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Author's Chapter Notes:
Still wish they were mine, but alas no. Please don't get upset with me for borrowing them.
He nodded his head and lifted his empty bottle as a signal to the bartender he wanted another.

Though the place was called Harry's the bartender owners name was actually Frank. It was a little tidbit Logan had learned late one night as he closed the place down, still sober as he was when he had walked in. Truth be told, he didn't give a shit then and he didn't give a shit now. All he wanted was to be away from the place of his troubles. Too bad no one told his troubles not to follow him.

Try as he might, his mind stayed on the white haired goddess and the announcement the Professor had made before he had left on his bike to sate his anger with as much beer and liquor as his bladder could hold.

Now his thirst quenched and having pissed a river many times over, he found there was no cure for his still brewing temper.

He hoped Storm could find peace at least riding her winds, as she had quickly left to do after excusing herself as politely as she was able. Scott had locked his jaw and simple went in the direction of the mansion, no doubt headed to the hangar to work out his frustration on some nerd tinkering on one of the aircrafts. If the boy scout had any balls he'd soothe his aching heart wrapped in the arms of the nearest warm and willing female. Unfortunately the same could not do for himself. After Ororo there was no other. When you had the best nothing else would do and even if he had the smallest inclination to desire to try he wouldn't be able to...he was mated to her and he had already done enough damage.

Fuck! Fuck Jean and the chair bound bastard that was too blind to see what a manipulative bitch she really was.

Once again, he really didn't give a rats ass; his time left there was short...too bad for him no one had told his heart it was to be leaving with him.

"Do you have any of those left, or did you let this asshole drink you dry?"

'Hunh,' oh hell, he had to be worse off than he thought. How did he let one-eye sidle up to the stool next to him and he not catch it before he even walked in the door. He barely turned his head in his direction and looked at him out the corner of his eye. His response though the question was not posed to him, "Kiss my ass Cyke and take a long walk in the desert till ya choke.", he gave a lighthearted humph, followed by a sneer.

"Good to see you haven't lost any of your charm...all things considered." said Scott, taking a long swallow from the beer placed before him.

"What can I say, I'm a prince."

"Yeah, well are you done kissing princesses trying to turn them into frogs?"

"That the best ya got. Ya gotta do better than that dick. And once again...kiss my ass."

Scott gave a derisive chuckle this time, "No thank you I prefer the hairless, non-sweaty, less ape like feminine variety."

"Good fer ya, on second thought, wouldn't want yer pucker anywhere near my ass...healing factor only works so far."

Scott threw his head back and howled with laughter.

Both men sat drinking their beers looking straight ahead not really looking at anything in particular. Both of their minds on the announcement from the Professor earlier. It was a fucking bitter pill to swallow, even for Scott.

How much more wrong was going to occur before something got set to right.

After long moments of silence between them Logan spoke still looking straight ahead, while twisting his beer in both hands, "I get it. Maybe I always did, just didn't give a damn. I understand what I put ya through...and I'm man enough ta admit my part in it was wrong. No man has the right ta fuck with another mans woman. I'm only gonna say this once and I'll deny it if I ever hear it repeated, but...I ah," a heavy breath, "I'm sorry fer what I put ya through,...from the beginning ta the end...I was wrong."

The look on Scotts face was awestruck, as he swung his head around to look at Logan. Never in a million years would he have believed he would hear that from Wolverines mouth. And now here he was unable to repeat any of it with valid proof to anyone.

"That had to hurt like a motherfucker; really killed you didn't it?"

"Scooter ya have no idea."

This time they both let out a macho chuckle.

"So yer talk with Jean,...ya gonna try ta work it out? Cozy up together in the boathouse."

Scott remained silent. No sense rubbing salt into the wound for Logan or himself with unanswered questions and the turmoil inside of himself.

Scott turned to look at Logan, really look. Seeing for the first time the weight he was carrying and his despondent and unusually haggard appearance. Nothing of the cocky, self assured Wolverine had any bearing on this man. "You really gonna leave the team...and Storm?" He had to ask. Wolverine was fooling himself if he thought he could just walk away from Ororo. The school maybe, her hell no. If the hatchet was to be buried between the two of them he had to make every effort for Storms sake to make things right with the man she loved beyond reason, but was too stubborn to admit and forgive. The man that loved her beyond life itself.

