1. Nightmares

“Hey darlin’” the deep voice and the large calloused hands running lightly over her naked body roused her from sleep.
“Hmmm” she moaned, her cerulean blue eyes opening to meet his deep hazy ones.
“What time is it?” she asked, turning to nuzzle into him, his soft chest hair tickling her nose, causing it to twitch.

“Time for us ta get goin’” he answered, running his hand through her hair and lowering his head to kiss her smooth cheek and breathe in her scent. It drove him wild every time he smelled her like this, her own vanilla and sandalwood scent mixed with his cigars, sweat and leather. There was something very primal about it, something which cried out that she was his. ‘Mine’ the animal in him growled.
“Stop smelling me” she chided knowing what he was doing. He did it frequently, especially after a night of passionate lovemaking. “I stink.”
“Na darlin’, ya smell good”
“Sure. You just like smelling yourself on me” she responded hitting him lightly on his raised shoulder.
He chuckled and grabbed her free hand, trapping it in his chest as he hugged her tighter. “Is that so bad?” he asked taking another deep breath of their mixed scents.

“No, not at all” she whispered, blushing at his possessiveness. He was unlike any man she had ever met. He was rough and hard with a no nonsense attitude, but at the same time he could be as innocent and vulnerable as a child. That he opened that side of himself only to her, made her feel proud of her achievement.
“So where are we going today?” she asked, snaking her hand into his chest, curling and uncurling her long fingers.
“Grrr” he growled in appreciation. “Wherever ya wanta go?”
“North” she suggested. “You promised to take me.”
“That I did and one day I’ll take ya” he responded, once again nuzzling into her hair. “Just a few more days and then we’ll leave. We need ta have the money if we wanta get food and stuff ta last the whole winter up there.”
“OK” she agreed. “Just the two of us, whatever will we do?” she asked placing her finger on her chin and trying to mimic deep thinking.
“Oh I have a few plans ya might like,” he said, flashing his long canines in a devilish grin.
“Really” she sounded shocked. Winking at him, she ran a finger along his jaw. “Mind telling me about them”
“It’d be better if I show ya” he said, drawing her closer.

-----

“Is this normal?” asked the man standing next to the bed. “She is smiling.”
“Yes” The second voice belonged to a shorter woman wearing a doctor’s robe. “Her vitals are normal. She is just dreaming, a happy one it seems.”
“When do we revive her?” asked the man.
“Usually we don’t need to revive her, she comes out of it herself” answered the woman, checking her vitals once again.

----

“Fuck,” the man grunted as air escaped from the truck’s left rear tire. They were getting close. There was no way out – for him. He could still try to save her. No, he *will* save her, no ‘try to’ shit. She was too pure, too innocent for them. They would destroy her.

Braking hard, he brought the truck to a halt, both of them getting out in an instant. They held hands and ran towards the trees. Reaching there, he turned to her.
“Ya run and hide darlin’, I’ll take care of them,” he ordered.
“No” She was adamant. “We will do it together. We did it before and we will do it again.”
“Not this time babe….not this time,” he said pushing her towards the trees. “Run darlin’”
“No” she shook her head trying to convince him, tears welling in her eyes.
“Yes” he countered strongly before softening. “Fer me” he whispered to her, brushing one escaped tear away.
“I’ll find ya. I promise” he said giving her a small smile.
“You promise” she repeated his words.
He pulled her to him for a passionate kiss. Their last kiss, his mind told him. The beast in him was crying blood, howling at the loss of its mate.
“Yes, I promise” he growled softly at her mouth. “Now go,” he commanded once again, pushing her towards the trees.

----

“What happened? One second she is smiling and the next she is sweating, tears flowing from her eyes,” said the man. “Now don’t tell me this is also normal.”
“It is” commented the woman, noting her pulse and blood pressure.
“We need to revive her immediately,” responded the man to his companion’s seemingly indifferent attitude.
“NO” came the sharp command. “She needs to ride this out on her own. Believe me it is completely normal” ended the woman, placing a supportive hand on the patient’s arm, “I hope” she whispered under her breath.

---

She could see everyone and everything from her vantage point high in the trees, but no one could see or sense her. No one except him; he could catch and track her smell from miles away.
But he was busy at the moment – busy fighting – for her freedom. Her freedom was the only thing left in his bestial mind. Her deep blue eyes and long white hair and their freedom. He would gladly give his life for them in an instant and today seemed like a good day to die. With a loud roar, he jumped on the men hunting him.

She observed silently, tears streaming down her face as he roared and attacked his attackers. He surprised them and managed to get a few, before the others recovered and started firing at him. His stocky body became airborne as hundreds of bullets hit him, their combined momentum lifting him from the ground.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Reaching out a hand to try and grasp him, she cried out.

----

“LOGAN” she cried out, ending her nightmare – her hand extending to grasp empty space.

2. Inner Turmoil

“Ororo” It took her a few moments to clear through the haze in her mind. Standing next to her, dressed impeccably in a black suit, with his long black hair slicked back, was – Forge.
“Ororo” he called her again, concern written clearly over his handsome face. “Are you alright?”
Ororo nodded her head, her throat dry and constricted from her mental ordeal.
“Here, drink this?” came the voice from the other side of the bed, as a hand reached behind to caress her back.
Jean Grey knew enough about her friend’s nightmares to know what to do.
“It’ll help you speak.”
Ororo raised one shaky hand to grasp the glass and slowly brought it to her lips, the cool water flowing down her throat, relaxing it. “Thank you” she croaked, rubbing her throat.
“You’re welcome,” responded Jean with a smile. “You ready to go?” she asked after a couple of minutes.
Nodding her head, Ororo started to get off the bed, but was interrupted by Forge.

“Don’t you think it is a bit *early* to let her leave?” he said sarcastically.
Jean started to say something but was cut off by Ororo.
“It’s alright Forge. I am used to it…and so is Jean,” she said evenly, once again donning the emotionless mask that was her ‘public’ face.
Wishing both of her team-mates goodnight, she began walking to the door.
“At least let me walk you to your room” offered Forge, catching up with her.
“NO” she answered bluntly. “No” she repeated herself, slowly “I need some time alone.”

Just as the infirmary door slid open, Ororo turned to Forge. “Sorry for wrecking your evening.”
Forge gave her a smile. “Never mind,” he said shrugging it off. “Although you can make it up to me, by agreeing to go out again next friday,” he offered.
Instead of answering his question, Ororo walked away. It was as if she hadn’t heard him at all.

---

Forge turned to Jean. “Who is Logan?” he asked bluntly.
“We don’t know” she answered him plainly. “No one does, only Ororo knows.”
“Not even the professor” Forge asked, surprised at the revelation. He had thought Logan would be an ex-teammate or ex-boyfriend. “Not even Remy?”
“I am not sure about the professor,” she responded thoughtfully. “Although I am pretty sure that even Remy doesn’t know who ‘Logan’ is. It must have been before she met him and came to the institute.”
“Before that” “but that would mean she was a teenager when she met this Logan” he spat the name out.
Forge had joined the X-Men a few months back and had been pursuing the resident weather goddess since day one. Recently he had had some success, with Ororo agreeing to go out with him for dinner. He had been ecstatic over his achievement – for about five minutes. Then Jean burst his bubble by telling him that although Ororo was pursued many times by various X-men and Non X-men, things never progressed beyond dinners. Witnessing what he just had, he guessed whoever this ‘Logan’ person was, was the cause of all this. He frowned at this thought.

---

Ororo was standing in her attic-apartment balcony. Reaching her room, she had removed her black dress, pearl necklace and earrings and changed into her nightgown. The soft cloth of the nightgown provided smooth caresses to her full toned body, but could do nothing for the turmoil in her mind.

She was thinking about the nightmare she had just had. It was nothing new. She had experienced the same nightmare, hundreds of times over the past seven years and there was a ‘sick’ familiarity about it that provided a certain peace to her suffering soul.

What troubled her wasn’t the nightmares but their increased intensity and frequency. Usually they occurred couple of times a year. On her *special days* as she liked to call them. However over the past couple of months they had become an almost weekly feature with thrice in the past five days itself. It was as if her subconscious was trying to tell her something – he was looking for her, calling out to her. ‘Hmmmph…stupid adolescent wishes’ the logic in her chided.
‘He’s probably forgotten that you even exist’ her logic pressed.
‘No, he wouldn’t. He promised he’ll find me.’
Her logic laughed at that. ‘Promised’ ‘Stop living in the past Ororo Monroe and start living in the present. Look around how many potential suitors are there.’ ‘Look at Forge. He can give you want you want.’ Her practical side suggested.
‘Forge’ she thought. ‘No’ ‘No he can’t. No one can…no one but him.’
‘HIM’ her logic snorted. ‘Like I said, stop living in the past. Lets say he finds you or you find him. Who is to say that you will have the same feelings towards him that you did all those years ago. You are no longer the scrawny, wet thief he rescued from the mob. You are Ororo Monroe ‘Storm’, co-leader of the X-men and a respected member of society….the mutant society at least. Find someone worthy of you and leave ghosts of the past in the past.’
Leave ghosts of the past in the past. Could she do that, did she even want to? Those were her last thoughts as she fell asleep in her balcony.

---

“Tired” asked Jean, looking towards her best-friend and teammate.
“Didn’t sleep well last night,” answered Ororo as an explanation, accepting the coffee Jean was offering.
Just then, Scott and Forge walked in through the kitchen door. They had spent an hour in the ‘new’ danger room Forge had designed. It was the pride and joy of the x-men and Scott had the best time records on all the levels. A fact, which he liked to express in front of his other teammates. Oh, he did not rub it directly in their noses. He packaged it nicely in what he called ‘Team Building Exercises’.
“Morning hon,” greeted Jean. “Looks like you boys enjoyed yourselves in the danger room.”
“Oh Yeah” Scott snapped his finger. “Just think who broke the level ten record *again*” he said, pointing towards himself.
“Ummmm…let me guess” said his telepathic girlfriend. “Could it be Bobby or Kurt….oh I got it….Gambit.”
“Jeeeaaaannnn”
“Sorry dear, just playing with you” “Who else but my boyfriend could beat his *own set* record” she ended, getting a kiss from Scott.
“Damn straight.”

“Oh, hey Ororo” he began looking at Ororo. “How did your night go? Aren’t you guys sorry not being able to complete your date?” he added, winking at Forge who had occupied the chair opposite Scott and Jean. Scott had got off with Forge since the beginning and was happy to see him pursue Ororo. She had never dated in her all her five and half years with the X-men. Forge seemed genuinely interested in her and Scott wished him the best of luck, knowing about the unspoken unknown competitor that was Logan.
“My night was just fine, thank you” “And it wasn’t a date, it was a dinner” she ended tightly.
Jean could sense the emotions and turmoil rolling off her friend. It was nothing new after a nightmare. What was new was that some of the emotions and turmoil was related to the handsome Red Indian mutant sitting across from her. Was Ororo finally falling for someone, she thought.

Their thoughts and breakfast were interrupted by a telepathic summon. ““Please assemble in my office my X-men.””

---

Five minutes later, Scott, Jean, Ororo, Forge, Beast, Bobby, Gambit, Rogue, Kurt, Kitty and Colossus had gathered in the professor’s office.
“Thank you all for coming” Xavier started with a smile. “I know it is still early for some of you,” he added looking towards the resident party couple – Rogue and Gambit.
“Ah Alraht” Rogue drawled, her southern accent thick with sleep. “And so is Gambit” she added, referring to her boyfriend.
“Yes Mon ami” concurred Gambit.
“In that case lets get started” said Xavier pressing a button. Immediately a three dimensional holographic map was formed before the gathered X-men.”

“Where is this?” inquired Scott.
“What is this?” Forge asked pointing to a building on the map. The building looked simple enough, except for the vast underground construction under it.
“That my X-men is your target” informed Xavier. “It is a mutant testing facility.”
“Meaning” piped up Kitty.
“It’s a torture lab,” Ororo explained bitterly.
“Yes, I am afraid that’s one way of putting it,” agreed Xavier.
“How do you know that?” asked Forge, looking at Ororo, who didn’t meet his gaze and disregarded his question.

“Your mission is the decommissioning of this lab and the rescue of one mutant,” said Xavier finally informing them about their mission objective.
“Just one mutant?” questioned Scott.
“Yes, just one” responded Xavier. “You will have to be extremely careful on this mission. This whole setup you see before your eyes is just to keep him contained.”
“All this for just one mutant” said Bobby, his eyes widening with wonder. “He must be a kick ass one.”
Xavier gave a small smile at Bobby’s remark. “Yes. This mutant is possibly the most dangerous one you have ever faced or will face for that matter. So I once again stress on exercising extreme caution.”
“Even more than Ol’ Bucket-head” questioned Rogue, referring to the X-men’s greatest and oldest mutant foe, Magneto.
“In closed quarters – YES” “Are there any more questions?” asked Xavier.

“Just one professor” spoke the giant blue mutant named Beast. “What is this gentleman’s name? What should we address him as once we find him?”

“His name is – WOLVERINE.”

3. The Rescue

“His name is – WOLVERINE.”

“Wolverine?” “What sorta name is thaht?” asked Rogue.
“The same sort as Rogue” quipped Bobby, taking a swing at Rogue’s codename.
“Watch it Icey’ or Ah’ll suck ya dry” threatened Rogue.
Iceman raised his hand in mock fright. “Oooohh…I am so afraid, I am practically turning to ice here. Roguey’s on the prowl.”

“We’ll ready the teams Professor” Scott said, standing up from his chair.
“Yes,” agreed Xavier. “Storm and Forge, I’ll like both of you to sit this one out. Scott and Jean will be leading the two teams.”
“Out” Ororo was startled. “Professor you just said, this might be the most dangerous mutant we might have or will face. We could use all the help we can get.”
“Yes” “But I have a different mission for the both of you. One which is of equal importance.”
In truth, Xavier mainly needed Forge for the mission. He was sending Ororo along with him, because he knew about Ororo’s severe claustrophobia and didn’t want to expose her to the underground lab and endanger the mission.
“What is the mission Professor?” questioned Forge. He was happy that he would finally be able to spend some *alone* time with Ororo. After yesterday evening’s debacle, she seemed particularly distant and maybe even *agitated*, which was an emotion he had never experienced from her, not that she showed any other emotion for that matter.

Xavier waited for the other x-men to leave before turning to the two of them.

----

“What do you think this *Wolverine* looks like?” asked Bobby, changing into his black leather X-men uniform. “What are his powers?”
“I don’t know my friend,” answered Beast, zipping up his own jacket. “One can only imagine.”
“Well I think, he will be at least seven foot long, like Pete here,” Bobby signaled to the Russian behemoth. “And as large as him, if not larger. And he will have some kick ass power like power blasts, or control over the elements, like Storm or Magneto. He’ll be able to fly at super-speed and be indestructible and have super-strength like Rogue.”

Remy had been listening silently as Bobby Drake, described a mutant with all their powers and then some.
Chuckling lightly, he walked past Bobby and Henry. “Ya make ‘im sound like thi devil mon ami.” “I’m sure its notin’ the X-men can’t handle.”
“Gambit it might serve you better to heed the Professor’s warning and not go off like a loose cannon” said Scott.
Remy snorted at Scott’s condescending attitude. In truth, Scott and Remy had been going against one another ever since he and Ororo first came to the mansion. It was because of his Stormy that Remy didn’t explode a card or three up visor-boy’s ass.

Soon everyone had gathered outside the SR-77 ‘Blackbird’, the X-men’s primary mode of travel.
“Ok is everybody here?” asked Scott, going into full leader mode. Getting the affirmations from everyone, he continued, “Good. The attack plan is going to be like this” he began describing.
“We will land about a mile from the base and then continue on foot. Jean will maintain continuous telepathic surveillance on all the guards and try to locate our friend.” “Rogue and Colossus will take care of all the guards. According to the professor, these people pack heavy firepower. They have heavy duty, tranquilizer tipped armor piercing bullets. One bullet has enough tranquilizers to bring down an elephant. So only Rogue and Colossus will be able to face them without any harm.”

“Tranquilizer tipped armor piercing bullets….enough to bring down an elephant,” repeated Kurt. From all he had heard and read so far about this mutant, he was a bit intimidated and thanked his stars for his teleporting ability. At the same time he prayed that he would have the time and commonsense to *BAMPF* in time.

Scott noticed the nervous look on some of his teammates. In truth, the Professor’s revelation had unnerved him too. ‘This mutant is possibly the most dangerous one you have ever faced or will face for that matter.’ Xavier's words rang in his mind along with his warning to exercise extreme caution. By that, the professor meant both towards mutants and humans.

“Once Rogue and Colossus have taken care of the guns, Gambit, Iceman, Beast and I, will enter and search for Wolverine. That is if Jean can’t locate him telepathically.” Turning towards Kitty he said, “In the meantime I want you to phase and find the main power source and disable it. It will disable all the security protocols and allow us an easy way in and more importantly an easy way out.”

“Once we have acquired out target, we’ll rendezvous at the Blackbird.” “Is everything clear?”

Everyone nodded his or her heads in agreement with his plan.

“Good” he said, stepping towards the jet. “and remember, the X-men value life, all life, whether mutant or human.”

----

“I’m sorry,” muttered Ororo.
“For?” asked Forge, checking the jet’s sensors. The professor had asked them to go to Washington DC to try to track whoever was behind the lab, which housed Wolverine.
They had taken one of the smaller X-jets and had been flying for about twenty minutes. They were going to land on a private airfield, just outside Washington and then travel via road from there on.
“For yesterday night,” replied Ororo. “I really didn’t mean to wreck your evening.”
“Hey, it’s alright” “Happens to the best of us.”
‘Some more than others’ thought Ororo, remembering the countless times she had experienced her nightmares. She had stopped counting after hundred and that was three years ago.

“My offer still stands” reminded Forge.
“Offer?”
“Yes” Forge grinned, flashing his pearly white teeth. “I offered to take you out next Friday; to help you can make it up to me.”
“Oh” was all Ororo could say. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had missed hid parting words.
“So what do you say?” “Do we have a deal?”
Ororo was silent for a few moments. Then a smile came over her face. “Yes. It’s a date.”

----

The Blackbird silently landed in a clearing among the trees. The hatch opened and one by one all the x-men stepped out. Although it was still midday, the trees provided a natural cover of darkness.

They made their way towards the base. Jean and Beast, sensing and smelling for any indication of danger.
“Wow. It’s so beautiful,” whispered Kitty, staring at the looming snow covered mountain peaks, the thick green trees and the wide river meandering through the mountains.
“Pay attention Shadowcat,” scolded Scott, using her codename. “We are here to shut this lab down and rescue a fellow mutant, not to have a picnic.”
“Sorry” apologized Kitty, only to be elbowed by Rogue who gave her thumbs up sign and a wink to help raise her spirits.

“All right” began Scott, straightening up. “Lets get this show on the road.”

----

“Ororo”
“Yes Forge” Ororo answered looking up from the navigation array she had been peering over.
“Can I ask you something?” Forge asked hesitantly.
“Sure”
“Who’s Logan?”
The words were barely out his mouth that he regretted speaking them. Ororo entire calm attitude changed. Her body stiffened, her face losing its color, her eyes slightly clouded over as lighting flashed across the skies.
“Why do you ask?” she spoke tightly.
“Oh nothing” “Just like that” tried Forge, hoping to calm her down. “Its just that you yelled out ‘Logan’ yesterday as you came out of your nightmare. I just thought you might want to talk about it. You know to get things off your mind. I’ve heard it helps if you talk to someone.”
“I don’t” answered Ororo, turning her head away to face the array once again.
“Sorry” Forge apologized. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
However, Ororo gave no reply, her eyes not leaving the array, Forge’s question circling in her mind.
‘Who’s Logan?’ how many times over the past seven years, had she been asked this question? First by Remy, then by her fellow x-men and now Forge. She didn’t answer any of them.
She didn’t because she couldn’t. She didn’t know it herself. Who was Logan? A mutant? A cage fighter? A Canadian? At least that thing she was sure of. His accent and his love for the Canadian wilderness and Canadian Beer gave it away.

Who was Logan to her? A stranger who she met and then stayed with for almost ten months, traveling all over Northern US and Canada, stopping at small towns where he fought in cage fights while she took up some odd-jobs or did what she did best – pick pockets. They had been happy together. But what had they been. Had they been lovers? Or just two people who met by chance and were spending time together till one of them got bored and left?

She had thought it was love. But what did she know of love then. Well not much less than what she knew now. Logan had taken over her whole life. And even now, after seven years she couldn’t seem to break away from his grasp. She needed to. Lifting her head, she looked towards Forge. He was so unlike Logan. But so had been many others like him. Maybe her logic was correct. Maybe she needed to move on, and she could – with Forge.
“I am sorry” she spoke softly.
“Huh” Forge was confused with her sudden mood change.
“I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
“It’s alright” “I shouldn’t have intruded into your personal life. Not when you don’t know anything about me” he ended with a smile.
“So tell me,” Ororo responded, turning her chair towards him. “Tell me about you – about Forge.”
“Well” he began. “As you already know, I am a Red Indian…”

----

“Rogue, Colossus” “Report?” Cyclops talked into the commlink.
“We are kickin’ ass here” came the Southern firecracker’s answer.
“Colossus?”
“I am well,” answered the Steel giant.

Both of them had been engaging the enemy for about ten minutes, giving Shadowcat time to search for the power grid.
“Jean” Scott turned towards the telepath. “Can you sense him?”
“No” answered Jean Grey. “Either he is undetectable by psychic methods or they are concealing him some way.”
“Well that just means we will have to find him the hard way.” “Look behind each door?”

“I’m here” Shadowcat’s voice came through the commlink.
“Good” Scott commented. “Locate the control board.”
“Done”
“Destroy it”

Almost immediately, the whole base plunged into darkness. A few seconds later Jean fell to the ground, her head clutched between her hands.
“JEAN” Cyclops cried out, rushing to her side. “Jean….Are you alright?”
Raising her head as if she was in great pain, Jean nodded, before grabbing his arm.
“Oh God; Scott. It was horrible” she said, tears in her eyes.
“What?” “What happened?”
“I sensed great pain and anger….anger unlike any I have ever sensed.”
“What do you mean?” asked Cyclops.

Suddenly Jean clutched her head again. “Fear….fear….from everyone in the lab.”
“Fear” repeated Cyclops, thinking of the cause of the sudden fear. Reading his unspoken question Jean answered. “They fear him and…”

“And what Jean?”

“He’s got out Scott” “He’s escaped”

4. Security Risk

“He’s got out Scott” “He’s escaped”

“Oh mah God” Rogue gasped over the commlink.
“What happened Rogue?” “Rogue” Scott called out to his teammate.
“Merde” Gambit’s voice startled Scott.
“Gambit I ordered you to stay back till the guns were taken care of.”
“They ave been tak’in care of monami” Gambit answered, his voice wavering. “You should see this.”

Taking note of the situation Scott ran towards the base. Once inside he located his teammates and was shocked by what he saw. “Oh shit” was all he could say. There was blood and gore everywhere. The whole corridor was littered by body parts. Not oven one solider was left in one piece.
“What happened here?” he asked turning to the other x-men. “Who did this?”
“Ah don’t know” responded Rogue feeling sick from all the carnage around her. “I was faitghin’ mah way in the next corridor and suddenly there were loud cries.”

As if on cue, a loud roar sounded around them, followed by loud cries of fear and pain. “Where is that?” asked Scott. The cries seemed to be coming from all sides, echoing through the air vents.
““Scott”” called Jean over their psi-link. ““Come out immediately””
“Jean” Scott was losing his calm exterior. Jean’s voice held the same fear he had heard from the soldiers. Things were not going according to the plan. He had anticipated resistance from the humans and had planned for every contingency. Except this. He didn’t expect to have a *berserk* mutant on his hands. “Jean we have to find Wolverine and stop him.”
Jean’s voice sounded weary. “It’s all over Scott. He had killed everyone inside the base. He will be coming out any moment. Hurry up.”

“OUT NOW”

The x-men reached the exit just in time to see a dark figure escaping on a motorcycle.
“Wow” whispered Bobby, appreciating the impressive stunt driving. “Nice BIKE.”

The x-men gawked in wonder as the rider expertly maneuvered the bike, gaining speed and moving away from the base.
“Stop staring and get him” yelled Scott snapping out. “Gambit, Beast, Colossus and Shadowcat; get back to the Blackbird and get airborne. We’ll need it once we catch up with him.” “The rest of you – FOLLOW HIM.”

The x-men immediately went into action, with Rogue carrying Beast and Jean, Scott. Nightcrawler and Iceman followed the speeding bike on their own.

