The next day, early in the morning, long before many of the residents of the mansion were up, Logan, Scott and Remy met in the game room to discuss just what should be done about Forge.
Logan racked up the balls for a game of pool, his mind needing something to distract him from the rage he was still feeling over Forge’s arrival. “I still say ya let me talk ta him alone fer five minutes. If he still wants ta chase ‘Ro after that, well the man’s a lot dumber than we thought and there ain’t no help for him.” He took his shot, the cue ball breaking against the racked balls with a great snap of force.
Scott snorted as he watched Logan play. “Look, we tried it your way the last time and all it did was piss him off and get his guard up. I say let’s try for subtly again.”
Logan laughed sarcastically as he bent to line up another shot. “And do what to him Scooter? Send him a threatenin’ message in the locker room usin’ the mirror and some lipstick?”
Scott’s face reddened as he came around the table, jabbing an accusing finger into Logan’s chest. “You had your chance jackass and you blew it. This time, you don’t get to vote.”
Logan gave the taller man a shove, stepping forward as Scott’s clenched hands rose in defense. He growled, the sound low and grating in the silence of the room as the beast awoke inside of him.
“Dat is about enough.” Remy’s calm voice broke through the two men’s anger and they stepped back from each other. “Dis is not getting us anywhere. It does not matter who is to blame for last night. We must concentrate on dis moment and find a way to drive Forge off.”
Logan snorted as he again turned his attention back to the pool table. Inside, he felt his beast pacing but it stayed quiet and watchful. “Yeah, and how do ya suggest we do that?” Remy smiled at him, a harsh leer spreading across his face. Something in the expression caught Logan’s interest and he stood up giving Remy his full attention.
“Remy has an idea.” He spent the next several minutes explaining in detail what he had thought of to do. When he finished speaking, both Logan and Scott mulled it over.
“It’s kind of petty.” Scott said with uncertainty.
Logan nodded. “Childish even.”
“Not to mention that it’ll really piss off Jean and Ororo if they find out.”
Logan sneered at the thought. “Only cause we didn’t let them help.”
Scott nodded. “I think I like it, let’s get started.”
After the meeting between the three of them strange incidents began occurring around the mansion and nearly all of them seemed to be happening to their unwelcome guest. It began innocently enough. Things began malfunctioning around Forge. The morning after he took the men out to dinner, he walked into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, only to discover the coffee maker would not work and nothing the genetic genius could think of would make it work.
Undeterred, he simply made a pot on the stove. But the strange mishaps didn’t stop there. After making his coffee, he turned his attention to making himself breakfast, only to have the toaster begin smoking and catch on fire, burning his English muffin to a charred crisp in an instant. The smoke from the toaster set the fire alarm off and the sprinklers roared to life, soaking only one room in the entire house, the kitchen where Forge stood.
The rest of his day quickly went downhill from there. The elevator doors malfunctioned, closing on him as he tried to enter or leave. And when he finally arrived at his desired floor, the doors parted and he discovered that the lift was stuck between floors. He had to push the button several times before the damned thing would line up properly and allow him to get out.
It also seemed that every electronic device he touched went haywire, starting with his cell phone. The device would simply beep once and shut off whenever he tried to make or answer a call. Worse yet was when he attempted to access the danger room computers, at the request of the Professor, to create some new scenarios to train the X-men. They logged him out three separate times. And when he tried to get on one last time, he was threatened by the mansion’s security system to cease and desist before he was electrocuted where he stood.
By the end of the day, Forge was more than frazzled and even a bit ticked about everything that went wrong. He was so distracted by his troubles that he failed to notice just how certain residents seemed to be reacting to his misfortune. If he had, he most likely would have wondered just why Scott, Remy and Logan chuckled slightly whenever they saw him.
Ororo for the most part avoided Forge as if he were carrying some kind of contagion. If she saw him walking down the hall towards her, she simply found another route through the house. If she were unable to do that, she would simply enter the nearest room and wait several moments for him to pass her by.
