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A Summer of Sunsets
Chapter #15, “Reunion, pt. 3”


July 23th, 2004
Westchester County
4:57 p.m.

Friday had gone off without a hitch, and Ororo had fallen right into step at the School. Earlier that morning she had a productive brunch with Sean, going over student evals. She’d even gotten to meet personally with a couple of students”some who had orientations planned that day before joining for the fall semester.

The school itself was almost deserted; those who had no family to spend holidays with usually came out to the summer estate and spent the warmer months bathed in beach sand and suntans at the impressive 62-room estate, or opted to stay within the confines of the school, where at least one administrator was always on-call. This time Sean had lucked out, as Moira took the opportunity to head back to her lab off the coast of Ireland to conduct more research on TLV. A short conference on the mainland was her destination that weekend, along with Ororo’s brother, Henry; MacTaggert’s partner in the fight against TLV and in finding a viable cure or vaccine.

---

After most of her ‘official’ business had been concluded, Ororo found herself wandering the grounds, remembering her usual haunts. The Westchester school was actually a smaller (compared to the Hamptons estate) mansion, the home of Charles’ parents and his grandparents before them. It had been her first home after coming to the States. It was where she, Marie & Beth had grown up as best friends and sisters. It was where she’d met her first crush in Scott Summers. It was also the birthplace of her mutant powers…

Walking past the backyard toward the tree line that bordered the empty field beyond the mansion, she remembered that day with biting clarity. While her mutation had been somewhat of a surprise to her, it had not been to Charles, of course, who knew sooner or later that she would exhibit some sort of mutant ability. However, at the tender age of 10, seeing lightning appear at one’s whim was quite unexpected to the young weather witch.

Sighing deeply, Ororo pushed those thoughts away, not really wanting to dwell on the first manifestation of her powers. Like Marie’s, it had not been an especially happy moment…

Looking up, she found herself immersed in the depths of the thickened woods beyond the school, where wild things still grew and the dense canopy shielded her from the late afternoon sun.

Calling a refreshing breeze, it tickled the hem of her light skirt as Ororo disappeared through the brush.

She knew what she needed more than anything right now was a good walk; some time alone.

Her sandals barely touched upon the underbrush, as she unconsciously took a path she’d mapped out years before in her mind. Naturally as she walked, her thoughts returned again and again to Logan, and the abrupt message he’d left her a week before. She’d listened to it several times before finally erasing it; still unable to discern whatever code from his tone and the two short phrases that she’d thought she’d glean.

Ororo didn’t know why she didn’t call him back, except for the fact that she was more confused than ever about the parameters of their relationship. She didn’t know what she wanted, and she didn’t know what He wanted.

“Oh, you know what you want…” she quietly chastised herself, passing by hanging leaves and caressing the bending limbs of trees.

What she wanted was probably the last thing she needed right then; a complicated relationship. With Logan she somehow knew it could be nothing but complicated…

As the night grew closer and Ororo’s decision didn’t get any easier, she finally came to rest at a small lake about a mile & a half away from the school, deep in the woods. She’d only been this far in a few times, when she really needed a moment alone and no amount of good natured humor from Marie or sympathy food would do the trick.

Feeling very young and confused, she came to the edge, looking out across the somewhat shallow water as reflections bounced off the surface. After several seconds and her clothes were folded neatly at the bank, and her body was fully submersed did she feel the tension begin to subside from her muscles. Almost ten laps later she was loose as a goose and feeling much better physically, if not mentally.

Resting against the cooled grass while the water dried from her skin, she felt much better from rediscovering her former place of solitude. It was a welcomed revisit, and even now”as she began to rethink her behavior with Logan”things began to look a little clearer.

---

Slowly making her way back to toward the School, Ororo sighed to herself, deciding then and there that once she returned to Southampton she’d call Logan immediately.



“Hey Darlin.”

As it turned out she wouldn’t have to.

Startled she looked up into the darkness, thinking for a moment that she’d imagined that voice. The reflected light of the moon could barely pierce the thickness of the trees overhead, and so he had to move to assure her he was no apparition.

“Logan?! What”what are you doing here?”

Even as he moved closer to her, he made no sound, unbelievably silent in the night. He was further camouflaged by his black leather jacket, which immediately told her that he’d been on the motorcycle. “You invited me, remember?”

She stood a few feet from him, speechless at that.