---

“Step on it soldier” yelled out the angry Major, panicking for his life. He knew it well – ‘the thing’ that was following them.
“I am going as fast as I can Major Wraith sir” blubbered the young man in the driver’s seat.
“If you want to stay alive – private” Wraith threatened turning to the driver. “Then I suggest you go faster.”

“Excuse me sir” The color ran out from the private’s already pallid face. “But….there…there’s something…..someone there” he said, pointing to the road.
Wraith’s eyes widened as he followed the soldier’s hand. ‘How’d he get here so soon’ he gulped.

“Floor it” he commanded.
“Sir, we can’t go any faster. If we try, we’ll skid on the snow” tried the private. He had recently been posted to the lab and had heard ‘gory’ tales about its prize possession. It was said that, this thing couldn’t be killed, no matter what you hit it with.
“I said – FLOOR IT” yelled Wraith. “Ram *it* as hard as you can.”

The private floored the gas pedal, causing the truck to accelerate and pick up speed.

----

“Oh my stars….” was all Beast could say as the truck barreled towards the lone figure, calmly sitting on the bike in the middle of the road.
Right before their eyes, the mutant known to as Wolverine snapped into action. Just as the truck reached him, he jumped off the bike and crouched low on the ground.

- SNIKT -

Six metal claws shot out of his hands. As the truck hit him, he extended his hands forward, cutting through the lower carriage and front axle. The truck dug into the ground, Wolverine trapped under it. The impact broke the private’s neck, killing him instantly. He hadn’t noticed his commanding officer jump out of the truck at the last moment or thought of doing the same.

“No one could survive THAT” a wide eyed Iceman stated, gesturing towards the remains of the truck.

The words had barely left his mouth, when there was movement from the wreck and a smoldering figure crawled out from under the truck.

“What is he?” mused Scott.

“He be the Wolverine mein friend” informed the blue skinned Nightcrawler, getting a frown from their leader.

---

Wraith knew that a *small* thing like a two ton truck wasn’t going to stop Wolverine. But it would give him enough time to get ready.

With his hand on the gun’s trigger, he smiled menacingly as he saw movement under the truck. The gun in hand was a special one. If he managed to get enough shots, it would take care of the animal, once and for all.

“Wraith” wheezed Wolverine, his face twitching as new muscles grew on it.

The x-men watched in horror as the human soldier let loose a volley of bullets on the injured mutant. The bullets exploded on contact, blowing away chunks of his skin and muscles.

----

Suddenly the gun was yanked away from Wraith’s hand. Looking up he saw a redheaded woman floating in the air, her one hand on her forehead and the gun rising towards the other extended one.

“Great….more muties” he mumbled.

His lapse of concentration and the gun was his undoing as the next instant he found himself on his back, a hairy and bloody face inches away from his, three claws on the left side of his head.
“Wraith” growled Wolverine. “I promised I’d kill ya.”
“Go to hell” grunted Wraith as he felt his ribs cracking under the weight of the mutant straddling his chest.
“Sure” “But I’ll send ya first ta try it out” Wolverine bared his fangs, drawing his claws across Wraith’s face.

“NO” A cry from the redheaded woman, halted Wolverine’s hand.
“We don’t kill” she said.
“Why, don’t have tha guts.” Wolverine snorted at her. “Well then its good that I do” he finished turning back to Wraith.

“We can’t let you do that?” Scott began, drawing Wolverine’s attention to the other x-men.
“What are ya bunch of fetish freaks gonna do ta stop me?” “Scare me with yer leather uniforms, while Red here does the aerial cheerleading.”
“No” Jean scowled at his jibe. “This is what *I* am going to do” she hissed.

The next instant, Wolverine found himself suspended ten feet in the air. ‘Mutants’ his mind cried out. ‘These fuckers are mutants.’ He tried to break free from Jean’s telekinetic grasp, but his injuries along with the immense blood loss had weakened him greatly. Wraith had shot him point blank. His special gun had an explosive charge along with the usual tranquillizers. He also sensed an intrusion into his mind. He could sense his world going black as his healing factor kicked in full force, knocking him out.

“Red” was the last thing he said before unconsciousness overtook him.

---

Setting Wolverine down, Jean turned to Wraith, who was trying to crawl over. Rising to the air and reaching for him, she caught hold of his shirt collar.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just snap your neck right now” she threatened Wraith.
Wraith smirked at her through his bloodied face. “You can’t” he stated calmly. “The animal was right; you people don’t have the guts. None of you do.”
Jean let go of his collar, dropping him back into the snow. “You make me sick. You people are the animals. Treating another human being like that” she said walking away.

“You *things* are not human” Wraith yelled after her retreating form. “NOT HUMAN”

----

“Is he going to be alright” Scott asked. They had managed to transport Wolverine back to the X-Jet. He looked to be in a bad state. The Professor was not going to be happy.
“Yes” answered Beast. He had been cleaning and taking care of Wolverine’s wounds, which were already starting to heal. “Impressive” commended Beast.
“What is impressive?” asked Jean, entering the medical area.
“This” pointed Beast to one of Wolverine’s wounds.

As the three of them watched attentively, the gaping bullet wound healed right before their eyes. Fresh muscle fibers knitting themselves as the skin grew back over it.
“It seems our friend possesses a way to heal from injuries – a very fast way – a healing factor of sorts” summarized Beast, fascinated by the scene before his eyes. “Fascinating”

“Is he going to be alright” Scott asked again. “When will he wake up?”
“Not for atleast another few hours. The bullets Wraith used have caused extensive damage to his entire body.” “But oddly enough none of them seemed to have penetrated into his skull” he added.
“Maybe that’s a part of his mutation too – being hard headed” commented Bobby Drake , chuckling as walked in to join his teammates.

“So this is Wolverine, huh” he said, taking note of the unconscious man lying in front of him.
“Yes” Beast smiled at Bobby. “He doesn’t appear to be anything like you imagined.” “Disappointed Robert?”
“No way” exclaimed Bobby. “Did you see the way he moved? How he handled those soldiers?” “Man he got hit by a truck and walked away like it was nothing. And those claw thingis…WOW”
“Although I must say, I had imagined him to be a *little* taller” he added, indicating towards the short height of their patient. “But look at those muscles. He could even give Pete a run for his money.”
“He killed those men” hissed Scott recalling what he had seen in the corridor. “He cut them into pieces.”
Everyone was silent after that. Henry and Jean set about monitoring Wolverine’s recovery, while Bobby returned to his seat thinking how long an icicle he could ram up Scott’s ass.

---

“We should be heading back” stated Ororo Monroe.
Both she and Forge had been sifting through military and government databases and old file records. However, their search had turned up nothing on Wolverine.

The closest they had come was to something codenamed ‘Weapon X’.

It seemed the military had planned to create the perfect super-soldier. One who could withstand anything the enemy threw at him and keeps on going. The project dated back to 1948. There was also a mention about a failed project – Operation *REBIRTH*, which had been their first try. It was hoped that the Weapon X project would have none of the short comings and faults of its predecessor.

However, even the Weapon X project had data going back seven years. There was nothing after that. It was as if the project had been abruptly terminated.

“Yes. I agree with you” spoke Forge. “We have found all we can. The professor will know what to do with this information.”

Soon they were on the streets of Washington, driving back to the air-field where their jet was hidden.
“Ororo” started Forge, turning to his teammate.
“Hmm” she replied, looking out of the window.
“Would you like to have dinner before we get back to the mansion?”
“Uh…..Forge” Ororo hesitated. She had had a great time with Forge. Well not great, but better than the other times she had been alone with a teammate who was trying to date her. They had told each other about their past, their families and friends.
Sensing her hesitation, Forge recovered quickly. “I mean get a take out – Chinese or something. We can eat it on the way home. I am *really* famished.” “We didn’t even get lunch” he added trying to appease her.

Ororo smiled at him. He had been so polite and patient with her. It seemed rude and difficult not to give into him request.
“Chinese it is” she declared. “But let me remind you – I am a vegetarian.”
“Your wish is my command” responded Forge, bowing down to her, causing her to giggle at his actions.

----

Back at the X-Mansion

The x-men had returned from their *successful* mission with an unconscious Wolverine.

Jean and Henry had wanted to take him to the infirmary, but Scott had refused. “He’s a security risk” he had said.
They had finally taken him to one of the lower level ‘holding cells’. The cell consisted of three feet thick solid steel walls on three sides and 3x1 foot thick triple layer bullet proof glass on the other. The only way in or out was from a secret entrance in the roof. It consisted of a platform which was operated from a control panel on the outside.

Jean had administered a powerful sedative to Wolverine. ‘It should last for the next twelve hours’ she thought. ‘That should be enough time for his body to recover.’

Scott had assigned continuous monitoring duty and had instructed to be informed immediately at the smallest sign of trouble.

He then left to debrief the Professor about the mission.

----

“Couldn’t sleep?”
Ororo Monroe looked up from the coffee cup in her hand, at her best friend standing in the doorway.
“Yes”
“Nightmare?”
“No” answered Ororo. “Just thinking”
“About?” asked Jean, getting a cup of her own.
“Stuff” came the one word answer.
“Stuff, huh” “Does *stuff* include a tall smart Red Indian mutant, who is ready to jump through hoops for you” she asked mischievously.
“Jean” admonished Ororo, a slight smile appearing on her lips.
“What?” asked Jean, giving her best innocent look.
“You like him” It was more of a statement than a question.
“He’s OK”
“But he’s no Logan” Ororo’s smile vanished at Jean’s comment.

Jean sat down next to her and laid a hand on hers.
“I am sorry I didn’t mean to upset you. I know the past few weeks have been hard for you, with the nightmares becoming more frequent and all” she apologized.
Ororo merely nodded her head, her eyes stuck on the glass before her.
“Ororo” Jean began again. “Don’t you think its time to let go of the past. I don’t know about your time with ‘him’. But Forge is here, NOW, in the present and he definitely has feelings towards you.” “Maybe you should give him and more importantly – yourself, a chance.”
Ororo merely nodded her head.

They were silent till Jean spoke again, trying to change the subject.
“So how was your mission to DC?” she asked.
“Easy but hardly productive. We didn’t find anything useful relating directly to Wolverine. But we did get a lead and the Professor feels it might prove useful” answered Ororo. “What about yours?”

“We nearly had our asses handed to us” Jean joked, before growing somber. “The professor was correct about what he said about Wolverine.” “We nearly lost him.”
“Hmm” mused Ororo. “So where is he?”
“Scott has him in one of the holding cells. He was hurt and I wanted to take him to the infirmary, but Scott refused.” “He said, and I quote *He is a security risk*” Jean mimicked in her best Scott voice.
“In fact he is still there, along with Henry and Forge. I was also there but was forced out by Scott and Henry, under orders to get some sleep” she chuckled.

Ororo smiled at her friend. Both Jean and Scott had been attracted towards each other from day one, even before she came to the mansion. However, Scott had been too shy to say anything and it was Jean who had to make the move and ask him out. Last year they had got engaged and moved in together. Looking at them, Ororo was reminded of how her parents had been and unlike them she was.

“So, tell me. What is this Wolverine look like?” she asked, her mood lifting from the contagious effect of Jean’s company.
“Wolverine….He’s…..” began Jean.

Ororo’s eyes widened as Jean described the mutant they knew as Wolverine. ‘It couldn’t be…’ she thought. ‘YESSSS’ her subconscious cried out.

Jean was startled by Ororo’s sudden movement. “Ororo, What happened? What is the matter?”

“Jean, I need you to take me to him.” “I need to see Wolverine.”

5. Senses

“I need to see Wolverine.”

Holding Cell 3, Xavier Mansion

“He’s crazy if he thinks he can break out of that” commented Forge peering at the large monitor in front of him.

On the screen, an extremely agitated Wolverine could be seen trying to shatter the glass by running from one corner of the room and ramming his shoulder into it.

“He IS crazy” commented his companion. “You should have seen what he did to those soldiers. They didn’t stand a chance.”

---

After debriefing the Professor on their mission findings, Forge had joined Scott in the holding area. Scott had been telling him about their nearly botched mission when the holding room motion sensors went off. Wolverine was waking up.

“Its not possible” Scott said, his hands springing into action to check the sensors, while he stared at the monitor. Sure enough the mutant lying in the center of the room was slowly clenching and unclenching his hands.
“This can’t be happening” whispered Scott, his hand clutching his forehead in frustration. “Its JUST not possible.”
“What’s the matter?” inquired Forge, setting his coffee mug down and joining him at the controls.
“He’s….He’s waking up” said Scott pointing to the screen. “He’s waking UP.”
“Scott, you don’t have to repeat yourself every time” responded Forge, his eyes on the monitor as he patted his teammate on the back, trying to calm him down. “So what if he’s waking up. Isn’t that a good thing? It means he’s recovering.”
“No….I mean yes” blubbered Scott, trying to gather himself. “But its too soon. He shouldn’t be up for another eight hours.”
“Why” chuckled Forge. “Did he place a wake up or something?”
“No” scowled Scott at his friend. “You don’t understand. The reason he shouldn’t be waking up this soon, is because Jean sedated him with enough sedatives to render both you and me unconscious for a week – ten times over.”
“And that was just four hours ago.”

----

“Try talking to him?” offered Forge. “Maybe it will calm him down.” “He looks like the Disney comic character ‘Taz’ the Tasmanian Devil” he chuckled. “How tall is he? Four and a half…..Five feet?”
Scott smirked at his comparison of Wolverine with a cartoon character. Taking a deep breath he spoke into the mike .
“Please be calm. You can’t break that glass. You’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

Inside the holding cell Wolverine was rapidly losing control, his feral instincts starting to take over.

He had woken up to find himself in an unfamiliar surrounding. Initially he had thought he was in another lab and that everything had been a dream. For almost as long as he remembered he had been one lab or the other, being moved frequently. Till the last one. . How long he had been there, he didn’t remember. But then it struck him – there was something different about this ‘prison’. It seemed too clean to be one of theirs – no blood, piss, shit or vomit anywhere. As the last remnants of the sedative left his system, things started to become clearer. ‘RED’ he growled. The bitch had got into his head. ‘The Leather Freaks’ his mind called out ‘Musta be their place’. With that thought he began looking around, for a way out from the cell – his attention immediately going to the seemingly thin sheet of glass.

He was readying himself for another run, when a mechanical sounding voice filled the room. “Please be calm. You can’t break that glass. You’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

‘Grrr’ his fists clenched at his capturers. ‘Can’t break it….eh. Well then I’ll slice it.’ He didn’t want to get the claws out, but they left him no other choice.

“Once I get outta here, I’ll gut each and every one of ya” he threatened his captors, raising a fist to accentuate his point.

“Gut? What does he mean gu…?” Forge’s question stuck in his throat as three long metal claws sprang out of the *midget’s* raised hand and three more from the other one.

“That” Scott said wearily, with a hint of nervousness in his calm demeanor. “That’s what he meant.”
“CLAWS” Forge moved to the glass window on the side of the main control room. He had to see it for himself. ‘Yup…claws’ his mind processed through his shock. “He has…claws…..metal claws” he pointed out to Scott.
“I know” sighed Scott in resignation, with a slight smirk on his lips. Forge was just as stunned as he had been the first time he had heard the sound of metal on metal and seen the blades shoot out from between Wolverine’s knuckles.

As they looked on, Wolverine calmly stepped to the glass, drew both his hands apart and after a moment’s silence, let out a loud roar, sinking them deep into the glass sheeting, almost slicing the first layer completely.

----

At the same time, in the corridor leading to the holding area, Jean Grey and Ororo Monroe stopped as they heard a bloodcurdling roar echo through the halls.
“He’s up?” Jean asked herself in disbelief.
“Up?” Ororo asked, her heart jumping to her throat. “Was….was he hurt bad?”
Jean looked at her best friend. Ever since she had heard about the Wolverine, she had been giving out some very disturbing vibes, the ones she usually sent out during one of her nightmares. ‘Must be someone from her past’ thought Jean, barely managing to reign in her desire to *peek* into Ororo’s mind ‘Just a little bit’ she thought before rejecting her idea.

“Yes he was hurt bad. That ‘Major Wraith’ used some sort of special bullets on him. Blew parts of his body right off the bone and at the same time tranquilized him.”

Ororo flinched at the horrid description her ‘sister’ was providing.

“Oh but he was recovering from that by the time we got here” Jean added try to provide some solace. “But he needed time to recover, so I sedated him. I injected him with enough to keep him out for atleast twelve hours. But I seemed to have miscalculated the effect of his ‘healing factor’. Not even four hours and he is up already.”

“Healing factor” Ororo whispered to herself. With every step, her suspicion was growing stronger as was the uneasy feeling in her gut. ‘It must be him’ she thought, almost sure by now.
“Yes” said Jean, telling her about Wolverine’s ability to heal at an alarming rate.

Reaching their destination, Jean entered the password for access to the main control room.

---

Inside his holding cell, Wolverine stopped mid-swing.
“What is he doing now?” thought Scott, not realizing he had spoken out aloud.
Forge stopped working and looked at the monitor screen. They could see Wolverine go stiff, and tilting his head upward, he sniffed the air lightly.
“He’s…..sniffing” Forge commented offhandedly, turning his head back to the screen in front of him. He was beefing up the holding room security, just in case Wolverine managed to carve his way out.
“I can see that” Scott was getting frustrated, with Wolverine and also with Forge’s condescending attitude. The scene from the base was still fresh in his head and he didn’t want the same thing happening again – at a mansion full of young students.

“How are the upgrades coming along?” he asked breaking away from the screen, where Wolverine was taking deep breaths, his claws sheathed once again.
“Almost done” replied Forge, typing away furiously. “With this new program in effect…..well let’s just say our friend here is going to get a nice jolt of reality.”

Just then the door opened, and Jean and Ororo entered into the room.
----

‘She’s here’ was all Wolverine was thinking, having forgotten all about his confinement.
He could smell her, vanilla and sandalwood and a tinge of the earthy smell that could be hers. It had changed, matured a little, but it was still her.
His captors had played with his mind, driving him to the brink of insanity time and again, but they had never managed to trick his animal senses. Those were as sharp as ever and had never let him down. And now every pore of his body was screaming out loud ‘SHE’S HERE.’

---

“Hey Ororo” Scott called out, glancing away from the monitor and raising his hand. “Jean I though I asked you to get some rest. You are tired.”
Walking up to her boyfriend, Jean drew close to his ear and whispered, “Yes, but I really missed not having my favorite blond cushion” “And besides Ororo wanted to meet our guest” she said straightening up.
“Guest” smirked Forge, “That’s a way to put it. More like a zoo display, if you ask me.”
“Forge” scolded Jean.
“What?” he asked innocently. “Just look at him, standing there sniffing the air like a wild animal.”

‘Sniffing’ With shaky steps Ororo made her way to the glass window. Right across from her was the holding cell. A corridor and one way mirrors separating the two. Sure enough, ‘Wolverine’ was taking deep breaths. Ororo instinctively realized what, or rather who he was sniffing out – HER.

Immediately Wolverine snapped his head to her direction. ‘She’s there…behind that mirror’ his senses told him. He let out a deep beckoning growl. He was calling her to come to him.

----

Stepping to the door to the corridor, Ororo entered her security code, unlocking the door.
“Ororo, what are you doing?” called out Scott, stepping towards her. He was however, stopped by a firm hand on his arm.
“Scott…..let her” Jean said, her eyes darting between her teammate and the feral mutant in the holding cell.
“Let her?” Scott asked incredulously. “Jean, have you gone mad or has she? Doesn’t she realize the danger she is putting herself in.”
“I don’t think she is in any danger” Jean said shaking her head, her eyes following Wolverine as his eyes followed Ororo. ‘Even from behind doors, he seems to detect her.’
“ Not in any danger, my ass” Scott replied, yanking his hand away and turning to Forge. “How much longer till those upgrades are online.”
“Five minutes” replied Forge, doubling his efforts. He didn’t like the way Storm was reacting. On entering the room she walked right up to the window, as if there was no one else present in the room. Her breathing was labored and her pulse high. It was as if she was expecting something and at the same time was nervous about it.

---

Stepping out of the room, Ororo crossed the corridor and was standing in front of the holding cell. ‘It’s him. He’s here. He’s finally here’ her heart cried out, joy washing over her. All other thoughts had taken flight as her world contracted to the six feet separating her and Wolverine.

On the other side of the glass, Wolverine was twitching with excitement. “’Roro” he growled softly, stepping forward and raising his hand to the glass partition.

Even through the remaining foot thick glass, Ororo felt the soft caress of his rough hands as he outlined the left side of her body. Drawn by an unknown power, she drew forward and placed her own hand on his left cheek.

----

Inside the control room, the three people looked on, each having their own reactions to the strange happenings – confusion, realization and jealousy.

“What is she doing?” Scott asked his eyes stuck to the window.
“She’s…….caressing him” said Jean. Watching Ororo’s reaction to ‘Wolverine’ made everything clear – especially the way she reacted in the kitchen and the strong emotions rolling off the usually controlled Weather Witch.
“Caressing?” “Why? Does she know him?” Scott asked, even as Forge frowned at the scene playing in front of him. ‘Who is this *Wolverine* that he having such an effect on Ororo?’
As if sensing his thoughts, Jean spoke answering his and Scott’s question. “That……that’s Logan.”
“Logan” Scott’s eyes widened as he looked afresh at the *foreplay* going on between Storm and Wolverine.
Forge winced as if he had just been punched in the stomach. ‘Logan’ he thought angrily as his jealousy reached new levels.

----

Completely oblivious to their audience, Ororo and Logan were completely lost in each other. They were flush against the glass, trying to minimize the physical distance between them. Ororo’s lips were quivering as she bit her lower one. The ache she had suppressed for seven years was back and stronger than ever. Her body seemed to be on fire, from the heat from Logan’s body and the caresses he was administering to her.

Suddenly Logan stepped back, hands spreading to his sides, he whimpered slowly. In return Ororo let out her own whimpering growl and began caressing his body through the glass, just as he had done to her.
“What are they doing now?” asked Scott, completely enthralled.

“He is showing her his wounds” came a gentle voice from behind them. Turning around they saw their resident genius, Henry McCoy ‘Beast’ enter through the door and come to their side.
“Wounds Henry?” asked Jean, taking a better look. “But he doesn’t have wounds?” she said perplexed by Beast’s words.
“No wounds…..that we can see with the naked eye” corrected Henry. “He’s showing her his….mental wounds……his emotional wounds.”
“But why is he showing it to her?” spoke up Scott, finally drawing his eyes away from the window. “Because he knows her?”
“Yes and No” answered Henry cryptically, a mysterious smile on his face, the scientist in him doing flips over the rare instance of observing such a ‘primal’ interaction between two human subjects.
“Yes and No?” “Lose the riddles Henry.”

Forge had been silent his whole time, his eyes never leaving the two mutants, his finger hovering over the enter button, waiting for the right moment.

“Yes, he knows her” stated Beast, explaining his hypothesis. “But that’s not the only reason he is acting this way towards her.”
“What’s the other reason?”
“I believe that his actions are similar to those of a wild animal’s towards his mate.”
‘Mate’ the word hung in the air for few seconds as Beast continued with his explanation.
“He checked her first and now is showing his own injuries to her.” “His injuries and…his pain.”

‘Well if its pain he wants…’ thought Forge, his finger lowering to the button as Wolverine came forward, his hands once again reaching for Ororo.

----

The holding cell and its surroundings were filled with loud cries of pain as hundreds of volts of electricity surged through Wolverine, the metal in his body providing a natural conductor for the flow of electricity.

“NOOOooooo” yelled out Ororo, her clear blue eyes widening and clouding over.

6. Daring

“NOOOooooo” yelled out Ororo, her clear blue eyes widening and clouding over.

“Stormy” Gambit cried out, jerking up in his bed.
“Rem….my” came the sleepy voice from right side of the bed, a gloved hand on his shoulder. “What happened?” asked Rogue, as she sat up, rubbing her sleep filled eyes.
“Somethin’s wrong wit’ Stormy” responded Remy, jumping of the bed. His suspicion confirmed as another lighting bolt struck the side of the mansion, shattering some of the first floor class windows.
Within moments, he was out in the corridor, racing towards the front door, three cards clasped within the fingers of one hand, his stick firmly grasped in the other, Rogue at his side.

*BAMF*

Kurt appeared before them, a telltale yellow-purple sulfurous cloud of teleportation swirling around him.
“Medlab Now!” he exclaimed before ‘porting off again.

Minutes later the doors of the infirmary slid open as Gambit, Rouge and Kitty rushed in. In front of them, they saw two people lying on the beds, each of them being attended by one the mansion’s two resident doctors.

---

Minutes before, Holding cell 3

“Oh shit” Cyclops muttered, throwing himself on Jean, knocking her down as both of them hit the floor.