He tried several times to initiate a conversation with her but she either ignored him or glared at him until he simply stopped speaking. She had no desire to even be civil to the man. But he did not seem to be getting the hint. No matter what she did or did not do, he kept trying. It was beginning to wear on Ororo’s nerves and her normally flawless control began slipping.
To make matters worse, she and Logan remained wary of touching each other or appearing too intimate during the day. She still had no desire to share her new life with the man who had walked out on her. In her mind, he had little or no business knowing what went on in her life or who she chose to spend it with. But it was beginning to be a difficult thing to hide.
Before Forge’s arrival, the two of them were quite affectionate with each other. Even during the school year, once the news of their relationship had flown around the student gossip mill, they were often seen walking in the halls close together. Some students had even come upon them kissing or hugging in the hallway. They were discreet, mindful that there were children around, but they did not try to hide what they were doing.
Once the school year had ended, little had changed in that regard. Only now, they were more apt to be walking down the hall hand in hand or simply with their arms draped around each other. They were still conservative but affectionate. Forge’s arrival had changed their carefree attitude.
And Ororo was discovering just how much she had come to rely on the causal touches she and Logan shared throughout the day. She never realized just how much she needed the feel of his hand, upon her cheek, her shoulder or somewhere else equally innocent until she was forced to go without it. Being the sensual creature that she was, it was beginning to fray her already raw nerves. And her mood began to deteriorate quickly.
Logan remained supportive but even he was growing concerned at the tension he could see in his lover. She was quiet, withdrawn and seemed to have a hair trigger temper. Only a few days had passed since Forge’s reappearance but Logan knew that something had to be done and soon. Forge and all the memories she associated with him were pushing her to the breaking point.
Logan decided that it might be a good time to find her and talk her into locking themselves in their room where he would spend the day pampering her. Maybe even give her a full body massage, anything to help ease the stress he knew she was feeling.
He was surprised to find her already in their room, lying across there bed, her eyes closed as she massaged her temples, her pain obvious. He stepped into the room and took over the task, his hands falling down to her shoulders, surprised to find the muscles there nearly as hard as rocks.
“Darlin’, what’s got ya so tense?” He urged her to roll over onto her stomach and began kneading her shoulders with sure deep strokes of his hands.
Ororo gave a groan as she felt the tension leaving her. “Forge.”
Logan grunted having expected the answer. “That dumb ass been botherin’ ya again?”
Ororo nodded, forcing herself to lie still. “He is driving me insane. Every time I turn around, I find him there, watching me. It is as if he has nothing better to do than stalk me.”
“Do ya want me ta talk ta him?”
She sighed. “No, I do not think it will help. I am just frustrated; especially since I find that I must control myself whenever you are around. I never before realized how much I crave your touch during the day.” She reached up and touched his hands, drawing him down to lie on the bed beside her.
He sprawled out next to her, their bodies touching from shoulder to hip as he touched her face gently. “Yeah, I’ve been missin’ it too darlin’.”
She leaned into his hand, her hands melding themselves to his chest. “Touching you at night is no where near enough; no matter how enjoyable it might be.”
He kissed her gently, feeling her hands slide across his body as she moved closer, leaning into his touch and his lips. “I promise ya darlin’ that it’ll be over soon. And we can back ta business as usual.” He grinned at her, wagging her eyebrows as he said. “And you can cop as many feels durin’ the day as ya want.”
She slapped his chest lightly, her tone indignant. “I do not grope you.” The statement was ruined however when she could not keep from grinning.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “So ya mean ta tell me that the pinchin’ sensation ta my ass I keep feelin’ is my imagination?”
She laughed. “I really have no idea what you are talking about Logan. And in any event, I seem to recall a pair of hands cupping my derriere quite recently in fact. Do you mean to tell me that was not you?”
He gave her a leer, his hands sliding down to once again grip said body part. “Nope, that most definitely was me. I couldn’t resist. Yer too temptin’ a target.” He gave the object of his affection a squeeze as she laughed.