Logan sized him up with a raised brow and a quick sniff to ferret out his reason for wanting to know. Nothing but sincerity emitted from Scott.

"What's this Scooter, now we're all buddy-buddy, discussing our innermost thoughts and desires and shit. Is this where we throw our arms 'round each others shoulders and start singing 'Kumbaya'."

Still he felt a moment of weakness and tried to further amend the wrong he had dealt to Scott since their first meeting. Besides he owed it to Ro and Scooter and himself to treat him better. Olive branch extended and accepted.

"Look it's gonna take everything in me ta leave Ro, but she don't want anything ta do with me. Don't mean I won't be on the next thing smoking if she ever needs me fer anything. I may have a healing factor, but there aint no coming back from her."

"So damn it why don't you fight for her!?" Scott was near to yelling. "Do you really think she doesn't care anymore! She's been hurt enough Logan, time for some lasting happiness in her life. If you're not capable of delivering that, then by all means step the fuck off.! Just didn't peg you for such an easy quitter."

"Thought ya didn't want us together in the first place...and yer right, I don't give up so easy, but I hurt her, I hurt her," his voice now nearing a whisper, "I hurt her...bad. Ya try living with that and facing her every goddamned day! Damn, I even went out and bought her panties," the last word was a whisper, "ta show her I was willing ta do whatever it takes fer the two of us ta be together."

"Good god Wolverine, this is Storm we are talking about. do you think she can just toss you aside like yesterdays garbage! Damn it she loves you more than you can ever deserve or know." He took a deep breath to calm down. "Look it's too late for Jean and me, don't make the worse mistake of your miserable life and hurt my sister beyond repair. I'll just come find you and kick your ass." that said, Scott rose from his stool and placed his hand on Logans shoulder before walking to the door.

"And Logan," he tossed over his shoulder, speaking up louder, "next time you buy women's panties, let me know, that's a sight I would love to see." He made a hasty retreat out the door, as he threw his head back laughing.

Beer spewed from Logan's mouth, a coughing fit taking hold of him.

Those in earshot of Scott's parting words all turned their heads in Logan's direction, not able to believe what they had just heard. Many eyes looking at his ass on the bar stool wondering.

Frank, smart enough not to outright laugh, walked to the other end of the bar, his shoulders bouncing in suppressed mirth.

Fuck an olive branch.


The soft rapping on the door to his suite of rooms was an unusual sound. No one bothered him once he retired here. It used to be commonplace for Scott or Ororo to bound into his rooms on a merry chase of one another, when they were younger. Now maturity had given place to a respect for his privacy, little as it was.

His gifting allowing him knowledge of the late visitor prepared him for their entry.

"Come in my dear,", he called from his place in front of the large window, looking out into the night sky.

Ororo walked into the elegantly appointed sitting room of her fathers suite, the door having opened by his will. The room was shadowed due to the late hour and the fact that he had only one lamp lit by a dimmer in the large room. His habit of old, to unwind from a days events quietly observing the beauty of the night sky. Often thinking that beyond his view of the stars there had to be life out there.

Somehow she knew he was waiting for her. After the announcement earlier in the boathouse she would have no rest, till she received an explanation from the man who loved her as a daughter. Not that she begrudged Jean anything, but she understood so little now a days she needed clarity on his reasoning behind such a palpable act.

Reaching the space behind his chair, she bent down, wrapping both arms around his shoulders and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss upon his tired cheek. A smile tugged at his lips to still feel her affection for him even after his seemingly thoughtless and confusing act. With returned warmth he reached up to pat her arms that held him in such a loving embrace.

This was their private time. Not for anyone else to see. This was the norm for Ororo, Scott and Charles. The natural affection shown between a father and his children. Pure and untainted.

"I love you dad." she spoke with the full richness of her voice, flowing from the depths of her heart.