A second later, the control room was filled with bright lighting and loud cries from Forge as their cybernetic teammate was literally knocked into the wall, electric charge surging through his body, his arm and leg sizzling as circuits shorted out in them. The lighting attack ended as soon as it had begun. Instead, its direction changed, the target becoming clear at the sound of glass shattering reached their ears.

Peering over the broken window’s sill, Scott, Jean and Henry observed Ororo rise in the air and fly towards their unconscious *guest*. His body was still twitching as the residual electricity left his his body. Smell of burnt muscle and flesh filled the room, as huge blisters appeared all over his skin.
“Is…he…..dead” muttered Scott.
Within a second, Henry sprang into action, pulling the door open; he rushed towards the gaping hole in the holding cell’s plexiglass window.

Ororo was kneeling next to Wolverine, her eyes once again clear, were stuck at his hands – his knuckles. She couldn’t believe what she had seen – his claws…..METAL claws. ‘What was that?’

“Ororo…we need to get him to the infirmary?” Henry spoke softly, trying to calm her down and get her to listen to him.
“Uh…Yes” she came out of her haze and tried to move him, while avoiding his still healing skin.
“I’ll do it” offered Henry.
“Uhmmmph” muttered Henry, his muscles straining as he lifted the stocky mutant into his arms. “He’s….heavy?” he commented, getting a better grip and moving towards the glass opening.

**Jean…Please transport Forge to the infirmary** he telepathically called out to Jean.
**Already on our way** replied Jean, as she used her TK to lift Forge, taking care not to touch his cybernetic leg, which still sizzled every few seconds.

---

“Stormy” Remy called out softly, surprised to see Ororo hovering over Wolverine’s bed, her facial expressions full of worry and pain, her smooth cheeks glistening with still moist tears.

However, Ororo couldn’t hear anything except for the beeping of the heart monitor, her gaze limited to the rapidly healing mutant in front of her, his hand firmly grasped within hers.

Reaching the infirmary, Henry had laid Wolverine flat on the bed and set about attaching the various sensors. In the five minutes it had taken him to reach the infirmary and stick the sensors, Wolverine’s skin had all but healed, but he was still unconscious.

“What did he do now?” demanded Gambit, reaching Storm’s side. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she jerked it away, stunning him. Ororo had never been like this. Something *bad* had happened. Any further thought was interrupted by a groan from the bed.

“’Ro….”

Gambit’s eyes widened at Ororo's reaction to the half words-half grunt from the hairy mutant. Pushing him out of the way, she was at Wolverine’s side in a second, running her free hand over his hairy and sweaty face, the difference in their skin color only adding to their *contrast*. Her next word stunned him even further, his cards falling away from his hands.

“Logan…” Ororo whispered, a hopeful smile forming on her lips even as fresh tears appeared in her eyes.

‘Logan’ Remy thought. ‘THAT be Logan’ he couldn’t believe his own ears, but the emotional exchange taking place in front of him, left no doubt in his mind. Ororo was acting like a gushing teenager. She had never been like this, not even with him. True, she let herself go when they were alone, but never….like THIS…so happy…so sad…so emotional.

Suddenly Logan stiffened, the smell of medicines and medical disinfectant twitching his nostrils. ‘It’s a hallucination…It ain’t real’ he mind cried out, causing him to jerk his hand free from Ororo's grasp.

“Logan….” was all Ororo could say, before the Professor’s voice rang out on the intercom.

**Get him outside the mansion immediately** Charles sounded urgent.

“Outside….but he has not recovered from…” Henry tried, only to be cut off by a snarl from Wolverine and a stern order from the professor.

**NOW**

“Kurt” Ororo called out to her teammate. “Teleport him to the mansion grounds….in the open. Then come and get us.”
“Ja” Kurt replied, grabbing hold of Wolverine’s shoulders and…* BAMF* he was gone. He returned a moment later transporting Ororo, Henry, Remy and Rogue outdoors. By that time, Kitty had phased through the mansion and joined them outside, leaving Scott and Jean to take care of Forge.

---

Outdoors,

The small crowd observed from a distance as Wolverine slowly raised himself to his knees. Kurt’s teleportation smoke disoriented his *smell* sense for a few seconds. As the smoke dissipated, he sniffed around lightly. Catching the scent he wanted, he raised his hands, his claws coming out with a loud *SNIKT*. Throwing his head back, he let out a loud, deafening roar.

“Wow” Kitty wondered. “What a……roar.”

Henry started to step forward but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
“No” Ororo shook her head. “You don’t want to go near him just yet?”
“But I need to check his wounds and the status of his recovery” reasoned the doctor.
“Gambit tink’ he recovered” retorted Remy, his grip tightening around his stick, ready to act in case Wolverine made any untoward move.
“Remy…NO” Ororo scolded, sensing her brother’s impatience. Remy stepped back, his eyes never leaving Wolverine, who let out another roar.
“His roar is as bad as ‘Roro’s thunder,” commented Rogue, gaining a smirk from Ororo.

----

“Stormy….” Gambit stepped forward to grab Ororo as she started towards the *roaring* mutant.
Ororo held up a hand, to silence him. “No one move or say anything,” she commanded, resuming her walk towards Wolverine.
“We should help the fraulein” offered Kurt. “He could harm her.”
“No” responded Henry, remembering the earlier display he had witnessed. “He won’t.”

As they watched, Ororo stalked towards Wolverine, whose roars grew lower with each step she took towards her. By the time she reached near him, they were merely deep growls.

She stopped two feet from him and lowered herself on to her knees. Her eyes clouding over, she let out a burst of lighting and thunder, which Wolverine answered with a roar of his own. This interaction took place a few more times, its intensity first increasing and then decreasing, as the *elemental* and the *feral* mutants moved closer to each other.

“What are they doing?” inquired young Kitty, the youngest among the x-men at fifteen years and four months.
“They are…*daring* each other,” tried Henry, at loss for words. He had never seen anything like the way the two people in front of him were acting towards each other.
“Daring?” questioned Kitty. She had once seen something like this on Animal Planet, but those were wild animals, not humans or mutants.
“They wanta’ get it on,” Rogue clarified, a grin plastered on her face.

Gambit snorted at her remark. “My Stormy and…..that ting’” he pointed towards Wolverine. “Never”
“You forget sugah, *your Stormy* has been pining for that *thing* for longer than you know her” responded Rogue, her eyes never leaving the interplay going on in front of her. “He’s her…Logan” she ended with a mock sigh, the back of her hand resting on her forehead. Kitty giggled at her dramatic actions.
“Hmph” grunted Gambit, his red-black eyes, glittering with anger and…a hint of fascination. He too had never seen Storm acting like this. True had seen her angry, happy, sad, even crying, but this….this was as if all of them rolled together and multiplied ten fold. She was letting the weather loose, a fact that was only confirmed by the torrential rain shower, which began pounding the ground.

----

Wolverine had finally managed to vent out some of his rage and the immense joy the animal in him felt from his freedom and at being reunited with his mate.

“Logan” whispered Ororo, her eyes clearing again. She ran her delicate fingers along his rough stubble, caressing his jaw lightly. Logan leaned into her hand, tears mixing with the rainwater dripping from his shaggy hair.
“’Ro” he grunted, his throat muscles struggling to form words after years of bestial grunts, growls and roars that his captors allowed him.

“Leave” she called out to her teammates.
Heeding her order, they started to move away slowly, so as not to startle Wolverine, who had his arms firmly around Ororo’s waist.

“Grrr…” Logan growled at the red-black-eyed man, who hadn’t moved a step from his position and was staring right at them, his posture tense.
“You too Remy” she stressed, knowing that he would not leave so easily. “And don’t hide behind a tree.”
“Hmph” Remy grunted in disagreement before skulking off behind his fellow teammates.

----

Three hours later,

Ororo entered the foyer of the mansion, a calmer but wary Wolverine following her closely.

Her *welcoming* committee was waiting for her – Professor Xavier, Scott, Jean, Remy, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, Piotr. Henry was in the infirmary, having relieved Jean from her vigil over Forge.

Logan scanned the room and its occupants, taking every single detail in. He had already seen the mansion outdoors and the indoors were just as *snobbish* - to much for his taste. ‘Taste’ he chuckled at himself, he had very little taste to start with and whatever was there had been taken away by those fuckin’ lab freaks.

Sensing his growing *nervousness* Ororo laid a calming hand on his shoulder, instantly getting the desired affect. His features cleared and his shoulders sagged a little as his clenched fists loosened – a fact that did not go unnoticed by their observers, most of whom had seen a similar *interaction* earlier – both in the holding cell and later on the mansion grounds.

Taking the room in, Logan turned his keen eye to the people in front of him.

There were Red and One-eye. He knew them from earlier. ‘Red’ she got into his head. He let out a low threatening growl causing Jean to step back in fear. ‘Good’ he almost smirked at the fear rolling off her. ‘Let her be afraid….Let all of them be afraid.’

Next, his eyes fell on the behemoth standing behind the wheel chair. ‘Hmm…looks like a foreigner’ he thought. ‘Sure bub, ya are one to be talking about foreigners.’

On either side of him were two *kids* - a girl and boy. The girl looked as if she still had her milk teeth, while the boy….there was something odd about the boy. Not dangerous odd but the smell wasn’t normal. Deciding that there was no danger from him, he moved his eyes to the other couple in the room. The freaky eyed one and the no visible skin one. Feelings of anger and resentment were overflowing from the man….Remy, that’s what ‘Ro had called him. Earlier he had thought that this Remy had *wrong* intentions towards what was *his*. However, seeing him now with the white-streaked *clothed* wonder, laid those doubts to rest. Whatever feelings the other man had towards Ororo, were not ones, which would get him gutted….probably.

Finally, his eyes came to rest on the man in the wheel chair. He looked to be in his mid fifties and their leader. ‘Cue Ball’ he smirked, but the next moment he stopped right in his tracks as a voice sounded in his head.

**Fifty seven and the name is Charles Francis Xavier…not cue ball**

“GRRRR….” Logan snarled, his lips curled revealing his fangs clearly.
“Logan” Ororo arched a cloudy eyebrow at his sudden outburst.
“Stay outta my head,” he pointed a fist at Xavier, his claws popping out. Following his line of sight Ororo looked at Xavier.
“Professor?”
“I am sorry Logan, I don’t have any intention to harm you…or anger you.”

“Wolverine” he grunted. “My name is Wolverine.”
“But isn’t you name Logan” Scott spoke out.
“Fer her…yes” Logan nodded towards the weather goddess. “Not fer any of ya.” “To ya, I’m Wolverine.”
Turning towards Jean, he voiced his earlier threat. “You….never try that again,” he grunted, taking a step forward to make himself clearer.
“Don’t threaten her” Scott interjected, a frown on his face. Logan disregarded his threat, winking at Ororo.

**What did you do?** he asked Jean telepathically.
**I don’t know** came the puzzled answer.

“She got into my head” Logan clarified, causing both Jean and Scott’s mouths to fall open. “Never try that again.”
“You…you…how did you know?” Jean finally blurted out.
“I sensed ya in my head, just before I passed out” Logan explained. “And now….you and yer boyfriend looked like ya were bumping minds together.”
“How did ya know Cyke’s Jean’s boyfriend?” came the southern drawl from the other end of the line.
Logan stayed silent at her question. He didn’t want to let out his secret. However, Ororo’s gentle squeeze on his shoulder and the twinkle in her eyes egged him on.

“Can smell him all over her,” Logan pointed towards his nose. “Just like I smell, the Cajun and his cheap perfume all over ya” he smirked, causing Rogue to blush profusely. Kitty let out a suppressed giggle, her own cheeks red at the graphic and blunt reply from Wolverine.
“Did you have to be so…crass?” Scott sneered, trying to hide his own embarrassment.
Logan snorted at him.

---

“Wolverine” Xavier cut in. “We have arranged a room for you. Please get settled in and join us for breakfast. We will have formal introductions there.” “Jean will show you to your room.”
“Not her” Logan shook his head. “Her” he jerked his finger towards the Ororo.
“Mon ami, we don’ care for what YOU want” Gambit spoke for the first time. His voice cold and dripping venom. Not even a day and the hairball was trying to get his paws on *his* Stormy.
“Grr…” growled Wolverine, using the best form of *communication* he had. “You gonna stop me.”

“Logan….Remy” Ororo spoke coolly, her goddess persona and her emotional control back on. “I have work with the Professor” Xavier had mentally *requested* Ororo to stay behind. “I’ll come later” she whispered under her breath, so that only Logan could hear her.
“Kitty will show you to your room,” Xavier mediated, signaling Kitty to step forward. “Is that agreeable?”
Instead of answering, Logan gave one parting look to Ororo, turned and walked towards a still nervous but giggling Kitty. “Come on half-pint” he signaled to her to follow him. “Show me where my room is.”

----

As soon as Kitty and Wolverine were out of hearing distance, or so they thought, Xavier looked up at Ororo.
“Ororo please join us in my office” his hover-chair moving out of the room.

7. Revelations

“Ororo please join us in my office”

“What were you THINKING?” Scott yelled as he pacing in the office, his face as red as his eyes.

Ororo did not answer; her arms crossed at her chest and her face expressionless as she sat in Charles Xavier's office. Xavier had asked Ororo to join him in his office. What he hadn’t specified was that Jean and Scott would also be present.

“Scott” Jean tried to placate him. She looked outside the window and realized that although Ororo seemed outwardly calm, the weather outside was growing more unpleasant and foreboding with each passing moment and comment from Scott, something he wasn’t paying attention too.

“No Jean” Scott silenced her. “She needs to answer for her actions. What she did to Forge is unforgivable. She…she literally fried his leg. He won’t be able to stand let alone walk for at least a week. And for what….” he sneered. “….for that THING…that ANIMA…” he jumped back startled as a loud boom sounded in the sky outside the mansion.

“He…IS….NOT….AN…ANIMAL” Ororo’s eyes were shaded white, anger written all over her face, the telltale smell of ozone in the air. “He is a mutant….JUST…like you and me.” Scott tried to speak again but Jean telekinetically clamped his mouth shut.

“Ororo…” Xavier's deep soothing voice sounded for the first time since they had entered the room. He had sensed her emotional mood and didn’t want to do anything to that would ruffle her further. Ororo acting this way was something new to him too.

At the professor’s voice, Ororo seemed to draw back; her eyes clearing once again, her face regaining its stoic look. However, the storm outside continued to rage, a clear sign of the storm brewing inside the weather goddess.
“Scott….please….sit DOWN” stressed Xavier. Scott Summers, sat down next to Jean, scowling at her as his furrowed brow mirroring his crossed arms.
“Ororo” the professor smiled at her. “From what we have seen, you know Lo…Wolverine personally….even intimately.”
“Very” was the single word answer.
“Am I correct in saying that he is your *male* companion from your dreams and nightmares” he probed further.
“Yes”

Jean could sense that talking to the Professor was helping her friend regain control of her emotions. She had never seen Ororo put forth so many intense emotions and it was unnerving to see her this way. Even her nightmares couldn’t match the emotional responses she had given to the real person.

Xavier and Jean, both had seen and experienced Ororo’s nightmares, but even they had been unable to recognize Wolverine as the Logan of her dreams.

“Would you mind telling us about your experience with Wolverine,” Xavier was treading cautiously, so as not to alarm his erstwhile student and present team leader.

“NO” Ororo answered bluntly. “No yet…..I need time…”

“Very well” Xavier smiled at her. “I understand it has been a taxing night and you need your rest. However, I would like you to answer a couple of questions, before you leave. If that’s fine with you.”

At Ororo’s nod, Charles asked his first question. “When did you first meet Wolverine?” he took care of using Wolverine and not Logan. He wanted to honor Wolverine’s *request* that his real name was only for Ororo. He understood that it was a sort of defense mechanism on his part and was confident that once the feral mutant became comfortable and trusted them, he would allow them to use his real name.
“Eight years, three months and eleven days ago” Ororo answered to the point, impressing and stunning everyone with the accuracy of her memory.

“How old were you when you met him?” was the second question.
“Seventeen years and a few months old.”

“How old was he then?”
“Don’t know” Ororo asked frankly.

“Didn’t he tell you?” Scott interrupted. “Ow” he let out as Jean elbowed his ribs and gave him a *one more word and you’re dead* look.
“No” Ororo answered without looking at him.

Charles didn’t pursue that line, just asked “How old did he look?”
“As old as he looks now…..exactly the same.” “……Exactly the same” she repeated a second time, more to herself than to the others in the room.

“How can that be” Jean asked, unable to contain her own curiosity. “How can he look the same? He must have aged?”
Ororo seemed unwilling to answer her question. “He…..doesn’t age” she answered finally.

“Doesn’t age’ blurted out both of the younger mutants. The professor just nodded his head. Ororo’s words had just confirmed the information he had about the elusive Wolverine.

“His *Healing Factor*” mused the Professor. Ororo merely nodded her head. “Healing Factor?” questioned Jean. She had seen Wolverine’s healing factor working, but didn’t know about its strength or to what extent it healed him.

“Yes Jean” Xavier pulled a file from the drawer and slid it across the table. Jean picked and opened it, her eyes widening as she looked sideways at Scott, who seemed equally astonished by the data and pictures before him.

“Professor according to this…..” Jean began.
“Yes Jean….Wolverine’s age is unknown. As you might see, one of the photographs is from the Second World War. Look to the person in the top right corner….” he waited as Jean fingered through the various photographs to arrive at the correct one.
“How…” her green eyes further widened as she recognized the person in the black and white photograph.
“As you can see….” “The soldier in the picture is the same person we have under our roof. Moreover, he looks the same as he does now. I suspected it earlier, but Ororo’s words just confirmed my suspicions.” “Wolverine fought in the Second World War….in the Canadian military.”

The room’s occupants were silent as the information sunk in. if what the professor was true, which he was, that would mean that Wolverine was at least eighty five years old….maybe even older.

“Professor Do we know, how old he exactly is?” inquired Scott.
“No Scott” “The oldest records which I have been able to gather, from the files from the lab and from the information Ororo and Forge obtained from Washington….show that he was born sometime in the late 1800s.”
“1800s….” was all his student could say. ‘That would make him over a hundred years old.’
“Yes” smirked Xavier at their bewildered expressions. “I guess somewhere between hundred and twenty five and hundred and fifty years old.”
----

Meanwhile, in another part of the mansion

Kitty Pryde stood silently observing the strange happening in front of her. She had brought Wolverine to his room and stood at the door, waiting as he checked the room out.

“What are you doing?” she asked timidly, unable to contain her curiosity any more.
Wolverine merely grunted at her question, effectively stopping any more talk, let alone a question from the nervous teenager.

“Hey…What are you doing?” Kitty exclaimed. Having checked out the room, Wolverine had turned his attention to the wisp of a girl. He was giving her a once over – smelling her. “What are you doing?” she asked again, feeling self-conscious.

Having finished his inspection, Wolverine stepped back into the room, motioning her to follow him. “Hey half-pint….come in” he said, using the latest of his nicknames for the mansion residents.
Thanking him, she made her way to the center of the room.
“This is for you” she motioned to the box lying on the bed. It was a simple cardboard box, except for the large ‘X’ on the top.
“What is it?” Wolverine looked at her warily. During his inspection, he did not detect any warning smell from the box and had disregarded it.
“Clothes and stuff….you know….for you” she answered, flipping the top open. The box contained three set of standard x-men issue sweatshirts and pants, a pair of white shorts, a few t-shirts, towels and toiletries.
“You might want to get washed up before breakfast,” advised Kitty. The words were barely out of her mouth, when Wolverine started to peel off his dirty, slightly wet clothes. She immediately turned away, her throat dry and her eyes bulging at the sight of the naked man….so near to her.
“Kid….ya wait here,” Wolverine instructed her as he made his way to the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his shoulders.
“Uh…Ok” muttered Kitty, unable to turn to face the now ‘naked’ Wolverine. She shook her head, trying to lose that mental image.

----

Xavier’s office

Xavier had just finished discussing all the information his sources had provided him – about the elusive ‘Wolverine’. He was rumored to be the best assassin in the world. His skill and reputation were comparable with Elektra. However, while Elektra was human and used weapons, Wolverine was a mutant with his own inbuilt weapons – his claws. Also, while Elektra was a free lance agent, working for money; Wolverine was *owned* by the secret government organization in charge of the Weapon X project.

Ororo sat silently; stunned by the news Xavier had given her.

A few minutes earlier,

“So his whole skeleton is covered with metal” Scott had gone through the *Weapon X* file they had taken from the lab, from where they had *rescued* Wolverine. “Adamnatium” That was the metal’s name
“Yes” Xavier sighed. “The metal is the strongest in the world, extremely rare and almost impossible to process. It has to be kept it in liquid form, because once solidified, it cannot be worked on again. The only reason he survived the bonding process is due to his healing factor.” “However, I feel that the experiments and bonding process has caused him to lose his memory…well most of it” he amended, recalling that Wolverine still remembered Ororo.
“And that is when he got those….Claws” mused Jean, remembering the ten inch long claws, she had also been on the receiving end of.
“I believe so,” Xavier said.

“No” Ororo spoke for the first time since they had started discussing the Weapon X matter. “It’s a part of his mutation. He had the claws earlier too….but they were bone claws.”
“Bone…” Jean whispered. “So you have seen them earlier?” she asked, wondering how anyone could *not* be afraid of those claws.
“Of course” Ororo answered incredulously, staring at Jean as if she had said the most *obvious* thing in the world.

“We will continue this at a more opportune time” Xavier had sensed that Wolverine was ready and was looking for Ororo. “I believe your presence is desired at another place” he smiled at Ororo.

“Thank you Professor” Ororo thanked him, leaving the room immediately.

“I don’t like this” Scott declared, once Ororo was out of hearing distance. “I don’t like him and I definitely do not like what he’s done to her.”
“Scott” Jean tried.
“No Jean, not anymore,” he pushed her hand away. “He’s a loose cannon and he’s turning her into one. You yourself saw what she did to Forge. He was just trying to help her – protect her from that…..Wolverine” he bit the word animal back. “And what does she do? How does she thank him? She electrocutes him.”

“Scott I believe that that was not the case” Xavier stated calmly. Jean had informed him about the events of the holding cell.
“Yes Scott” Jean spoke up. “I also think that what she did was wrong, but Forge was the one who made the first move. He carries an equal amount of blame, if not more.”
“BLAME” Scott sounded shocked. “How can you say that? He was trying to help her.”
“NO” Jean replied with equal fervor, “Helping her was the last thing on Forge’s mind. He wanted to hurt Wolverine…..cause him pan” she added, voicing the thoughts she had sensed from her injured teammate.
“Why would he do that?” Scott asked unbelievingly.
“Because of Ororo” clarified Jean. “And the way she was acting towards Wolverine.”
“Why?” Scott was still confused.

“Jealousy” was the single word answer.

Scott burst out laughing. “Je….Jealousy” he managed between laughs. “Good one Jean. You almost had me going there.” “Forge jealous of that Neanderthal.”

“Yes Scott” Jean answered. Her serious tone conveying that she wasn’t joking. “He’s jealous of Wolverine, because of his own personal feelings towards Ororo.”

Scott was silenced at her revelation. He knew about Forge’s feelings towards Ororo and his efforts to *try* and date her. They had been discussing the same thing before the holding cell incident happened.

Both Forge and Ororo were his friends and teammates, and he was happy that they seemed to be drawing closer. Even he had noticed that Ororo’s hard exterior was somewhat softened by the Cheyenne Indian. ‘Maybe she’ll finally get over that *Logan* and move on with her personal life’ was the thought he had had, but that was before…..

Now he wasn’t sure anymore. Logan, or rather Wolverine was here and any emotions Ororo might have had towards Forge were washed away by the flood of emotions that *HE* inspired in the normally stoic Storm. It was too late for Forge.

….Or was it?

----

“Mr. Wolverine…we should go downstairs for breakfast” Wolverine wasn’t even paying attention to the young mutant.

Stepping out of his room, he had sniffed around and caught Ororo’s scent immediately. Following the scent, he was making his way towards Ororo’s loft apartment.
“Mr. Wolverine” Kitty tried again, but a smooth melodious voice, silenced her.
“I’ll take it from here Kitten,” Ororo said as she reached near them.
“Uh…Thank you Ms. Monroe” Kitty was gone in an instant, phasing through the floor to the dining room.

“Looking for me?” Ororo asked impishly. The soft growl and the way in which Wolverine grabbed her and pulled her to him, answered her question.
“’Ro” he growled, nuzzling into her neck as they had done earlier.
“Logan” Ororo moaned breathlessly.

The next moment she knew was that they were in Logan’s room, the door locked as he carried her to the bed, their lips never leaving each others.