“Likewise.” She leaned down and their lips met again. This time they spent several moments in gentle exploration before pulling apart to catch their breath.
“So darlin’, now that I’ve got ya all wound up again, what do ya say ta a day of stayin’ in bed and bein’ lazy.”
She smiled at his hopeful tone. “There is nothing in this world that I would rather do. However, you and I have a pressing appointment.”
He groaned as she gave him another peck on the lips and pulled away, getting off the bed. “What the hell could that possibly be?” He watched her as she walked away from the bed, stripping as she went. He eyed the exposed skin appreciatively.
“Charles wishes for us to test the upgrades to the danger room.” She reached into her closet and began pulling on some lighter clothes to work out in.
“He wants us ta do that today?” He stood, annoyed as he watched her dress and her lovely body began to disappear beneath clothing once more.
“Yes, love. I promised him that you and I would get to it today. I do not know why he asked but he made it clear that this was something important he needed to have done. I am sorry that we will not be able to spend today as you might have hoped.” She stepped closer to him, draping her arms around his shoulders as his hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer.
“It’s all right darlin’. Let’s get this over with. I’ve got a lot of other stuff I want ta get ta today.” He leaned forward, giving her a quick nip on the neck as she laughed.
“Last one down there rubs the winners back?”
Logan nodded and in a flash they were out the door, racing down the hallway and flying down the stairs, both lost in the childish moment. As Ororo rocketed past him, he reached out, grabbing at her but she slipped through his fingers. "No fair flyin’ darlin’.”
She turned, hovering over the landing as she egged him on. “Like you will not leap down the next couple of flights of stairs. Catch me if you can Logan.” And she was off like a shot again.
He grinned and followed her.
While Ororo and Logan were cavorting around the upper levels of the mansion like a couple of children on a sugar rush, Scott was heading downstairs to the danger room himself. He knew that Ororo and Logan were going to be testing out the upgrades that he and Logan installed a while back, throwing a few new scenarios and such at them and he wanted to be sure that everything was ready for them.
Just then, as he rounded a corner, he ran into the older man.
He waved, only slowing down slightly as he did so. He was not in any hurry, not really. He just did not want to stop and talk to the other man. Largely because he was afraid that somehow he wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face around the gifted mutant after what he and his two cohorts had done to him the day before. “Hey Forge.”
Forge stopped walking, turning his full attention to Scott. “Good afternoon Scott. Where’re you headed?”
Scott stopped walking, jabbing his thumb in the general direction of the lower levels of the mansion. “I’m going down to the danger room. The professor mentioned something about Logan and Ororo testing out some upgrades we did a while back. I want to make sure everything’s set up for them.” He turned to walk away again, hoping that Forge had other things he’d rather be doing at the moment. His hopes were dashed when he heard Forge start walking again, following him closely.
Forge came abreast of him, matching his stride. “Sounds like fun. Do you mind if I join you? I’d like to see if Ororo’s improved at all since I saw her last.”
Scott winced slightly but when he hid it well with a large smile as he turned to meet Forge’s strangely earnest gaze. “No, come on down. The more the merrier.” He turned away again and headed on down to the lower levels of the mansion, wondering just how he’d been cornered into including the guy. And even worse, just how he was going to keep from busting a gut laughing at him every time he looked at him.
Down in the danger room, Logan and Ororo were just beginning a new sim that he’d created a few days ago. The steel and concrete walls of the holographic room had been replaced with beautifully rendered Amazon jungle, complete with calling macaws and screaming spider monkeys in the background. He’d even made the air slick and humid, the oppressing warmth quickly soaking them both in a light sheen of sweat.
When Logan took the time to create a simulation for the team, he went all out; often including such minor and mundane details as ambient noise and other distractions they might expect to encounter in the given situation. It had proved to be a very valuable training tactic for everyone and it often took a great deal to surprise any of the veteran team members any longer.