"And I you, never doubt that. Till I die and beyond." he quoted, as he had repeated so often to Scott and her even as youngsters.

Going around to kneel in front of him, she clutched his hand, still needing the tangible contact that connected her to him. "Then tell me,...tell me what I fail to comprehend." she searched his eyes.

With a heavy sigh he pulled away from her hold and wheeled himself nearer the center of the room. "Ororo there is not a thing that I have that I would not freely give you..."

So out of character she interrupted him, her emotions coming to the fore, "You do not own one thing I want, especially not a house that I would take more than the love you already give. I want to know your purpose in giving what you did to whom you did. Surely you knew it would affect Scott, Logan and myself. Scott was...is so hurt. Logan is angry past words. He worked so hard. We worked so hard."

"The work was done to accomplish an end, which you both reached rather successfully. At no point in time did I mention what would be the outcome of your labor other than wanting to gain a cohesiveness between us. Yet we remain fractured. Now more so than ever. Ororo you have to see, there was more involved in the accounting than the three of you. Jean has been ousted from her secure place in this home and the team."

Ororo opened her mouth to speak, but was halted by the raising of his hand.

"Please, let me finish. I am more than aware of her actions and their motivation. She has been a very troubled young woman and I should,...I should have known."

"Are you blaming yourself for what Jean became capable of doing?"

"Not blame in the literal sense, but perhaps the abstruse yes. I have prided myself on keeping distant from your personal lives to the extent that I negated that we are a family with such bonds uniting us all in a cognitive way, making us sensitive to each others well being. My revulsion to intruding in your lives, due to my ability kept me from seeing Jeans confusion. Her misuse of her powers."

"I do not see why you are making excuse for her actions. She is not a child, but a grown woman who has to live up to the consequences of her actions. Isn't that what you did with Logan and I with refurbishing the boathouse following our inexcusable actions."

"It is not as simple as that Ororo. Your mind was not altered from an unknown amount of time of mental instability or misguidance. Your actions were rash yes, but not incomprehensible to you or Logan. Don't you see Jean has to be made to feel a part. I cannot isolate her from us."

"Then what do you call having her move out to the boathouse alone dad." she deadpanned.

At that the unflappable Charles Xavier lost a little composure. "I call it justifiable!" his voice raised, "she is still a part of the X-men and a valued teacher, but I cannot stomach her close proximity right now. Damn it daughter she hurt you and I am your father. She hurt Scott without so much as blinking an eye. She coercively seduced Logan and enjoyed every second of it!"

With those words Ororo flinched noticeably.

"Unforgivably tampering with his mind to do so. Am I that uncaring of a father not to want to protect the children that I love. To not want you vindicated and free from the hurt. To want to see you live at peace here in your own home without having to endure unwarranted animosity. Yet I have counted her among you as much as she has allowed me. So feel everything that you are experiencing. The same as I am trying to. Be angry that I have her moving into the house that you and Logan built. Knowing this...that it would have been a wedding gift to you, had she not interfered."

Ororo let out a shocked gasp.

"I mean every word I am saying to you child of my heart. So rage, rant, cry whatever it takes to take control over your life once more. Take back that which belongs to you. the place where you have every right to be and the one you cannot live without beside you. Now is not the time for passivity. I have taught you to war,...now fight!"

Her back ramrod straight, Ororo turned and walked out of the room. Hot tears coursed down her face. Anger at herself for her own foolish stubborn heart. Anger at Logan for not being strong enough and choosing to run. Anger at Jean for not realizing how much she was loved. And now anger at her father for forcing her to see possibly too late, that letting loose her rage was the answer to her own happiness and finally being free.

No gale winds blew, no rain fell. No abrupt weather changes took place save the rumbling of thunder and lightening flashes. The time for tears was over. Nature need not weep for her anymore. Done was her quiet seething emotions. Nature now echoed her cry of freedom. Control was not lost,...but found.

Mofo sat at the lakes edge head thrown back howling at the wondrous lightening and loud peals of thunder. Not once seeking shelter from a storm that would cause him no harm.





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