-----

*SNIKT*

Within a flash, Ororo’s nightgown was shredded, revealing her to the heated gaze of the feral mutant.
“’Ro” Logan whispered, drawing closer to breathe deeply at the valley between her breasts. “’Ro” he said again, reveling in her earthy scent. Just hers – the vanilla and sandalwood.
Ororo knew what he was doing. He always did this….even in her dreams. He was refreshing his memories of her scent. He did this just as other people memorized faces and other physical features.

“Uhn…Logan” she moaned as he turned sideways, rubbing his stubble on one engorged nipple, taking its counterpart into his mouth and gently suckling at it. “Lo…..Logan…..” her entire body was on fire, his mere touch converting years of ache into hot, raw desire. Threading her long fingers into his thick raven hair, he pulled him nearer as she arched, trying to get more of herself into his mouth. There could be no other….no one….only him…only Logan.

----

“GRRR…” Logan gave an angry growl, his passion turning to anger as his nostrils caught something. Something he almost missed; lost in his desire for the dusky beauty writhing before him.

Ororo’s eyes snapped open as Logan leapt off the bed, his metal claws extending, ready to attack.

“What happened?”

8. Intrusions

---

** ** indicates telepathic communication.
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words
< > indicates translations.

---

“What happened?”

“Logan” Ororo called from the bed. A few seconds ago, they had been in the throes of passion and suddenly her lover had tensed up and jumped off the bed. She knew his stance well. He was sensing danger and from his shifting glances, it was both from the balcony and from the other side of the door.

“Logan” she tried again, rising up she crossed her arms around his shoulder and chest, her bare chest rubbing into his back muscles, exciting both of them in spite of the perceived danger. “Logan….what is it?” she soft whispered into his ear, her hot breath tickling his neck hair. “Who is it?”

“The Cajun” he pointed one clawed hand towards the balcony, before jerking it back, towards the door. “One Eye” “He’s further away but he’s coming here.”

“Oh” Ororo seemed relieved and angry at the same time. She did not like the way her teammates….her friends were disturbing their privacy and acting towards Logan.

“I’ll take care of it,” she said, laying a hand over his forearm, she slowly pushed his hand down to his side. “Please put the claws away,” she urged, knowing well that he would not. Until he made sure that, they were not in any danger, his claws would remain unsheathed. The deep growl she felt through his chest confirmed her thoughts.

“Very well” she agreed, “Then let me talk” “OK?” she asked, running a calming hand over his hairy chest.
Logan merely nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the open balcony door. He could sense intense anger from the Cajun, while One Eye just seemed frustrated – like the bug up his ass was scratching him from inside.

“Remy…come out” Ororo called out loudly. “We know you are there.”
Sure enough, there was a slight rustling of cloth and the auburn haired mutant dropped from the roof, immediately crouching in an attack position, his eyes flashing in anger from the sight before him, three glowing cards between his fingers. *His Stormy* – his best friend and sister, standing *naked* behind Wolverine, her ruffled hair and ripped clothes telling the whole story. The fucker had forced himself on her, shredding her nightgown.

“Remy, what are you doing here?” Ororo asked, trying to move away and grab a bed sheet from the bed. However, Wolverine’s hand stopped any movement. His was on *All Alert* and was not going to let her go, until the danger was over.

Remy narrowed his eyes at Ororo’s actions and the possessiveness of the shorter mutant. No one did that to Ororo, rather she let no one and no one dared either. Everything had been consensual. “Remy came t’ check on th’ Wolverine” he spoke tightly, in his usual tone of referring to himself in the third person. “An’ from what Remy see, he was correct.” “Come ‘ere Stormy.”

‘Stormy’ Logan’s interest piqued. The Cajun called Ororo *Stormy*. However, the question was forgotten at the knock at the door. “One Eye” he growled.

“Logan you need to let me go” Ororo whispered to him. “My clothes” was all she said, drawing his attention to her unclothed state. Immediately Logan grabbed the bed sheet and wrapped it around her, hugging her tightly to hide her nakedness, he turned sideways to keep an eye on Gambit, his lips curled to reveal his sharp canines.

There was a louder second knock at the door, the locked knob turning as Scott tried to open it. However, Logan didn’t make a move towards it. His eyes fixed on the *threat* in front of him.

“Remy put the cards away,” Ororo said, wrapping the bed sheet properly and inserting its end in the front. “And open the door”
“Remy….NOW” she instructed sternly.

Gambit lowered his raised hand, the cards losing their fluorescent glow, but still clasped between his fingers. Slowly he made his way towards the door, keeping a respectable distance from the embracing couple.

-----

Scott’s hand stopped mid-knock as he came face to face with, “Gambit!! What are you doing here?” he frowned, looking around to confirm that he was indeed at the right room.

“This is Wolverine’s room…right?” he asked peering over Gambit’s shoulder.
“Yes Scott” Ororo’s voice came from within the room, as she came towards the door.
“Ororo” his eyes widened behind his visor as he saw her clothing or the lack of it. ‘What happened here?’ was his thought.
Before he could say anything, he was pushed back by Gambit who stormed out of the room.

“Ororo what happened?” Scott asked turning to the couple at the door. “What was Gambit doing here? And you….” he trailed, his hand raised, pointing towards her.
“Remy….he was just being brotherly” Ororo managed as an explanation. “He was trying to protect his sister?” “Not that I needed it” she added in the end.
“Protection” Scott scowled at Wolverine, who had his hand possessively wrapped around her waist.
“It’s nothing Scott” Ororo clarified, their interaction in the Professor’s office still clear in her mind. “Did you have something to say to Lo…Wolverine?”
“Yes” Scott answered, breaking away from Wolverine and looking at Ororo. “The Professor wanted him to come for breakfast.” “However it seems that you two are *preoccupied*” he ended contemptuously.

At Scott’s silence, Wolverine spoke. “Ya done?”
“Yes” the word was barely out of his mouth, when the door was slammed shut, a muffled giggle reaching his ears. ‘Ororo is giggling’, he thought, slapping his hand at his forehead in frustration. Ororo never giggled, but then again she had never acted this way towards any man. ‘Any man except her Logan….Wolverine’ he shook his head, walking away towards the dining room. This was more serious than what he had imagined…..very serious.

-----

“Why did you do that?” Ororo asked in mock anger. Logan had slammed the door shut and she was still trying to control her giggles at Scott’s shocked expression.
“He was in my way,” growled Logan, turning his attention to her, he nuzzled into her shoulder. “Wastin’ my time,” he growled at her neck, licking her ear lobe.
“Mmmmm…” Ororo moaned arching her body into him. “In you way….wasting your time…how?” she murmured knowing the reason, but wanting to hear it from his lips.
“Ya” “Stopping me from doing this ta ya” he answered, yanking the sheet away and lifting her to his hips. Ororo instinctively crossed her legs around his back, feeling his hard length rub against her, only the sweat pants separating them.

“God ’Ro….” “I missed ya” Logan confessed humping against her hips, clinging to her tighter, afraid that she might disappear if he let her go. “They took everything away, everything….but I still remembered ya” his voice was thick with emotion.
“I missed you too” Ororo moaned, tears of passion appearing in her eyes. She had – in every way. Her body, her heart…..her soul, every part of her being had missed him. His touch, his passion….his love.

“Professor” she suddenly gasped, frustration and disappointment washing over her at the unwanted intrusion.
Logan stopped and drew back, a look of confused anger on his face. “Professor?” he growled sniffing around, but was unable to detect anyone.
“Here” Ororo indicated knocking her head. “He’s a telepath remember”
“Well tell him ta stay outta yer head,” he grunted, continuing his erotic ministrations.
“Uhn…Logan” she moaned, trying to break away. “We’ve got to go now. He’s calling us for breakfast, and he wants introduce you to the rest of the team.”
“Later” he mumbled, raising her to lap at the swell of her breasts.
“Uhmmnnn….” she was losing control and it a small part of her *sober* mind bugged her. “No” she finally broke away. “Now”
“We can do this later” she tried to appease him. “Please”

Logan grunted in defeat, his hands falling to his side, a scowl on his face. She had said ‘please’ and that stopped him immediately. “Ya know I can’t refuse ya anything dontcya.”
“Yes” she smirked mischievously, running a long finger across his bulging pectorals. “And I know when to use it” she joked at his lustful groan. ‘Goddess’ she thought. ‘It’s not even a day since he’s been back and things are just like they had been seven years ago. It’s as if it wasn’t seven years but seven hours or even seven minutes since we last met.’

“Later” she whispered at his mouth, kissing him lightly before pulling back to grab the extra pair of sweatshirt and pants and pulling them on.

“Tease” Logan growled, smacking her lightly on the ass as she walked to the bathroom.

-----

Xavier had just informed Jean that Wolverine and Ororo would be joining them, when an angry looking Scott entered the dining room and flopped down next to her.

A fee minutes ago, Remy had entered the same way taking his place next to Rogue.
**Scott** she lay a hand on his thigh. **What happened?**
Instead of answering her, Scott opened his mind, showing her the scene from Logan’s room.
“Oh” Jean blushed, a blushing smile on her lips.
**Its not funny** scowled Scott. **She needs to act responsibly. Not like a love sick teenager**
Jean merely shook her head at Scott’s choice of words. It was an apt description of the usually regal mutant’s behavior since last night. While Wolverine still unnerved her, she was happy with the emotions he generated in her best friend and surrogate sister.

-----

The residents of the mansion, faculty as well as students looked up, stunned at the sight before them.

Ororo and Wolverine has just entered the dining hall and were making their way to the ‘Principal’s’ table. That was not odd. What was odd was that Ororo had her arm draped around Wolverine’s shoulder and was leaning on him, while he had his arm around her waist, the possessive stare he was giving everyone, was practically shouting out that she was his.

Both Remy and Scott scowled at the sight, their hands closing into fists. The rest of the faculty watched in amusement as Ororo seemed to open up like never before.

The students were blatantly staring at the couple, shocked speechless. Most of them didn’t believe their eyes, while half of them felt a bit resentful and sad – the male half. Many a male had had Ororo Monroe *Ms. Monroe* starring in their late night dreams. Each of them had imagined being the one who would finally sweep the weather goddess off her feet. Now it seemed that the woman of their dreams had found someone else, a short, stocky, muscle bound and scary beast of a man. They had heard rumors from the few students who had witnessed the mansion ground episode from their windows and knew that whoever this guy was extremely dangerous and had to kept away from.

“Glad you could join us” Xavier spoke to them, gaining a smile from Ororo and a grunt from Wolverine.
Remy whispered in French.
Logan raised his fist at the stunned mutant.
“’ow?” was all he could manage. ‘How did he do that?’
“Brother I would suggest that you don’t do that” Ororo had understood the interaction, being fluent in French herself.
“What dya do now?” Rogue narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend.
“Oh nothing” Ororo flipped her hand. “He just made an indecent remark thinking that Logan wouldn’t understand if he verbalized it in French,” she said sitting down on her chair, Wolverine sitting next to her.

“What did he say?” Jean inquired. “And do you know French?” she asked Wolverine.
Wolverine did not answer but just looked at Ororo, signaling her to answer for him.

On their way to the dining hall, she had informed him that there would be questions for him once they got there. He in turn had told her that he did not want to answer any question and that she would have to answer it for her.
“What do you want me to tell them? And how much?” she had asked.
“Anything ya want darlin’,” he answered, tightening his grip on her. “I trust ya…..its up to ya to decide.”

“Wolverine is Canadian,” she said, answering Jean’s question. “And apart from that he knows more half dozen languages including French.”
“Impressive” Hank McCoy spoke from the end of the table. “And are you able to write them too or are you only conversant in their spoken dialect.”
“Both…I guess” grunted Logan. “Don’t know….don’t remember.”

Any further questions were silenced by a mental command from Xavier. **Please contain your curiosity until after the breakfast.**

-----

After the breakfast, the Logan and Ororo made their way to the x-men’s conference room. By the time they reached there, Ororo had given him the abridged version of Xavier’s introductory speech.

“I don’t need yer sales pitch” Wolverine silenced Xavier even before he could begin. The Professor raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, but Wolverine’s next words brought a smile on his face.
“’Roro trusts ya, so it’s fine with me” Logan said to everyone. “I’ll do the whole *save the world* thing ya do,” he continued, “not because I give a shit about yer ideals, but because she’s here.”
“But I can leave whenever I want and for as long as I want” he added towards the end.
“Agreed” Xavier was slightly bothered that he had been unable to personally talk to Wolverine first, but the fact that he had agreed to join the team was encouraging enough to delay his talk with Ororo until a later time.

“As Ororo must have told you, we are the x-men. I would like you to officially meet the team. My name is Charles Xavier also known as Professor X. I am a telepath.”
“Hmm…ya must be a good one” Wolverine commented, getting a mocking snort from Scott. “He’s the world’s greatest telepath.”
“And what are ya?” Logan shot back. “The world’s greatest great dick” he smirked at Scott’s angry expression. ‘This is gonna be great’ he thought, thinking ways to make Scott’s life a living hell.
Xavier ignored the banter between them and continued. “Please introduce yourselves and your mutations,” he instructed the x-men.

“Scott Summers, codename Cyclops. Team Leader – *Blue* team. Optic blasts” he pointed to his visor.
“Ororo Monroe, codename Storm. Team Leader – *Gold* team. Weather control” Wolverine looked at Ororo. “Storm?” he repeated. “Not….Goddess?” he asked grinning at her, referring to her habit of frequently using ‘goddess’ in her normal speech.
Ororo shook her head, blushing under his lustful gaze.

The rest of the x-men continued with their introductions, gaining grunts and nods from Wolverine. However, he raised an eye when Kurt Wagner introduced himself. Standing up, he walked over to where Kurt stood.
“Yer not real” he grunted to the young mutant.
“Vat do you mean?” Kurt seemed confused and so did the rest of the people in the room.
“This is not how ya are,” he pointed to the smart looking mutant. “Show me yer real self.”
Kurt hesitated for a moment before shutting off his image inducer. Immediately he changed, the fair, dark haired adult dissolving to reveal his true form – blue skin, yellow-eyes and three fingered hands and feet, with his arrow headed tail swishing behind him.
“Yer are a freak aren’t ya” everyone including Ororo gasped at his flippant remark. Kurt looked hurt. He was extremely conscious of his looks, especially from his days in the circus where he was advertised as a freak of nature.

Logan seemed unaffected and continued. “Hmmm…but ya aren’t a bad one….now this…” he raised his hands, extending his long metal claws. “….now this is a REAL freak” he said about himself, lowering his hands as his claws slid back into his forearms. “Ya are more like a…hmmm…an elf.”
Kurt grinned, his pearly white teeth sharply contrasting against his indigo blue skin. Logan took his three-fingered hand into his adamnatium-laced one. “Know who you are and don’t give a shit about what the others think.”
“Thank you mein friend” Kurt answered shaking his hand vigorously. Ororo and Xavier smiled at the interaction, while the rest breathed a sigh of relief.

----

All of a sudden, the mansion security alarms went off. Someone was trying to break through the perimeter fence.

Scott immediately patched the feed from the external cameras to the conference table monitors. As they looked on, an unknown mutant demolished the mansion gate and started stalking towards the mansion.
“Who’s that?” Jean wondered aloud as Gambit, Rogue and Cyclops rushed to the elevators.

“He’s mine,” snarled Logan, his hands closing into fists.

*SNIKT*

---

** ** indicates telepathic communication.
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words
< > indicates translations.

---

“He’s mine,” snarled Logan, his hands closing into fists.

*SNIKT*

“Elf” Logan turned to his new friend and fan. “Get me out there”
Kurt looked at Logan and then at Xavier. “Professor?”

Xavier mentally instructed him *not* to teleport Wolverine outdoors. Not until he got some answers.
“ELF” Wolverine was getting impatient at Kurt’s reluctance. Flicking his hand in frustration, he turned to Ororo, whose face had gone pale, her eyes stuck on the screen.

“’Ro” he touched her lightly, sensing the fear rolling off her.
“Logan…” Ororo flinched at his touch. She knew the face and the beast it belonged to.
“Darlin’….I need ta get out there” he growled, pointing at the monitor.
“Yes” she answered, shaking herself out of her stupor. “Let’s go”

“Wait Storm” Xavier stopped her. “We don’t know this mutant. Let’s not rush into anything. We don’t know his intentions.”
“I do” Logan snapped at Xavier, his hand tightening around Ororo’s.
“You do?” exclaimed Jean. “Who is he?”

“Sabretooth” Logan spat out. “And if I don’t get out there, your people are just going to get their asses kicked.”
“Wolverine” Xavier smoothly said. “I am sure that Cyclops, Rogue and Gambit can handle it.”
“No they can’t” Wolverine quipped back, not knowing about Rogue’s invulnerability. “They can keep hitting him, he’ll just come back.”
“How do you know him?” Xavier tried again, hoping for some information about how to stop the attacking mutant, maybe even talk to him.
“Can we do this later” Storm spoke up. “Wolverine is correct. We need to stop Sabretooth immediately.”

At Xavier's slight hesitance, she turned to Nightcrawler. “Kurt…get him out NOW.”
Within seconds, both Wolverine and Nightcrawler found themselves outside the mansion.
“Stay back elf,” commanded Wolverine rushing towards his oldest enemy.

Cyclops was feeling the strain of continuous use of his optic blasts, their intensity decreasing with each successive blast. He only hoped that Rogue could subdue the relentless mutant, without having to use her skin.
Suddenly a figure rushed past him, and hurled itself on the blond mutant, a ‘now’ familiar roar emanating from its throat, his six metal claws glinting in the morning sun.
“Wolverine…don’t” Cyclops yelled out behind him.

-----

“X-Men….Stand down” Xavier commanded over the commlinks. “Let Wolverine handle this.”
“Professor….” Cyclops began – frustration clear in his voice. Frustration from not being able to handle a single mutant and that too on their home ground, and from the Professor using Wolverine to handle the situation. Wolverine….who killed first and grunted later.
“Stand down Cyclops” Xavier’s voice brooked no argument.
Frowning, Cyclops stepped back to maintain a respectable distance from the fight scene, his two colleagues joining him at his side.

“Merde…” Gambit whispered at the scene before them. If any doubt, about what had happened at the military lab and who had caused it….was gone. Wolverine was truly acting like his namesake.

-------

Running past the surprised X-Men, Wolverine leapt into the air, knocking the larger mutant off his feet as he landed on him, sinking his left hand into Sabretooth’s chest while swiping the right one across his face, completely slicing its left side.
“Aaaarrrgghh…” Sabretooth’s bloodcurdling cry filled the morning air, causing the x-men to cover their stinging ears.

“LOGAN” Sabretooth yelled out, air wheezing out of his slashed cheek, which even as he spoke was healing with a speed rivaling Wolverine’s own healing factor.
“Oh Mah God” gasped Rogue at the sight. “He’s got a healing factor too. No wonder he kept on rising up.”

Inside the mansion, the Charles Xavier and Jean Grey looked on at the gory sight. They had realized that the attacking mutant was a feral too and seemed to know Wolverine well. Besides them was Kitty Pryde, who was at the edge of her seat, a silent prayer on her lips. She did not want Wolverine to get hurt. Although she was still afraid of him, she liked how he made the resident goddess and her surrogate mother feel. She looked up to Ororo and was delighted to see her happy. Moreover, it wasn’t like Wolverine had done anything to harm her or any of the other x-men. In fact, apart from the *stripping* incident in his room he had been very *courteous* with her.
Storm, Iceman and Colossus were rushing outside. They had left as soon as Xavier ordered Cyclops to stand down and instructed them to join their teammates….in case matters got out of hand and Wolverine failed in stopping ‘Sabretooth’.

----

“Creed” Wolverine spat the name out, his own chest slashed open to reveal the metal skeleton underneath. “So yer masters sent ya ta get me.”

Both mutants were circling each other, completely oblivious to the small crowd observing them. Their blood soaked clothes were in tatters, rapidly heating wounds spread out all over their bodies.
“Not ‘masters’ runt” Creed snarled, “More like business partners. They’re yer masters….and I’ve come ta take ya back to them. They miss their pet.”
“In yer dreams” Wolverine retorted. Lowering his stance, he rushed towards the seven-foot mutant, head butting him in the chest and sinking all six claws into his gut. In response, Sabretooth plunged his own claws into Wolverine’s sides. Dragging them, he tore them open, causing Wolverine to slump in pain.

“We can keep this on for as long as you want,” Sabretooth jeered. “In the end I am going ta win. I am larger than ya….I am faster than ya…..I am BETTER than ya” he punctuated each remark with a double swipe across the staggering Wolverine.
On the last swipe, Wolverine barely managed to move in time to avoid having his neck sliced open.

------

“They are going to kill each other” Cyclops sounded sick at the bloody battle going on before them. Deciding to end it, he raised his hand to his visor, but stopped at a commanding voice above him.
“NO” Storm hovered above her teammates. “No one will interfere,” she thundered, before lowering herself on the ground, next to her teammates.
“Storm” Cyclops argued. “LOOK at them….Look at the blood. We have to stop them before one of them dies.”
Storm shook her head, her face steeled. “We wait for the professor’s orders.”

“Stormy” Gambit reasoned. “At least we can try to help th’ Wolverine.”
“No brother.”
“How can ya say that” Rogue interrupted. She was confused at Storm’s indifferent attitude. This was Wolverine….her Logan. “Aren’t ya worried about yer *boyfriend*. Just look at that blondie.”
Both Gambit and Scott scowled at the ‘boyfriend’ remark, while Storm just gave a small smile.

“That *blondie* is called Sabertooth” she informed her teammates. “Him and Logan – they have got issues – Old issues. Even older than us.”
“What d’ y’ mean” Gambit sounded confused. “Older than us?”
“Later” Storm replied, ending any further talk. Rising into the air, she made her way towards Wolverine.

------

Wolverine was feeling fatigued. He wouldn’t last much longer.

He had had two major fights in the last thirty-six hours and hadn’t slept for double that time. Apart from that, his healing factor had been seriously overworked from the injuries he suffered during his escape from the lab and from being electrocuted in the x-men’s holding cell.

He had to end it now.

He took a moment to make his decision, he took a couple of steps back and then lunged forward, his claws aimed at Sabretooth’s abdomen. Twisting at the last moment, he turned sideways and plunged his left hand into his femoral artery while the right one entered the chest, puncturing one lung.
“Aaarrgghh…” Sabretooth cried out at the sudden pain and increased blood loss. Grabbing Wolverine’s hands he tried to pull his claws out and push him away, but the stocky mutant, pushed in deeper causing him to topple over.

Wolverine stayed in that position for the next few minutes as Sabretooth slashed at him, ripping his upper arms and shoulders. Gradually the blood loss took effect and finally he lost consciousness. ‘That should take care of him’ thought Wolverine. He knew that Sabretooth wouldn’t die. The wounds weren’t fatal, but were serious enough to keep him out for at least the next twenty four hours.
He could easily have killed the larger feral anytime he wanted. He had had several opportunities in the past. Somehow, something always stopped him from doing that. It was like a mental block…a memory. One which told him that Sabretooth could help him with the one thing that eluded him….*His Past*.

Even after years of torture at his hands in the Weapon X project, Wolverine still couldn’t bring himself to slice the bastard’s head off, so he did the next best thing. He castrated him. Yanking his left hand out, he plunged it into his groin…several times…effectively slicing his genitals into minute bits of flesh. It wasn’t permanent…..it never was. However, it was serious enough to take him at least a week to grow a new one.

------

“Oooohh…” winced Bobby, his hands reaching for his own family jewels. “That’s gotta to hurt” he joked, gaining a wimpy growl from Cyclops. At one time Bobby would have been scared by it, but now….now he had heard the real thing and instead of being frightened by it, he snickered at it.

“You KILLED him” accused Scott, stomping up to a kneeling Wolverine.
Getting off Sabretooth, he crawling away from the bloodied mess into Ororo’s arms. She was kneeling beside him, caressing his hair, taking care to avoid any of his wounds.
“He’s ain’t dead.” Wolverine growled. “He’ll live.” With that, he fell down, unconscious.

“Kurt” Ororo called to her teammate. “Get him to the infirmary and then teleport Sabretooth to the holding cells.”

------

Few hours later,

“How is he?”

Kitty Pryde looked up at the voice. In the doorway stood *sat* Xavier, with Scott and Jean standing behind him.
“Better” she answered, rising from the chair, she stretched herself and walked to the Professor’s side.

On the bed lay Wolverine, still unconscious from the wounds. His healing factor had kicked in *full force* knocking him out to preserve energy. On Xavier's orders, he was brought to his room, instead of been kept in the infirmary. All the medical equipment needed was *teleported* as well.

