shaking her head, she patted Monet’s back, the girl’s bone-straight ebony locks falling over her shoulders in cascades. “No Hon, that won’t be necessary. I’m just fine. I think I had too light a breakfast this morning, that’s all. Now go ahead and catch up with the others. You don’t want to miss the a la carte.�

“Yes ma’am.� She smiled at Ororo, still clearly concerned but didn’t want to press the issue. As she left, Ro made a mental note to remind herself how perceptive and astute that one was. The girl didn’t miss much.

Once alone, Ro gathered her teaching materials, quickly noting the place in her lecture where she’d stopped in order to pick up the next day. She tried not to think much about the fact that she’d definitely been feeling under the weather lately. She was certain whatever this odd sensation she’d been battling the last couple weeks, it had nothing to do with seasonal colds.

“Ro? Hey, I thought I’d still find you here.� Beth poked her head inside the door several minutes later, then fully rounded the corner into the room. Dressed down in a light elbow-length shirt and jeans, the stand-in instructor also had her long dark locks pulled back into a girlish top knot that reduced her years facially.

Smiling at her sister, Ororo non-too consciously schooled her thoughts—a psi-shield or two rising—though she knew Beth wasn’t the type to intrude. Actually, the telepathic Xavier sister preferred to have others do the blocking for her anyway. “Beth. What’s up?�

Placing a hand on her hip, Elizabeth’s dazzling lilac eyes sparkled as she watched her sister and shook her head. “You forgot. That’s okay.�

“Forgot what?� Ororo’s brow furrowed as she tried to run her daily agenda through her head quickly. It was noon, so she planned to grab a quick bite to eat (assuming her stomach would settle long enough to feel hunger) before her afternoon classes. She couldn’t think of anything she’d missed—

“Your interview.�

“Oh, sh—“ Gathering her belongings quickly, she headed toward Beth and the door.

Following her out, Beth quickly caught up with her sister. “Scott’s keeping him occupied in the office. Ro?�

The frazzled headmistress didn’t slow as she hurried down the halls of the Xavier Institute, inwardly admonishing herself for setting the employment interview so close to the end of her morning classes. She wanted to make a good impression on this one; he seemed to be a pretty good prospect and if he panned out they would be able to cut back Marie’s coursework; the Grad student was over-worked and sleep was a foreign concept to her these days as she did her best to help out around the under-staffed school. Glancing at Beth, Ro mumbled, “Hm?�

*Are ye okay, Luv? Y’don’t look well…*

‘Why does everyone keep asking me that?’ Ro thought with a level of annoyance she did well to hide from her sister. “It’s nothing, Beth. Just a rough start to the semester, that’s all. I’m always burned out the end of the first week—Oh, has he been waiting long? Our appointment was supposed to be noon.�

Ignoring the subject change, Beth glanced at her watch as they both rounded the next corner, and could hear low, muffled male voices in conversation. “Not long, I think. Besides, Scooter’s had his ear pretty much since the guy hit the door. They’re practically best friends.�

The two chuckled at that, and it was hard for Ro to keep the knowing smile off of her face as she came to the Headmaster’s office door to see the two in comfortable positions around the desk her father used to run his school from. Scott was perched on one corner, his arms crossed but relaxed as he was ready to reply to something the man had said, but caught sight of Ororo and Beth in the door frame.

“Ro. Sorry, I don’t mean to get in the way; I just couldn’t help—“

“That’s okay, Scott.� She gave him an appreciative smile as she set her things down on the wide oak desk and stood next to him, facing her interviewee. “I’m just glad our guest had someone to play host while I lost track of time. I apologize, my class just got out.�

The man smiled at her easily, taking her offered hand and squeezing it as they shook. Through the dark locks of hair falling in his face, bright blue eyes pierced hers momentarily before they separated. “That’s no problem. It’s my fault, actually. I always show up too early for job interviews. It’s a nasty habit, but Mr. Summers here was kind enough to give me a tour of the facilities.�

“Oh, was he?� Ororo exchanged looks with Scott, who barely kept from smiling and rolled his eyes away skyward as if he was completely innocent. “It sounds like you’ve made quite the impression on our Headmaster.�

The man chuckled a little nervously and Scott couldn’t help elbowing Ro just a little as she took the manila folder from him containing the applicant’s résumé and work references. The room was silent for just a few moments while she scanned the impressive work history. After a couple seconds more, she raised her eyes to the attractive man, and smiled genuinely. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting in the next room, I’ll be with you in a moment.�

Beth took a cue and motioned to the man. “Follow me, sir. I’m sure traipsing across the school’s got ye pretty parched. Tea?�

“That sounds good. Shall we?� He offered his arm like the true gentleman, and a little surprised, Beth took it, glancing behind her at Ro with a slightly ruby smile before they parted, closing the door behind them.

Once they were alone, Ro took the seat behind the desk, and Scott turned to her, sliding up on the wood a little more. He let her read through the materials a little longer, almost waiting for her to say something first.

“So?�

He chuckled at her forward, no-nonsense single-word question. Raising a shoulder, he almost seemed apologetic. “Hell, I like the guy; I’m not going to lie. He’s got three more references than we asked for, two of which are universities, I might add.�

“I see that.� She kept her eyes on the résumé.

“And he’s cross trained; we can probably have him take three different subjects. He double majored in World History and Engineering, has a minor in Economics—Ro, this guy’s a dream come true.�

Sliding the references back into the envelope, she crossed her fingers beneath her chin, marveling up at Scott with a grin. Pointedly, she asked, “He’s a White Sox fan, isn’t he?�

Scott burst out into laughter, shaking his head in admonishment. “Oh my God, Ro! What, there’s something you don’t like?�

“I see you didn’t deny it.� She smirked, but paused before answering his question. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it, but there was something about the over-qualified applicant that she just could shake. It had something to do with the way he’d looked at her. It wasn’t inappropriate, but…familiar, nonetheless. Inwardly, she knew she’d be a fool to let her own personal mistrust of strangers (something she dealt with from a child) get in the way of a very promising prospect. Scott was right; with this one addition, they could probably drop both Marie and Beth, allowing the two sisters to return to their own lives. It was the perfect solution.

“Ro?� Scott was a little concerned now at her hesitation. “If there’s something you’re picking up please, let me know. But from where I’m sitting, this guy’s the genuine article. Oh, and he’s a mutant.�

“Really?� She didn’t recall reading that in his bio. She and Scott both thought it would be better to ask that question on the general application form. Not that it would deter them from hiring non-mutant instructors, but they felt in the interest of the students, it was something that should at least be taken into consideration. “What’s his gift?�

“Energy Absorption.� Scott answered conversationally, moving some of her papers around the desk. “We could probably convince him to help with the new course on Powers & Responsibility.�

Ororo nodded, deciding she was being silly with her reservations. Still: “Well, I’ll tell you what. I’m going to sit down with him for a while, see if I can get a better feel for him. Check out his references—yes, again—and if everything’s on the level, we’ll offer him a deal Monday. Sound fair?�

They shook on it, and almost as if on cue, a knock came at the door before Beth opened it, smiling at her sister and Scott. She and Ro exchanged looks indicating the Headmistress was indeed ready, and Beth opened the door wider, allowing the pleasant smile of their interviewee to glow past her.

Ororo indicated the seat before the desk, and the man brought his cup of tea with him, sitting easily and eyes trained on Ororo. “Scott, Beth. If you’ll excuse us, I think I’ve had our guest waiting on me long enough.�

The two nodded, and Scott followed Elizabeth toward the door. As the man took a sip of his tea, Summers couldn’t help but silently mouth ‘dream come true’ again, angling his head toward their guest. She tried not to smirk, all professionalism as the door closed behind him. Smiling warmly, she sat behind the desk, her right hand lightly fingering the edge of the folder holding the man’s reference materials. Her mind sifted through a dozen or so questions she’d asked the previous 17 applicants she’d seen in the past weeks, searching for the perfect one to start with. He never gave her the chance, however.

“Before you ask me anything Ms. Munroe, can I just tell you a little about myself? I think if I tell you why I want to teach here, it’ll tell you more about me than you wanted to know.� He chuckled a little at that, almost nervously.

She smiled, appreciating his admitted awkwardness. It did a lot to settle her misgivings about him. “I’d like that very much.� She stopped fingering the envelope, folding her fingers in her lap and sitting back in the comfortable chair as if ready to hear a good tale. “So Mr. North: tell me a little about yourself.�



About 90 minutes later, Ororo stood on the front steps of the school as she saw her new instructor out. The formal interview was over, and the man all but had the job, but still she told him he’d hear from them on Monday to cement things. He shook her hand, holding it between both of his, and smiled at her in thanks. He looked forward to teaching at the finest institution in Westchester County. Waving him off, she sighed, feeling much better about her decision. That feeling lasted all of another 30 seconds before her stomach suddenly roiled, and Ro found herself hurrying back inside the mansion. The nearest downstairs bathroom was barely near enough as she leaned over the commode and what little food in her stomach from late the night before (she’d lied about a light breakfast; “light� meant nothing in actuality) splashed into the circular opening. A couple heaves later, Ro sat shaking beside the toilet then crawled to her knees, wetting a paper towel to press against her hot cheeks. For the life of her she couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She had the same thing to eat as Scott and Beth and half the student body; she didn’t catch colds or flues…

“Oh God…� She shook her head as a flash of a late night over three weeks ago suddenly popped into her mind. Her thought processes came to a screeching halt before she’d allow them to go any farther.

Cleaning herself up, she stood to look in the mirror, her worried, blue-eyed reflection staring back at her. She wouldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be…

“No, Ro…you were careful. You two were always careful.� She splashed water on her face again, then patted it dry, as if the longer she took the more she could convince herself. Heading back to her office, she slid open the top drawer and pulled out her date book, flipping through pages from July, August, September—

Son of a bitch. “I’m late.�




Outside and down the winding drive, the modest four-door sedan pulled away heading toward the street. At the gates, the man in the driver’s seat flipped out a small device that looked like a cellular phone. It wasn’t. No sooner had his car turned the corner, his dark hair rippled, turning a dirty blond. His goatee disappeared completely and he took off the non-prescription glasses covering his stark blue gaze. Looking at himself in the rearview mirror, Christoph Nord only smiled and laid his foot to the floor.



TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #01 Thinking of You, Part 1


Salem Center, New York
Monday, September 20th 2004
4:50 pm EST

The late afternoon sun drifted through the windows of the headmaster’s office, across the dark wood desk completely covered with papers. The total disarray was very much unlike Ororo, but a true testament to how busy she’d been since accepting the primary role of headmistress over her father’s school. Though she technically shared the position with Scott Summers, they both decided to leave the majority of the administrative duties to her, while Scott dug his heels into a more hands-on approach with the students, wearing a ‘Dean of Students’ hat among others.

Now beginning the second week of the fall semester, she was just able to squeeze in time to tackle the numerous small hills of paperwork rolling across her wide desk before the school day ended. Not that she was currently looking at any of that work…

Past the empty desk and chair in the Headmaster’s office, through the adjoining smaller study office that Scott often used, one of the downstairs washrooms was occupied, it’s door closed and only the light from the incandescent bulbs above coming through the other side. Inside that room, the slim form of the Xavier Institute’s headmistress sat on the closed lid of the toilet, her shoulders slumped and head resting in her delicate hands. Barely moving, her cascading white locks parted to reveal a worried pair of bright blue eyes as they roved over the edge of the nearby sink, where the thin piece of plastic rested precariously.

It had been over 15 minutes, but she still hadn’t looked at it. In truth, she didn’t have to; Ororo already knew the answer. After 16 years like clockwork, it was the first time her cycle was ever late.

“Just get up…� she whispered to herself, still as stone as she eyeballed the home pregnancy test on the side of the sink. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and her stomach rolled in anticipation as she just reached over as far as her arm and back would allow, snatching the infernal thing between her fingertips. Running a shaky hand down her face, she sighed, then looked down.

It wasn’t pink.

It wasn’t blue.

“What the fuck?� she swore vehemently, and tossed the used device in the plastic-lined waste can with the other two. About to pull her hair from the roots, she grabbed the box and read over the directions for a fourth time. ‘Pink means No, Blue means Yes.’ Grunting in frustration, she slapped her knee with the box as she looked up to the ceiling for help. “What the hell does purple mean??�

‘Time to call the Gynecologist.’ Her mind supplied. Looking at her wrist watch, she saw how close it was to 5pm. If she was lucky, they may still answer the phone. She needed proof positive, and since the take-home tests couldn’t make up their minds, a professional would have to be brought in.

Moving like a whirlwind, she flew from the bathroom back to her office, temporarily forgetting the evidence left there, and flipped quickly through her rolodex until the OB/GYN’s office number came up. When the line rang a third time, she almost swore again out loud at the thought of living another day without knowing for sure.

“Dr. Matthews’ office, how may I help you?�

Several minutes later, Ororo threw her head back against the leather chair, drumming her fingers repeatedly. The best they could do was Wednesday, which was still a minor miracle considering. ‘Thank the goddess for last minute cancellations.’

Just then a knock on her door brought her out of her chaotic thoughts and she welcomed whoever it was. One of the housekeeping staff members smiled pleasantly, pointing to the wastebasket beside her desk. Handing it to the man, she suddenly glanced toward the bathroom. While he emptied the office trash, she moved toward Scott’s office. “I’ll get the others for you.�

“Oh, it’s no problem, Missus. I’ll be out of ya hair in a moment.� The man turned to roll the larger bin in her direction.

“It’s alright, Jake. I’ve got it.� She was already inside the smaller office, but went directly to the washroom instead, tying up the bag and stuffing it inside the waste basket liner from Scott’s office on her way back.

No doubt surprised at her insistent help, the man took the trash from her, nodding his thanks. “Well thank you. Have a good day.�

Ororo smiled a little tightly, nodding. She watched him leave, then went back to the bathroom and did a quick sweep to make sure she hadn’t forgotten any evidence. Satisfied, she was on her way back out when she almost ran into Scott and their new instructor coming to her office.

“Ororo! How was your day?� Scott asked conversationally, completely ignorant of her startled expression.

She tried to reply in kind, but somehow felt they could see right through her. ‘Get a grip, Ororo.’ “Oh, same as last week: busy. How about you guys? Mr. North, are the teaching and living accommodations suiting you?�

The darker-haired man smiled easily, but his eyes kept the strange lock on her. “Ororo, please call me David. And yes, everything’s even better than I expected. This place is a real gem among private schools; I’m surprised more people aren’t knocking down your door to teach here.�

“Oh they are.� Scott laughed, rounding the desk and flipping through some of Ororo’s paperwork.

“Yet we’re still so understaffed? The unattended classes and the ratio of students to instructors—“

“Will be addressed.� Ororo interrupted, maybe a little tersely. “As I mentioned last week, we’re in the middle of a restructuring endeavor after my father…passed. The students and their parents were made aware of some of these issues, including the temporary staff shortage and they’ve been very understanding in light of everything.�

Her answer obviously seemed to take him back a little, but he recovered quickly, shelving whatever his response was going to be in lieu of a simple nod. “I meant no offense…�

“Oh, none was taken, David.� She didn’t look at him as she said this, coming to the desk where Scott was giving her ‘a look’. “Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’m right in the middle of some long overdue paperwork.�

David nodded without another word, while Scott slowly moved to join him toward the door. “Dave, I’ll meet you in the Media Room, alright?�

“Certainly. Ororo…�

She glanced up to him, nodding quickly before burying herself in the expense reports that were a week behind. She was fully aware of Scott’s presence still in the room but chose to ignore him, knowing full well he wasn’t leaving without saying something. She didn’t have to wait long.

Closing her door behind the departed North, he turned slightly incredulous eyes behind his tinted specs toward her desk. “Ororo.�

“Yes, Scott?�

“What the hell was that?�

Her pen continued scribbling; the adding machine’s tape clicking as she flew through the school’s expenses, marking what could be deducted come tax time. Purposefully distracted, she reminded herself to go online later that evening and purchase a business copy of Quick Books. She was about to drive herself mad doing this shit by hand. After a time she finally replied, “Excuse me?�

“Don’t ‘excuse me’, Ororo. You were almost rude to David just now. What’s going on?� His voice softened as he watched her carefully, concern coloring his approach now. As an afterthought, he added, “You know, you’ve been a little moody lately. Well, more so than usual.�

Laying her pen down soundly, she gazed up at him with a pointed stare and it was on the tip of her tongue to say something that involved several four-letters words about where Scott could go, when Ro suddenly brought herself up short. She realized her mood had nothing to do with him—or David North—and she needed to get a serious grip. Picking her pen up but only rolling it between her fingers, she looked thoughtfully at it for some time. “Scott, you of all people know what kind of stress I’m under here. I thought that Mr. North would be able to handle a less-than-ideal situation—what with all his credentials and experience—so he’s the last person I thought would come in here complaining about the work load.�

“I don’t think he was complaining. Matter of fact, I tend to agree with him.� Scott crossed his arms over his chest, visibly steeling himself for the response his statement was sure in invoke.

“Really?� She peered up at him, ready for a fight. “Then I guess you’re volunteering to double the interviews so we can fill the empty teaching slots?�

Scott’s eyes widened, then he chuckled to himself, realizing he was never going to win this argument. Stepping up to her desk, he came around and leaned against the drawers next to her, looking down into her irritated face with a contemplative expression. “Ororo, I’m not here to bust your balls—“

“I certainly hope not.�

“—but seriously, we have to do something about the workload. David is doing a great job and trust me, he’s not trying to slack off; actually, he’s got some really good ideas about adding to the curriculum.�

“Yes, I know.�

“But that won’t matter if we can’t get more instructors here.�

Suddenly tired of this conversation—she’d been weighing the issue in her mind for weeks anyway—Ororo met his gaze. “And just what are you proposing, Scott, that we just hire the next applicant off the street? My father had high standards for this school; ones I aim to keep in mind when hiring people that are going to do more than just ‘teach’; these people are influencing the next generation of mutants. I want to make sure that it’s a positive one.�

“So do we.� Scott squeezed her shoulder. “That’s why I think you need to call Beth and Marie back. See if Brian and Kurt can step in as well—“

She was already shaking her head at that. “Scott, I just let my sisters off the hook; you want me to call them back? I can’t go running to my family every time there’s a bump in the road around here.�

“Why not? Isn’t that what they’re for?� he asked quietly.

She paused, then rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She really just didn’t feel like doing this with him right then, especially since the nausea was threatening to come back. Trying to hide her placating tone, Ororo replied, “I won’t make you any promises, Scott; but I’ll think about it, okay?�

He nodded, sensing somehow that she wasn’t in the mood to discuss this. Standing, he hesitated for a brief moment once he reached the door, turning to her. “Roro?�

“Yes?�

“You’re really looking tired these days. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, so if you ever need to talk—“

“I know where your room is.� She finished for him. Before he closed the door, she added quietly, “Scott? …Thanks.�

He nodded, the door clicking silently behind him. Ro sat back in the chair, wishing she could talk to him about what was going on in her head, but somehow sensed he was the last person that would understand. Besides, she wasn’t even sure herself what was going on. It could just be stress. After all, three home tests returned unsure results.

Sighing heavily, Ororo tried to push the thoughts back into the darker corners of her mind, realizing that right at that moment the expense reports needed the most attention. Everything else would just have to be dealt with in its own due time.




The Principality of Madripoor, Madripoor City
Tuesday, September 21st, 2004
4:50 a.m. Local Time

The sleepless ‘Red Light’ District of Madripoor’s self-titled, largest city was of course in full swing. It was the peak of the nightlife hours, to soon dissipate with the coming of dawn. But that was a few hours, yet; plenty of time to get the day’s recon done.

Staring out of the third-story window of the hole-in-the-wall hotel on the comically named Americana Street, Logan’s eyes darted over the faces of the people below him as he searched the wild, partying crowds for a particular visage. While his outward demeanor spoke of alert, no-nonsense priority, inside his head he was in a whole different place.

In the three weeks or so since he’d left The States—since leaving Her—he’d been struggling to keep his mind on his job. Logan knew it would be the best thing he could do to honor their affection for each other by doing his job and doing it well. For the first few days or so after he’d left New York, he honestly believed he could do this: keeping his distance from Ororo. However, as the days grew to weeks, he found that her ten-digit cell number kept recycling itself in his mind when he should have been remembering mission dates, times and codes; every airy, feminine laugh around him brought back memories of chasing her in the beach sand behind his summer home or…

Narrowing his gaze, Logan blinked several times to clear his thoughts from going where they often yearned every time he was alone for more than five minutes. As he returned to eyeing the denizens below in the packed street, a glimpse of a dark-skinned, elegant tourist amidst the throngs of half-drunken anarchists played a cruel trick on his senses, and for a brief moment he saw bright white hair to match the smooth brown skin, before the woman turned and smiled to her companion, and he realized it was not bright blue eyes or calf-length cloudy tresses complimenting her slender form.

