"So, where is she?" Scott asked excitedly as his tears of joy nearly overflowed from the brims of his eyes.

"I think she is still there, beneath the lake," The Professor answered.

"Oh my God," Ororo gasped as her heart nearly leaped from her chest. "Buried?" She asked as her own claustrophobic fears nearly overwhelmed her.

"Yes, but I assure you she is safe. I think she had begun evolving months before her 'death'."

"Yeah, she had been having trouble with headaches and nightmares that shook our room," Scott confirmed.

"I believe, that she was in the final stage when she saved us, and now she's there in some kind of stasis, cocoon if you will, and she's nearing her rebirth, which is how I can feel her now. So, you must go and find her, before she awakens and…"

"Drowns, so where do we start, and how soon can we leave?" Logan asked and Ororo looked at him and could see his anxiousness to begin the search. She too was anxious but felt Logan's reasons were not the same as hers. He wanted his beloved back; she wanted her best friend back.

"The best place to start would probably be where we last saw her no?" Kurt threw in and the Professor nodded in agreement.

"That would be the logical conclusion and as for when I feel now would be essential," With that the X-Men raced from the room to change and within minutes were on the Blackbird flying off, they reached the lake in less than an hour's time.

"Here," Scott said from his place behind the controls. "Ok, you ready?" He turned to his co-pilot. With a nod Ororo unstrapped herself and moved towards the back of the jet, causing both Logan and Kurt to eye her curiously. She opened the back hatch door and jumped out.

"What tha fuck…Ro!" Logan said as he instinctively leaped from his seat.

"It's ok Logan, we need her if we're going to find Jean fast," Scott said as Logan moved up and took Ororo's seat in the cockpit. He looked out and saw Ororo floating in front of them, above the lake, and was stunned still as was Kurt who was now standing behind them also watching in awe.

"She can fly?" Kurt wondered aloud.

"No, but she can manipulate the wind around her, use it to propel her about, pretty cool huh?" He ended with a smirk as he too watched.

"Ok Scott," Ororo's voice came over the com. "I am in position so you should move back to a safer spot."

"Ok, how's 15 feet sound?" Scott asked.

"That will be fine," Ororo replied as she waited and then watched as the Jet moved back to a safer distance. She then looked to the sky and summoned great winds, and all aboard the Blackbird watched in fear and amazement as the lake began to part; all of its water being pushed to the edge, leaving the entire area that was once covered in water dry and baron. "Ok, it is going to get a bit shaky guys, but do not worry I have you," Ororo stated as the Jet began to shake.

"What's she doing?" Logan asked as he warily looked about the shaking craft.

"She's putting us in a kind of pocket so we can set the jet down in the lake, if she didn't those winds she's using to part the lake would blow us away," Scott said just as the shaking stopped, he flew the jet back to where Ororo still floated and set it down in the lake. "All right, I'm going to do a scan of the entire lake, which can take a few moments, why don't you two go out and see if you can find anything with your eyes," Scott suggested.

"Is it safe, out there I mean?" Kurt asked worriedly.

"It is if you trust Ororo," Scott replied and it was enough to convince both Logan and Kurt who made their way out of the jet and onto the dry ground of the lakebed. Their search had gone on for nearly an hour, with Scott scanning every square inch of the lake as Logan with Kurt walked about searching. Logan paused looking up as he wiped the sweat from his face and his eyes rested on Ororo's regal form still keeping them safe.

"Hey Ro, how ya doin darlin?" He spoke into his comlink.

"I am fine Logan," She answered smiling despite her earlier anger with him. "A bit sore but nothing that a hot bath and full body massage will not cure," He smiled at the thoughts her words had invoked in his mind.

"Well, I…" Logan began.

"Guys I think I have something!" Scott's excited voice called out cutting off Ororo and Logan's conversation. "I'm coming out to you now." Scott raced from the jet joining, Logan and Kurt. "Here, over here." He called out moving past the other two men. Logan and Kurt hurried behind him. "It's about 15 feet down," Scott said adjusting his visor for a weak blast. The other's stood back as the dust filled the air from the blast, when the dust cleared they saw what looked to be a large crystallized substance.