“How long have they been here?” questioned Scott, referring to the two other occupants of the room – Kurt and Ororo. Kurt was seated on a chair, next to the bed, a rosary in his hand and a prayer on his lips. While Ororo was lying on her stomach the bed…sleeping, a hand draped over wolverine’s chest, as if monitoring his heartbeat.

“Ever since he was brought here,” Kitty answered frankly. “We have been taking turns watching over him.”

-----

Ororo mumbled in her sleep. Someone was talking. Someone…..focusing her thoughts, she tried to recognize the intrusive voices…Kitty, The Professor and Scott.
“Keep it down” she grumbled from the bed, nuzzling closer to Wolverine.

The three ‘guests’ immediately went silent. Xavier didn’t show any reaction at the intimacy shared between her and Wolverine. He had sensed the love and more importantly, the understanding and trust Wolverine felt towards Storm. He knew that if he wanted to Wolverine to stay with the x-men and be a member of the team, Ororo was going to play a pivotal role in it. On a personal level, he was happy that finally Ororo had found someone to love and care for, even if her choice was a bit ‘unconventional’.

Jean had a mischievous smirk on her face. She was beginning to enjoy the *new* Storm. She was unable to probe Wolverine’s mind and wasn’t even going to try it. His threat still rang out aloud in her mind. However, she did not need telepathy to see the bond between her teammate and the Wild man.

What troubled Jean was the emotions Gambit and Cyclops had been giving out. Gambit she understood. His feelings were towards Storm. He wanted what was best for her and he felt that Wolverine wan’t it. The brother in him wasn’t impressed by the *feral*. Well, Wolverine didn’t *impress* anyone. He didn’t even try….he scared the living daylights out of them.
It was Cyclops whose feelings troubled her. Even now, she could sense anger, disgust and hate emanate from her boyfriend. There was something else, something she had never sensed earlier….and that something unnerved her…..Jealousy…and….fear. Scott was afraid and jealous of Wolverine. That was something, which shocked her. In all her time with the x-men, she had never known that type of a fear from Scott, even when they were facing off with the ‘Brotherhood’ or the ‘Friends of Humanity’ or any other enemy for that matter. Neither had she ever found him to be jealous of anyone else. And that troubled her more than his fear.

She would have to have a talk with him. However, for now she let things be as hey were and set about checking the various monitors attached to Wolverine.

-----

**How is he doing?** Xavier telepathically asked her.
**His vitals are stable…below normal but stable. We don’t know what is *normal* for him.** informed Jean. **Its almost as if he’s gone into a ‘suspended animation’ of sorts.**

**Hmm…..Interesting** mused Xavier.

**He should be coming out of it any moment** noted Jean. She had checked Wolverine for any external injuries and made her conclusion based on his previous recoveries.

As if sensing their thoughts, Wolverine’s vital statistics spiked at that very moment. Within seconds his heart rate, blood pressure and pulse doubled from their previous levels and his muscles started to twitch. He was waking up.

Ororo’s eyes snapped open. The strong heartbeat under her hand told her everything she wanted to know. The next moment she was on her elbow, her face hovering over Logan’s – exposing him to her scent. He would need this when he came out of this current state.

“Ororo…What are you doing?” questioned Scott. He had seen Wolverine come out of his first ‘induced sleep’ and heard about the second one. “You need to get away right…..” He was silenced by a raised hand from Xavier.
**Scott….She knows what she is doing. Wait and observe**

As they looked on, Wolverine started twitching; his hands clenched indicating his claws were ready to come out. Just as Ororo came to his side, his nostrils flared at her familiar scent. He immediately relaxed, his fists opening up.
“’Ro” he groaned.
“I am here” Ororo whispered in his ear, loud enough for him to hear. Raising her free hand to his cheek, she smoothed his muttonchops. Wolverine seemed to smile, purring at her caresses.

“Sleep” she murmured. Drawing closer, she planted a light kiss on her cheek.
“Hmmm….” Turning sideways, he moved his arms around her drawing her closer to nuzzle into her neck. Within moments, he was snoring lightly.

“Leave” Ororo mouthed to her teammates.

As soon as everyone left, she slid her hand around him, hugging him closer and went to sleep herself.

-----

Gambit’s room

“What’s your problem swamp rat?” Rogue was fed up with Remy’s insistent complaining. Ever since they got back from the Sabretooth-Wolverine fight, he had been pacing the room. He had barely said a single word and whenever he said anything, it usually consisted of the choicest French abuses.
“Notin cherie” grumbled Gambit.
“Bull” Rogue snorted. “Ya don’t lahke th’ Wolverine and….ya don’t lahke thaht he and Ororo love each otha.”
“Love” Gambit spat out. “My Stormy …don’t love ‘im” he jeered. “He is not right fo’ her.”

“Shut yer trap,” Rogue scolded him. “Ya are sounding just lahke Cyke…..Not raht for her…my ass.”
“Gambit is not Cyclops”
“Well ya sound just lahke him” Rogue repeated. “When Ah started t’ date ya, Scott said the same thing about ya, that ya’re saying about Wolverine. So what….Ah should stop seeing ya too.”
“Cherie” Gambit tried to reason with her, drawing her closer.
“Don’t cherie me” she pushed him away. “Give him a chance. More importantly….give yer sister a chance. Just as we were given” with that she walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Gambit huffed in frustration. First ‘Roro and now Rogue. He had to do something before things got out of hand. He cursed Wolverine and the moment they found him and brought him back to the mansion.

-----

Jean and Scott’s room

The setting was same as in their teammates’ room, except….here it was Jean who was doing the pacing while Scott sulked in a chair, staring at the wall.

Jean had just finished having her *talk* with Scott. She had confronted him with her findings about his feelings towards Wolverine. He had tried to turn it back on her, accusing her of spying on him, of not respecting his privacy. She shot back….reminding him of the psi-link they shared, allowing either of them to *talk* to each other and facilitated the sharing of emotions.

“Jean” Scott tried to placate his girlfriend. “Please…sit down.”
“No Scott….not until you tell me. Why do you hate Wolverine?”
“I do not HATE him” Scott spat out. “I just…I just don’t like him….”
Jean shook her head, “You don’t like Gambit….but Wolverine…you hate him. HATE Scott…that’s something I haven’t ever sensed from you. Why? Why do you hate him?” she demanded.

“You won’t understand” Scott tried but was cut off by a raised hand.
“Try me”

Instead of answering, Scott crossed his arms and looked away from her.

“Don’t want to answer…fine. Then let me tell you what I think the reason is. You saw what he did at the lab and to Sabretooth. You see him as a ‘loose cannon’ not used to taking orders…and that angers you…frightens you. You hate him for that. You hate him because you fear him. You are afraid….”
“I AM NOT AFRAID OF HIM,” Scott thundered.
“YOU ARE” Jean was equally loud. “And don’t you raise your voice at me. Not here. Here…right now…you are not my team leader. Here…you are my boyfriend.”
“And you cannot hide your feelings from me” she reminded him.

“I understand it all,” she continued at his silence. “Except for one thing” Scott looked up at her.
“What I don’t understand is…Why are you jealous of him?” Jean demanded. “And don’t give me the ‘I am not jealous’ answer, I know you are.”
“Why is that?” she demanded. “Is it because of Ororo and the way she is with him? Do you want it to be you instead of him.” She joked, but the next moment her eyes widened as his mental shields shot up and his posture changed to a defensive one.
“That’s it…isn’t it” she accused, hurt seeping into her voice. “You want Ororo to be with you...”
“N…” he tried to answer.

“You want her for yourself”

---

Please Review!!

** ** indicates telepathic communication.
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words
< > indicates translations.

---

“You want her for yourself”

Scott and Jean’s Bedroom

‘Man did I blow it or what’ Scott was pacing the room, frequently rubbing his forehead.

An hour ago,

“You want her for yourself,” Jean yelled. “You son of a bitch you want Ororo….my best friend.”
“No Jean…its not like that” Scott tried, trying to pacify her. “Its…”
“NOT like THAT” she bellowed again.
The next instant Scott found himself pushed outside their room window, hovering thirty feet in the air.
“Then tell me Scott…” she said with a sickening sweetness. Suddenly her voice turned cold, a menacing scowl on her face. “How is IT?”

“JEAN….” Scott cried out, looking down and fearing for his life. “Jean…please….let me down…give a chance tooooo……Aaaaahh” he yelled out as Jean tossed him higher into the air. “JEAN….”

**Give me one reason for not letting you fall to the ground** her cold mental voice threatened him.
**Jean….please…its really NOT what you think. Don’t be a…**
**DON’T even think about calling me a FOOL**
**Jean…..Please. Just give me one chance to explain** Scott pleaded.

There was no answer, but Scott found himself drawn towards their room.

“Go on….” Jean had her hands crossed at her chest, a deep scowl on her face. “EXPLAIN yourself”
“Well…” Scott gulped, calming himself from his near death experience. “It is like this….”

//Flashback//

“Hey…” a teenaged Scott Summers stepped into the Xavier mansion greenhouse.
In front of him, on her knees with her back to him was Ororo Monroe. At his hail, she looked back and smiled at him. “Good morning Scott” she spoke evenly. Her calm demeanor and control far beyond her age. “How are you this morning?”
“Good…very good” he answered nervously. “How are you doing? I mean after last night…,” he asked referring to her latest nightmare. Ororo and Remy had arrived at the mansion about a year ago and her intense nightmares were still something most residents were not used to
“I am well…” Ororo asked bluntly, turning back to the tulip bulbs, she was planting.

“Uh…I am sorry I didn’t mean to anger you” Scott spoke up, trying to salvage the situation. He had something on his mind and needed Ororo’s complete attention for it. “I am sorry” he tried again.
“It’s alright” Ororo answered standing up and straightening her dress.

Taking a deep breath, Scott stepped forward. “Ororo…” he spoke with false confidence. “….would you….know…I mean you and me…together…we.”
Understanding where he was going, Ororo cut him off eve before he could get the words out. “No”
“NO” Scott’s eyes widened behind his visor, a hint of anger and disappointment clear in his voice. He had expected this, but having it spoken out aloud and that too even before he could voice the question….hurt his adolescent ego. “Why not?” he questioned tightly. “I thought you liked me.”
“I do” Ororo answered trying to fend off his approach. “Not romantically….I like you as a friend…as a brot…”
“DON’T” Scott lifted his hand, “Don’t say that. Because I don’t……I like you in another way.”

“No you don’t” Ororo answered evenly, a drop of impatience coloring her usual even tone. “You like Jean….and I….”
“I know….you like LOGAN” Scott scoffed at the unknown competitor. “And as for Jean….she is with Warren.”
“Scott….Don’t….Cross…Your…Boundaries” Ororo threatened, her eyes clouding over, an ominous dark cloud appearing over Scott’s head. “JUST GO”

“Hmph…” Scott turned his back at her, his innards churning with fear. “You know what….I was doing you a favor. You think your Logan is going to come back. Guess again. You will stay this way….alone and lone…” his next words were interrupted as something hard hit against his jaw knocking him off his feet. Looking up at the hidden attacker, he saw a pissed off Remy Lebeau standing over him, his red on black eyes glinting with pure anger and hate.
Bending down her pulled Scott towards Ororo and pushed him towards her feet.
“Apologize homme” Remy said tightly. “Say sorry NOW or else…” he threatened charging the single card he had just drawn from his ever present playing cards deck.

Looking up at the tearful sister and angry brother duo, Scott decided that apologizing would be the best way to get out of the greenhouse alive and in one piece.
“Sorry Ororo...I shouldn’t have said that” he said, pushing himself up.
“Yes you shouldn’t have” Ororo answered, leaning on Remy’s shoulder, turning her head away from him.

“Ororo….” Scott tried again. He had been a jerk and had just realized it. The professor had warned all the students to avoid questioning Ororo about her past and especially taking care to not meddle with her calm attitude….her emotions. It was necessary for her to maintain control of her powers and of the weather. She was still perfecting her control and erratic emotional behavior was a deterrent to that control.
“Leave” Remy spoke for her, pointing to the greenhouse door.

Nodding his head, Scott turned and walked to the door, his head lowered and shoulders slumped in shame.

//End Flashback//

Jean was stunned at Scott’s revelation. No one had told her about this….not even Ororo, her best friend, her sister – who was an involved party.
“When did this happen?” she asked, her voice thick and rough at the sudden tightness in her throat.
“Six months before we got together” Scott answered, rubbing his hand on his face as if trying to rub the past away.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Jean demanded. “Why didn’t YOU tell me?”
Looking up at her, Scott let out a sigh. “When this happened…you were dating Warren” he started. “You know Ororo was correct….I really liked you and just wanted to lash at you. Maybe even make you jealous. You were a medical student…almost a doctor, dating a multi-millionaire playboy. Me….I was just a freshman at college. Once we started dating….I was afraid that if you came to know about it, you would break off and go back to him.”
At his reasoning, Jean seemed to calm down. When she and Scott had started dating, they had to face comments and even rebukes from others as well as overcome their own personal fears. The reason for this was the seven years age difference between them…she being the older partner.

‘But why didn’t Ororo…’
As if sensing her next question, Scott spoke again. “As for Ororo…she was the one who had the good sense to keep it a secret.”

//Flashback//

Three weeks after the greenhouse incident,

The x-men had just ended a strenuous training exercise and were headed for the showers.
“Scott…” Scott looked back to see Ororo and Remy walking towards him. Nearing him, Ororo stopped while Remy continued walking to the showers, but not before pointing a fluorescent charged card at him.
“Y..Yes Ororo” Scott was still nervous to face Ororo. More than anything, he was afraid of the news reaching the Professor’s ears. He had a deep respect for their mentor and looked up to him as a father.

Taking a deep breath, Ororo spoke evenly. “Whatever happened in the greenhouse must not be repeated…EVER. You will never mention it to anyone and not talk about my past. Do you understand that?”
“Yes” Scott nodded his head.
“Very well. You do that and….I will not report it to the Professor and make sure that no one else will know about that day’s events. Neither Remy nor I will speak of it to anyone” with that she started towards the girls shower.

“Ororo…” Scott called out to her.
“Yes” she stopped but did not turn back to face him.
“Thank you for not telling anyone” he apologized softly. “…..And I am sorry”

Ororo just nodded her head before continuing on her path.

//End Flashback//

“That is why no one knows about it” Scott clarified to her.

“So you ARE jealous of Wolverine” Jean accused again. “You want it to be you to be with her. Do you still want her? Because if you do….let me tell you one thing, if you haven’t been able to get her till now…you surely aren’t going to get her now that ‘her’ Logan is here with her. However….if you still want to give it a try….you are more than welcome to try it. Just know that….if you do that it will end anything we have…forever. I don’t play second fiddle.”
“No Jean” Scott shot up from his chair. “It’s not like that.”
“Then how is it?” she questioned again, tears appearing in her eyes. “Because it sure looks that way to me. You seemed to be tired of an *old* model like me and still want your first love…the beautiful regal Storm.” Her words sounded harsh to even herself. It sounded as if she was accusing Ororo of being an equal participant. But she needed to do that. She would apologize to Ororo later.

“JEAN” Scott caught hold of her shoulders. “Don’t say that….You know you are my first, one and only true love. Please don’t….” he leaned onto her shoulders. “Please…I am sorry.”
Tears were flowing freely from Jean’s eyes. “Then tell me the real reason,” she asked, her normal smooth voice cracking under the intense emotional stress.
“Its…Its….” Scott tried to get the words out. “It was more of an ego thing…she…”
“She turned you down” Jean completed his words. “It’s because she turned you down for someone you look down at….someone you fear.”

“I don’t….” Scott started again.
“Shut.Up.Scott” Jean said, pushing him away. “Just Shut Up. I have seen it all. I see how you feel towards Wolverine….act towards him. You fear him…what he is…you are afraid of that. But at the same time you think that he is below you and doesn’t deserve to stand alongside with you….let alone have in his arms – the most sought after woman you know. Especially one who didn’t deem you suitable enough for even a single date.”
“Jean…” Scott was hurt at her blunt words.

Walking to the door, Jean opened it.
“Scott I suggest you get over your petty egotistical feelings and act as the team leader you are….and not interfere in the personal life of others….when your personal life is on the brink of ending itself.”

With that, she walked away, closing the door behind her.

----

Present,

Scott was angry…..angry and sad.

He regretted his actions and thoughts…both towards Ororo and Jean. He would have to come clean with both of them and hope that they forgave him.

But more than that, he was angry. Angry with himself…lowering himself to the level of that….that animal. *Wolverine*…even his name was that of an animal. ‘He’s not worth it. He’s not worth my time.’

----

Sometime later, Mansion kitchen

“Coffee Cherie’” Jean had just entered the kitchen and found herself face to face with one of the three people she least wanted to be with.
“Uhn….hey Remy” Jean responded uncomfortably.

Noting her slightly smudged makeup and reddened eyes, Remy instantly knew that the Wolverine had intruded upon hers’ and Cyclops bedroom too.
“Coffee?” he offered to her. At her reluctance, he tried again. “Come on cherie, Remy need yor’ help.”
“Help?” Jean’s eyes shot up. “Why….what happened? Are you sick? Hurt?” she asked in full doctor mode.
“Only if you can call a verbal beating from ma’ belle….being hurt.”

“You and Rogue” Jean relaxed, a smirk on her face. Remy and Rogue were the resident *explosive* couple of the mansion…..their fights were as intense as everything else in their relationship. “What was it this time?”
“Th’ Wolverine” Remy answered with a slight regret and anger in his voice. He had been thinking about what Rogue’s parting remark. *Give him a chance. More importantly….give yer sister a chance. Just as we were given*

“You too huh” Jean chuckled picking up her coffee mug.
“Yes….she want me t’ give th’ Wolverine a chance” he managed to croak out.
Jean nodded her head. “She is right you know. Some of us have been closed towards Wolverine. We should give him a chance. He can’t be all bad if Ororo loves him.”
Remy flinched at her last words. ‘Love’ Rogue had said the same thing to him. His Stormy….his one and only…the woman on whose love he had had sole proprietorship….loving someone else. And that too more than she loved him. The thought of it was both joyous and sickening.

It was the brother in him. On one hand, he was happy for his sister, but on the other hand, he was finally going to lose her. Through the years he hadn’t been troubled by the various suitors. He knew that she wouldn’t give into them….give up on the *unseen* non-present Logan.
Now….Now Logan was here and in an instant, everything had changed. In an instant, he lost the position of the most important man in her life to him…to Logan…to Wolverine. That was something he wasn’t ready to do at such a short notice.

“I know about the greenhouse,” Jean stated softly, jarring Remy out of his thoughts.
“Hnn….” Remy looked at Jean, having missed what she had said.
“I said…” Jean looked directly at him. “I know about the greenhouse.”
“Oh…” was all Remy could say.
“I’d like to thank you for staying silent for so many years….even though you and Scott don’t always see eye to eye.”

For once Remy did not know what to say. Jean’s sudden revelation had stunned him speechless.

Standing up, Jean emptied the leftover coffee into the sink. Walking to Remy, she laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Give it a chance…give them a chance,” she said before walking away to her office, leaving Remy staring at the choice mug grasped within his hands.

-----

Outdoors,

Bobby Drake and St. John Allerdyce were sitting poolside discussing the latest gossip topic among the students of the Xavier Institute. They were talking about their teacher’s new *boyfriend*.
“I don’t know what she sees in him” St. John commented, flipping his lighter’s cover. “He looks life an overgrown wolf or something” he chuckled at the mental visual. “Wolverine….what sort of a name is that?”
“A name which fits him perfectly” Bobby stated, the events at the base clear in his head. “You haven’t seen him in action. He’s….He’s….” he was knocking his head to get the correct words.
“He’s the best at what he does.”

Both friends looked up to see Kitty and Piotr walking towards them.
“Uh…Hi guys. Come for a swim” he commented at their garb.
“Yes” Kitty nodded her head. “Wolverine has recovered so we decided to leave him and Ororo alone.”
“She is with them…right now” Bobby pointed towards Wolverine’s room. “What are they doing? I bet they are all Ooohhh….and Aaahh. You know all kissy-kissy” he joked making kissing sounds and moving his hands around an invisible lover.
“No” Kitty grinned at his antics. Bobby was the resident clown and he never let the others forget it. “They are just sleeping.”

“SLEEPING…” St. John spit his lemonade out. “As in….together…in the daytime.”
“Yes” Kitty answered innocently. “They were tired”
“Man….they didn’t waste any time did they” St. John grinned at her.
“Allerdyce….get your head out of the gutter” she scolded him. “They are sleeping…..as in SLEEPING…catching zees….snoozing and all that. Not you know ‘sleeping’.”
“Oh” he sounded disappointed.

“How did they hook up so soon?” John questioned Kitty. “He’s only been here for a day…and *POW* he has the resident goddess wrapped around his pinky.”
Kitty was hesitant for few moments, “I don’t know if I should be telling you this….but it seems both of them knew each other since before Ororo came to live at the mansion. Even before she met Remy.”
Bobby’s eyes widened at her words. He had once witnessed Ororo’s nightmares and had overheard the Professor and Jean talking about it.
“He’s Logan….isn’t he” he stated with conviction.
“Yes…” Kitty nodded her head. “But only Ororo is allowed to call him that. The rest of us have to call him by his codename…Wolverine”
“Or what…” John chuckled. “….he’ll climb into your lap and growl at you.”

“No” Kitty sounded angry. She liked Wolverine and Storm and didn’t want to hear anything against them. “He’ll…well just hope you never need to find out.”
“I am not afraid of him,” John boasted, creating a small ball of fire. “He doesn’t look all that tough. Just like an overgrown hairball. If he tries anything stupid with me…I’ll burn all those hair right off his body.”

“They’ll grow right back….” Bobby grinned at his friend’s mock bravery. “….he’s...well you have had to seen him in action to know what he is. Just remember that you don’t want to go up against him. I have seen him get shot dozens of times, his skin burnt right off his body, his muscles torn off his body by explosions and even have a truck run over him…and he still shrugs it all off and continues fighting.”
“WHAT?” John was impressed and fearful, all of his bravado…gone up in the proverbial smoke.
“Well I’ll tell you everything….but just let me start by saying that the Professor sent eight of us to *rescue* him and he still managed to get away….and get a lot of slicing and dicing done in doing that.”

With that, he started narrating the events of the Wolverine’s rescue by the x-men.

-----

Logan’s room,

Wolverine growled at the repetitive knocking on the door. Trying to get deeper into the soft bed, he moved his hand to draw Ororo closer to him….but grasped just air.
“’Ro” he grunted at her absence. Her scent was strong in the room and the warmth of the bed told him that she had just gotten up.

Turning around he saw her opening the door. Before he could tell her to leave it locked, she had opened it. Standing in the doorway was….”One Eye” he growled.
“I’ll be there in a minute” he heard her say.

Coming towards him, she bent down and kissed him on the lips.
“I have some work in the infirmary” her sweet breath was hot against his mouth. “You rest…I’ll be back soon.”
“Hmm…Ok” he rubbed his eyes, trying to rub the sleep out of them. Jumping off the bed, he walked her to the door and watched her walk away towards the elevator.
“Whatdya want One-eye?” he growled at the taller man. He could sense the unease rolling off from him.
“From you…nothing” Wolverine sensed his scent change…..he was gonna do something bad.

“I just wanted to let Ororo know that Forge is awake and is asking for her.”
“Forge?” Logan cocked his ears. “Who’s that?”

“He….He’s her boyfriend”

---

Please Review

** ** indicates telepathic communication.
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words
< > indicates translations.

---

“He….He’s her boyfriend”

“WHAT?”

-WHAM- Scott hit the wall as an enraged Wolverine punched him right in the jaw, sending him flying through the air.
“You Idiot” Scott cried out in pain. Sitting up he cradled his jaw, barely able to speak a word.

“What did ya say? ....boyfriend” Wolverine stepped towards him. -SNIKT- His claws sprang out.
He stopped for an instant as the elevator door slid open and Remy stepped out. Taking an instant to assess the situation, Gambit reasoned that Wolverine had gone off the deep end and attacked the x-men’s team leader. Drawing out his cards, he stepped towards Wolverine, who had his back to him and seemed completely oblivious to him.

“What did you say about ‘Ro?” Wolverine grunted, stopping Remy in his tracks. He had to hear this.
“Asshole” Scott grunted under his breath. Wolverine’s punch had done a real number on him. He would have a real shiner not to mention that it would be days before he could eat properly.
Raising his hand, he got ready to strike, when the slight sizzling of a card being charged reached his ears.
“Ya stay outta this,” Wolverine growled to Gambit over his shoulder.
“No can do homme” Gambit’s laid-back voice didn’t confuse Wolverine, who could sense his hands twitching as he waited for Wolverine to make the first move. “Y’ step away from Cyke.”