“Shit.� Logan turned away from the window briefly, actually rubbing his somewhat tired eyes, realizing he’d been up for more than 24 hrs straight, watching the streets of Madripoor like a hawk. There were other members of his team in adjoining rooms of the hotel, but they were resting while he took the roughest hours to stay awake. That of course wasn’t his problem; it was staying on task while he was awake that the Colonel seemed to have the biggest problem with.

Twisting the cap off of a bottle of water, he guzzled it wishing it was hard liquor the whole time, but knew even the short bliss of intoxication (when he could reach it) wouldn’t wipe the memories from his mind or his heart. Turning toward the clean but small bed in his room, he watched the lights from the window play across the sheets he’d not slept in since they arrived almost exactly a month before. They couldn’t compare to those that he could still remember held the smell of her hair and her warm body, as he’d held her close one last time that night…


Late into the night of August 22nd…

Their footsteps padded quietly up the brownstone’s stairs toward her bedroom, but all the time he could hear his own heart beating wildly in his chest and his ears. His hand was warm in hers, and he squeezed it reassuringly, promising her she hadn’t made a mistake in opening her door—or her heart—to him.

Ororo smiled to herself, away from his gaze as she turned to close the door behind them. She could sense him behind her close, and barely heard the oft-reassuring, low, rumbling ‘purr’ from deep in his chest. When she faced him, it was to see him turned away from her, looking around the bedroom, as it was the first time he’d been here. She could see the tense muscles beneath his dark shirt, and it was her only indication of the turmoil that must have been going on in his mind.

Several moments passed wordless between them, as Logan closed his eyes, trying to piece together the best place to start his sordid past—and present—with the clandestine Section X department, and also worrisome of whether her knowledge of it could put her in jeopardy. His concern was interrupted when he felt a pair of cool hands reach from behind him, circling his thick torso to spread against his chest. When she pressed her body against him, her cheek resting against the back of his head, he inhaled sharply at the unmistakable feeling of bare flesh against him.

“Logan…you’re so tense. Tell me what’s wrong?� her voice was low, barely a whisper and so full of obvious concern and love that he shuttered a moment before his hands came up to grasp hers, pulling her naked body even closer if possible. His head dipped as he watched the floor for a moment in contemplation.

“Nothin, Darlin’. Believe it or not, right now everythin’ feels just right.�

Her smile behind him was palpable as she laid a ghost-like kiss against his wild dark hair. He sighed, some of his pent up stress dissolving. She nibbled on his ear and he fought the butterflies in his gut. When her tongue flicked a hot wet trail down the side of his neck toward his collarbone, he moaned.

“Ro…mmph…aren’t we supposed to be uh, talking?�

A throaty giggle was her immediate response before Ororo countered, “So talk.�

Logan shook his head, trying to compose his thoughts again—‘Where to start?’—when her hands then snaked beneath his shirt, caressing him before one naughty delicate finger decided to start a five-fingered discount, beginning in his pants. The second he felt her close on his hardening penis, Logan had enough. “Ah hell…�

Whipping around quickly, he grabbed her close to him, growling as he buried his face in her bosom. Pushing Ro back toward the bed, they tumbled among the sheets and she gave out a laughing yelp when the bed groaned in protest beneath his weight. Her laughter seemed to echo in his ears as Logan stared down, leaning over her as the moonlight reflected off of her silver-white tresses—


Outside the hotel in Madripoor, car horns threatened to break his reverie, but even the ruckus outside couldn’t drown out the sustained echo of her laughter as it traveled through space, time and his memories to torture Logan again as it did every day he thought of her. Sighing deeply, his olfactory senses—as acute as a photographic memory—brought back the scent of her soft flesh as he’d kissed her neck, her collar and shoulders. He could still feel her hand caress his face before one of them whispered to the other in the night.

“I love you.�



“Boss?�

Startled but barely able to hide it, Logan turned his head slightly toward the door behind him to see Ben Campbell standing there, the young mutant dressed in the dark Kevlar-lined suits required for use during field missions in hostile territory. Atop his short-cropped hair a pair of expensive night-vision binoculars rested, turned off. Taking in his appearance, Logan pulled on his own sleeve, realizing it was 5 a.m. and time for the shift change.

“Get any rest?� Logan walked back over to the window where he’d been stationed, peeking through the drapes.

“With this mess outside?� Ben jabbed a thumb toward the noise of the partygoers. “Slept like a baby.�

Logan almost chuckled, his eyes focused again on the street below. Ben came up beside him and the two took opposite sides of the window as Ben fine-tuned his night vision specs, envying his superior who didn’t need them. After several moments, Ben quietly asked, “Pardon me, sir, but are you horning in on my watch?�

Logan looked up at him, realizing he should’ve been on his way out, switching rooms with Ben while the younger man took his place at watch. The thought of being with his lonely heart and sharp memory wasn’t very appealing at the moment, however. “Hardly, Ben. Just not tired.�

Shrugging, the newly appointed 2nd Lieutenant** nodded as if that was explanation enough, and returned to the spot below, where he’d been zooming in on people. Ben was no fool, and had enough sense that there was something bothering the Colonel, but also was smart enough not to bring it up—at least, not right then. He knew it had to be serious if James Howlett was distracted. He guessed it could only have to do with the business left in Westchester. All Logan would tell him is that he and Ororo decided to break things off. As Ben chanced a glance at his forlorn superior officer, he had to admit the man looked like that affair was anything but over.



TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #02 Thinking of You, Part 2


Brooklyn, New York
Wednesday, September 22nd 2004
2:27 pm EST

Fighting her discomfort, Ororo concentrated on the ceiling’s tiles and warmly tinted lights above her in the clean room of Dr. Erica Matthews’ office. Doing her best not to think about why she was here, her mind roamed over the classes she’d taught that morning and the ‘little white lie’ she threw at Scott in order to have him take her one afternoon session. She didn’t relish the idea of being untruthful with him but wasn’t going to tell him where she was actually going.

“Okay Ororo, you can sit up for me.� Erica’s cheerful, most times soothing voice sent chills up Ro’s spine as she slid up on the examination bed, allowing her bare legs to dangle between the stirrups.

As the doctor carefully pulled off her latex gloves, sliding on her rolling stool toward the biohazard waste can and quickly washing her hands, the expectant patient watched her every move as though she could tell what the answer would be just from the doctor’s composure.

Turning back to Ro as she dried her hands, Erica smiled up at her. “Well, I’d like to wait for the blood test to come back, but from what I can sense and feel I’d say congratulations are in order.�

Ororo didn’t immediately respond, her wide eyes directed at the doctor but she wasn’t really looking at her.

Dr. Matthews continued as though she hadn’t noticed. “I mean, between you and me, you know I can tell these things—with my mutant gifts—but I’ve been known to give false-positives every once in a while, so I like to back myself up with modern medicine.�

“…You…you’re sure?�

“Well, look at it this way: the walls of your uterus appear enlarged, the cervix is almost completely closed, and the hormonal change in you is almost palpable. The symptoms you described for the past few weeks have me ready to put money on it. But all the same, we can wait for the test results—should be about 48 hours or so.�

“But…but we used protection.� Ororo said weakly, feeling her face flush. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or faint.

Finally, Erica came out of her medical high and really looked at the expression on her patient’s face. She slid close to the exam table, and took Ro’s hand. She could feel the other woman shaking. “I take it this wasn’t planned?�

Ororo shook her head, gulping. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t want to hear what she was hearing. Flashes of Logan’s beach-front home passed before her mind’s eye…in particular an empty upstairs room colored with crayon pictures and frilly bed linens that would never be used again…

When Ororo dissolved into tears, Dr. Matthews was almost surprised; not that she’d never had patients receiving unexpected—or unwanted—news in her office before, but from everything she knew after having Ororo as a patient for close to six years, to see her almost beside herself like this was a bit of a shock.

The window shaded with closed blinds on the other side of the office couldn’t hide the shift in the light outside, as clouds began to cover overhead. Realizing exactly what that was, Dr. Matthews enveloped her patient in a hug, patting Ororo’s back as she let her get her tears out of her system. “Ororo, honey what is it? You know you can talk to me.�

Glancing up into the doctor’s soothing face, Ororo tried to collect herself, eventually spilling the edited story of the man she was in love with, but explaining only that he had a job that would never allow them to be together. Then came the story of what happened to his first child. For a moment, the doctor didn’t know what to say.

“Well, this changes a lot.�




Madripoor City
Thursday, September 23rd
2:27 a.m. Local Time

The nightly replay of partying tourists, accommodating locals and the covert military team watching them both carried on from the 3rd story of the Hydra Arms Hotel. Logan’s eyes peeled over as many faces as he could; his gut told him there was something different about this night, and the raised hackles on his neck only confirmed it.

After about another 30 minutes, he knew he’d been right.

Moving quicker than the other street walking denizens, a hood-wearing suspect ducked and weaved down Americana Street, the oversized clothing more suspicious than anything else. Logan couldn’t make out any part of the suspect’s face, but didn’t have to; he recognized the predatory walk, the swing of the arms, the stringy tendrils of dirty-blond hair that escaped the hooded sweatshirt’s cover.

Tapping the comm. link positioned in his right ear, he didn’t think twice about rousing his team so suddenly, knowing they were all sleeping with the communication devices still in place. “Look lively, people. We’ve got a sighting.�


Down on the street below, the suspect roughly pushes through the slower passersby that don’t see him coming. He receives several curses of course, but doesn’t even look back as he rushes down Americana toward the next cross street Wabaston Lake. His palms were already clammy and his heart rate doing double time in anticipation. He could almost feel the eyes on him and that only meant trouble. He had to get to the bus station on the next street, however; it was the only one in the city that had a direct route to the airport.

Skirting around a pair of on-duty Madripoor City police officers, he didn’t spare them a second glance either; both were otherwise engaged in ‘conversation’ with the barely-dressed young women shamelessly draped against the squad car. He knew it wasn’t local law enforcement he had to worry about anyway; instead, his sharp blue eyes kept roving over every darkened alley corner, every Calypso,-masked celebrator that drifted too close to him. Any one of them could be an agent—the type of agent that belonged to secret, clandestine military organizations that thumbed their noses at little things like “anti-extradition laws�.

Approaching the intersection, a group of youthful partiers caught him off guard as they lit (illegal) fireworks in the street; the group dispersed the circle they’d formed around the smoldering M80 and a quarter stick as they prepared to cause all kinds of noise and lights—and trouble. That small distraction was enough to take his concentration off of the nearest side street, and as the explosions streamed through the street—and the crowd—the suspect darted toward the ‘safety’ of that alley, realizing too late his mistake.

“Where’re you goin’ boy?� The rough voice asked mockingly just as a large hand darted out from the shadows to yank him like a yo-yo into the seclusion of the alley.

Logan shoved the man against the brick of the building, holding him there as he reached up and stripped the hood away from the suspect’s face. A pair of dark blue eyes pierced his silver ones as recognition registered. The other man growled low in his throat but didn’t immediately make a move to get away. “What the fuck do you want, Pops?�

“Watch your mouth, kid.� Neena’s sultry voice came from behind them as she emerged from the shadows, looking down as she loaded the automatic hypodermic with a blue-greenish vial.

At the sight of the instrument in her hands, the man began to struggle. “’Kid’?? Screw you, lady. I betcha I got a good twenty years—“

Logan’s pointed elbow jabbed the man’s neck as he laid most of his weight into the leaner mutant’s side. He growled up at him in warning before demanding: “Shut the hell up. Look at me, boy. You know why I’m here. Start talkin’.�

“Or what?� a lopsided grin revealed sharp canines too big for his mouth.

Domino clutched the hypo sprayer, taking a step toward them, but Logan had other things in mind. His eyes narrowed to slits and in the darkness of the alley, glowed an eerie silver. Piercing the man with his gaze, he muttered, “You remember what I did to yer brother..?�

The goading grin on the man’s face faltered noticeably, and his body stiffened reflexively at the reminder. With pure malice, he replied, “Yeah, and so does Victor.�

“Where the hell is he?� Logan’s arm threatened to crush the man’s windpipe if he didn’t cooperate soon. “Don’t jerk me around, Kyle; where’s your father?�

Puzzled at the use of the familiar tone, the younger man grinned even harder before hocking up the biggest mouthful of saliva he could and sending it directly into Logan’s face. More angered than surprised, Wolverine lunged backward only so much to get a good swing, sending his adamantium-laced fist into Kyle’s ribs. The satisfying sound of bone cracking met the field commander’s ears—along with Kyle’s sadistic (albeit winded) laughter.

Sliding down to the ground, he slumped over on his side, holding his ribcage as he tried not to breath too heavily lest a lung get punctured. Glaring up at Logan, Kyle grinned like a Cheshire cat, breathing shallowly. Domino stepped in and pressed the hypo spray against Kyle’s neck quickly, shooting him full of the cocktail that would not only dampen his mutant abilities but also knock him out cold in a few seconds.

Standing over the young man, Wolverine growled down at him, trying to suppress the urge to tear him limb from limb. “Just as stupid as yer old man.�

His eyes blinked slowly as the sounds and lights from the street beyond quickly faded. Kyle could only think of one parting retort, slurred as he dissolved into unconsciousness: “Ruunnsss in th’ fam’ly, don’t it…Uncle Jimmy?�





Westchester, NY
Saturday, September 25th, 2004
11:40 a.m. EST

Just a week ago, she’d planned to spend the weekend quietly tending to her gardens behind the School, but instead Ororo found herself up early for an entirely different reason, making more frequent trips to the bathroom as the days passed. Most of her morning sickness was between 5:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. but every once in a while a certain smell from the kitchen would send her hurrying for the nearest toilet.

This morning was no exception, but a the moment she felt a little better. Physically, anyway. After speaking with Dr. Matthews’ office Friday—the blood test came back positive, of course—she was now faced with decisions she never imagined herself having to look at. While Ororo definitely knew she wanted children at some point in her life, she would not have said that time was a month ago, and certainly not with a man she’d mutually decided not to have a relationship with.

Standing in her attic loft bedroom, she visually scanned every inch of her naked body before the wide vanity mirror. She turned to a profile, then fully faced the reflection, as if she’d be able to tell she was expecting. Of course her body had no physical signs of her pregnancy yet, but she couldn’t stop the morbid fascination from taking hold. Rubbing her hand over her still-flat belly, her mind went back to a tentative suggestion from Dr. Matthews…


“Ororo, we’ve known each other for some time, so I feel like I can speak up front with you, okay?�

“…Okay.�

“Now, you’ve stated this pregnancy wasn’t planned, and after the…problems your boyfriend’s first child had, you may want to consider—“

“Um, Dr. Matthews..?�

“Yes?�

“I…I’m not ready to have this conversation yet, okay?�

“…I understand. You need time to get your mind around things. You have my number, but even if you just need to talk, here’s my home and cell.�

“Thanks.�


Ororo’s mind echoed with the doctor’s unfinished suggestion. She didn’t want to let her mind wander too far into her “options�, but she knew it was something she’d have to seriously consider at some point. Did she want this child? Considering what happened to Amarha, should she have this child? What would Logan think..?

Sighing heavily, she knew certainly that she had none of the answers for any of those questions. Looking down at her navel, she muttered, “Well, you’re barely a good month and causing problems already.�

Pausing, she couldn’t help but a tinge of a smile after saying that. Straightening her face, she shook her head at herself. She was talking to a fetus she wasn’t even positive she was going to keep. ‘Maternal stuff kicking in already?’



Later in the afternoon, Ororo drifted downstairs to the sounds of some of the in-house students’ laughter outside. She couldn’t tell if they were in the front or the back of the grounds, but knew they were relatively safe even with the skeletal security crew on the weekends. She couldn’t remember liking the sounds of children as much as she did today, and pushed that sort of thought far, far into the recesses of her mind.

Heading toward the kitchen, she realized she hadn’t eaten anything yet. It was going to be a challenge to manage not wanting to puke every time she smelled anything cooking—especially any type of vegetable, for some reason—but she knew she’d have to keep appearances up. Besides, she was going to meet with Marie and Beth this afternoon, and those two could be apart from their sister for months and come back and tell she’d changed something about her daily routine.

And then there was Scott…

She could hear his voice before she came to the threshold of the kitchen area, and despite her apprehension of seeing him now, she wanted to see a friendly face more than anything that morning.

As Ro rounded the corner, her heart nearly skipped a beat and she stopped like a deer in headlights.

The three at the island counter turned toward her; Scott’s face broke into a natural smile as he took a bite of an apple. His two companions were a little more aware of her apparent surprise at their presence.

“Morning, Ororo. Or should I say ‘Afternoon’?� He teased at how long she’d apparently taken to make her arrival downstairs.

Her eyes darted from Scott’s female guest to the male sitting across from her as psi-shields went up automatically. “Good morning to you too, Scott. I’m sorry I didn’t realize we were going to have a guest. I would’ve come down sooner.�

“Oh, it’s no problem, Ororo. How have you been?� Jean’s smile never let on that she felt the mental ‘walls’ blocking her as any physical bricks would have. It made her curious, but she hid it well and resisted the urge to pry.

Glancing at David North as his eyes stayed on her, Ororo smiled a little in his direction before going to the farthest refrigerator and opening it to take a look—and hide herself from their gaze. “You know me; keeping busy…Morning, David.�

“Ororo.� He’d turned a little in his stool-chair watching the door of the stainless steel fridge as though he could see her through it. There was something “too cool� about the way he said her name. She fought the same uneasy feeling she’d dismissed the day she met him.

Distracted by her thoughts, Ro didn’t realize Scott had come up behind her until his deep voice startled her. “Hey, we were going to go into the city and maybe catch a movie. Want to come with?�

She couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do less. “Oh, I’m sorry guys. I’ve been neglecting some duties around here. I was planning on playing catch up before the school week got started.�

Scott didn’t try to hide his disappointment. “Ah, Ororo that’s what Sundays are for. Come on...�

“Yes, please.� David chimed in, a sort of grin plastered on his face. “I don’t mind saying I’d hate to be the 3rd wheel for these two.�

“See?� Scott said triumphantly, as if that settled it.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen you in a while, Ororo. I thought we could catch up.� Jean said, and when Ororo looked at her knew she meant it. Off hand however, she wondered what they had to “catch up� on…

“Well, I hate to be the party-pooper, but I actually do have other plans. School related as they are; Marie and Beth are meeting me this afternoon, Scott…I decided to take your suggestion.� She didn’t meet his gaze as she relayed this but sensed she didn’t have to, almost feeling his surprise and approval.

“Really?�

“Yes, really.� She admonished, as though he shouldn’t be surprised. “I’m not a total diva when it comes to having my own way, you know.�

“Uh-huh.�

“Whatever.� She punched him on the arm playfully, and the two dissolved into a fit of chuckles.

Behind them, Jean and David couldn’t help but watch the exchange; their expressions told different stories before each schooled the emotions away. Leaning toward Jean, David murmured, “Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?�

Shrugging, Jean glanced at him before turning her gaze back to Scott as he helped Ororo with an unopened jar of pickles. “Haven’t a clue. I don’t work here, remember?�

“Touché.� He smiled, leaning back into his seat and continuing to watch the pair as well. The familiarity breeding between the two headmasters was an interesting thing to behold, but not one that a woman interested in dating Scott Summers really wanted to witness.

Jean registered another pleasant smile as Scott rejoined her side of the island counter top, licking his fingers from a stolen wedge of pickle. “Well, as long as its school related, I guess I can’t complain if you’re planning on ditching us for your sisters.�

Almost apologetically, Ororo turned from the freezer where she was contemplating the low-fat ice cream. “Well, some other time, okay? I promise.�

As they agreed, getting their dishes ready for the wash before they left, Ororo suddenly looked at the pickles in her hand and the ice cream she was about to reach for, and nearly panicked. How much more obvious could she be??

Dismissing her craving, she pulled out the makings of a lean turkey sandwich to go with the pickle slices, forgetting about the ice cream.

As Scott and Jean headed out of the door, calling their goodbyes, she stopped briefly from slathering mayonnaise (which she normally hated) and waved them off. It was then she noted David was slow to follow them. Passing by her spread of meat, cheese and other condiments, he grinned at her before nodding toward the closed freezer door.

“Changed your mind about the ice cream, eh?�

Ororo couldn’t help the slightly startled look on her face but he didn’t notice it—he didn’t need to—as he left the room. Looking down at her half-finished meal, Ororo suddenly wasn’t very hungry.



TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #03 “More than Words�, Part 1



(Undisclosed location) Madripoor
3:19 a.m. EST

Rubbing his eyes from weariness, Ben “Deuce� Campbell tried to keep his eyes on the one-way, shatterproof window before him. He’d been up almost 36 hours straight with the Colonel while the latter grilled their suspect mercilessly. Some of the techniques Logan chose to employ weren’t necessarily those sanctioned by the U.S. military, but therein lay the problem: technically, Section X wasn’t part of any military branch—as a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be recognized as a government agency at all if ever brought up publicly.

“He’s still going at him?� Domino appeared behind Ben, startling the young man with her silent approach.