Logan had written this simulation to be a simple cat and mouse game, with the X-men as the targets. He was using the stats and holographic images of several known hostile mutants as opponents. The program called for them to hide in the jungle until he and Ororo were in range, then they would attack in ambush. So far, they had yet to encounter any of their simulated opponents.
Unbeknownst to either of them, Forge and Scott arrived at the door of the danger room and Scott turned to head up to the control room to watch what was going on. But Forge didn’t follow. Instead he stood at the door and keyed in the sequence to open the door.
Slightly alarmed, Scott spoke up. “Forge, they’ve got a sim running.” He indicated the red light that told the room was active and occupied.
Forge shrugged. “I just want to see how realistic the program is. Can’t tell that from the control room. And I could really use the workout.” He waved his hand at the screen nearby. It showed Logan and Ororo’s vitals and indicated their relative position in the room. “Besides, it doesn’t seem like they’ve started yet, they’re just standing there.”
Scott hesitated but then shrugged, realizing that’s Forge’s stupidity was no business of his own. “Well, be careful. I’m going up to see what Logan is running.”
Forge nodded absentmindedly as his code was accepted and the door opened. He stepped inside and the door shut firmly behind him.
Inside the sim, Logan and Ororo were standing back to back, looking out into the thick jungle, searching for signs of their opponents. Logan touched her hand, pointing to his eyes and then making several hand gestures, indicating he wanted her to stay grounded while he took to the trees.
She nodded silently and they both began moving deeper into the jungle maze, senses on high alert and their reactions on hair triggers as they tried to anticipate the first attack. When it came, it was fast and savage. One moment, Ororo was walking along the forest floor and the next, she was falling to the ground beneath a bundle of savage fury that turned out to be Sabretooth.
Logan saw the ambush from the trees and without thought, launched himself at the mutant’s vulnerable back. He landed with a solid thud, feeling the impact jar them both as Ororo struggled to get some leverage beneath them. He wrapped his powerful arms around Sabretooth’s neck in a modified choke hold, trying to pull the feral mutant off Ororo and give her a chance to get away.
“Logan, get clear.” Her snarl and a brief glimpse of her face, her eyes brilliant glowing white against the darkness of her skin, were enough to convince him that she would be fine.
He braced himself and let go, leaping away in the same instant. In the next instant, Sabretooth convulsed as he was struck by a massive jolt of electricity.
The feral mutant shuddered as Ororo rolled free and stood, her hands hanging free by her sides. Sabretooth recovered quickly and howling in rage launched himself at Ororo once more. She stood there for a mere second, a strange smile on her face as she brought her hands up and Logan heard the shaarp snap of her newly developed air whip.
It slashed Sabretooth, knocking him back several steps. But he simply came at her again. She slashed him again, driving him back once more. Then Logan was on him, claws slashing, teeth bared in a feral grin as he tackled the taller mutant, driving him to the ground.
What happened next was a series of events that no one, not even Logan with his convoluted ability to foresee even the strangest of scenarios, could have anticipated. With a surge of strength and an animalistic growl, Sabretooth threw Logan off and plunged into the foliage, for the moment completely hidden by the dense undergrowth of the simulated jungle.
Logan and Ororo turned in circles, covering each others backs as Logan used all his heightened senses to track their opponent. He stayed silent, communicating the enemy’s position with simple hand gestures. Then, trying to flush their prey out once more, Logan disappeared into the underbrush.
Ororo stood alone in the slight clearing, her senses straining as she circled slowly, the adrenaline pumping in her veins as her heart beat a steady, high speed staccato in her chest. There was a slight rustle of the foliage off to her left and she whirled, just in time to see Sabretooth leaping at her once more, glittering rage shining from his eyes.
She tensed, already launching her assault when Logan appeared out of nowhere, tackling the holographic opponent and knocking him away from her attack. Unable to pull back on the air whip, she watched as it narrowly missed Logan and Sabretooth both and went crashing into the jungle beyond. Given her startled response, it had a great deal more power behind it then she had anticipated and it slammed into the jungle, causing several trees to fragment and shatter into a cloud of splintered wood, which began raining down into the clearing.