“Or what?” Wolverine growled back. “Ya gonna play poker with those cards.” Disregarding the Cajun card thrower, he retracted the claws from his left hand and heaved Scott up.
“Let ‘im go” Gambit’s voice was tight. “or else….” He let the words hang in the air.
“What did ya say?” Wolverine looked back at him for the first time.
“Let. Cyclops. Go.”
“Fuck. You.” Wolverine growled back at him.

**Stop this right now** Xavier’s telepathic command rang out in everyone’s head.
Not used to the telepathic method of communication, Wolverine let go of Cyclops, falling down on to his knees, he grasped his head between his hands.
“GET OUTTA MY HEAD” Wolverine yelled at the Professor.

Taking advantage of the situation, Cyclops sped towards Gambit. Once he was out of Wolverine’s immediate reach, he turned to him.
“You uncivilized asshole,” Scott spat out. “I was joking you idiot.”
“What?” Wolverine grunted, feeling his head still throbbing from the unexpected intrusion.
“I was joking,” repeated Scott. “But you know what….its not going to be the same for long. She is not going to stay with someone like you.”
“She’s MINE,” Wolverine roared, stressing the last word. “MINE”
“Hmmmph….” Cyclops flipped him off. “Do you really think she would be someone like you when she could have someone like him? You don’t deserve her or any other woman.”

Gambit had been silently observing the interaction between Cyclops and Wolverine and knew that they were *talking* about Ororo. He had come to talk to Wolverine about the same thing and to tell him that he was ready to give him a chance. The fight almost made him give up, but Wolverine’s reaction at Cyclops last comment made him stop and rethink his strategy.
At Cyclops comments, Wolverine just seemed to lose hope, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Turning away, Wolverine stepped into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
“What happen’ Cyke” Gambit turned to Cyclops, who was still caressing his now swollen jaw.
“Nothing that’s any of your business” Scott scoffed at Gambit, walking away towards the elevator. He knew he had screwed up. He had come to try to joke with Wolverine in order to make him feel more comfortable, but it had literally blown up in his face. He would have to go the med lab now and face Jean and maybe even…Ororo.
And then there was the Professor. He was greatly interested in Wolverine and inhis joining the x-men and this event would not sit well with his plans. Scowling at himself and at Wolverine, he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the med lab.

----

Logan was on the floor, curled up in a fetal position, the sweatshirt Ororo had worn clenched to his chest. He had spent his entire time at the lab latching down her memory. It helped him from losing himself and becoming the mindless killer he was being turned into.

At the knock on the door, he raised his head and sniffed. There wasn’t any new scent.
“Whaddya want?” he grumbled from his position.
“Remy wan’ t’ talk t’ you” Gambit answered from the other side. “It is about Stormy.”
Cursing under his breath, Wolverine decided to hear the Cajun out. It couldn’t be worse than the news one-eye had given him. His ‘Ro….with another man. The mere thought of that happening made him want to kill something or more likely a specific someone….a six foot tall dickhead with a geeky visor on his eyes.
Sitting up, he pressed his back to the bedside. “Come in” he grunted his answer to Remy’s request.

Opening the door warily, Gambit peeked in for any sign of danger. Finding Wolverine sitting down on the floor, he relaxed and sauntered into the room.
“What was that about?” he demanded, getting a grunt from Wolverine.
“None of yer business,” Wolverine narrowed his eyes, his claws itching to come out.
“It is my business,” Gambit answered with equal sternness. “Stormy be Remy’s sister.”
At his words, Wolverine relaxed a bit. Maybe this ‘brother’ wouldn’t be as big an asshole as he looks and smells to be.

“What was that about?” Remy repeated his earlier question.
“Ororo’s boyfriend” Wolverine spat the last word as if trying to get rid of poison. “Forge”
Gambit’s eyes widened in surprise before he burst laughing. Tipping over, he fell onto the sofa.
“It aint’s funny” Wolverine growled at his reaction.
“It is from my side” Remy managed between laughs.
“Grrr…” Wolverine’s predatory growl sobered him immediately, causing him to hold up his hands to calm him down from having a repeat of the corridor.
“Take it easy homme,” Remy stated; still trying to stifle his laughs. “Forge isn’t Stormy’s boyfriend.”
“He isn’t,” Wolverine was both surprised and relieved. Scott’s words had brought up his old insecurities about his and Ororo’s relation. When they had got together for the first time, Logan had always thought that someone so pure and innocent like Ororo deserved someone just like her and not a hard and moody animal like him. Through her love, she had laid those doubts to rest. Even now, after all this time, she was the same way – her love felt as deep as ever.
Scott’s words had made him think again. Seven years – seven years had passed. Both he and Ororo had changed. He had become more of an animal – a weapon, incapable of loving or being loved, and she…she had grown into the strong, respected team leader of the x-men. She had changed, and maybe her feelings, her likes and dislikes had changed too. Was *this* what she wanted for herself? Was he the one who she wanted for herself?

“Did Stormy tell you about Forge being her boyfriend?” Remy asked speculatively. If indeed, Forge and Ororo were together, it was news for him too. As far as he knew Forge was just another in a line of suitors including Warren, Bishop, his own cousin brother, the great Cyclops himself and even Magneto’s son…Pietro.
“One-eye” Wolverine grunted his answer, his claws breaking the skin of his knuckles.
“Hmm…” Remy was rubbing his chin, thinking about the reasons behind this lie. What was Cyclops up to? ‘Remy will hav’ t’ talk with Cyke’ Remy thought. However, before that he had someone else to talk to. Someone who right now was sitting right in front of him, deeply breathing in Ororo’s scent from the sweatshirt.

-----

“What are yor intentions towards Ororo?” as soon as the question was out of his mouth, Remy regretted it and the curt tone he had used to ask it. At Wolverine’s growl, he softened his voice and tried again.
“Remy mean she be his sister an’ Remy jus’ want her t’ be ‘appy.”
“So do I” Wolverine answered suspiciously. The Cajun was going somewhere and after Scooter’s nasty surprise, Logan was treading warily.

Remy just nodded his and relaxed his body so as to put Wolverine at ease. He smiled when his tactic worked. Wolverine retracted his claws and rested his back against the bed.
“Remy just’ want t’ say that he be happy with Stormy being happy” Logan just nodded his head slowly, his eyes narrowing as he waited for the next words. “You make Stormy happy like no one ever did….not even Remy” he whispered under his breath, oblivious to Wolverine’s enhanced hearing.
“Whaddya are getting at?” Wolverine asked impatiently.
“Remy saying that he givin’ you one chance with Stormy. You hurt ‘er and not even your healing factor will be able to save you.”

Wolverine scoffed at the younger man’s threat. But he understood where he was coming from. It was clear that he cared about Ororo, more than anyone Logan had met so far…except for himself.

Remy was startled as Wolverine suddenly jumped up and stepped towards him. Reaching for the side table, he was about to charge it when Logan’s extended hand surprised him even further. Letting go of the table, he grasped the hand for a handshake.
“Ya got spunk kid” Remy raised his eyes brows at the ‘kid’ comment. “I see ya care about ‘Ro. But ya don’t need ta worry about her. I want the best for her” he ended, silently adding ‘even if it is not me’.

Standing up Remy firmly shook Wolverine’s hand, giving him a genuine smile in return. Being an empath, he could sense the older man’s love for his sister.

“Ya know where ‘Ro is right now? She said something about going to the infirmary.”
Remy grinned at the shorter man. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. After all Stormy loved him. “Remy will take you to her…Old man” he joked, stepping to the door.
“Old man” Wolverine gave a mock growl, flipping Remy the bird with an extended middle claw. “You are yah calling Old.”
“Who are you calling a kid” Remy quipped back at him.

Chuckling, both of them made their way towards the infirmary.

----

Meanwhile in the Infirmary,

Ororo Monroe was silently observing as Hank completed the last of his tests. He estimated that although Forge wasn’t hurt severely by the lighting charge, he would need extensive work on his cybernetic leg. On the other hand, instead of the earlier estimate of a week, he would be up on his feet within two to three days.
“Henry could you give us some time alone” Forge requested from the bed.
Looking at Ororo, who nodded her head, Henry smiled a *fanged* smile at Forge. “Very well, but I have to stress the importance of rest for you….both of you.”
With that, he stepped out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.

“Ororo I’m sorry” Forge apologized outright, surprising Ororo who had been expecting him to hesitate, even deny his actions.
Ororo just nodded her head giving him a small smile. “You are forgiven, and I too am sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Forge smiled back at her, his smooth voice putting her at ease.
“No I do” Ororo stressed. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I am sorry.”
“Alright…” Forge grinned at her, laying a hand on hers. “Apology accepted. But you will need to make up for it.”
“Make up for it” Ororo narrowed her eyes.
“Yes…as soon as I am up and running, you will need to join me for dinner.”
Ororo hesitated for a moment, but deciding that a dinner couldn’t do any harm, she nodded her head, gently squeezing Forge’s hand.

Sensing that had calmed down enough, Forge decided to make his move.
“Ororo….there is something else I want to tell you.”
“Yes” Ororo was suddenly tense at the change in Forge’s tone.
“I…”

Unbeknownst to them, the infirmary door had slid open with two people stepping inside. Looking up at the ‘intimate’ scene before his eyes, Logan caught the last words.

“I love you.”

---

Note: Please Review!!

‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words
< > indicates translations.

---

“I love you.”

“Come on homme’. Gambit take y’ back. Stormy be waiting fo’ you,” Gambit offered for the third time that.
“Na,” Logan shook his head, chucking the empty glass away and reaching for half filled whisky bottle lying on the table between them. “I ain’t drunk yet.”
“Not drunk yet,” Remy chuckled, his own voice slurred from being intoxicated. “Homme, this be our third bottle. Even Remy feelin’ tha effects now.”
“Then you go back,” Logan grunted.
Raising the bottle to his lips and he tilted it, feeling the bitter liquid burn through his throat. Things were finally looking up now. He might even have a chance to get properly drunk and get a couple of hours of *alcohol-induced* sleep. It would give him some respite from the bottomless pit opening up in his chest, slam-bang in the middle of his heart.

“I love you”

The words still pounded at him, as they had been for the past eight or ten or who cares how many hours. Ever since he had seen Ororo, HIS Ororo, holding hands with some half-metal asshole, and heard those words being spoken to her, he had been trying to do anything and everything possible to forget that scene and those fuckin’ words.

Those three words. The same words that he had never spoken aloud to her. He didn’t think he needed to. But then again he had never thought that he would meet someone like Ororo, get separated from her and be captured by those Weapon X assholes. Again, for a second time. Have some kind of indestructible metal grafted onto his bone that further skewered his already patchy Swiss cheese like memory.

And then, suddenly seven years later, be rescued by a some leather clad, superhero wannabes and get to meet her again.

Seven years. Seven FUCKIN’ years. Seven years of pain and torture. Seven years of being treated like an animal, a lab rat. Seven years of loneliness, with nothing or none to care for. No one except her.

----

For him nothing had changed, and at the same time, everything had changed.

He still loved her and she still loved him, or so he had thought. First that dick-head Cyclops had told her that that Indian was her boyfriend. Boyfriend. He had never called herself her boyfriend, nor had she been his girlfriend. They had just been….what had they been? They had just been themselves. They had been together. They had been there *for* each other. They had been *of* each other.

Were they still *for* and *of* each other?

Everything had changed in seven years. Look at him. Even before he was captured the first time, he knew he was an animal. He drank, fought and fucked, not in any specific order. That had been his life, as far as he could remember. He was a loner, a pariah. A fighter who won every time and on whom, people bet and won. A dick, whom women enjoyed fucking. But apart from that, he was alone and lonely.

Until he met a white haired, *shot gun* mouthed, *heart of gold* seventeen year old thief. She had….

“What are y’ think Wolverine,” Gambit brought him back to the present.
“Nothin’ Cajun,” Logan shook his head. “Just my sorry excuse for a life.”
“Ya thinkin’ about Stormy,” Gambit said knowingly.
“What else is there worth thinking about?” Logan spoke under his breath, loud enough for Remy to catch it.
“Homme’ don’t worry. He don’t mean anything to her,” he wisely avoided naming names. Both of them knew who HIM and HER were. Forge and Ororo. “You be the only man she love,” Gambit said freely.
Over the last several hours, both fighters had bonded over bikes, babes, pool and most importantly booze. While he still had some reservations about his current drinking partner and his *relation* with his sister, he had clearly seen the depth of his feelings towards her. The same depth he had seen in her for the last seven years.
“Yeah, the only man,” Logan sighed. Tilting his head, he gave Remy a rueful smile. “Except fer you.”
“That be true,” Remy grinned at him. “Stormy be my padnat, my sister. No one be able to take that part of her heart, not even her Logan.”

-----

“I am not good fer her,” Logan spoke up after several minutes of silence. “Not good at all.”
“That not be true,” Remy shot back.
“It’s the truth,” Logan let his fisted hand fall to the table. “….and even you know it. She deserves the best.”
“That’s true, she does deserve the best,” Gambit nodded, his words causing Logan to flinch. “But she wants you.”
Logan relaxed and smirked at the Cajun’s bluntness. “Ya know – yer ok fer a Cajun. Ya ain’t the complete asshole that I thought ya were.”
“That feelin’ go both way,” Remy wagged his finger at Logan. “In the beginning, Remy didn’t like you. But anyone who can hustle pool, fight and drink better than Remy, deserve Remy’s respect.”

“Ya forgot the bike riding part,” Logan chuckled before sobering up, his stare stuck at the empty glass before him. “I taught her how to ride a bike,” he whispered fore lonely.
“Who?” Remy let out involuntarily. At the look on Logan’s face he sobered up. ”Oh!”
“Yeah, Oh,” Logan lolled his head back. “She was so excited that day. The whole sky cleared up, a bright sun shining down on us.”

-----

“Come on homme’,” Remy grabbed the side of the table and pulled himself up. “We gotta go now, or ma’ cherie will track this Cajun down and kick his ass from ‘ere t’ the mansion….and then some.”

“Whipped.” Logan taunted as he pushed himself off his seat.

“Whom you be calling whipped wild-man,” Remy jokingly frowned at the shorter mutant. “Jus’ wait till we get t’ home. Stormy be waiting to kick yer hairy-ass.”
Logan didn’t verbalize his silent answer, silently hoping that the Cajun was correct and that Ororo was indeed waiting for him and was not with that Cheyenne.

*I hope yer right*

---

Note: I know its short....But you can spare a minute to review it!! And I repeat I know its short ::Winks::

---

** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

---

*I hope yer right*

“Where were you?” a cold but worried voice greeted Logan the moment he stepped into *his* room.
He knew she was here, he had smelled her the moment he had starting walking up the stairs, her scent growing stronger with each step as he walked along the silent corridors.

“What are ya doin’ here?” he growled, the alcohol and the memory of what he had witnessed in the infirmary making him snap at her. Walking to the dresser, he emptied his pockets and stood there, facing away from her.
“Waiting for you,” Ororo answered in a clipped tone. “Where were you?” she repeated her previous question.
“Out,” was the one word Logan gave, before repeating his own question. “Why are ya here?”
“I told you I was waiting for you,” Ororo snapped, worry clear in her voice. Anyone with normal senses wouldn’t have detected it, but then again Logan wasn’t just anyone. He was the Wolverine, the super-assassin, who had killed more people than he could remember. He had ‘enhanced’ senses, fuck it….he was an animal.

---

He was so lost in his self-depreciating thoughts that he didn’t notice Ororo come and stand behind him.
“Logan,” she whispered softly, her perfectly manicured hand reaching for his shoulder.

The moment her fingers touched him, he jumped as if her touch scalded him.
“Logan…” Ororo’s voice cracked. What had happened to him? This morning everything was fine…..and now? Now he could not even bear to look at her leave alone bear her touch.

“What dya want ‘Ro,” Logan asked in a tight voice, still not facing her. “Why are ya here?”
“Logan, what happened? Why are you acting like this?” she once against reached for him, but was stopped short when he turned in a flash and caught her slender arms with his large calloused hands, gripping them tightly – too tightly in fact, his grip hurting her.

“What happened?” Ororo was surprised by the look in his eyes. Where his voice was dead cold, his eyes were burning with passion, hurt and…..a sense of loss. “Do ya have ta ask what happened?”
“Logan, you are hurting me?”
At her words, Logan immediately let go of her, stumbling back, away from her. “Leave ‘Ro.”

“Logan….” She reached once again for him. “Logan please.”
“LEAVE,” he almost yelled out. Lowering his head, he once again turned away from her. “Leave ‘Ro….go where you wanna go. Just leave me alone.”
Ororo’s approach stopped instantly. She had been afraid of this. He no longer wanted her.

She had come to his room to talk to him about what happened with Scott. She had seen Scott when she had been visiting Forge in the infirmary.

//Flashback//

“Ororo….there is something else I want to tell you,” Forge had said to her.
“Yes” she had tensed up at his tone. They had been talking freely and somewhere along the way, her hand had wound up held in his.
“I…” he started hesitantly. “I love you.”

Ororo had stood silently for a few seconds, stunned by his sudden declaration. She knew that Forge was attracted to her, maybe even had some feelings, but to her he had been just like many before him, a handsome man who had pursued her for sometime, then once they realized that there wasn’t any future in that, they would gradually break away and start pursuing someone else. They either moved into the friend-zone or completely severed contact with her.

But none of them had been so forward as to profess their love for her. She didn’t know what to say to him? She didn’t want to hurt him, nor did she want to lead him on? Maybe things might have progressed differently if Logan hadn’t come back into her life? But now he was there and she didn’t want anyone else? Logan had been and still was the only man for her.

“Ororo…” Forge slowly slid her hand upwards to her wrist, gently caressing and enjoying the feel of her honey smooth feel. “Ororo?”
Coming back to her senses, the first thing Ororo did was pull her hand from his grip. It was so sudden that he didn’t get a chance to tighten his grip, and ended up grasping at empty air.

“Ororo, please say something?” Forge’s voice was gently but urging.
“What do you want me to say?” Ororo stepped away from her, his gaze not him his.
“Well,” he smiled at her. Her shyness raising his hopes. “….usually its good to return the complement.”
“I….I…” Forge smiled wider at her hesitance. “I’m sorry but I can’t.”
“You can’t?” his voice hitched.
“I’m sorry Forge if I led you on to believe that there was something besides friendship between us,” Ororo apologized. “I don’t love you. I like you, but just as a friend.”

“But we can have something more than friendship,” Forge pushed on; unaware of what had transpired during the time he was unconscious. “We are progressing so well. I am sure that given the time….”
“No Forge,” Ororo cut him off. She wanted to end this before it went any further. “I don’t anything more than friendship to offer to you.”
“Can you tell me why?” he asked, his tone sullen at the rejection he was having to face.
“I love someone else,” Ororo proclaimed without any hesitation. “I love Logan.”
Forge winced at the name of the non-present….no he was no longer a non-present competitor.

However, he wasn’t ready to let up yet.
“But does he love you?” he shot in the darkness. The slight hesitation on Ororo’s face telling him that he had hit the mark. “Does he love you?” he asked a second time, in a softer tone than the first time.
“I don’t know,” Ororo’s voice dropped. “I think he does.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Forge gained the confidence Ororo had just lost. “What if he doesn’t? What then?”

Before either of them could anything else, Scott walked in from the inner rooms, his nose was bandaged and a slight swelling had set in on the right side of his face.
“Scott, what happened?” Ororo took advantage of his intrusion to get away from Forge and his probing questions.
“Wolverine happened,” Scott grunted out, his voice slightly nasal due his injury.
“Wolverine?” Ororo’s brow furrowed. “What happened Scott?”
“He hit me,” Scott spat out, wincing the next moment at the pain shooting out from nose. “He hit me,” he said softly.
“Why?” Ororo came to stand next to him. “Tell me everything.”

**Scott, Ororo, please come to my office** Xavier’s voice sounded in their heads.
“Yes Professor,” Scott answered moving towards the door, Ororo walking next to him. She needed to find out what had happened between Scott and Logan and she wasn’t going to let go of Scott until she got her answers.

-----

Fortunately or unfortunately, she got those answers sooner than she expected it, and not from Scott. She got them from Xavier.

She had come to know about the *joke* Scott had pulled on Logan. He had told Logan that Forge was her boyfriend and Logan had reacted he only way he knew, he had punched Scott right in the kisser, just missing it and landing it on his nose and cheek. That explained the injuries he was sporting.

Ororo herself had wanted to give him a doze of the same medicine that Logan had given, albeit in a larger amount.

Xavier had mediated between them, telling Scott to refrain from any more ‘cheap hits’ against the newest mansion resident and to Ororo he had told that she should inform Logan about the mansion rules and regulations and that he should also refrain from letting his fists do the talking for him.

Both team leaders had silently listened to their mentor talk. Once he had finished they had gone their separate ways, with Scott retreating to his and Jean’s room and Ororo heading for Logan’s room only to find him gone. She had been searching for him, when one of the students had informed her that the last he had seen of Wolverine was when he was heading out of the mansion as a passenger on Gambit’s bike.

Ororo had returned to Logan’s room, waiting for his return.

//End Flashback//

In the hours she had spent in Logan’s room, she had mulled over the sudden changes in her life over the past few days.

First, she had almost developed feelings for Forge, something that had not happened with any of her previous *suitors*, not even Warren, who had been very refined and very persuasive. Even he had given up after three months, finally moving on to the love of his life, Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Braddock.

Forge had slowly inched forward, until today. Today he had told her that he loved her, something she did not expect even in her wildest thoughts.

Then, there was Logan. He had finally turned up after seven years of captivity and inhuman experimentation. He had been ripped apart and metal had been pumped into him, coating each millimeter of his bones, right up to his previously bone claws. The procedure had changed him, even she had sensed as much. Where one he had been prone to intense bursts of anger, now he just went into a berserker rage, as he had done during his fight against Sabertooth.

Seeing Logan and being with him, even after all this time had washed away any doubts that had risen in her mind. She was in love with him. Just as she had been all those years ago when she was a thief and he was an escapee from a secret government organization. She hadn’t realized it then, but she was in love with him then too.

But did he love her? Was he in love with her?

-----

She had been determined to confront Logan with this revelation and question him about where his own feelings towards her lay?

That had been before his last words to her.

*Just leave me alone* if that was what he wanted, that was what he was going to get. She knew about Logan’s introspective moods, she had seen enough of them in their time together.
However, just as she knew that he wanted to be alone right now, she also knew that once he came out of his mood, he would come looking for her.

Stepping back to give him his time and space, she bade him a soft good night and left for her own loft suite, closing his room door behind her.

-----

Later in the night,

Logan had been unsuccessfully being trying to get some sleep. Ororo’s lingering scent and the waned effects of the alcohol hadn’t allowed him to do so.
Deciding to get something to eat, he tiredly pushed himself out of his bed and stumbled down to the kitchen.

He had just got some dinner leftovers out of the fridge when a steady hum of motors reached his ears. ‘Chuck’ his determined.
“What happened Chuck? Can’t get ta sleep?” he asked over his shoulder.
“I could ask the same from you,” Xavier’s tone had a smirk in it.
“Na, just wanted ta get something to feed the ol’ healing factor,” answered Logan, turning to present a large sandwich to the Professor. “Want some?” he offered bluntly.
“No, thank you,” the professor held up his hand. “I had my fill at dinner.”

Both of the sat in silence as Logan gobbled down the sandwich, washing it down with a can of some *sissy-pansy* kind of pop he found in the fridge. It wasn’t beer, but fulfilled its purpose.

Once he had finished eating, washed his plate and dried it, he turned to the Professor.
“Come out with it,” he spoke evenly, all previous mirth gone. “I know ya want ta say something?”
“What makes you so sure,” Xavier raised an eyebrow at him.
“I may not be a telepath or have fancy degrees to put Professor Doctor in fronto’ my name,” Logan narrowed his eyes at the Professor. “But I know when someone has an itch, and right now ya have a serious one. Cause there ain’t no reason fer ya ta come lookin’ fer me so late in the night.”
“What makes you so sure that I ‘came looking’ for you, as you so eloquently put it,” Xavier’s voice was just as tight.

“Cut the crap, Professor,” Logan stepped towards Xavier, stressing on his title. “Ya just came here, waited fer me ta make and eat the friggin sandwich, wash the plate and clean up after me, and now yaw anta say *nighty-night* and go yer way. I don’t think so. So get out what ya have in yer mind.”

“Very well,” Xavier straightened up in his wheelchair, his blue eyes staring right into Logan’s hazel ones. “I did want to say something to you.”

-----

“Huhn….” Scott Summers stirred awake. Had he heard something?