As she angled her head to see past Ben, he nodded, turning back toward the dimmed room where Kyle Gibney Howlett was restrained and still drugged. “Yeah. It’d be remarkable if it wasn’t so sad and pathetic; like watching a guy punch himself in the face.�

Making the connection to his allusion, Neena shook her head in some disbelief. “I wouldn’t have believed it unless the Colonel told me himself. This guy is his nephew?�

Ben nodded tersely, still watching as Logan cracked his knuckles and came to stand behind the bolted-down chair Kyle was restrained to, yanking on the young man’s loose hair so he’d raise his head. It was almost difficult to watch Wolverine “taking over� the interrogation. Ben remembered all too well the cold, unapologetic and distant look he’d spared them right before killing half the training team back at the base a couple months ago. Though his natural healing abilities saved him in the end, Ben still suffered from occasional phantom pains where his superior officer—a man he called friend—quite literally succeeded in eviscerating him.

“I’m still trying to figure out how the Colonel knew Kyle would be here in Madripoor,� Neena was going on, “when all the Intel we had pointed back to The States.�

Ben couldn’t readily answer that question for her; he was glad however, that Logan had decided to scrap the reports they had placing Victor Creed’s closest contacts inside U.S. borders. They’d still be chasing their tales if they’d relied on the ‘brains’ at Sect X HQ. “Neena, there’s some things I’ve come to learn about Logan that just don’t make sense; the good part is, some of ‘em don’t have to. As long as he’s right, that’s all that matters.�


Inside the interrogation room, Wolverine sneered down at his nephew as the younger man turned his head almost casually and spit blood from his mouth. With the drug they kept pumped in his blood stream, he was definitely feeling the beating those heavy fists were inflicting. It was the first time in a very long time that Kyle actually felt sustained pain for more than several seconds and he wasn’t liking it at all. Unfortunately, that meant the younger Howlett had a tough decision to make; who was he more afraid of: his father or the version of his uncle looming over him right then?

“I don’ know what you fuckers expect me to tell ya; I don’t know where Victor is.� Kyle’s words slurred slightly as his eyes struggled to follow the pacing body before his blurred vision.

Obviously growing quite impatient, Wolverine came to within a few inches of Kyle’s face; almost daring him to repeat his earlier mockery in the alley. Like grinding stone, he spat out, “And I say yer a flamin’ liar, kid. We got the cell records from that burner you bought near O’Hare airport—“

“Bull shit.� Kyle challenged.

“Oh? You think I work for people who give a rat’s ass about fuckin’ privacy laws when it comes to tracking down mass murderers? I know fer a fact you tried callin’ yer old man before you hopped a plane out here to the World’s Armpit. Seven calls to a voicemail service in 42 minutes. Two of ‘em connected. Three minutes and seven seconds each. I don’t have to wonder if Vic ever told you we got call tracing down under three and a half minutes.� Logan leaned away from Kyle with a satisfied smirk at the young man’s momentary look of surprise.

“Double bull shit.� It didn’t have quite the force as the first time.

“Heh. Yeah, well keep saying that. Don’t think fer a minute I won’t stoop to yer level to get what I want. You know I’ve done it before.�

Kyle was silent for several moments, as he watched Wolverine’s back. “If you kill me, you won’t ever get what you’re lookin’ for.�

Turning his head just enough to meet Kyle’s eyes, Wolverine sneered, “And if you think that’s enough to save yer hide, you’re even dumber than I thought, boy.�

Snikt!





The Xavier Institute, New York
Thursday, October 7th, 2004
11:17 pm EST

The school had long turned down for the evening and most were asleep except for a majority of the kitchen staff, cleaning up after the daunting task of feeding 120 students and administrators. As was her habit however, Ororo found herself wandering the halls this late before finally retiring to get what little sleep was going to come to her before the now-expected ‘wake up call’ of morning sickness around 5 a.m. Visually seeing everything tidied up and put to rest was comforting and reassuring to her, but tonight all she could think about was raiding one of the fridges for sardines and mayonnaise.

At the bottom of the stairs in the main foyer, she hesitated just a few moments, then shook her head, telling herself it wasn’t worth it, and proceeded upstairs. Four stairs up, she did a 180 and was headed back toward the kitchen.


Outside the School, close to the nearby woods, a lone figure was hidden among the tree line. Just as Ororo had her routine, so did “David North�. His secret attempts had thus far been met with everything from surprise to outright contempt, but he was determined to get what he sought; his plan hinged on it, after all.

Sliding open the prepaid cell phone, he dialed a long-distance number and waited for the line to connect. When it didn’t the first time, he cursed beneath his breath and tried again. On the second series of rings, someone finally picked up.

“Odesa’s. What d’ya want?� Came the impatient voice on the other end.

“Nice to hear you too, O.� David replied sarcastically, but lowly in the dark outside.

“Who the fu--? Nord? Is that you, boy?�

“Yeah, it’s me.�

“Well, tickle my shithole; them Yanks ain’t caught you yet?� The sound of ceramic ware in the background made Maverick grimace.

“You know it’ll take more than some rookies to catch up with me, O. Remember, I helped train a lot of them. Besides, plain sight is the best place to hide, right?�

“Horse shit.� The older man challenged, “You usin’ some of that crap from yer job—er, former job, ain’t ya? Anyhow, what can I do ya for?�

Maverick smiled to himself, remembering how much he liked the old buzzard for his straightforward approach to things. “You can tell me where I can find Victor Creed.�





Back inside the School, Ororo declined the help of her kitchen staff, who of course offered to make her whatever midnight snack she delighted. Not wanting to get in their way of cleaning, she stuck to one of the counters in the rear of the huge kitchen, sitting alone with her open jar of mayo and a small can of sardines. She couldn’t believe she was even thinking of eating this crap, but the cravings she was developing were anywhere from the mundane like chocolate, to the outright disgusting (like what was before her).

With a glass of warm milk to wash it down, she just wanted to get this craving over and done with and go to bed. Mindful not to eat too quickly lest she be up the rest of the night with indigestion, she soon found herself buried deep in her own thoughts…

She’d seen Dr. Matthews again after the blood test came back positive, and pointedly asked her what she thought the baby’s chances would be of living a normal, healthy life, considering its paternal genetic history. For that answer, the good doctor had little news for the worried expectant mother, but was eased at least that her patient seemed ready to explore her options. The two women sat down for a good few hours, discussing said options, and Ororo promised to give Erica a call before October grew too old. It was the best she could do for an answer herself.

What Ororo really wanted to do, was call up another doctor and ask the burning questions only someone who’d been through what she was potentially going to put herself through would know the answers to. That might be a little easier, if it weren’t for the fact that person was also apparently seeing her co-headmaster at the school.

For a month and a half now, Ororo had managed to keep most of the others’ thoughts off of her increasingly curious behavior. Her morning sickness—and consequential tardiness to some of her classes—was a so-called busted alarm clock she hadn’t replaced yet; her aversion to cooked vegetables and being in the kitchen while any meals were being prepared was excused easily as not wanting to be in the staff’s way; her sudden self-seclusion and reluctance to join Scott and David (and Jean, lately) on outings was the fault of all of her headmaster duties. She had an excuse for everything, but knew at some point nothing could cover the obvious changes as time went by…

‘You should just call her.’ Ro scolded herself, dragging a limp sardine through the saucer of mayo beside the jar. ‘What’s the worst that could happen??’

“She could tell Scott…� Ororo muttered beneath her breath, sighing afterwards. She really just didn’t want to face her family’s inevitable questions. It was difficult enough trying to keep Marie and Beth off of her trail the three days a week they were here helping out. Her brother Brian was a ‘typical guy’ so most things went right over his head that didn’t have to do with his two days of instructing or the litany of sports he was interested in at any given season, so she wasn’t as worried of him. However, until she knew for sure how she was going to handle this, Ro was determined to keep silent and all suspicion at bay.

And then there was the issue of Logan.

Staring down into her mess of sardines and Hellmann’s, Ororo suddenly felt a weight on her chest just thinking about him. No matter what her decision ultimately was, she felt obligated to tell Logan—he would be the child’s father, after all. Normally, she would want to believe he’d take it as good news, but in light of Amahra’s tragedy, she honestly couldn’t guess how he’d react. Maybe it was that thought that scared her the most.

Her appetite gone again, Ororo took her used dishes to one of the sets of double sinks, washing them herself and taking the time to reflect more. She didn’t have any way of contacting Logan that she knew of; there was the slight chance someone at Ft. Hamilton—the location of his ‘public front’ stationing from the Marines—might be able to get word to him, but what “word� would she leave, without letting all of their business out into the open? The whole point of their separation was to protect. her from his chosen profession, and here she was considering drawing attention to herself.

Distracted, Ororo gently shook the rinsed saucer before reaching for a towel to dry it, and the ceramic slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor. Wincing, she looked around, realizing for the first time she was alone in the kitchen, as the staff had completed their duties a while ago, leaving her to her sardines and her thoughts.

Looking around for a broom and dustpan, she found a set quickly and returned to the broken plate to clean up her mess. Several steps before she got there, a sudden dizzy spell hit her, and Ororo nearly fell in the broken glass.

“Oh! Careful there.�

She looked up, obviously startled at the quick response—and appearance—of David North. His smile held just the right hint of concern as he braced her fall, holding her arms and steadying her wobbling body. “Uh, um, thank you…�

He wasn’t quick to allow her to regain her own footing however, pressing her close to the edge of the sink behind them and maintaining his hold on her arms. As her sight wavered, she caught herself looking at his arms, particularly the left, where a somewhat recent-looking scar was healing just below his forearm. “Ororo are you okay? You look a little weak.�

“I’m alright.�

“I can wake Cecilia—“

“I said I’m alright.� Her exasperated tone raised an octave before she had time to school her emotions. A little guilt-ridden when he clamped his mouth shut, moving away from her, she reached out to touch his arm apologetically. “David, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snap at you.�

“It’s okay.� He didn’t seem to mean that and she could tell. “I’ve been getting the impression I step on your toes a lot.�

Ro didn’t expect that admission, and her cheeks colored a little before she glanced down at the broom handle. “Well, I’m sorry if I’ve given you that impression. Really it’s nothing you’ve done. As a matter of fact, I really should be thanking you more often for coming here to teach and bail me out of this mess I’ve put myself in.�

His eyes widened at her words and the loose grin on her face as she said it. “Oh?�

“Yes.� Ororo sighed, a little nervously before continuing, “And I’m just not always the easiest person to get to know. My family would swear differently to you, but that’s just it: they’re my family.�

“Ah,� he nodded, his arms crossed and a hand to his chin as if contemplating her words. “Strangers on the other hand…�

“Exactly.� She looked back up to him to meet his gaze, and didn’t see contempt or disdain there. Curiosity, certainly…and something else that made her want to look away.

Sensing her discomfort, David reached out and took the broom from her, waiting for the dustpan with his other hand. “Here, let me get this. Maybe you should go on to bed. A good night’s sleep is probably all you need.�

Not entirely wanting to argue, Ro decided to let him be helpful and felt better about her previous outburst by doing so. Maybe that was his plan all along. “Thank you.�

“My pleasure. G’night Ororo.� He stooped to sweep the broken ceramic pieces up into the dustpan as if he’d been there for years at the school and did this all the time.

“Good night.� She whispered, turning toward the door and disappearing with a (relieved?) smile on her face.

As the school’s headmistress retreated, she missed the calculated appraisal David directed at her back.



Upstairs in her loft, Ororo readied for bed, her thoughts staying on David only briefly. She was so caught up in his kindness in light of her admission about strangers, that it completely slipped her mind to wonder what he’d been doing up-and-about that late…

Pressing a cool cloth to her face, she stood next to the vanity across from the bed, her thoughts once again returning to Logan. She thought of him so much lately, even more so now as the weeks passed than shortly after he’d left. Turning toward her bed, she couldn’t help the immediate memory of the time he’d shown up at the school that summer, and they’d spent a hot, glorious afternoon with nothing but a bucket of ice*. The memory brought a smile to her face and a tingle to her abdomen. Unbidden, that happy thought succumbed to another, as the moonlight from the open skylight overhead played against the shadows across her bed.

Staring at the neatly made bed, Ororo instead saw the tossed sheets from her home in Brooklyn the night he came to her to say goodbye…



Her heart was pounding in her ears and as he leaned in over her Ororo could feel Logan’s heart racing against her chest also. She looked up into his eyes as his gaze left hers to rove over her tussled hair, her slightly parted lips. When she felt his hand brush her cheek, it was like he was already gone and a ghost in her bed.

The tightening of her chest signaled a rush of emotion she wasn’t ready for, and before a single tear fell Ororo turned her face away.

“Shhh…� His voice whispered against her skin, and Logan’s fingers curved about her chin, turning her face back to his. He wouldn’t give her time to mourn their relationship as he bent low to kiss her deeply, reminding her what they had at this very moment was all they needed.



“Oh my baby, don't cry
Oh my babe, just say goodbye
Oh now baby, don't cry
Oh my babe, at least we tried

At least we tried to make it
But in these days I'm so confused
Oh my love, at least we had it
Let me hold on to you…�



Her eyes still stung with unshed tears as Ororo pulled the dark shirt from his body, over his head and tossed it wherever it wanted to land. Sliding close to her, Logan reached out, pulling her into an embrace that had little to do with sexual attraction or expectation. He closed his eyes to the feeling of her soft, warm body cradled against his, committing it to the memory that up until this moment, had always been a bane of his existence. In the moments he held her crushed to his chest, a flood of memories from their short but potent love affair took their place in his long memory.


“Oh my baby, don't cry
Oh my babe, just say goodbye
Oh now baby, don't cry
Oh my babe, at least we tried

At least we tried but we lost it
I will remember
How you stood there and you smiled
And you smile there with me…�


When she could look up at him again, Ororo was silent, touching his chiseled, stubbled face briefly before their mutual attempts at imprinting the other in their mind dissolved, and their bodies met with a desperation and yearning that would promise to survive this last night they shared.


“Oh my baby, don't cry
Oh my babe, just say goodbye
Oh now baby, don't cry
Oh my babe, at least we tried.�


Blinking rapidly, Ororo brushed a stubborn tear from her cheek, turning from the bed to sit at the vanity. After several moments of indecision, she finally pulled out a piece of stationary and a pen and started writing furiously. Her tumultuous thoughts spilled out onto the page and wouldn’t cease until morning was upon her.




TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #04 “More than Words�, Part 2


West Texas Desert (Section X H.Q.)
6:48 a.m. CST

The sound of the Senator’s voice was like a low hum to his ears as Daniel’s mind drifted from the introductions being made for him. This meeting was probably going to be the most important in his career as he officially moved from the U.S. military to Section X. At long last, he felt like his work, his sacrifices and his ambition were finally getting him where he deserved to be. It didn’t matter that he was the replacement for the murdered General Ackens; nothing and no one could take the feeling of pride from him as he’d passed by his office here at HQ seeing a staff worker sliding his name plate across the door of the office formerly occupied by the deceased General. After several weeks of an “interim� title, the Secretary of Defense finally gave the okay to make the move permanent. He nearly did cartwheels in the streets.

“So, with no further ado, I’ll shut up and let the man get down to business. Ladies and gentlemen: Lt. General Daniel Forge; the new head of Section X.�

Standing, Daniel nodded to the Senator, taking his thick folder of confidential notes and ideas to the podium with him. He didn’t meet any of the eyes watching his slight (but noticeable) limp as he made his way forward; they could think what they would, but he was here for one reason and one reason only—to clean up this unit and bring some order to the chaos Jason Ackens seemed to ignore (or propagate). Starting with the Creed case.

His stern, dark gaze was a contrast to the rest of his features as he chose that moment to look his evaluators head on. It was true he was young for a Lt. General, but he never let people’s preconceived notions of age get in his way, any more than he had the physical limitations he’d dealt with most of his life. Like the latter, he’d proven people wrong about the age-thing. Proving himself right was the biggest thrill of Daniel Forge’s life.

“Thank you, Senator. I’ll dispense with the pleasantries and get to the point: this is the most talented and potentially effective covert ops group in the U.S. defense arsenal, and I’m here to make sure that talent is no longer squandered. There’s some changes in store for Section X; ones I hope you’ll agree with me need to be done in order to streamline the department’s mission conversion ratio.�

One of the seated, high-ranking officials didn’t wait to be acknowledged before she spoke up. “Wait a moment; it sounds like you’re talking about a complete overhaul of almost 30 years of precedent, Lt. General.�

Meeting her gaze squarely, Daniel didn’t hesitate before responding, “If that’s what it takes, then yes, I am. We can ill afford the sort of set backs we’re currently facing: we’re down several agents, Christoph Nord is a fugitive on the loose and the Creed Case still hasn’t been closed. This is unacceptable, and it won’t go on—not on my watch. That, I assure you.�

Several members of the group nodded, evidently agreeing with Daniel’s statement, but the woman who’d raised the question wasn’t satisfied. She’d seen people like him before, and knew if Jason Ackens was alive, he’d had none of this “re-vamping� B.S. at such a critical point.

Considering that matter closed, Daniel glanced down at the notes he’d made, pushing on with his speech, starting with the first topic on his list. “And to that end, I think we need to evaluate the team currently in charge of tracking down Victor Creed.�




The Xavier Institute, New York
Monday, October 11th, 2004
7:02 a.m. EST

Though the sun was still struggling to come up over the horizon, Ororo had been up all night. For the past several days, it was her nightly ritual sitting at the vanity in her room, scribbling on stationary into the wee hours of the night. Her thoughts were coherent for the most part, but it was a ‘conversation’ she wished she could have with someone who wasn’t there.

Each morning when her sickness began she took it as a sign to stop, and by the time her stomach settled, it was nearly time to get ready for the four classes she taught before noon. This morning was no different, as he knelt in front of the toilet again, dry heaving for the most part as she’d not had much to eat the day before.

*Ororo? Are you up? I thought we could have a quick breakfast before the day starts.* Beth’s usually soothing voice jolted her mind.

Fighting the nausea and the mental intrusion, Ororo was a little weak to cast a psi-shield. Wiping her mouth and flushing the toilet, she stood at the sink, washing her hands and face. *Not this morning, Beth. I’m running a little late. I’ll meet you and Marie for lunch, okay?* Just the thought of food or eating was enough to get the bile forming in her mouth, however.

*Hey, rough night? I’m—I’m getting some…weird vibes off of ye.*

“I’m fine, Beth.� Ororo said and thought simultaneously, hoping her sister would just leave it at that. “I’ve got to get ready for class, okay?�

*…Yeah, okay.*

“See you at noon.� Ororo was finally able to get her thoughts together and closed their communication. Heading back into her room, she went to the vanity, where the leaves of papers were still spread out over the wooden top. The night before she’d gotten a little long winded. Picking up one of the pages, she re-read some of her words and the tug to her heart was renewed thinking about Logan’s absence.




“…It’s hard to imagine what you would think if you were here. I spend a lot of time thinking about that, though. I’m not showing—not yet—but I’m wearing a couple pants sizes bigger already.

I miss you a lot. Between the sleepless nights and the early morning sickness, I wish all the time you were here to rub my back, or just hold me and tell me everything would be fine. Sound childish, doesn’t it? Well, can’t blame a girl for how she feels, right?�




Letting the paper slip from her grasp back onto the vanity top with the others, Ororo sighed, then gathered them up, folding that day’s letter threefold, and sliding it into an unmarked envelope. On the outside, she only wrote the date, then opened the drawer on the bottom left, pulling out the others bound by a large rubber band. She’d decided they’d never be mailed.



Later in the day, Ororo was feeling better than she had in weeks, though she couldn’t explain why. She’d skipped breakfast due to her morning sickness, and though she was fairly starving at this point, really wasn’t relishing having to avoid lunch when she met up with Marie and Beth in a couple hours. Now in her 10:00-hour class, she was experiencing a surprising burst of energy—one her students seemed to notice and feed off of, as she changed up her usual test review format for a game of Pictionary.

The kids were having a blast trying to find creative ways (that stayed within the rules) to depict their U.S. History terms. Standing between the two sides at her desk, Ororo held the answers on 3x5 index cards, almost giddy, as the boys’ team was desperate in guessing the answer. At the chalkboard, Franklin Richards scribbled furiously, creating an impressive chalk drawing of the White House. Behind him, leaning forward in their chairs or perched on the desks or standing against the wall, the boys yelled their answers as the timer on the edge of Ororo’s desk ticked down their turn.

“The Declaration of Independence!� Arthur Maddicks grinned, but received a groan from Franklin.

“Democracy!�

“The Oval Office!!�

As Franklin kept shaking his head, then going back to his impeccable drawing, clearly irritated at his comrades, Ororo stood behind him, trying not to laugh. On the other side of the classroom, the girls were barely able to keep their excitement in check; several of them seemed to think they knew the answer.

“Come on, guys, 10 seconds left.� Ororo reminded them, “Remember the period we’re talking about here—“

“Hey, Ms. Munroe, that’s not fair!� Jubilee piped up, “You’re giving them hints!�

Clamping her hand over her mouth, Ororo glanced at the boys, wondering if they’d picked up the hint. The confusion on their faces told her the answer. At the board however, Franklin suddenly grinned, and turned back to the drawing, shading in flames around the top of the White House. Turning back to his team, he was sure they’d get it now.

