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27. The Reason

‘A wedding ring’

It took Ororo a few moments to realize that Logan had gone silent. She had become so engrossed in his tale that she didn’t note the sudden trailing off of his voice as his gaze fell and then fixed on the gleaming gold band on her ring finger. She tried withdrawing her hand, but it was too late. The look on Logan’s face was one of pure agony and the realization in his eyes told her that blow had been struck.

The next instant, Logan was up.

“I gotta go,” he stated gruffly, walking away towards the door, the limp in his leg pronounced due to the sudden movement.
“Logan….wait” Ororo called behind him as she fumbled out to of her chair and hurried to his side.

Logan stopped – his hand on the door sill. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. All the courage and hope he had gathered to face her faded away at the sight of that piece of gold. He subconsciously fingered the purple velvet box in his own pocket. He had been a fool to think that she would have waited all this time. Its not as if they made any promises to each other, except to be there for each other. A promise, which he broke.

Ororo laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched, feeling the band burn right to his skin, through the weather beaten leather jacket. He tried to move his shoulder, but stilled as her grip tightened.
“I am sorry Ororo…. I shouldn’t have come” he apologized, his voice suddenly hoarse from the lump in throat.
“Why?” she asked, a hint of sadness in her tone. “Didn’t you want to see me?”
‘More than my life’ he thought, merely nodding his head, his long hair falling to the sides of his face, hiding him from her penetrating gaze.
“Then why?” “Why are you sorry?”

‘Because I love ya and can’t see ya with another man’ he thought, his hold on the sill tightening as the disturbing thought of Ororo and Warren as a couple came up again.

“Logan…..” “Logan, look at me,” Ororo said, applying a slight pressure to his shoulder to turn him to face her.
“Look at me?” she whispered, drawing closer to him. Logan stepped back.

“Ororo…this ain’t right” he stated, his breath coming in pants. Being so near to her was driving him wild. “It ain’t right……not anymore.” “Not to you……not to Warren.”
“Warren!!” Ororo let out a laugh, causing Logan to yank his head up and stare at her.
“What?” she sounded amused. “Did you think I married Warren?”
Logan nodded his head, his thoughts jumbled at her reaction.

“No Logan, I didn’t marry Warren” she informed him. “Who told you that?”
“No one….they just said…..”
“That I left with Warren” completed Ororo.

“Its true that I left with Warren….but I didn’t marry him.”

“Come, sit with me” Ororo said, taking his hand and drawing him back to the desk. Logan followed her lead and reoccupied the chair he had vacated minutes ago.

“You told me your story and I listened to it. I think I should have the same opportunity,” Ororo said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to him. Sitting down, she turned sideways to face him.

“The morning after you left, I woke up to find myself alone in the cabin. Walking down the stairs, I saw your note lying on the dining table. Although I was confused as to why you didn’t wake me up before leaving, on some level I understood it. You had been so caring all through the weekend, ever since I got the *news* from Henry and you tracked me down to the lake. I realized that you didn’t want to disturb me. And the fact that you would be returning soon gave me some consolation.” “I spent the rest of the day in the cabin, cleaning up and only left when I had my class.”

“That evening, after dinner I returned to the cabin. It gave me a sense of security, the familiar surroundings, your scent, everything you had touched, felt or used. It was as if you were there with me.”

“The week ended and I waited expectantly for your return. I had practically moved into the cabin, leaving just for my daily classes.”

“One week turned into two, two into four and soon it was three months since you had left. I seldom left the cabin, spending my whole day sitting on the porch, waiting, just in case you returned and I missed you.” Ororo became sad, her eyes damping. Logan instinctively grabbed her soft hands in his large ones caressing the backside with his thumbs. ‘It used ta calm her’ thought Logan. The look on her face, told him that it still did.

Ororo continued, unaware of Logan’s caresses, but feeling them in her heart as it further stoked her love for him.

“Two months later I decided to leave the mansion myself. I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to get away. The looks Scott and Jean gave me were worse than the ones they had given after the Forge *incident*. With him, they were ‘sad’ for me, but with you, they were ‘sorry’. Scott had a constant ‘I told you so’ look, which I would have gladly smacked off, if some part of me didn’t believe his words.”

---

“Sorry ‘Roro” Logan apologized. His self-hatred was increasing by the second. ‘Why did ya have ta come back? Why did ya have ta track her down? Why did ya have ta live?’

“Logan” silenced Ororo. “I listened silently to you and would like you to do the same for me” she ended with a smile, her hands pressing on his. Logan nodded his head, prompting her to continue.

“I still remember the day I went to tell Charles, I was leaving,” Ororo reminisced. “I think he knew it before hand, and it was on that day he told me that there were news of your being killed.”

“I didn’t want to believe him. I thought it was a ploy to get me to stay, which it was – in a way. Charles had thought that I was leaving the mansion to search for you, and thought if he finally told me about your death, I wouldn’t go.” “But the next week, I was back again, with all my belongings packed, ready to leave – with Warren.” “I had called him, because I wanted someone neutral, someone out of the institute’s circle.”

“Warren brought me here and helped me get settled in. A few months later, I contacted Charles and invited him for a visit – alone.”

“I know” Logan muttered under breath

“You know?” Ororo had caught his whisper, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “How?”
“Marie told me,” Logan stated, clarifying that it wasn’t Charles who had betrayed her secret. “She saw the card ya sent Chuck.”
“Did…did she read it?” Ororo hesitated, wondering how much Marie knew and what had she told the others.
“Na….it was sealed. She just got the return address…part of it,” Logan explained, before adding “….and she didn’t tell it to anyone else.”
“Oh” Ororo sighed with relief.

“Then what?” Logan asked, his eyes returning to the ring. Ororo covered it immediately with her other hand.

“Well, when Charles came here and saw my plans for opening a ‘Day Care Center’, he was delighted and bought this house for me to use as a office cum’ residence” Ororo answered, her hands gesturing upwards to the walls.

“And I have been here ever since then” ended Ororo, completing her half of the story.

---

Logan still had a troubled expression on his face, which Ororo understood easily. He wanted to know about her marriage and her husband. She wanted to tell him everything, but was afraid, what his reaction would be.

Steeling herself, she asked, “You want to know about this?” she lifted her hand, presenting the ring to his eyes.
‘No’ Logan wanted to scream out, but managed to croak, “Yes.”

Standing up from her chair, she offered a delicate *un-ringed* hand to him. He looked up at her, before gently grasping it and pulling himself up.

“Come with me.”





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