"Is that…Jean?" Kurt asked as he and the other two stared down at the foreign body. Scott then hopped down into the hole with it.

"Only one way to find out," He said as he began wiping against the surface. "Oh God, Jean! It's her she's inside, help me!" Needing no further coaxing Logan leaped down into the hole and he and Scott lifted the crystal cocoon above ground, and then Kurt wrapped himself around it and teleported into the Blackbird. "Storm, we've got her, we're heading home."

"Is it really…"

"Yeah Ororo, it's really Jean," Scott said as he and Logan raced back to the jet.

"Then go, I shall meet you there," Ororo commanded. Logan and Scott entered the Jet and they hurriedly flew off back to the institute, with Ororo close behind them.

"How is she?" Ororo asked as she finally arrived back at the mansion and made her way down to the med lab, where Scott and Logan both were waiting outside.

"We don't know yet, the Professor and McCoy are in there now with her," Scott said as he paused in his pacing to face his oldest friend. "But she's alive Roro, and she's here," He said his emotions nearly overtaking him, and Ororo with a smile embraced him tightly.

"Yes, and now I suppose you shall have to set that wedding date that you have been putting off, the thing we girls will do to get our wedding day," Ororo said invoking a hardy laugh from Scott at the implication.

"Well, if Jean did all this to get me to marry her, then I will as soon as she wakes up," Scott announced and Logan let out a low growl, causing Both Ororo and Scott to pull apart at look at him curiously. "You got a problem, Logan?"

"Yeah, you’re too…" The opening of the lab doors ended his words.

"We have her out of the cocoon and she is alive and stable," The Professor announced as Scott rushed past him and into the room where Jean lay, being observed by Dr. McCoy.

"So, Jeannie's gonna be ok?" Logan asked as he watched Scott kissing Jean through the small window in the door. Ororo in turn watched him and the emotions that played over his face.

"We won't know for sure until she wakes up, of course, but yes I think she shall be fine," The Professor answered.

"That's good," Logan mumbled as he continued to watch the couple.

"It is wonderful," Ororo said and Logan turned to look at her. "I need to soak for a few hours or days, you will call me if Jean wakes?" She directed this to the Professor.

"Of course, you go I know you had a tough day," The Professor said with a smile, which Ororo returned before she nodded her head to him and headed out.

She had done just as she had planned, soaked in a hot bath for nearly two hours, and the only reason she had been forced out was the cold water. With both her hair and body wrapped in a towel, Ororo made her way from her bathroom and was stopped in her tracks at what she saw when she entered her bedroom.

"Jasmine or Sandalwood?" Logan asked as he held up the lotion bottles. Ororo simply continued staring at him dumbfounded. "Fer yer massage darlin, which do ya prefer?" He asked with a smirk.

"Logan, what are you doing here?" She asked genuinely surprised and shocked.

"Ya did say ya wanted a massage, well I'll have ya know that I'm somewhat of an expert, very good with my hands," He said causing Ororo to smile despite herself.

"I thought you would have stayed with Jean," Ororo said as she removed the towel from her head, allowing her damp tresses to fall down her back.

"What fer, one eye's wit her, and ya know tha sayin, three's a crowd."

"That still does not explain what it is you are doing here," She said folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

"Yer a bit slow today ain't ya, I'm here ta give ya a massage," Logan said and Ororo suspiciously watched him. "Look darlin, I know I was an ass earlier, but can't we just start over."

"Start over from where exactly?" She questioned as she nervously looked down at her fidgeting feet. When she felt hot breath on her face, she looked up to find Logan standing right in front of her, their noses barely touching. Her own breath caught in her throat as Logan slowly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It wasn't a hungry kiss or urgent like all the others they had ever had, this kiss was patient, beckoning for her to open up. When she finally did allow him entrance it was sensual, and so erotic her knees nearly buckled that she grasped his arms, which were snaking around her waist, to steady herself. After a few moments, they had to pull apart for air. "That is a nice place to start from," Ororo said with a smile and Logan chuckled. "Now what?" She inquired and with a sly smile on his face, Logan reached down and pulled open the towel that was still wrapped around Ororo, and it fell to the floor.