“What the--?� Everett’s face scrunched at the image, and his fellow male students were even more confused than ever.

“Time!� Ororo called as the clock buzzed. Turning to Jubilee’s team, she asked the girls, “A chance for a steal?�

Almost in unison, their airy voices sang “The War of 1812!�

“Aghh!!� Franklin threw the chalk into the air above his head, grabbing his gold locks in frustration. “Geez guys, come on!�

“That’s right.� Ororo smiled, trying not to chuckle at the boys’ sudden understanding.

“What part of a burning White House doesn’t scream ‘War of 1812’??� Franklin admonished his male buddies, and he received a paper ball barrage for his critique.

“I thought those were clouds.� One of the boys shrugged in reference to the flames, eliciting chuckles from some of the others.

“That was a very good picture, Franklin.� Ororo corrected, turning to look at it. He’d even included bushes and a waving flag of 15 stars and stripes.

Sulking in his seat, Frankin murmured, “Thanks Ms. Munroe.�

“Our turn!� Kitty and Jubilee chimed in together.

Ororo smiled, nodding as Kitty came forward from her desk. Looking down at the next answer, she felt the room begin to spin again. She closed her eyes for a bit, thinking it was going to subside, but that didn’t help, and when she opened them again, she saw Kathryn approaching her but from an angle.

“Ms. Munroe?� Jubilee caught the look on Ro’s face first, standing from her desk.

“Oh, um…I’m—I’m okaaayyy…� Ororo’s words faded as her eyes rolled back into her head and her body gave in after her mind lost consciousness.

She was out and crumpled on the floor before she could hear the gasps and screams of her students.




At that moment in the Section X HQ in Texas, Daniel Forge was settled into his (officially) new office going over the finer details of his plans, when a knock came to his door. Glancing to his right, he saw the image from the camera hidden outside in the hall reflected on the small monitor built into the desk (his idea). “Enter.�

Closing the door behind her, the woman stood just inside, her arms crossed loosely as she met Daniel’s eyes. Light gold hair tightly swept up and pinned, blue eyes evaluated him over a small pair of specs. “May I have a word with you?�

Setting aside his work, Daniel rose, coming around the desk to lean against it in a more relaxed way than he normally behaved; she could tell it was for her benefit, to let her know he knew he was in charge around here. “Of course, Advocate Cooper. What can I do for you?�

Valerie Cooper adjusted her glasses, still looking at Forge. “As you know, I was on the Tribunal panel that recommended we hold Christoph Nord responsible in the training accident a couple months ago.�

“I do. I read the official reports from all the panel members.�

“Then you understand how important it is that we put adequate resources toward his immediate capture.�

His eyes widened briefly, and Forge was about to remind her he knew what his duties were, before he stopped himself. Calculating his response he said, “I understand that Victor Creed has been on the loose much longer than “Maverick� and is twice as dangerous, Judge Advocate Cooper. It’s been several weeks and none of Christoph Nord’s aliases have even shown up as a blip on any domestic or international radars.�

“None of his known aliases, you mean.� Val extended her right hand, and Daniel looked down to see a flash drive in her palm. “Right after his escape, our people did a sweep of his apartment in Manhattan as well as his parents’ home in the Hamptons. There was a laptop at the apartment with the remains of a hard drive that had been wiped. Professionally. I’ve still got agents working on it downstairs, but so far we’re leaning toward the belief that Maverick may have set up aliases unknown and therefore unauthorized by the bureau. Everything we have so far is here.�

Accepting the flash drive, Daniel remained quiet for a moment. He didn’t want to admit that the idea Nord may be using an unknown alias never crossed his mind. Up until a few weeks ago, he thought Section X only employed reliable agents…

“That’s crucial information. Thank you.�

Her eyes narrowed for a moment at the stiff way he said that, but she chose to ignore it; Val Cooper wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines while a man she’d voted to put behind bars was out on the loose. Neither her pride or ego was too big for that; she wanted Christoph found before he found his way onto her doorstep. “I just want to make sure you have everything you need to bring this issue to a resolution, General. The last thing we need is another rogue agent on the loose.�

‘Especially one that might have you in his cross hairs, huh?’ Forge couldn’t help but add silently. “Understood. Will that be all, Advocate Cooper?�

Nodding once, she turned on her heel, leaving his office. Daniel looked down in his hand at the flash drive labeled with Christoph Nord’s ID number on it. He wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of hunting down a fellow Marine; especially one as highly trained as Nord. Not only had he somehow made the location device all Section X agents were required to have implanted inoperative (making tracking him virtually impossible), now he’s apparently using an airtight alias they didn’t know of. It could takes weeks just to track down the various people who willingly (or otherwise) helped him set that up and try to ‘flip’ them. Tossing the drive on his desk of papers, Daniel rubbed his tired eyes, knowing he was in for many a long night. “Fantastic.�





The Xavier Institute, NY
12:25 pm EST

The sound of the heart rate monitor’s beeps was the first thing she sensed before being able to slowly convince her eyes to struggle open. The infirmary room’s lights were turned down lower than normal but still bright enough to see. The only thing in Ororo’s line of sight however, was the ceiling, which spun slowly into focus and then stopped moving. When she realized where she was, her heart skipped a beat and she moaned, trying to sit up.

“Hey, hey. Easy there.�

Confused, she didn’t immediately recognize the voice near her, but resisted a little when she felt hands keep her from sitting up. “Wha..? What happened?�

David North’s face came into view above her and he smiled gently. She felt his hand pat her arm briefly, the dimmed lights in the room still playing off of the rims of his expensive-looking glasses. “You took a tumble in class this morning. Gave everyone quite a scare too, I might add.�

This morning?? “I’m in the infirmary?�

“Yes—“

Looking down at her arm, Ororo saw the I.V. taped to the inside of her elbow. The next second a look of pure panic colored her features, confusing and concerning David at once. ‘Oh God—the baby!’

Leaning over her, Nord’s eyes widened when Ororo’s face crumpled into a mask of pain for a moment. She couldn’t hide the quick tear that ran from her eye into her hairline. Moving away from her bed, he murmured, “I’ll go get Cecilia.�

In the several seconds she was alone, Ororo’s mind raced as she admonished herself. All the instances of skipped meals and late nights resulting in a lack of rest came crashing back to her in a sick wave of guilt. She admitted to herself just in that moment how much she actually loved and wanted this child…

“Ororo?� Dr. Cecilia Reyes’ voice broke into her thoughts before she saw the School’s resident physician come up to the bed, followed quickly by her sisters Marie and Beth, David and Scott bringing up the rear.

Grabbing Celicia’s hand, Ro stared into the woman’s eyes, a silent question. Her hands shook and she grasped the sheet just over her stomach as if that would tell her anything.

“Sugah, how are you feeling?� Marie took one side of her bed while Beth stood next to Cecilia on the other. Scott and David stayed at the foot of the bed, but Summers’ expression was colored with worry as he turned his eyes to Cecilia for the answer to that question.

“She’s tired.� Beth’s voice came out for her, feeling her sister’s fatigue and communicating the obvious. Brushing Ro’s hair from her face, Beth inadvertently picked up a stray thought that puzzled her: ‘—Logan, I’m so sorry--!’

Moving away from Beth’s touch, Ororo looked up to the physician. “How long…have I been out?�

“Just under a couple hours.� Cecilia watched her carefully, then added, “I need to go over the tests I ran, Ororo.�

To the rest of the visitors, she said “Will you guys excuse us for a moment?�

Laying a hand on the doctor’s arm, Ororo shook her head. She knew what her decision was, and good or ill, there was no point in hiding it any longer. “It’s okay, Cecilia.�

“…Um, are you sure?�

Nodding, Ororo went on, “I just need to know now. Is It alright?�

The others looked between themselves, confused.

“Yes.� Cecilia saw the immediate relief in Ororo’s face and her body visibly relaxed as well.

Wiping a tear from her eyes, she whispered, “Thank the Bright Lady.�

“Although,� Dr. Reyes continued, “You aren’t helping the situation with your poor health. Your electrolytes are severely imbalanced, you have a vitamin deficiency and by the looks of you I’d say you haven’t been getting much sleep either.�

“Situation?� Scott echoed, looking at Ororo. “What’s going on?�

As all heads turned to Ro, she glanced at each of them in turn, but her eyes came back to Scott’s before answering. “I’m pregnant.�



TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #05 “More than Words�, Part 3


“To tell ya the truth, they didn’t give me much of a choice, at first.�

There was a hint of both amusement and anger in his tone as Logan’s quiet voice moved across her in the night. Remembering the ultimatum he’d been presented some 20 years ago still made him seethe at times; it was only (slightly) tempered with the knowledge that despite how he came to Section X, the department was built on a strong foundation of good intent. The perfect vehicle for someone like him to reach out for the formerly unattainable brass ring of redemption.

“With a past like mine, I hate to say it but I jumped at the chance to have my entire criminal record wiped as clean as my memory had been. I’d join the Marines, get the “basic� military background, then look forward to transferring out to this barely-off-the-ground unit nobody seemed to want to admit existed. It was that, or wake up back in the fold of Dept. H in Canada—something I promised myself would never happen after finally fighting my way out.�

Enclosed in his strong embrace, Ororo’s gaze was focused on the window across the room where the moon’s reflected light cast a bluish glow toward them. Her mind was elsewhere, back in time with his words in the early 1980s as he re-created his textured history for her. His deep, reserved cadence made her all the more attentive, and she found herself hesitant even to breathe during the re-telling. Indeed, she didn’t move in his arms as he paused—for effect or reflection, she knew not—but Logan’s fingers drew lazy patterns across her exposed shoulder as he stared up toward the ceiling of the bedroom, almost lost in thought as she was.

The brief reprieve they’d taken between lovemaking sessions was turning into over two hours as Logan delved into things about himself, his job and his past that he’d not spoken aloud—ever; not even to Jean. Now as time ran out against his will, Logan realized that he needed to get this all off of his chest and out of his mind.

“Department H,� she whispered the words as if they might scald him, “They’re the ones responsible for your memory loss...they’re the ones responsible for…Wolverine.�

There was a pause he didn’t expect to take as Logan resisted the urge of the chill running down his spine. The terrible truth was he was just as excited as he was appalled at the thought of his ‘alter’. The man that he was when he used the name Wolverine was as much a part of him as James Howlett. That, he knew, would never change. “Actually darlin’, Dept H wasn’t the beginnin’ of Wolverine. They just took a bad situation and made it worse…But It was always there. They just gave It a name.�

The underlying tone in his voice tugged at her heart, and Ororo raised her head to meet his eyes. She didn’t know how to thank him for sharing the secret that was Logan with her. He could see it in her eyes, though, and as their gazes held, he reached up, moving her hair out of her face and caressing her cheek. “Logan, I…�

He smiled when she couldn’t seem to come up with anything past that. “I know.�




October 11th…

Sitting up on the bed in the infirmary, Ororo supported her head with her hands, staring into the folds of the sheet in her lap as she drew her knees up. Even now she couldn’t seem to keep her mind off of that night; the things they said, the places he touched—in her heart and on her body…

“How did this happen??�

Lifting her head, Ororo gave her sister a look that spoke volumes. “If I have to explain that to you Marie—“

“O my Gawd, Ororo.� The drawl was exaggerated even more with Marie’s puzzling ire. “You know what ah mean. The two a’ya were barely together a few months and Bam! Ya let this happen??�

“Excuse me??� Her blue eyes lost a bit of color as Ororo’s own temper began to flare. She couldn’t believe her younger sister was actually standing there with the nerve to admonish her.

Before Beth could calm both sisters, Scott spoke up, his eyes bouncing between the three. “Hey, hey, hey…guys can you give us a minute? Alone?� He felt he needed to elaborate.

“Wha--?!� Marie’s flashing green eyes turned on him, but Beth was all too glad to move in then, pressing her sister’s back toward the infirmary room’s door. David watched them before turning back to Ro and Scott.

“Well…I…I’m glad you’re alright, Ororo. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on the students.�

Once alone, she had a hard time meeting Scott’s waiting gaze, even to thank him for corralling her flustered sister. He came up to the foot of the bed again, standing there with his arms crossed and watching her. If she’d been looking at him she would have seen his expression wasn’t judgmental or accusatory. Just concerned.

And maybe a little hurt.

“Hey…�

Almost angrily, she glanced up at him; surely waiting for another scolding. Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears but Ro held them back stubbornly as best she could. For his part, Scott Summers relaxed his stance upon witnessing her expression.

“…how do you feel?�

“How do I feel?? How do you think I feel, Scott? A few weeks ago I find out I’m pregnant, I can’t tell my family—let alone my child’s father—‘came this close to doing this baby real harm out of some stupid attempt to keep you all from knowing, only to have my sister all but call me an irresponsible slut to my face. Oh, I’m doing just fine. Just—“

She followed him with her eyes, her voice breaking throughout her short tirade. Scott came to the side of the bed and slid up on it facing her. He reached out and touched her hand only to discover she was shaking. Without responding to her flippant answer, he pulled on her arm, bringing her body into his embrace. Stroking her head as she wept, Scott squeezed her reassuringly.

“God dammit Scott (sniff)…so—scared. I—I’m just so scared.�

That much he could tell. It had been on the tip of his tongue to question why she felt she couldn’t have come to him with this—or her sisters at least. Putting aside his hurt feelings, he just held onto Ororo for a few minutes, trying to wrap his own mind around the bombshell she’d just tossed in the room. ‘Pregnant?’



Outside and down the hall, Beth had a difficult time keeping up with her young sister who—although slightly shorter—was increasing the distance between them as she stormed down the sterile halls of School’s lower levels.

“Marie, slow down Luv—“ Beth started (for the third time) before becoming a little irritated herself, and stretched out a hand to set up an invisible field of energy in front of the other woman.

At the sudden inability to move any farther down the hall, Marie huffed, turning to glance back at Beth with a no you didn’t expression.

“Will you hold on a moment?�

In response, Marie turned away, shaking her head before she closed her eyes against stinging tears. Because she couldn’t hit what she really wanted (which would’ve been Logan, had he been standing there in front of them) she sent a fist through the nearby wall, pieces of reinforced concrete falling to the floor.

Behind her, Beth was brought up short at her sister’s uncharacteristically brutal use of her powers. “Good Lord.�

Holding her hands to stop herself from shaking, Marie turned away from her sister, breathing heavily. “So fuckin’ stupid…�

“Now you don’t mean that.� Beth came up behind her, daring to lay her hands on Marie’s shoulders as they rose and fell with her breathing.

“Not Ororo,� Marie retorted, “Well, not really. Ah meant Logan.�

“Logan?� Beth reared back a little. “Why are you upset with him?�

Because he isn’t here. He should be here. Was her immediate thought. “You heard what Ororo told us about his first kid; how could he even chance bringin’ another baby into this world? And what this is doin’ to muh sister…�

Marie’s hurried speech didn’t immediately make much sense to Beth, so she carefully laid her fingers against Marie’s cheek, and received a rush of emotions she quickly sifted through, as expertly as her father taught her. After a moment, she stepped back, steadying herself against the head rush of Marie’s siphoning power. Finally she understood.

“I’m worried too, Marie.� Beth’s voice was low and careful as she angled her face to catch a glimpse of the other woman’s gaze. “You don’t know what this pregnancy could mean for Roro—none of us do, not even Cecilia. But lashing out isn’t going to make things any better. Especially not for our sister.�

Of course the hot-headed sibling knew that, but it still didn’t take the dull ache of worry from Marie’s face or her mind as she tried to stop thinking of worst case scenarios: What if this child had the same affliction as Amahra? What if Logan didn’t want this child? What if it wasn’t the baby that was in danger…but Ororo..?

Reading her like a book, Beth chanced their skin coming in contact again as she drew her young sister into an embrace. Her sisters were all that Marie knew in life, having been given up for adoption straight from the womb and floating through the social services system until Charles Xavier welcomed her into his home and heart. Despite being older than Marie, Beth and Brian actually became part of the family afterwards as slightly older pre-adolescents. In the beginning though, it had been the two little orphans that clung to each other as the first of Xavier’s adopted brood; Marie and Ororo were as close as any biological sisters could be and the former would be damned if anything happened to the latter. Even if that meant some feelings were getting hurt.




Upstairs in one of the empty classrooms, “David North� stood at the window watching some of the children play. They’d decided to release the kids early, only having half a day after Ororo’s class was beside themselves when she fainted. Kathryn “Kitty� Pryde was almost inconsolable, unable to stop replaying the image of her beloved instructor falling to the floor like a rag doll, which resulted in the incident spreading like wildfire among the other classes. To try dousing the flames, Scott ordered the lot of them to go outside and have some fun (and hopefully forget about the morning’s ‘excitement’). As it stood, most were in the front of the School’s lawn, watching several of the older boys in a rough game of ‘powers football’. Knowing that was a big No-No, David nonetheless ignored them, as he stared into oblivion, his thoughts elsewhere.

‘Son of a bitch..!’ He wasn’t sure if he was more surprised or ecstatic; what kind of luck was he having to run across intel like this? It put a completely different spin on his plan to avenge himself of Logan. The stakes for the absent agent just got a whole lot higher.

Now, if he could just track down Victor…

David’s expression tightened at the thought of his thus-far fruitless attempts at secretly contacting the fugitive, which were going nowhere fast. He thought Odesa Boudreau might be the key, but the old codger flatly refused to get involved, paranoid that if he tried reaching out to Creed on Nord’s behalf it would show up on somebody’s radar. Hell, he was probably right, but it was a chance Maverick was willing to take. He knew that unless Logan succeeded in tracking the rogue mutant down, the only way Victor Creed would ever be seen again is if he wanted to be. In order for this plot to succeed, Maverick had to make sure Vic did want to come out from hiding.




A few days later as Friday ended, signaling the blessed beginning of the weekend, the Xavier Institute was once again closing down after a long day. The students that called the school home were shuttered in as ‘lights down’ came into effect and the instructors took the time to finally relax after one of the oddest, eventful weeks they could remember.

Well, most of them tried to relax.

Upstairs in her loft, Ororo tried to turn in early per Cecilia’s stern instruction. The idea of getting more rest was a welcomed one, but not without its pratfalls, as she tossed and turned in a fitful sleep.



“Do ya like that, darlin’? Want me to do it again..?� his voice teased her expectations while his warm breath teased the inside of her thigh.

Barely able to lift her head from the sweat-soaked pillows beneath her, all Ororo could do was reply with a sound half-moan, half-affirmation. When the two were together like this, it was the only language either one really understood anyway.

With his head still buried between her parted legs, Logan let out a growl from deep in his throat, feeling her trembling fingers roughly grasp locks of his tussled hair. He didn’t need an invitation to submerge himself deeper but took delight in taunting her as he lightly brushed the outline of her lips with his.

“God damn…� she sighed above him, the blasphemous words sounding more like a blessing carried by her smooth voice.

Resisting the tickle of soft pale curls that decorated the center strip of the object of his affection, Logan’s tongue darted out, then slowly licked intricate patterns over and over again as her lips responded, pulsating and spreading that warm inner circle like a blossoming flower. Her body’s response elicited a low, dangerous sound from him that sent chills up her spine in anticipation. Coupled with the warm sweat laying a light sheen on her skin, Ororo shivered in the darkness beneath him.

Submerged between her thighs, Logan took his time—and his tongue—slowly across her body. He couldn’t seem to get enough of the smell of her, and tried hard not to let his mind remind him he’d likely never get to taste her again. His brows furrowed at the quick, depressing thought, and almost like a strike against the idea, he rolled his hot, wet tongue across her inner labia lips, his fingers (slick with her own juice) stroking the outer lips with a caress that jolted her from the bed.

Ororo’s leg curved, the back of her knee snugly cradling his head, purposely pressing him closer. Lost in the ecstasy of his torturous maneuvers, she ignored the knowing chuckle. Raising his eyes, Logan watched her body moving like a snake, her back arched away from the bed as Ororo brought her hands up to her breasts, teasing the already rock-hard tips. His stormy grey eyes moved with her body’s swaying, as he deftly focused on tickling her clit.

Hissing with the spike in pleasure, Ororo’s eyes fluttered closed and she muttered something in Swahili he didn’t catch. His never left her face as Logan’s hand momentarily left it’s home from between her legs, sliding up her abdomen. Ro’s concentration on her building orgasm was broken and she turned her head, hooded eyes drifting down to meet his…


“It's in this moment, Hold on
When everything has come apart
It's in this moment
Right now
When it can come together

Raise your sights
What's there to lose?

Fall in the light
Fall in the light
Fall in the light…�


As their eyes burned into each other’s soul, Logan edged upward, crawling up the length of her supple, smooth, trembling body. His hands ran over the delicate flesh at her sides, his face dragging a stubbled path from her navel to the valley between her breasts.