“Seems like you rescinded the offer, though, eh?” he didn’t laugh, but his tone wasn’t completely accusatory.

Looking away for a moment, she responded, “I thought you couldn’t make it.”

“Oh I moved some things around,” He said vaguely, coming a couple steps closer.

“Why?”

If he thought that was an odd question his eyes never let on, as he finally closed the distance between them, standing directly before her. Reaching out to touch her arm he could sense her sudden indecision. “Do you want me t’leave?”

No, her eyes told him, but she didn’t say anything immediately.

Reading her response, Logan lifted his hand, lightly caressing her arm, making her skin rise with goose bumps. He was standing so close by now that she could hear his breathing over the sounds of night around them, and could feel his body heat even before he reached up with both arms, enveloping her in a tentative embrace.

His sharp ears barely heard the light inhale from her lips as he stood there, partially cradling her against his side. The slight height difference allowed Logan to whisper quietly against her ear, his warm lips brushing against the curve of her jaw.


“If I didn’ know better I’d think ya were avoiding me, Ro.” He smiled just a little in the shadows after her breath came out in a shudder against him.

Ororo was still as a stone in his arms, but her eyes told him everything he needed to know, and the unmistakable drum of her rapid pulse beneath his hand on the back of her neck told the same tale.

When she didn’t answer, he lifted his other hand to the base of her swan-like neck, stroking the hollow of it with one finger as his hand lay splayed against the skin of her collarbone. “You ain’t avoidin’ me, are ya?”

Ororo finally found her voice, sensing that his questions were no longer rhetorical. “Logan…”

He quieted whatever she had been about to say with a gentle nuzzle against her neck, leaning into her a little. His strong arms tightened about her waist and back, and they stood in each other’s embrace as time stood still only for them.

Lulled by the soft, almost feline-like ‘purr’ from deep in Logan’s chest, Ororo finally reached up and wound her arms about his neck, pressing her face against him and unable to deny the electricity between them.

“…I-I just needed some time alone. To think.”

“Is that what you were doin’ out here?” He pointedly fingered her still-wet hair, chuckling a little.

“Among other things.”

The thought of it made him growl just a little, very low in his throat before Logan turned suddenly and pressed his lips against the softness of her neck, nibbling there just a little.

“Are you playing with me?” she asked breathlessly, only partially joking.

“If you’ll let me.” Lupine eyes danced over her in the dark.

What slightly damp clothes and hair against a warm summer night could not do, Logan’s piercing gaze more than managed, and he only held her shivering body closer to himself with a dry chuckle.

“Logan, why are you here?” she pulled back just a little to search his eyes.

He saw a yearning in there that he didn’t want to deny anymore; kissing her lips gently, he held her close. “I’m here f’you, Darlin. Don’t ya know that by now?”

She looked at him, and he tilted his head, reaching up to stroke her cheek, run his thumb over the poutiness of her full bottom lip. The stare she was giving him made his pants tight, and suddenly Logan didn’t even remember why he was trying to deny it.

“Come on.”

---

The interior of the School was quiet, the halls full of nighttime shadows as Ororo led the way past the elevator and up to the loft. It had been her room when she lived there, and ever since no one had changed a thing, per Charles’ instructions. Sometimes Ororo wondered if her father always knew her life would come full circle like this…

Opening the door, she inhaled deeply, but grimaced at the whiff of stagnant air and dust that met her nose. Pulling Logan inside and closing the door, she immediately left his side to open the terrace doors and large skylight, allowing fresh night air and the brightness of the moon to invade their surroundings.

“So this is your old room, eh?” He was smiling as if the books on the shelves, the décor and upholstery were telling him her childhood secrets.

“Minus my plants, of course, but yes.” She turned from the slanted skylight, her bright hair shining with silvery accents in the moon’s spotlight. She was met by an unusual smile on Logan’s face, and it made her feel self-conscious and giddy at once.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he tossed it against the back of the wooden chair at the vanity nearby, and walked to her, rubbing her arms briefly before reaching up to kiss her. “You don’t mind if I kiss ya, do you Ro?”

“Mhm-mm.” She licked her lips slowly, sampling his taste that he’d left there. After a second of looking at his obvious hunger, she couldn’t stand the burning stare any longer, and turned her face away, smiling with a chuckle.