Ororo covered her head, waiting for the dust to settle, trying to still her heart when she heard Logan yell out to her.
“Storm!”
She heard the brush rustle behind her loudly. Thinking they were being ambushed once more, Ororo whirled and attacked, even as her brain screamed a warning against it, her instincts telling her it was not an enemy. She ignored the mental urging and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Forge take the hit and fall to his knees, a sharp cry drawn from his lips. She felt Logan come up next to her cursing loudly as he looked down at Forge who lay unconscious at their feet.
“Dammit, what’s he doin’ in here?” He reached down to check Forge for a pulse as the holograms around them shimmered and disappeared. He looked up to see Scott standing in the control room, his face enraged.
His voice came over the speaker system, his words clipped and angry. “What the hell happened?”
Ororo ignored his question, crossing her arms over her chest. “What in Goddess’s name is he doing in here during an active sim Scott?”
Scott sighed. “He wanted to see how realistic the damn thing was. He said you guys hadn’t started yet. Apparently he was wrong.” Scott paused as Hank came through the danger room doors with some instruments and a gurney to take their guest to the med lab.
Logan reached out to Ororo, running his hand over her arm in a soothing gesture before turning to help Hank with Forge. As they settled the stunned man on the gurney, Ororo brushed past them.
“I am going to speak with the Professor.”
Logan nodded, an unspoken message passing between them. Then she was gone.
Ororo hoped to escape into the lift before Scott could get out of the control room. But that hope was dashed when his voice snapped at her when she was reaching out to press the button to open the doors.
“Storm.”
She sighed slightly and ignored him, punching the button gently. She heard him stomping up to her, reaching her just as the lift doors opened. She proceeded to step into them, only to have Scott reach out and grab her arm, stopping her.
He whirled her around to face him, his face a mask of controlled anger as he stared at her. “What the hell was that?”
Ororo shrugged him off roughly. “A simulation gone wrong I would guess. Even you should have been able to see that.” She turned away from him again, her arm reaching out to open the doors again.
He reached out, grabbing her hand, forcing her to stop. “Don’t play stupid with me Storm, you’re too well trained to do this kind of thing. I saw you on the cameras. I know you recognized him. I saw it on your face.”
He dropped her arm and her shoulders slumped. She stood there in silence, knowing deep in her heart, he was right. Some part of her had recognized him and screamed out for her to stop. But she squashed the impulse, buried it with a distorted sense of glee as she went against her training and attacked an unknown target. More specifically a target that she knew very well and had been doing nothing more than filling her with blind rage for the past few days.
She reached out to punch the button once more, gazing at the empty lift as the doors opened almost silently. “I do not understand why you should care, it is not as if you truly care about the man. Or am I wrong in that assessment?”
Scott’s face twisted in a grimace, as if the man had swallowed something unpleasant. “I don’t give a damn about Forge, I’d fry the jackass myself if I could. My only concern is you. I know his being here hasn’t been easy for you; we can all see how stressed you are.” He stepped closer the anger leaving his voice as he spoke again. “Say the word Ororo and he’s gone. Nothing he has to tell us is worth what this is doing to you.”
His gentle words were her undoing and she could feel unshed tears burning in her eyes as she fought for control. Ororo walked into the lift, turning to face him, her face drawn and pale. “I am going to talk to the Professor. Please let me know how he is.” She reached out and pushed the button to close the doors as Scott stood there, shaking his head.
“Scott is over reacting.” Ororo stood in Xavier’s office, looking out the window, frowning as the sunny sky grew hazy and dark. She was having such a difficult time controlling her anger. Her suddenly turbulent emotions were slipping past her barriers and affecting everything around her. She had no idea how it had happened so quickly. And even worse, she had no idea how to keep it from getting worse or even stop it.