She barely waited for his face before Ororo reached out to cradle his head in her hands, drawing his lips to hers. The hunger she held for him was the most intense she could ever remember, so Ro wasn’t one to hold back the feeling. Her heart beat triple time, but she paused when he drew back away from her a little, watching her eyes as she watched him.

Logan searched her face for some time, caressing the soft flesh beneath the curve of her jaw with his thumb. The look she gave him squeezed something deep in his chest; her eyes brighter than he remembered they’d ever been. Staring deeply into her troubled but heated gaze, he saw the months they’d spent together, the feelings she’d developed for him, wearing like age lines on her beautiful face. He realized then how much she must have loved him to let him hurt her like this.



“In all this trouble, Hold on
To the innocence with which you were born
There's so much struggle
Be strong
Find the faith you need to carry on

It's a long night
You're not alone

Fall in the light
Fall in the light
Fall in the light…


Unable to stand the broken promises, the pain and the love he could see behind her eyes, Logan reached up, grasping a thick lock of her white tresses, pulling gently. Submissively, she allowed her head to fall back and sighed deeply when she felt his hot breath at her neck—kissing and nibbling—floating down to her breast. As his tongue circled one peak, his other hand working magic on its own, she leaned back against the pillows trying to stop from squirming. When his hand disappeared from her nipple and arrived back between her legs, Ororo knew it was a lost cause.

Unhurried, Logan closed his eyes, lowering his head as he listened to the heightened, breathy moans of her first climax. He wasn’t bothered; he knew it was only the first of several, if he had any say in the matter.

Once the first wave flowed down, bringing Ro back to shore, she reached up, silently tugging on his shoulder. The unspoken command amused him, and it barely took him but a few moments to find a condom in the drawer beside the bed. She took it from him, rolling the latex down the length of his shaft, taking obvious pleasure in touching his hardness. When the job was done, Ororo roughly pulled Logan on top of her, unmindful of his weight and potential to crush the wind out of her (at the very least).

Obliging, he rolled over her, pressing her sweaty body into the mattress as he reared his hips back. Hugging her close, he turned his head just barely, watching as he slowly slid into her vagina. Even through the condom he could feel the inside of her constrict against the new pleasure of the internal stimulation. The sound she made below him nearly sent Logan spilling his load immediately.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ro pressed her cheek against his, her eyes barely open as she whispered something dirty in Swahili. The surprised look she received was short lived, as he turned to her, capturing her offending lips in a tongue-twisting kiss that took both their breaths away.


“It's in this moment, Hold on
When everything has come apart
It's in this moment
Right now
When everything - come together

Raise your soul
What's there to lose

Fall in the light

(Hold on)
(I know you'll catch me)�



Gasp! Ororo’s body tensed in the darkness of her loft as she came out of the dream suddenly. As sometimes is the case, she was momentarily confused, wondering why she wasn’t back in her apartment for a split second before the ugly truth came back:

This was reality.

Staring with wide eyes into the darkness, she fought the emotions playing through her and after a few seconds, came to a sitting position. She wouldn’t look behind her at the other side of the bed she knew was empty.

Closing the soft fabric of her night robe tightly against the chill coursing over her body (she knew it was nothing more than her heartache, not the weather), she crossed the room on bare feet, quietly opening and closing the door behind her.

Downstairs, long shadows stretched across the dark wood floors of the old mansion as she made her way toward the kitchen. It had to be well after midnight, as the cleaning staff was nowhere to be found and the only sounds were the settling of the house. Nearing the kitchen however, Ororo realized she wasn’t the only person awake. A dim light filtered out of the otherwise darkened kitchen as she rounded the corner, and the slight sounds of glass tinkering met her ears.

Stopping just inside the door, she crossed her arms, smirking as she listened to the ‘bandit’ roving through one of the refrigerators. By the sounds of it, someone was about to make him or herself a lovely—large—sandwich, as the crinkle of a loaf of bread and condiments hit one of the island counters.

As silent as a wraith, Ororo calmly reached an arm out and flipped the wall switch for the overhead lights.

“Shit!� Caught in the act, Marie halted mid-step as she stood on her way back to the counter with three different types of lunchmeat. Her eyes were wide as she stared behind her toward the door, obviously taken by surprise.

“I wondered why we have to go shopping twice a week now.� Ororo replied with just a hint of flippancy, her arm still stretched across the wall holding the light switches.

“Geez, Ro. Don’t scare me like that.� Marie’s body relaxed visibly and she let the packages of thin-sliced turkey and ham fall to the counter top beside the bread.

For several seconds, the sisters didn’t say anything further to each other, the memory of their interaction earlier that week coming back to both. Marie and Ororo hadn’t had much to say to one another since Monday, despite sharing several duties concerning the school. Beth tried to be a buffer, attempting to ease the two back onto speaking terms but soon discovered it was probably best to let them work it out on their own.

This often meant: ‘Hello Unstoppable Force; meet Immovable Object.’

Turning back to her plate, Marie cleared her throat as she set about making three sandwiches. Her mutated metabolism often had her up late like this, raiding pantries for anything high in protein and calories. She knew her sister had to remember that, so didn’t say anything further about the grocery comment.

Watching from behind her, Ororo contemplated returning upstairs, but the thought of laying back down on those cold sheets without Logan brought her spirits down like no other night since his departure. Caught up in her thoughts, she missed Marie’s belated retort until she blinked, looking up to see the other woman turned slightly toward her.

“Well? Ya gonna stand there all night and watch or can Ah get a hand?� It was Marie’s version of an olive branch; one Ro well recognized from their childhood.

Keeping her lips firmly closed, the older sister dropped her hands, coming into the kitchen to round the island counter and survey Marie’s progress. “If it’ll get your greedy ass out of my kitchen, fine.�

Stuffing a smirk, Marie didn’t reply as Ororo reached for a butter knife to start slathering mayo and mustard on a pair of bread slices. They worked in silence for several moments; Ororo didn’t need reminding how to put together a turkey/ham sandwich just the way Marie liked it, and diligently piled on the toppings between the Dark Pumpernickel bread.

Working at a much slower pace, Marie dared a glance or two up at her sister, who appeared worlds away as she robotically prepared the sandwich. Carefully folding slices of meat on a bread slice, Marie kept her eyes down for a moment, thinking back to several conversations with Beth since Monday. She realized that for all the apprehension and doubt she was feeling, that Ororo’s situation probably had the woman herself scared shitless.

“You’re up pretty late.�

“…yeah. Sleep’s not exactly a friend tonight.�

“Hm. I guess ya do have a lot on yer plate.�

“…�

“…Ro?�

Looking up then, Ororo patted the top of the second piece of bread as she completed the second sandwich, realizing Marie was still only halfway done with her first. Her younger sister’s eyes still didn’t meet hers as Marie focused on a leaf of freshly washed Romaine lettuce, flicking the edge of the greens with her fingernail. It was obvious there was something on the other woman’s mind, but her expression told Ororo that Marie’s struggle was probably only half of the problem.

When her sister remained silent, unable—or unwilling—to aid in Marie’s turmoil, she glanced up into Ro’s blue gaze, the worry and frustration clearly evident on her face. Licking her lips, Marie glanced back down to the half-finished sandwich. “Ah guess I haven’t exactly been makin’ a difficult situation any easier on ya. Have I?�

Ororo’s body barely moved, her gaze fixed on her sister as the younger barely kept from fidgeting beneath her piercing stare. “Not really.�

“Mm. Ah figured.� Marie’s words barely reached across the counter to Ororo, but the strained emotions in her words did manage to soften the ice that had been kept chilled for almost a week on Ro’s part.

Silence reigned between them again for a moment, until Ororo looked down, piling the two huge sandwiches on the plate in front of her and coming around the counter to stand beside Marie. Placing the food before her, she looked down at her sister, who still couldn’t manage to meet her gaze again. With a heavy sigh, Ro leaned into Marie, taking her with one arm by the shoulder and carefully hugging her. Mindful of their contact, Marie nonetheless melted into her sister’s embrace, her head cradled beneath Ororo’s chin as she hugged her in return. A slight brush of bare skin was all that was needed to communicate the feelings between them; Ororo felt her sister’s overwhelming concern and worry, while Marie fought back tears in the realization of Ro’s heartache having to endure this trial without the man she loved.

“…Ro, I’m—“

“I know. Me too.�

As they separated, Ororo sitting momentarily to regain her composure (she didn’t remember Marie’s power having such a strong affect with such a slight touch), the sudden sound of footsteps behind them brought both sisters in check.

“Damn. I thought I smelled meat.� Scott yawned between words as he stumbled inside the kitchen, eyeing the three sandwiches.

“What are you doin’ up so late?� Marie wiped her eyes as though she only had something in them, clearing her throat and eliciting a soft smile from her sister in doing so.

“Same thing as you two, evidently.� Scott strolled up to the counter, leaning in to see exactly what she had there.

Ororo took it upon herself to swat his hand away when he tried reaching in for a taste of meat hanging off the side of one sandwich. “Uh-uh.�

“Hey..!� Scott withdrew his stinging fingers, giving her a look.

Rolling her eyes, Ororo nodded toward one of the stools nearby, pulling the empty plate back toward her. “Sit down, I’ll make you one, too.�

“One?� Scott called after her as she went to wash the plate off. Turning to Marie, he leaned closer and whispered, “Boy, she’s getting all ‘motherly’ on us already.�

“I heard that.�

The two at the counter barely kept their snickering in check, as another pair of bodies appeared in the doorway.

Ororo turned just in time to see Beth, closely followed by David. She thought she’d imagined the two holding hands, giving her sister a quick look that Beth craftily ignored. ‘Another talk for another time.’

“Why weren’t we invited to the party?� Beth grinned at Marie and Scott, obviously pleased to see her sisters on good terms again.

“Hey, I just crashed in myself,� Scott admitted, “But maybe if you guys ask really nice, Ororo will give you half a sandwich.�

“Keep talking, mister.� Ro warned, “All you’ll get is a piece of wilted lettuce.�

Zipping his lips shut with two fingers, Scott smirked at the others as Ororo shook her head. It was amazing how a group of adults could resort to juvenile behavior when the lights when down. Turning to David and Beth, she saw them drawing up chairs. “Well, since the Xavier ‘All-Night Diner’ is officially open, what can I get you two??�



TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #06 “Expecting the Unexpected�, Part 1


Section X HQ
Wednesday, October 27th, 2004
1:32 pm CST


“So we’re of an understanding then, Major Gabler?� Forge stood in his office in a typical stance for him, arms crossed tightly and oozing a sense of authority that demanded not to be questioned.

Before him, the dark-haired woman’s body was erect, her left eye staring forward but not directly at him. Long black hair was neatly bound to the back of her head except a thick lock that fell over her forehead covering the entire right side of her face. “Completely, sir.�

“Excellent.� Forge seemed to accept her confident statement and added, “As soon as your team has had a chance to review the intelligence reports, I’ll need to have a plan of action on my desk for approval. We’re doing this strictly by the books; I won’t have any loose ends or mistakes to worry about or answer for later. Are we clear?�

“Crystal, sir.� She then reached out and handed him a compact disc. “I anticipated as much, and I’ve been through the information with my people already.�

He didn’t immediately accept the disc, looking up at her briefly with one brow raised. “Really? Before you were chosen for this assignment?�

“That is correct, sir.�

Forge shifted his weight to the other foot, his head moving in the opposite direction. He’d heard through several reliable sources that Alexandra “Callisto� Gabler was the quintessential “go-getter�, and normally he appreciated that in an agent. However…

“And how, may I ask, did you get clearance to this material?�

Without so much as a second thought, Callisto’s dark blue left eye met his as she responded, “By being a sneaky little bitch…sir.�

Forge stood rooted in place, for once at a loss for words. She was entirely serious and he realized that any intelligence agent worth her mustard wasn’t going to easily reveal sources. It was a testament to both her abilities as well as the security leak potential in Section X—Daniel would deal with the latter later.

“Duly noted, Major. While I’m pleased that we won’t have to waste precious time bringing you and your ‘Morlocks’ Team up to speed, if I ever find out you’ve been snooping around Alpha-Level Classifieds again, rest assured that a court martial will be the least of your worries.�

Unblinking, Callisto replied “Believe me sir, when I say you’ll never find that out again.�

He was in the middle of turning away from her when she said that and it brought Forge’s head snapping back toward her for a second look. For her part, Alexa Gabler simply continued to stare at her superior, still holding the disc out for him. After another tense moment, Forge came back toward her, accepting the information and went back to his desk to slip it into the iMac atop his desk.

As his eyes read through the proposals as well as her understanding of the case they were working, he held his thoughts from showing on his face, but inwardly was impressed. Her concept of how dangerous this was going to be for the up-and-coming Morlocks Team hadn’t seemed to missed the young field commander, as he noted her Team List had been shortened by several names down to a covert crew of six, including herself. With such a coveted assignment, he wondered how those she’d deemed not good enough were feeling about their Major at the moment.

“Permission to speak freely, sir?�

Without glancing up, Forge nodded, scrolling through the prospectus that included viable ways to bring down their target.

Taking a couple steps closer, Alexa’s disposition remained professional, but her voice barely contained the inward excitement. “According to the intelligence reports and personnel files we’ve reviewed, it’s my opinion that in order to find Victor Creed, we should first focus on locating the renegade Christoph Nord.�

That got his attention. Glancing up at her, Daniel asked, “And why is that?�

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but when the original X-Men Team was composed, Victor Creed hand-picked Nord. Later, there was an entry in Maverick’s psychological evals that pointed to some resentment toward Col.—then Major—Howlett when Gen. Ackens pulled strings to have Creed’s choice for the No.2 overturned and Vic didn’t put up much of a fight for Maverick…� She paused when Forge stopped reading the document on his screen to focus on her entirely.

Intrigued, he waved her on, “Please continue.�

“When Creed went AWOL, it was between Howlett and Nord to take his place as team leader. Obviously, we know who got that position. Christoph would later receive his own command, but the bad blood between those two was palpable. The “training accident� in August was the culmination of that, in my opinion. Nonetheless, as James Howlett’s and Victor Creed’s own history is well known here and Nord blamed Howlett for missed opportunities—among other things—in the past, it would be a reasonable assumption that Maverick would hold the Colonel in the same regard now, as his career with us has been termed and he’s a wanted man. Wouldn’t you agree?�

Instead of answering her question, Forge asked one himself: “You came to this conclusion based on what you read in their files?�

“Yes sir.�

“Impressive.� Forge couldn’t help it, whispering as he mulled over her take on the situation. Previous pysch-evals of the dynamics between the Howlett brothers stopped short of including Christoph Nord as a possible residual issue and the ill feelings between James and Chris were missed entirely until after the accident resulting in several agents’ deaths. Yet, as enticing as Alexandra’s hypotheses were, there was still a few begging questions.

Rubbing his moustache in thought, Forge glanced back up to her. “Interesting theories you’ve got here, Major. However, I’m still not convinced that Nord would seek out Victor Creed. What would be the purpose?�

Pointing to the iMac’s screen, she replied, “Take a look at the profiles folder a moment, sir? Open the folder labeled ‘Connections’.�

As he did so, she came to stand behind his chair, leaning in to see the wide 24-inch screen. Forge scrolled through the preview of the folder’s contents, passing images of people. “What am I looking for?�

“That.� Alexa’s words stopped his mouse’s clicking, the screen showing a larger panoramic image with a ‘tree’ of images. The Howlett brothers were near the top of said tree, with other images below them, captioned with the peoples’ connections to each. Beneath Victor’s image, his sons Kyle and Graydon branched off to other associations. There was a red-colored link directly between James and Graydon, however.

Suddenly realizing where she was going with this, Forge sat back in his chair. “Of course…Graydon Creed.�

From memory, Alexa narrated “Joined his AWOL father several years after Vic left Sect X, tearing a path to quick riches through most of Africa, eastern Europe and parts of southeast Asia until a rookie mistake found Graydon on the wrong end of Col. Howlett’s adamantium claws. I believe We were actually looking for Victor, but stumbled across Graydon almost by accident. It’s after his son’s death that Victor Creed began his more violent exploits of terrorism across the globe. I only mention this because if I were Maverick, who would I seek out first to help me get back at the Col.?�

Staring at the pictures of the two brothers, Forge answered along with her: “Victor Creed.�



Westchester, NY
Saturday, October 30th…

The weekends at the Xavier School were normally times where the staff relaxed, kicking back with a drink of choice to celebrate the two days between the week-long sessions of teaching. This weekend however was slightly different, as the day before Halloween found many of them helping the in-house students with costumes and organizing Trick-or-Treat groups for the next day.

Downstairs in one of the first floor rec rooms, Scott stood in front of a dry-erase board, contemplating the assigned groups and which volunteering instructor was going to supervise them. He couldn’t believe teenagers still wanted to engage in childish things like Halloween, but didn’t have the heart to disappoint the students, who seemed thoroughly excited about the costumes as well as the prospect of free candy.

“Hey, how’s it goin’?� Marie came in the door behind him, holding a glass of lemonade for him. As he took it to sip, she stood there with her own glass, admiring his strategic work.

“Well, actually—good God, Marie!� Scott sputtered, barely swallowing the liquid before he held the glass up to his eye level, evaluating it before turning to her. “Who made this??�

“I dunno; one of the kids, I think. Jubliee, maybe?�

“Figures.� He grumbled, eyeballing the glass again before shaking his head and setting it down on a nearby end table. “Tastes like she emptied the entire sweetener jar in it.�

“Really?� Marie took a long gulp, resulting in half her glass disappearing before she continued, “Tastes alrigh’ to me, Sugah.�

“You got that right.� He muttered, wiping what had to be residual sugar cane crystals from his lips before turning back to the board.

“You’re certainly puttin’ a lotta thought inta this, Scott.� Marie smiled as he leaned in to erase two names from one group and two from another, switching things around.

“Hm? Oh yeah, well if you had to listen to the stories and drama I get dragged into, you’d know why. Every day these kids change BFFs like they change their underwear.�

That elicited a snicker from Marie, who was surprised he even knew what “BFFs� were. “O muh Gawd.�

“No, really,� he continued, still half in thought as he made a couple other changes to the groups. “Franklin and Angelo aren’t getting along since Angelo flaked out on his part of some group project and David gave them a B- on it and you know if Franklin doesn’t pull perfect A’s he starts hyperventilating. I can’t put Jubilee and Monet in the same group because evidently Jubes now has a crush on Everett, who recently decided he and Monet were getting “too involved� and broke things off in true new-millennium fashion—by text message—but not before he let it slip to one of his buddies—and therefore the entire student body—that he thought Kitty was, and I quote: ‘A Hottie’. So now Jubes is pissed at Kitty because of that, and Monet would just as soon drown them both, I gather. I don’t know; lately I’ve just been nodding and going ‘Uh huh’ when they come to me with this nonsense.�

Marie was fairly laughing hysterically now, holding her sides and wiping a tear from her eye as she glanced up to his exasperated face.

“It’s not funny, Marie.� Scott tried to sound bitter and serious but her fits were cracking his resolve. “This isn’t what I had in mind when I agreed to be the Dean. I told these kids I had an ‘open door’ policy, but who knew it’d turn into New York’s version of The O.C.?�

That only made her gasp for air and Marie actually snorted she laughed so hard. Unable to keep his ire up, Scott shook his head, finally chuckling himself as he realized his role—not to mention his attentiveness—in all of this. Still, if he shoved any two parts of this geometric mess together, it would be a disaster for the chaperone, so he went back to his groups, moving students around like musical chairs. “You’re laughing now, but see what’ll happen if I stick Monet and Jubes in your group. Bet you won’t be laughing then.�

“Ah’m sorry..!� She could barely even stop laughing long enough to get that out. “Really. Ah mean, I know it sounds silly to you now, but ‘member when you were their age, Scooter? Oh, what tangled webs we weave…�

“Oh God.� He brought the marker to his forehead, covering his face as his cheeks burned momentarily. A memory of his ill-conceived tryst with Emma Frost came floating back to him. “Now why did you have to bring that up?�

“I’m just sayin’.� Marie shrugged apologetically, still smiling. “You remember what it’s like to be young, horny and stupid.�

“Wow.� He shook his head, then darted his eyes back to her with a grin. “I also remember a certain 12 year old running around trying to avenge her sister’s honor by touching me…�

“Damned skippy. And if my little legs had been longer, I might’a caught your skinny ass, too.�

After all these years he could tell she thoroughly meant it, but the twinkle in Marie’s eyes told Scott that she’d managed to get over his past with her sister. Perhaps it was the death of their father and the way they’d all seemed to tighten ranks afterwards, or maybe it was the way Scott seemed to fuss over Ororo lately in the way she wished Logan was there to do. Whatever the reason, Marie finally laid their bad blood to rest and for that, Scott was happy to take the occasional ribbing.