“Good.” His hands slid low on her hips, fingers spread out against her lower back just where her ass began. Pressing against her, he brought her up against his chest, hands cupping her apple bottom appreciatively.

Gripping the collar of his white cotton shirt, Ororo leaned into him, resting her forehead against his, looking down into his eyes, which shined luminous silver as they watched her. “You’d better watch it, Mister…I don’t know how much longer I can control myself.”

He chuckled ruefully, but sensed that she was quite serious. “Hmph. Maybe I don’t want you to.”

She gazed at him for a long moment, and knew he wasn’t lying. Smiling somewhat to herself, Ororo kissed his mouth lovingly, but then backed away, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the large bed.

“…Well, this is more like it.”

She laughed, a light airy sound, and turned to him. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Logan.”

Sitting on the bedside, she pulled him down beside her, kicking off her shoes and swinging her feet onto the bed. Moving over to allow him room she smiled, patting the bed. “It’s late. If we get up early enough I can show you the grounds and all the changes I want to make before the day grows too hot…”

“Whoa, waitaminute,” he turned, still sitting on the edge and moved wide eyes to her luscious form as it stretched out behind him. “You actually expect me to sleep in here? Right next to you? And not want to”?”

Chuckling, she kept patting the mattress beside her, lying on her side facing him. “That’s right, there’s no rush. Hey, we’ve got Time, remember?”

Groaning, he looked up to the heavens, then backward at her. “That’s gonna bite me in the ass now, huh?”

“(laughing) I’m afraid so, sweetie. But…” She reached over and pulled on his shirt until Logan leaned back against the bed, his head just below her chin. Looking down at him mischievously, she whispered, “…there’s a lot between where we’ve been and all the way…”

Leaning close, her lips captured his again, savoring the taste as she kissed him upside down. His hand came up to cradle her skull, pulling her hair forward to tickle his throat. He tried not to break the kiss when he felt her hand glide down his chest and slide into the top of his jeans. It didn’t take her long to hit ‘pay dirt’.

Smiling against his surprised moan, Ororo let her fingers do the walking, curling around his erection with a possessive hold. Even before she started to stroke him, Logan’s narrow hips rose slightly off of the mattress to meet her attentions, and his other hand somehow found its way upward to cup her breast.

After a few moments of this”and after her thumb lightly caressed the head of his cock”Logan couldn’t stand it anymore, and broke the deep-explorative kiss, almost pleading. “Damn, woman..! Yer killin’ me!”

She couldn’t help a loud giggle, and the slight distraction was all he needed to escape from beneath her, sliding off of the bed and stumbling toward the bathroom. “Where are you going??”

Shifting his crotch roughly, Logan barely turned. “I need a shower”a very cold shower”or else.”

“Or else what?” she said quietly, a sultry edge to her voice that made his balls hurt.

Turning to burn her with his gaze, a wolfish grin showed sharp canines, and all he did was chuckle…

---

The Next Morning, Ororo rolled over on her bed, sighing deeply when she felt the solid body next to her. Opening sleep-filled eyes, she met Logan’s alert gaze, his grey eyes twinkling in the morning light.

“Mornin’ Beautiful.”

Curled up with her hands beneath her head, Ororo welcomed his kiss, sighing afterwards with a smile. “Good morning to you, too.”

She sat up, and suddenly the smile faltered from her lips as she reached up and touched her shirt. Realizing she was soaked in sweat, she turned to him with a question on her lips.

“Yeah, I’m sweatin’ bullets too. The A/C went out about an hour before sunrise.”

“Went out? What happened?” She sat up, pulling her long ponytail away from her back.

As if in answer, a light knock sounded at the door, startling her. Logan’s eyes slid to the sound, but he didn’t seem that concerned. When Ororo hesitated and the knocking resumed, he asked, “You gonna get that? Mr. Cassidy’s waitin’.”

Stepping toward the door, she turned, surprised. “How did you..?”

But Logan only grinned, sitting up to stand and come up behind her.

“Sean?”

The older man’s speckled green eyes creased at the edges as he ran a hand through his strawberry blond hair. He was already dressed down to a thin t-shirt and loose cotton shorts, and he still looked uncomfortable. “Roro, dear. I hate te bother ye”‘Mornin’ t’ye Mr. Logan”“ he tipped his head, “”“but we’ve got a bit o’ a problem.”