Xavier sat behind her, his hands folded neatly in his lap, a cup of tea steaming near his elbow. “Scott is simply worried. This seeming lack of focus is not normal for you. If that is indeed what this is.”
She reached out and with a great deal of effort, reined in her emotions and allowed the sky outside to clear. “I do not know what you mean.” Ororo turned from the window.
“You cannot bluff your way out of this with me Ororo. I have the house advantage.” His gentle voice was her undoing.
She stomped to a nearby chair and nearly collapsed into it, resting her head in her hands as she gave a loud sigh. For several moments there was silence in the room as she gathered her thoughts, hoping she could not only begin to understand why she felt as she did, but convey just what she was feeling to Charles. “I do not trust him Charles.”
Charles nodded, pleased at her admission. “Given the pain he has caused you, I would be very surprised if you did.”
Ororo sighed again, looking at her hands as she confessed an even darker truth. “And worst of all, I do not trust myself.”
This seemed to take the older man by surprise and he wheeled himself closer. “Oh?”
Ororo reached out and took his hand in her own, feeling him give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know, deep down in my heart that I am not that young woman he hurt so many years ago. I am stronger now, more sure of myself and in love with someone who accepts me for everything I am. And yet, the mere thought of Forge being back in my life fills me with such rage that I find myself wanting to lash out at him. I want to hurt him like he hurt me and I am scared by that.”
Charles reached out and took her other hand in his own, forcing her to meet his eyes as he squeezed them both firmly. “Ororo, the anger you feel has been buried for a very long time. It is only natural that you would feel the need to release it given his return. Your desire to inflict pain upon him is perfectly a understandable and normal reaction.” He gave her a wry smile as he continued. “Although I am not sure that injuring him during a simulation is exactly the way to go about it.”
Despite the gravity of her emotions and the situation, she chuckled. “No, that was not one of my more intelligent decisions.” She dropped his hands and stood, beginning to pace as she felt her frustration building once more. “But the man is driving me insane. He has been pestering me, following me since the moment he walked through the door. And to make matters worse, Logan and I have been forced to restrain ourselves around him.” She found herself once more in front of the window and stopped to gaze outside as she tried to calm down. “I have been feeling a great deal of anger building in me for the past few days now. And I just could not seem to help myself any longer; when I realized that he was standing behind me, all I could see was a haze of red and I reacted. Thankfully he was not gravely injured.”
Xavier nodded. “I think I am beginning to understand now.”
Ororo smiled slightly as she turned her attention from the window. “I figured you would.”
“You see, most people who find happiness after such painful break-ups inflict pain upon their former loved ones in a number of ways. They often go to great lengths to prove their happiness to a former loved one. Rather blatant public displays of affection are not uncommon and most are very open about the fact that they have found someone else, someone who completes them in way the previous relationship could not.”
Ororo nodded. “That is why you were surprised when I did not tell Forge that Logan and I were dating.”
“To say the least.”
Ororo was quiet for a long time as she thought on just why she wanted to keep quiet about her newfound happiness with Logan. “That first night he was back, I was just so very angry, I could not think. I said my piece and I left. Afterwards, I told myself that he did not have the right to know, that he should be left to wonder. Perhaps if I had not been so secretive, the annoyance the truth would have caused him might have been worth it.”
“And now, that you’ve had time to think on it do you still feel that way?”
She shook her head realizing that she suddenly felt like hurting him in a much more emotional way. “No, I do not. Now, I think it is time to rub his nose in it a little.”
Ororo breezed through the med lab doors moments after finishing her talk with the professor. Logan, who was sitting in the room waiting for Forge to come to, stood up and walked over to her.
He shot a quick glance at Forge to be sure he was still asleep before pulling Ororo into his arms. “Ya okay darlin’?”
She smiled as she simply melted against him, murmuring into his shoulder. “I am now, love.” She pulled back slightly, feeling his hands running soothing patterns on her back. She reached out and stroked his chest, leaning into his touch as she felt the bond they shared surround her with love and affection. Taking a deep breath, she pulled away from him and approached the bed. “How is he?”