Grinning back at her, he mumbled, “In your dreams, sugah.�



Elsewhere in the School, Ororo sat behind her desk in the Headmaster’s office, grading papers and updating her grade book via an Excel spreadsheet. There was only about six weeks left to the semester before the winter break and she wanted to make sure progress reports were up to date to send home with the students. She could’ve waited until a little later to finish this, but she needed the distraction. She was a little over two months into her pregnancy, and was expected back to Dr. Matthews’ office mid next week for a routine check up. Each time she met with the doctor, Ororo felt like a ticking time bomb, as though some bad news was surely on its way around the corner.

Glancing down to her belly, which was just beginning to show a slight ‘baby bump’, she wondered if Dr. Matthews could indeed run tests to determine the child’s susceptibility to a condition like Amahra’s. In truth, Ororo still didn’t know exactly what that condition was, and dreaded the thought that the only person available to lend any information on the subject was arguably the last person she wanted to know she was pregnant with Logan’s child. Unfortunately, Jean was becoming quite the common fixture around the School as her relationship with Scott continued to blossom, and Ororo was sure that at some point she’d have to stop conveniently ‘just missing’ her arrivals and the obvious was sure to take hold. It wasn’t an encounter she was relishing, let’s just say.

Knock, knock. Interrupting her thoughts, the sound at the door preceded its opening to a face she hadn’t seen in too long a time. When his dark blue eyes crinkled upon seeing her at their father’s desk, she openly beamed, spreading her arms wide. “Am I interrupting?�

“Hank! Goddess, no. Get in here!� She stood quickly, barely giving her brother time to get inside the door fully before she flew into his arms for a big, tight hug.

Henry lifted her off her feet momentarily, but as he released her and stood back, began, “Let me have a look…at…you??�

Ororo smiled, feeling her face warming with a blush as Henry’s eyes took in the loose shirt she wore, obviously from some maternity wear catalogue. “You’re staring, Hank.�

“Um, oh…ah…� The usually verbose doctor stumbled over every syllable as his eyes kept dropping to her middle then bouncing back to her face. “Ororo..?�

“Yes, Henry. About eight weeks now.� She barely finished before he crushed her to his wide chest, nuzzling her silky crown with his cheek. “I thought Marie or Beth would’ve let it slip by now.�

He didn’t quite catch her muffled words, so relaxed their embrace, still holding her close but leaning away to look into her eyes. “No, no…Elizabeth indicated I was in store for some fortuitous surprise, but I never imagined…�

She gazed up at him waiting for his reaction to run its course. Henry’s eyes were wide, obviously shocked and confused, but his large canines protruded after a moment as he grinned like a little boy.

“…Congratulations!� He held her shoulders, squeezing her tightly before suddenly remembering her ‘precious condition’ and patting her like he’d cracked her or something.

“I’m okay, Hank,� Ororo laughed, touching his cheek with a smile of her own. “And thank you.�

“Hey there, Hank!� Scott slid in behind them, going through Ororo’s office to his own. They could hear him rustling through drawers before he emerged holding a box of markers. “How was your flight?�

As Ororo smiled, turning back toward her desk, Hank’s eyes continued to follow his sister as he answered Scott’s question. “It helps when you have your own private jet. Which, by the way, I’m happy to return to the school for a while during my sabbatical. My assistant won’t need it; she’s staying in Genosha until my return.�

Ororo looked up as she stood behind the desk. “How are things going there? The news stations and papers are appropriately optimistic—the liberal outlets, anyway. I know it can’t be quite that rosy for you.�

“Not nearly.� Hank took his spectacles down to wipe them on a clean white kerchief as he continued, “It certainly doesn’t help that our diplomatic entourage lacks a telepath of the power our father possessed. Maddy tries her best, but…�

Ororo’s face turned sour for a moment and she brought her hand to her chest, turning to look for her chair. The slight movement wasn’t missed by either man, and as Hank came forward, Scott was already stepping to her side. “Ororo? Are you alright?�

“I’m…okay, Hank. Just a little heartburn, I think.�

Scott was digging through her desk’s drawers and pulled a bottle of Tums from its depths, handing her two and a glass of water. “What did you have for lunch?�

Thinking back, she took the tablets from him, popping them into her mouth while holding the glass. “Just a turkey sandwich on wheat. No mustard.�

Folding his arms, Scott’s head tilted to one side as he looked down at her for a moment. “Pickles?�

“No.� She chewed the Tums fully, then washed the residue down with a couple gulps of water. “No pickles. Maybe a couple jalapeños on the side, though—“

“Ororo…�

“And I might have had a piece of fudge brownie…with French Vanilla ice cream whipped cream and sprinkles, but I’m sure that was all.� She rambled the ingredients of her improper diet off as if she didn’t want them to realize what she’d said, averting her eyes and taking another sip of water as the two men eyeballed her.

As Hank watched Scott’s face, he stifled a grin, coming around the desk to kneel at her chair’s side, taking her pulse though she tried to swat his hands away. “Hold still.�

Scott, unamused, continued to grill her. “And?�

Glancing up at him, Ororo shrugged. “That’s all…maybe a couple handfuls of Funions, I don’t know. But that’s all!�

“Oh man.� Scott sat on the side of the desk holding the bottle of antacid. “My stomach’s turning just listening to you.�

“Shh.� Ororo tried to hold back a burp but was unsuccessful, apologizing to them after the relieving belch escaped. “Don’t say that; it’s turning mine, too.�

The men laughed, and Hank—satisfied for the moment that heartburn was all it was—leaned back on his knees, patting her hand. “If it persists, please let me—uh, I mean Cecelia—know right away. Alright?�

“Yes, Dr. McCoy.� She kissed his forehead. “It’s just these cravings are killing me, and I can’t take Pepto, which normally would do the trick but because I’m pregnant, is off limits.�

“Precisely.� Hank nodded. To Scott, he asked, “Is this normal for her diet?�

“Unfortunately, according to Beth, Marie and the kitchen staff, I’m afraid so.� Scott chuckled.

“Hey!� Ororo raised her hands like ‘hello, I’m right here’, and wondered why her brother was quizzing Scott on her eating habits. To him, she raised a brow. “I thought you had some spies in the kitchen late at night, but my own sisters are turning me in now??�

“It’s for your own good, Funion Lady.� Scott took the glass from her, standing and leaning in to reach down, squeezing her hand before he kissed the top of her head. “No more late night sweet, sour and spicy excursions, alright? Your stomach will thank you in the morning, I’m sure.�

Rolling her eyes, Ro sang “Yes Nurse Ratchet.�

He chuckled, heading for the door. “See what I’m dealing with here, Hank? Anyway, you two excuse me; I’ve got some teenagers to keep apart…Don’t ask.�

When Scott left, Ororo was shaking her head, smiling. Hank was still staring out the door the other man left through, a slightly befuddled look on his face. “Ororo?�

“Yeah?� She turned to him, settling back in the chair.

“May I hazard a personal inquiry I’m quite positive is none of my business?�

Curious, she folded her hands in her lap, wondering what was on her brother’s mind. “Sure Hank. I think all my secrets are out at this point, though.�

He smiled at her attempt at levity, glancing back toward the door. “…Hm, not entirely sure how to query this, but—is Scott the--?�

“What?! No! Hank..!� Ororo’s face burned and she covered her mouth as a fit of giggles took her over. “Oh my Goddess, no!�

“Well, I just thought…�

“Why would you think that?� She calmed down, genuinely curious.

Shrugging, the doctor thought back to the easy—very easy—familiarity between the two in just the couple minutes since he’d been in their presence. “His relationship with you appears quite euphonic, and if I do say so, the two minutes of doting I witnessed here were downright charming. I knew that you were back on copacetic terms and working here together, so I just surmised that perhaps…�

She reached to pat his hand, shaking her head. “Ah, that’s a big ‘No’ on that one, Doc. Scott’s been a tremendous help and yes, we’re close, but no; he’s not the father.�

When she didn’t elaborate, Hank’s eyes dropped with a little discomfort, wondering at her sudden sober attitude. After a couple minutes of silence, he ventured, “Well, that’s alright; you don’t have to—“

“It’s okay.� Ororo’s eyes didn’t quite smile as she tried to make him feel better (not to mention herself). “Daddy’s not in the picture for a good reason. We haven’t spoken since he left in August and I don’t believe we’ll ever see each other again.�

Hank’s eyes widened, then softened as he watched her dab at her other eye quickly. “Oh, Ororo…does he know?�

Unable to dislodge the lump in her throat, she only gave him a tight, sad smile before quickly shaking her head negatively. She realized she couldn’t rehash all the reasons why, but certainly thought her brother deserved to know at least what she’d shared with her sisters and Scott. “The truth is, I think it’d kill him if he knew…�




Madripoor City
(Later the same day)

The small covert ops team stood in a semi-circle facing an small, pocket-sized electronic device perched on the hotel room’s desk. A holographic image was created above the metallic prongs of the device in the perfect form of their new agency leader.

While Daniel Forge spoke to them, several members of Logan’s team glanced at him occasionally; he stood a foot or so in front of them, his arms crossed tightly, biceps bulging and fists clenched—in anger, mostly.

“Why weren’t we told about Ackens?� He asked pointedly, glaring at the pencil-necked Lt. General who too-calmly returned his stare through the two-way camera on the Shi’ar created comm. device.

“At that time it was generally felt that your team was in too deep and to be honest, there were more pressing matters at hand here, Colonel. The Department of Defense wanted to see if the General’s plans could be kept in play before any major changes were enacted.� Forge kept his tone neutral, but inwardly fought an immediate dislike of Ackens’ “pet�, the Col. Howlett. He couldn’t understand why the deceased man favored this hotheaded jarhead so much.

“’Changes’? What the hell are you gettin’ at?� Logan’s eyes narrowed.

Forge’s face shifted as he swallowed a retort; if it weren’t for the fact he still believed Howlett may still be of some use... After a slight pause, he allowed, “Succinctly Colonel, things are not going in the direction we’d like to see. Since I’ve been appointed Jason Ackens’ successor, I’ve been moving toward a more strategic method of achieving our goals. In particular, expeditiously resolving the Creed case.�

Growling, Logan jabbed a finger at the digital image of his new superior. “Expeditious my ass. We’ve only been out here for two months; if it was that easy to find Victor he would’ve been caught already.�

“Colonel, I’ll thank you to watch the tone you take with me.� Forge was about through with anything resembling coddling this man. He knew James Howlett was arguably the best Section X agent ever to walk through the place and more than half the agents under him ended up with successful commands of their own, but enough was enough. “I don’t mind telling you right now that mess you made with Kyle Howlett—who was your only viable lead to date—isn’t getting you any new fans here.�

Logan’s lip curled at the mention of his nephew, not to mention the thought that he had to impress anyone. Sniffing, he retorted, “Everything was by the book with Kyle ‘Creed’. I can’t help it if the boy didn’t talk—“

“And won’t be able to now, thanks to you.� Forge felt the need to interject.

Shrugging, Logan quipped, “That’s what telepaths are for. Let one of your brain-fuckers have a couple minutes inside his head, maybe he’ll sing for ya; though I doubt it. I never seriously thought he knew where Vic was anyway.�

Forge’s face visibly changed, and he sputtered, “Then why did you waste weeks tracking him down?�

“You call it ‘waste’, I call it groundwork. Victor may be in hiding, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his ear to the floor. When word gets to him about Kyle, that’s when we move. We won’t find Victor by waiting for him to make a mistake, because he won’t. Now, the people around him, on the other hand, are a different story.� Logan thought that was enough of his plan he needed to disclose; he wasn’t convinced he could trust this guy Forge on any level, and certainly not where this case was concerned; he knew enough about ambitious fucks like this to know they were the type of scavengers that waited for people like Logan to do all the work and then take the credit when it counted.

“Well, even if that may be, I’m afraid that sort of cat & mouse game isn’t what the DoD is looking for when it comes to a viable plan. As such, there have been some modifications to the case you need to be aware of.� Forge kept his tone neutral again, steeling himself for what he knew was going to be a tantrum from Howlett.

“Meaning?�

“Effective immediately, your team is off the case.�


TBC…

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #07 “Expecting the Unexpected�, Part 2


Brooklyn, New York
Monday, November 1st, 2004
11:27 a.m. EST

The modest-sized OB-GYN’s office was completely faced with brick on the outside; a two-story establishment that at first glance appeared more like a home than a place of business. There were just a few cars outside along the street/�parking lot�; one of which—a flashy cobalt blue Porsche Carrera GT—stuck out like the preverbal sore thumb. It was parked like someone who’d been in a hurry, sort of straddling two spaces. The powerful engine continued to purr; the ignition still ran as the car’s occupants struggled with an uncomfortable conversation within.

“I said I’ll be fine.�

“You don’t look like you’ll be fine.�

“Oh? And how ‘exactly’ do I look?�

“Like you’re scared shitless, Roro.� Scott was turned toward her in the driver’s seat of his car, his eyes slightly shaded against her view by his tinted specs. She didn’t need to see his eyes to hear the worry and concern in his voice.

‘Maybe because I am?’ She answered back in her mind, but remained quiet, her body turned away from him as she stared outside the car’s window toward the entrance to Dr. Matthews’ office. She’d managed to put most of the anxiety of this check up far enough back in her mind to get through the weekend. However, once she woke Monday morning, a sudden, severe attack of morning sickness made her question an ability to drive herself to this appointment, and Ororo was close to calling for a same-day cancellation before Scott insisted on driving her himself so she wouldn’t have to miss it. They’d stopped three times on the way over, she’d gotten so sick—whether that was due to the pregnancy or Scott’s driving, was unclear.

When she didn’t respond to his observation, Scott tentatively reached over to touch her hand, noting the clammy coldness unusual for Ororo. She jumped slightly at his touch, turning to look at him with an expression that clearly told him her fears. “Hey.�

Ororo took a deep breath, swallowing a lump in her throat as she turned back to glance at the office door. Quietly, she asked, “What if…what if it’s the same thing as Amahra?�

Scott tried not to struggle with his answer, remembering the difficult time Jean had telling him about the daughter she and Logan brought into the world, who suffered more than any living being should ever have to before Mercy took her, leaving two anguished and grieving parents in her wake. The emotions were still clearly visible on Jean’s face in her re-telling; it was a look he never wanted to see mirrored on Ororo’s face. “You can’t think like that.�

“Can’t I? Shouldn’t I?� she challenged, still not looking back at him. Her other hand clutched at her purse, he guessed to stop it from shaking.

“You’ll drive yourself crazy with ‘what if’s, Ororo.� Scott tugged on her hand, getting her to finally turn toward him. She stared quietly, and he could tell she needed a type of reassurance that he wasn’t positive he could give. “…But no matter what, we’ll deal with it, okay? We; not “you�. Most of your entire family is right at your fingertips and whatever happens, we’re here. You’re not alone. Not today, not ever. Now come on; you’re going to be late for the appointment.�

She wasn’t given the opportunity to reject his offer again, as Scott then turned the car off, opening his door and getting out. She couldn’t seem to move her legs, but it was only a few seconds before he appeared at her door, opening it and laying his hand in her view, offering to help her out. Looking up into his face, she saw the determination in his eyes; he was bent on no harm coming to her, she could tell. It soothed a little of her fear, enough that she took his hand, allowing him to pull her up from the seat of the sports car.

Scott closed the passenger-side door soundly then came to her side, looking down at her. He wasn’t going to let on how nervous he was at the thought of accompanying his friend to her first ultra-sound for what could prove a devastating discovery for this pregnancy; when he had to, Scott Summers was a master at the art of Bull Shit, and right then he was prepared to pour it on if it meant Ororo could take some comfort from his bravado, no matter how false it may actually have been.

Taking a slightly shaky breath, Ro managed a small—if not surrendering—smile. Quietly, he leaned into her a little, taking her hand lightly. She didn’t look up at him, but squeezed his fingers tightly before taking a first determined step toward the entrance.



Across the World in Madripoor, things are also not quite as rosy—and a hell of a lot more uncertain—for the Section X team helmed by one James Howlett. It was about two days after the ‘conference call’ with new Sect X Director Daniel Forge, and the Wild Bunch’s team leader was now alone in the small room, his claws slightly extended from his fisted hands as he looked down at the remnants of the communication device. Naturally, Logan had taken particular delight in gutting the multi-million dollar piece of alien technology with his adamantium appendages.

Thoughts returning to Forge’s bombshell from Saturday, Logan growled low in his throat, turning back to rest in the window of the hotel room. Drawing one leg up, he stared at the pieces of the comm. device strewn across the room. He’d been surprised he stopped just at that, but realized he didn’t need any trouble from the hotel’s managers; having to explain mangling a hapless bystander wasn’t high on his list of priorities at the moment, after all.

Victor Creed was, however.


Outside the closed door, the rest of the team sat in the pinched living room area, which
consisted mainly of a wobbly table, a couple chairs and what had to be the first color television model ever made. The small group was quiet as Ben, Neena, Wisdom, Caliber, Haven and Longshot sat around the tight table, playing a game of cards. The group’s rather pedestrian actions were certainly belied by the uncomfortable silence. None raised his or her eyes to the other members of the re-named team as the cards were slapped down on the wooden table. Hand gestures were used for raising and folding; it was the most pathetic thing Neena had witnessed in all her life.

“This is ridiculous.� She stood, slapping her entire hand of cards down on the table in the middle of the pile of chips that represented the current hand’s pot. “I know we’re not just going to wait around here licking our wounded pride.�

Glancing up at her from his hand of cards, Ben didn’t immediately move, concentrating on the game. “Easy, Neena.�

“Ben, sir I’m sorry, but what is the plan? We’ve been sitting here two days and the Colonel hasn’t even stepped outside that room since—“

“Yeah, I know.� Ben finally leaned back in his chair, keeping the cards close to his chest but stretching his back before continuing, “He just needs time.�

“Time for what?� Pete Wisdom raised a brow. “We’ve been yanked off the case and called back in.�

“Exactly,� Haven piped up, her dark hair cleanly pulled back in a ponytail that spilled over her shoulder. Sharp brown eyes pierced Ben with wonder, “At this point, I’m sure the extraction team is wondering why we never showed at the rendezvous point.�

“And they’ll have to just keep on wondering,� Longshot added, “since the comm. device is…shall we say, ‘incapacitated’?�

“Yeah, yeah. Guys I know.� Ben stood, walking a few paces away from them. Nothing his team mentioned hadn’t already been through his own mind in the past 48 hours, but Ben Campbell wasn’t going to abandon his friend and commander now. He was perhaps the only one that had any idea how much the Creed case meant to Logan, but didn’t feel it his call to explain that to the others. He just needed them to trust Logan as much as he did.

“Ben—?� Neena prompted at his silence.

“Listen up, all a’ya.� They turned at the deep gruff voice that emerged from the depths of the small hotel room to see Logan standing in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes harder than flint.

Immediately the group stood at attention and he came farther into their space, meeting eyes with each one of them as he prepared to speak. Ben turned toward him, trying to hide the look of hope that maybe his friend had snapped out of whatever sullen spell Forge’s directive had put him in. “Sir?�

“I don’t plan on lettin’ Victor Creed run loose around the world because the suits back home wanna play musical chairs with the teams that go after him� he began, coming to a stop in the middle of the semi-circle. No one dared to breathe, waiting for his next words. “But I also ain’t taking anyone with me that isn’t prepared to go the distance with this. You all heard the mandate. If you want out, make sure yer at the second rendezvous point in four hours. Anyone who stays, I want you in the other room in 10 minutes.�

With that, he turned on his heel and headed back into the room, slamming the door behind him. The team was left with mouths agape and looking at each other like ‘what the fuck was that?’ After several seconds of piercing quiet, Pete Wisdom was the first to walk over to his duffel bag in the corner. Almost angrily, he started stuffing his things in it. Looking at him with a little shock, Neena’s arms came down to her side. Quietly, she asked: “Pete?�

“What?� was his crisp reply.

“Where are you going?�

“I know you’re not seriously considering staying here with this bloke?� He stopped packing up just long enough to stare at her, then Ben and the others. “After what he did to that kid—his own nephew, may I remind ye—and now this? I’ve worked too god-damned hard to get where I am t’let a loon like Colonel Howlett ruin my career.�

“Watch your mouth, man.� Ben took a step forward, holding back his temper as much as possible, despite the rather unorthodox way he’d reminded the other man of protocol.

Attempting to rein in his anger, Wisdom sighed then, “I realize you’ve known the colonel for a long time now, Ben. I know he’s our superior officer and field commander. I also know that if I continue to follow him on this chase—without any sanctioned directive, against a direct order and without reliable reinforcements in case things get hairy—it’ll be the biggest mistake of me life.�

“What do you expect him to do, just give up?� Ben challenged, coming close to stand almost on top of Pete.

“I expect him te follow the orders he was given, Ben.� Pete returned to packing his bag.

“I can’t believe you’re just going to leave.� Neena’s voice was incredulous, but Ben heard something else in her tone as well, as he glanced at her watching Pete.