“Wait a minute,” she held up her fingers, staying the matter at hand to ask, “How do you two know each other?”

Sean smiled, his slightly roguish good looks showing through his years. “Ye friend’s good, but he in’ne that good, lass. How d’ye think he got past the perimeter?”

“Ah,” she turned to Logan behind her, giving him an impressed look. “Cohorts now, are we?”

Sean only laughed, and Logan looked up at the ceiling as though something dire up there had caught his attention.

“Okay Sean, what’s going on with the air?” She went on, elbowing Logan lightly.

“Ye know, I’m not sure. It was kinde making some noise couple days ago before ye came up, but I didne’ make much of it. Then a little while ago, it just conked out completely.”

“Well, it’s stifling already.” She waved her face as emphasis. “Is there anything we can do?”

The School’s current headmaster held up a thick manual with language characters Ro didn’t immediately recognize. “Not unless ye know how te read Shi’ar, Lass.”

“Shi’ar?” Logan repeated, his gaze going back and forth between the two. He wondered how Ororo and her friend knew of the powerful aliens”and how much?

“I’ll tell you later,” Ro gave Sean ‘a look’, covering his hand and bringing down the 1200 + pgs. “Sean I’ve never heard of this technology ‘going down’, so to speak. Are you sure it isn’t just routine maintenance?”

“The system shows everything as nominal, except environmental controls. Power flow’s steady, nothin’ else is affected. I canne get heat or cold.”

“What’s the temperature gonna be like today?”

“High of 93°. In the shade.” Ororo didn’t turn around, wiping her brow. “I had to pick the hottest weekend of the season to come up, right?”

“Hey, you can’t do anything about it?” Logan touched her back gently.

“Like what? A snowstorm in July? Localized as it might be, I think our neighbors down the road a mile or two would still feel it. The last thing we need is the EPA knocking down the door.” She laughed sarcastically.

“What about a little rain?” Sean looked hopeful.

“I could do that, but trust me, it’ll really suck after it stops. The added humidity will only make things worse.”

“Wow, yer power’s pretty useless, ain’t it?” Logan got a jab in the ribs for that joke, but chuckled anyway.

“Hey, I can try to give us a little cloud cover, but anything more than that is gonna make a lot of people suspicious, and in the long run just isn’t worth it.” She turned to Sean, “No one knows how to fix something around here if it ‘breaks’?”

He shook his head. “The only ones know how te read…the manual, is ye dad and Hank. Charles isn’t really in any position to be makin’ unnecessary trips”“

“”And Henry’s in Ireland. Great.” She finished, moving her silk shirt away from her body in a fanning motion. “Well, a little cloud cover it is. Although, we’ll run the risk of trapping all the hot air between the ground and the atmosphere.”

“Meaning, right where we are.” Logan clarified.

“I’ll try to generate some wind, blow the hot air around. I’m sorry guys, it’s the best I can do in these circumstances.”

Sean touched her shoulder reassuringly, giving a smile. “Thanks, Roro. Maybe I’ll take the young ones out fer awhile; a cool movie theatre and ice cream oughta do it, aye?”

“I’m sure they’d love that, Sean.” Ororo smiled.

“Ye welcomed t’join us, ya know.”

“That’s a great idea”“ Ro began.

“”For another time.” Logan finished, smiling at Sean then turning another look to Ro. “You promised to show me around, remember?”

“So I did.” She smiled, turning back to Cassidy. “Well, another time, then. Have fun with the children. Perhaps the grounds will be cooler when you get back.”

Excusing himself, Sean bid them good luck in the quickly stifling heat, going to round up the dozen or so kids and hit the mall.

Turning back to Logan once her door was closed, Ro cocked a brow. “You actually want to walk around in this heat?”

“Nope.” He came up to her, kissing her deeply, their hot bodies creating sparks in the oppressive heat. “But if we’re gonna be all alone in this big ol’ place, I thought we could finish what you started last night.”

Her eyes widened at his proposal and her blood quickened just a little, making her even hotter in the quickly rising temperature. “Oh, really?”

Pulling her by the waistband of her skirt, Logan watched her full lips part in anticipation, but didn’t kiss her immediately. Close to her, he murmured, “Yeah…I’ve got an idea.”

“Mhm?” She waited expectantly, and his next words sent a chill of excitement down her body.



“Got any ice?”


TBC…





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