*Vrroommmm…Vhroommmm….Vvvvhhhrooommmm…..*

“Hey that’s my bike,” he cried out at the familiar sound of his self-customized motorcycle reached his ears.
Jumping out of his bed, he rushed to the window, just in time to see his bike racing towards the mansion gates, the stocky figure of the rider also known to him. He was about to call out after him, but something he distracted him long enough to have the bike cross the gates and turn into the main road.

Grabbing his robe, he ran to Wolverine’s room. Reaching there he found that not only was the door not locked, it was flung open. Stepping inside he was greeted with a perfectly made bed.
Everything was just as it should be….that is, if no one was living in room. Then it dawned on him, what had drawn his attention. Resting behind Wolverine, had been a small bag….a small bag filled with the meager belongings Wolverine had gathered during his stay at the institute.

Ladies and Gentlemen…

….the Wolverine had left the building.

---

Note: Come on now....Ladies and Gentlemen....Get yer reviewing minds inta gear and Please give me some reviews!! ::Winks::

---

** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

---

….the Wolverine had left the building

“Storm?” Ororo Monroe didn’t look from the glass she had been twirling around.
They were here. She knew that they would find her, just as they had found her the last time, and the time before that.

She had realized it the moment they entered the run down bar in the middle of nowhere. She had smelled his perfume. He always did wear a strong one and that too in prodigious amount. She also knew that he would be the one to approach her.

“Gambit,” she used his codename as he had used hers. Storm, not Stormy.
“How ‘re you doin’?” he asked as he slid in the seat in front of her.
“I’ve been better,” she answered flatly. Lifting the glass, she downed the bitter liquid, wincing as it hit her mouth, burning through her throat, right down her chest into her stomach. She needed its bolster, for what was going to have to hear and face for the next hour or so. “You can tell the others to come out. I know they are here.”
“Always th’ perceptive one, that’s my Stormy,” Remy smirked at her. “When did y’ come t’ know?”
“The moment you entered into the bar,” Ororo smiled a humorless smile. “You need to change your perfume brother, and wear less of it.”

“Ah, now y’ hurt my heart,” he professed mock pain. “The ladies, they luv’ Remy’s manly smell.”
“Sure they do,” Ororo shook her head. “However, you don’t have to bathe in it. I could smell you from a mile away.”
“That some nose y’ got padnat,” Remy reached forward an flicked it lightly. “Just like th’….”

“DON’T,” Ororo’s voice suddenly grew cold. Low and cold. “DON’T. TAKE. HIS. NAME.”
“’Roro,” Remy began.
“Drop it Remy,” the finality in Ororo’s voice silenced him immediately. “Get the others to come out so that we can get this over with.”
Letting out a dejected sigh, Gambit looked over his shoulder and signaled the rest of his teammates to come over to the table.

Within seconds, Cyclops, Jean Grey and Shadowcat were standing besides the table. Along with them was a smartly dressed young man with striking blue eyes and raven hair.
“Nightcrawler,” Ororo wished him first. “Like the look.”
Kurt smiled at her, and spoke in his thick German accent. “Thank you. The professor just gave it to me last month.”
At the mention of Xavier, Ororo flinched slightly, her change in expression immediately caught by her teammates.

“Hello Ororo,” Scott greeted her solemnly as he pulled a couple of extra chairs from an empty table. Jean and Kitty, both hugged Ororo, who returned it unfeelingly.
“Hello Cyclops,” Scott noticed that Ororo was still using their codenames. She had done it for Remy, then Kurt and now him. The only person who she didn’t address by her codename was Shadowcat, whom she called by her real name, Kitty.

“How are you?” he asked trying to start a conversation.
“Already answered that,” she ended that line of talk. “Try something else.”
“Ororo,” Jean laid a fair slender hand on her darker one. “Come back home.”
“No,” Ororo’s tone brooked no argument. “Not until I find him….” she added softly, just to herself.

“Ororo, its been long,” Scott began again. “Almost ten months. Why don’t you…..”
“What?” her eyes lit up with a cold fire, the thunder boom outside, announcing her anger. “Why don’t I give up? Is that what you want to say, Cyclops?” she spat out his name.
“No….” he lowered his head shamefully.

“Why are you here? All of you?” Ororo raised her head regally. “If you are here to repeat what you said the last time, I have just two words for you. SHOVE IT.”
“Stormy,” Remy reached for her hand, which she immediately yanked away.
“Leave me alone,” she said dejectedly. “Let me go…..let me find him.”

------

HIM

She had been tirelessly searching for him, having spanned the whole of Northern USA and more than half of Canada.

He had left her, in the middle of the night. Left her alone, and lonely. Just like she had been when he had left her for the first time, almost eight years ago.

He had left her.

‘NO’ her heart cried out.

He didn’t leave on his own accord. He was driven away.

Driven away by the one man she trusted most. Almost as much as Logan himself.

He had been driven away by that man.

Professor Charles Frances Xavier

------

Almost ten months ago,

Ororo had woken up late. She had spent a restless night, tossing and turning, trying to make sense of what had happened during the time she had been away from him. What had happened to make him so angry? Angry with her…angry, dejected and lost.

His anger she could understand. After the stunt Scott pulled, even she had been angry with him. However, the loss and dejection she had seen in his eyes had ripped right through her, searing her soul with that single look.

Did he believe what Scott said? Had he taken those words to heart? Did he trust her so little? Did he not trust her love for him?

All those questions and a deep foreboding feeling had kept her awake the entire night, with sleep finally coming in the early morning hours.

The last thing on her mind had been a determination to confront him in the morning and speak the truth of heart. It would then be up to him to make the next move. She would take a step forward and hoped that he would take one too.

------

What she didn’t expect was that he would have made his move even before she got a chance to make hers.

Getting up, she had a quick shower, she had left her long hair open, just brushing their length and had worn a dress, she knew he would like. It wasn’t very revealing, just showing the top of her cleavage, but what it had been was very defining, outlining all her womanly curves while avoiding making her look like a….well unlike her. She looked like herself and she looked like the woman he would like.

She looked like Logan’s woman

With a skip in her step, she had hurried to his room, hoping to catch him in her favorite *dress* for him, bare-chested, with just a jean or in this case, a sweat pant.

Reaching his room, she took a deep breath before knocking twice on it to let him know of a presence and then turned the knob.
“Its me, Oro…….ro,” her words stopped at the state of the room. It was a look that she had seen many times and knew well. He always did this in the motels they had stayed at. He cleaned up completely, right before they left the room. Right before HE left the room.

HE HAD LEFT THE ROOM

He had left her.

------

Hoping that she was wrong, she searched for Jean. She was in charge of allotting the room. Ororo hoped that she had allotted Logan a more permanent room than the guest room he had been staying in.

She had found Jean, sitting with Xavier and Scott, in Xavier’s office. The three of then were in deep conversation that had ended abruptly the moment she entered the room. Instantly she knew something was wrong and asked the first thing that came to her mind.

“Where is he?”

At her question, Jean flinched as if she had been slapped, Scott looked down, a frown etched on his face and Xavier remained as unaffected as ever.

Getting no answer, she repeated herself. “Where is Wolverine?”

For a couple of second everyone was silent and Ororo detected Xavier telepathically conversing with Jean. The next thing she knew was Jean had risen from her seat and was coming towards her, a pitiful look in her eyes.
“No,” Ororo moved aside to avoid her raised arm. “Tell me where is Wolverine?”
“Ororo,” Jean began, her voice cracking.

“Where is Wolverine?” was the mantra she was chanting.
“Ororo, please have a seat,” Charles began amicably. “We have something to discuss with you.”
“NO,” her tone grew louder, her previously light mood darker, the dark clouds gathering outside clarifying it. “WHERE. IS. WOLVERINE?” she asked coldly.

“He LEFT,” Scott jumped up from his chair. “He took my bike and cleared out in the night?”
“What?” Ororo’s voice cracked; the crackle of lightening outside lighting up the dark sky.
“He left,” Scott repeated shamefully.
“Why?”
“You have to ask the Professor about that,” Scott reoccupied his chair.

“Please Ororo,” Jean pleaded. “Sit down.”
Ororo numbly flopped in the empty chair. All emotions seemed to have left her body, and the atmosphere seemed to absorbed them, a torrential down pour starting to pelt down on the mansion.

------

“Stormy,” Remy had jumped at the first lightening strike. He maybe have ignored it as a freak happening, if it had not been a perfectly sunny day a couple of minutes ago. Once the rain started, it was his girlfriend who made the first move.
“Remy, find Ororo,” Rogue touched his shoulder, flying out of the room the next second.

Both of them had searched the entire mansion, finally meeting outside the only place left, Professor Xavier’s office. The fact that Xavier had not detected and responded to them before they knocked at the door let them know that something was wrong.

Bursting through the door, they had come face to face with four very pensive x-men. Xavier and Scott had crossed eyebrows, a frown clear on the younger man’s face. Jean had tears in her eyes and along her cheeks and Ororo….she was completely unresponsive, staring at her crossed hands.

“Ororo please, you have to try being calm,” Xavier said evenly.
“I am calm,” Ororo’s own voice was just as even, the only problem being the lightening and thunder outside, accompanying the rain.

“What happened?” Remy demanded as he walked to Ororo. Reaching for her, he found that she flinched, even from him. “What happened?” he demanded from the trio.
“Gambit, this doesn’t involve you,” Xavier tried to dismiss him. “I suggest that you and Rogue wait outside until we are finished.”
“Well its nice then that Remy don’ care about yor *suggestion*,” Remy scoffed at him.
“Gambit….” Xavier started again. Both Jean and Scott were silent observers now, not saying or doing anything to avoid making an already bad situation, even worse.

“No Professor,” Remy raised his hand. “Whateve’ concern Stormy, concern Remy. An’ that is final.”
“Very well,” Xavier nodded his head. “You can stay but Rogue, you will have to leave.”
Rogue started to say something, but the look on Remy’s face stopped her. She knew that Xavier wouldn’t start speaking until she left the room.
Harrumphing, she walked out of the room, slamming the doors behind her.

------

Xavier had told them that he had given Wolverine information about his past and an option. His exact words had been.
“I had asked Wolverine only one thing. That was, if he wanted to stay in the mansion he could, but her would have to follow the rules like everyone else.”

Ororo knew Logan. Xavier’s words must have felt as if he was giving him an ultimatum, that either follow our rules or leave. She had Xavier know as much. Logan was fiercely independent and not used to take anything lying down or free.
Gambit had seconded that sentiment. He had told them about his outing with Wolverine. The first thing Wolverine did was finding a pool place and had made five hundred dollars from hustling. It wasn’t until he had won that he ordered his own drinking, refusing to drink the one Gambit had offered to buy for him.

Xavier had apologized for his mistake, although not in so many words. However, when Jean asked him to use Cerebro to find Wolverine, he had refused. It seemed that Wolverine had made him make a promise, not to use any telepathy to find him. Scott had even said that somehow Wolverine had found and disabled the tracker placed in his bike.

Ororo had listened to their explanations and apologizes silently. Once they were finished, she thanked them for their ‘HELP’ and left the office, returning to her loft suite. She had floated through the corridors like a living ghost, not responding to anyone.

Retreating into her room, she had locked herself in not coming out or answering to anyone, including Remy.

------

While she finally did come out, it wasn’t what any of her friends and teammates had expected.

She was dressed in all black, a long overcoat swishing around as her boots sounded in the corridor. She also had a bag hanging over a shoulder, making it clear that she intended to follow Wolverine.

“Stormy,” Remy was the first one at her side. “Remy also ready,” he gave her a tentative smile and gestured towards his own bag, lying against a wall.
Ororo gave him a small smile of her own, but shook her head. “No brother. This is something I have to do for myself, by myself.”
“But…” Remy started, but was a slender finger on his lips, silenced him.

Nodding his head, he reached into his pocket and took out a sealed envelope. “This is fo’ you,” he pressed the envelope into her palm, gently closing it into a fist around it. “It is something you need to know. Remy hope, no he be sure it will help y’. Open it after y’ leave, not before.”
Ororo scrunched her face in confusion wondering what could be in the envelope. However at Remy’s secretive smile, she relaxed and carefully placed the envelope inside her coat pocket.

The only other x-men who had said anything to try to stop her was Scott. Scott had reasoned that it would be near possible to track Wolverine down and that she should remain at the mansion and that they would use other means than telepathy or Cerebro to track him down.
Ororo had bluntly refused his offer, saying that she needed to do this, and although she would welcome any help they could provide her, she wouldn’t just sit and wait for something to turn up.

Scott had started once again, but Ororo’s next words silenced and sealed his case. She had said that if it had been Jean, would he have waited around for something to turn up.

She had then left, not bothering to bid farewell to an apologetic Xavier.

------

Present,

“You people can leave now,” Ororo stated as she started to get up. “Your hour is up. I’ll see you soon, maybe two or three months from now…..” she smiled ruefully. “As it is you people always seem to find me.”

“Ororo…” Scott began. “Wait…please.”
“Why?” she arched a snowy eyebrow at him.
“We….we would like you to come back to the mansion,” he said cautiously. “We have something that you might find useful.”
“Useful?”
“Yes,” Scott answered a little louder this time. He had her attention. “It is about….its about Wolverine.”

“Wolverine,” she was instantly backed into her seat. “What? Tell me,” she demanded.
“Come to the mansion…” Scott repeated. “Everything you need to know is there.” He wanted her to come back home, because he was afraid of her reaction to the news he had in store for her.
“NO,” Ororo refused bluntly. “You will tell me here and you will tell me now.”
“Ororo….” Scott started again. It was his show; he had made sure of that before hand. None of the other x-men were to say anything, not even Gambit.

“Sorry Scott,” Ororo rose again, her back straight and her voice regal. Looking down at the teammates, she spoke, “Good bye.” With that she strode away, her black overcoat billowing around her legs.

------

“Homme y’ screwed it up,” Remy muttered under his breath, watching as Ororo paid her tab.
“Keep quiet,” Scott snapped at him, causing Gambit to extract a card from the deck he was playing with.
“She will come, she needs the information. She will come,” he ended. “….I hope.”

However, that didn’t happen. Paying her tab, Ororo walked to the door. Not even once, did she turn back to her teammates.
“Cyclops y’ screwed up big time,” Remy hissed at him, pushing him out of the way to catch Ororo before she disappeared again.

“Scott I told you, you cannot make her come back like this,” Jean started behind Gambit, Kurt and Kitty following close behind her.

“Stormy wait,” Gambit yelled out, just in time.

------

“Ororo, there was a reason why I wanted you to come back to the mansion,” Scott said evenly. “Please understand we want what is best for you.”
“I know Scott,” Ororo replied unfeelingly. “But I would rather have you give me the information right up front, than to play around or sugarcoat it.”

Nodding her head Scott pulled out a small six-inch television from inside the bag he was carrying.
“This was recorded two days ago. It is footage from a mall parking lot security camera,” Scott explained. “We have been able to track down the vehicle and have pretty sure idea of its current location.”
At Ororo’s silence, he started playing the footage.

------

Although, the video was grainy, it was clear from time stamp and the lighting that it had been recorded just before sunset.

As Ororo watched, the familiar figure of Wolverine stepped from inside a camper. Before proceeding any further, he lifted his head and gave the surroundings a once over, trying to gauge any signs of danger. Ororo smiled at the familiar practice. He used to do it every time the both of them went to a new place.

She was still smiling, when something obstructed her view of Logan and caused her smile to falter and then completely disappear.

Something that rushed from behind the camper and flung itself on Logan, latching its hand around his neck. And, rather than pushing it away, Logan pulled it further into him, snaking its legs around his mid section. Holding it in that position, he walked out for the camera’s view.

That ‘something’ around his back was a *woman*

---

Note: Used a couple of dialogues and situations from Ultimate-verse. Hope you liked it....Review and let me know!!

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** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

---

That ‘something’ around his back was a *woman*

“Ororo,” Jean rested a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Ororo, are you alright?”
The x-men were flying towards the last reported location of the elusive Wolverine, with their special passenger, Ororo Monroe, Storm.
“Huhn....” the tall Nubian beauty looked down at her friend, the television still grasped in her hands. She had seen the video more than a dozen times, trying to find a way to disprove or falsify it. But to no avail.
“Are you alright?” she repeated herself, gently squeezing her grip.
“Yes Jean,” Ororo answered half heartedly, her mind going back to what the professor had told her about Logan’s past, the morning after he left the mansion.

//Flashback//

“What did you tell him about his past?” Ororo stood in front of Xavier’s desk, Jean and Scott sitting in the chairs next to her.
“Ororo, I don’t think….” He started.
“I don’t care about what you do or don’t think,” she coldly cut him off. “I just want to know what told him about his past that you didn’t tell us.”
“Ororo…”
“Now CHARLES,” both Jean and Scott as well as Xavier himself were taken aback by Ororo’s use of his first name. It was something she had never done in all her years at the institute. She always gave and expected the proper respect to everyone around her. It was part of her mysterious goddess charm.

Nodding his head, Xavier began.
“Wolverine had a life before he was captured for the first time, even before he met you.”
“I know,” Ororo agreed. “I wouldn’t have expected him no to.”
“He,” Xavier took a deep breath. “He was married.”
Ororo’s breath hitched at those words. “I would imagine so,” she finally managed to word out.

“I had some information about that part of his life,” Xavier clarified. “About his…wife…and maybe his children.”
Ororo didn’t say anything, waiting for Xavier to continue.
“I had obtained a ring…a wedding ring,” he specified. “On it there was an inscription of love for James.”
“But his name is not James, its Logan,” Ororo looked up, her tone slightly lifting at that bit of news.
“No,” Xavier shook his head. “Logan is something he remembers as his name, maybe someone from the same part of his life, maybe his father, brother, friend….or son.”

“Son?” her voice cracked. She had had the same thoughts over the years. What if his past came to haunt her? What if he had a wife? Children? Would they have waited for him or would they have moved on?

“I’m not sure,” Xavier said clearly. “I don’t know.”

//End Flashback//

From the video footage, it seemed that he had found his past. His wife had waited for him and now that she had found him again, and both of them were happy with each other. He wouldn’t leave her now and neither would she?

‘And why should they?’ the logical part of her brain piped up again. ‘When you waited for the man who was so good that even with just six to seven years worth of memories he had made you so happy, how would he have been with a full life worth’s or memories?’

‘But he loves you too?’ her heart countered. ‘He told Remy that he did.’
‘Did he?’ logic pushed back. ‘He just said, what else is there worth thinking about?’
‘Coming from Logan, it’s the same thing,’ her love for him sounded.

‘He left you.’
‘Only because he thinks he is not good for me and that I love Forge and not him,’ her heart was trying to find any and every way to shut her logic up.
‘He may have left because of that,’ logic went in for the kill. ‘But what now? Now he has found his wife, maybe even children. He is not just going to leave them for the stupid emotions of a teenager.’
‘I’m not a teenager,’ she frowned.
“But you were when you met him, fell in love with him…lost him.’

-----

“Ororo,” Scott squeezed her hand. “Ororo, there is something else you need to know…..something you need to see.”
“What?” she asked dejectedly. What else was left to see?
“This,” Scott located a second file and started to play it.

-----

It was more video footage from the same mall, about an hour after the first one.

Logan and his *companion* entered into the camera’s view, loaded with bags of shopping from the mall. Reaching the camper, Logan pushed against it as if to knock on the door.

The next instant, the door was thrown open and another form stepped out, a female form, younger than the one standing next to Logan. She seemed to just as ‘familiar’ with.
‘What has he been doing?’ Ororo frowned. From the first video, it had seemed that Logan had found his wife, but a second woman.

“Who is that?” Jean questioned her. “And do you know the first woman?”
“No,” Ororo shook her head.
“We had thought that it might have been his wife,” Scott spoke slowly. “Until we saw the second video. Now it just looks like he is picking up women to have a good time.”
“Scott,” Jean scolded, sensing the hurt from Ororo at his comments. “We don’t know anything.”

**For god’s sake Scott, don’t say or do anything to complicate matters any further** she added telepathically.
**Jean…** Scott started.
**NO** he flinched at the boom of her thoughts.

-----

“ETA in ten minutes,” Kitty announced from the navigation control.
“Thank you Shadowcat,” Cyclops answered in full mission mode. “Alright guys. Up and at ‘em.”
“Sure ting’ cyke,” Remy spoke from his seat. Pulling his collar further around his head, he lowered it to his chest and went off to sleep.
“How do you vant us to handle it,” Kurt turned to Scott and Ororo.
“We go inside and try to find him,” Scott said evenly. “But no one approaches him. If you find him, signal the others. Once we are together, only then are we to go near him. Understood.”
“Yes, fearless one,” Kurt mock saluted him.

-----

Ten minutes later,

“So this be it?” Remy looked around at the run-down bar n’ motel. It was just like the one they had found Ororo in, right down to the broken no-vacancy sign. “This where we find th’ Wolverine. Even his camper be here,” he pointed to an old camper standing in one dark corner.
“Shadowcat,” Scott turned to Kitty. “Check the camper. See if you can find anything familiar.”

Nodding her head, Kitty nodded and phased into the camper. She came out a couple of minutes later, holding a weathered sweatshirt in her right hand. A sweatshirt with the x-symbol on its left side.
“Its him,” Ororo said stoically. “What else did you find in there?”
At Kitty’s hesitance, she repeated her question a second time.
“Clothes and stuff….female stuff.”
“Oh,” Ororo’s face hung at those words. “Lets go,” she said finally.

“Lets get this over with.”

---

Please Review!!

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** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

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“Lets get this over with”

“Excuse me,” the old bartender set down the newspaper he was reading and looked up at the latest entrants into the bar-cum-fighting arena.
“Ya?” he glanced at the two men and the woman along with them. Both of the men had their shaded glasses on, even indoors. One of them had the normal black ones, while the other had a red one. ‘City folk and their shenanigans,’ he shook his head.

Paying more attention to the female of the group, he appreciatively moved his eyes over the top half of her body, the part that was visible over the counter. She was ‘tall’, taller than any woman he had seen till date, even taller than him, by at least four inches. Her skin color told that she was of African origin, but with the bluest eyes ever. Even her hair was odd, different. They were white and were tightly bound at her back.

“What can I get ya today?” he asked as him stood up and came towards them. “The restrooms are over there, if ya wanta use them.” He pointed to the left. They looked like the typical tourist, which made him think that maybe they were taking a whiz break rather than buying a drink or two or more.

“Thank you,” red-glasses replied. He seemed to be the leader of the group. Standing next to him, black-glasses was staring right at the bartender. The woman seemed distracted, her eyes darting over the entire bar. It was as if she was expecting to find someone here, a missing friend and from the look in her eyes, it seemed that that person maybe be even more than just a friend.

------

“We are looking for someone,” red-glasses spoke again. “A man.”
“Look around ya,” the bartender gestured around the bar. “Ya got a lotta man. Can you be clearer? Gotta name or photo to go with the man?”
This time the female spoke, cutting off red-glasses, her voice smooth and cultured; held the barest hint of impatience. “We are looking for the Wolverine.”

Immediately the bar grew silent. It was as if it had gone completely empty.
“I take it he is known here,” the female gave a half smirk, her lips slightly curling at one edge.
“Sorry lady, can’t help you there,” the old man moved away from the counter, his hand lowering to the shot-gun stored below the counter. “Don’t know who you are talking about?”
“I think you do,” she countered back.

“Listen,” red-glasses jumped in, his voice slow as if trying to calm both the woman and the rapidly deteriorating situation. “We need to find him. Its very important.”
“Told ya, don’t know any one named Wolverine,” the bartender snapped at him. “So if ya don’t wanta buy anything, I suggest ya get on yer way. Have a nice day.”
“Mon ami,” black-glasses spoke up for the first time, his accent having a odd French tint in it. He wasn’t Canadian either. “Maybe we can work out sometin’, non?”

“There is nothing to work out,” he was getting angry now, and pulled out his gun. “Now if ya don’t wanta lose parts of yer body and yer life, I say GET.”
“Please,” the woman’s tone softened, her eyes filling up with pain and love. “Its very important that we find him. Its a life and death matter.”
“Whose?” He cocked his brow. Looking at her, he instantly got the answer. “Ya know, let that be. Go through that door, I’ll be with ya,” he whispered to her and turned to a younger employee.

------

“Did you just try to bribe him?” Cyclops hissed at Gambit as they walked into the ‘office’ of the bar, most probably of the owner or manager.
“Non,” Gambit shook his head. “Remy only try to get the information, which y’ fail t’ get.”
“Meaning you were try to *buy* it off,” Scott said bluntly.
“Whatev’ works homme,” Gambit just shrugged, going silent as the door knob was turned.