Logan shrugged slightly as he joined her at Forge’s bedside. “Hank says he’ll be fine, he just took a hellava jolt. Probably won’t be lucky enough fer the bastard to wake up with a headache though.”
Ororo chuckled even as she admonished her lover. “Keep it up and I can guarantee a repeat performance for you in the near future.”
He smirked at her slightly. “Damn woman ya fight dirty. Do ya have any idea just how much it hurts?”
She chuckled again, arching a single brow at him. “Thanks to my mutant gift I may never know. I seem to be unaffected by large doses of electricity. You however, given your metal laced bones, are most likely a superb conductor.”
Anything Logan might have said to that was cut short when Forge began to stir. Logan reached out to press the com button and call in Hank who was waiting in his nearby lab for their guest to come to.
Ororo leaned over the bed, touching Forge’s arm. “Forge, can you hear me? How are you feeling?”
His eyes focused as he came awake. Realizing just who was touching him, he jerked his arm free, his face sullen and angry. “I’m fine, no thanks to you.”
“Like she’s the one that dragged ya into the danger room when a sim was active. And here I thought ya were a genius.” Logan sneered from his spot at Ororo’s side.
“Oh, and I suppose that wasn’t you I heard yelling at Storm just before I came into the clearing.” Forge sneered at the shorter man from his bed.
Logan’s hands tightened on the bed railings, his knuckles turning white as Forge’s jab hit home. “I was tryin’ to warn her that ya were there. I was tryin’ ta save yer ass tin man!” He jabbed a finger at the supine man.
Ororo reached out touching his arm gently. “Logan, would you please give us a moment alone?” Her tone was gentle but firm.
Logan gazed at for several long seconds and simply nodded before silently leaving.
After he had gone, Ororo stood at Forge’s bedside, staring at him in silence for several moments. “I think it is time we cleared the air between us.” She reached out and pulled a chair up to his bed, sitting down in it as she collected her thoughts. “I have not been completely honest with you about my life and I think that if you knew the truth, it might relieve some of the tension between us.”
“I’m listening.”
Ororo folded her hands together, studying them for a moment before continuing. “I have always considered myself a rational human being. I do not like to get angry, I lose control when I am angry and it frightens me.” She took a deep breath, lifting her eyes to meet his, her anger and frustration make them glitter fiercely. “But you could push a saint to violence and I am feeling a great deal less than friendly towards you. In fact I would be very hard pressed to even find you anything but antagonistic and spiteful right at the moment.” Her tone was hard and cutting.
“Ororo…” He began in a placating tone.
She cut him off with a wave of her elegant hand. “You have been stalking me, smothering me with your very presence. I have not been able to turn a corner of this mansion without finding you there and it is driving me insane.” Again she paused for another calming breath before going on. “What happened today happened because you were foolish and I was angry. I did not intend to hurt you, you must believe that. I simply snapped.”
Forge sighed, reaching out to take her hand. “I only wanted to talk to you but you’ve been avoiding me. I had hoped that if you gave me a chance, I could explain some things and perhaps…” he let the statement trail off.
“Perhaps what? You thought we might reconcile?” He nodded. Angered once more, she pulled her hand free from his. “I want to be very clear when I say this Forge. I no longer love you. At least I no longer love what you used to be to me and I have no wish to return to that part of my life.”
“Were you that unhappy with me?”
Ororo sighed again. “No, I was not. But your leaving did more to undermine my self confidence than I could ever imagine. I found myself second guessing everything and everyone around me.” She stood, pacing at the end of his bed as she though back to that period of her life. “I closed myself off from everyone to an even greater degree than I had before, not understanding how anyone else could love me if you did not love me enough to stay. I could not understand how you could claim to love me and then simply walk out as if those words meant nothing more to you than the breath you used to utter them.”