“He isn’t the only one.� Haven retrieved her duffel as well, folding her gear to put in it. Longshot took a second longer—glancing almost apologetically at Ben and Neena— before he too began to pack up as well. “Colonel Howlett gave us a choice, Neena. You’re making yours, just like we’re making ours.�



Secluded in the hotel’s bedroom, Logan stood with his back to the door purposely, as he looked down at the picture in his hands. The slightly crumpled image of him standing next to Ororo at the family’s reunion was his only remaining connection to a life he spent much too much time missing. He wondered off hand if it had affected his pursuit of Victor. Maybe that was why Forge thought they were taking too long? Because they had?

Dismissively, he cleared that thought out of his mind. He really didn’t care what the pencil-necked, tight-ass motherfucker thought, when it came right down to it. He knew he was the only real chance the department had at finding and killing Victor Creed. All the same, he knew any and all distractions would have to be put down.

With a heavy sigh, he took the lit cigar out of his mouth, holding the smoldering end to the edge of the photograph. As the flame eagerly ate at the paper, he watched the two faces like they were of people he didn’t know. Dropping the burning picture in the wastebasket at his feet, Logan stared down into it, watching the burn. His stomach lurched briefly, giving him pause. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, could feel the essence of The Wolverine taking hold of his heart, closing James and Logan out.

Behind him, the door quietly opened then closed quickly. Taking a sniff, he nodded, not surprised. “Deuce.�

“Colonel.� Ben Campbell’s reply was slightly stiff.

Only a couple seconds passed before the door opened and closed again. Coming to stand beside Ben, Neena glanced at her two superiors, waiting for orders. More time passed, but the door didn’t open again. Not that Wolverine expected it to. Watching the ashes in the trashcan, he kept his back to them, standing with legs braced widely apart, arms behind his back. “Hm. The others left yet?�

“I saw them out before I came in, sir. Wisdom was given the second pickup location.�

“Mm-hm. I won’t ask if the two of you are up to this. Truth is I wouldn’t have wanted any two others with me on this one. I feel like I need to warn ya though: you walk through that door with me, when ya get back likely you’ll face a list of charges longer’n yer arm…assuming you get back. You prepared for that?�

Glancing at Neena, Ben took her nod as permission to speak for her. To the colonel, he replied, “We’re prepared to bring Creed in, sir. Whatever we have to do to see that, we’re ready.�

Turning to glare at them with a renewed sense of determination, Wolverine growled, “Then let’s go.�



Westchester, later in the afternoon …
The ride back to the School was quiet but no less tense. Scott was determined not to pry, though he inwardly wanted to know what the doctor had to tell Ororo. He tried to focus on the road, but stole an occasional glance her way as she stared out the window of his sports car.

When they’d parked in the underground garage, he turned the key, killing the ignition. Before he could open his door, her arm came across the limited space between them, staying his movements. She didn’t immediately say anything, so his eyes glanced from her hand on his arm back to her face as she stared at the dashboard in front of her. “Ororo?�

“I need to be the one to tell everyone Scott, but I wanted to tell you first.�

His expression changed visibly, a little color leaving him, and Scott relaxed his hold on the door’s latch. “…Tell me what?�

Licking her lips, Ororo smiled briefly, as though she needed the act to get through this conversation. Looking into his eyes, she whispered, “It…it looks like geneX-eclampsia, she thinks.�

Confused, he sputtered, “What—what is that?�

“She said I’m beginning to show some warning signs that my body isn’t ‘accepting’ the baby; it’s trying to treat it like a foreign object, something that doesn’t belong. Erica tried to put all the medical terms aside, but essentially this could possibly turn into the most aggressive case she’s ever heard of.�

“What does that mean?�

“My body’s trying to fight the baby’s growth, but at the same time, the baby’s fighting me, it seems. She thinks—based on the nature of Logan’s mutation—that the baby probably has the same healing factor, and as the pregnancy progresses, it’s going to kick into overdrive to make sure my body’s attempts to reject the baby are stopped. Basically, our two bodies are trying to kill each other.� Sitting back in the seat, she was amazed she was able to say that without throwing up.

Scott simply stared at her dumbfounded, until his mind somehow woke up and he shook his head. “Jesus, Ororo..! Is there anything she can do? Is this what Amahra had?�

“Maybe, and No.� She pulled at a lock of her hair, her mind reeling as she tried not to think of the implications Erica was medically bound to disclose. “There are things we can do to lessen the symptoms. Erica thinks that if we can trick my body into resisting the urge to reject the fetus, then the baby’s response will decrease. This isn’t what killed Amahra though; her body was essentially rejecting itself—well, Jean’s half. In either case, there seems to be a common denominator, doesn’t there?�

His mouth went to a fine line, holding back the urge to want to punch Logan. It was an unrealistic emotion and wouldn’t have done any good even had the man been there with them. Still, Scott’s mind couldn’t get past the information Ororo was feeding him. Her eyes looked glassy, like she was about to cry any moment, but it was the fear in them that broke his heart.

“I was putting on weight so I thought that was a good thing; unfortunately, it looks like the sudden gain was just one of the warning signs.� She was saying, her voice beginning to shake.

Suddenly the car was just too small, so Scott opened his door, getting out. On his way to her side, he took several deep breaths, wondering what the hell he was going to do. As he opened her door, he looked down to see Ororo wipe a tear from her face quickly. Reaching to help her out, he closed the door but she didn’t move, looking anywhere but at him.

Ororo’s mind couldn’t quite wrap itself around the thought that there was a real chance that not only could the baby die, but she could as well if this condition wasn’t at least managed. While Erica admitted that eclampsia wasn’t normally fatal if recognized in time, the fact that they were dealing with mutant genes put a different spin on things. Not enough research had been done in the area to give her any real solace. Looking up into Scott’s eyes, she felt guilty for laying this on him, and told him so.

“Oh, shut up…� he murmured, lifting a hand to wipe the residue of the tear from her cheek. He expelled a held breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Whatever you need us to do, just name it.�

“Scott…thank you.� She whispered, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. Still holding on to it, she started for the garage door. “Come on; I want to get this over with.�

He knew what she was talking about, so nodded, following her toward the lift that would take them to the upper levels of the school. He couldn’t imagine what sort of steel it was taking for her not to collapse in a ball of fright and just wail her eyes out; the attempts at strength he kept seeing in Ororo made him proud though, and Scott was even more determined to stick things through at her side.

As they came up throughout the house, things were unusually quiet, though classes were generally over. A quick peek outside to the front of the grounds saw a few students lounging beneath a cluster of trees but none of the instructors were in sight. Watching the kids horse around, Ororo’s stomach did a flip. She couldn’t quite seem to take her eyes away from them, wondering if her child would make it to their age…and if she would make it to see the baby at that age.

Tapping her shoulder, Scott brought her out of those thoughts, pointing a thumb back inside. “I forgot; Monday staff meeting. They’re in the conference hall downstairs.�

“Scott, wait.� She held his arm, keeping him from returning inside. The distress in her voice brought him up short, and he immediately came to stand before her, concerned. Shaking her head, she continued, “No, I’m fine. I just…I need a minute, okay?�

He nodded, watching her inhale and exhale, rubbing her hands together. The clouds overhead were still white, so he could tell she was handling whatever anxiety was warring with her insides. Tilting her chin, he kept their eyes meeting as he gave her a reassuring look. “It’s going to be alright. I know it will.�

“You promise?� she sort of laughed dryly.

Leaning in, he smothered her shoulders in a tight hug, his cheek against her forehead. She hugged him back immediately, closing her eyes and sending a silent prayer to The Bright Lady.

Neither noticed the figure walking up the long drive toward the front of the School had stopped dead in her tracks. Shaded by the tree line opposite of the lounging students, Jean was coming up from the street below where she’d left her car. It was a beautiful day for so late in the year and a cool breeze brushed her hair from her eyes, giving her unobstructed view of the two on the front porch of the mansion-turned-school, tightly enveloped in each other’s embrace. For a moment she just stopped and watched, not completely comprehending what she was witnessing.

It was late in the day, and she’d expected to meet Scott for drinks and maybe an early dinner after the staff meeting; though it was from a distance, what she was seeing certainly didn’t look like school business to her.

After a few more moments, the two seemed to relax, and Scott pecked Ororo’s forehead before letting her go. Jean noted with a lifted brow, as he didn’t take a step back. Ororo reached up, a quick caress of his cheek before he reached up for her hand. They turned back into the front doors of the school, still holding hands. Unable to move, Jean blinked several times, wondering what in hell she just walked up on. She knew that the two had been an item some years ago, but was assured by Scott that their relationship was strictly platonic and mostly business with the school at this point. She’d taken him at his word, not wanting to do her usual mind sweep to see if he was lying—and regretting that trust at this very moment.

Indecisive for a moment, Jean finally did a hesitant turn back away from the School and started walking briskly to her car…




TBC...

The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #08 “Expecting the Unexpected�, Part 3


Section X HQ, Texas
Sunday, November 14th, 2004
5:53 a.m. CST

Alexa Gabler rubbed at her eyes, the only indication that she was well past tired. She was due to meet her skeletal team on the take-off pad in a little over an hour, on their way to the Russian/Ukrainian border. An old lead in Victor’s profile prompted a hunch that he might be holding out there, and so The Powers That Be wanted to make that her team’s first stop.

However, before she left, a nagging feeling kept her up the night before, pouring through the files she’d pegged as connecting the Howlett brothers. Her original theory that in order to find Victor, they should actually be looking for Christoph Nord was regarded highly by Forge; not so much by his superiors, who’d turned to a think tank of mutants to theorize and hypothesize where they thought Creed would run to. It annoyed Alexa greatly, but she was the consummate ‘team player’—when she needed to be—and was willing to bide her time chasing the ghosts that the Think Tank Mutants sent her after, while setting up her own course of action. Once the big wigs discovered they were wrong, she’d be ready with a real plan.

Scrolling through several gigabytes of surveillance photos taken over the past decade or so, she noted with a little ire how little they’d been able to get on Victor. A random sighting here and there—which usually resulted in the recon agent’s death once Vic discovered he was being tailed—wasn’t much to go on. Most of the surveillance was actually on James Howlett.

After some issue with the Colonel’s now-deceased daughter, he seemed to head into a tailspin that resulted in the ‘training accident’ that past summer. Alexa wasn’t really interested in the man’s emotional or psychological issues however; how, and more importantly, where he spent most of his time that fateful summer, did.

Although they were at odd angles (in an attempt to stay downwind of the man’s hyper-sensitive nose), Alexa scrolled through more than just a few photos of James Howlett and an elegantly tall, striking woman with dark caramel skin and cloud-white hair. One picture captured them on the beach in the Southamptons; their bodies’ dispositions made it clear they were in an argument. It was past dusk outside, so the night lens of the camera brought their features out in a sort of stark reality typical of images captured after dark. In passing she noted the date, and kept scrolling through the images captured of Howlett and this woman, who it was obvious he held some attachment to.

She remembered seeing something about a new civilian relation in the up-to-date file always kept on active (and most inactive) agents, so searched the agency’s database with her clearance. It didn’t take long to get a ‘hit’ on the woman’s identity, and Alexa spent a few minutes quickly scanning through the information compiled about her. Most of it had nothing to do with Howlett whatsoever, but in the interest of being thorough, Section X’s files rarely left out minute details from intel reports.

Just to be nosy at that point, she also did a cursory search of the woman’s known associations, and her brow went up a few notches at some of the names in the results. A world-renowned doctor, the former Ambassador to Genosha—her adopted father—a hot movie star was a close, old friend, and oh, what was this..?

An image of T’Chaka, the current ruling king of the Wakkandan-Kenyan alliance, and his eldest son T’Challa standing by his side also graced the woman’s file. In the image’s notes, it briefly explained the blood ties she has with the royal family. Alexa almost chuckled; thinking about the sort of people James Howlett has and had in his long life.

After the few minutes of digging, she decided there didn’t appear to be anything of any merit, and since her time was short, went ahead and ejected the disc containing her files on the Creed/Howlett/Nord case. While she showed the top brass she was in line with their idiotic plan of “Where in the World is Victor Creed?� Alexa Gabler intended to keep up her own investigation while they were out in the field. Something still wasn’t quite feeling right about the dynamics between the three men, but one thing she was sure of, was that Nord wouldn’t possibly give up the chance of sticking it to Howlett by way of Creed if at all possible. She just hoped that she could find that missing piece of the puzzle before it was too late.




The Bronx, NY
6:53 a.m. EST

The apartment building wasn’t the seediest in this borough, but one could’ve made a case for it. Even this early in the morning, there was the distant noise of one of the downstairs tenants’ surround sound speaker system pulsing the latest in rap music—although only the bass line could be heard on the 6th floor.

Rolling over onto his back, Christoph—still wearing his “David North� disguise—let out a deep sigh; partially content, and partially of ire. Staring up at the lazily turning ceiling fan his thoughts easily drowned out the music several floors below as well as the emerging sounds of the neighborhood awakening beyond the brick walls of the brownstone. His mind churned with plans, back up plans and contingency plans for the back up plans he was now prepared to set into motion. It had taken him a good solid month to get to this point in his plot and he’d be damned if things were thrown off track now…even if that meant he had to engage in a little “give and take�.

“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?�

His eyes slid to the right just slightly at the break in his concentration; the sultry but airy voice against his shoulder teased his damp skin as she turned her face more toward him. Pausing before answering, Chris knew better than to try kidding a telepath. “Would it matter?�

Shrugging a golden shoulder, the woman beside him allowed a knowing smile as she came up slowly on her elbow, looking down at him pointedly. “I could say ‘I asked; what do you think?’ but I guess that’s just as academic as the original question, right?�

He only grunted at that statement, his eyes going back to the ceiling fan as he tried to refocus his thoughts. She wasn’t going to allow him to pull away that easily, though.

“You know, I told you I could make things a lot easier for you, if this was going to be a problem…� her face, hair and eyes began to shift in his view, the room beyond her wavering slightly with the tell-tale signature Chris knew too well as a telepath in his head. He knew he shouldn’t have taken that blocker off…

“Shit…stop, you’re making me dizzy—“ he grumbled, pressing his fingers to his eyes but knowing it would do no good at this point.

“What’s the matta’, Luv?� Elizabeth Xavier’s voice floated to his ears like a caress, but his rational mind knew better than to believe any of his senses.

Chris hazarded a look from behind his hand and sure enough it was now Betsy in the bed with him—an image he’d secretly dreamed about for months since arriving at the Xavier School. “Son of a—Regan, seriously; cut it out!�

Nord rose from the bed, sitting on the side and facing away from her, trying desperately to clear his head as he searched the still-dark room for his telepathic blocker. He now regretted beyond belief taking it off, but the thought of what Regan Wyngarde could do inside his head—the feelings she could illicit, weaving a picture in his mind and body of the woman he wished she was as they tumbled in the sheets of this dank apartment—was just too tempting a scenario to give up. Regan knew that as well as he did. “Hmph. I offer to let you “see� the woman you’ve obviously been pinning over and this is the thanks I get? Typical male.�

He ignored the teasing tone in her voice, his fingers scraping against the wood side table as he grasped the innocuous wrist watch that doubled as his telepathy blocker. Sliding it up his wrist and locking it into place, Nord sat still for several moments while the powerful hold of Regan Wyngarde’s illusion dissipated. “Don’t act like this is all one-sided, Regi. I can only imagine how refreshing it must be for you to actually fuck a guy who isn’t covered in as much body hair as a damned sheepdog.�

“Asshole.�

“Speaking of which, how is Victor doing these days?�

She stopped from a quick retort as Chris let his true intention for tracking her down all-too-casually slip from his lips. It was an obvious play, as he kept his back to her, still and unmoving. With one finely plucked gold eyebrow reaching her hairline, Regan sucked her teeth with a bitter laugh. “That’s what last night was about? Victor? Well, sorry to burst your bubble hon, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of that bastard in quite some—“

“Do I look that stupid to you?� Chris interrupted, turning just barely to glare at her over his muscled shoulder. “There are only two people on this planet that could possibly know the whereabouts of Victor Creed: his only surviving son and the woman he’s been banging on a semi-regular basis for the past 12 years. Unfortunately, I can’t get close enough to the former to get anything out of him…so that’s why you’re here.�

Regan’s eyes narrowed at his tone. She’d long ago resigned herself to being one of Victor’s ‘main squeezes’ whenever he was in the States but made it no secret that she would gladly open that door to Chris Nord—should he be man enough to take her from Creed. Despite any physical attraction they may’ve had over the years—including the occasional tryst—Chris wasn’t dumb enough to think he was taking anything from Victor Creed, and in all honesty would rather leave this one fish to the stream, so to speak. Regan Wyngarde was outwardly very stunning, there was no doubt, but her personality—hard, cold and with a pleasant tendency toward backstabbing to boot—just wasn’t the sort of thing he ever needed in his life. She was best left to a casual acquaintance—one that could prove a resource at any time and just as quickly forgotten after he’d obtained the information he needed. “Oh, is that right?�

“That’s pretty much the gist of it.� Nord was quick to answer. “I need to know where he is, Regi.�

“I can’t tell you that.�

“Wyngarde, so help me—“

“I can’t tell you because for almost two years I haven’t heard from Vic. It’s like he just disappeared off the face of the Earth.�

With a clenched fist, he turned toward her on the bed, “—if you’re lying—“

“I’m not. I swear. And if you don’t put that damn hand down, you’re gonna have other problems to deal with—blocker or no blocker. We clear?�

Nord hesitated for just a few brief moments before lowering his arm. He had to remember to keep his cool around Regan; for some reason she could always manage to get under his skin easier than just about anyone he knew. “…Alright.�

“That’s better.� She smiled menacingly, before sliding up behind him, pressing her naked body against his back to whisper in his ear. “Besides, you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say, since it’s obvious you’ve been uh, shall we say ‘underground’ lately, I guess you wouldn’t have the contacts I do to tell you anything about Kyle.�

That got his attention. “Kyle?? What about him?�

“He’s back in The States, from what I understand. Well, what’s left of him, anyway.�

Leaning away from her, now Chris’ brow jacked up. “What the hell does that mean?�

“Ah-ah-ahh…� She pressed a talon-like nailed finger against his lips to shush his questions. “First things first: what do you want with Vic?�

Snatching his face away from her hand, he sneered, “That’s none of your business, Regi. Just tell me what you want.�

Watching him for a silent moment, she slowly began to smile before tossing her bed-tussled dark gold locks over her shoulder in a purely seductive motion. In the years Regan Wyngarde had known Chris Nord, she’d only ever wanted one thing from him: Chris Nord. But there could be other perks to shacking up with a former Special Ops agent… “Well, if that’s your way of opening up negotiations, Chrissy—“

“Don’t call me that.�

“—then perhaps we can come to some sort of…long term arrangement.�

“Oh?�

“Yeah. That is, after you’re done playing Perfect Boyfriend to that limey skank.� Regan barely kept her face straight as she openly attempted to goad Chris into another argument. Her plan to expose how deeply his feelings for this new woman went was neither pretty nor smooth, but that was the type of person Regan Wyngarde was.

It took a pause, a swallow and clenched teeth to ignore her poking, but Chris managed. “Don’t go all jealous-mistress on me, Regi. And don’t worry about what I need Victor for. If you don’t have any idea where he is, though…�

She immediately reached for his arm before Chris could slide up off the bed. “I didn’t say that.�

“Yes, you did.�

“Oh, come on Chris. You know how this works. As great as you are in bed, I can’t just hand over valuable info like an ATM machine—“

He wondered why not, since she’d just let him slide in his—

“—and besides, even though I haven’t seen Victor in months, I do know who has.�

“Kyle.� Chris was interested again now and she could tell. “I can barely use any of the hacking skills I’ve learned over the years because most of them were obtained through Sect X.�

“Who would recognize every single one of them and is undoubtedly on the lookout for you.� She stroked his bulging bicep as she slid closer to him, wrapping her arms about his neck and nuzzling his jaw. “I can only imagine how sensitive their network is right now to intrusion since you’ve been on the lam.�

“Yeah.� Chris allowed only that as a response; she didn’t need to know just how tied his hands had become since his escape. Even now, here with her, he refused to take down the disguise of “David North�—it was only one of two aliases he’d managed to keep the department from finding out he’d created all those years ago. “David North� was almost as ‘real’ a person as anyone…in some ways even more ‘real’ than Christoph Nord, who’d pretty much sacrificed his identity when he moved to Section X’s undercover infiltration unit XFactor. Paranoia was only one of Chris’ helpful personality traits, as he wanted to ensure that if anyone in the department knew of Victor’s affinity for temperamental, crazy blondes and had Regan tailed that they wouldn’t raise a brow at her sneaking off with a school teacher in the dead of night in the Bronx.

Regan studied his face in the silence after that short, terse answer. She wasn’t nearly as stupid as Chris wanted to pretend she should be and they’d known each other long enough he should definitely know better than to underestimate her by now. However, if he wanted to play dumb, all the easier this would be for her down the road…

“Well, as long as we have an understanding..?�

Grudgingly, Chris nodded, inwardly wondering what this was going to cost him later.