“What do ya want with the Wolverine?” The bartender-cum-manager-cum-owner started. He was addressing just Ororo now, not paying the least bit of attention to the other two men in the room.
“He is a friend,” she answered cryptically.
“Sure he is,” the old man smirked at her, becoming serious the next instant. “What do ya take me ta be? The village idiot? If ya expect me ta believe that someone like him would move around and mix with people like ya, then I might as well believe that milk comes frem the moon.”

None of the x-men seemed the least bit put off by his outburst, with Ororo doing the talking now.
“He IS a friend,” she stressed before softly adding. “He saved my life, a long time ago.”
“That is even more unbelievable,” the owner smirked. “He ain’t gonna get anyone a glass of water, let alone save their life. The only people I have seen him help are his old woman and the k…” he stopped himself, realizing that he spoke too much.

Wolverine had told him that no one should come to know anything about him or his family, especially smartly dressed city types like these. He had been very ‘convincing’.

“H…his wife,” the woman faltered. “What do you know about her?”
“Listen lady,” he audibly sighed. “I have already told ya people a lot. Can’t tell ya anymore, unless ya use yer torture techniques and injections ta get it out frem me.”
“Torture techniques? Injections? We don’t…..” red-glasses started.

“We are not from the government,” the woman stopped him.
“Sure that’s what they all say,” the old man, *Lou* smirked.

------

“Leave,” Ororo turned to her teammates, speaking in hushed tones. “Give me ten minutes.”
“Why?” Scott questioned, taking care of not using any of their real or codenames.
“Just leave,” she whispered back.

Nodding his head, Gambit immediately the office, with Cyclops slowly following him, glancing over his shoulder at the couple left behind them.

------

Ten minutes later,

Ororo stepped out of the bar, a tight blank look on her face and in her eyes.

“Lets go,” was all she said as she reached near her teammates and walked past them towards the Blackbird’s hidden location.
“Where are we going?” Scott started along with him, the rest of the x-men close behind him “What did you find out?”
“Westchester,” she answered. Her voice tight and unfeeling. “Back to the mansion.”

“What about Wolverine?” Jean inquired.

“Forget about him”

------

Three months later,

“You called Professor,” Hank *inquired* of his mentor. “I regret that I am late.”
“No need to apologize Henry,” Xavier smiled, gesturing to Beast to occupy his seat.

“Vat happened Professor,” Nightcrawler spoke from his *perch*. “You called all of us.”
“Yes Kurt,” Xavier looked around, his gaze finally settling on Ororo. “I have some important information to give, especially for Storm.”

“Me?” Ororo looked up. “What about me?” She asked hesitantly.
Having returned to the mansion, she had slowly settled into her old routine of school and x-men related missions.

“Yes,” Xavier nodded his head, raising his mental shields to avoid the deluge of thoughts and emotions going to burst at this next words.

“Wolverine is coming back….and, he is not alone.”

---

Note: I know the last couple of chapters have been short. That's for a reason. I want to keep on moving the story and as I don't have the time for long chapters....I am breaking them into small episodes.
Next Update will take some time. Please bear with me!!

Please Review!!

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** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

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“Wolverine is coming back….and…..he is not alone.”

“Ororo,” whispered a female soft as Jean gently squeezed her hand.
“Yes Jean,” she spoke evenly, throwing a curtain over her tumultuous emotions. “When is he coming Professor.”

Taking a deep breath Xavier spoke, “Today, he should be before noon, latest one.”
“So that leaves us with about three hours,” Scott checked the time.

“How long will he be staying here?” questioned Ororo.
“I do not know,” Xavier answered frankly. “He just said that he is coming and the time when he will reach here.”

“Who be the petites he be bringing along?” Remy inquired, his gaze darting between Xavier and his sister.
“That is something he did not reveal either,” Xavier spoke to everyone. “Although I expect it to be his long lost family. Maybe he is bringing them here to meet us?” he added, his eyes on Ororo at those words.

“Good for him,” Scott spoke flatly. “From what we know about him, he definitely deserves a break.”
“What sentiments homme,” Gambit grunted under his breath. “Too bad y’ couldn’t ‘ave this a year ago.” Remy still blamed Scott along with Xavier and Forge for Wolverine leaving. It was because of them and their big mouths that his padnat left the x-men and was on road for almost a year. And now? He wasn’t happy with her current state either. She needed to be happy and that she wasn’t. Although she gave a look opposite to that, he could sense her loss, her pain….her loneliness.

“Well I guess we need a large room this time,” Jean finally spoke. “I prepare the double room suite for him and his family.”

“Yes Jean, that will be adequate,” Xavier responded. “….and I would like to avoid any untoward situations like the ones we had last time,” he spoke both to Scott and to himself. “Wolverine can be a great addition to the x-men. I hope he joins us this time around.”

------

Couple of Hundred Kilometers away, (I deal in the metric system….divide by 1.61 for miles)

“When do we get there?” the impatient teenager asked for the umpteenth time. “How much longer?”
“Should be there within two hours,” Wolverine answered over his shoulder. “And no more breaks.”
“But….” She started but was cut off by his next words.
“And don’t day that ya gotta piss. Ya just did it at the last stop.”
“Hmph…..” she stomped to the backside of the camper.

“How are you feeling?” a soft cultured female voice asked from the passenger’s side. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he grunted, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.
“Logan…..”
“A said I am fine,” he snapped, instantly flinching at his own tone. “Sorry darlin’,” he apologized.

“I understand,” she patted his shoulder. “You are nervous of meeting her again. You are worried of how she would react.”
Instead of giving a verbal answer, Wolverine just let out a sigh.

After a couple of minutes of silence, he finally spoke.

“I’m only goin’ there fer the kid,” he gestured towards the girl, who right now was enjoying listening to one of the dozens of CDs he had bought her.

“The moment she settles there, I am outta there.”

------

“Stormy,” Remy entered the greenhouse. He knew she would be here. She spent at least an hour here and after this morning’s news, she was SURE to be here. “You there?”
“How many times have I told you, NOT to call me by that infernal name,” Ororo responded more by habit than by any need to mood for conversation.
“Remy know that,” he flashed one of his mysterious smirks, the one that disarmed you immediately, especially if you happen to belong to the fairer sex. However, it didn’t have any effect of Storm, who knew about all his tricks. “But ‘e also know that only he be allowed t’ call you by that name.”

“I know what you are trying to do. Your game,” Ororo smiled in spite herself. “And its not working.”
“Mua,” he appeared surprised. “Remy not play any games, not ‘least with his Storm….y.”
“Leave Remy,” she stressed.

“Ororo,” he spoke her real name, trying to get her to respond to him, talk about her feelings.
“LEAVE PLEASE,” thunder sounded in the sky. “Or do you want me to.”

Sensing the emotions swirling inside her, both through his empathy and from the sudden change in the weather, Remy decided to make a strategic retreat. He would try again once she had calmed herself.

Walking to the door, he looked at her once last time. “Remy pray f’or his padnat’s happiness.”

------

Around noon,

**Wolverine is here** Xavier projected to all the x-men, intimating them to assemble in the foyer.

Minutes later, they watched as Wolverine’s camper pulled in through the mansion gates. It was different from the one they had seen outside the bar in Canada, and although it was still old, it was not as beaten up as the previous one.

“How did he get the money to buy this?” Jean mused. “From his family?”
“Must be,” Scott answered. “We’ll know soon enough. Where is Ororo?” he looked around, failing to find the weather goddess.
“She….” Jean hesitated.
“Oh,” Scott nodded in realization. He had hoped that Ororo had finally moved on from Wolverine. It had looked so in the last month. But maybe she needed to have closure before she could finally and totally get over him.

As they watched, the camper to a stop at the bottom of the mansion stairs. Opening the driver side’s door, Wolverine jumped out.
“He does look the same,” Jean commented. “Didn’t change one bit, except for his clothes.”

Disregarding the small crowd gathered at the top of the stairs, he cracked his neck and donned his Stetsons cowboy hat, and extinguished his cigar with the bottom of his show. Meanwhile, a beautiful redhead had emerged from the passenger side. She was dressed casually in faded blue jeans and flannel blouse. She was slightly taller than Wolverine, by about a couple of inches.
“Hey kid….” Wolverine started, thumping against the camper’s side.
“Coming coming,” a feisty teenager jumped out of the passenger side door. “No need to get your panties in a bunch.”

“Jean,” Scott nudged his wife. “Do you see what I see?”
“If you mean that the girl doesn’t look anything like Wolverine or his wife” Jean whispered to him. “…then, yes.”

“Oh Gawd,” Rogue gasped. “Wolverine’s hit the beauty jackpot with that one.”
“Anna,” Gambit hissed at her, his smoldering eyes narrowing at Wolverine walking towards them.

------

“Wolverine,” Xavier greeted him. “Nice to see you after all this time.”

Wolverine nodded his head at all the x-men, only greeting Kitty, Kurt and Remy as half-pint, Elf and Gumbo. Both Kitty and Kurt smiled at him. Remy just stared at him.

“Come let us go inside,” Xavier turned his maneuvered his hover-chair inside.
“Hn,” Wolverine grunted as he ushered his companions into the mansion.

‘Where’s ‘Ro?’ Logan thought, his eyes searching for his white haired beauty. ‘Maybe she’s inside?’ he thought before scolding himself. ‘Maybe she doesn’t wanta see me?’

------

“Hope your trip was comfortable,” Charles spoke to the three people sitting in front of him. Most of the x-men were seated around him, with only Remy standing against the wall, his eyes still stuck at Wolverine, who had sensed the anger rolling from him, by was neglecting him.
“It was ok,” Wolverine responded tacitly.

“We have made arrangements for your stay?” Xavier informed him. “If you want to rest, Jean can help you get settled in, or….” He continued sensing Wolverine’s impatience. “We can talk first?”
“Talk,” Logan answered.

“I just came by fer the kid,” he patted the thigh of the young girl sitting beside him. “She needs a place ta stay and study here. She’s…...she’s like you guys.”
“Us? What do you mean?” Scott frowned at him.
“A mutant,” Wolverine answered. “….not like this.”

-SNIKT-

He help up a hand and extended his metal claws.

“Logan,” his female companion gently urged him to lower his hand. “Please put the claws away.”
“Sorry darlin’,” he apologized to her, instantly sheathing the razor sharp blades.

“What is her mutation?” Scott inquired.
“Ask her yerself,” Wolverine’s answer was addressed towards Xavier. He didn’t want to talk to one-eye or anyone else in the mansion. The only person he wanted to talk to or see, wasn’t even there.

“What’s your name child?” Xavier asked gently.
“Jubilation Lee,” answered the young Asian girl. “…but everyone just calls me Jubilee, so you can also call me that.”
“Lee?” Jean looked at Wolverine.
“Found her about eight months ago,” Wolverine once again spoke only to Xavier.

“Jubilee,” Xavier turned to the girl. “Where are you from?”
“So-cal,” she answered cheerfully. “We’ve got the best malls there, you should….”
“Kid,” Wolverine squeezed her thigh to shut her up.
“What?” she looked at him.
“Ferget about the mall,” he half ordered and half pleaded. “Just fer ten minutes, please.”

“Ok,” she winked at him. “Wolvie….”
“Grr….” His growl surprised the x-men, who thought that maybe he was threatening such a young child. However, they were even more surprised when she didn’t seem the least but affected. In fact, she stuck out her tongue at him, pinching between his knuckles.

------

“Can ya keep her here?” he turned to Xavier. “I’ll pay for it…everything. All her schooling, boarding, eating….everything.”
“We’ll be more than glad to help her out.” Xavier smiled at both of them, causing the girl to relax even further. Even Wolverine seemed a bit relived at his answer. “And you will not be required to pay anything. Although I must ask, does she have a legal guardian, or do you want someone at the school to take over that responsibility?”

“Already got that done,” Wolverine answered him. “Heather here will do that.”
In answer, the redhead smiled at Xavier and the rest of the x-men. “Hello”
“Hello,” Xavier returned her smile.

“Where’s ‘Ro?” Wolverine stood up. He had finally come to the end of his line of patience. He wanted to see her and he wanted it now.
“Why do you ask homme?” Remy spoke for the first time. “Why do you care?”
“Gumbo,” Wolverine growled at him. “Whatdya mean?”
“Remy mean, now you ‘ave your own family, you own wife….”

“WIFE?” Logan practically shouted it out. “Where did the WIFE come frem? The last I checked, I didn’t have one?”
“But what about Ms. Heather,” Henry stepped in. He had been observing the ‘couple’ ever since they had occupied their places on the sofa. Moreover, from what he had seen, they appeared to be more of friends than husband and wife.
“Heather?” the stocky mutant stepped in front of her, as if trying to save her from any attack from the x-men. “What about her?”

“Don’t she be your wife?” Gambit asked warily, the intense emotions from Wolverine unsettling him.
“No, she don’t be my wife. She be my friend and she BE happily married to her husband,” Wolverine snapped at him. “Now tell me where is Ororo?”
“Th’ Greenhouse,” Remy answered a bit sullenly, suddenly feeling relieved at the news about Wolverine’s wife, but still worried about what was going to happen between Storm and Wolverine.

“Heather,” he turned to his friend. “Ya handle it?”
“Yes Logan,” she smiled at him, reaching up and gently patting on his lower arm, she pushed him towards the door. “You go and meet her.”
“Thanks darling,” Wolverine grinned at her and then winked at Jubilee. “See ya later kid.”
With that he ran out of the door, rushing towards the his ‘Ro.

----

Minutes later,

“Hey, that’s my bike,” Scott jumped up at the sound of a motorcycle engine being fired-up and revved.
Running out of the door, he was faced with a familiar scene, except that this time, instead of it being night, it was day.
“Hey Wolverine…..WOLVERINE,” he yelled after the retreating figure.

**He’s left Scott** his wife projected to him.
“Left,” he stepped inside any came towards her. “How do you know? Where did he go? I saw a bag on his back. When is he coming back?”

“He’s not coming back?” Heather spoke softly, suddenly sad from the news. “He only came back for two reasons. One was Jubilee and the other was Ororo.”
“But Ororo is here,” Scott pointed a finger in the greenhouse’s direction. “She’s here.”
“She maybe here, but she is not with him,” she sighed. “Either she rejected him…or she is with someone else now.”

Even Jubilee seemed to lose some of her spunk at the news, a frown appearing on her face. She had wanted her ‘Wolvie’ to stay with her and from what he had told her about this ‘Ororo’ person, she had wanted to meet her too. Now….now, she didn’t even want to see her face, let alone talk to her or stay in the same place…mansion with her.
“The bitch,” she cursed under her breath.

“Jubilee,” Heather scolded her. “Language.”
“What?” she shot back. “The poor guy loves her to death and beyond, only thinks and talks of her, and what does she do….she fuckin’ rejects him.”
“JUBILEE,” Heather’s voice grew louder, sterner.
“Yeah….language,” she drew back into a corner of the sofa, a deep scowl marring her features, her arms crossed at her chest.

----

“Jean, what is going on?” Scott looked at his wife. “I am going to find Ororo.”
“Scott, wait” Jean’s call after him. Concentrating, she tried to tried to telepathically sense what was the reason for this event.

“Oh God…..” she gasped, her hand slapping against her forehead.

“Ororo….What have you done?”

---

Note: Longer Chapter than the last time.....so please review!!

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** ** indicates telepathic communication
‘ ’ indicates thought
“ ” indicates spoken words

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“Ororo….What have you done?”

“Kitty go get Ororo,” Jean gestured to Shadowcat. “Wait….Professor maybe you should be the one to call her.”
“Jean, not yet,” Xavier shook his head. “We should wait for her to come on her own. Its not our position to meddle in Ororo’s or anyone else’s private matters?”
“Professor….” Jean started.
“I understand Jean, but you cannot force her to do something she is not ready for.”
Jean lowered her head at Xavier’s words.

“Get me out of here,” Jubilee snorted at no one in particular. “Where is my room? Or do you want us to leave too?”
“No Jubilee, Jean and Kitty will get you settled into your temporary accommodations,” Xavier smiled at her. “Once your get comfortable with the institute, you will be allotted a room in the students wing.”
“Ok, whatever,” Jubilee flipped her hand and stood up. ‘Didn’t even get to say bye,’ she lamented under her breath.

“Professor, I’ll also join Jubilee and help her with her clothes and other belongings,” Heather started to stand up. “Thank you for all your help. I am sure Logan is also thankful, even if he doesn’t say so. The fact that he trusted this place enough to bring young Jubilee here to live and study here, should be proof enough.”
“I under Mrs. Hudson,” Xavier nodded his head. “….and please call me Charles.”
Heater flashed a smile, “Thank you Charles and you also and everyone else, please call me Heather.”

With that, the small group of two redheaded women and two young girls left the room.

-------

“Excuse me Jean,” Heather approached Jean outside the guest room. Jubilee was inside talking to Kitty and unpacking her luggage. “Can you tell me which one is Ororo’s room?”
At Jean hesitation, the older women laid a amicable hand on her forearm. “Don’t worry, I am not going to barge in start shooting off my mouth at her. That particular kind of job is more suited towards someone like Jubilee.”

Jean smiled at the mention of the Asian firecracker. The girl had definite spunk, not the kind of child you might expect keeping company with Wolverine. But then, how much did she know about him and his friends. From the way he interacted with Heather, it was clear that he had known her for quite a long time.

“The stairs at the end of the corridor,” Jean pointed towards the left. “They lead to the attic. That’s Ororo’s room or more like apartment.”
“Oh,” Heather smiled at her. “Logan did tell me that she liked open places and nature. So I guess the highest place in the mansion would be the appropriate one.”

Jean nodded her head and decided to voice her questions. “Heather, if you don’t mind my asking. How long have you known Wolverine?”
“Wolverine,” the word was spoken in a mixture of anger and sadness. “I never call him that,” Heather said wistfully. “That’s not who he his. That’s the name they gave him.”
“They?”
“The government people….” Heather seemed to tense at the story. “The same people who made him into who he is. First the experimented on him and took away his memory. They tired to destroy him, but all they managed to do was push him into hiding. And now….the metal,” she shuddered. “I don’t even try to think about what he must have gone in the last seven years.”

“Heather…” Jean raised a hand. “Ororo’s back in her room. If you want we can go and meet her.”
“How do you….” Heather looked confused. “I forgot for a moment that I am in a house with its own telepaths.”
Jean smiled at her. She had come to know from Heather that she wasn’t a mutant. However, what she did for a living she didn’t let out. She just said that she worked for the Canadian government.
“Jean….” Her thoughts were interrupted. “If you don’t mind, I would like to meet Ororo alone.”

“Oh, Ok,” Jean agreed understandingly. She appreciated the patience the woman was showing towards the situation. “Sure. I’ll let everyone else know that you are not to be disturbed.”
“Thanks,” Heather turned to look into the room and called Jubilee. “Hey Jubes, I’m just going to get your paperwork done. You’ll be ok by yourself?”
“Yeah, no sweat,” Jubilee popped her bubble gum. “Kit-Kat and me here will do just fine.”

“Looks like she has already started making friends,” Jean commented from the door.
“You don’t know her,” Heather shook her head. “Give her till the end of the day and she will have all of you dancing to her tune.”
“Hmm….Thanks for the warning,” Jean chuckled.
Both of the started walking towards the stairs leading to Ororo’s room.

“Thanks Jean,” Heather said once again. “For helping us….and for helping Logan.”
“You’re welcome,” Jean answered hesitantly, not quite sure of what to say about their first experience with Wolverine.
“You know,” Heather started up the stairs. “Logan has always had thing for redheads,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “I’m surprised he didn’t hit on you.”
Jean could just stare open mouthed at the other redhead as she walked away. There was definitely some history between her and Wolverine.

----

“Who is it?” Ororo responded to the knock on her door. She didn’t feel very company-like. She had been like this the entire day and specially since Remy’s intrusion in the greenhouse.

Seeing Logan after all this time only added to her pain and hurt. A pain and hurt, which caused her to lash out in the only way she could. She hurt him back.

//Flashback//

She knew the moment he pulled in through the gates. It was as if not only did the camper’s sound reach her, it was him. He called to her….just as he had been doing for last these years. She had answered his call, she had even gone after him. For what? Only to find him happily settled with his wife and kid.

He had completely forgotten her. He didn’t even try to contact her and let her know that he had found his past and that was his present now, and that he had no place in it…or at least no the kind she wanted to have. It was as if he had forgotten those months they had spent together, just as he had forgotten everything else about his past. Everything that didn’t happen within the last fifteen years.

----

“Ororo,” a deep cultured voice sounded behind her, breaking her out of her reverie.
“Hey,” she turned to face the person.
“How are you?” he came closer to her. “I mean how are you handling the current situation?”
“I am well,” she smiled at his concern. “Working with nature is very helpful….very calming.”

What neither of them noticed was the short stocky man observing them, his eyes ablaze with a cold anger. He was about to announce himself, when….

“I just came to tell you, I had a great time last night,” he was inches away from her, the back of his fingers trailing over her exposed arms. “I didn’t know that was even possible. Where did you learn how to do that?” he referred to the events of the previous night.
“Oh, just here and there,” she answered ambiguously, both of them secretly happy of not having to mention the unknown and unspeakable name.

She was recovering and he wanted to help her and was ready to wait till she came around to him. ‘…..and that she is already is starting to do,’ he smiled to himself.

“Ororo,” he softly spoke her name.
“Hmmm…” she answered, her mind lost in the memories his touches were bringing up. Memories of a rougher but gentler hand caressing her, roaming of her entire body, just as she explored his. She had been so naïve then. Sure she had been feisty and quick on the shot, but romantically….sexually, she had been as innocent as a new born.
He had taught her everything, she knew…..everything he knew.

“Ororo,” she frowned at the intrusion.
“Yes?”
“Turn this way, I’d like to see your beautiful face and kiss you.”

----

The moment those words were out of his mouth, the whole greenhouse was filled with an animalistic snarl.

“Hello Logan,” she greeted him coolly, not stepping away from her companion. “How nice to see you.”
“’Ro,” he nodded at her. “Ya, get away from her,” he threatened the other male.
“Why?” the tall man looked down at him, his tone condescending, just like his eyes.
“Yes, why should he?” Ororo bolstered his answer.

“’Ro?” Logan stepped closer to them, his hands balled at his sides, ready to let the claws out and do the talking for him.
“Yes WOLVERINE,” her distant coldness halted him immediately. She had used his codename….and she had used it as if she meant to demean him.

“What are ya doin’ with him?” he grunted, hazel eyes clashing with sapphire ones. “Do ya love him?” he pointed at the Cheyenne standing besides Ororo.
“What is it to you?” she shot back. “Its not like its any of your concern.”
“It is,” he stepped closer. “Cause ya are MINE. Ya shouldn’t be….”

“Mine….MINE….MINE,” she spat out the words in louder tones, the last time being a yell. “I am not an animal, and I am definitely NOT yours. I never was and I never will be…..WOLVERINE.”

Logan just seemed to be stuck at the ground, unable to move, do or say anything. He was sure she would have waited for him. He had told her so…..he had promised her.

“’Ro,” he finally began.
“Leave Wolverine,” she turned her back to him. “Just leave me alone,” she repeated his words to him.
Logan started towards her, but had to stop and step back when she turned to the other man for comfort. He could smell his smell on her.

“Are ya sure ya want that?” he asked, his hope still not dead. “Do ya really want me ta leave ya?”
“Yes,” she answered, her voice husky from barely contained tears. “Go back to your life and leave me to live my own.”

‘But yer are my life,’ he wanted to say. ‘I’ain’t anythin’ without ya.’
“Ya sure?” was his final plea.

Instead of answering him verbally, she just walked away to another section of the greenhouse, signaling that she was walking away from him and whatever he was offering.

His head lowered, his inner beast raging at its loss, Logan turned around and walked away.

About five minutes later, the start of a motorcycle engine and the following retreating thump, let her know that he was gone….once and for all.

Soon Ororo also left the greenhouse, floating away towards her room and leaving a grinning Forge standing alone among her plants.

-----

“Now, that’s more like it. Two birds with one stone. One, I get her all for myself,” he laughed out aloud, remembering the first blow he had struck against the ended relationship.

“Destroying the letter he left for you,” his eyes twinkled in glee. “Sheer genius. Just like what is in store for him, now.”

Flipping his cell phone on, he dialed a number.
“Speak,” a slightly accented voice answered.
“Its here,” Forge spoke cryptically. “However, it had just escaped and will need tracking.”
“I know,” the stranger answered. “Its easier that way. You did good.”

“Yeah sure, your thanks means a lot….the money will mean even more.”
“Already done. Check you account, and don’t call again,” with that the call ended.
“Sure, who wants to,” Forge chuckled and started walking towards the mansion.

“Life is good,”

//End Flashback//

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Note: Decided to bring in a twist in the story....instead of the usual jealousy and the accompanying angst!!

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