She stopped pacing and faced him, her eyes hard and accusing as she spoke. “For a very long time I thought that there was something wrong with me. After you left, it took me a long time to understand just what it was about me that you loved. A short time ago, I did some reflecting and I began to understand something very important about our relationship. You did not love me.”
“You’re wrong. I did love you, very much; I still do.”
Ororo smiled slightly but it was a patronizing gesture. “And I know that you sincerely believe that but there is something fundamentally flawed in your perception of my true self. You saw me as an object, something to be idolized, personified as a goddess and worshipped. You loved my image, the veneer I presented to the world to protect myself and those around me. You did not love me, you did not love the woman that I am.” She paused for a moment, hesitating for only a split second before she revealed the truth she had been hiding since his return. “But Logan does.”
“Logan?” Forge repeated, uncertain at what he heard.
Ororo nodded. “Yes, Logan.”
There was stunned silence for several long moments as he mulled over what she said and what it meant. “You and he are…”
Again she nodded, a small smile lighting her face. “Yes.”
“Logan.” He seemed to be having a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept, his face puzzled as he sat there. “I never would have guessed that. He just really doesn’t seem your…”
Ororo cut him off, a dangerous glint in her eye, her voice hardening as she spoke. “Forge, I strongly urge you not to finish that sentence, not if you wish to continue breathing. In any event, I do believe that any opinion you might have had in regards to my life and who I share it with ended the night you left.”
They stood there in uneasy silence both lost in their own thoughts over the revelation. After a moment Forge broke it. “So are you sleeping with him?”
Ororo crossed her arms over her chest, her first impulse being to ignore the question. “Not that it is any of your business, but yes we are sleeping together.” A wry smile lit her face as she took one last emotional dig at him. “He is the best lover I have ever had.”
Forge did not appear to hear the last statement as he ignored it completely. “What are you thinking Ororo? He’s not good enough for you. If you’re not careful he’ll drop you like yesterday’s garbage and walk away without a thought or concern over how you feel.”
“Just as you did?” She smiled at the stunned look on Forge’s face at her cutting remark. In the next instant the smile disappeared from her face as she continued. “For your information we are not simply sleeping together, we are in a relationship. We have been dating for nearly a year, are currently sharing the same room and it is very serious between us.”
Again Forge was silence for a long while before finding his voice again. “Does he love you?”
“More than you can possibly imagine; far more than you ever did.”
He did not appear convinced. “Has he told you that?”
“Yes, he has on more than one occasion.”
“Do you love him?”
“With all my heart.”
“How can you possibly love him? He can’t possibly appreciate the treasure that you are.”
His tone sickened her and pushed her to rub his nose even further in her happiness. “But he does Forge; he just does it differently then you. To him I am so much more than what the world sees. Underneath the façade I have created, I am simply a woman, more importantly I am his woman. And I would not have it any other way. He helped me to rediscover the flesh and blood person underneath my rigid control and to love her once more. In truth, he saved me from myself; you cannot say the same.”
“Yes, but is he willing to marry you?” His tone was snide and cutting.
Ororo fought the urge to laugh at his words. If that was his ace in the hole, the man was in for more serious trouble than she originally thought. “What do I care for marriage? My first brush with it was less than pleasant. In any event, I do not think you have any right to know that. I think you all ready know far more than I ever wanted you to.”
“Then why tell me any of it?”
She stood next to his bed, looking firmly into his eyes as she pressed her point. “Because I want you to back off and the truth is the only way I can think of to get you to do that.” She leaned closer, their faces only inches apart as she continued. “I want to pretend that the only reason you came back here is for the reason you claim and ignore what else might have brought you here.” She straightened, her eyes never leaving his. “I do not hate you Forge, I never have. But if you continue pushing me and those I love, I will learn to hate you. Do not make me hate you.” She turned to leave when his next words stopped her.
“I would have married you Ororo. I really wanted to marry you.”
She didn’t turn but merely threw her parting words over her shoulder. “Funny how that offer came at a price I was unwilling to pay.” Then she walked out.
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