“…then I can tell you that in his absences Vic routinely expects me to keep tabs on his boy. He’ll never admit as much, but I can only assume there’s some sort of paternal attachment after what happened with Graydon.�

Chris began nodding quickly; a clear sign to ‘hurry it up’ as he wasn’t concerned with Victor’s feelings and/or insecurities.

Ignoring his impatience, Regan continued “Anyway, keeping track of Kyle is almost as hard as keeping tabs on The Man himself. Especially since Kyle didn’t make it that easy for me. I don’t have any trouble telling you I had to call in not a few favors across the world to get a feel for his movements. Hell, I’ve even got a pair of eyes inside Section X now.�

That got his attention. “Are you serious?�

“Do I look like I’m kidding?� She waved her hand dismissively before he could even ask. “And the answer to your next question is ‘No’. I just got this contact a couple months ago and I can’t jeopardize it this soon. I only got involved because of Kyle. Hell, I’m sure they probably know we’re here right now; nosy bastards.�

“And that’s why you made sure to ask me if I was coming ‘in costume’.� He didn’t ask; it was a statement. Chris knew his paranoia would come in handy. All the same, he realized he had to be exceptionally careful then. He knew Regan rarely showed her true appearance—as far as he knew, she didn’t wear her ‘real’ face with Victor, who for some reason seemed to prefer a different face every two weeks, if Nord remembered correctly—and would’ve been extremely careful moving around a Sect X agent. “Well, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you then that you’re right. Whoever this is you’ve dug your claws into is surely being watched. There’s a whole fuckin’ department of nosy-ass computer geek mutants whose only job is to follow around agents to catalog the people we run around with. I’m sure they’re keeping you on your toes.�

“Damned right they are.� She grinned proudly, though. “Do you know how hard it is to keep up a disguise almost 24 hours a day? Oh, wait—of course you do.�

“Careful, Regi.� Chris felt a puzzling need to warn her, “When they can’t accurately track you on the ground when you ‘switch faces’, they might turn to satellite surveillance if they think they need to. I know you’re good at living the double life, but Sect X isn’t anything to play with.�

“Oh, Chrissy…� She ignored his annoyed sigh, and turned his face toward her for a prolonged, wet kiss. “Don’t go all soft on me, now.�

When her hand reached down to stroke him Chris knew she had no worry of that.



Xavier School
Monday, November 15th, 2004
9:09 a.m. EST

The last active week before the Thanksgiving holiday break had begun over an hour ago, but Ororo felt like it was sure to pass her by. Sitting outside in the back of the grounds, she leaned against the stone bench that faced the dark pillar erected to memorialize her father. Normally, she would be just starting her second class but her four-class roster and two labs had been assumed mostly by Hank. She tried to put up a fight, arguing that he was there to relax and enjoy his sabbatical but he’d quickly countered that compared to the still-strained and difficult negotiations of Genosha, a classroom of teenagers was a vacation.

“I thought I’d come out here and bother you this morning…� she spoke quietly to the shiny obsidian stone etched with her father’s face. She inwardly remarked again how Peter had truly outdone himself with the marvelous likeness and detail the ¾ perspective angle allowed a convincing view of Charles’ expressive eyes, which were designed to look skyward but now seemed to follow her no matter where she moved. The edges of his eyes smiled along with the soft expression of the rest of his face. It was truly the image she carried in her mind of her father and would for the rest of her life. “…since everyone else actually has something to do. I’m sure you’d probably find it very funny that my siblings have effectively ousted me from the School. Well, teaching. And I bet you’d even agree with them that I should just “relax and lay low� for a few months…�

Pausing, she sighed heavily. It wasn’t anger or resentment she felt; it was actually a sardonic sort of appreciation at all the mothering but for one like Ororo, being fussed over wasn’t something she could get used to. However, once she’d returned from Dr. Matthew’s appointment and given them the news of the X-eclampsia diagnosis, it was all downhill from there in terms of the doting, mothering—and ‘fathering’—all around her. Even Remy had somehow (READ: Marie) found out and made a call to her cell, his boisterous congratulations quickly turning to concern when he remembered the younger sister’s worry when she’d let Ororo’s condition slip. Ro remembered with a mix of exasperation and fondness the next 20 minutes trying to convince Rem not to hop on a jet—leaving the set of his latest action/adventure thriller in production—to see about her.

“You’ll be proud to know that your first grandchild is getting all the attention it deserves—and then some. Heh, they deny it, but I know for a fact there’s even a betting pool going around as to the baby’s sex. It’s a little early to tell, and truth be told, I’m not sure I want to know…yet.� Ororo’s eyes fixed on the image of her father’s face, wishing so very much that he was there beside her on that bench. If she closed her eyes and relaxed, she could almost feel his spirit—or at least she wanted to. What one of his hugs would do for her right then…

“I thought I heard ye talking to someone.� Came from behind her and managed to startle Ororo as she turned behind her.

“Gracious, Beth.� She held her heart for a moment before smiling with a tinge of embarrassment. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.�

“Apologies, Luv.� She came to sit beside her, then looked over at the obelisk. “Ah. You were.�

“Yeah…�

Elizabeth didn’t say anything for a moment. She’d had a lot on her own mind over the past couple weeks and certainly could understand Ro’s need to spill any of her concerns to an ear that she knew was listening but wouldn’t be judgmental…

“I’m not ashamed to admit,� Ro was going on, “that I’ve been out here a lot lately since you guys banished me from teaching.�

With a wry but warm grin, Beth tsked at that, bumping her sister’s shoulder with her own. “I told them ye’d look at it like that. Don’t, okay? You’re supposed to be taking it easy and decreasing your stress levels, remember?�

“I remember…� Ororo was only allowed to agree.

“Marie and I are more than capable of staying on longer than we originally planned, and with Henry here now for a few months, everything will be fine. Right?� She lifted her brows to get another agreement out of her sister, coaching Ororo toward the goal.

“Right.� Came through slightly clenched teeth. No offense to her siblings, but Ororo had once witnessed Marie’s version of study hall—conducted at the mall of all places—and she knew without a doubt no matter how smart her kids were, Henry would be talking circles around most of them without even trying. The thoughts made her fight a smile, surprisingly.

“See?� Beth mistook her countenance for acceptance and patted her thigh. “Now, I’ve got a class in about 15 minutes. Care to walk with me back inside? Isn’t it time ye got something to eat anyway?�

Ignoring the fact that her sister turned on the Mother Hen routine all too smoothly, Ro did get up, about to follow Beth back toward the mansion before stopping at the obelisk and slowly running her hand over the etched image of her dad. She smiled, winking at him, and then turned toward her sister. Catching up with Beth, Ro decided to divert her sister’s train of thought with one of her own that had long been weighing on her mind. “Uh, yeah…speaking of being late: You…last night—ringing any bells?�

With the advantage of being in front of Ororo, Beth immediately schooled the slightly surprised and guilty look from her face before glancing at Ro over her shoulder as they approached the back door entrance. “Why Ororo, whatever do you mean?�

“Huh. You know exactly what I mean, missy.� Ro’s tone was slightly playful but before the two sisters stepped back into the School with Walls That Had Ears, Ro pulled on Elizabeth’s sleeve to get her to stop. “Seriously, Beth?�

With a questioning look, her bright lavender eyes met Ororo’s sincere, worried blue gaze. When Ororo reached down to grasp her fingers tightly, Beth stayed silent.

“…you know all I want is for you to be happy, right?�

Beth nodded, her mind going a million miles a minute but her expression appropriately schooled to curious neutrality as she waited for her sister’s words.

“Okay. Good. So…I guess what I’m trying to say is just—just be careful, okay?� Ororo couldn’t seem to fully express herself for some reason, hoping that if she opened her mind to her sister she wouldn’t mistake the cautionary advice for meddling or something worse. Truth be told, David had somehow warmed himself to nearly everyone in Beth’s life…that is, except Ororo. The ‘gut feeling’ she’d initially felt upon meeting the man had abated but only slightly, though she couldn’t deny the wonderful way he seemed to make her sister glow and smile all the time, even when he wasn’t around. Even overprotective Brian had found something in common with the man, and spent hours—until Beth complained and would drag David away—debating which fútbol team was best and discussing why the sport still hadn’t caught on as it should have in The States.

Beth smiled as she searched Ororo’s eyes, realizing of course that it wasn’t cynical jealousy that spurred her remark—after all, Beth had noticed Ro’s somewhat cool reception around David almost immediately—but rather a genuine need to ensure her sister’s emotional safety. She didn’t need to read her mind to figure that out. Reaching over to kiss Ro’s cheek, Beth hugged her to her side and whispered a small “Thanks� before leading the way, shoulder to shoulder back inside the School.



About two and a half hours later, Ro carried the thick novel she’d taken to passing the early mornings with her as she headed toward the kitchen. It was almost lunchtime for most of the students and faculty and she looked forward to hearing the latest ‘lounge’ talk from them about the students and the upcoming holiday. Thanksgiving was right around the corner and this year quite a few of the older Alumni planned to make an appearance throughout the week to see the School—and no doubt spy the newly pregnant Ororo. In 10 days’ time she’d get more attention than she’d ever want; that much was sure.

As she rounded the downstairs banister heading for the kitchen, she almost passed by the front foyer and missed Scott standing there, but for the sudden rise in his normally deep, calm voice. The stress she heard in his tone—somewhere between exasperation and irritation—gave her pause, but she wasn’t going to eavesdrop, assuming he was in the middle of an impromptu scolding of one of the students.

“—you’ve got to be kidding me, right? I mean, didn’t I just say--?� His voice stopped in the middle of the sentence as if he’d been cut off, but there was no other voice heard. With a deep sigh, he said curtly, “I thought I told you: Ororo and I are just friends. A couple months ago, you believed that. What the hell has changed--?�

She stopped when she heard her name, almost to the kitchen door. Who was he talking to and why did he mention her? Curiosity tugged at her, but after Scott’s voice went lower again—a strained but urgent murmur—she forcefully dragged her feet to continue walking. ‘Geez Ororo,’ She admonished herself, shaking her head with a small smile, ‘You’ve got to get a hobby but quick, girl. You’re looking forward to office gossip and now you’re eavesdropping on people. That’s just sad.’

While one of the cooks insisted on fixing her a meal, Ororo sat at the island counter top, thumbing through the pages of her book again. She paused briefly when she came to her bookmark, which she’d carelessly made out of one of the letters she’d written to Logan. It was unfinished and had remained so for several days. As she opened the stationary and began reading her words, her throat closed just a little and she realized her hand began to shake as she recalled why this letter hadn’t been finished…

‘Come on, get a grip here.’ She tried to will her feelings back into a calm state, realizing that such distressing thoughts were exactly what she didn’t need. For her sake, but especially this child’s. Distracted, she was nearly startled when the chef placed the plate of food in front of her. A “thank you� was on the tip of her tongue before Ororo looked down at the contents of her meal. The chef was moving away back to one of the ranges but stopped at Ororo’s hesitant question.

“Uhm…Gerald?�

“Yes, missus?� He turned quickly, his eyes a little wider than she’d ever remembered them before. Ororo immediately noticed that he didn’t step any closer to her.

“…what is this?� she innocently and curiously pointed to her plate.

“Your lunch, Ms. Munroe.� He had always insisted on calling her by her proper name, despite the fact they’d known each other for over half her life. One of the senior staff members, Gerald Valentine had been one of the first non-mutant staff members hired by Charles when he started his school. After about seven years of hard work—and Charles tasting the man’s red velvet cake—Gerald was made head chef. As the years passed, his role became more supervisory than active behind the range, but after Charles’ death, Gerald had silently appointed himself the personal chef of the staff; Charles’ children, in particular.

With such a rich and dedicated history, he couldn’t possibly think that Ororo was buying his innocent act for a second. It had been the same ‘act’ he’d put on for her father after his health began to decline, in order to pass off the unusually healthy (and in some cases downright sterile-tasting) meals the ambassador’s doctor-son had insisted they restrict Charles to. Glancing down at the plate, she thought ‘Always trying to catch more flies with honey, eh Gerry?’ “I see that, Gerald.�

He nodded, his posture as if he were thinking of turning to walk away. Her raised hand put a stop to that. He paused when she didn’t say anything, still looking with curiosity and—something else—at the plate. He dared to ask—with the same innocence—“Is there a problem, Ms. Munroe?�

“Well, I asked you to prepare that French toast of yours that’s pretty famous around here. Stuffed French toast, to be exact.�

“Yes ma’am.� He nodded, which only made her slightly irritated.

“Yeah…this isn’t French toast, Gerald.�

“No ma’am.�

“It’s cottage cheese—low sodium, by the dry look of it—pineapple chunks, apple slices and oh! Low-fat Triscuits! Yum.� She couldn’t help the sarcasm finally, crossing her arms as she leaned back to look at him with an accusing glare.

“Yes’m.�

Tightly, “Please explain.�

His white, pressed apron came up and an act that would normally pass for wiping his hands actually looked more like wringing his hands. Gerald Valentine remembered what his late wife Abigail had been like during each of her five pregnancies with their children. She often sported the same look Ororo Munroe was giving him right then. As a man experienced in dealing with an expectant mother, his instincts were screaming at him to run for the nearest hill. “Missus…well, you see—it’s just that Miss Marie and Miss Elizabeth thought that—“

“Ohh! So that’s who put you up to this.� She wasn’t surprised in the least.

“—and then Mr. Summers quite agreed—“

“Did he, now?� Ororo’s voice lowered and she glanced from Gerald to the plate once more. Concern was one thing, but those bastards were coming between her and Gerald Valentine’s World Famous Stuffed French Toast?? Oh, hell no.

“I—I have a list of pre-approved foods…� he knew he’d just royally fucked up the moment he opened his trap, and the last word died on his lips when her eyes drove into his, a quick flicker of white covering the blue momentarily.

“You have what?�

He barely heard the icy whisper, but guessed at her question and quickly skittered over to the range he used personally. Over it the turnstile pot hanger had a folded piece of white paper taped to the metal, and with slightly unsteady, weathered dark fingers he took it down, returning to her but stopping to reach out and hand her the list. Ororo’s eyes raked over the list like hot coals, occasionally glancing back up to Gerald as if he were still speaking or she wanted to make sure he didn’t scamper away. After her light reading was done, she neatly folded the paper back as it was and laid it on the countertop between them. With one finger stabbing it, pinned against the cold counter, she slid the paper back toward Gerald before calmly and quietly whispering to him. “That’s very good, Gerald. I appreciate your honesty. Now, I’m going to need you to tell me exactly what my sisters and the good Headmaster discussed with you.�

The older man didn’t immediately respond, watching the twinkle gleaming in her suddenly too-bright blue eyes. He’d seen that look before, several times in fact. Abby had worn it well and he was no fool; he knew it meant nothing but trouble!




Thousands of Miles Away…

The expensive Tokyo Palace Hotel was illuminated by the lights of the city’s night ambience like no other. It was a site unto itself for tourists, and believed to be one of the reasons why there was now talk of a renovation project in the coming years. The 33,600 yen (roughly 362 USD) a night to stay there was mainly the luxury of businessmen from around the globe. Tonight, it was a particular party of 3 plus1 that found themselves guests in the largest of the nine suites.

“I can’t believe how much our digs have changed,� Neena Thurman a.k.a. “Domino� turned around the room in a circle for probably the fifth time since they’d arrived. With her own admittedly humble beginnings, she’d not been exposed to quite a bit in her few years. Starting out life as a test tube baby and genetic testing experiment kind of shelters a girl, ya know?

Emerging from one of the three bedrooms in the suite, Ben Campbell allowed a smirk, watching her almost childlike awe at the obviously expensive atmosphere; she was certainly right—it was a world away from the dump back in Madripoor City.

“yorokonde moraete ureshii desu�* came from behind them smoothly but with an edge that Ben would recognize anywhere.

He turned to see the dazzling Japanese woman known only as “Yukio� watching them with an obvious pleasure. She liked to impress and she could tell they definitely were that. Despite their little known—and slightly sordid—history, Ben was all business, coming up to her with his arms crossed and head slightly cocked to the side. “Lady Yukio—or, should I say “Boss�?�

Her dark, almond-shaped eyes slowly grazed him from head to toe and back again as the sides of her lips fought a sly smile. “Ah, you heard.�

Ben’s arms came down but only to land at the belt loops at his waist as he regarded her. “When the most powerful Japanese crime family gets a new leader, that isn’t the sort of thing that stays a secret for long.�

“News travels a long way, then.�

“And quick.� His eyes suddenly softened a little, taking in her short, spiky jet black hair, down to the smooth edges of the mandarin-collared top in jet black that extended down her left arm in a billowy sleeve accented with a gold-threaded dragon design. The right arm’s sleeve was cut short at her shoulder in a rounded angle, exposing her slender but muscled bicep covered in the Yashida Clan’s tattoo. Ben’s eyes glazed over for a moment, remembering how far the intricate design coiled up her arm, across her shoulder blades and hooked down around to her—

“You are staring, Ben.� Yukio was quiet, her brown eyes watching him with an expression difficult to interpret.

It brought him back to his senses, and he cleared his throat, glad for his darker skin that burned with embarrassment though physically she couldn’t tell. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. So, this won’t pose a problem for you? Holding us up here?�

“Why would it?� She was genuinely curious.

“Well, U.S. operatives on an unsanctioned mission getting help from Clan Yashida..?� he trailed off, as if that should explain it all.

Yukio laughed, a full and almost sexy sound as she glanced past him to Neena, who was pretending to be busy examining the artwork along the fireplace walls. “Ah. You worry about what your government might do? Well, obviously Ben, this is not the Japanese government … or the United States. Even Your Section X has no claim here and I would like to see them try infiltrating Tokyo to get at you. No one moves around this city without my say-so.� She started to turn, tossing over her shoulder, “You have nothing to fear. I’ve dealt with tougher adversaries than the Americans.�

‘No doubt.’ He allowed an admiring grin, catching the door for her. He nodded a little tightly at the trio of bodyguards who’d been instructed to remain outside while she attended her ‘guests’. One of them in particular—Dante—gave him a somewhat sneering glare as he turned to follow Boss Yukio down the corridor.

As she stopped for a last parting remark, Yukio’s eyes met Ben’s and surprised him with the softness not often seen from the mafia’s only female Boss. “Just don’t let that Colonel of yours tear through my city like the rest of his family likes to.�

“Uh, yeah. Right.�

“And Ben?�

“Yes?�

“It was nice seeing you again.� With that she turned and her entourage of 6ft-plus guards swallowed up her 5’7� form as the group put distance between them.

He waited until they’d rounded the corner—no longer in sight—before breathing “You too.�

Back inside the suite, Neena was poking at the small fire she’d started in the living room, the orange-yellow glow playing across her pale face. She didn’t look up when Ben came back in and plopped back down on the nearest couch, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the cushions. “So?�

He opened one eye to her, his head barely moving off the couch. “’So’ what?�

“Are you going to tell me how you just happen to know a member of the Yakuza? A Boss no less??�

“Neena…� he wondered where to start, or whether to start at all. “…that’s a long story.�

“And apparently not one for tonight.�

“Thank you.�

She opted to let that go, turning toward the only closed bedroom door. “How long do you think the Col. is going to sleep?�

That got Ben’s attention and he raised his head, also turning to the door. He’d kept it to himself but apparently Neena had also noted the change in Colonel Howlett when they left Madripoor. He seemed more sullen, determined and honestly scarier than either wanted to admit to the other. Neena was still relatively new to the group, so she couldn’t possibly know what this meant, but Benjamin on the other hand…

“I don’t know. I guess all the traveling has been sorta rough on him.�

“Wow, that was the crappiest lie I’ve ever heard you tell.�

His head snapped back to her, his eyes widening and mouth agape. Ben didn’t necessarily know how to answer that, so after a couple tense seconds, “Probably.�

“Ben…� she let the poker lean against the hearth, coming to sit next to him on the couch. “You know I don’t have any issue with this mission. For reasons I don’t have to tell you again, I believe Victor’s gotta be brought in just as much as you and the Colonel do—at any cost. I’ve put my career on the line to follow you two into Hell—by my choice, yes—“ she interjected, seeing him ready with a retort, “—but all the same…permission to speak freely, sir?�

If that before wasn’t “freely� then he didn’t know what else could be. However, “Sure Neena. Go ahead.�

“With all due respect sir, I can’t be ‘blind’ on this mission where the Colonel’s concerned. You and I were about the only ones left after that bull shit from August and don’t think I’ve forgotten what he did to his own flesh and blood.�

Forget? Hell, Ben still had nightmares. “Of course not.�

“Then I need to know exactly what we’re dealing with here.�

He realized of course everything she’d said was the God’s honest truth. It was a conversation he dreaded for quite some time but knew was most necessary. All the same, he didn’t feel right divulging the Colonel’s personal life—most of which he was privy to only because the man long ago admitted to considering him something of a little brother. Despite his duty to keep Neena adequately informed, he knew she’d get the PG-rated version of the story. “Alright.�

She paused at his acceptance, puzzled at the lack of a fight. “Okay…you can start with exactly who that is sleeping in here with us, because that ain’t Colonel James Howlett.�




TBC…